A couple of weeks ago I was in Safeway and I spotted a cheap DVD, a double-bill of The Fugitive (1993) and U.S. Marshals (1998), and I impulsively bought it. I already owned The Fugitive on laserdisc (that old thing) and had seen it many times, but I hadn't ever seen U.S. Marshals. I know it's supposed to be awful, but the cast of Tommy Lee Jones, Robert Downey Jr. and Wesley Snipes suddenly appealed to me. I decided to re-watch The Fugitive before I settled down to the sequel. I liked it as much as ever; it's a rare example of everything in the Hollywood machine coming together in the right way at the right time and working perfectly. But this time, something new struck me.
Last week I wrote a defense of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (184 screens), which I determined has been judged more by its hype than by the actual content of the film. But I didn't get much of a chance to talk about the film's star, Harrison Ford, who is an integral part of the film's success. I'll be the first to admit that Ford is an exceedingly limited actor. One of his failings is his seeming lack of humor and spontaneity in certain roles, exacerbated by the fact that, in person, he comes across just as humorless (though it could be that he merely mistrusts journalists). But ironically, one of his best attributes he shares with the comic actor Jackie Chan: a reluctance to enter into the action.
Less than three months ago, Eugene told us George Lucas was hinting that his Indiana Jones franchise might continue on with Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf) as the main character and that Indy (Harrison Ford) would be more of a secondary figure. But MTV Movies Blog now reports that Lucas has had a change of mind and instead plans to make a fifth installment with our beloved hero still in the lead. During promotions for the new Star Wars: Clone Wars movie, he apparently stated that, "Indiana Jones is Indiana Jones. Harrison Ford IS Indiana Jones. If it was Mutt Williams it would be 'Mutt Williams and the Search for Elvis' or something."
Could it be, as MTV suggests, that due to fans' dissatisfaction with Mutt and/or due to LaBeouf's problems with the law that Lucas no longer sees the character as a viable investment? Or did he merely come to his senses about how much more money the movie would make with Ford starring? Lucas says that "Indy 5" is still only an idea but that people are researching possible artifacts to base the movie around. Personally, I don't care what kind of MacGuffin is used, so long as the Nazis are the villains again. The commies in Kingdom of the Crystal Skulljust didn't do it for me. I know the temporal setting can't be WWII anymore, but Indy could always head back into South America and battle the Nazis who escaped to Argentina and Brazil and elsewhere.
A lot of us totally lost it while watching Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skullwhen our hero hides inside of a refrigerator and survives government testing of a nuclear bomb. Some people went so far as to coin a new term, "nuke the fridge", which is akin to the now-well-known "jump the shark" term, only specifically for film series. It makes sense, though, that they'd be having even bigger issues with the scene over in Japan, where the movie opened mid-June. After all, the country did experience two atomic attacks at the end of WWII and probably understands the ramifications of such a blast better than any other part of the world.
According to the website Japan Today, film critics Ken Terawaki and Hiroo Otaka have been the most outspoken. Otaka wrote against the use of the scene in the movie magazine Kinema Junpo, noting that the scene narratively serves no real purpose and complaining that Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) goes about his adventures unscathed. He also points out that children today -- in both Japan and the U.S. -- are unaware of the real damage caused by a nuclear blast. Other people have been expressing their disapproval on message boards, including one on the film's Japanese website. Not everyone is upset, however, and apparently some people are coming back with the "it's only a movie" retort.
Just to be accommodating, I think Steven Spielberg should include the short documentary Hiroshima Nagasaki August, 1945, which graphically shows the effects of at least an atomic bomb,as a supplement on the Japanese version of the DVD.
Movie stars can get a stylist, remove those errant eyebrow and nose hairs, and even get some high-dose skin cleaner to make themselves smooth, shiny, and sexy; if all else fails, there are legions of makeup artists to make the men and women of Hollywood look as hot as possible. But there's not much they can do about their tongue prowess. Sometimes, the smooch or sex scene is so bad that it's even obvious on-screen, and on occasion, movie kissing is so bad that those who were forced to endure it remember the moment forever and tell tales about their bad kissing moments.
