Flickgrrl

Hater!

As a young kid, I remember watching "Raiders" for the first time, and feeling exhilarated and out of breath, with the movie leaping from stunt to stunt, and John Williams' iconic theme. I remember "Temple of Doom" less warmly, but the classic bridge scene at the end is one of my favorite scenes in movies. I remember "Last Crusade" fondly, but not as much as "Raiders." It seemed more focused on being funny and clever, where I saw "Raiders" as being fast, frightening, with an undercurrent of darkness.

"Raiders" is one of the movies that made me as a kid love movies. There are too many amazing sequences in that movie--the opening scene, the basket chase through Cairo, the opening of the Ark, the snake-pit in the Well of the Souls, the fist-fight in the sand....

I'm much more of a fan of the first film. I'm not sure we need this fourth film. The ending of "Crusade" was pretty nice, everyone riding off into the sunset....

What do other people think?

First was and is a great film. The rest just aren't necessary. Love Karen Allen, but so what? Lotsa movies get made and she should have been in more of them. Ford's amiable and ingratiating and a lot better than looking at Mick Jagger or the World's Oldest Living Heroin Addict, but it's just not worth it to see him in an action film at this point. Same thing with the endless Star Wars series. Thank God Brigitte Bardot was too old to play in any of those, although now she could do it without makeup.

Now this is the Carrie Rickey that I know and almost always disagree with!!! I was beginning to wonder if she had been drugged with happy pills after some of the recent reviews. Simply, some people take Indiana Jones TOO SERIOUSLY. It was made as a romp and succeeds as a romp because on a hot summer afternoon most Americans just want to have some fun without sweating. They don't always want EVERY waking thought be totally owned by the left wing liberal thought police. Hey Carrie...I always am stimulated and given reason to think by your reviews and the films behind them but LIGHTEN UP!!! Keep up the good work (seriously)!

"[T]he left wing liberal thought police"? Perhaps you're right. Maybe it is time for a romping Star Wars treatment of Enoch Powell's life. Brigitte Bardot could play Yoda's new girlfriend. And Reese Witherspoon could reprise Tracy Flick, but in a remake of "Red Dawn." Great way to celebrate Charlton Heston's passing. Anything to avoid "the left wing liberal thought police," even if it does make Carrie bitter. We all ought to be supporting AMPTP, anyway, in their epic battle against the threatened evil to Our Democracy posed by the Screen Actors Guild right now. The nation barely withstood the WGA strike and the bruising Directors Guild contract negotiation. Damn "the left wing liberal thought police" anyway. Keeps me out of the theaters every summer.

I can't think of a cooler character than Indiana Jones in the Raiders of the Lost Ark.

If Rick Blaine had become a globe-trotting archaeologist after WWII, he would have been Indiana Jones.

Count me in your league. I fell asleep during the first movie and never was attracted to much outside of Karen Allen, who seemed to get the spirit of what the movie could have been. I was in college then, and a lot of people literally stopped talking to me when I spoke of my indifference to its supposed charms. I somehow managed to escape seeing the second film, but I caught the third on cable and was more consumed with the bad special effects than anything else. Thanks for letting me know there are more of us out there.

John Griffin

Regarding your harsh critic of the Indiana Jones franchise, I feel badly that you do not go to the movies to be ENTERTAINED!

What a dull, boring life yours must be. Hollywood pumping out "dumb" movies that are way below your critically level. Do you know that the films are an homage to the serials of the '30's? Do you know that 12 year old boys also have the right to have movies made for them? Sex and the City: The Movie was made for you. Quit your gripping. It makes you sound old, bitter and a horrible drag.
Try this sometime: go to a movie, leave your "Critic" at the door, get a bucket of popcorn and a soft drink and have FUN.
Your ASSessment of Indiana is wrong on all levels and shows a deep lack of knowledge in respects to the franchise.

No time for love,
Rick Gehlhaus
Finland, Pa

Based on your assessment of this
release, I predict one of the biggest openings and summer intake in quite
some time. Guaranteed. How do I know? The length at which you put the movie
down, in order to go against the grain and sell your article....proves it.

