While I'm still wending my way through all the other entries of the Indiana Jones franchise, I did make time before the baby arrives to catch the 4th installment that just opened on the big screen.
You'll get two reviews: a short one and a long one.
Here's the short one:
If you liked the other three movies, there's no real reason to not like this one as well.
Now here's the long one...with spoilers and other random nitpicks:
While George Lucas may have destroyed any credibility and trust with his fans when it came to the Star Wars films, its a bit trickier for him to do that with Indiana Jones for a variety of reasons. First, he's not entirely surrounded by "yes" men as director Steven Spielberg and actor Harrison Ford are strong-minded individuals with their own opinions and input. Secondly, unlike the Star Wars films where the six films (soon to be seven) tell a larger story with interconnecting plots, this franchise is a throwback to the old 1930s serials where an adventurer (here named Indiana Jones) has an adventure in one film and then has a different adventure in the next (sometimes with the same supporting cast, sometimes with a new one).
Not sure what people were expecting after a 19 year gap between The Last Crusade and The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I was expecting another Indiana Jones adventure/quest with lots of action (okay...some action), some decent fun villains (check), some neat supporting characters (check) and perhaps a wink and a nod to previous adventures (check). It wasn't too much to ask for and that's pretty much what we got.
The plot involves the Soviet Army (the film takes place in 1957) trying to track down a Crystal Skull that when returned to the legendary city of El Dorado will give someone unlimted power. Of course, they try and force the greatest adventurer/archeologist to help them along the way. That's pretty much the "meat" of the story. The potatoes involves a kid named Mutt Williams who is trying to help save both his mother and a close friend from the Russians as the close friend is an old colleague of Dr. Jones' and the mother is none other than Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen returning from Raiders of the Lost Ark or as its now "officially" called Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark by Herr Lucas).
While the film is fun, it is not as fun as The Last Crusade and it is not as tight or as exciting as that film and Raiders (which means on the Fenster scale it winds up being the 3rd best film in the franchise). The action sequences harken back to the three older films which were made at a time when action sequences were less frenetic (for a better example of this change check out the differences between Die Hard and Live Free or Die Hard). Here they seem quaint (not in a bad way, just an odd way). The stunts tend to fall more towards Temple of Doom in their silliness (hey...if Indy can survive a two mile drop in a rubber life raft onto a mountain and then slide all the way down the mountain on said raft, surely he and his group can survive not one, not two, but THREE plunges over waterfalls in a jungle cruiser made of metal -- surviving a nuclear explosion in a lead lined refrigerator that gets thrown a few miles by the blast is a bit much howvere). There is also a bit too much CGI "enhancement" for my tastes. I blame this completely on Lucas of course. Its distracting to be watching a scene and between shots your brain is going "here they're on location" and "now they're in a studio" (also in spite of Ford supposedly doing his own stunts I could swear his stunt double's wig was gonna fly off during the motorcycle chase around Yale).
The subtle nods to both Marcus Brody and Henry Jones Sr. are nice touches as is the story of how Indy met Poncho Villa (check out The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles/The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones for that one). The "gag" with Marcus Brody's statue is a bit much as is the broken crate at Area 51 revealing the Ark of the Covenant (too much wink, not enough nod).
The film really crackles once Indy and Mutt get to Marion and Oxley (John Hurt). Well, it crackels with Marion (as Hurt spends much of his screen time spouting mystical gibberish). The jungle action scene, while exciting, is a bit too familiar feeling (Return of the Jedi) and the "Mutt straddling two jeeps so he can get a cactus in the crotch" gag is older than the alien skulss they're dealing with.
Ooops. Did I just say "alien skulls"? Yes I did. And that's the part I'm not sure about here. The end of the film goes out of the realm of mystical adventure and into the real of sci-fi (and feels a bit like excerpts from a Close Encounters prequel in the process -- in fact...thinking back on it, the whole film has a Close Encounters vibe as various people are getting that calling to go to a large rock tower and witness the arrival, or in this case departure, of a space ship). The whole thing kind of moves the character into a realm I'm not sure I want to see him head towards. Again, its not a bad thing per se, just something I'm not sure how I feel about.
So in the end, as I said in the short review, if you liked the other films, you should like this one as well. But don't go in expecting the 21st Century equivalent of Raiders of the Lost Ark. It's fun, but its not groundbreaking filmmaking.
I will eventually finish up my look at the rest of the franchise, but it may be a while. Duncan is due in 9 days and I'm not sure when I'll get to viewing the rest of the films (I'm just over halfway through the 2nd box set of The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones). But it will get done...
Meanwhile, this week I plan on finishing my look at the new fall TV season (before we get that new baby smell).
Be seeing you.
Saturday, May 24, 2008
Sunday, May 18, 2008
NBC Upfronts: 2007/2008 Review-Preview
This past week were the TV Network Upfronts when each network gives us their new fall season. Every year, I've taken the opportunity to look back at the season just ending as well as what new shows will be airing in the fall. NBC however jumped the gun a few weeks ago by announcing a schedule that wasn't just for the fall but one that would run the whole year. This wasn't a new concept since FOX had done the same thing a year ago. So without further ado , here's what NBC has given us (and taken from us):
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
1 VS 100 -- 2 Seasons/28 episodes -- This game show (hosted by Bob Saget) wasn't terrible. It may even be back if something new tanks.
Amne$ia -- 1 Season/8 Episodes -- Another game show hosted by a comedian (Dennis Miller). Didn't catch it.
Bionic Woman -- 1 Season/8 episodes -- The writer's strike essentially killed any chance of this expensive show getting past the 8 episodes shot. The ratings of those episodes didn't help. Was interested in seeing it, but never got around to it. Oh well.