Harrison Ford is coming back to the big screen in a big way. According to Variety, he will be taking the title role in CBS Films' Crowley. Before your heart stops at the idea that he will be in a television movie about Aleister Crowley -- it isn't that Crowley, and CBS intends this to be a theatrical release.
The movie is the real-life story of John and Aileen Crowley, whose two children suffered from a rare genetic disorder. Rather than give up hope that nothing could be done for them, they sought out a researcher for a cure. Surprisingly, Ford will not be playing the father, but the researcher. And he'll also be the executive producer.
Tom Vaughan is in talks to direct, and Robert Nelson Jacobs penned the script, which is based on Geeta Anand's book Cure. (Let's hope they switch the title back to that of Anand's book, which is far more suitable than Crowley.)
I am hoping films like Crowley and the upcoming Crossing Over mark a new phase in Ford's career. I have missed the man who did low-key movies like Witness (one of my all time favorites) where he really played down his heroic persona. I have long thought he should have taken a page out of Clint Eastwood's book, and accepted smaller and quieter roles more suitable to his age. I honestly could have seen Ford as Hilary Swank's boxing coach in Million Dollar Baby. I hope his researcher in Crowley is along those lines, and if it isn't, that he finds a part like that really soon.
The nomadic DVD peddlers in Chinatown and other urban areas seem virtually unstoppable, but that hasn't kept Hollywood studios from launching various attempts to prevent movie piracy. Boing Boing reports on the rumor that at least one theater has been silencing the soundtrack in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skullthroughout the film in order to mess with potential bootleggers trying to record the thing. If true, it's got to be one of the most brain dead attempts at security since the rise of quart-sized bags. When you really get down to it, most two-bit criminals with camcorders in their laps don''t really care if the quality of the movie they're recording suffers, since the resulting product will already feature lo-fi video, the overlapping sounds of laughter and other audience reactions, and silhouetted cameos from patrons venturing to the concession stands or taking bathroom breaks. With all that, the intermittent exclusion of music doesn't sound like a major concern for the bad guys.
Studio anti-piracy measures are notoriously ill-conceived. Premieres and all-media screenings often force critics and even the filmmakers themselves to undergo intense evaluations before they're allowed to enter the theaters, while films open to the public, where pirates are more likely to show up, don't take any precautions. Granted, multiplexes wouldn't help their business if attending them felt like entering an airport terminal, but that doesn't mean there isn't a better way to prevent the crimes from taking place. Anyone care to offer some ideas?
People often complain about celebrities and "Hollywood elites" who talk politics from their soapboxes, but maybe they won't rag on this amusing conservation PSA from Harrison Ford -- after all, he makes a considerable personal sacrifice to get his message across. Or at least it looks like he does. I've never seen the unpleasantness of chest-waxing used as a metaphor for the damage caused by rainforest destruction, and I'm not sure it makes very much sense (is that the Earth wincing in pain?), but it's certainly clever. And Ford, sporting a stylin' stud earring, is in full-on Indiana Jones exasperation mode -- no one can do macho annoyance quite like he does. It's not quite 40-Year Old Virgin-level agony, but it must have taken some convincing.
Happy Memorial Day Weekend everyone! While I've been spending most of the weekend out at my imaginary mansion in The Hamptons, the rest of you were busy reserving just over two hours of your time for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. We've already asked you what you thought of the film (and we'll be asking again later to catch up with those who saw it at the end of the weekend), so now it's time to jump ahead and ask ourselves whether we want this franchise to continue.
Both George Lucas and Steven Spielberg have said they'll continue making Indiana Jones films if the fans want them. Since Harrison Ford is getting up there in age, one imagines a fifth film would involve handing the franchise over to Shia LaBeouf, though we don't know that for sure. What say you? Is it time to retire Indy once and for all? Did this latest installment prove there's not much gas left in this tank? Or, did you absolutely love the film, wonder why it took so long for a fourth one to hit screens and immediately ponder a wonderful future with lots more Indiana Jones-related films?
