My 2 on Indy 4

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Release: 05.22.2008
Rated PG-13
2 hours, 4 minutes



***Updated Rating - 06.02.2008***
For Fans: Second-Run Seats ($$)
For Moviegoers: Full Price ($$$$) <> Matinee ($$$)
***

Dr. Henry "Indiana" Jones, Jr. (Harrison Ford), after a run in with the Russians and their leader Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett, The Gift), is scrutinized by the government during the height of the McCarthy communist scare. While departing for greener pastures, a young greaser by the name of Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf, Constantine) brings word that two of Indy's dear friends, 'Ox' (John Hurt, Hellboy) and Mari Williams ( Karen Allen, Raiders of the Lost Ark), have been kidnapped to help the Russians uncover the lost Kingdom of the Crystal Skull; or what people know as El Dorado. Indiana changes course, with Mutt in tow, to save his friends and perhaps uncover the secret behind the City of Gold.

I've debated a dozen different ways of writing this review. I started to just read the myriad of other posts and simply highlight those with similar views to mine. However, the handful of you that come here come looking for my opinion, so here it goes:

The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a satisfying installment in the life and times of Indiana Jones. By that I mean it satisfies the unspoken requirements of an Indy-level event; it's got the love interest, the sidekicks, the villains of the era, the larger-than-life action sequences inflated just beyond believability. These ingredients, plus his hat and whip, fuel another mystic quest of religious origin. Rumor has it director Steven Spielberg (War of the Worlds) even kept the quality of special effects in place so that Crystal Skull would feel more akin to its predecessors. That was problem number one for me. As an audience, our palates have seasoned over the last twenty years. Seeing an action film, especially one that thrives on being just on the outrageous side of plausible, is totally off-putting when it doesn't look real. As a viewer I can forgive a film made twenty-five years ago because its creators worked with what they had, but it's disappointing when the power is available and unused. I mean, damn, Lucas spent years polishing the old Star Wars, so why not give the Indiana Jones series a spit-shine?

I can forgive directorial prerogative and enjoy the spectacle and excitement. But what happened to the story development? The human element so familiar to the previous installments seems more of an afterthought. Revelations of, and reunions with, Indiana's past are squeezed into the crannies of the action, a complete detriment to the series's appeal. It's a shame because the actors are giving it their all. If you aren't going to give the character's history proper respect, then don't bother adding it to the story.

Dirty Undies
Over the years, the Indiana Jones films have gotten slimmer and slimmer in the categories of brutal violence and sex appeal, and Crystal Skull keeps up the kid-friendly trend. There's loads of bare-knuckle fighting and harrowing chases, but none of the associated bloodshed you'd imagine from the confrontations. It's easily the least violent and most chaste of the series.

The Money Shot
The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a worthy addition into the annals of the Indiana Jones chronology. I know it doesn't sound like it, through my nitpicking, but I loved Crystal Skull from a pure summer-movie standpoint. The inevitable comparison of the film to its brethren exposes the mystery of the Crystal Skull to be a rather weak story with a glossed-over footnote of Indiana's personal history. Simply put, The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull meets the expectations of those who grew up with Dr. Jones but it does little to impress a new generation of Indiana followers.

People I Want to Punch in the Face, Vol. 1

My wife has become disturbed at the frequency with which I have started using the phrase, "I just want to punch he/she/them in the face!" It's rather alarming at how quickly this list of punchees has grown over the last few months.

To help spread the hate, I decided to include you faithful readers into my random venting. I know it's a day or two behind the times, but to kick off my new feature it's a special three-fer; the most annoying of the recent Idol contestants!

Jason Castro

Brooke White

and last but not least...

David Archuleta

*knuckles cracking*

A Quickie: Young@Heart

Young@Heart

Release: 04.09.2008 limited
Rated PG
1 hour, 47 minutes

FULL PRICE ($$$$)

Young@Heart is a documentary which follows the Young@Heart chorus from the beginning of their hectic seven-week rehearsal schedule until opening night in their hometown of Northampton, Massachusetts. The big deal? The chorus is comprised of members whose average age is 80 years old. Choral Director Bob Cilman started the chorus back in 1982 to perform showtunes, but its repertoire has evolved over the years to include complicated numbers by classic and contemporary rock and pop artists such as James Brown, the Clash, Sonic Youth and even Coldplay.

British filmmaker Stephen Walker caught this venerable choir's performance in London and followed them back to the States to get a behind-the-scenes look at what makes it all work. Walker interviews several choir members about their lives and why they perform. Eileen Hall is a spry 92 years old and you can tell Walker is smitten by her charms and energy immediately. Former member Fred Knittle, returning to the chorus after a long illness, is damn funny despite being tethered to an oxygen machine. Walker gets the giggles just being around him, or almost any other chorus member. Given that there are so many members in the chorus, it's clear that not all their stories could be shown within the film's runtime (and it's possible some members preferred not to be spotlighted). Walker intertwines snippets of the group's rehearsals and concerts with brief personal interviews and spices it up with a series of inventive music videos!

With only a couple of questions and a steady camera, the interviewees' tenacity and liveliness radiate onscreen. In just a brief stint, the Young@Heart chorus captivate audiences with their uplifting and heartwarming stories. Be warned that you may experience uncontrollable surges in your emotions.

Rigorous practice regimens, music video shoots, documentary interviews and world tours...I thought the Rolling Stones were the only elderly rockers able to maintain such a daunting schedule! Heck, Eileen has her own key to the nursing home so she can come and go when the attendants are sleeping. Young@Heart is a wonderful film that you shouldn't be reading about; you should be experiencing it.

P.S.- After seeing this film, check out their site to learn even more about these inspiring folks.

The Other Other Boleyn Girl

I just caught wind of this story, and thanks to a running feature over at Blog Cabins labeled Fun with Sequels, was inspired to post. Turns out the semi-popular film The Other Boleyn Girl, starring the sexy, yum-yum trifecta of Eric Bana-Scarlett Johansson -Natalie Portman, is ripe for the sequel treatment!

The writer of The Other Boleyn Girl has penned another book called The Boleyn Inheritance, which will be the source material for the sequel. Instinctively I recalled the SNL skit featuring Ellen Page called The Other Other Boleyn Girl where Henry VIII not only met the two sisters but also many others. The funniest being Eunice Boleyn, played by Kristen Wiig, who returned from having sex with a horse to meet Henry.

Thinking this skit a perfect meshing of this news and Fletch's feature, I took up the search. After nearly an hour of scouring the internets to find this skit, I give up! The bitch company that NBC is has seemingly removed all links to said skit yet has made no effort to make it available for fans' consumption. For those that missed that wonderfully and aptly titled sequel, I'm sorry I couldn't provide it. But I'll be damned if I scrap this post after wasting so much time. Here's Kristen Wiig in a couple of recent SNL skits:

If you know where I can find The Other Other Boleyn Girl, hook me up!

This Ain't No Jean-Claude Van Damme Flick

Redbelt

Release: 05.09.2008
Rated R
1 hour, 39 minutes

Matinee ($$$)



Mike Terry (Chiwetel Ejiofor, Dirty Pretty Things) is a jiujitsu instructor who considers himself a true warrior at heart. After his pupil Joe (Max Martini, Saving Private Ryan) attempts to earn his black belt, a jittery woman, Laura (Emily Mortimer, Match Point), enters the dojo only to shatter Terry's window with Joe's gun. Terry's wife, Sondra (Alice Braga, I Am Legend), sends him to borrow cash from her brother at his nightclub. Terry's sense of honor keeps him from asking for a loan, but it does get him to rescue actor Chet Frank (Tim Allen, Wild Hogs) from some ruffians. Terry's honorable act draws him into a world where the activities of unscrupulous men threaten to tear him apart.

After watching Redbelt, I couldn't help but be reminded of those Jean-Claude Van Damme action classics where he's a skilled fighter always at odds with his moral fiber; what should seem to be a difficult compromise of his beliefs for the protection of a greater good (i.e., a decision which can not be taken lightly) is made in the span of a few slow-motion breaths followed by a wild-eyed explosion of his triple-take split kick to the opponent's head. Remember those moments? Well, Redbelt doesn't have those.

Leave it to writer-director David Mamet (The Spanish Prisoner) to craft a movie about fighting where the major conflicts with the character occur within his psyche and not against an opponent in a ring. Ejiofor is a sea of internal conflict. Mamet captures him deep in meditation in many scenes. Terry is held by his honor to abstain from fighting for competition due to its shallowness, yet needs to pay his debts and feed his family. He's offered the opportunity to win money by competing, though only after his warrior ideals have been compromised by people he gave the benefit of his trust.

Mamet doesn't focus only on the life of Terry. Mortimer's Laura deals with an inner turmoil of her own and seeks answers in Terry's teachings. Even Tim Allen, whose role is minuscule, seems mildly intrigued by the honor code by which Terry lives. Illustrating the amoral perspective are Mamet regulars Ricky Jay (Boogie Nights), David Paymer (State and Main) and Joe Mantegna (Body of Evidence). The beautiful thing about Mamet's scripts aside from their authentic feel is that they are rich in depth of character. On the negative side, some of these characters rich in depth were thin on story. In particular, a side plot involving Sondra disappeared for what I assume was a lack of time.

