DVDs Battling The Indiana Jones Effect

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Michael Giltz: DVDs: Battling The "Indiana Jones" Effect http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-battling-the-indiana_b_135713.html [4/5/2009 1:19:03 PM] APRIL 5, 2009 HOME POLITICS MEDIA BUSINESS ENTERTAINMENT LIVING STYLE GREEN WORLD CHICAGO COMEDY 23/6 VIDEO BLOGGER INDEX ARCHIVE Make HuffPost Your HomePage Get Email Alerts Twitter: Follow Us BIG NEWS : Angelina Jolie | Madonna | Chris Brown & Rihanna | Paul McCartney | More... LOG IN | SIGN UP Michael Giltz Posted October 17, 2008 | 05:23 PM (EST) BIO Become a Fan Get EmailAlerts Bloggers'Index DVDs: Battling The "Indiana Jones" Effect Read More: Dvds, Indiana Jones , Movies, Music , Terrence Malick , Tv, Entertainment News It's a strange but understandable phenomenon of pop culture. When the creators of a belovedcharacter or franchise bring it back to life after ahiatus, people are so glad to see their favoritehero or fantasy world again that when the revivalis just a shadow of its former self or when therevival even sullies the memory of the originaland makes it hard to remember why you loved itin the first place, heck when it's so bad that youliterally throw up (as the guys from South Parkinsist), people will still embrace the eventanyway. Imagine if your beloved Great Aunt Mabel were brought back to life -- sure she's a zombie and it's a little upsetting, but you can't helpbeing tickled over hearing her walk and talk again, if only for a little while. The most obvious recent example of this are the three Star Wars prequels. I don't know anyone from 8 years old to 80 who doesn't think those three movies are anything more than mediocre, at best. And yet they grossed $3.3 billion worldwide at the box office alone. And God help me, if theyreleased a fourth one tomorrow, I'd line up to see that as well. But there are plenty more wherethat came from. Helen Mirren played Inspector Jane Tennison of Prime Suspect in two absolutely brilliant miniseries. The gaps between the weaker and weaker sequels became longer, but still atthe end we cheered her on. Sylvester Stallone trudged out Rocky Balboa 16 years after the last entry and 30 years after the Oscar-winning original. And simply because it wasn't quite asgodawful as the last three, we bought into the absurd premise of one last fight. The Godfather IIIcame out 16 years after Part II and was nominated for an Oscar, for God's sake. I'm sure we could list many more examples from movies, TV shows and books. Now that same hypnotic effect doesn't occur when someone brings out a new Tarzan or a new Robin Hood. Every generation will have their own spin on legendary characters. (Yes, I'm alreadylooking forward to Robert Downey Jr. as Sherlock Holmes.) But that built-in audience is not underthe same hypnotic effect as the fans who will flock to a movie when the people who first created itor the actor who first originated it brings that tale back for another go-round. Be the First to Submit This Story to Digg Get Breaking News Alerts Share Print Comments never spam Popular Stories on HuffPost Fashion Face-Off! Michelle Obama And Carla Bruni-Sarkozy Finally Meet In France (VIDEO, PHOTOS, POLL) *Video, poll and slideshow Levi Johnston TalksSafe Sex With Tyra Banks (VIDEO) ***UPDATE*** 8:30pm: People.com is reporting that Sarah Palin has issued... Oscar de la Renta Slams Michelle Obama's Buckingham Outfit As Major Designers FeelIgnored While Michelle Obamahas made lesser... Verena von Pfetten 7 Lessons To BeLearned From Carla Bruni So here's the thing.There's no shortage of articles dedicated to thatcertain je ne... Huff TV Arianna Discusses MichelleObama's "Fantastic" Style On CBS' Michael Giltz: DVDs: Battling The "Indiana Jones" Effect http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-battling-the-indiana_b_135713.html [4/5/2009 1:19:03 PM]That's my explanation for why I didn't storm out of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull ($39.99; Paramount). (Here's some good news. There's a single disc edition for $5 cheaper with few of the OK extras. They shouldn't even bother to put that out. But the