Movie #311 - Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull
2008 - Rated PG-13 - 2 hr 2 min
Director: Steven Spielberg
Starring: Harrison Ford, Karen Allen, Cate Blanchett, Shia LeBeouf, Ray Winstone, John Hurt, Jim Broadbent

Nearly twenty years after Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, Lucas and friends thought it would be a good idea to relive the glory days with a brand new adventure.  Indiana's middle-aged now, still getting into trouble, and dealing with getting old and losing friends and his dad. 

I have to admit - especially after seeing the Rocky Balboa, a similar attempt - I had my reservations.  My initial reaction? "This is gonna suck."  But my love of Indiana drew me to the theater anyway and I tried to give it a chance.  Despite a short nap somewhere in the middle, I saw it.... and hated it.
Lots of the jokes felt rehashed and recycled.  Everyone had wrinkles. (Not a problem, except when you're not using to seeing these characters like that.) And the whole Shia LeBeouf thing could've been better than it was.... I mean, what kind of name is Mutt? Is that a weak play on "We named the dog Indiana" and now your son has a dog name too?  That's stupid, George Lucas. Stupid.

Mike insisted on buying this DVD to complete our quartet and so I had to watch it again.  Them's the rules.  So for the first time since that horrific day in the theater, I watched Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. This time, I did not fall asleep. And I really did give it a fair shot.

So here's my new impression.  **SPOILER ALERT** The first 3/4 of the movie aren't any worse than Temple of Doom.  There's a clear adventure in the works, and assorted curve balls get Indiana on his way.  The whole Karen Allen and her son subplot is worked in well, so it's not too jarring when you find out about that.  Actually, you kind of guess it. 

But then you get to the end.  ALIENS? ALIENS, GEORGE? WHAT THE HELL?! The ending ruins everything.  I might even take the aliens if it weren't for the whole "They're not from outer space, they're from and interdimension, the space between spaces" bull crap.  I call shenanigans.  And then the "space ship" or whatever the heck it is, lifts up and creates a giant rock tornado - that SOMEHOW does NOT kill anyone standing two feet away from it - and goes up and away into not space, but "inter space." WHAT THE HELL, GEORGE LUCAS?  All of a sudden, Indiana Jones is a sci-fi.  I hate this so much.

I really wanted the movie to be better the second time. And I managed to stomach the lame rehashed jokes and wrinkles this time. I even laugh when Indiana teases Marion for getting captured.... again (see my Raiders review).  But I can't accept the aliens. I just can't.

Movie #281 - Elizabeth: The Golden Age

Elizabeth: The Golden Age
2007 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 54 min
Director: Shekhar Kapur
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Clive Owen, Geoffrey Rush, Samantha Morton, Abbie Cornish, Rhys Ifans

Yay! We added the sequel to the wall (finally) after I watched the first and regretted its absence. Of course, it's one more movie to watch. But I guess as long as it's good, it's fine.

In this movie, Cate Blanchett reunites with director Shekhar Kapur to reprise the role she was born to play: England's Queen Elizabeth I.  Honestly, she's just phenomenal.  More gushing, just like the review of the first. I can't help myself.

Here, she battles a whole new cast of enemies, deals with more court intrigue, and continues to grow as the greatest ruler England has ever known.  She's more fierce, more devoted, more powerful.  And all of this growth is evident in Blanchett's flawless performance. 

I'm so glad to have this one up on that wall!

Movie #179 - Elizabeth

Elizabeth
1998 - Rated R - 2 hr 4 min
Director: Shekhar Kapur
Starring: Cate Blanchett, Geoffrey Rush, Christopher Eccleston, Joseph Fiennes, Vicent Cassel, Emily Mortimer

Time for me to geek on you for a second.

This movie is fantastic. Sorry, but the portrayal of Elizabeth I here is unparalleled.  Cate Blanchett is Elizabeth.  Like, for real. Her transition from young, persecuted Lady Elizabeth to the Virgin Queen throughout this film is brilliant. 

Joseph Fiennes's Robert Dudley, on the other hand, isn't exactly what I expected.  Dudley's more brash, less suave, less Shakespeare-In-Love-y.  It works for the movie, but it could have been better.  Geoffrey Rush is excellent (no surprise) and look! Thomas Frain! He went from this movie to The Tudors. Huh.

My one regret is that I owned the sequel The Golden Years so I could finish up her story.  Guess I'll put that on my wish list (not that I need another movie to watch right now).  And so we move onward...

Movie #141 - The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Warner Bros Pictures
2008 - Rated PG-13 - 2 hr 46 min
Director: David Fincher
Starring: Brad Pitt, Cate Blanchett, Tilda Swinton, Taraji P. Henson

This movie took a lot of crap from the critics and the general populace, who said it was like Forrest Gump with a gimmick.  I get that. The whole "Here's some guy's entire life trajectory for your viewing pleasure, with a few chance encounters and tall tales thrown in for kicks."  Yeah, there are similar elements.

But when I first saw this movie, before I heard any of that, I really enjoyed it.  Sure, it's excessively long, but the concept (loosely based on an F. Scott Fitzgerald short story, the irony there is hillarious) is a fun one to base a love story around.  And despite what others say, I think Brad Pitt does just fine as Benjamin Button.  Cate Blanchett is, as always, a work of art and wholly untouchable by critical derision. They're not a pair I'd have imagined together, but onscreen you forget that she played an elf queen and he played that gas station attendant in Thelma & Louise.  You believe they love each other and that makes this movie work.

Okay, the whole baby as an old man and old man reverse ages to become a baby (and yes, that baby dying scene gets me everytime) is bizarre. If you spend too much time thinking about it, you'll just get pissed off.  Accept it for a fancy, Hollywood-ized sci-fi concept blended with an impossible romance and you'll get it.  That's all it is, aside from being really, really long...