Clash of the Choirs -- 1 Season/4 Episodes -- This show just looked weird.
Journeyman -- 1 Season/13 Episodes -- Another victim of the strike that I didn't get to see (not because of the strike mind you, just didn't get the chance when the season started for a variety of reasons). A DVD is forthcoming.
Las Vegas -- 5 Seasons/106 Episodes -- Even replacing James Caan with a more Tv friendly Tom Selleck couldn't save this show. The first 4 seasons are on DVD and I expect the last one will also arrive within time.
My Dad is Better Than Your Dad -- 1 Season/8 Episodes -- Another dumb game show we got in the wake of the strike. The title says it all.
Phenomenon -- 1 Season/5 Episodes -- It's essentially American Idol for magicians.
QuarterLife -- 1 Season/6 Episodes/5 Unaired -- This supposed internet hit show from the creators of thirtysomething was grabbed by NBC and re-edited into standard TV episodes pretty much as soon as the writer's strike started. The show aired, got dismal ratings and was never heard from again (don't know if the internet version is still around, don't care). Bravo will be (or has already) airing the unaired episodes (nice having a network of networks to burn crap off on).
The Singing Bee -- 1 Season/17 Episodes -- This was the Karaoke Game Show with host Joey Fatone and not the one with Wayne Brady.
Fall 2008-Winter 2009 Schedule
MONDAYS
8pm Chuck -- Returns for a 2nd Season. This wonderfully witty and fun show is about an IT guy (like the idiots on the Geek Squad at Best Buy) who winds up as a covert government agent for reasons the show would explain better. If you didn't catch the First Season a DVD arrives just before the Second one starts. Catch it.
9pm Heroes -- Returns for a 3rd Season. I know many fans felt Season Two wandered a bit, but I still enjoyed it. Can't wait to see where they go next. I assume a DVD set of Season Two will arrive before Season Three, but one hasn't been announced yet.
10pm My Own Worst Enemy -- Christian Slater stars as a Jekyll & Hyde type who is a suburban dad and a vicious killer spy trapped in the same body and each not knowing of the other, until that mental wall starts to break down. (Quick note about new shows...my old policy was to review at least one episode of any new show and the ones that got me hooked on a decent pilot would then get a three episode tryout before I decided on permanently adding them to our viewing lineup -- don't have the time for that any more, so the new policy is to try and catch new shows that sound interesting and give you a review after one episode...if the show winds up sticking on our schedule, you'll get a more in depth review at the end of the season).
TUESDAYS
8pm The Biggest Loser: Families -- The inspiring show returns for a 6th Season.
9:30 Kath & Kim -- Molly Shannon & Selma Blair star as a mother and daughter in this Americanized sitcom based on a hit Australian show.
10pm Law & Order: Special Victims Unit -- Returns for a 10th Season (that I still won't watch)
WEDNESDAYS
8pm Knight Rider -- The recent TV movie did well enough to warrant a new show. Yawn
9pm Deal or No Deal -- The Howie Mandel hosted game show (the one with the cases), returns for a 4th Season.
10pm Lipstick Jungle -- This is the Brooke Shields Sex in the City clone that is returning for a 2nd Season (unlike ABC's Lucy Liu version Cashmere Mafia).
THURSDAYS
8pm My Name is Earl -- While this show is returning for a 4th Season, I'm not sure how much longer we'll stick with it. The show took a bad turn with Earl's coma and dragged that story out way too long (we've got the last three episodes still sitting on our DVR cause we just don't seem to care about getting to them). Its too bad as this show was really well done for two and a half seasons. Let's hope the creators are able to right the ship.
8:30 30 Rock -- Funniest Live Action Sitcom on TV returns for a 3rd Season. I hope the ratings grow cause each season seems to be a struggle towards getting renewed.
9pm The Office -- Still don't care for the American version which returns for a 5th Season.
9:30 SNL Thursday -- Its a highlights show to give us more political comedy during the run-up to the 2008 Presidential Election -- as if that farce wasn't funny enough.
10pm ER -- Returns for a 15th Season? Why?
FRIDAYS
8pm Crusoe -- Based on the Daniel DeFoe novel. Meh.
9pm Deal or No Deal -- More meh.
10pm Life -- Gets paroled for a 2nd Season. What was this show about again? Oh...right...the cop who went to jail for a crime he didn't commit and is now back on the force. Didn't care to catch it the first time, what makes them think I'll do so now?
SATURDAYS
8pm Dateline -- At least its not on every day anymore.
9pm Knight Rider (Encores)
10pm Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Encores)
SUNDAYS
7pm Sunday Night Football
Winter 2009-Summer 2009 Schedule
MONDAYS
8pm Chuck
9pm Heores
10pm The Philanthropist -- This show about a rich guy who helps people no matter the cost was originally from the creators of Homicide and Oz. But the network didn't like their take on the show (they wanted to tackle more socially conscious issues, the network wants escapist fare), so Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson have left and one of the guys behind Battlestar: Galactica is coming on. Let's see if he uses any of the 6 scripts completed by the previous team.
TUESDAYS
8pm The Biggest Loser: Couples
9:30 Kath & Kim
10pm Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
WEDNESDAYS
8pm Knight Rider
9pm Deal or No Deal
10pm Law & Order -- At the end of the 17th Season, this show was kind of making me yawn. We'd been there/done that enough that the show was stale and I could understand why NBC was hesitant about an 18th Season...but am I glad they stuck with it and that producer David Wolf made some changes. The additions of Linus Roache & Jeremy Sisto re-energized the show and then Anthony Anderson's replacing Jesse Martin added even more to that. The show feels new again and I look forward to a 19th Season in 2009.
