"Opinions are like assholes...everybody's got one."
--Anonymous
Indiana Jones & The Cave of the Crystal Skull
My Review Grade: B- General Range of Opinion on Rotten Tomatoes (as of this post): C What Tracy Says: B+
Stars: Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Shia LeBouef, John Hurt and Karen Allen. Written by: David Koepp (from a story by George Lucas and Jeff Nathanson). Directed by Steven Spielberg.
OK, saw the new (last?) Indy movie today and I gotta tell you, it was better than I had feared but not as good as a lot of people will want it to be. For me, the Indy movies are nostalgia and a key link to my childhood/teenage years. As a result, Spielberg could've put a steaming pile of shit in a fedora on screen for two hours and I would probably go to see it. I wouldn't be happy afterwards, but hey, cultural, adolescent touchstone and all, yada yada yada. I'm happy to say that Indy 4 is way better than that.
On this version of this weblog post, I'll keep the details of the movie to a minimum. On the off chance that people other than my closest friends and immediate family are reading this, it's only fair to keep spoilers to a minimum and then I can (probably) go into more details in future weeks. So right now, this is all I will say about the basic plot: we are reintroduced to Indiana Jones about a dozen years or so after we last saw him in a kickass opening that also brings in most of the key players in the new movie while establishing that Indiana Jones still knows his way around ancient artifacts, bullwhips and things that blow up in the night (or day). Suspected of being a possible Communist spy by the FBI (not the first time the script tests the limits of its own credulity), Indy finds himself on the outs with his university and is then convinced by a young Marlon Brando wannabe named "Mutt" (LeBeouf) with ties to the love of Indy's life to help Mutt rescue his mother from danger in South America.
So we're off and running and from that point until the end of the movie we get a series of action set pieces both magnificent (see the jungle jeep joust between Mutt and Blanchett's Russian baddie-amazing) and mundane (most of the rest). The conclusion feels like it belongs in some other Spielberg movie, but it has enough chills and special effects thrills to keep one interested and the movie ends on a nice (albeit cheesy) note. You don't expect much in the way of acting from a popcorn movie like this, but Ford slips so comfortably back into his most famous role that it's almost like he never went away. Wisely however, the movie doesn't try to pretend that he's not old enough to be most of the target audience's grandfather. I'm not one of those people that thinks Shia LeBeouf is a douche--he's a likeable young actor with a big future and the ability to carry movies both big and small. Here, he doesn't do more than what is asked of him, but he's likeable, convincing and he knows his place. The other performances are in and out and don't amount to much (including Blanchett) except for the return of Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood from Lost Ark. She's not given anything to do that's not totally cliched, but she handles the role with panache, has real chemistry with Ford and looks like she's having a blast. I could have used more of her.
So to sum it up, Indiana Jones and the Cave of the Crystal Skull will not be the best action-adventure movie you see this summer (it's not as good as Iron Man and I suspect The Dark Knight, Hancock and a couple of others will give you more bang for the buck), but it's comfortable, familiar and just dazzling enough to bring a smile to your face. If you go in expecting more at this point, isn't the problem really with you?
Why America Probably Deserves George W. Bush as President...And Will Probably Vote for McCain
Tracy, out of morbid curiosity I'm assuming, decided to check out the E! Television premieres of the Denise Richards and Dina Lohan "reality" shows tonight and as I glance up from time to time it has become clear to me at least partly why this country is
in the mess its in right now.
We no longer celebrate the values of working hard, possessing a quantifiable talent and letting one's actions and abilities speak for themselves. Now we are all wannabe self-made stars or train wreck spectators who are supposed to hang on every word of a Richards or a Lohan as they go about destroying themselves, their loved ones and their careers before our very eyes.
How does this translate to the 2008 presidential race? Look at the big hot button issues that have popped up so far in the campaign: Obama's "crazy" minister, Hillary's tears, McCain's age, who's wearing a flag pin? When this is how the debate is being framed it's easy to see how we can wind up with Dubya as president, a "likeable" guy who "relates to the common man", doesn't use "fancy language" and knows how to "delegate" (whatever).
This isn't to say that I think Senator Obama is some intellectual in an ivory tower who will govern from on-high and instantly become The Best President Ever (or to say that either Clinton or McCain wouldn't still be an improvement over Bush). But I believe America needs a candidate that can truly inspire and lead her, a candidate who may be willing to think outside the box to solve the daunting problems facing the country, a candidate who really is smart and insightful and willing to talk beyond the level of mere political expediency. In this campaign, Obama is the only one who fits the bill. I pray gets the chance to lead, but he's looking more and more like Stevie Wonder candidate in a Young Jeezy world.
Yes, in a culture that celebrates looks, having it all and not being able to pay for it and being In Your Face, one wonders if Obama is the president we deserve or the one we'll never get.
Peace...
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