Film Review: Indiana Jones at the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

I actually have several movies I could review, and three movies I got from Netflix with the intent of reviewing, but I thought I'd get back in the saddle after my inexplicable absence on Fridays by talking about Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Yeah, I'm a month late. I honestly don't get out of the house that often, and when I do, I don't like driving to the theater and spending all that money. As a result, even the movies I really want to see I end up putting off for weeks at a time. Well, onward!

I love Indiana Jones. That hardly makes me unique. I recently rewatched the first three movies, and I realized some things about the series. For one thing, by most objective standards, they're not good films. Honestly, the plots are nonsensical, and the action scenes are completely over the top. In Raiders and Last Crusade, Indiana could have stayed home and none of the bad stuff would have happened. Well, his father might have eventually died at the hands of the Nazis, but he seemed okay with that fate as long as the Nazis didn't get the grail. Anyway, that didn't make me love the movies any less. I just recognize them for what they are, accept that, and enjoy them (mainly because of Harrison Ford, I'll admit).

Having said that, I believe The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is a pretty good installment in the series. There were a few things I didn't like. For example, I think there were too many new characters that didn't have the time/space they needed to become fully formed characters. This isn't a problem the other movies had. It felt like there were a lot of faces we never saw before and had even less reason to care about.

From here on in, there are going to be some minor spoilers. be warned if you haven't seen the film.

I like the parts of the movie that deal with characters and names we already know. Marian and Abner Ravenwood (and Mutt). I can deal with the introduction of John Hurt's character (and he did a great job). I feel like everything to do with spies and spying and double crossing should be removed. The more I think about it, the more I think Mac and all that had no place in the movie. Indiana Jones isn't a spy, and we never needed the added element of double-crossing to make the movies interesting. I know that thematically it played into the paranoia and fear during the Fifties, but hell, we already had Cate Blanchett's character for that, and her motivations. Having Mac just felt like lazy writing, which shouldn't surprise me said George Lucas is the laziest man alive and he did the story and produced the thing (as an aside, thank God for Steven Spielburg. I don't like all his movies, but at least he can keep a leash (and muzzle) on Lucas or George Mucus as I call him).

The action scenes were way, way over the top, even for Indiana Jones. I'm torn on them. I felt like they just went a little too far, but then, that's what Indiana Jones is all about.

I know lots of people didn't like the alien aspect, but I honestly don't find those any more ridiculous than a radio to God, a grail that grants supposedly eternal life, and a religion that includes tearing somebody's still beating heart and then showing it to him before he dies by fire. My husband and sister thought it was a little heavy on the "knowledge is power" theme, but isn't that the other point of Indiana Jones? He's not stronger than the bad guy. He's not bigger than the bad guy. He's not even faster than the bad guy. But he is smarter.

Overall, I give it a B. I think in the future people won't be as dismissive of it as Temple of Doom (which I actually love) but they won't love it as much as Raiders of the Lost Ark or even The Last Crusade.

Film Friday: She Done Him Wrong

She Done Him Wrong stars Mae West and yes, Cary Grant. I recently purchased this movie because even though it is now in the public domain, and thus available free through various outlets, because I love this film.

Based on a play called Diamond Lil, when Paramount Pictures purchased the film rights the censorship office sent a memo that basically said You will not be turning Diamond Lil into a movie. It was extremely racy and raunchy--I guess it was too much, even in the pre-Code days. So Mae West rewrote the script to make it more subtle--when I learned this, I was shocked. Because this movie isn't exactly subtle.

I had two thoughts while watching this movie. First, I would ride Cary Grant like I stole him. Seriously, he looks amazing in that film--of course, he was only 29 in 1933. Still young and very handsome. Plus, he looked amazing in that uniform. And as for Mae West? I would totally go gay for her--and then thank her for the opportunity. Oddly enough, I respond to real (almost aggressive) displays of femininity. And I also like men who are almost too pretty to be men. But this isn't the time or the place to get into that.

This film is only an hour long, but there's a lot happening in just sixty minutes. First there's the romance between Lou and Captain Cummings, but there's also several subplots that all get tied together rather deftly at the end. Not to mention that the script is hilarious and I had several laugh-out-loud moments. I think the later movies, after the Code, do a great job of being subtle and remaining funny, but you know, there's something to be said for the real bawdy stuff that leaves very little to the imagination.

There's also something to be said for a woman who knows her own sexuality and clearly enjoys having sex.

Captain Cummings: Haven't you ever met a man who made you happy?
Lou: Sure, I did. Lots of times.

She doesn't apologize for it. She doesn't act like she's doing anything wrong. She's not a martyr. Diamonds are her business and the choir lost. I think, ultimately, that's my favorite thing about the movie. Yes, Cary Grant is hot, but Mae West is sexual and she doesn't make any excuses for that. I don't know if I could ever be like her, but I'd sure like to write a few characters that would make her proud.