THURSDAYS
8pm My Name is Earl
8:30 30 Rock
9pm The Office
9:30 Spinoff from The Office -- No one has any idea what its about, but its coming anyway. Kinda like the new Indiana Jones film.
10pm The Celebrity Apprentice -- I was bored after 3 seasons of the "regular" edition, but since I missed The Surreal Life since its demise I gave this version a shot. Funny stuff.
FRIDAYS
8pm Deal or No Deal
9pm Friday Night Lights -- Actually returns for a third season in the fall, but its satellite exclusive (forget which one). NBC gets it after New Year's.
10pm Life
SATURDAYS
8pm Dateline
9pm Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Encores)
10pm Law & Order (Encores)
SUNDAYS
7pm Dateline
8pm Merlin -- This puts the Smallville spin on the legend of King Arthur and his magical friend. Meh.
9pm Medium -- I liked the first two seasons of this show, but kinda lost interest. Will catch it on DVD as it comes out since I am a fan of creator Glenn Gordon Carron. Returning for a 5th Season.
10pm Kings -- This modern reinterpretation of the story of David & Goliath stars Ian McShane in the King Samuel role (don't know if that's the character's name). Sounds interesting.
Summer 2009-Fall 2009 Schedule
MONDAYS
8pm American Gladiators -- Ugh.
9pm America's Toughest Jobs -- Don't get me started.
10pm Dateline
TUESDAYS
8pm Most Outrageous Moments -- Blah
9pm America's Got Talent -- Blah blah
10pm Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
WEDNESDAYS
8pm Shark Taggers -- When did NBC become National Geographic?
9pm America's Got Talent: Results Show
10pm Law & Order
THURSDAYS
8pm The Office
8:30 Spinoff from The Office
9pm Last Comic Standing -- If these comics are so funny, how come we never hear from the winners again?
10pm The Listener -- A paramedic who can read minds and helps solve crimes? I think we're officially one step away from this "formula" being a rescue dog that can read minds and solves crimes.
FRIDAYS
8pm Chopping Block -- Since FOX has had so much success with Gordon Ramsey's two cooking/restaurant/reality shows, NBC figured they'd do something similar (even though they could have just repurposed Top Chef from Bravo). While I do occasionally get sucked in by a "reality" show when there's nothing on, NBC's summer of reality next year seems a bit much. Why even announce a whole year's worth of programming when the last third of it is crap?
9pm Dateline
SATURDAYS
8pm Encore of Drama
9pm Encore of Drama
10pm Encore of Drama
SUNDAYS
7pm Dateline
8pm Monk -- Yes, they're repurposing episodes again. From the 7th Season (airing this summer) I assume.
9pm Nashville Star -- There have been 6 Seasons of this show???
10pm Kings
Well...that's all for NBC. Looks like we're definitely watching Chuck, Heroes, Law & Order, 30 Rock and Celebrity Apprentice and giving tryouts to My Own Worst Enemy, The Philanthropist, My Name is Earl (which is on notice) and Kings.
Tomorrow we look at ABC. Be seeing you.
GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
1 VS 100 -- 2 Seasons/28 episodes -- This game show (hosted by Bob Saget) wasn't terrible. It may even be back if something new tanks.
Amne$ia -- 1 Season/8 Episodes -- Another game show hosted by a comedian (Dennis Miller). Didn't catch it.
Bionic Woman -- 1 Season/8 episodes -- The writer's strike essentially killed any chance of this expensive show getting past the 8 episodes shot. The ratings of those episodes didn't help. Was interested in seeing it, but never got around to it. Oh well.
Clash of the Choirs -- 1 Season/4 Episodes -- This show just looked weird.
Journeyman -- 1 Season/13 Episodes -- Another victim of the strike that I didn't get to see (not because of the strike mind you, just didn't get the chance when the season started for a variety of reasons). A DVD is forthcoming.
Las Vegas -- 5 Seasons/106 Episodes -- Even replacing James Caan with a more Tv friendly Tom Selleck couldn't save this show. The first 4 seasons are on DVD and I expect the last one will also arrive within time.
My Dad is Better Than Your Dad -- 1 Season/8 Episodes -- Another dumb game show we got in the wake of the strike. The title says it all.
Phenomenon -- 1 Season/5 Episodes -- It's essentially American Idol for magicians.
QuarterLife -- 1 Season/6 Episodes/5 Unaired -- This supposed internet hit show from the creators of thirtysomething was grabbed by NBC and re-edited into standard TV episodes pretty much as soon as the writer's strike started. The show aired, got dismal ratings and was never heard from again (don't know if the internet version is still around, don't care). Bravo will be (or has already) airing the unaired episodes (nice having a network of networks to burn crap off on).
The Singing Bee -- 1 Season/17 Episodes -- This was the Karaoke Game Show with host Joey Fatone and not the one with Wayne Brady.
Fall 2008-Winter 2009 Schedule
MONDAYS
8pm Chuck -- Returns for a 2nd Season. This wonderfully witty and fun show is about an IT guy (like the idiots on the Geek Squad at Best Buy) who winds up as a covert government agent for reasons the show would explain better. If you didn't catch the First Season a DVD arrives just before the Second one starts. Catch it.
9pm Heroes -- Returns for a 3rd Season. I know many fans felt Season Two wandered a bit, but I still enjoyed it. Can't wait to see where they go next. I assume a DVD set of Season Two will arrive before Season Three, but one hasn't been announced yet.
10pm My Own Worst Enemy -- Christian Slater stars as a Jekyll & Hyde type who is a suburban dad and a vicious killer spy trapped in the same body and each not knowing of the other, until that mental wall starts to break down. (Quick note about new shows...my old policy was to review at least one episode of any new show and the ones that got me hooked on a decent pilot would then get a three episode tryout before I decided on permanently adding them to our viewing lineup -- don't have the time for that any more, so the new policy is to try and catch new shows that sound interesting and give you a review after one episode...if the show winds up sticking on our schedule, you'll get a more in depth review at the end of the season).
