Applies to shitty newspapers and other media as well. We can complain about dodgy articles in the Sun/Mail/Express/Fox News etc as much as we like but as long as people keep reading/watching them, they’re gonna keep on peddling the same old crap
4 Likes
Went and saw the new Indy film last night. I enjoyed it! It may not be as good as the originals, but it was certainly better than 4, and I feel was on par with Temple of Doom.
3 Likes
I watched Temple of Doom last night, and I’m not sure that’s high praise… also watched Crystal Skull. Its not a great film but I do think it starts well, Mutt is actually not that bad a character (much less annoying than poor Willie Scott was allowed to be), and I really don’t mind the Maguffin, it’s handled in an ‘Indy’ way. It just gets pretty boring from the jungle on and ends up average.
Also watched Last Crusade, which is a joy from start to finish. Watching the new one today so I’ll let you know how I feel.
3 Likes
I could have loaned you my fedora, leather jacket and gasmask bag. You’d have looked the part.
Or a part, anyway.
2 Likes
I do slightly worry about someone who directed Kate Capshaw in such a horrible role and thought “that’s the woman I want to marry”. But maybe it was by way of apology? At least Spielberg didn’t work directly on the script.
3 Likes
He has a credit on the script but I think that was doctoring? I think Willie is such a shame after Marion (although even she managed to end up getting put into dresses for most of the film).
3 Likes
But this IS 4th film. Its been ages without an Indy film since Last Crusade.
5 Likes
I knew somebody would say this. 
3 Likes
We just watched Indian Joe and the Duel of Density and, perhaps I’m an a post-film excitement phase but I really really enjoyed it. Easily better than Templar of Dune and Acryllic Scotch Kingdoms. Jolly good. I suppose my opinion may fade but the fact it can even induce a post-film happy buzz is more than lots of films manage for me nowadays. Very good.
@RogerBW definitely one for Ribbon of Memes. I don’t think we finished at the last masterpiece in the series ( not saying it’s this, but we should watch the rest I think).
7 Likes
And I hate to disappoint…
2 Likes
I just got back from the Indy movie. Seems the thing to have done. I love all things Indiana Jones and own I think all the adult novels and comics in addition to the DVDs of the movies and young adventures TV show. I even liked the Crystal Skull movie, though there are some very disappointing moments in it (e.g. Mutt the Monkey King swinging through the trees when he clearly should have dropped back down quickly absolutely terrified of them to develop a life-long phobia like his grandfather with rats and his father with snakes. Do these people know nothing of storytelling?).
This latest one is overall enjoyable. There are some highly predictable moments, not just the fun fan service bits that I appreciated. There are a couple things I knew they were going to do from about 5 minutes in and they did them all and I wish they hadn’t done about half of them biggest: what is the point of splitting up Indy and Marion just to get them back together again by the end of the movie especially when it was 100% obvious that cameo was coming?, but overall it was Indy on an Indy adventure and I was happy to be along for the ride.
6 Likes
The current media narrative is that Indy 5 is a disastrous flop with a bad and divisive ending. I certainly disagree with the latter point - it’s been a few days and I still think it was great, if overlong. I had to allow myself to enjoy the slightly wonky deageing at the start, because frankly it’s clear there’s an 80 year old in there, but it’s still great and I personally loved the ending.
As far as the ‘flop’ goes, I’m getting tired of seeing the narrative drive the story. It happens all over the news of course, but it’s noticeable here particularly to me.
Anyway… recommended from an old Indy fan. Easily the third best film in the series. Faint praise but I enjoyed it more than any of the new Star Wars films. Now I’ll shut up and, for balance, let younger people enjoy their own stuff and not have to watch films intended for people (mostly white and mostly guys) who grew up in the 80s. I’ve got my RPGs for stories now.
8 Likes
I definitely enjoyed it more than Crystal Skull. Does Temple of Doom really hold up as well I remember it? Maybe it does, but Dial of Destiny is a decent movie and I was entertained.
1 Like
I rewatched Temple of Doom before watching Dial of Destiny. I am still hit by nostaliga watching it and it’s a fun ride that’s never boring… but the thought of watching it with my Indian friends filled me with dread. It’s pretty racist and it also has the most annoying character in the films by far (yes, I think Willie Scott is also much more annoying than Mutt). It feels dissimilar to the other Indy films - you could argue that’s a good thing, but honestly it feels to me at least like it could have been any square-jawed hero parachuted into this one, rather than a specific Indy film. For me, at least, I cringed quite a lot rewatching it.
3 Likes
No question, Temple of Doom is the most cringey of the Indy films with the casual racism, but it is still a rip-roaring adventure film with a good mix of action and humor. As long as you go into it knowing it is not an accurate representation of that culture, especially as it is mimicking the old style pulp adventures where everything non-white had to be mystical, mysterious, and strange in some way, you can enjoy it. It doesn’t make it okay, but it…softens the blow, I guess?
2 Likes
My partner said she’s watching a program calling Linkin’ Lawyers.
Or at least that was what I heard. I’m imagining something like Barrel of Monkeys.
1 Like
Currently watching the grim Hi-de-Hi reboot, Yellowjackets.
3 Likes
Feeling a bit rough after testing positive with Covid19, so we watched episodes two and three of Secret Invasion, which was good enough to distract me from feeling ill.
Oh, and before the current unpleasantness, we watched The Night Agent, which was compelling viewing.
9 Likes
Feel better soon!
3 Likes
As it is included with Amazon Prime I watched War-Gods of the Deep alternatively City Under the Sea.
You may say that Vincent Price reading an Edgar Allen Poe poem is a thin reed upon which to hang a film but in the early 1960s it was a thin reed on which about a dozen films were hung.
This is not a good film. But there are a lot of cool pieces here to yank out and rearrange for TTRPG types. And the aesthetic is like Dark Shadows or Disney’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea which I find relaxing.
I expect I’ll be idly tracking down more of this Poe-sploitation period over the rest of the year and hoping to run into a book or article or three on the phenomenon.
4 Likes