SPOILERS!!!!
Welcome back to Movies I Love, Today I take a fond loom back at one of my personal childhood favorites: Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom. So, how does it hold up? Honestly....surprisngly well.
In this prequel to the smash hit Raiders of The Lost Ark, Indy (Harrison Ford) finds himself stranded in India with sidekick Short Round (Johnathan Ke Quan) and nightclub singer Willie Scott (Kate Capshaw) after narrowly escaping one of his foes. He stumbles upon an impoverished village that has seen better days. The people of the village attribute their misfortune to a theft of a sacred stone that was once held there, a stone that is also believed to be one of the Sankara Stones (of which there are 5, it is believed that when all 5 are brought together the owner of them shall be given great power or some such nonsense). With the children of the village spirited away, Indy is tasked with a holy mission to travel to nearby Pankot Palace (an area believed to hold great evil within) to retrieve the stone and free the children. What Indy never could have foreseen is that his new adventure will put him through the ultimate crucible as he is tested like never before.
Harrison Ford is comfortably at home playing the roguish charmer Indiana Jones (He also is a great screamer). He is a bit rougher than usual as he threatens women, kills dozens of people, beats children (though in his defense he wasn't quite himself during that part), and seems to only be doing this mission for the "fortune and glory". It seemed to me that a good portion of this film is actually about how Jones becomes a better person. I personally like this rougher version of Indy, though I'm sure there will be a good amount of people that won't. Johnathan Ke Quan is actually pretty awesome as Short Round, Indy's kid side kick. I didn't find him nearly as annoying as I had remembered, in fact I think he adds a good deal to the film and was surprised that he could actually hold his own quite well. He's humorous, but also pretty cool and gets his fair share of action scenes (and even is counted on to save Indy and Willie at a few points). I also liked the relationship him and Indy share throughout the film, they are partners but also so much more than that.
Now, onto what I consider to be the weakest part of this film: Willie Scott. Indy, we need to have a serious talk about your taste in girlfriends. Kate Capshaw portrays Willie Scott, a performer/singer at a Shanghai nightclub. She is certainly very pretty, and is a very good screamer. I don't so much blame Capshaw as I do the writers (though it does seem she hasn't been in much else of note). Willie Scott is one of THE WORST female leads in film history. She never contributes anything to this film (ok, she does save Indy and Short Round at one point....still doesn't redeem the character though). All she does moan, whine, cry, scream, run, and wait for Indy to save her (interesting enough one of the only times she does not scream is when she is being lowered to her doom into a fiery lava pit....what up with that?). I had had enough of her by the time the end credits rolled. This film would have been a ton better without Willie in it. How in the world did this beloved franchise go from making strong female leads in the first film to THIS just one film later (True, this film had a different team of writers which could explain this and the vastly different tone found here)?! I'd say unacceptable.
The tone found in Temple of Doom is quite different than what was found in Raiders. Temple of Doom is a dark, intense, brutal film that is offset by odd moments of silliness that don't really gel with the rest of the film. We have Indy becoming temporally hypnotized into being a bad guy, Indy and Short Round are whipped (that's right a child is whipped here, actually several children are whipped in this film), a man has his heart ripped out of his chest and then is lowered into a fiery lava pit where he is set ablaze and burns to death, a man is crushed by machinery (kind of like Judge Doom in Roger Rabbit), people are machine gunned to death, Indy is poisoned, Indy and Short Round are nearly impaled by spikes, a man is speared by a flaming shis kabob, and on and on and on. I'm well aware that this is one of the issues that a good deal of people have with this film. They think that an Indiana Jones film should not be so dark (and I do feel quite bad for the kids that watched this in theaters, no way they could have expected this). That said, I personally LOVE this more adult tone here. I like seeing our heroes in great peril, and watching them have to fight to survive. To me it seems real because of course Indy would find himself in these kinds of situations a good deal. This is one of the big films that helped to create the PG-13 rating, and it's not hard at all to see why.
