We Named the Blog Indiana: You're insulting them and you're embarassing me, now eat it

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crustal Skull is really several movies at war with each other. It's a for hire job to get the fans back on the side of it's creators, it's the actors chance to redeem or prove themselves to audiences and it's David Koepp's burden to patch together several different drafts in an attempt to satisfy a number of master's. Only one group really succeeds.
In his review of Indy 4 CHUD.com's Devin Faraci remarks that the film is definitive proof that Steven Spielberg could direct a movie like this in his sleep and did. While I wouldn't go that far I will say that Spielberg's direction feels very removed. There are flashes of brilliance but he never attains the sense of awe that is the Spielberg hallmark. It feels very by the numbers and the film loses the organic, analogue feel of it's predecessors. It may have less CG than the average summer blockbuster but it never quite blends seamlessly into the world. I'd rather have the green screen or matte paintings of the previous film, it gave them a sort of unified feel. DP Janusz Kaminski, a great cinematographer in his own right, feels a bit lost and the opening scene has the sort of distance and feeling of unreality found in the Star Wars prequels. The script, while loaded with inventive action sequences feels bloated and mismanaged, a case of not enough fine tuning and editing. Characters are introduced and then given nothing to do, problems are solved through luck or convenience and Indiana Jones spends a great deal more time explaining rather than doing. The problem is that there are huge swaths of the film that aren't really about anything other than going forward (oftentimes with little more motivation than "because I have to"). That said the film does at time's return to the groove and feel of the previous films and consequently a good hour stretch of the film is purely enjoyable without any reservations.

SPOILERS FOLLOW:
The film continues the Indiana Jones tradition of never repeating the same type of opening twice. This time it's a lively bit of drag racing between Nevada teens and an army convoy (secretly Communist agents in disguise). The Communists destination is a secret army base that is both a storage facility as well as a nuclear testing site. It is here that the villainous Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett channeling Natasha Fatale from Rocky and Bullwinkle) releases our nineteen years older, but not at all worse for wear Dr. Jones from the trunk of a car. Say what you will about the film but Harrison Ford is the most alive and in the moment as he's been in a motion picture in over a decade. He's having loads of fun and it shows. The Communist want Jones' expertise to help them find something in the warehouse, something magnetic. Jones however, isn't having it and wants out. Unfortunately this opening warehouse sequence is ridiculous in the extreme. Jones was always an adventure hero but Spielberg has him jumping, swinging and fighting like a super-hero instead of a mortal man. The dialogue is a bit stilted and awkward as we're filled in on Jones' relationship with OSS agent Mac McHale (Ray Winstone) and Indy's past as a Colonel in the US army. Then Mac, Indy's long-time friend mind you, goes and betrays him to the Russians. But no matter because even with as good as an actor as Winstone in the part Mac is so thin that the betrayal means nothing to the audience.
As Indy escapes he makes his way to the aforementioned nuke testing site and but for a lead-lined refrigerator would certainly be killed. When Indy makes it back to civilization the US government (as embodied by a suspicious FBI agent played by Neil Flynn aka The Janitor from Scrubs) worried about his possible affiliations with both the reds and Mac basically black list him. Indy returns to Marshall college where the new Dean (a well-intentioned but wasted Jim Broadbent) informs him that he can no longer teach at the school.
It's HERE that the movie I loved begins. There is a nice somber scene where the movie really becomes about something, notions of legacy and mortality that it pursues for a bit until the effects once again take over in the film's final third. As Jones ponders a life without teaching he discusses the losses of both his father and Marcus Brody. Here the scripting becomes almost elegant. "You reach a point in your life where life stops giving you things and starts taking them away." Had the film revolved more about the fallacy and truth of this statement it might have a bit more "oomph." Just as Indy is about to leave the campus, life gives him something instead of taking it away and that something is Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf). The introduction of Shia LaBeouf, of Mutt really, kick-starts the film into high-gear. He's an enormously fun character, a curious adventurer who's hair-obssessed greaser veneer hides an uncertain Mama's boy. He and Ford have wonderful chemistry. Mutt relays to Indy that his Mom and their mutual family friend Professor Oxley (John Hurt, as thinly characterized as the other Brits in the movie) have been kidnapped by the Russians and he needs Jones' help in deciphering the clues Oxley has left behind to find his family and the mysterious Crystal Skull of Akator. Unfortunately Mutt's acquisition of a note from Oxley was an ellaborate trap by the Russians and soon Mutt and Indy are locked in a thrilling motorcycle chase through the campus as the younger and older man impress each other with feats of daring-do. Then it's off to Peru where Mutt and Indy bond over unraveling the clues Oxley left behind. There's plenty of fun catacomb exploring and native fighting but the pair are eventually captured and the Russians want Jones to decipher Oxley's insane ramblings. He's compelled to do it when they reveal their prisoner (and Mutt's mother) Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen, lovely but not given much to do except for some cute bantering). Yes, that means EXACTLY what you think it means, Mutt is really Henry...Jones...III. Indy's reaction to seeing Marion after so many years is so great that it almost makes the entire film worth it. I loved the early scenes with these two actors. Marion truly was Indy's perfect partner and had the film been about this newly discovered family unit and the legacy of the Jones' we'd really have something. This idea begins to carry over as Jones goes from cool contemporary to Mutt to basically the reincarnation of Henry Sr (going so far as to shout "This is intolerable" as Mutt drags him through an escape). We get the start of a cool Indy chase as various vehicles race through the rain forest as all the characters scramble for the skull. It's very exciting until a derailed Mutt has to pull a Tarzan, inexplicably mastering swinging on conveniently placed vines in seconds.
From here the film dips back from exciting, fun Indiana Jones movie to silly, over-stuffed with characters, by-the-numbers puzzle solver. Indy spends a lot of time explaining to us what's about to happen and then Oxley uses the titular crystal skull (easily my most hated MacGuffin EVER!) to do all the work. Oh that Crystal Skull. Whether it's repelling army ants and natives, opening doors, reading minds or turning a temple into a spaceship, the crystal skull is a lazy screenwriters dream. Oh how I yearn for the days when Jones solved problems through ingenuity, elbow grease or luck, here all problems get crystal skull-ed away. The end is never really in question but still there is enough promise shown in the Mutt and Indy's relationship that I wouldn't mind seeing a Last Crusade-esque follow up. Then again, maybe enough is enough and it's time for Dr. Jones to give it a rest. Regardless of the years the mileage may be too high.