27 years after Raiders of the Lost Ark burst onto movie screens, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull brings Harrison Ford's Indiana Jones and Karen Allen's Marion Ravenwood back to the big screen: Reunited, as the song says, and it feels so good. What felt less good was the timing of the press interviews for Kingdom of the Crystal Skull; Paramount scheduled their Cannes publicity interviews the day before the press screening of the film. (Call me a traditionalist, but normally I like to see the actual movie before talking to the actors in it; I'm just funny that way.) Still, Ford and Allen were funny and disarming -- they seemed a little amused by the hypothetical questions and broad general inquiries the chain of events required -- and Cinematical was there to learn about Harrison Ford's take on the best parts of playing Indy, Karen Allen's musings on Marion Ravenwood's sex life and much more; Cinematical's questions are indicated.
I'm just wondering how your own excitement level is, returning to the Indiana Jones character?
Harrison Ford: Well, I'm very excited to bring another one of these spectacular adventures to the screen, and to work with Steven and George again. For the last twenty years or so, these films have continued to appeal to an audience, and young kids, as it becomes age-appropriate, have been introduced to the films on DVD by their parents, and to have the opportunity for them to see it full-scale in a movie theatre, with a big screen and big sound, in the dark with a bunch of strangers, and have this common visceral experience is a brilliant opportunity, so I'm delighted to be a part of it again.
Everyone's favorite whip-cracking archaeologist is back, and I found myself trying to keep a very even keel as the lights went down for Indiana Jones' latest series of exploits: On one hand I didn't want to be "too nice" to the movie (nostalgia power does strange things to people), but I was more than willing to fall in love with the flick, too. Sometimes it's tough be a hardcore fan and an objective analyst at the same time. Fortunately, all that preparation was a waste of time, because while it's hardly the best of the series (not that we were expecting it to be), Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull delivers an irresistible infusion of matinee-style mayhem that, really, we don't get enough of these days. If the movie suffers from a few slow spots, some action bits that really strain credibility, and a semi-clunky plot that simply goes from A to B to C, those gripes can be forgiven in the face of a total package that's this exciting, amusing, and just plain old welcome.
For those who choose to remain spoiler-free, I'll keep the synopsis sketchy: Basically, it's 1957 and good ol' Indiana Jones has fallen on rough times. He's been exploited by the KGB, berated by the U.S. government, fired from his university job, and left with little recourse but to head into the wild and get lost. But just as Dr. Jones is about to vanish, up pops a teenager who needs his help: An old ally of Jones' has been abducted while searching for a secret Incan temple -- and this assignment is all our hero needs to feel a bit better. There's a LOT more to the plot, but it's more fun to discover the secrets along with the characters. Suffice to say that most of Crystal Skull consists of Jones and his new sidekick Mutt (Shia LaBeouf) getting into all sorts of crazy scrapes with a tacky treasure hunter (Ray Winstone), a raving lunatic (John Hurt), a psychic villain (Cate Blanchett), and old girlfriend Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen). Oh, and a giant crystal skull that just about everyone wants for themselves.
Above: Karen Allen, Steven Spielberg and Harrison Ford. [Photo courtesy of Getty Images]
If there's one thing the Cannes Film Festival is known for, it's their extravagant premieres. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was no exception, and Cinematical has the photos to prove it. Check out all the action in the gallery below, featuring images from the red carpet, as well as before and after Sunday's highly-anticipated, star-studded premiere.
Additionally, as previously mentioned, Cinematical is dedicating all week to Indiana Jones. If it's Indy-related, there's a very good chance you'll see it up on the site at some point during the next few days. To see everything that's been written already (including James' review of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull), click that banner on the right that reads Cinematical Indy. Enjoy!