Now, Temple of Doom is a prequel and this both adds and detracts from the overall film. On the plus side we know that Willies really is nothing more than a short fling (Raiders proves this fact since she is seen nowhere in the film and is not even referred to), naturally this makes me quite happy. On the negatives though, we never get an explanation as to what happened to Short Round. The bond Indy and him share is a fairly strong one, and I really liked the character. By making this a prequel, we lose this fun character. Oh well, at least he got this film. Another negative is that by the end of this film Indy seems to have a newfound belief in religion...a belief that disappears completely in the first film. So.....what happened? Did Indy look back on this adventure later and decide that it was all just hocus locus and that he had been momentarily fooled as well? Either way, it's disappointing that we lose this cool bit of character development. It's also interesting that Indy has a very small speech at the end where he kind of disses museums. This is interesting because his whole thing in Raiders is "IT BELONGS IN A MUSEUM" (It can be argued that the reason he feels this way in Raiders is because a museum is one of the only places where the ark could be reasonable safe). I'm well aware that Raiders was intended to be its own thing, the filmmakers didn't make it with a sequel or prequel in mind. While I'm able to overlook my small quips with it being a prequel, it can not be denied that the film does indeed lose a small bit by going this route (or maybe by not planning Temple out so that the developments we have at the end of this one would make sense with what we see at the beginning of Raiders).
Truly Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom is a film where anything goes (the film even tells us this in it's opening MUSICAL DANCE NUMBER IN CHINESE, that itself breaks reality by dancing onto a large stage that in no way could exist in the nightclub). I'm well aware of why some people really do not care for this film (in fact, there are those that insist that Temple of Doom is a worse film than Crystal Skull....Crazy, I know) and their complaints are valid ones. However, despite my own issues with the film I still love it like crazy and count it as my personal favorite Indiana Jones film. It's refreshing to see an Indiana Jones film that is so ballsy and different. Indiana Jones and The Temple of Doom is a highly entertaining 80's roller-coaster ride, faults and all.
5 STARS- BETTER THAN SEX
Hello. My Name is Smalls. This site is going to be used for many different things. Mainly you'll find my reviews of different films on here. Every now and then I'll post a retro review of an old film. . I'll also take requests for films you'd like to see me review. Thank you for visiting my hangout and I hope you'll enjoy your visit. Rating Scale .5 = \Terrible...just terrible 1 = SOME OLE BS/ STUPID/ BAD 2 = OK 3= Good 4 = GREAT/ EXCELLENT 5 = PERSONAL FAVORITE....Perfection
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Thursday, November 6, 2014
INTERSTELLAR IS A LONG, TALKATIVE EXPLORATION OF DEEP SPACE
Interstellar is the newest film from Christopher Nolan, and it's one of the most highly talked about and anticipated movies of 2014. So, how did it fare?
In Interstellar, The Earth has slowly degraded into an arid, barren dustbowl where the only remaining crop is corn (and even that is starting to die off). The Nitrogen levels are also starting to rise, so the people that don't starve will be the first to suffocate. Desperate to save mankind, NASA sends a group of scientists and good ole boy Matthew McConaughey through a wormhole and into another galaxy in search of a planet that could hold life. "Mankind was born on Earth, it was never intended to die here".
The cast here is surprisingly strong. Interstellar is essentially a one man show , but there are other recognizable names in smaller roles as well. Mackenzie Foy is a real treat as Murph, the intelligent and loving daughter of McConaughey's Cooper. The scenes she shares with McConaughey feel real and are pretty heartfelt and emotional. It's really cool to see these two play off of each other, and support each other through their performances. I really bought them as father/daughter, and their relationship is one of the defining points of this film. I'd say Foy is easily one of the best parts of this movie.
McConaughey puts on another powerhouse performance (The McConaissence continues). He is the main focus for most of this film, and we spend pretty much all of the film with his character. If McConaughey did not deliver, this film would have flopped. Luckily, he brings the goods here. I'd say this is one of his best performances, and his more emotional scenes are quite affecting.
