Da Da Da Daa! Da Da Daa!

So a movie that I've been expecting for 18 years finally arrives, and I feel like it was worth the wait. There are a few ways to judge the film:

1. What if there had never been any previous Indiana Jones films. Would this be an enjoyable movie?

Yes. Definitely. Not a perfect movie, but I laughed out loud, clapped with joy/astonishment/horror. As a film experience it was a really good one.

2. How does this movie fit in with the rest of the series?

Very well. It does homage and adds to the legacy. It takes a few minutes to feel "in the swing" but after that it feels like an Indy movie.

I'm not a film critic, but I think I have a pretty good sense for what makes a good film. This is a crowd-pleaser, prompted the right amount of nostalgia, and brought fire back to one of my all-time favorite actors.

If you never liked Indiana Jones, or found a movie like National Treasure unenjoyable, you should probably skip it. If you have a soul, you'll probably like it. Pretty straightforward that way.

Counting Down

We're just a few days from the premiere of Indiana Jones & the Kingdom of the Crystal Skulls. Much of the buzz has been positive. Tuesday I will finish my Indiana Jones Film Festival with The Last Crusade.

From the perspective of a dispassionate film critic the movie may not be perfect. I won't be looking at it that way. Spielberg and Lucas have given me back part of my childhood. That makes it worth the $9 and 2 hours of my day.

Go Joe!

There are a lot of cool pictures of characters from the upcoming GI Joe film. Dennis Quaid is playing General Hawk:

Also May 22

I've already got my tickets for the 7:15 show:

I'll be there July 18

Summer Season

I am very excited about several movies this summer, most notably Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and The Dark Knight. I already have my tickets for Indy for opening night, but will have to bide my time for the latter, seeing some more pictures of Batman.

Here they are.

Wow

Going, going, back, back to Cal(gary)

During the 2002 Winter Olympics I fled Utah's magical atmosphere for beautiful Canada. With two of my best buds, Matt & Justin, we visited Calgary and then Golden, British Columbia for a great week of skiing and relaxation.

Today I am going back. This time it will be with Lacy, Joseph, & Millie along with the Palmers & Da Costas. There will be less skiing and more sledding, less late nights and more early mornings. We are very excited.

This will be the first long trip I have been on for quite some time where my computer will not be accompanying me. Between kids, skis, and winter clothes my hands will be quite full. So I don't plan to post while I'm gone unless I end up with free time and a computer.

SPOTD #136

It has been far too long since the last SPOTD, so I bring you this short edition to get me back on track.

Today's phrase:
This will be a short edition. I have been busy on the SPOTD blog and In Rare Form. Be sure to check them out.
This is from Shakespeare:

Actual:
Brevedad es el alma de la agudeza

Phonetic with emphasis on bold syllable:
Bray-vay-dahd ess ell al-mah day lah ah-goo-day-zah

Translation:
Brevity is the soul of wit.

Lamenting your Lambo
This is an interesting piece on the drawbacks of supercar ownership.

Obeying the Law
I really enjoyed this interview from the Tygrrrr Express with Dr. Walter Williams. Dr. Williams is a prominent conservative economist. His views on the role of government and strict adherence to the constitution are very interesing.

Into Africa
President Bush is quite popular in several African countries. The policies that have made him so popular are in opposition to the conservative principles espoused by Dr. Williams above, but I'm not going to fault the Pres for them right now, and neither does Live Aid honcho Bob Geldof.

Link of the Day
If you were old enough to watch movies in the 1980's, you will not regret following this link.

You're a teacher?

Just try and tell me this isn't going to gross $400 million.



Fantastic!

Nothing but love for my Honda

I love my Honda Accord. We met in December 2000. It has been a magical relationship. We've been to Utah, Canada, California, Virginia, and parts in between. A few weeks ago she passed 100,000 miles. My Moto Q captured the magic moment in Tampa. Here's to many more.