TUESDAYS
8pm The Biggest Loser: Families -- The inspiring show returns for a 6th Season.
9:30 Kath & Kim -- Molly Shannon & Selma Blair star as a mother and daughter in this Americanized sitcom based on a hit Australian show.
10pm Law & Order: Special Victims Unit -- Returns for a 10th Season (that I still won't watch)
WEDNESDAYS
8pm Knight Rider -- The recent TV movie did well enough to warrant a new show. Yawn
9pm Deal or No Deal -- The Howie Mandel hosted game show (the one with the cases), returns for a 4th Season.
10pm Lipstick Jungle -- This is the Brooke Shields Sex in the City clone that is returning for a 2nd Season (unlike ABC's Lucy Liu version Cashmere Mafia).
THURSDAYS
8pm My Name is Earl -- While this show is returning for a 4th Season, I'm not sure how much longer we'll stick with it. The show took a bad turn with Earl's coma and dragged that story out way too long (we've got the last three episodes still sitting on our DVR cause we just don't seem to care about getting to them). Its too bad as this show was really well done for two and a half seasons. Let's hope the creators are able to right the ship.
8:30 30 Rock -- Funniest Live Action Sitcom on TV returns for a 3rd Season. I hope the ratings grow cause each season seems to be a struggle towards getting renewed.
9pm The Office -- Still don't care for the American version which returns for a 5th Season.
9:30 SNL Thursday -- Its a highlights show to give us more political comedy during the run-up to the 2008 Presidential Election -- as if that farce wasn't funny enough.
10pm ER -- Returns for a 15th Season? Why?
FRIDAYS
8pm Crusoe -- Based on the Daniel DeFoe novel. Meh.
9pm Deal or No Deal -- More meh.
10pm Life -- Gets paroled for a 2nd Season. What was this show about again? Oh...right...the cop who went to jail for a crime he didn't commit and is now back on the force. Didn't care to catch it the first time, what makes them think I'll do so now?
SATURDAYS
8pm Dateline -- At least its not on every day anymore.
9pm Knight Rider (Encores)
10pm Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Encores)
SUNDAYS
7pm Sunday Night Football
Winter 2009-Summer 2009 Schedule
MONDAYS
8pm Chuck
9pm Heores
10pm The Philanthropist -- This show about a rich guy who helps people no matter the cost was originally from the creators of Homicide and Oz. But the network didn't like their take on the show (they wanted to tackle more socially conscious issues, the network wants escapist fare), so Tom Fontana and Barry Levinson have left and one of the guys behind Battlestar: Galactica is coming on. Let's see if he uses any of the 6 scripts completed by the previous team.
TUESDAYS
8pm The Biggest Loser: Couples
9:30 Kath & Kim
10pm Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
WEDNESDAYS
8pm Knight Rider
9pm Deal or No Deal
10pm Law & Order -- At the end of the 17th Season, this show was kind of making me yawn. We'd been there/done that enough that the show was stale and I could understand why NBC was hesitant about an 18th Season...but am I glad they stuck with it and that producer David Wolf made some changes. The additions of Linus Roache & Jeremy Sisto re-energized the show and then Anthony Anderson's replacing Jesse Martin added even more to that. The show feels new again and I look forward to a 19th Season in 2009.
THURSDAYS
8pm My Name is Earl
8:30 30 Rock
9pm The Office
9:30 Spinoff from The Office -- No one has any idea what its about, but its coming anyway. Kinda like the new Indiana Jones film.
10pm The Celebrity Apprentice -- I was bored after 3 seasons of the "regular" edition, but since I missed The Surreal Life since its demise I gave this version a shot. Funny stuff.
FRIDAYS
8pm Deal or No Deal
9pm Friday Night Lights -- Actually returns for a third season in the fall, but its satellite exclusive (forget which one). NBC gets it after New Year's.
10pm Life
SATURDAYS
8pm Dateline
9pm Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Encores)
10pm Law & Order (Encores)
SUNDAYS
7pm Dateline
8pm Merlin -- This puts the Smallville spin on the legend of King Arthur and his magical friend. Meh.
9pm Medium -- I liked the first two seasons of this show, but kinda lost interest. Will catch it on DVD as it comes out since I am a fan of creator Glenn Gordon Carron. Returning for a 5th Season.
10pm Kings -- This modern reinterpretation of the story of David & Goliath stars Ian McShane in the King Samuel role (don't know if that's the character's name). Sounds interesting.
Summer 2009-Fall 2009 Schedule
MONDAYS
8pm American Gladiators -- Ugh.
9pm America's Toughest Jobs -- Don't get me started.
10pm Dateline
TUESDAYS
8pm Most Outrageous Moments -- Blah
9pm America's Got Talent -- Blah blah
10pm Law & Order: Special Victims Unit
WEDNESDAYS
8pm Shark Taggers -- When did NBC become National Geographic?
9pm America's Got Talent: Results Show
10pm Law & Order
THURSDAYS
8pm The Office
8:30 Spinoff from The Office
9pm Last Comic Standing -- If these comics are so funny, how come we never hear from the winners again?
10pm The Listener -- A paramedic who can read minds and helps solve crimes? I think we're officially one step away from this "formula" being a rescue dog that can read minds and solves crimes.
FRIDAYS
8pm Chopping Block -- Since FOX has had so much success with Gordon Ramsey's two cooking/restaurant/reality shows, NBC figured they'd do something similar (even though they could have just repurposed Top Chef from Bravo). While I do occasionally get sucked in by a "reality" show when there's nothing on, NBC's summer of reality next year seems a bit much. Why even announce a whole year's worth of programming when the last third of it is crap?