Blu-Ray edition isEXACTLY THE SAME PRICE as the regular two disc edition and has all the same extras. Hurrah!Let's hope every studio quickly realizes that if they want to keep the $18 billion DVD gravy trainrolling that Blu-Ray can't be an excuse to jack up prices. Let it provide a jump in picture and soundquality -- which it most certainly does -- not a jump in cost.) Once the contact high of seeing Indy again has worn off, a second viewing on DVD is the perfect antidote for the "Indiana Jones Effect." I have a personal animus against "amusing" reaction shots of animals. No great movie ever included them. (The exception that proves the rule? The Thin Man .) Spielberg shows not one, not two, but THREE animal reaction shots of gophers or groundhogs or prairie dogs or whatever those little fellas are in the first few minutes. Cate Blanchett was game but you can't be a great villain if all you do is bark out "bring the map!" to your underlings. And did Shia LaBeouf REALLY swing through the trees like Tarzan? This isn't a godawful movie the way the first three Star Wars movies are; Harrison Ford is too good and seeing Karen Allen again too much fun. But it's not a patch on the original. The best antidote to the Indiana Jones Effect? Watching Raiders of the Lost Ark again. It's one of the great adventure films of all time. And seeing it again will remind you of what a truly great Indy film should be. So tell me, what movie or TV show or book series snookered you with the Indiana Jones Effect?TERRENCE MALICK'S IMPRVOVED MASTERPIECE -- I'm an unabashed fan of director Terrence Malick, who delivered two masterpieces in the 1970s ( Badlands and Days Of Heaven ), went on vacation for 20 years and then delivered two more masterpieces, The Thin Red Line and now The New World, which is just out in a new extended cut the studio says was overseen by Malick. It's 23 minutes longer than the initial Oscar-qualifying release and 37 minutes longer thanthe standard theatrical cut, which I avoided because I loved the longer version so much. This new,172 minute version ($20.98; New Line) is just breathtaking. It tells the story of Captain John Smithand Pocahontas. The arrival of the British in America is like watching a spaceship land in CentralPark; you completely understand the panic and astonishment of the "naturals" (who are soontermed "savages" when their help is no longer needed). Just as wonderful, when Pocahontastravels to England, you see that world through her eyes and it's just as strange and exotic as you orI going to Mars. But here's the highest compliment I can pay: I believed it. When Smith and othersare rowing up river or standing in the middle of a field and staring at the indigenous Americanswho are sniffing at them in wonder, I believed it. I wasn't thinking about the cameras or the actorsor the fact that they might have to pause filming when a plane flies overhead. I was utterly caughtup in watching people in 1607 land in America and seeing that world with virgin eyes. This isn'tthrough simple accuracy -- it's a remarkable alchemy of brilliant cinematographry, famous andunknown actors, well-worn costumes and a million other details. Heck, the music of Wagnershouldn't make me believe I'd been transported back 400 years. But I did. BOXED SET ROUNDUP -- Sure. the only movie you really need to watch in The Ultimate Matrix Collection on Blu-Ray ($129.95; Warner Bros.) is the original. But all of them look smashing on this premium-priced Blu-Ray edition and it does contain an overwhelming amount of top-notch bonus material, including The Animatrix and enough behind-the-scenes footage, commentary and documentaries to keep you busy for literally a week. Agatha Christie's Poirot: TheDefinitive Collection ($99.95; A&E) collects 12 TV movie-length mysteries of Poirot (though, oddly, they're not listed in the order of the original airdate). Poirot has to be one of the most confusingly packaged TV series around. You've got 45 (I think) roughly one hour mysteriesfollowed by 16 TV movie length adventures (four more just aired in the UK and aren't included inthis "definitive" edition). David Suchet is a definitive Poirot, though he's best