Well, it was nice to see Indy in a new movie, and it didn't disappoint. Well, mostly. I found the whole secret of the crystal skull a little hokie (ok, a LOT hokie). I was a little disappointed with how the 'archeology' of the film entered the realm of the extraterrestrial. Also, there was a distinct lack of Nazis.
But enough of that, to the good things. First, it was action packed. The chase scene where Indy goes from bike to car to bike was awesome. Also, the punch sound effect didn't change. I was very happy about this. Mutt was a greaser (the Socs surely wanted to rumble over this). And the only 'Kate' in this film was Cate Blanchett.
Question: Was I the only one who felt that, at some point during the wedding scene, there was supposed to be a cut to C3PO and a rebuilt R2D2?
Perhaps the most exciting news around the release of Indy 4 is the talk about an Indy 5. Well, guess what? I did some investigating, and I was able to get an overview of the plot line. I present it here for you (WARNING: Spoiler Alert)
1. Indy gets into some trouble that causes his hat to fall off.
2. Indy gets dragged into a larger adventure that threatens the well-being of his hat.
3. Indy gets into a fist fight and nearly loses his hat.
4. Indy dodges a booby-trap and barely rescues his hat.
5. Indy saves the day with his hat gloriously sitting upon his head.
There you go. And what about Indy 6? Well, the budding dark side of the force within Indy's hat grows stronger, creating an alienation between him and his wife, Queen Amidala. The hat becomes the protege of the burgeoning galactic emperor and goes on a rampage, killing all the other hats. Eventually, Indy's hat is confronted by his mentor, Obi -Wan Kenobi, on a volcanic planet. There, the hat loses its brim and is placed inside a robotic suit. It goes on to become the most feared enforcer within the Galactic Empire. (Don't worry, Queen Amidala is pregnant with the hat's babies. There will be a new hope.)
5/17/08
"nostalgic is not one of them"
let me be clear about a couple of things. i love gadgets. i love superheroes (and heroes without superpowers), and i love guys with cocky bastard attitudes.
did i find all of these things in iron man? hell yes i did.
in all honesty, i feel like robert downy jr. was a great choice for the character of iron man. he had the right attitude, certainly the right look, and was able to keep from taking himself too seriously. however, i feel that the character of pepper potts could have been more developed. whether this was the fault of gwyneth paltrow as an actress, mark fergus as the screenplay writer, or jack kirby and stan lee as the originators of the story, i'm not sure. maybe it's all 3.
additionally, in general, i dislike it when "the man" in the movie industry assumes it'd be a good idea to make a sequel without some serious thought and evaluation. however. samuel l. jackson as nick fury? who can beat that?! i do think the iron man story line has more to give us as hero lovers, as long as they stay true to the comics and don't turn him into a truly "upstanding citizen."
on a final note, i would like to mention that i really really really strongly disagree with this "most american superhero" bullshit that someone thought would be a good marketing plan for the movie. in terms of selfishness, obsession with money, arrogance, womanizing, and merchant of death-ing, yes, it is an american flick. however, i seriously doubt that was what jack kirby and stan lee were going for with this one. a scathing commentary on american ways, maybe. but a celebration of "true patriotism" iron man is not.
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5/16/08
It's an Iron Maiden. It's an Iron Butterfly. No, It's Iron Man!
First, the baddie in this movie was a baldy, beardy named Obadiah Stane. To quote the hype-up line of every early '90's Marvel comic, "'Nuff said."
More than anything, this movie reinforced a number of beliefs I've held for a long time.
1. Hungary is the dangerously excluded member of the Axis of Evil.
2. Women with even the smallest politically left-leaning inclinations have an uncontrollable sexual urge for men who make their money via the Military-Industrial Complex.
3. A superhero's servant is useless unless he possesses an English accent (For further evidence, see: Batman, the Avengers, and the Fresh Prince of Bel Air)
While I enjoyed this movie, it definitely ranked among the better of the superhero movies to come out recently, there was one thing glaringly absent from this film: Vince Vaughn. Yes, this was Jon Favreau's best foray into the world of superhero movies; he previously appeared in Batman Forever and Daredevil. However, it must be said, Jon Favreau is at his best when paired with the indomitable Vince Vaughn. A supporting role for Vaughn would have turned this film from enjoyable to Favreautastic.
Now, some parting words. Superhero movies are very much a matter of hit and miss. Some are good (X-Men 1, X-Men 2) and some are bad (X-Men 3). But there is one thing that will always make a bad superhero movie more palette-able: the video game based on the bad superhero movies. While the movies are a crap-shoot, the video games are universally aweful. In fact, they are so bad, they often rank among the worst video games ever made. So, if you find yourself facing the daunting task of having to sit through Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, just play the video game version of it first, it will make the task all the more easy.
More than anything, this movie reinforced a number of beliefs I've held for a long time.
1. Hungary is the dangerously excluded member of the Axis of Evil.
2. Women with even the smallest politically left-leaning inclinations have an uncontrollable sexual urge for men who make their money via the Military-Industrial Complex.
3. A superhero's servant is useless unless he possesses an English accent (For further evidence, see: Batman, the Avengers, and the Fresh Prince of Bel Air)
While I enjoyed this movie, it definitely ranked among the better of the superhero movies to come out recently, there was one thing glaringly absent from this film: Vince Vaughn. Yes, this was Jon Favreau's best foray into the world of superhero movies; he previously appeared in Batman Forever and Daredevil. However, it must be said, Jon Favreau is at his best when paired with the indomitable Vince Vaughn. A supporting role for Vaughn would have turned this film from enjoyable to Favreautastic.