We Named the Blog Indiana: Anything Goes

Oh to have been a member of the audience sitting down to Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom on May 23, 1984. Fans of Raiders of the Lost Ark were eager to see Indiana Jones embark on a new adventure. Fans had seen a trailer full of exotic settings, thrilling action and must've been rubbing their hands together in anticipation over how the movie would begin. What would match the thrilling trip through the Hovitos temple? When you think about it, the answer would be "nothing." Something Steven Spielberg and his screenwriters Will Hyuck and Gloria Katz most assuredly knew. So Spielberg began with something that was so perfect yet so different that had there been an internet at the time it would've no doubt split it in half.

After transitioning from the Paramount logo to a mountain on the face of a gong we open to a very different kind of action, a glorious, glamorous 1930's musical number, "Anything Goes." Spielberg begins the film with one of his only musical numbers that he's ever filmed and I for one love it.

The scene takes on a whole new level when you realize that the main figure of the set-piece, Willie Scott, as played by Kate Capshaw, had a suitor in the form of director Steven Spielberg. If one of the greatest director's in the world is in love with you, chances are you're going to look good on screen. The number is exquisitely staged on the one hand paying homage to the kaleidoscopic patterns of Busby Berkley's dancers while at the same time disorienting the viewer by having the Cole Porter standard being sung in Mandarin. Once again Indy's greatest sidekick is John Williams orchestrations, giving the tune a whole new life. While the bulk of the chorus and the verses are sung in Mandarin, Spielberg wants us to be sure that we pick up the underlining point of positioning the number right at the front and having the song's main-line "Anything goes" be sung in English. You'll notice that most of the time when Willie sings the line we cut in close to her face. The reason being that the film wants us to know that in this, Indy's second filmic outing, truly anything goes. Whether it be assassins appearing out of wall portraits, mine-car chases, voodoo torture or men getting their hearts pulled out of their chests all the rules from Raiders have been thrown out. The characters in Temple of Doom probably have the most wear and tear of any of the films because of it's intensity, just think, most of Indy's signature wardrobe is torn or burnt to shreds by the end and it's all because in Temple
anything goes.

We Named the Blog Indiana: Water, no thank you sir, fish make love in it

At this point there have been more than enough press screenings and early reviews up that one can a) get a good sense of what the movie is about and b) know that going with lower expectations rather than higher ones is probably going to be the way to go with Crystal Skull. I'm not going to make some declarative statement about the movie's quality without having seen it. I mean, I really dug Speed Racer despite a by-in-large critical thumping. The movie opens tonight for most people but I'll probably be seeing it tomorrow. I hope the crowds are still rowdy (but not rude). One of the things that I have heard about the film is that it will be making many nods to one of most beloved characters in the series, Marcus Brody. MINOR spoilers to follow.
The late Denholm Elliot's character apparently has pictures in Indy's home and even a statue now on Indy's campus. The museum owner and curator's depiction varied greatly in Raiders and Last Crusade and this "inconsistency" tends to drive a wedge amongst Indy fans. The fact remains that Brody can come off as entirely competent in the first film and somewhat bumbling in the third is entirely reconcilable. Sometimes people just don't work as well out of their element and Marcus Brody's element was in the hallways of the university and his museum. He didn't get lost, don't believe it. Apparently Spielberg was a huge fan of Elliot and was eager to work with him in an extended capacity after Raiders. He serves a valuable character function in the third film acting as a sort of mediator between the Jones' Junior and Senior. He also provides someone closer to Connery's age to bounce off of. He's funny, he's clever and yes he does bumble along a bit, but come on, how well do you think YOU would do in a tank chase, or in a completely foreign country for that matter?