Raiders of the Lost Ark, of course, is the only Indiana Jones film without "Indiana Jones" in the official title. It's hard to quibble with the original decision, as Raiders' producers could hardly have been expected to guess that its whip-wielding hero would become a sensation in his own right. But it's still kind of funny to watch this original theatrical trailer for Raiders, which basically ignores Harrison Ford in favor of the fearsome, mysterious Ark of the Covenant, "protected by forces beyond imagination" and "desired above all treasures on earth." Of course, it turned out that, with Raiders as with the rest of the franchise, no one gave a damn about what exactly Indy was chasing so long as he chased it with wisecracking flair. (This alternative trailer is more on target.)
By the time Temple of Doom rolled around, Paramount had gotten the idea, with the voiceover guy intoning: "If adventure has a name, it must be Indiana Jones." Indeed. Check out the original Temple of Doom and Last Crusade trailers after the jump.
Inevitably, Indiana Jones evokes nostalgia. Steven Spielberg wanted to make a globe-trotting adventure, James Bond style, inspired by the black and white Republic serials of the 1930s. His friend George Lucas had just the hero for him, a rough hewn but debonair explorer who would certainly be at home in those cliffhanging pictures. What makes the first and third films in the Indiana Jones trilogy work is their affectionate regard of the past, combined with a modern, emotional undertow and jet-fueled pace.
What follows are my recollections of watching Indiana Jones through the years. The list is intended as a conversation starter: what are your favorite memories from watching Indy the first, second, third -- or 25th -- time?
Spielberg had risen to the level of unassailable god in my young mind on the basis of Duel, Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind, but 1941 was an awful mess that crashed and burned at the box office, and I had no enthusiasm for a callback to awful '30s serial pictures. Advance word was minimal, as I recall. Lucas' participation didn't help after he'd left me hanging at the end of The Empire Strikes Back, and I was not terribly impressed with the idea of Harrison Ford as leading man (I would have preferred Tom Selleck). None of my friends were talking about the movie.
After a 19-year sabbatical, the Doctor will see you now. Or, rather, you will see the doctor; after Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade put Harrison Ford's fedora-wearing rogue academic into the pop culture pantheon of greats, expectations are at a fever pitch for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Today's Cannes press screening feels like a courtesy at best; no critic's negative review will keep people from seeing this film -- and yet, at the same time, no amount of enthusiasm or expectation or nostalgia can make up for the things that Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull gets wrong in its strained effort to throw Indiana Jones back up on the big screen.
Crystal Skull begins in 1957, as the Cold War is getting warmer; we're plunged into the thick of things, with Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) dragooned into helping a group of Soviet interlopers ransack the secret storage depot at Area 51 for a lost artifact of great power. The Commie bad guys are lead by the raven-haired razor-banged Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett), whose early declaration " ... three times have I received the Order of Lenin ..." tells you a lot of what you need to know about her, and also serves as about all you're going to get. Spalko's hunting for the storyline-starting MacGuffin; Dr. Jones gets away, but the Soviets get the thingamabob; the chase is on.
The press conference for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulljust wrapped. Steven Spielberg and George Lucas were on hand with the cast to answer questions about the film. Of course, many of the questions were directed at Ford and Spielberg, but a few were tossed to other cast members as well.
Spielberg, asked whose idea it was to revisit the franchise, said that the idea first came up when Harrison Ford said at the Academy Awards several years back that he'd be interested in wearing Indy's hat again; he noted that he was the hardest to convince that the world really wanted another Indy film. Asked whether there will be further sequels, Spielberg said that that depends on whether people want one, and that they'll keep an ear to the ground to gauge audience reaction to Kingdom of the Crystal Skull; if there's interest, though, he said there will be more to come. So, good news for all you Indy fans out there.
Less than three months ago, 
A lot of us totally lost it while watching 
Movie stars can get a stylist, remove those errant eyebrow and nose hairs, and even get some high-dose skin cleaner to make themselves smooth, shiny, and sexy; if all else fails, there are legions of makeup artists to make the men and women of Hollywood look as hot as possible. But there's not much they can do about their tongue prowess. Sometimes, the smooch or sex scene is so bad that it's even obvious on-screen, and on occasion, movie kissing is so bad that those who were forced to endure it remember the moment forever and tell tales about their bad kissing moments.