9pm Dateline
SATURDAYS
8pm Encore of Drama
9pm Encore of Drama
10pm Encore of Drama
SUNDAYS
7pm Dateline
8pm Monk -- Yes, they're repurposing episodes again. From the 7th Season (airing this summer) I assume.
9pm Nashville Star -- There have been 6 Seasons of this show???
10pm Kings
Well...that's all for NBC. Looks like we're definitely watching Chuck, Heroes, Law & Order, 30 Rock and Celebrity Apprentice and giving tryouts to My Own Worst Enemy, The Philanthropist, My Name is Earl (which is on notice) and Kings.
Tomorrow we look at ABC. Be seeing you.
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Adventure has a Name Part 1
In the coming weeks, leading up to the opening of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I'm going to be taking a look back at previous adventures of Doctor Jones. But we won't be starting with the "beginning" and Raiders of the Lost Ark...we'll be starting with the "beginning" and The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles.
On March 4, 1992 ABC broadcast the two hour pilot to entitled The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles entitled Young Indiana Jones and the Curse of the Jackal. The pilot had two segments to set up the premise of the series. In the first half, which takes place in Egypt in 1908, 9 year old Henry Jones, Jr. (Cory Carrier) is travelling with his father Professor Henry Jones (Lloyd Owen), his mother Anna Jones (Ruth de Sosa) and his tutor Miss Helen Seymour (Margaret Tyzack). While there, Indy befriends a young T. E. Lawrence and also meets Howard Carter as they open a mummy's tomb. There is a murder and talk of a curse. Indy and "Ned" (as young Henry calls his new friend) solve the crime, but the murderer escapes with an artifact. The second half finds Indy (now 17 and played by Sean Patrick Flannery) in Mexico in 1916. Indy is visiting family in New Mexico when he is kidnapped by Poncho Villa, gets involved in the Mexican revolution, meets both General Pershing and a young George Patton and finds the stolen artifact from his Egyptian adventure eight years earlier. The episode has a framing device of a "present day" ninety-one year old Indiana Jones (now with an eye patch and played by George Hall) relating his past adventure to a couple of jaded youths.
The "formula" of the series is set up nicely. Episodes after this were all "told by" old Indy and featured either young Indy or teen Indy in a foreign place and meeting famous historical figures. George Lucas had planned on about 70 episodes to bring us up to the time of the movies, but the show didn't make it that far. ABC had ordered 28 episodes and broke them up into 2 seasons. Four episodes never made it to air. ABC Family (then The Family Channel) ordered 8 more episodes which were delivered as "two hour" movies. The reason for this change was Lucas had started re-editing all the episodes (including the 4 unaired ones) into the new movie format. All of the scenes featuring old Indy were deleted and some new footage was shot to bridge any gaps. The original two hour pilot was broken up into two new movies.
Today, the series is available on DVD only in the movie format. Three box sets cover all 22 movies and add on an amazing amount of extras that focus on the historical aspects of the series. Today we're looking at the first box set entitled The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones Volume 1: The Early Years.
The first of the seven movies in this set is My First Adventure and it starts the same way the series did when it aired on ABC (without the old Indy frames). From Egypt, we follow the Jones family to Tangiers where young Indy gets caught up in the slave trade.
The second movie Passion for Life starts off in Paris where young Indy meets a young Norman Rockwell and the two boys wind up in a battle between a brash young Picasso and an older Degas over who is a better painter. The Jones family then moves to British East Africa where Indy tries to stop Teddy Roosevelt from killing an endangered species.
The third movie, Perils of Cupid, finds the Jones family in Florence where Indy's mother is romanced by Puccini (thus really setting the stage for the relationship between his parents only hinted at in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade when Professor Jones appears again). Later in Vienna, Indy falls in love with Sophia, the daughter of Archduke Ferdinand and meets a trio of psychologists in Frued, Adler and Jung.
The fourth film, Travels with Father, finds Indy running away from his family while in Russia and meeting Leo Tolstoy. Later, in Greece, Indy and Professor Jones visit a Greek mountain monastery and get trapped in the "elevator" on the way down forcing a father/son bonding moment.
The fifth one, Journey of Radiance, first finds the Jones family in Benares, India where Indy befriends Jiddu Krishnamurti. Later, while travelling in Peking, Indy gets Typhoid and almost dies.
The sixth film, Spring Break Adventure, starts off the adventures of teen Indy as he and girlfriend Nancy Stratemeyer meet Thomas Edison and foil a plot to steal his plans for an electric car (well...I guess "foil" is subjective since in reality Edison's dream is prety much dead in our present day world). The second half, finds Indy being sent to New Mexico and we get the second half of the original pilot episode with Pancho Villa. At the end of that episode, Indy goes off with his new Belgian friend Remy to enlist in the Belgian army and fight in World War I.
The final film in the first set, Love's Sweet Song, starts as Remy & Indy arrive in Ireland and wind up working in a pub to make money so they can get to London. While there, Indy gets involved with a girl whose brother is part of the Irish resistance movement (and meets playwright Sean O'Casey as well as William Butler Yates). When Remy & Indy arrive in London, Indy meets a sufragette (played by a very young Elizabeth Hurley), visits his old tutor Miss Seymour (who forces his to write a letter home so his father will stop worrying) and meets a young Winston Churchill.
The series of films start off interestingly enough, but the stories involving the young Indy get a bit boring at times and seem to serve as jumping off points for people to learn more about the historical figures involved. Once we get to the teen Indy, the show's pace and excitement greatly picks up. While we only get two movies featuring him, they are a good tease for what will come next in The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones Volume Two: The War Years.
