I'll start off with the bad news--Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Very disappointing. This movie's main purpose seemed to be paying homage to computer-generated special effects. There was too much ridiculous action and too little story and explanation in this one. Indy seemed to pull the answers to the clues out of the air, which left me scratching my head most of the time. And I could have done without the return of Marion. For me, she was the only weak spot in Raiders simply because I thought the casting people made a huge mistake. In this latest installment of a previously very enjoyable series, Lucas and Spielberg lost me the moment they put Indy at ground zero during a nuclear explosion. Not only did he survive, he got up and walked away while the mushroom cloud was still rising behind him. Simply ridiculous. Last, but not least, there's Harrison Ford's age. He looked his age in this movie and I would rather have remembered Indiana Jones as he was in the first three movies. Raiders of the Lost Ark and The Last Crusade were marvelous. Too bad they didn't stop while they were ahead. Cate Blanchett did a laughable parody of every Natasha the Russian super agent ever filmed. The one highlight for me was Ray Winstone. I loved him as Will Scarlett in the Showtime Robin Hood series from about 25 years ago, so it was good to see him again.
Now for the good news--Australia was a sweeping 3 hours of adventure and romance. It started off a little strange and confusing, but then it picked right up and took off. I've never been a Hugh Jackman fan. I find nothing at all appealing about his Wolverine character, and Van Helsing was a computer-generated nightmare. But as Drover, he won me over in this movie. As usual, Nicole Kidman did a marvelous job of acting. She played the character of Sarah Ashley, widow and new owner of a cattle station in Northern Australia. The story begins in 1939 and ends just after the Japanese invasion of Darwin. In between, there's strife at the station, and a cattle drive across the Outback. For me, the person who stole the show was Nullah, the little Aboriginal boy whose charming voice narrates the story. If you're a sucker for a good old fashioned romance and happy endings, I highly recommend this movie because it delivers on all counts. I enjoyed it very much.
Devon
Thanks for the advice on these two movies, Devon! I haven't seen them yet, and looks as if I'll be giving the Indiana Jones flick a pass. Eventually, I hope to see Australia.
ReplyDeleteHappy Monday!
Mags, I think you'll enjoy Australia. I don't know about you but I'm a little sick of these romances that begin as a bedroom romp and work their way up to love. The romance in this one is heartwarming.
ReplyDeleteI don't know what was going on with the Indiana Jones movie. They seemed to be doing a parody. The Cate Blanchett character was a cross between Marlene Dietrich and Natasha from Bullwinkle. And Marian and Indy's son seemed to be doing a James Dean impersonation.
Man, I'm glad I'm not the only one that thought it sucked. The Indy movie, I mean. We actually went to see it at the theater, and we contemplated demanding our money back. People were actually leaving in the middle. I thought the monkey scene was the worst, And they should have just left Marion completely out of it. She was terrible! I guess you can forget to act.
ReplyDeleteI want to see Australia, but haven't had the chance. Hugh Jackman, I think, is a hottie. I love that scene where he's washing in the previews. Yummy!
Thanks for the reccomendations!
Jennifer, you said it much better than I did. Yes, the Indy movie sucked. I do believe if I had paid to see it at a theatre, I might have been tempted to hurt someone when I went out the door. It was that bad.
ReplyDeleteAustralia is a Hugh Jackman visual feast, so you'll probably love it!