We saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull last week. Was it as good as Raiders of the Lost Ark? No, but I don’t think the previous two sequels were either. The first film was an immediate classic; as a result, its sequels have a lot to measure up to. That they don’t — that they aren’t as good — shouldn’t surprise anyone. It’s pretty much SOP with most classic films.
Crystal Skull is still a good, fun summer film. Sure you have to suspend your disbelief pretty far at some of the situations the characters survive, but it’s great to see Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones again, even if he’s moving a bit slower. Aren’t we all? Shia LaBeouf was fine as new sidekick Mutt Williams. The best though, was the return of Karen Allen as Marian Ravenwood. It’s quite easy to believe that her character is the only woman who could capture Indiana Jones’ attention for more than a moment.
The storyline is farfetched, which is fine and expected, and a bit rushed at the end, which is unfortunate. Without revealing any spoilers, I think many kids will have trouble understanding what happens at the end, especially if they are not familiar with other Spielberg films.
My summer film recommendation remains if you are only going to see one film in the theater, see Iron Man. Wait for this one on DVD. If you are a big Indiana Jones fan or can attend the film with one, preferably a child, by all means go. You’ll have some nice summer movie fun.
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Sarah Jane Adventures wrapped up its first season on SciFi on Friday. We like this show very much. It is a sci fi show for kids with some intelligence, and I mean that in both possible interpretations — the show is smart, and so are the kids. It doesn’t dumb down but at the same time it is very accessible and quite entertaining. I’ve always like star Elisabeth Sladen, and they’ve surrounded her with a nice cast, juvenile and adult. Looking forward to more of these in the future.
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Battlestar Galactica Sine Qua Non. Finally the return of the Adamas. We’d seen so little of either character this season that I would have been happy with a scene or two. Instead, the two main story arcs focused on them. Plus, we got the HUGE bonus of Mark Sheppard as Romo Lampkin. Sheppard had scenes with both Eward James Olmos and Jamie Bamber plus a solo scene that was excellent. There also was a tasty side order of Tigh and Six, and the awesome fist fight.
I enjoy the chemistry of the four main actors, Olmos, McDonnell, Sackoff and Bamber; part of what makes the show so good is that no matter how you mix up those four, you generally get something interesting on screen. Some of the best Bamber scenes though are the ones with Mark Sheppard. This week’s episode was no different. I especially liked the parallel between their meeting last season, when Lee was looking for a new direction, and their first scene in Sine Qua Non, when it was Romo who was clearly adrift.
But the best thing? The return of Jake:
(image from Battlestar Wiki)
A nice love letter to longtime fans who’ve wondered for more than a year what happened to this resistance hero.
[tags] Indiana Jones, Battlestar Galactica, Mark Sheppard, Sarah Jane Adventures, Elisabeth Sladen [/tags]