appreciated in the early episodes, which are all packaged this way and that in numerous compilations. This set has solid mysteries for fans and is nicely compact, though with four more movies already done it's sure to be replaced in a year or so with an even more defintive set of TV movies and hopefully one daythe entire series in order. At least they're well presented. Truly distressing is the new Jewel In The Crown 25th Anniversary Edition ($39.95; A&E). A great miniseries just one notch below Brideshead Revisited, Jewel has long been available in a bulkier, more expensive set with a shoddy transfer of the original footage. In the UK, they recently put out a remastered version with somemodest extras. But while THIS version may be cheaper and more compact, it appears to be the same cheap-looking version put out all those years ago. If you've never seen it, this is better than "Washington Unplugged" Arianna was on CBS' "Washington... Alex Leo The "Real Housewives Of New York City" Flowchart Of Hate I'm a little embarrassed tolove this show as much as... "BRUNO" TRAILER! Calamity, African Babies, ChaseScenes And More (NSFW VIDEO) IT'S HERE! The trailer for this July's Sacha BaronCohen... NATO Leaders Focus On Afghanistan, But Most Reject Obama's Plea For Troops (SLIDESHOW) STRASBOURG, France — On the eve of the NATO... First Lady Fashion At Friday's NATO Concert (PHOTOS) Another night, anotherfashion opportunity forNATO leaders and their spouses! See... Diana Palin, SarahPalin's Sister-In-Law, Arrested ForBreaking Into Home ANCHORAGE, Alaska —Police say Alaska Gov.... John Oliver Explains The Real Reason You Never Touch The Queen (VIDEO) John Oliver was upset enough to drop his monocle when he... Obama Teases Reporter From India During Press Conference (VIDEO) Obama held a conferencepacked with press fromaround the world on Thursday. He called... Jim Cramer DeclaresThe Depression "Over" (VIDEO) On Thursday's episode of "Mad Money" host Jim Cramer declared that the depression... Scientists Find Rocket Fuel Chemical In Infant Formula ATLANTA — Traces of a chemical used in rocket fuel were found in samples of... Least Wasteful Cities In America (SLIDESHOW) It's great to love the cityyou live in, and better toMichael Giltz: DVDs: Battling The "Indiana Jones" Effect http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-battling-the-indiana_b_135713.html [4/5/2009 1:19:03 PM]nothing, I suppose. SPORTS -- Ringside Ali ($34.95; ESPN) is the latest sports release to make excellent use of the DVD's potential. They spotlight 15 major fights with a generous 10 hours of footage and throw in a three and a half hour documentary to boot. History Of The Cleveland Browns ($26.98; Warner Bros.) with two discs and 4+ hours seems modest in comparison. Sports Night: The CompleteSeries ($69.99; Shout) is a tenth anniversary edition loaded with new extras that celebrate the show that first made clear what a distinctive talent creator Aaron Sorkin was. The Long Green Line($29.99; LGL) is a bare-bones, affectonate look at legendary long distance running coach JoeNewton. DOCUMENTARIES -- Errol Morris has never made a boring or uninteresting film. His latest documentary Standard Operating Procedure ($28.96; Sony) looks at the abuses of Abu Ghraib. Instead of demonizing the low-level soldiers who have borne the brunt of legal and public condemnation, Morris lets them speak for themselves. He also challenges our instinctive assumptions about what constitutes abuse -- not to say standards are too strict but to say they are not strict enough. The clear message is that these soldiers were not acting on a whim but following orders, which doesn't excuse their actions but does show the blame deserves to be spreader farther and much higher up the chain of command. Hollywood Singing and Dancing ($29.99; Great Musical Treasury) is a fine look at the history of musicals for film buffs, with about four hours of movie and extras, hosted by Shirley Jones. Regular or Super: Views on Mies van der Rohe and Monte Grande: Francisco Varela ($28.98 and $29.98; Icarus) are two thoughtful documentaries about original thinkers: the architect and the scientist/researcher. Finally, Capricorn One Special Edition ($19.98; Lionsgate) is of course the documentary cleverly disguised as a fictional film starring Eliott Gould that blew the lid off the the hoax of landing on the moon. KIDS -- Liberty's Kids: The Complete Series ($59.98; Shout) contains all 40 episodes of the fine animated series about the American Revolution seen from the point of view of young people, with Walter Cronkite as Benjamin Franklin and guest stars like Michael Douglas, Whoopi Goldberg, Ben Stiller and many more. SpongeBob SquarePants: Who Bob What Pants? ($16.99; Paramount) is a cute new TV movie starring the most famous sponge in history, as well as bonus episodes. Silverhawks: Volume One ($44.98; Warner Bros.) is an animated adventure series from the creators of Thundercats that unfortunately includes just half (albeit 32 cartoons) of its one and only season. Veggietales: The Pirates Who Don't Do Anything ($29.98; Universal) is the latest, aggressively gentle adventure starring the Biblically-minded vegetables like Larry the Cucumber. Yo Gabba Gabba: The Dancey Dance Bunch ($16.99; Paramount) contains four episodes of the goofy, sweet puppet show, although I'd rather people get an entire season than just a few funepisodes. Barney I Love You Gift Set ($24.98; Lionsgate) collects three DVDs and one CD of the kid-liked, parent-despised dinosaur. MOVIES -- Mongol: The Rise Of Genghis Khan ($27.98; New Line) is the first of three movies about the empire builder (or warlord if he took over your country) and it's a very old-fashioned biopic in both the good and bad sense of that term. The Edge Of Heaven ($27.99; Strand) is a melancholic look at Turks in Germany (especially parents and children) that proves the morespecific and unique a story is, the more universal it can become. Can't Hardly Wait ($19.94; Sony)is the tenth anniversary edition of the amiable high school comedy with a great cast that includesJennifer Love Hewitt, Ethan Embry and especially Lauren Ambrose locked in a bathroom withwould-be black boy Seth Green. Sex Pistols: There'll Always Be An England ($19.98; Rhino) is a 2007 concert film in which the most shocking aspect is that they almost seem lovable now. Andjust because a movie's old doesn't mean it's a classic: witness the less-than-stellar IngridBergman's Arch of Triumph ($14.98; Lionsgate) and Visconti's Ludwig ($39.98; Koch Lorber) (both of which are more complete than some editions but not the fullest versions available), andthe so-so One Touch Of Venus ($14.98; Lionsgate). HORROR -- People have a seemingly unquenchable love of being scared. Indulge it with the Ghost House Underground Collection ($159.98; Lionsgate), which brings together eight films from around the world, all given a stamp of approval by Sam Raimi. Or you could go for the four middling Hammer films on Icons Of Horror Collection 3 ($24.96; Sony). But the fool-proof pick seems like Halloween 30th Anniversary Commemorative Set ($89.97; Anchor Bay), until you realize you bizarrely get Halloween in three different versions (including Blu-Ray)...and Halloween4 and 5 ? That's so odd it really is scary. Women's Rights Michelle Obama Europe Newspapers Cars War Wire Video Financial Crisis Barack Obama MORE BIG NEWS PAGES » Books by this author A cabin of one's own: New England's MacDowellColony celebrates 100years of artistic utopia.And the gay and lesbianartists who prosperedthere celebrate ... (Thenational gay & lesbiannewsmagazine) by Michael Giltz Affairs to remember:Farley Granger beddedAva Gardner, ShelleyWinters, and LeonardBernstein. In hisautobiography, IncludeMe Out, Hitchcock's muse... (The national gay &lesbian newsmagazine) by Michael Giltzlove it for a reason like being green! FastCompany... HUFFPOST'S BIG NEWS PAGES This Blogger's Books from Michael Giltz: DVDs: Battling The "Indiana Jones" Effect http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-battling-the-indiana_b_135713.html [4/5/2009 1:19:03 PM] Michelle Obama's Clothing Has Sean Hannity All Out OfSorts RICHARD POPLAWSKI,Pittsburgh Gunman, Kills 3Police Officers Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld: DoesIran Harbor Osama binLaden? John Demjanjuk, Ohio ManAccused Of Being NaziGuard, Avoids Deportation Comments 7 Pending Comments 0 Out Of The Mountains Of Mali, One... Dallas Cowboys Band: "FREE REIGN": Players ROCK... Reality Star Jade Goody Buried In Lavish... Robert De Niro Nanny Sues For $40,000TV ON DVD -- Star Trek was such an iconic series (despite lasting for only three modestly rated seasons) it even inspired the spoof series Quark: The Complete Series ($19.94; Sony), which includes eight lame-brained episodes with at least the right man in the lead role: the droll Richard Benjamin. The Universe: Complete Season Two ($44.98; History/A&E) features 18 terrific looking episodes about dark matter and supernovas, all of it perfect for families. The Edwardians ($49.98; BBC) is a 1970s miniseries, one of many fine projects that might have made Anthony Hopkins astar but didn't (until he dined out as Hannibal). The Beverly Hillbillies Season Two ($49.98; Paramount) contains all 36 episodes of the dumb fun sitcom that was such a remarkable and immediate hit we wouldn't see its like in popularity again until The Cosby Show. The Sarah Silverman Show Season Two Volume One ($26.98; Paramount) is not wildly popular (andpersonally I prefer her reined in a bit, as when she appears on Letterman) but in this day and agesitcoms that appeal to a small, naughty group can flourish. Too bad they didn't just wait for theentire season to air; 12 episodes for this price would be great -- six episodes and half a season feelsincomplete. Finally, two minor series that will be welcome for completists: Burt Reynolds starredin B.L. Stryker: The Complete Series ($54.95; TV Guide) and George Peppard is the Polish- American hero Banacek: The Complete Series ($44.95; TV Guide). Annoyingly, both of these short run series have been put out in single season sets within the last 16 months or so. Why not just putthem out in complete sets to begin with? Nash Bridges: The Complete First Season ($39.98;Paramount) and CSI: The Eighth Season ($84.98; Paramount) and Rules Of Engagement Second Season ($29.95; Sony) and Lil Bush Season Two ($26.98; Paramount) and Life With Derek First Season ($29.98; Koch) and Scott Baio Is 45...and Single and Scott Baio Is 46...and Pregnant ($19.96; Anchor Bay) all do it right. You get full seasons, usually with some good or great extras.Kelsey Grammer's cancelled sitcom Back To You Season 1 ($39.98; Fox) gets it almost completely right except for that wishful thinking of saying "season one." They should have faced the facts andsaid "the complete series." So tell me again, have you ever fallen prey to the "Indiana Jones Effect" and when did it happen? More in Entertainment... HuffPost Stories Surging Right Now Buy a link here Sponsored Links The Most $100K+ Jobs Search 72,384 Jobs that pay over $100,000 at TheLadders.com. www.TheLadders.com "My Teeth Are so White" Read the trick, discovered by a mom, to turn yellow teeth white. CathysTeeth.com Arthritis Information Sign Up to Receive a Free Info Kit About Rheumatoid Arthritis. www.RAStraightTalk.com Michael Giltz: DVDs: Battling The "Indiana Jones" Effect http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-battling-the-indiana_b_135713.html [4/5/2009 1:19:03 PM] Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to View Comments: Newest First Expand All Marshall Lucky See Profile I'm a Fan of Marshall Lucky permalink Actually, the prequels did BETTER with critics than the originals when they were first released, and by a wide margin: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/news/comments/?entryid=197859 Prequels Tomatometer Scores Based on Current Active Critics: 83% - Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith 65% - Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones 62% - Star wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace Average Tomatometer: 70% Tomatometer Scores for Original Trilogy During Original Release Dates: (Click on the links for the archived quotes from Archive.org) 31% - Return of the Jedi 52% - The Empire Strikes Back 79% - Star WarsAverage Tomatometer: 54% As for Pauline Kael, believe me, it's not meant as a compliment. There's a reason movie critics are printed in the same section of the newspaper as the astrologers. Critics are textbook examples of Asch's Theory of Conformity. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was the best Indy sequel -certainly better than Temple of Doom. The only person who got anything out of that film was Spielberg, who landed his veryown shiksa goddess. Last Crusade was little more than a half-hearted re-hash of Raiders. But that's allbeside the point. Not a single film made by anyone since 1981 has been anywhere near as good, so ifSpielberg and Lucas are doing a disservice by continuing to make movies, then every other filmmakerbelongs in the Epic Fail category, too. ChicagoMolly See Profile I'm a Fan of ChicagoMolly permalink I've had the opposite reaction entirely with Russell T Davies' regenerated (as it were) "Doctor Who". Iwas a fan of the original since we started getting it in Chicago (with Jon Pertwee as the Third Doctor), and my collection of DVDs includes stories with all the classic Doctors except Paul McGann, who did a one-off film for Fox. The BBC took the series off the air in 1985 for a "brief hiatus" which lasted 20 years. Then RTD, who was a fan of the original, got the go-ahead to bring it back. He did right by it, too. He kept a lot of the basic concept, brought back some of the old villains with improvements (the Cybermen, who predated Star Trek's Borg by 40 years, are at long last properlyscary), abandoned the old 4-part serial format, and gave us season-long story arcs that let the Doctorand his companions develop as characters. And the writing is way better. Stephen Moffat's script for"Blink" won the Hugo Award at the World Science Fiction Convention. As much as I love Classic Who,New Who is head & shoulders above it. Next month the Season Four box comes out, with DavidTennant as the Tenth Doctor, and I can't wait. Michael Giltz See Profile I'm a Fan of Michael Giltz permalink Hey Chicago Molly, I agree with you completely about the new Dr. Who as being as good ifnot better than ever. (Who knew it would work with decent special effects? Not me.) But that'snot really what Im talking about. The Indiana Jones effect would only come into play if theoriginal creators and/or stars were involved. In your case, that would be a new Dr. Whostarring John Pertwee and in my case Tom Baker. (Or written by one of the creators ratherthan RTD.) And again, it's not that we would necessarily LIKE it, just that we couldn't helpbeing drawn to it because it was the original star ie the "real" star coming back in that role. I wasn't thrilled w the new Indy but there was no way I was gonna miss it. I think your appreciation for the new Dr. Who is in line w the acclaim for the Christian Bale Batman --quite separate from the INdiana Jones effect since it's a new creative team and a new star.Thanks for reading and I can't wait for the next Dr Who set -- though isn't Tennant steppingdown soon, sadly? Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 11:50 PM on 10/19/2008 Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:17 PM on 10/19/2008Michael Giltz: DVDs: Battling The "Indiana Jones" Effect http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-battling-the-indiana_b_135713.html [4/5/2009 1:19:03 PM] Comments are closed for this entryNunziato See Profile I'm a Fan of Nunziato permalink Damn! That's a bit harsh, Mr. Lucky, although I don't completely disagree with you. I actually loved "Indiana Jones & The Thing With The Crystal Thing." Was it as good as...? Of course not. But if we areto compare what is to what was, everything now is worse, from movies to music to TV. Although to behonest, the only thing I watch is "30 Rock," which I think is the funniest show since "The Odd Couple."And as we've read in these pages, Michael Giltz does not like "30 Rock," but he loves "How I Met YourMet Mother," which I think is completely unfunny. "Harebrained?" No. Just personal taste. Personally, anything that Judd Apatow or Seth Rogen is not attached to is a welcome addition. Michael Giltz See Profile I'm a Fan of Michael Giltz permalink Hey Nunziatio, thanks for reading. I wouldnt say I love How I Met Your Mother - I just said