These movies are capitalism at the their best. Think about the skills these
movie makers have, they are able to make wonderful movies that last
generations, make a lot of money and also do it for the love of creating
something good. What can compare to that? Lucas, Speilberg and Ford hardly
need the cash. They did it to entertain.

Eric Hallman

Thanks for the Indiana Jones piece. You're absolutely right about its lack of real entertainment value, the built-in/assumed cultural imperialism and the way it helped dumb-down movies for generations to come. This is to be mourned, not celebrated, folks!

I've also never understood why the serials the films are supposedly based on are so beloved; nobody in my circle has any deep reverence for these. Nor do the films really transcend this source.

The first film was OK, mainly for Spielberg's newfound command of technique, but the second two are just unwatchable. I suspect that even with Cate Blanchett and Ray Winstone along for the ride, this one will be, too.

Tony Lucia

I've always been put off by the cynicism and smacked-ass, oh-so-superior attitude of the "Indy" flicks - all of them. I know that the franchise is supposed to work as a hommage to grade-C programmers, but it really doesn't. It's a collection of glib, self-satisfied films made by people who have watched way too many of the movies that the series is imitating/spoofing but without really understanding them. Give me the real thing.

Smashing piece on the Indiana Jones "phenomenon!" I feel as if we will forever be over-exposed to "least common denominator" "art" as long as it can generate large profits for its practitioners.

My enjoyment for these "Indy films" (sic) was correctly knocked back a bit by your very appropriate comment on the casual way racism and sexism are handled in these films. I personally dealt with it by telling myself I'm sophisticated enough to know when the portrayals are "over the top." But then again, I wonder if my constant exposure to these images can cause hypo sensitization that leads to condoning the portrayed intolerance.

I was reading your column regarding Indiana Jones.

You pulverized the franchise and its fans. Ok - you're smart, educated, etc... I get it.

However, sometimes you need to leave your brain at the door, when you watch movies; it's called fun. You might want to take heed to Ferris Bueller's statement about Cameron - "... if you stuck a coal up his #$!, in two weeks you will have a diamond". There has to be a ridicoulously dumb movie that you enjoyed (i.e. Back to the Future, Duece Bigalow, Happy Gilmore, Time Bandits, Abbot and Costello Meet Frankenstein, Friday the 13th).

In addition, you had to go the FEMBOT route stating that such movies marginalize women. Lighten up. What about the "chic flicks" that portay men as Satan himself; just watch any movie on the MAN-HATER NETWORK (Lifetime) . While I didn't agree with your thoughts, you obviously did your job due to the fact that you peaked my interest enough to respond to your article.

Fantastic writing style by the way - sincerely.

I disagree with your column. The fun nod to the cliffhanger serials is what made "Raiders of the Lost Ark" such a treat to moviegoers. I don't think Indiana Jones "ruined" Hollywood... Michael Bay did that.

I also had to double check your by-line.It read like a typical Karen Heller scold about enjoying pop culture.

Hey, Michael P. Michael Bay is too easy a target. Be original! Also, be loyal to anyone named Mike.

Hi Carrie. I read your column about the Indiana Jones trilogy and I had to comment about it. I have enjoyed reading your reviews over the years, and for the most part, I have agreed with them, but I can't agree with you about this.
To put the responsibilty for bad movie scripts and bad action/adventure films solely on the shoulders of Steven Spielberg & George Lucas is unfair. There have been bad movie scripts, and bad action/adventure films, going back to the silent era. Most of the action/advemture films, swashbucklers (pirates & others) and 80-85% of most westerns before the 70s were terrible. Hollywood just churned them out one right after the other.
>The Indiana Jones movies were just meant to be escapist fun. Spielberg & Lucas never claimed they were anything else. People need some escapist fun at the movies. I enjoyed the first & third movies of this trilogy. The second one was mostly forgettable
I agree with you that a lot of the action/adventure movies from the late 70s on have been terrible. Movies such as Con Air, The Rock,
Armageddon, the Die Hard movies after 1&2, etc, were just bad. But
there have been some good ones. (By the way, to lump the Bourne
Ultimatum in with these movies is just wrong. It was an excellent movie
with top-notch action scenes. There also was a lot of depth to the
script which was helped by Robert Ludlum' s great novels.)
Don't get me wrong. I also enjoy quality movies. I look forward to
them. This past year I really enjoyed Juno & Michael Clayton. I
thought There Will Be Blood was also very well done. Daniel Day Lewis &
Paul Dano did a great job. But the movie was also very depressing.
But we all need to watch some movies that are just plain fun. Please
give people some credit for being able to distinguish reality from
fiction. We all have problems, and there are terrible things going on
>in the U.S. and all over the world. That is why we need to escape and
relax with some fun, or we will go nuts. That doesn't mean that we
don't care about the serious things.
Of course the Indiana Jones movies won't stand up to your kind of
scrutiny. They were never meant to do so.
Please keep up the good work. I enjoy reading your reviews. Just
remember to lighten up a little. I remember reading some reviews by you where you enjoyed watching some escapist fun. Movies are meant to be entertainment.

Mike C

I enjoy your articles and reviews but never felt compelled to write to
you before reading your May 18, 2008 essay on the Indiana Jones movies.
I always bristle at the charge that these movies are responsible for
the dumbing down of the Hollywood blockbuster. I've heard the same charge leveled at Star Wars and, to a lesser extent, Jaws, and my response is always the same - the blame lies solely with the Hollywood producers who try to emulate the financial success of Lucas' and Spielberg's films without cultivating the creative energy behind them. It's unreasonable to blame Raiders for the lesser films that came in its wake simply because Raiders was successful at what it did. It's no different than blaming Renoir for velvet clown paintings, or the Beatles for the Blues Magoos.
The Indy movies obviously aren't deep think films. I think that's to be expected given the type of material to which the films pay homage. When viewed in that context, it does become evident that they possess a sort of knowing or winking dumbness. In any event, if one is going to criticize the films for their dumbness, I don't think its fair to apply a critical analysis to their attitude on race. "...fantasies of American cultural dominance over Third World primitives..." seem out of character for the people behind these movies, especially Spielberg. It seems to me that Lucas and Spielberg weren't setting out to make something that would rattle the film industry, or even something that would be regarded as an artistic achievement, when they made Raiders. My feeling is that their intent was to make a fun adventure movie. It
> takes on this added status - and is frequently the target of this type of criticism - only because of its box office gross. While it seems that currently "...every third movie...(is) made for 12 year old
> boys...", that demographic was under or poorly served in the decade before Raiders (and especially Star Wars). 12 year old boys (and the 12 year old boy in us 43 year old men) need movies too! I grew up with these films and each one gave me exactly what it was supposed to - a fun time at the movies. I think that, more than anything else, is what the guy in the Fedora has to answer for. I will be there 12:01 a.m., May 22 for the new film, and expect nothing less (or more) from it.

Your article is pretty much spot on. I too don't have much love of this franchise and there are a number of problems cemented in creation of this franchise aside from the huge popularity.

What drives me nuts is the puppet master behind this...George Lucas and his sidekick - Speilberg. Oh and whilst not to forget the comedy of errors we heard about the countless script versions. I do blame the script as well.

The franchise in my opinion has run out of charm and steam and it's so ludicrous to bring a geriatric Ford back. It just doesn’t have the same appeal. This fourth one should have been conceived years ago as it seems way to 'old'.

Anyway of the three, my preference of enjoyment is Temple Of Doom. By far the most exotic, grandiose, fastest paced, effectively edited, amusingly unpleasant, and hilariously xenophobic and despite being heavily laced with stereotypical cultural references. It's also the most ironically orientated and framed of the series.

The worst is the Crusade trying to replicate the original in atmosphere but totally lame with the stupid father figure idea and repeat Nazi stchick.

