Nothing But Star Wars: Episode Zero

Starting today, I am going to explore the Star Wars films. This will not be strict reviews. Instead, they are more “critical essays”. I will go through each of the films. I already have reviewed The Force Awakens, Rogue One and The Last Jedi. So those won’t focus on the reviews, as opposed to more express my thoughts without fear of spoiling the films. Specifically, my feelings on themes and the like.

So, if you have not scene the Star Wars films and are super concerned about spoilers of the franchise? You will want to avoid the “Nothing But Star Wars” Series. Oh, and I will be going in the release order, so today begins with…

December 19, 2017 0

The Tension Between Things (Star Wars: The Last Jedi, 2017)

The Last Jedi picks up shortly after the Force Awakens. It begins with a bold battle that has powerful repercussions on the characters.

Rey is trying to get Luke to come back with her to help the rebellion. But Rey finds herself unsure of her true goals.

This new Star Wars film is building off the questions and set up of the Force Awakens, and yet, it addresses them in very unexpected ways.

Characters you know are the heroes find themselves the ones needing to learn the lesson. Others are trying to come to terms with their celebrity status. Others are trying to come to terms with heroes not living up to their expectations, and in some cases, even face betrayal.

I found Mark Hamill’s performance as Luke to be Hamill’s strongest performance in the entire series. He is funny, frustrating, heartbreaking and heroic. And the film does this very well.

The film will likely frustrate people who have heavy theories about just how the new trilogy ought to play out, but I found Rian Johnson’s (Brick, Looper) choices to not satisfy those pet theories kind of…well, satisfying.

I appreciated the visual style, there is some genuinely gorgeous action in the film.

I really enjoyed the film, and feel it is one of the stronger films within the Star Wars story.

December 16, 2017 0

Why Did It Have to Be Aliens? (Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,2008)

Or…Indy Gets Old. Lucas envisioned a new Indiana Jones trilogy, with one change. Where the first three films focused on religious and supernatural artifacts, the new films would focus on science fiction themed artifacts. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is set in the 1950’s for this reason, and instead of Nazis, the villains are Russians.

The film opens with Indy and his friend Mac as prisoners of the Russians. They are taken to Area 51 to locate a potential weapon. Jones mounts an escape that leads to one of those narrow escapes that got a lot of ridicule…hiding in a fridge to avoid a nuclear explosion. I am not sure this is really any more outrageous than his other exploits in other films. Is it crazier than jumping from a plane in an inflatable raft? Indy returns to his college job, only to find himself pursued by the CIA and the Russians.

He runs into a kid named Mutt…Mutt wants his help to save his mom…Marion Ravenwood. What follows is an adventure involving the Crystal Skull. The real Crystal Skulls are carved human skulls. People believed they were ancient creations, but all the skulls studied have revealed to have been made in the 19th century and there does not seem to be any mythology that corroborates the claims of being Mesoamerican or even Native American.

The film ignores this and posits that there is a hidden city in the Amazon jungles. And the skull is not human, but rather an elongated alien skull. The film indulges aliens and psychic powers. But a lot of the action harkens back to the earlier films.

At the same time, there is little room for anything resembling an emotional resonance…this is because the film relies heavily on goofy moments. The action is full of it. During an overly long chase (where the Crystal Skull keeps leaping between Indy’s crew and the Russians) Mutt gets caught in a tree. He ends up swinging Tarzan style through the trees surrounded by monkeys.

The film also never really surprises. From the moment Mutt appears, you can see where his storyline is leading. Mutt is also kind of annoying. I mean, he is less annoying than Sam Witwicky in the Transformer films…but he gets irritating none the less.

On the other hand, it is really great to see Marion back on the screen. And she gets some real good moments within the action scenes. She is not just there to be saved, but does the saving. And the cast is a high point. You have Cate Blanchett as the lead Russian, John Hurt as an old mentor of Indiana Jones, and Jim Broadbent in a small role as Indy’s boss.

And John Williams provides the score. John Williams has created many iconic themes from Star Wars to Superman. And his soundtrack in all the Indiana Jones films is top notch. As the main Indy theme plays in every movie, it makes you anticipate excitement.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a disappointing return for a cinematic hero.