it was "stronger, more believable" than 30 Rock (a low bar since I don't care for 30 Rock) and a"solid comedy." If there's any sitcom right now I like, it's "The Office," which astonishes me tosay since I really thought it was a terrible idea and it's really grown into something good. It's a VERY weak time in general for sitcoms, which may be why I enjoy HIMYM a little more than I might if it had aired, say, in the late 70s or mid 80s. Marshall Lucky See Profile I'm a Fan of Marshall Lucky permalink Memo to Michael Giltz: Like Mambo Number Five, bitching and whining about the Star Wars prequels was an incredibly lame fad a decade ago. To bitch and whine about it today is pathetic. Your harebrained logic ("I don't knowanyone from 8 years old to 80 who doesn't think those three movies are anything more than mediocre,at best. And yet they grossed $3.3 billion worldwide at the box office alone.) reminds me of PaulineKael's whine that nobody she knew voted for Nixon, after he had won 49 of 50 states. Like Kael, youare under the mistaken impression that your world (which is to say, your parents' basement) isrepresentative of the moviegoing public as a whole. It isn't. Deal with it. If you really are upset that the newest Indiana Jones movie isn't as good as the original Raiders of the Lost Ark, then you only have yourself to blame. Here's a hint: NO movie released since 1981 can compare to Raiders. So if you're that miffed about Indiana Jones' latest adventure not measuring up, you might as well stop watching movies, since nothing else matches Raiders, either. Michael Giltz See Profile I'm a Fan of Michael Giltz permalink Hey Mr. Lucky, thanks for reading and commenting. I wasn't trying to pile on to Lucas but Star Wars seemed inevitable to mention since he did both. That's why I brought up otherexamples like Prime Suspect and The Godfather III. However, I doubt it was an "incrediblylame fad" a decade ago" to bitch about the prequels since they didn't even exist then. Thefirst came out 9 years ago and the last in 2005, just three years ago. I didn't offer logic somuch as facts: average people and critics roundly panned the prequels yet they made a lot ofmoney. (Check out Rotten Tomatoes or amazon for proof.) But you are the first (andundoubtedly will be the last) to mention me in the same breath as Pauline Kael and I thank you. I prefer Roger Ebert, who -- like you -- loved the new Indy. You make a great point about how few films can measure up to Raiders. That's not my standard. I can defend Temple ofDoom and don't think much of Last Crusade -- but Crystal Skull, to me, doesn't measure upto even Crusade. Make a great film and then churn our inferior sequels and it'll tarnish yourimage. Make a great sequel like Superman II or Spiderman II or Empire and we'll love you. Iffilmmakers don't like being held to the high standards they've set with their earlier work, theyshould stop making them. You must be logged in to reply to this comment. Log in or Ads by Google The Indiana Jones Quiz If you think you know all about Indiana Jones, prove it! Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 09:21 PM on 10/19/2008 Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 11:08 AM on 10/19/2008 Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 09:26 PM on 10/19/2008 Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 06:27 PM on 10/17/2008 Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 09:40 PM on 10/19/2008Michael Giltz: DVDs: Battling The "Indiana Jones" Effect http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/dvds-battling-the-indiana_b_135713.html [4/5/2009 1:19:03 PM] HOME POLITICS MEDIA BUSINESS ENTERTAINMENT LIVING GREEN STYLE WORLD CHICAGO COMEDY FUNDRACE ARCHIVE Advertise | Login | Make HuffPost your Home Page | RSS | Jobs | FAQ: Comments & Moderation | FAQ: Huffpost Accounts | Contact Us Copyright © 2009 HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. | Archive | User Agreement | Privacy | Comment Policy | About Us | Powered by Movable Type TheQuizContest.com

DVDs Battling The Indiana Jones Effect

📄 DVDs Battling The Indiana Jones Effect

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