Dirty Undies
You'd hope that a fight film would have more actual fighting but like I said, this ain't no JCVD film. Redbelt opens with a fairly violent training session at Terry's studio with men twisting and grappling for control of the ring. There are a few other skirmishes, but it is clear that Mamet's focus isn't for the craft of the fight but for the underlying emotions compelling the opponents; great for gripping , intellectual drama but it sucks if you've come looking for carnage.

The Money Shot
Don't let Redbelt fool you into thinking it's a fighting movie. This here's a thinking man's fight, and I admit to analyzing the story's complexity days after viewing. The ending is especially poignant. The film could have been enhanced by more visually stimulating scenes, maybe not massive violence, but the blandness does linger.

My Blah-berry Night

My Blueberry Nights
Release: 04.04.2008 limited
Rated PG-13
1 hour, 30 minutes

Second-Run Seats ($$) <
> Matinee ($$$)


In her film debut, Norah Jones stars as Elizabeth (a.k.a Beth, Lizzie, Betty), a young woman who learns from local cafe owner Jeremy (Jude Law, The Holiday) that her boyfriend is seeing another woman. Night after night Elizabeth visits the cafe; at first, to sulk and skulk over her man, but eventually to eat blueberry pie and fraternize with Jeremy. Seeking answers, Elizabeth leaves New York for Memphis where she takes up waitressing at a bar and a diner to save for a car. She meets kindred spirits in Arnie (David Strathairn, Blue Car) and Sue Lynne (Rachel Weisz, The Shape of Things). Her next serving gig leads her to the Midwest and the wild Leslie (Natalie Portman, Closer) who furthers her quest for answers and an affordable automobile.

Let me start by chiming in on my familiarity with writer-director Wong Kar Wai's work. I have seen three of his previous films: Fallen Angels, In the Mood for Love, and 2046. Without a doubt, In the Mood for Love is my personal favorite and his strongest work. My Blueberry Nights...not so much. Wong Kar Wai has a very stylized direction full of vibrant colors and languid, savory scenes. All those films also revolve around relationships and love, time and distance. But watching My Blueberry Nights was off-putting. I compare Wong and his latest work to Tony Scott, another very stylized director who reached near perfection with the dark and manic Man on Fire only to overindulge, making Domino an incoherent, epileptic seizure. Wong took his palette of slow-motion shots and radiant hues and applied them with a paint roller, resulting in a film that fails to maintain its hold on viewers.

Norah Jones likewise fails to draw you in at every emotional level. Granted, for her first film role, she proves herself far more adept than many other singers-turned-actors (cough Beyonce cough). However, she didn't convince me when stronger emotions were required, leaving this sensitive piece lacking. Singer Cat Power ,a.k.a Chan Marshall, also makes a cameo that is likewise strained. But Jones' other costars all performed admirably. In particular, David Strathairn's sympathetic and unstable Arnie deserves a nod for best performance. The only thing more memorable than the performances is the soundtrack; a hauntingly perfect mood for the film.

Dirty Undies
If you didn't notice, the beautiful pedigree of the cast is worth the price of admission alone and probably is why I nudged this film towards the Matinee rating. Norah Jones just looks adorably soft and scrumptious. Jude Law with his effortless charisma is magnified with a layer of scruffy stubble. I was nearly ready to tap out of the film until Natalie Portman appeared in the final half hour. She literally lights up the screen with her smile, her presence and short fire-like curls of blonde hair. Even Rachel Weisz, whom I don't normally go for, was in an especially sexy way. Take a gander:

(Oh Natalie...)

The Money Shot
My Blueberry Nights is a very vivid and visual emotional journey. It's also an excellent case for when style outweighs the substance of the work. If you find this phenomenal, your head just might explode from elation when you see In the Mood for Love.

Huh, huh, you said "Poll" (05.19.2008)

Hey, hey everyone! Long time no blog. Most of last week I was embroiled in an orgy of opium and women (read: working out of town and feeling generally crappy), making it nearly impossible to attend to my duties. Now that's passed and I promise to make up for my slackness this week.

I had a bit of an Art-Attack this past week, watching several Indy films which I'll be reviewing over the next few days. My wife called it my Red, Blue and Grey period...it'll make more sense by week's end.

While you wait for my next update I thought it'd be appropriate to throw a new poll out there. I am stoked about the nearly released Indiana Jones film. After that, my sights are set on Dark Knight and Hellboy II in July. For the life of me, my tinglys for June's films are sort of absent. I was wondering if you stargazers were similarly unstimulated. So, by show of votes, let me know what the most anticipated film of June is. Here are the choices:

Nothing matters after Indy 4
You Don't Mess with the Zohan
Kung Fu Panda
The Incredible Hulk
The Happening
Get Smart
The Love Guru
Wall-E
Wanted
Saving up for IMAX Dark Knight

The poll will be up until the end of May. You Vote Now!