We also have a Honda Odyssey. It's the best mini-van on the planet. We decided a while back that we would not succumb to anti-mini-van prejudice. It's a great car to drive, has fantastic utility, and is silky smooth on the road.

Awesome Video Saturday XXXI

This is a very poor video recording, but it is the teaser trailer for the new Star Trek movie, due in theaters next Christmas. You can see the super-high quality version here. Enjoy

Awesome Video Saturday XXX

D-day, reimagined on a lower budget. This is a pretty cool project.



Knight Rider, in eSpanish!

I've got a good feeling about this

This is a great photograph, from an upcoming issue of Vanity Fair magazine. On the left is George Lucas, then Harrison Ford, and on the right is Stephen Spielberg. That is the ultimate entertainment triumvirate of my youth. From the three come Star Wars, E.T., The Fugitive, and of course, Indiana Jones.

The photograph accompanies an article about the 4th Indiana Jones film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It is a good article, and it traces the relationship between these men, the creation of the character, and why Indiana Jones is such an enduring cinematic figure.

I love these stories. There is as much enjoyment in the memories that surround them as in the films themselves. I will be right there on May 22nd.

Joe Knows Bo

Not really, but I enjoyed this ESPN piece on the electrifying Bo Jackson. I don't have a lot of time to comment on it, but if you are an old fan of Bo's, give it a read. An excerpt:

These days, the real-life Bo Jackson, the Bo Jackson who cooks spaghetti and washes his own dishes and watches reality TV, doesn't even see a need to run around the block anymore. Why bother when a man can play golf instead? Why bother when there is nothing left to prove to anyone?
"But I also know, if I was healthy, with good hips right now, I'd be the fastest 45-year-old in the country, or in the world," Bo says. "That much I know. That much ... I know."

Interesting guy.

Farewell to the OB

A few weeks ago I wrote about my pilgrimage to the Orange Bowl, the home of Miami Hurricanes football for 70 years. Tomorrow the Canes play their final game there, against Virginia. Today I learned that city officials will recommend the demolition of the OB. It is not a shock, but I find it very disappointing. There is great history in that stadium, notably the Hurricanes streak of 58 straight home wins.

Greg Cote of the Miami Herald lists the best Hurricanes to have played in the Orange Bowl. The first one I remember is Vinny Testaverde, a childhood hero of mine. Chris Fowler of ESPN weighs in with his favorite Orange Bowl Memories (scroll down the page). Some fans share their favorite memories.


The picture above is from the 2001 National Championship. Hasta luego Orange Bowl. Te voy a extrañar.

Transformers- Aww Yeah!

Lacy and I went to see Transformers today. It was fan-tas-tic. This was as much about the experience and the nostalgia as the film. It was loud (no problem) and corny at points (par for a Michael Bay film), but just the right kind of summer blockbuster. In the end I had very little to complain about and really look forward to the sequel (which seems very likely). I really can't fully explain just how much fun this movie was. Even Lacy liked it, and she is notoriously difficult to please.

The following video is an excerpt from the 1986 Transformers animated film. There are some lines that are replayed almost exactly in this new film. Enjoy:

The Man in the Hat

Indiana Jones IV is currently in production. If you want to see a photograph of the older Doctor Jones, go here. There is also a very brief video of the first day's action. It's cool to see Steven Spielberg and George Lucas working together again.

It's due in theatres next May!

Nostalgia II

Entertainment Weekly does an occasional feature where they look at the record charts from this week in (insert year). This one caught my eye as they are looking at 1989. I was amazed to realize that it was 18 YEARS AGO, and thrilled to see that the top 10 included:

• Bobby Brown
• The Fine Young Cannibals (a personal fave)
• Milli Vanilli
• New Kids on the Block
• Richard Marx

That is a pretty strong showing from a single top ten. Even better, they have YouTube videos of each song. If you were conscious in 1989 you might want to check it out.