The extras are all historical based documentaries and they are plentiful. The seven films each appear on their own DVD, but there are FIVE other DVDs that also feature extras (some are related to a movie on a previous disc as there was so much material they had to go to a second disc as each documentary is about 30 minutes long and some of the movies have 5 or 6 related pieces). This is one case where there may be too much as I only did some sampling of the historical pieces instead of trying to slog through all of it. But what I did watch seemed very interesting.
The biggest (and really only) disappontment with the DVDs is the lack of the old Indy vignettes from the original ABC broadcasts as even a supplement somewhere.
Next we look at Volume Two.
Be seeing you.
On March 4, 1992 ABC broadcast the two hour pilot to entitled The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles entitled Young Indiana Jones and the Curse of the Jackal. The pilot had two segments to set up the premise of the series. In the first half, which takes place in Egypt in 1908, 9 year old Henry Jones, Jr. (Cory Carrier) is travelling with his father Professor Henry Jones (Lloyd Owen), his mother Anna Jones (Ruth de Sosa) and his tutor Miss Helen Seymour (Margaret Tyzack). While there, Indy befriends a young T. E. Lawrence and also meets Howard Carter as they open a mummy's tomb. There is a murder and talk of a curse. Indy and "Ned" (as young Henry calls his new friend) solve the crime, but the murderer escapes with an artifact. The second half finds Indy (now 17 and played by Sean Patrick Flannery) in Mexico in 1916. Indy is visiting family in New Mexico when he is kidnapped by Poncho Villa, gets involved in the Mexican revolution, meets both General Pershing and a young George Patton and finds the stolen artifact from his Egyptian adventure eight years earlier. The episode has a framing device of a "present day" ninety-one year old Indiana Jones (now with an eye patch and played by George Hall) relating his past adventure to a couple of jaded youths.
The "formula" of the series is set up nicely. Episodes after this were all "told by" old Indy and featured either young Indy or teen Indy in a foreign place and meeting famous historical figures. George Lucas had planned on about 70 episodes to bring us up to the time of the movies, but the show didn't make it that far. ABC had ordered 28 episodes and broke them up into 2 seasons. Four episodes never made it to air. ABC Family (then The Family Channel) ordered 8 more episodes which were delivered as "two hour" movies. The reason for this change was Lucas had started re-editing all the episodes (including the 4 unaired ones) into the new movie format. All of the scenes featuring old Indy were deleted and some new footage was shot to bridge any gaps. The original two hour pilot was broken up into two new movies.
Today, the series is available on DVD only in the movie format. Three box sets cover all 22 movies and add on an amazing amount of extras that focus on the historical aspects of the series. Today we're looking at the first box set entitled The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones Volume 1: The Early Years.
The first of the seven movies in this set is My First Adventure and it starts the same way the series did when it aired on ABC (without the old Indy frames). From Egypt, we follow the Jones family to Tangiers where young Indy gets caught up in the slave trade.
The second movie Passion for Life starts off in Paris where young Indy meets a young Norman Rockwell and the two boys wind up in a battle between a brash young Picasso and an older Degas over who is a better painter. The Jones family then moves to British East Africa where Indy tries to stop Teddy Roosevelt from killing an endangered species.
The third movie, Perils of Cupid, finds the Jones family in Florence where Indy's mother is romanced by Puccini (thus really setting the stage for the relationship between his parents only hinted at in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade when Professor Jones appears again). Later in Vienna, Indy falls in love with Sophia, the daughter of Archduke Ferdinand and meets a trio of psychologists in Frued, Adler and Jung.
The fourth film, Travels with Father, finds Indy running away from his family while in Russia and meeting Leo Tolstoy. Later, in Greece, Indy and Professor Jones visit a Greek mountain monastery and get trapped in the "elevator" on the way down forcing a father/son bonding moment.
The fifth one, Journey of Radiance, first finds the Jones family in Benares, India where Indy befriends Jiddu Krishnamurti. Later, while travelling in Peking, Indy gets Typhoid and almost dies.
The sixth film, Spring Break Adventure, starts off the adventures of teen Indy as he and girlfriend Nancy Stratemeyer meet Thomas Edison and foil a plot to steal his plans for an electric car (well...I guess "foil" is subjective since in reality Edison's dream is prety much dead in our present day world). The second half, finds Indy being sent to New Mexico and we get the second half of the original pilot episode with Pancho Villa. At the end of that episode, Indy goes off with his new Belgian friend Remy to enlist in the Belgian army and fight in World War I.
The final film in the first set, Love's Sweet Song, starts as Remy & Indy arrive in Ireland and wind up working in a pub to make money so they can get to London. While there, Indy gets involved with a girl whose brother is part of the Irish resistance movement (and meets playwright Sean O'Casey as well as William Butler Yates). When Remy & Indy arrive in London, Indy meets a sufragette (played by a very young Elizabeth Hurley), visits his old tutor Miss Seymour (who forces his to write a letter home so his father will stop worrying) and meets a young Winston Churchill.
The series of films start off interestingly enough, but the stories involving the young Indy get a bit boring at times and seem to serve as jumping off points for people to learn more about the historical figures involved. Once we get to the teen Indy, the show's pace and excitement greatly picks up. While we only get two movies featuring him, they are a good tease for what will come next in The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones Volume Two: The War Years.
The extras are all historical based documentaries and they are plentiful. The seven films each appear on their own DVD, but there are FIVE other DVDs that also feature extras (some are related to a movie on a previous disc as there was so much material they had to go to a second disc as each documentary is about 30 minutes long and some of the movies have 5 or 6 related pieces). This is one case where there may be too much as I only did some sampling of the historical pieces instead of trying to slog through all of it. But what I did watch seemed very interesting.