Now, some parting words. Superhero movies are very much a matter of hit and miss. Some are good (X-Men 1, X-Men 2) and some are bad (X-Men 3). But there is one thing that will always make a bad superhero movie more palette-able: the video game based on the bad superhero movies. While the movies are a crap-shoot, the video games are universally aweful. In fact, they are so bad, they often rank among the worst video games ever made. So, if you find yourself facing the daunting task of having to sit through Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer, just play the video game version of it first, it will make the task all the more easy.
5/7/08
A Short Round of Applause
Temple of Doom is an exciting film for me, in large part because I can never decide if it edges out A.I. for the fifth worst Steven Spielberg film. If you’re keeping score at home, the list goes like this:
1. War of the Worlds
2. Always
3. The Sugarland Express
4. Terminal
5. A.I./Temple of Doom
After watching it again, I’m struck by the strength of Jonathan Ke Quan’s performance as Short Round. This is truly a talented young man and rather than dwell on the things that drag down Temple of Doom, I’ll focus on 3 things that make other Jonathan Ke Quan features worth watching.
Breathing Fire
1.
2. The break dancing martial arts sequence… words fail here and I can’t find a clip.
3. Martial arts star Bolo Yeung in drag.
Encino Man
1.
2. Three words: weezing the juice.
3. The earthquake that reunites Link with his Neolithic love: perhaps the most contrived plot point in cinema history.
Goonies
1.
2. Two words: booby traps.
3. The Truffle Shuffle.
1. War of the Worlds
2. Always
3. The Sugarland Express
4. Terminal
5. A.I./Temple of Doom
After watching it again, I’m struck by the strength of Jonathan Ke Quan’s performance as Short Round. This is truly a talented young man and rather than dwell on the things that drag down Temple of Doom, I’ll focus on 3 things that make other Jonathan Ke Quan features worth watching.
Breathing Fire
1.
2. The break dancing martial arts sequence… words fail here and I can’t find a clip.
3. Martial arts star Bolo Yeung in drag.
Encino Man
1.
2. Three words: weezing the juice.
3. The earthquake that reunites Link with his Neolithic love: perhaps the most contrived plot point in cinema history.
Goonies
1.
2. Two words: booby traps.
3. The Truffle Shuffle.
"Hey, Dr. Jones, no time for love."
i love indiana jones. and i love harrison ford even more. however, if spielberg admits this movie isn't very good...well, he's just right. it isn't. but indy's still dreamy throughout the whole movie.
i feel like temple of doom is a film best served with a group of people who all have good senses of humor. thankfully, this was the case last night during which we covered many topics including the lack of tap dance numbers in modern films, multiple forms of apocalypses (apocalypti?), the saint jeff peden memorial death fest's view on "brown people," and research into jonathan ke huy quan's more recent film experiences.
as far as action movies go, this one definitely had all the requirements; fist fights (including one between children), explosions, nearly complete inaccuracy, gun fights, a funny sidekick, and the near death of an obnoxious female character.
additionally, i would like to mention the fact that john williams' epic music really makes the indy films what they are (as is evidenced by the fact that madgyver and i were singing along to the end credits).
ultimately, even though i love indy and enjoyed watching temple of doom, i really missed karen allen.
i would also like to give myself a little room to be excited for our first field trip next week! plans tba!
i feel like temple of doom is a film best served with a group of people who all have good senses of humor. thankfully, this was the case last night during which we covered many topics including the lack of tap dance numbers in modern films, multiple forms of apocalypses (apocalypti?), the saint jeff peden memorial death fest's view on "brown people," and research into jonathan ke huy quan's more recent film experiences.
as far as action movies go, this one definitely had all the requirements; fist fights (including one between children), explosions, nearly complete inaccuracy, gun fights, a funny sidekick, and the near death of an obnoxious female character.
additionally, i would like to mention the fact that john williams' epic music really makes the indy films what they are (as is evidenced by the fact that madgyver and i were singing along to the end credits).
ultimately, even though i love indy and enjoyed watching temple of doom, i really missed karen allen.
i would also like to give myself a little room to be excited for our first field trip next week! plans tba!
Nothing shocks me, I'm a scientist
Temple of Doom is an intense yet moving film which illustrates the complex relationships between gender, race, and ritual human sacrifice. Kate Capshaw is captivating as the incorrigible Willie Scott. So captivating, in fact, that ErinInAction and I played a game during the film called "Wait and see if KC says something that's not stupid". We scored 2 points, I believe. I believe most of the attendees of last night's viewing will agree that a "Kate Capshapocalypse" Is much more frightening than a Zombie Apocalypse, possibly even a Bird Apocalypse to EIA.
Of course Harrison Ford manages to redeem the shortfalls of his leading lady with his charisma. The best part about IA and TOD (That is not present in the other 2 movies) is Short Round. He is the most adorable little sidekick and manages to still be charming in spite of some of the contrived lines he's given. He also has some golden lines, such as "You call him Dr. Jones, Doll!" We'll never truly know why Short Round wasn't asked to come back in The Last Crusade. I'd really like to see a Vh1 "Where are they now" special on him though.
Of course Harrison Ford manages to redeem the shortfalls of his leading lady with his charisma. The best part about IA and TOD (That is not present in the other 2 movies) is Short Round. He is the most adorable little sidekick and manages to still be charming in spite of some of the contrived lines he's given. He also has some golden lines, such as "You call him Dr. Jones, Doll!" We'll never truly know why Short Round wasn't asked to come back in The Last Crusade. I'd really like to see a Vh1 "Where are they now" special on him though.
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