Courtesy of Michael May’s Adventure Blog, a new image of a familiar face:
I’ve been pretty dubious of the whole idea of doing a fourth Indy movie, but I’ve got to admit, this picture brought a smile to my lips and injected a little cheer into an otherwise crappy day. It’s good to see you again, Dr. Jones…
In light of all the talk today about the AFI’s 100 Greatest Movies list, I thought this was an interesting counterpoint:
In 1995, to commemorate 100 years of film-making, the Vatican made a list of what it called “Some Important Films.” The list was divided into three areas–Religion, Values and Art.
The list is below the fold…
Cyberpunkreview.com has posted the specs on the upcoming limited edition DVD super-set release that I’ve been talking about for months, and they are impressive indeed:
So, I’m sitting here watching the AFI 100 Greatest Movies of All Time (10th Anniversary Edition) special, and I just saw a commercial for Blade Runner: The Final Cut, coming soon on DVD and (according to this commercial) to theaters this fall. Leaving aside my conviction that acknowledged classics shouldn’t be revised or messed with (and also that Ridley Scott is horribly misguided in his efforts to convince us that Deckard is a replicant), it was pretty exciting to see this film being advertised again. However, something about the ad really grated on me: the obligatory slogan, “The One That Started It All.”
I say “obligatory” because it seems these days that every single film that has inspired sequels or imitators uses it; for example, it popped up again recently when the original Shrek was aired on TV a few weeks back. I hate this slogan. It’s hackneyed and virtually meaningless. What the hell is “it” anyway? “It” is never defined, and there are apparently lots of different “its” out there, since Shrek‘s “it” most likely is not Blade Runner‘s “it” (although it’d be interesting if it was — imagine a dystopian future-noir fairy tale…). Really what “it” is, is lazy marketing. It’s a simple, cliche’d fix for a copywriter who’s staring down a deadline and doesn’t have the slightest original thought in his head about the movie in question. As with all the other stuff that bugs me, this slogan will be forbidden when I become the Unquestioned Ruler of the Universe.
That is all. Back to the AFI list now…
Well, rats: Connery won’t be reprising his role as Indy’s dad in Indiana Jones IV after all. Sir Sean issued the disappointing news in a classy statement, at least:
“I get asked the question so often, I thought it best to make an announcement. I thought long and hard about it and if anything could have pulled me out of retirement it would have been an Indiana Jones film. I love working with Steven and George, and it goes without saying that it is an honor to have Harrison as my son. But in the end, retirement is just too damned much fun. I, do however, have one bit of advice for Junior: Demand that the critters be digital, the cliffs be low, and for goodness sake keep that whip by your side at all times in case you need to escape from the stunt coordinator! This is a remarkable cast, and I can only say, ‘Break a leg, everyone.’ I’ll see you on May 22, 2008, at the theater!”
I’m not troubled by the idea of Henry not appearing in this new Indy movie — his character arc was pretty thoroughly finished by the end of Last Crusade — but it now looks definite that the bleeding-from-the-eyes-awful League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is going to be the final title on Connery’s filmography, and that, my friends, is an unbelievable tragedy.
The article I linked above also mentions that Cate Blanchett, Ray Winstone, and John Hurt are in the movie — this is seconded on the official Lucasfilm Indy site here — and that rumors that Karen Allen, Kate Capshaw, or both might be on board for a cameo remain unconfirmed one way or the other. (Personally, I’m rooting for at least a glimpse of Allen’s Marion, the most logical “Indy girl” for our hero to have had a son with… assuming that Shia LaBouef is actually playing Henry Jones III, that is.)
In other Indy IV news, I’ve heard that John Rhys-Davies, a.k.a. Indy’s favorite Egyptian digger and loyal sidekick Sallah, won’t be coming back either, but depending on what Indy IV is actually about, his character might not fit into this particular story or setting, so I’m okay with his absence…
SFSignal has another sci-fi movie keyword quiz up:
You remember the rules from before: Name the SF flick based on those keyword clues from the IMDB. I actually thought this quiz was quite a bit easier than the first one. My answers are below the cut. You might want to write yours down or something before you click through…
FYI to anyone reading this: the film’s title is Blade Runner, not Bladerunner. I see this mistake made all over the place (most recently here) and it grates on my nerves like stainless-steel fingernails on a chalkboard.
Two words, people. Two.
That is all.
So it occurred to me in the shower this morning that six of the big “tentpole” film releases this summer are “part threes”: Spider-Man 3, Shrek the Third, Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End, Ocean’s Thirteen, The Bourne Ultimatum, and Rush Hour 3. Sequels are the bread and butter of summertime movie-going, of course, but I can’t recall any other year that had so many of them that were the same number in their respective series. Seems rather odd to me, like some kind of harmonic convergence or that planetary alignment that took place a few years ago, when the gravitational forces were all supposed to be amplified and wreck the Earth or some damn thing.
And another thing: back in my ticket-tearing days at the old Cinemark — which began some 18 years ago (holy crap!) — the summer blockbuster season started on Memorial Day weekend and ended on Labor Day weekend. Now, the season kicks off with the first weekend on May (as evidenced by the release of Spider-Man 3 a couple weeks ago) and looks like it will be pretty much over by the first weekend of August. That feels wrong to me. If this trend continues, we’ll soon be seeing the the big mindless spectacles we all love so much around Valentine’s Day instead of the Fourth of July, and that will just be… wrong. It’ll be chaos, I tells ya! Dogs and cats living together! Yeargh!
Well, that last one was depressing, wasn’t it? Sorry about that… how about a game to try and break out of the funk?
John at SF Signal put this little exercise together:
I went to IMDB and looked up 15 movies. Listed below are four official “Plot Keywords” for each movie.
Your job: Name these movies!
- Stripper Dancing With Snake / Owl / Broken Finger / Killer Robot
- Future / Visceral / Claustrophobic / Impregnation
- Messiah / Wuxia Fiction / Young Boy / War
- Skin Care / Future Noir / Paraplegic / Perfection
- Saving The World Mission / Extraterrestrial / Space Travel / Alien Space Craft
- Advertising / Attempted Murder / Clairvoyant / Eye Surgery
- Very Little Dialogue / Surrealism / Astronaut / Talking Computer
- Prophecy / Cat / Subway / Cyberspace
- Sunglases / Tabloid / Cat / Spoof
- Cryogenics / Post Apocalyptic / Horseback Riding / Beach
- Human Versus Computer / Gladiator / Frisbee / Video Game
- Revenge / Spacecraft / Sandstorm / Midlife Crisis
- Evolution / Prejudice / Wheelchair / New York City
- End Of Civilization / Bikini / Big Ben / Inventor
- Robot / Scientist / UFO / Washington Monument
Give it a try, kids, then check yourself against my answers after the break.
So, as long as we’re dwelling in Lucasland today, here’s the latest stuff I’ve heard about Indiana Jones IV: