Other Kids Pack Lunch

My Official Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Review

Last night, I was able to see the first showing of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull at 12:01. I would have posted when I got home, but it was 4 in the morning and I was tired. And no, the movie wasn't *that* long.

I will begin my review by saying, if you're going in expecting this film to be as good or better than Raiders of the Lost Ark, you will be disappointed.

If you're going in expecting this film to give you back your childhood, you will be disappointed. No movie is ever going to accomplish that.

If, however, you're going in expecting a fun movie that isn't supposed to be serious and brings Indy back front and center, you will be more than pleased. This was me and I was exceptionally pleased. Especially after reading the fanboy whining this last year over this film and the ten thousand ways it was going to suck.

So, did I go in with my expectations lowered? I don't know that I went in so much with my expectations lowered as I went in knowing that what I was seeing was a movie that would never meet the expectations of a 19 year wait.

And yes: I was young, but I did see Last Crusade in the theater. We'll stop there.

Now, here's my full review. There are spoilers, so if you want to remain unspoiled, turn away now.

Cloverfield Review - Help Us.

You always worry about the movies that are certain to be a victim of their own hype. No matter how good they are, they will sustain some damages. Whether it be deserved or not, there will be some wounds inflicted from all the madness. You can't bungee without getting a little thigh burn.

Cloverfield, however, was all it promised to be and maybe even some more. It's an intense, full-throttle ride which is certain to be understood and adored by those who enjoy that genre which is disaster/apocalyptic flicks.

Where Cloverfield was the strongest was how it let us see what was going on within Manhattan while never straying from our core group of characters. As you can tell from trailers, this is all shot handheld, by one of those caught in the midst of the madness. You would think this would limit it or, at the most, would give way to some pretty goofy tricks in order to show the monster. However, some of the tricks it used were pretty ingenious and believable. Capturing shots from television broadcasts in the windows of electronics stores and one terrifying scene using the camera's nightvision feature, Cloverfield does its best to keep us in the loop without throwing us out of the story.

Another strength that Cloverfield has is its characters. We don't get to know them that well, but it doesn't matter because they only have a little while to tell us their stories. Despite the little time we are able to spend with them, we are still able to emote with them. Anyone who has ever been on one of these rides, whether it's a good-ole Romero flick or a Stephen King novel, knows that very few, if any, come out of these situations alive. We brace ourselves for the inevitable. We will lose some of our storytellers. We may even lose all of them.

But a good disaster/horror flick makes you shed your inhibitions over getting too involved and jump right in there with them and Cloverfield's first person narrative makes that jump quite easy.

At the center of the story is a love story that has already been riddled with problems. But it's those problems that lead us into the labyrinth of madness.

Spoilers follow, people. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Cloverfield Trailers, Photos, Updates, Reviews and More.

It has begun!

The first reviews are trickling in. One from Harry Knowles and another from Jeff Wells. There's also apparently a smallish Lady Liberty missing its head that is sitting in front of Paramount Studios.

I'm trying to keep up with all the information as it comes in and am updating my Cloverfield Squidoo lens since it's a bit easier to manipulate for updates. All links to reviews, trailers and photos are there.

Enchanted: Yay For Movies With Happy Endings! (Most of the Time)

So, I finally got off my ass today and went to check out the new Disney film, Enchanted. I've been looking forward to this film for awhile. When I first saw the production photos of Susan Sarandon in full on Disney Villain garb, I nearly shat myself. Ever since, I've been dreaming of a Disney Christmas.

The trailers only further excited me and today, I am happy to report, Enchanted is a fun movie that has seemingly accomplished what many of Disney's recent 2-D animated films have failed to do.

The movie has a plethora of homages to classic Disney from the blatant ones (the hag, the apple, the "glass" slipper) to the not so blatant ("Part of Your World" muzak playing in Dempsey's character's office, the Bella Notte restaurant and the Grand Duke motel). But, besides all that, the movie is just fun. It provides a fun bridge between fairy tale and reality and marries the Disney musical with a fun comedy so that it's not overly musical for those who, well, don't enjoy musicals, but still fun enough for those that do that no one is left out in the cold.

Unless, of course, you're a scrooge and then, well, what hope is there for you anyway?

Amy Adams is freakin' fantastic as Giselle. I'll be curious to see if they bring the character to the parks because she just does that whole Disney Princess thing so well.

James Marsden, however, he is the shit in this movie. I never knew this guy was such a great comedic actor. I knew when I saw the trailers that I was instantly going to have a new appreciation for him.

Also, seeing him spear the bus while standing before a Superman Returns ad? Classic.

I highly recommend Enchanted to anyone who doesn't have their head so far up their own ass that they can't enjoy it. For those looking for a fun movie, you'll love it. Really don't have a complaint about this one at all. And that's a freakin' rarity.

Oh. And having Julie Andrews as the narrator? Perfection.

Looking for even more Enchanted merchandise? Then go here now!