Anne Hathaway is pretty good as Amelia, one of Cooper's flight mates. Hathaway performs her role quite well, but isn't as memorable as others. Michael Caine is also pretty good as Professor Brand, the NASA scientist who recruits Cooper. He's your typical Michael Caine character, and I really liked him. He is at his Michael Caine-iest here, and he actually is pretty memorable (plus, some of the more memorable dialogue belongs to him). Jessica Chastain portrays one of the more important characters and is pretty great. In an attempt to avoid spoilers (no matter how minor) I'm not going to say who she plays but I will say that I really enjoyed seeing her in the film, and that she performs nicely in her role. Bill Irwin is pretty perfect as the voice of TARS, a unique, blocky robot that is programmed with the personality of a U.S Marine. TARS is actually given a good deal to do here (he's a fairly big, important role), and not only is surprisingly likable...he also makes quite the impression and is another memorable character in the film. There are tons of surprise appearances here from well known names, and part of the fun of this film is seeing who pops up. It's almost like a really good game of Guess Who.
The visuals in Interstellar are gorgeous. This is a film that takes place in the vastness of space and we get to explore a wormhole, a blackhole, and several new planets. Even the parts on Earth are pretty despite the general bleakness of it all (Dust everywhere). While watching the film, it really does feel like you are in a different galaxy and that you are exploring new planets. I for one would like to know what areas they shot at for the new planets because the places they used are haunting and gorgeous in their solitude and vastness. Interstellar has one of the largest scopes I've seen in a film, it expands far beyond our galaxy and into unknown areas. It's actually quite thrilling to travel with the filmmakers to these new and unexplored locations.
If you walked in to Interstellar expecting action of any kind, you walked into the wrong film. There are barely any action scenes here at all. This is a thinking man's science fiction film and so most of the run time is spent exploring, and watching characters discuss new philosophies, sciences, and theories. There are some big ideas here, and this seems like a film that wants to expand your mind a bit. Most of the science seems sound, except for what the film thinks is the answer to Earth's problems (It's a big idea, but one that kind of seems silly when you stop and really think about what they are saying), and while one of the key scenes near the ending is a bit confusing, I still got the gist of what was going on (You'll know what I'm talking about when you see it).
Interstellar is a slow, deliberately paced film that takes it's time-sweet-time getting to its final destination. It runs at around 2 hours and 49 minutes long, but it feels like 4 hours. When you walk in to see this film, you are making a commitment. I will say that the first two acts had me completely enthralled, but I felt that Interstellar started to run out of steam near the end. I could see how quite a few people would perceive this film as being boring. Once again, not much action really occurs (lots of exploring and talking), and the film definitely drags a good deal but that's kind of the deal with these types of artsy, intelligent, hard sci-fi films. Either you like this kind of thing, or you don't.
Intestellar is a film that deserves to be seen in a theater (preferably one with IMAX, if I do see it again it will be in IMAX. Felt like I missed out seeing it on a regular screen). Interstellar is definitely not without its flaws, but I still would say that this is my personal favorite Nolan film I've seen. It's one of the most ambitious films I've seen and it's scope is downright epic (spanning galaxies). I know that by the time I left the theater, I felt like I had made the journey with Cooper and crew. The cast is a strong one, McConaughey anchors the proceedings (he carries this film on his back), it's ideas and science is interesting, and its visuals are stunning.It's a film that wants you to think about the ideas it's discussing. Interstellar did struggle to keep my attention at points, but I'm glad I stuck with it because the end product may be slow and intellectual but is still definitely rewarding. Nolan is clearly a fan of 2001: A Space Odyssey, and his Interstellar is easily the 2001: A Space Odyssey for a new generation.
4 STARS
In Interstellar, The Earth has slowly degraded into an arid, barren dustbowl where the only remaining crop is corn (and even that is starting to die off). The Nitrogen levels are also starting to rise, so the people that don't starve will be the first to suffocate. Desperate to save mankind, NASA sends a group of scientists and good ole boy Matthew McConaughey through a wormhole and into another galaxy in search of a planet that could hold life. "Mankind was born on Earth, it was never intended to die here".
The cast here is surprisingly strong. Interstellar is essentially a one man show , but there are other recognizable names in smaller roles as well. Mackenzie Foy is a real treat as Murph, the intelligent and loving daughter of McConaughey's Cooper. The scenes she shares with McConaughey feel real and are pretty heartfelt and emotional. It's really cool to see these two play off of each other, and support each other through their performances. I really bought them as father/daughter, and their relationship is one of the defining points of this film. I'd say Foy is easily one of the best parts of this movie.
