Today’s New Releases!
This week there are three of the best films ever made and one of the worst films of 2003.
I know I am supposed to measure my enthusiasm when I write these things and offer an impartial look at the films that are coming out. I’ll be honest with you, I’m not doing that this week.
This week I am going to gush about three movies I love.
I’m also not going to pull any punches about a movie I hate.
And since love usually precedes hate, I’m going to start with THE ADVENTURES OF INDIANA JONES COLLECTION. It contains three films I love.
Directed by Steven Spielberg and starring Harrison Ford the collection contains the films Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. That latter film upped the ante by introducing Sean Connery as Indiana Jones’ father.
These movies have been available on video for years but they are debuting on DVD for the first time this week. All three have been painstakingly remastered to look and sound better than ever before, and a disc full of new documentaries featuring rare archival material rounds out the four-disc box set.
As with Star Wars, the George Lucas-produced trilogy are not just movies that people remember fondly from their childhood but an act of nostalgic affection toward a lost phenomenon: the cliffhanging movie serials of the past.
Set in the late 1930’s and early 40’s the films are episodic in structure and fate hangs in the balance about every 10 minutes.
The final film in the trio – INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE – was released in 1989 and there have been rumours for years that another is supposedly in the works, but young films fans can have the same fun that I did, and still do, picking out numerous references to Hollywood classics and B-movies of the past.
So don’t hesitate, pick up this trilogy now and relive the thrill of snatching a golden idol from a temple full of traps; riding in a coal car with Short Round: and outwitting the Nazis in the search for the Holy Grail with THE ADVENTURES OF INDIANA JONES COLLECTION.
They are three prime examples of why we love movies in the first place.
On the other hand of love is CHARLIE’S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE.
Boy did I hate this movie! Based on the TV series I know its supposed to be harmless fun. The kind of movie where you just shut off your mind and enjoy it. But I just couldn’t. I’m sorry, but I just didn’t get it.
Drew Barrymore, Cameron Diaz and Lucy Liu star and they do the best that they can, but the silly stuff isn’t silly, the action isn’t interesting and the story and the plot are so irrelevant that I won’t even waste your time by recapping them.
Sure, the three main actresses are great to look at, and Demi Moore has reinvigorated her career by appearing scantily clad in the movie, but aren’t we past the point where just showing a little skin makes something worth watching?
Maybe you will be able to enjoy CHARLIE’S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE now that I have lowered your expectations. If so, then good for you! You were able to see the movie as mindless, entertaining fun. I saw it as pointless and a total waste of my time.
Oh, and I almost forgot to tell you about 28 DAYS LATER. The people who made TRAINSPOTTING gave us this small horror film about a small group of virus survivors who try to save humanity.
It is a horror movie, so if you don’t like the genre don’t watch the movie. But if you don’t mind a few scares and some gore, you will get a rush of entertainment out of 28 DAYS LATER.
THE ADVENTURES OF INDIANA JONES COLLECTION, CHARLIE’S ANGELS: FULL THROTTLE and 28 DAYS LATER are available now on video and DVD.
COMING NEXT WEEK
The Hulk – A man exposed to radiation goes through changes. (Eric Bana, Jennifer Connelly and Sam Elliott)
Whale Rider – A young woman faces challenges to her destiny. (Keisha Castle-Hughes, Rawiri Paratene, Vicky Haughton)
Enjoy the movies and I’ll see you on the couch!
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