Monterey Jack wrote:Now, I think Kaminski has done some brilliant work for Spielberg over the past 15 years, especially on "documentary"-styled films (Schinder's List, Saving Private Ryan) and on his sci-fi efforts (A.I., Minority Report), not to mention his rightfully Oscar-nominated work on The Diving Bell & The Butterfly last year, but a big part of the retro appeal of the Indy films was the warm and colorful location photography of Slocombe, so shooting for 80% on a soundstage with blown-out, hazy, grainy photography was just wrong, wrong, wrong. It's also the reason why the pristine, antiseptic CG environments of the Star Wars prequels were less appealing than the compellingly dirty, "lived-in" quality of the OT.

I agree. Kaminski is very talented (although I didn't care for AI, Minority Report, and presumably War of the Worlds' look)...but clearly his style was miscast for something like an Indy film.

Monterey Jack wrote:a big part of the retro appeal of the Indy films was the warm and colorful location photography of Slocombe, so shooting for 80% on a soundstage with blown-out, hazy, grainy photography was just wrong, wrong, wrong.

Are you the same Monterey Jack who disagreed with me when I wrote that virtually identical statement about a month ago?? Or are there multiple personalities in there?? Because it was plainly obvious to me what the film was going to look like from those trailers, and it was all too indicative of the finished film -- the phony CGI (and there was loads more of it than they claimed there would be) and Kaminski's "trademark" look, on and on and on.

Will be very interesting to see how poisonous word-of-mouth will be for this movie starting next weekend. Even on the radio you hear people who thought it was terrible, and out of about a dozen friends not one of them liked it -- half of them hated it, and half of them (like me) were hugely disappointed by it. I still can't get over anyone who thought it was a better movie than any of the previous films -- or even THE MUMMY!

AndyDursin wrote:

Monterey Jack wrote:a big part of the retro appeal of the Indy films was the warm and colorful location photography of Slocombe, so shooting for 80% on a soundstage with blown-out, hazy, grainy photography was just wrong, wrong, wrong.

Are you the same Monterey Jack who disagreed with me when I wrote that virtually identical statement about a month ago?? Or are there multiple personalities in there?? Because it was plainly obvious to me what the film was going to look like from those trailers, and it was all too indicative of the finished film -- the phony CGI (and there was loads more of it than they claimed there would be) and Kaminski's "trademark" look, on and on and on.

Will be very interesting to see how poisonous word-of-mouth will be for this movie starting next weekend. Even on the radio you hear people who thought it was terrible, and out of about a dozen friends not one of them liked it -- half of them hated it, and half of them (like me) were hugely disappointed by it. I still can't get over anyone who thought it was a better movie than any of the previous films -- or even THE MUMMY!

Now, now Andy,
Don't get me started. LOL

Now, now Andy,
Don't get me started. Smile LOL

Not trying to get you going John -- I preferred both MUMMY movies to this Indy film. Not to the others, but this one...absolutely.

AndyDursin wrote:

Now, now Andy,
Don't get me started. Smile LOL

Not trying to get you going John -- I preferred both MUMMY movies to this Indy film. Not to the others, but this one...absolutely.

Me, too. Very easily.

AndyDursin wrote:

Now, now Andy,
Don't get me started. Smile LOL

Not trying to get you going John -- I preferred both MUMMY movies to this Indy film. Not to the others, but this one...absolutely.

Interesting... and I preferred getting kicked in the groin repeatedly to this latest Indy outing.

To each his own.

SH

nteresting... and I preferred getting kicked in the groin repeatedly to this latest Indy outing.

For what it's worth I've yet to find anyone, personally, who really liked it. Every friend of mine I know disliked it and a couple hated it completely. And usually one of us will have a differing opinion on something -- just not this movie!

Actually I just got an email from a reader who asked me if I had actually watched the original RAIDERS and asked what I was expecting from this new movie...because he loved it and can't imagine why anyone who didn't like the originals wouldn't like it.