September 27, 2017 0

Choose Your Adventure Wisely (Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, 1989)

After the criticism of Temple of Doom, Lucas and Spielberg opted to return to Judeo Christian artifacts. This time was far more myth, in that they search for the Holy Grail, the cup Christ used at the Last Supper and gifted with the power of eternal life. They brought in Jeffrey Boam, writer of two Lethal Weapon films and the Lost Boys, to provide the Screenplay.

The film opens in Indiana Jones’ teen years. While out with his scout troop, he stumbles across treasure hunters. He grabs an artifact and they start to chase him. While the sequence is fun and generally exciting, it also suffers from a ridiculous amount of fan service. For reasons I cannot fathom, they decided they needed to explain…well, everything. Indy’s fear of snakes, how he got the scar on his chin, how he got his whip, how he got his hat. It is just absurd. Who really wanted to know how or when he got that scar? He is an adventurer…he got it on an adventure. They also establish where the name “Indiana” comes from. It is not great.

The film then jumps to 1938, where Indy has found that same artifact. He reclaims it and returns to the college where he is employed as a Professor. There, he is introduced to Walter Donovan, who was working with Indiana Jones’ father, a noted Grail expert. His father has disappeared, so Jones flies to Venice with Marcus Brody and they meet up with Elsa, who was also working Indy’s father (also named Henry, so his dad keeps referring to Indy as Jr.). They discover he is being held by Nazis…

Everyone gets divided up, Indy and his father escaping the Nazis, Marcus and a returning Sallah heading for the location of the Grail. They do eventually meet up in an action packed finale.

And the film does entertain, but then also tries to over compensate with background…wholly unnecessary background. Sean Connery as Indy’s dad is certainly a fun casting choice. He is not impressed at all with Indiana’s exploits. In one scene, they are riding a motor cycle. After he dispatches Nazis, he looks to his father with a big smile…and his dad is just indifferent. The look on Ford’s face as his ego is deflated is amusing.

The film really ramps up the jokes. Where humor complimented the prior films, this one seems almost more of a comedy. Marcus Brody and Sallah, two fairly dramatic and competent characters in the first film are played for laughs as bumbling fools.

The film does have some nice character moments for Ford and Connery where they try and reconnect after years of a strained relationship. The twists and reveals, on the other hand, feel heavily telegraphed.

The Last Crusade is often treated as a strong return to form, but I cannot say it is any better than the Temple of Doom. It is certainly tonally different (and admittedly, a lot of the jokes actually work, especially between Indy and Henry). But it has its weaknesses.

September 26, 2017 0

The Adventure Continues (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, 1984)

Of course, Indy had to return. And Spielberg and Lucas have returned, with longtime Lucas collaborator Willard Huyck and Gloria Katz providing the script.

The film opens with a musical number and Indy meeting with Chinese Gangster Lao Che. After a double cross, Jones makes a dramatic (and entertaining) escape with singer Willie Scott. A plane crash detours Indy and Scott, along with sidekick Short Round (one of the weirdest choices is a kid of about thirteen or fourteen) in India. A village reaches out for Indy’s help. Their children and sacred stones were taken by a cult. Indy agrees and they venture forth. They arrive at Pankot Palace.

They discover the Thuggee Cult is alive and well, worshiping Kali in caverns below the palace. They are using the children as slave labor and consolidating power through human sacrifice. Probably the most infamous moment from this outing is the removal of a victim’s still beating heart before he is lowered into lava.

Temple of Doom is often seen as a darker affair. And truthfully it is. In part, this is due to the focus on a death cult. The Thugees were a very real community, though they were more known to befriend travelers and kill them for their possessions. It is debated just how much a role their religious beliefs played in their actions. The supernatural flourishes in the film are entirely fabricated.

While the tone is darker this time around, the film also has the exciting narrow escapes and death traps that made the first film enjoyable. In spite of a new writing team, the character of Indy is true to form. The humor is still there, much of it derived from Indiana Jones own over confidence. Though the inclusion of Short Round makes Indy look a tad bit too irresponsible. Willie Scott is set up as the direct opposite of Marion Ravenwood. Scott is kind of clueless and wants only a comfortable life. She does not like getting her hands dirty and seems scared of everything. Sadly, this leads to the character becoming extremely annoying at times.