Film Friday: I Was a Male War Bride

The Cary Grant parade continues. I recently bought about ten Cary Grant movies, so this isn't going to end any time soon. Meanwhile, I got two more through Netflix I had never seen. Today's offering is I Was a Male War Bride, directed by Howard Hawks and released in 1949, starring Cary Grant and and Ann Sheridan.

Now, three of my favorite words in the English language are Cary + Grant + Drag. As a result, it's a surprise I haven't seen this movie sooner. Grant's Henry is a French officer in Germany (I appreciate the fact that they didn't do anything to make Cary Grant French) and he's got a very flinty relationship with Sheridan's Catherine Gates, a lieutenant in the US Army. After they go on a mission together, they decide they're in love and they get married. The zaniness is amped up a few notches when it feels like the whole world is conspiring to keep the newlyweds apart--permanently, it seems, when Catherine is sent back Stateside.

The movie starts out very strong with Grant and Sheridan playing off each other. I can't tell if he's her worthy adversary, or if she's his. But it seems like she knows just how to play him, and of course, in typical Cary Grant fashion, he knows just how to handle somebody as smart and capable as Catherine. Here's the thing I really appreciate about the screwball comedies--the women are genuinely "sassy" and "spunky" and "intelligent." They don't do stupid shit that a smart woman would never do. Yes, they are reduced to tears occasionally, but women cry for lots of reasons, including anger and frustration. So I don't hold that against them.

Anyway, after all the fun of the first part, they decide to get married. Henry in love isn't too different from Henry out of love, and there's even the occasional threat of violence against her. At one point, he reaches for his hat, and she ducks! Still, I got the sense that if he had crossed that line and hit her, she would have hit him back. Probably would have popped him in the nose. There's minor conflict over getting married, but it gets worked out quickly.

The third act--the one that the title really refers to--is when things start getting uncomfortable for me. It is an endless period of trials and jerks. Their honeymoon is interrupted, she's transferred, she can't sleep in his quarters, they can't sleep in hers. They can't get him a visa to America. They have to declare him a male war bride. But that just makes things more complicated. Ultimately, it began to feel like some sort of existential nightmare. I think it went beyond comedy to some sort of commentary on the futility of...well, existence. Seriously, it may seem like I'm overstating this, but by the time I reached the end of the movie, I was extremely relieved. I wonder of Hawks was trying to convey the increasing sexual frustration, so the end is a climax for the viewer and the characters?

Ultimately, though, I love the movie. It made me laugh out loud more than once, and I think Ann Sheridan is my new hero. Cary Grant was hot as always--and oh yeah, there's all kinds of gay subtext! The only thing I love more than Cary Grant in drag is Cary Grant in drag with the appropriate amount of gay subtext.

Film Friday--"Bringing up Baby"

I've recently discovered Cary Grant, and my love for Cary Grant movies. I've seen several at this point, and I love them all for different reasons. My favorites are the "screwball comedies" and so I'll be talking about those for the next several weeks. The first is Bringing Up Baby. I'm sure y'all have probably seen this movie--I'm a late comer. I'm also woefully uneducated when it comes to classic movies, as Vivien can tell you. But much to her delight, I'm currently doing my best to rectify that.

I love Bringing Up Baby for several reasons. First, Cary Grant is just wonderfully hot in this film. I love a smart, slightly distracted, geeky, flustered man in thick glasses, I really do. I also love how Grant's character, David, changes throughout the film. As Kate Hepburn shakes up his life he becomes more confident and more assertive without losing that sweetness and sincerity that makes him so attractive.

The second, of course, is Kate Hepburn. Susan is the smart and independent woman you'd expect from Hepburn, but she's also playful and funny and oddly vulnerable. I immediately believe that she could fall in love with David so quickly, and I believe that David never had a choice but to fall in love with her.

Third is the sharp dialogue. I've seen this movie described as "sparkling" and that's a perfect description. This whole movie does sparkle. There are many laugh-out-loud moments, and I can't help but smile through the whole thing.

This movie differs from other screwball comedies in that David and Susan were not previously married. But it follows other genre conventions almost exactly. A marriage is central to the plot, as David is engaged and ultimately misses his wedding. It revolves around wealthy, upper-class people. In fact, the plot wouldn't work for lower class people. There's not a broader plot conflict than the relationship, though the movie does turn into a sort of "chase" movie, when they seek the bone and Baby. I think this movie (and the next move I plan to discuss, Holiday) are wonderful examples of the actual variety present in "screwball comedies." I think they're good analogues for romance novels. There are some standard rules for the genre (or sub-genre) but ultimately, the pleasure is in how the creators can work within the confines of genre to make something new and engaging.

Favorite Quote: "You're so good looking without your glasses."

This movie is available on DVD and through Netflix--you can watch it streaming if you have an account there. If you haven't seen the film, I highly, highly recommend it. It's like sitting down with a warm, cuddly blanket and a bowl of ice cream. If you have seen it, I suggest another viewing. You might be surprised by how much fun it is.