So It Goes...

Friday Batman: The Dark Knight opens nation wide.

Heath Ledger makes his final on screen performance, there is already Oscar buzz saying that Ledger deserves one for the portrayal of the Clown Prince of Crime...but I guess we'll see. All I ask hope for is that people go in with an open mind, meaning not comparing to Jack or Mark's take on the Joker. I most certianly will put personal bias aside and give him a chance....who knows, maybe he will be the best and usurp the throne from Mr. Nicholson.

At the very least he can't be as bad as Christian Bale is as Batman....

Will he be the first EVER post-humous Oscar win? I'll let you know after friday...

Beam me up Indy...

The reason why Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is reguarded the least liked of the franchise is NOT because of the commented "darkness" of the film. Nor is it because of the least likeable of Indy's leading ladies, Willie Scott. Simply put, the core story of an Indian cult which practices voodoo, and human sacrifice has nothing historical, intellectual or emotional to do with Henry "Indiana" Jones Jr. – archaeologist, adventurer and finder of rare antiquities.

Thus is the case with the new (and truly last) installment of the franchise. Although, people who are less familiar or fanatic about the series will certainly be satisfied, true followers of Indy's adventures will be left wondering what happened when watching this hollowed out summer blockbuster movie, confirming its place as the third best movie in the franchise.

The reunion of many of the original cast and crew members has been the fanboys wet dream for the better part of a few years now, waiting for them to rekindle the magic of old for a new generation of movie goers. Unfortunatley the opening scene of the movie sets the tone more for a Road Runner cartoon than an Indiana Jones movie. Following a chase scene in a Roswell storage warehouse, Indy escapes on a rocket sled into a nuclear bomb testing site, from which he escapes in a lead-lined refidgerator.

I guess this could be a way of telling audiences that even 19 years after his last adventure, Indy is still able to kick some major ass. And albeit the rather supernatural nature of his adventures, Indy was never omnipotent. Here, he is nigh indestructable, not even a nuclear explosion, let alone the Russians or killer ants can stop the good doctor.

Indy IV follows Jones as he adventures to the, duh, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. On his journey he picks up a greaser by the name of Mutt Williams (Shia Le Bouf), a two-faced friend George McHale (Ray Winstone), a nutty professor named Oxley (John Hurt), and a former flame named Marion (Raiders' Karen Allen).

Examining the story any further is rather diffucult without spoiling anything. Essentially the movie is rooted in Science Fiction, granted this is not Star Wars but it does have its definate place in the Science Fiction genre. Yet, even so, the Mcguffin sought after is rooted in such an imaginary way, rather than the vageuly historical/biblical ones in Raiders or Last Crusade, it makes Indy more suitable for a movie like National Treasure or The Mummy.

That's not to say the movie isn't fun. The chase scenes in the movie are exciting and keep the viewer wanting more, despite a rather weak Looney Tunes esq ending to one of them. The main villians are a perfect, and sensible, replacement for the Nazis. The main villian played by Kate Blanchette is perfectly cast and rather a joy to watch on screen with Indy.

One of the concerns going into the movie, at least from my cohorts and the people around me, is the CGI used throught the film. I am here to (thankfully) say that it was not overdone, yet could have been cut in some instances. This most certainly is NOT the acid trip the prequal Star Wars movies were, yet I would have liked to see maybe some real scenery during a certain chase scene.

Finally, we come to the characters. Lets just get it over with quickly....Harrison Ford is old. But lets not dwell on it, Ford does a god job as always as our favorite archaeologist, but we can't help to sense that something is missing. Indy comes across as a sort of a disapproving grandfather than the famed adventurer we know him as.

Another doubt amongst people is the involvement of La Bouf as a major character. La Bouf is a movie star in the making, and does a respectable job here. But Speilberg and Lucas decided to give him one of the more silly scenes in the movie, which in all respects, should have been left on the cutting room floor.

The main detractors of the movie are going to point to the...otherworldly....nature of the adventure. People are more willing to accept a Voodoo Shaman pulling a mans heart out of his chest, than what is going on here. To each his own I guess, but as in all movies of this nature, there must be a suspension of disbelief.

All these things added together are going to come to a head. Simply put its the old versus the new. The old veterans of the series and the new viewers that are here to see the next new popcorn flick of the summer. It all boils down to the fact that "they dont make them like they used to." Whichever camp you fall into, myself into the former, everyone is going to wonder how the famed adventurer comes into the modern era, the CG age.

All in all, I enjoyed myself while watching it. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is most certainly going to be a box office hit. But will it please the fans of old? Perhaps. Will it woo fans into exploring the old movies? Probably. Should you see the movie? Most certainly....YES.

Iron Man....

When one thinks of the superhero you don't really think of the emotional complexity of say, a Magneto or (dare I say) Spider-Man. You think of big metal suit, flying around and shooting lazers. However, thankfully director Jon Favreau and Robert Downey Jr. bring the hero into the spotlight delivering one of the best superhero adaptations since Spidey 2.

Downey Jr. plays Tony Stark, billionare playboy and industrialist who finds himself with an electromagnet strapped to his chest after his convoy is attacked after a weapons demonstration in Afgnistan. Stark escapes his captors by building a crude suitof armor, upon returning home he announces to the press that Stark Enterprises will stop making weapons. This puts Stark at odds with father figure Obediah Stane (Jeff Bridges) who founded the company with Stark's father. Stark becomes obsessed with building another, more refined, suit of armor and from there on out the movie goes into autpilot.

The casting of Downey Jr. to play Stark is where the movie truly shines. Downey gives the character a type of depth that noone else could have, he pulls off the millionare playboy vibe with a sarcastic wit that without, would have made him look like a tremendous asshole. Every time we read a comic now, Downey's voice will come out in our heads while reading the word-bubble, and that is truly something to be said.

Bridges does a good, but predictable job as the main villian in the movie albeit some hoakey lines. And Gweneth Paltrow as Pepper Potts nails the role of the potential love intrest and anchor for Tony to hold onto.

Iron Man reminds me of the first Spider-Man movie. A great base for a franchise with a few small hitches along they way. What Favreau and company need to do is exactly what spidey 2 did, grow up a little. What the audiences want to see in the next movie is the refinement and overall improvement of this great character that they have lovingly paid homage to....and maybe give us a little Mandarin action while your at it!