McConaughey puts on another powerhouse performance (The McConaissence continues). He is the main focus for most of this film, and we spend pretty much all of the film with his character. If McConaughey did not deliver, this film would have flopped. Luckily, he brings the goods here. I'd say this is one of his best performances, and his more emotional scenes are quite affecting.
Anne Hathaway is pretty good as Amelia, one of Cooper's flight mates. Hathaway performs her role quite well, but isn't as memorable as others. Michael Caine is also pretty good as Professor Brand, the NASA scientist who recruits Cooper. He's your typical Michael Caine character, and I really liked him. He is at his Michael Caine-iest here, and he actually is pretty memorable (plus, some of the more memorable dialogue belongs to him). Jessica Chastain portrays one of the more important characters and is pretty great. In an attempt to avoid spoilers (no matter how minor) I'm not going to say who she plays but I will say that I really enjoyed seeing her in the film, and that she performs nicely in her role. Bill Irwin is pretty perfect as the voice of TARS, a unique, blocky robot that is programmed with the personality of a U.S Marine. TARS is actually given a good deal to do here (he's a fairly big, important role), and not only is surprisingly likable...he also makes quite the impression and is another memorable character in the film. There are tons of surprise appearances here from well known names, and part of the fun of this film is seeing who pops up. It's almost like a really good game of Guess Who.
The visuals in Interstellar are gorgeous. This is a film that takes place in the vastness of space and we get to explore a wormhole, a blackhole, and several new planets. Even the parts on Earth are pretty despite the general bleakness of it all (Dust everywhere). While watching the film, it really does feel like you are in a different galaxy and that you are exploring new planets. I for one would like to know what areas they shot at for the new planets because the places they used are haunting and gorgeous in their solitude and vastness. Interstellar has one of the largest scopes I've seen in a film, it expands far beyond our galaxy and into unknown areas. It's actually quite thrilling to travel with the filmmakers to these new and unexplored locations.
If you walked in to Interstellar expecting action of any kind, you walked into the wrong film. There are barely any action scenes here at all. This is a thinking man's science fiction film and so most of the run time is spent exploring, and watching characters discuss new philosophies, sciences, and theories. There are some big ideas here, and this seems like a film that wants to expand your mind a bit. Most of the science seems sound, except for what the film thinks is the answer to Earth's problems (It's a big idea, but one that kind of seems silly when you stop and really think about what they are saying), and while one of the key scenes near the ending is a bit confusing, I still got the gist of what was going on (You'll know what I'm talking about when you see it).
Interstellar is a slow, deliberately paced film that takes it's time-sweet-time getting to its final destination. It runs at around 2 hours and 49 minutes long, but it feels like 4 hours. When you walk in to see this film, you are making a commitment. I will say that the first two acts had me completely enthralled, but I felt that Interstellar started to run out of steam near the end. I could see how quite a few people would perceive this film as being boring. Once again, not much action really occurs (lots of exploring and talking), and the film definitely drags a good deal but that's kind of the deal with these types of artsy, intelligent, hard sci-fi films. Either you like this kind of thing, or you don't.
Intestellar is a film that deserves to be seen in a theater (preferably one with IMAX, if I do see it again it will be in IMAX. Felt like I missed out seeing it on a regular screen). Interstellar is definitely not without its flaws, but I still would say that this is my personal favorite Nolan film I've seen. It's one of the most ambitious films I've seen and it's scope is downright epic (spanning galaxies). I know that by the time I left the theater, I felt like I had made the journey with Cooper and crew. The cast is a strong one, McConaughey anchors the proceedings (he carries this film on his back), it's ideas and science is interesting, and its visuals are stunning.It's a film that wants you to think about the ideas it's discussing. Interstellar did struggle to keep my attention at points, but I'm glad I stuck with it because the end product may be slow and intellectual but is still definitely rewarding. Nolan is clearly a fan of 2001: A Space Odyssey, and his Interstellar is easily the 2001: A Space Odyssey for a new generation.
4 STARS