OK, so there's one person who's written to me so far

Andy, about this line in your review:

(a statute of the late Denholm Elliott appears in one amusing bit)

If it was a "statute" does that mean Denholm was a law unto himself?

Eric Paddon wrote:Andy, about this line in your review:

(a statute of the late Denholm Elliott appears in one amusing bit)

If it was a "statute" does that mean Denholm was a law unto himself?

Woops -- lol. Between the new floor being installed, having to take down the entire video set-up in the living room, my parents selling our family's old house, buying a condo, and getting the old place on the market -- it's been a busy last couple of weeks. I've been writing the columns usually late at night the last two weeks so there have been a few more errors than usual, I confess!

LOL, I can relate to all that. Our place is a shambles this week with a week of house painting!

Eric Paddon wrote:LOL, I can relate to all that. Our place is a shambles this week with a week of house painting!

Funny, so is the latest INDY film, but no matter how much you put paint over it, it still looks like ****. MHO, or course.

SH

To add further insult to injury Darabont's draft INDIANA JONES AND THE CITY OF THE GODS has been circulated again online and consensus is that it's a far, far, far better script than the one we ended up with. Which, sadly, I said months ago when it was announced that Koepp was writing it.

Download the PDF here...
http://rs78.rapidshare.com/files/121835 ... e_Gods.pdf

AndyDursin wrote:To add further insult to injury Darabont's draft INDIANA JONES AND THE CITY OF THE GODS has been circulated again online and consensus is that it's a far, far, far better script than the one we ended up with. Which, sadly, I said months ago when it was announced that Koepp was writing it.

Download the PDF here...
http://rs78.rapidshare.com/files/121835 ... e_Gods.pdf

I'll get into reading it later but I'm certainly not surprised that Darabont would have a much better script, by far.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (US BD) in October

Paramount Home Entertainment have announced the US Blu-ray Disc release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull on 14th October 2008 priced at $39.99 SRP. Set in 1957, the latest Indy film stars Harrison Ford, Cate Blanchett, Karen Allen, Shia LaBeouf, Ray Winstone and John Hurt, following Indy on a perilous adventure to find the coveted Crystal Skull of Akator. From the ivy-covered halls of Marshall College to the verdant jungles of South America, Indy is relentlessly pursued by sinister Soviet agents who will stop at nothing to get their hands on the eerie object of fascination.

A 2-Disc Special Edition, region coding is TBC. All extras are in HD with the full list of features detailed below…

Disc 1: Main Feature
1080P Widescreen
THX Certified English 5.1 TrueHD, French and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digita
English, French, Spanish and Portuguese subtitles
Indiana Jones Timelines— Explore the movie through interactive timelines that include video featurettes, in-depth information and unique imagery. Your adventure begins with one of these three timelines:
Story Timeline: Showcases the key events of the “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” storyline.
Production Timeline: A Making-of chronology for “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”.
Historical Timeline: Dives into the real-world historical influences that are referenced in the film.
The Return of a Legend - The evolution of the new film and a tribute to the legendary hero and his creators.
Pre-Production - Follows Steven Spielberg as he creates animatic sequences, Shia LaBeouf as he learns to swordfight and captures the reunion of filmmakers and cast on the soundstage.

Disc 2: Extra Features
Production Diary: Making Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - Join filmmakers, cast and crew for a complete look at the making of the film.
Shooting Begins: New Mexico
Back To School: New Haven, Connecticut
Welcome to the Jungle: Hilo, Hawaii
On-Set Action
Exploring Akator
Wrapping Up!
Warrior Makeup
The Crystal Skulls
Iconic Props
The Effects of Indy
Adventures in Post Production
Closing: Team Indy
Pre-Visualization Sequences:
Area 51 Escape
Jungle Chase
Ants Attack
Galleries:
The Art Department
The Adventure Begins
Cemetery and Jungle
Akator
Stan Winston Sudio
Corpses, Skeletons & Mummies
Aliens & Crystal Skulls
Production Photographs
Portraits
Behind-the-Scenes Photographs
http://www.dvdtimes.co.uk/content.php?contentid=68533