Wow. To paraphrase Rodney Dangerfield, "the last time I was in a room THIS tough, they had broken leg of lamb on the menu"

As long as Ford is willing to don the Fedora, my wife would go watch him recite the phone book. Love it or hate it, this is gonna clean up at the box office thanks to those of us who were teenagers when the first one came out all those years ago.

Who cares if it's any good?

Haven't done an audit, but it seems as though the Raider lovers to haters ratio is about 3:1. Thank you all for keeping it civil. And for Chazz: I do care if it's any good. And I'll bet you do, too. What I liked about Crystal Skull: Shia LaBeouf is raffishly engaging, Karen Allen a lot of fun and Ford, as always, has a nice way with a wisecrack and whipcrack.

casablanca...trite, sacharine WWII weeper disgracefully portraying moroccan club owners as deceitful swindlers, french police captains as corrupt rapists, russian bartenders as witless buffoons, bulgarian men as naifs, norwegian women as adulterers, and new yorkers as gun running alcoholics. (not to mention the hatchet job they did on nazi army majors). how could anyone enjoy such hateful material?

anyone else feel qualified for a job with the Inkster?

You're right, Carrie, I do care if only for the sake of not wanting to feel I've wasted time and money. In my off-handed, clumsy way I was just saying that I realize that this isn't "Citizen Kane and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull".

We go (at least I go) just to get away from life for a couple hours. I'm not expecting cinematic enlightenment from Dr. Jones. Thanks for letting me clarify.

Lost Ark = Casablanca? That's apples and oranges - not even the same sort of movie!

Casablanca = Temple of Doom or Last Crusade?

HAHAHAHAHA!!!

That's asinine.

You'd actually fit in pretty well at the Tierney Times.

chazz - although perhaps i was inspired by JDM's comment above, i wasn't trying to compare the two movies. instead i was trying to mock Ms. Rickey for not seeing the forest for the trees.

that doesn't mean I won't keep reading her well-written reviews for more serious films, but I find it hard to trust a review of adventure or action films from someone who cannot enjoy Indiana Jones (at least the first one).

Casablanca is my favorite film of all time and in a completely different league than IJ. However, Casablanca is filled with cardboard characters, illogical plot twists (how could Renault be so stupid to buy into Rick's plan?), poor studio effects, etc. But these are such minor nuisances compared to the rest of the movie that the defects are absolutely beside the point.

Carrie, Carrie, Carrie - such intolerance! The whole series is a fun bit of cinema and not to be taken so seriously. Your discussion of racial and sexist slurs etc. made me laugh - what time period is the movie supposed to be set in? Wasn't that a less "enlightened" time in our history - so don't the stereotypes fit into the setting? You missed the mark on this one - please do lighten up a little!

I've never been able to pinpoint why the Indy movies don't make me happy. Several comments here say these movies are for the 12-year-old boy in all of us. (I'm guessing a more accurate figure would be half of us, but I get the point.) The thing is, I wouldn't have liked the movies any more when I was twelve, I don't think. My favorite movie when I was that age was "Little Big Man." It had historic sweep, epic moments, exciting visuals - all traits not unlike the Indy movies. But it also was about something, whereas the Indy movies seem more than anything to be devoted to the idea of not being about something.

If that's still too vague, then I can at least say exactly why I can't stand the second one: Kate Capshaw does nothing but scream from start to finish. Sheesh.

I haven't seen "Kingdom of the Crystal Skull," and seeing it is not among my priorities.

Still, though, this column is useful in reminding me how much I, seemingly, have in common with George Coulouris's character in "Citizen Kane" when he says " 'I think it would be fun to run a newspaper.' Fun! GRRR!!" [Or sounds to that effect.]

As soon as anyone starts using words like "fun" or "entertainment," I start getting wary. It usually means that the item under examination is brain-dead.

Me, I find "Sweet Smell of Success" -- a clip of which I just finished watching -- to be *lots* of fun. But that's another story.

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