The biggest (and really only) disappontment with the DVDs is the lack of the old Indy vignettes from the original ABC broadcasts as even a supplement somewhere.
Next we look at Volume Two.
Be seeing you.
Saturday, May 03, 2008
And They're Off....
So the Summer Movie Season has officially started in my book with the release of Iron Man. I don't mind an early May start date (as opposed to when I was a kid and Memorial Day Weekend seemed to be the start). Thankfully its no earlier like it had been in a number of years.
My wife and I got my parents to watch Malcolm so we could head down to the AMC 14-Plex in Port Chester (we prefer them to the Stamford theaters these days for a variety of reasons I'll get into later). A good friend came down from Boston on Thursday night to visit and joined us for the flick.
Not having had lunch and hitting a matinee with enough time to buy crap at the concession stand (but not enough time to have a proper sit down lunch at one of the many fine restaurants nearby), we made some food selections. While we each went for combo meals, I'm still amazed that when movie theaters sell food they can't charge a bit less (or heck even a bit more) for LESS Soda. I drank about a third of that 40 thousand once Diet Coke.
Anyway...we got a decent crop of previews:
The Spirit -- While I'm interested in this because I really love Will Eisner's comic, I'm not sure if I like Frank Miller's choice of going with the Sin City/300 route (assuming the trailer's look is anything like the finished film...this is a teaser after all). And using Ennio Morricone's music from The Untouchables is just wrong (its like using John Williams' theme from Raiders of the Lost Ark on a trailer for National Treasure).
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull -- I've seen a few trailers and commercials for this one already and they've all given me the same reaction "meh". This one actually got me a bit excited to see the film. Just what a trailer's supposed to do (not that we weren't going to go anyway...with a new baby on the way, going to the movies is getting more and more difficult...so we're picking a choosing "event" films mostly...this is one of the four "summer" films we're definitely seeing anyway).
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian -- While I did enjoy the first film, there's nothing drawing me to see this in the theaters. Maybe that'll change when it hits DVD.
The Incredible Hulk -- The first preview left me very underwhelmed. The new one got me a bit more excited. Maybe it was more action or maybe it was just the addition of a few bars of the TV series theme at the end. (This is also one of the four films we plan on catching this summer assuming we can get a sitter for two kids).
The Love Guru -- I've seen Mike Meyers do this shtick before...it still doesn't do much for me. It just doesn't seem that funny.
You Don' t Mess with the Zohan -- Adam Sandler's always a bit hit or miss with me, but this film seems bizarre enough and looks funny enough that I may try and catch this on DVD (it seems to be about the greatest Israeli spy who decides to quit and become a hair stylist in New York -- of course some of his old Arab enemies show up and chaos ensues).
And now our main presentation...
I've been a comic book fan since 1982 when my grandfather took me to see Swamp Thing (well...technically I had been a fan since before then...but I never really read/collected comics until after I saw Swamp Thing). And I've mostly been a DC Comics fan, but there were a few Marvel characters I followed. Iron Man was never really one of them (well...I was not a reader of his solo adventures, but I did read his adventures with The Avengers). But I knew who he was, who his supporting cast was and what his story was. As I got older, and my comic habits changed and fluctuated, I eventually started reading his solo adventures when they got collected in trade paperbacks.
And now he's made it onto the silver screen in a big budget film (not that you could make a film about a guy in a technically complicated battle suit with anything less than a big budget). And the film ranks up there on the better end of the comic book film spectrum. Very much on par with the first two Spider-Man films, Batman Begins and the first two X-Men (to use recent films for comparison and not go back to 1978's Superman which I still consider an amazing film).
For those who don't know, Iron Man is about billionaire genius playboy industrialist Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) who is kidnapped by some terrorists while in Afghanistan (it was the Viet Cong in the original comic stories) and forced to make them a missile just like the new ones his company is making for their enemies. Instead he creates a wearable suit of armor with some attached weapons and flight capabilities so he can escape. Once back in his normal life, he decides to dedicate his company to no longer running the military industrial complex and start trying to help the people his weapons have been used to hurt. Of course, his Board of Directors, led by Obediah Stane (Jeff Bridges) is going to have something to say about all of this.
The film moves at a very brisk pace thanks to director Jon Favreau's handling of the entire operation. The cast is engaging and none of them seem to be stuck or mired in comic book cliches. Robert Downey Jr. is perfectly cast as Tony Stark. He has the swagger and cockiness that the character needs and deserves both before and after his capture at the hands of terrorists. The rest of the cast doesn't get lost in a convoluted plot and all hold their own nicely, particularly Gwenyth Paltrow as Stark's assistant/love-interest Pepper Potts. The special effects serve the plot (instead of the other way around) and they look great (as they should in such a big budget/high profile film). A sequel is something to look forward to coming out of this (and they've laid the groundwork for one with the "Ten Rings" terrorists possibly being tied to Iron man villain The Mandarin from the comic books). And make sure you stay until the very end of the credits for a cool scene (if you didn't already know it was there).
It'll be interesting to see if this film brings new readers to the Marvel comic book and what kind of reaction they may have. For while Iron Man is pretty much Iron Man (guy is cool suit), the Tony Stark of the movie is very different from the Tony Stark of the comics. The silver screen version goes through a change that essentially turns him from a conservative into a liberal. In the comics, Stark is currently the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the biggest backer of a superhero registration act that led to last summer's giant company-wide crossover known as Civil War (which resulted in many big name heroes essentially becoming fugitives as well as the death of Captain America). Of course, all that could change as this summer's big crossover is a story involving infiltration of the super hero community by the shape-shifting alien race known as the Skrulls. So maybe the Tony Stark of the current comics isn't really Tony Stark at all.