We Named the Blog Indiana: There!

Saying that there are many classic set-pieces in Raiders of the Lost Ark is sort of like saying the sun is incredibly hot, superfluous but true. Yet for all those great moments only ONE can be a person's favorite. When I first saw the movie it was a toss-up seeing Indy escaping the traps of the Hovitos temple and Indy going after the truck. When I was older, more cynical and mopey it was when Indy shoots the swordsman. Older still and in a relationship it was when Marion and Indy pick over his wounds, the "It's not the years, it's the mileage" sequence. Now though my favorite moment is something a bit more smaller and a bit less obvious. Let me set the stage and give you a sense of my FAVORITE Raiders moment:

About an hour and a half (give or take a few minutes) into the movie. The exhausting and awesome chase for the truck with the ark as ended. Sallah has placed Indy and Marion safely aboard Captain Katenga's ship. Indy and Marion have spent a sweet, calm night together to kiss their wounds and have some Mutt making time. Then comes the morning and everything goes wrong, a Nazi sub has been sighted off the port bow. The Nazis board Captain Katenga's ship (with a bit of blocking that nods to Battleship Potemkin of all places).

They take the ark and despite his bargaining Katenga and his pirates can't manage to hold on to Marion. Indy is forced to hide in a vent. With ark and girl in tow the Nazis take their leave and all seems lost. Williams score is as low as defeated as it has ever been at this moment. A mournful Katenga is informed "Can't find Dr. Jones Captain, we've looked everywhere." Katenga, an experienced sea-hand suspects otherwise. "He's got to aboard somewhere, keep looking." Then (and this is really a credit to whoever played the crewman, note to self-find that out) out of the corner of his eye there is a glint of recognition,"I've found him sir." "Where?" asks the befuddled Captain "There!" the crew-man answers pointing. The camera cuts to Indy pulling himself onto the railing of the adjacent submarine. And at this point the Raiders March kicks in perhaps as triumphantly as it ever has or will as a harried but somehow rugged Jones tracks across the top of the sub sopping wet. Harrison Ford does a sort of half-run, half-shuffle across the deck after shooting off a salute(a Cagney-esque move if ever there were one) and it is glorious. The "March" is played in a sort of military time, a bit more syncopated and precise than typical and it really neatly accompanies the whole thing. The camera cuts back to the crew (now acting as a surrogate for the audience) cheering madly while Katenga and the mate who were just speaking return Indy's quick salute. It's glorious, just typing about it gets me a bit misty. Whatever happens now it is absolutely clear that no obstacle will be too great and Jones will pursue this thing to his absolute last breath. It's the sort of never-say-die attitude that one doesn't really see in films this often, but when used properly can really rally an audience. This is the perfect runner's high in the last quarter of the race and consequently my favorite Indiana Jones moment maybe ever. It's simple, it's action that stems from character and if there is even one moment like this in Crystal Skull it will have been worth it.

We Named the Blog Indiana*: He is...nefarious

In re-watching the Indy films this weekend (something that everyone probably is or should be doing) a lady-friend (who had never seen the movie) pointed out the following. As Indy ran out of the cave to a face full of Hovitos natives, she remarked "That's messed up", refering to the fact that the statue had belonged to someone still around. I immediately countered with a mature and well-thought out "Nuh-uh it isn't" and left well enough alone. However, the thought is now gnawing at the back of my head and has me wondering "Where does one draw the line between out and out tomb-raiding and archeology." I'm sure that his is a question actual non-fiction archaeologists have grappled with for years as they've watched the films either sighing wistfully or shaking their fists in anger at the glaring inaccuracies. Never you mind the plausibility of a man having his heart pulled out of his chest, but where are Dr. Jones' field permits dammit?! The film's themselves actually point out Indy's, let's call them atypical, methodologies. Toht (that would be the scary German guy from Raiders) mentions that Jones is "nefarious" in the bar in Nepal and given that at this point in the film the two have never met is worth noting. More illuminating is Indy's encounter at Pankot palace in Temple, where Chattar Lal (the Maharajah's second in command) regales the audience with tales of foreign dignitaries who are not particular fans of Jones' (It was my...misunderstanding). It begs the question, outside of his world of academia is Jones a crook? To we the viewers the answer is a simple no, but I'd be curious to what the world that Indy inhabits thinks of his escapades. Is he a righteous adventurer or a dangerous rogue stealing the priceless artifacts that he has no business taking?
Let's think back to that aforementioned incident with the Hovitos. That golden fertility idol is obviously an important totem to these people, they all bow when Belloq (Belloq!) raises it over his head. Still, how often could the Hovitos actually utilized this statue into ANY part of their daily religious practice? I have a difficult time imagining going to services on Shabbat only to avoid the light triggered spikes, tarantulas, poison darts and of course the giant boulder. The Hovitos weren't going into that chamber probably ever. Final verdict. Jones is in the right, Hovitos are wrong and Belloq is still a dick. Have your top men look at that. Top. Men.
*Props to Joel for the title suggestion.