One of the busiest screenwriters working today, Akiva Goldsman, spoke to the LA Times recently about many, many big upcoming projects. The writer is one of the few rare cases we’ve seen that makes a case for giving people second chances. He wrote the scripts for Joel Schumacher‘s Batman Forever and the passionately-hated Batman & Robin, but went on to take home an Oscar for Best Picture winner A Beautiful Mind. In an around these two highest and lowest points, he’s done many other well-known movies that received varying response such as I, Robot, Cinderella Man, The Da Vinci Code, and I am Legend.

When the topic of Batman & Robin came up something was mentioned that stuck out. It came from the mouth of Marvel’s main man, Kevin Feige, who was quoted as saying that the loathed comic book movie may actually be the most important movie to be made for that genre. And why would he say such things? Well, because of how horrid the movie was, of course. Feige explained that the sheer awfulness of that film forced open new eyes, which in-turn laid the groundwork for the much more accepted style of comic book movie making seen in franchises like Spider-Man and X-Men.

Today marks the release of author Dan Brown‘s new book The Lost Symbol, the highly anticipated sequel to his best-seller The Da Vinci Code. The good folks over at Doubleday have provided Geeks of Doom one copy of the novel to give away to one lucky reader!

One (1) winner will receive:

• One (1) copy of Dan Brown’s The Lost Symbol

What do you have to do to get a chance to win? Glad you asked ’cause it’s really easy. Just make sure you’re a subscriber to our email digest, and then go ahead and fill out the handy dandy form below. Done.

Good luck!

TO ENTER: There’s just two simple steps: (1) Make sure you’re subscribed to the Geeks of Doom email digest. If you’re not then click here and sign up. (If you’re already a subscriber, then go right to the next step.) (2) Fill out the entry form here below and submit. (Form is here after the jump.)

Angels and Demons
Directed by Ron Howard
Starring Tom Hanks, Ewan McGregor, Stellan Skarsgard
Rated PG-13
Release date: May 15, 2009

Angels and Demons is a direct sequel to The Da Vinci Code and based on the book of the same name (though Dan Brown fans will tell you Angels is actually supposed to be the prequel of The Da Vinci Code).

Angels and Demons brings back symbologist (aka glorified scavenger hunter)Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) on another yet mystery involving Catholicism. On the eve of the latest’s Pope’s death, the four cardinals vying for the Papacy have been kidnapped by a member of a secret organization known as The Illuminati. The assailant promises to kill one cardinal for every hour until midnight when he sets off an anti-matter bomb somewhere in Vatican City. Now, it is a race against time as Langdon searches for the Cardinals and tries desperately to stop the bomb before it kills thousands.

Written by David Koepp (Spider-Man) and Akiva Goldsman, Angels is a fast-paced thrill ride from beginning to end. One part National Treasure, one part Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego?, the movie starts off with a murder and never gives you a chance to breathe. Even some of the more dialogue-filled scenes are quick. It is not so much that the lines are delivered quickly, but rather there is so much substance in it, viewers really need to listen to the dialogue, comprehend it, and try to figure out where Langdon will go next. Sure, moviegoers do not have to play along, but how can you resist? The whole movie is a mystery and everyone loves a good mystery.

Sony has released six new clips and one new featurette from their upcoming film, Angels & Demons, directed by Ron Howard and starring Tom Hanks.

In the new featurette, titled “Vatican City,” Ron Howard and Tom Hanks talk about the history of this religious city and how the adventure in the film is tied to it.

Watch all the new footage here below; note, the first video embedded has the six new clips, plus two older ones, so continue on through to watch them all. Also, I’ve include two previously released featurettes.

Angels & Demons sees Hanks back in the role of Professor Robert Langdon, who at this point, is already renown for his adventures in the Da Vinci Code, so he’s called upon by the Vatican to help them thwart a plan by their ancient enemy — The Illuminati — to destroy Vatican City and bring about the downfall of the Catholic Church.

The theatrical trailer for director Ron Howard’s The Da Vinci Code follow-up Angels & Demons is now online.

Tom Hanks returns as symbologist Robert Langdon for this prequel story, that has the Harvard professor up against the ancient secret society, The Illuminati, which has returned for revenge against the Catholic Church.

Ewan McGregor and Stellan Skarsgård also star in the film, which will be released May 15, 2009.

Watch the trailer here below or in high definition at MSN.