Anyway...I will be back sooner rather than later with more reviews...next up at the movie theaters: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but before that we'll take a look at Mr. Jones entire career as a franchise (previous films, TV series, books, comics and video games).
Be seeing you.
My wife and I got my parents to watch Malcolm so we could head down to the AMC 14-Plex in Port Chester (we prefer them to the Stamford theaters these days for a variety of reasons I'll get into later). A good friend came down from Boston on Thursday night to visit and joined us for the flick.
Not having had lunch and hitting a matinee with enough time to buy crap at the concession stand (but not enough time to have a proper sit down lunch at one of the many fine restaurants nearby), we made some food selections. While we each went for combo meals, I'm still amazed that when movie theaters sell food they can't charge a bit less (or heck even a bit more) for LESS Soda. I drank about a third of that 40 thousand once Diet Coke.
Anyway...we got a decent crop of previews:
The Spirit -- While I'm interested in this because I really love Will Eisner's comic, I'm not sure if I like Frank Miller's choice of going with the Sin City/300 route (assuming the trailer's look is anything like the finished film...this is a teaser after all). And using Ennio Morricone's music from The Untouchables is just wrong (its like using John Williams' theme from Raiders of the Lost Ark on a trailer for National Treasure).
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull -- I've seen a few trailers and commercials for this one already and they've all given me the same reaction "meh". This one actually got me a bit excited to see the film. Just what a trailer's supposed to do (not that we weren't going to go anyway...with a new baby on the way, going to the movies is getting more and more difficult...so we're picking a choosing "event" films mostly...this is one of the four "summer" films we're definitely seeing anyway).
The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian -- While I did enjoy the first film, there's nothing drawing me to see this in the theaters. Maybe that'll change when it hits DVD.
The Incredible Hulk -- The first preview left me very underwhelmed. The new one got me a bit more excited. Maybe it was more action or maybe it was just the addition of a few bars of the TV series theme at the end. (This is also one of the four films we plan on catching this summer assuming we can get a sitter for two kids).
The Love Guru -- I've seen Mike Meyers do this shtick before...it still doesn't do much for me. It just doesn't seem that funny.
You Don' t Mess with the Zohan -- Adam Sandler's always a bit hit or miss with me, but this film seems bizarre enough and looks funny enough that I may try and catch this on DVD (it seems to be about the greatest Israeli spy who decides to quit and become a hair stylist in New York -- of course some of his old Arab enemies show up and chaos ensues).
And now our main presentation...
I've been a comic book fan since 1982 when my grandfather took me to see Swamp Thing (well...technically I had been a fan since before then...but I never really read/collected comics until after I saw Swamp Thing). And I've mostly been a DC Comics fan, but there were a few Marvel characters I followed. Iron Man was never really one of them (well...I was not a reader of his solo adventures, but I did read his adventures with The Avengers). But I knew who he was, who his supporting cast was and what his story was. As I got older, and my comic habits changed and fluctuated, I eventually started reading his solo adventures when they got collected in trade paperbacks.
And now he's made it onto the silver screen in a big budget film (not that you could make a film about a guy in a technically complicated battle suit with anything less than a big budget). And the film ranks up there on the better end of the comic book film spectrum. Very much on par with the first two Spider-Man films, Batman Begins and the first two X-Men (to use recent films for comparison and not go back to 1978's Superman which I still consider an amazing film).
For those who don't know, Iron Man is about billionaire genius playboy industrialist Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) who is kidnapped by some terrorists while in Afghanistan (it was the Viet Cong in the original comic stories) and forced to make them a missile just like the new ones his company is making for their enemies. Instead he creates a wearable suit of armor with some attached weapons and flight capabilities so he can escape. Once back in his normal life, he decides to dedicate his company to no longer running the military industrial complex and start trying to help the people his weapons have been used to hurt. Of course, his Board of Directors, led by Obediah Stane (Jeff Bridges) is going to have something to say about all of this.
The film moves at a very brisk pace thanks to director Jon Favreau's handling of the entire operation. The cast is engaging and none of them seem to be stuck or mired in comic book cliches. Robert Downey Jr. is perfectly cast as Tony Stark. He has the swagger and cockiness that the character needs and deserves both before and after his capture at the hands of terrorists. The rest of the cast doesn't get lost in a convoluted plot and all hold their own nicely, particularly Gwenyth Paltrow as Stark's assistant/love-interest Pepper Potts. The special effects serve the plot (instead of the other way around) and they look great (as they should in such a big budget/high profile film). A sequel is something to look forward to coming out of this (and they've laid the groundwork for one with the "Ten Rings" terrorists possibly being tied to Iron man villain The Mandarin from the comic books). And make sure you stay until the very end of the credits for a cool scene (if you didn't already know it was there).
It'll be interesting to see if this film brings new readers to the Marvel comic book and what kind of reaction they may have. For while Iron Man is pretty much Iron Man (guy is cool suit), the Tony Stark of the movie is very different from the Tony Stark of the comics. The silver screen version goes through a change that essentially turns him from a conservative into a liberal. In the comics, Stark is currently the head of S.H.I.E.L.D. and the biggest backer of a superhero registration act that led to last summer's giant company-wide crossover known as Civil War (which resulted in many big name heroes essentially becoming fugitives as well as the death of Captain America). Of course, all that could change as this summer's big crossover is a story involving infiltration of the super hero community by the shape-shifting alien race known as the Skrulls. So maybe the Tony Stark of the current comics isn't really Tony Stark at all.
Anyway...I will be back sooner rather than later with more reviews...next up at the movie theaters: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, but before that we'll take a look at Mr. Jones entire career as a franchise (previous films, TV series, books, comics and video games).
Be seeing you.
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