The villains are not explored much at all. Most of the bad guys are in a possessed trance and do not seem to have a lot of personality (as opposed to Belloq and Toht in Raiders).

The film is really no more gruesome than the first film (which had peoples’ faces melt off!). And the ILM effects are still largely able to stand the test of time. Really, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom is not quite Raiders of the Lost Ark, but it is fun and exciting enough to entertain.

One last note…in Raiders, Indy is pretty skeptical about the supernatural powers of the Ark. And yet, in Temple of Doom, set two years before Raiders, he witnesses some major supernatural activity. What brought him back to skepticism?

September 25, 2017 0

The Adventure Begins (Raiders of the Lost Ark, 1981)

1981 was the meeting of two titans. Steven Spielberg had thrilled the world with Jaws and two years later George Lucas had started to take over the world with Star Wars.The two teamed up to create the ode to pulp novels and action serials of yore.

Dr. Henry Jones, nicknamed Indiana is a professor of Archaeology and adventurer. He is not a treasure hunter, at least not in the traditional sense. He locates artifacts in the belief that they should be shared with the world for education and discovery.

Jones is contacted by the Government regarding the Biblical Ark of the Covenant. Teaming up with an old flame, Marion Ravenwood, Indy must stop Nazis from getting their hands on the Ark. What follows is a series of exciting near misses at getting the Ark.

Raiders of the Lost Ark is a roller coaster ride of a film. It has the adventure, heart, and humor that engages the viewer throughout. Indiana Jones instantly has an iconic feel. He is rough around the edges, without being a neanderthal. He is good at thinking on his feet (especially handy in attempts to escape sticky situations. But he is not alone here. Marion is the daughter of his mentor Abner, and she is every bit the adventurer. She is smart and clever, Indy’s equal.

Of course, in a story like this, villains matter. Indy is really dealing with two foes. One is Belloq, who is his greedy counterpart. Belloq is a fortune hunter and seeks the Ark for his own lust for power. He has teamed with the Nazis, led by the creepy Major Toht. The Nazis, of course, seek the Ark to consolidate their power.

Lucas tends to be good at ideas, but a bit goofy on execution, so giving the story to Lawrence Kasdan to write and having Spielberg direct brings all their unique skills together to create one of the best adventure films of film history. It brings the sense of the old serials to a vibrant modern life with terrific characters fighting near impossible odds.

September 24, 2017 0

The Painter’s Way (Drew: The Man Behind the Poster, 2013)

If you started watching movies in the early 80’s, you have seen the work of Drew Struzan. Actually…if you listened to music in the 70’s, you probably owned his artwork on your shelf. The documentary Drew: The Man Behind the Poster is an opportunity to make folks aware of Struzan and his long body of work and for people to heap tons of praise on the man.

And looking at the enormous amount of work he has done, it is no surprise why these folks (From George Lucas to Michael J. Fox) want to go on and on about his work. Fox speaks of going to a photo shoot and realizing the guy taking pictures was the guy who painted the cover for Alice Cooper’s Welcome to My Nightmare.

The film gives a solid overview of his career, giving insight into how he works. Some of his most iconic posters were created knowing nothing of the film (He did the poster for John Carpenter’s the Thing overnight, the studio received it with the paint still wet).

It seems, though, the real reason for the film is something far more unnoticed by the world. The lack of great movie posters. More than one person laments having great Struzan art made and then the studio went with a cut and past Photoshop designed poster. Painted movie posters are a dying art.

The documentary is worth it just for seeing Drew’s artwork, but it is enjoyable watching actors and filmmakers so focused on how important one aspect of promotional materials. I tend to agree. Thomas Jane notes how he sees the Drew Struzan poster for Masters of the Universe makes him want to see the film. And he is right. That is a cool poster.

I really enjoyed the film, learning about the history behind one of my favorite artists. His praise is well deserved.

August 4, 2015 0