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Muttpop Bob's musings and rants for all things Muttpop, toys, videogames, hip-hop, and whatever else he's thinking of. |
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
My college buddy Greg was visiting from Shanghai. At his request we ended up watching the latest Indiana Jones film. I'm surprised to say that I really dug it!
This is the first "Summer" film I've seen this year (nope, haven't seen "Iron Man"). I knew little to nothing about that film which was probably the best thing I did. I'm notorious for spoiling films by reading too much about them prior to their release. Lately, I'm spending less and less time following films and it's indirectly resulted in fully enjoying the films I choose to watch.
The film isn't perfect (what film is?) but its positives far outweigh the negatives. Some of the more CGI-focused visuals were unnecessarily over-the-top but it was all counter balanced with some good old-fashioned physical stunts.
I forgot how much of Indiana Jones is driven by action. At times it felt like a silent film whose story was completely told by the action and reactions of the characters. The fact that all aspects of the action on screen were conveyed clearly and dynamically attests to Spielberg's superior sense of Direction.
I also came to realize the importance of Indiana Jones on our pop-culture psyche. The English have James Bond. We have Indiana Jones. On so many levels Indy embodies the American Spirit. He's got the cowboy hat. He's constantly exploring new ideas (which fittingly come from naive interpretations of foreign cultures). He acts before he thinks and miraculously escapes the most dangerous of situations. I love the purity and timelessness of it all. And when you carry through the symbol of Indy, his discovery in this film is a very fitting one (even if they reveal far more than I would have hoped).
Comments
Muttpop Bob
Sunday, June 01, 2008
PuroScott:
Amen brotha!
-MPB
PuroScott
Friday, May 30, 2008
Totally agree Bob. I thought the Star Wars prequals were weak compared to this. I think the alien bits seemed a little excessive visually, but then again JUST barely imo. Beyond that it felt like you could have released this back in the early 90s and thats what I wanted. To get that classic nostalgic feeling. There was no music of today in it or anything, nothing to take away from it being a classic Indy film. I too heard lots of negative talk on the radio about it and it just made me think are they trying to be hardcore and go against the grain?, who knows but its exactly what it set out to be, a good solid action/adventure movie which just like video games these days, we seem to rarely get anymore.
Muttpop Bob
Thursday, May 29, 2008
PoonDockTaint:
4 times?! Wow.
Iron Man worthwhile? I have to buckle down and check it out.
So what's the overall verdict on Indy? As you all can tell, I really dug it. But I'm amazed at how much other people supposedly hate it. I was listening to some Laker Talk Radio and they were ranting about how much they thought Indy sucked. I was a bit surprised.
Yes, it's unbelievable at times... but it's an action film. It's OKAY to be ridiculous as long as it's in the spirit of the film. Unlike the Star Wars prequels I feel like the hype surrounded Indy doesn't allow people to enjoy #4.
Anyway you look at them, the Star Wars prequels fall pretty flat. But Indy feels like a solid action film. A lot of other Action directors could learn something from the kinetic but smooth direction to the action choreography. You can follow it every step of the way even though it's all loud and exciting.
-MPB
PoonDockTaint
Thursday, May 29, 2008
Three to Four times sounds excessive, but if it is then I guess I am excessive. That's right, I've taken in four screenings of Indy 4 with no signs of stopping yet. Its excellent! Most certainly not the best Indy flick, but most certainly not the worst.
BTW - I also took down three Iron Man screenings, so you know, check it out too if you haven't yet (still).
Muttpop Bob
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
PuroScott:
3-4 times? That's a real fan! :-)
I actually could see seeing in more than once. Indy films almost feel like a roller coaster ride. It's definitely an experience.
-MPB
PuroScott
Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Glad you liked it!. I did the same and didnt read up on the plot or anything, just a trailer and i was set to go. So good now to experience being a kid again, im making sure to see it atleast 3-4 times. Taking full advantage of these classics being brought back :)