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May 30, 2008
Weekend Guffaw: Hilarious Indiana Jones IV Parody
WEEKEND GUFFAW: HILARIOUS INDIANA JONES IV PARODYLe Comité de la Claque
Posted by Grethe at 02:50 PM
May 29, 2008
Ford: Would Consider Reprising Jack Ryan
 Illustration by Grethe Boe / www.harrisonfordweb.com |
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| It's been on the grapevine for a while: Given a box office success for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, would Harrison Ford consider a return to the role as Jack Ryan? The answer is 'yes'. According to KHSL TV on May 27, Ford says:
A well placed souce has told Cinema Blend that the idea of getting Harrison back as Ryan has indeed been on the agenda -- but there is opposition to the idea. The source is quoted as saying:
We predict a possible change of attitude considering Crystal Skull 's footprint and Ford's explicit interest -- and no, there has been no eruption that we know of from Tom Clancy -- yet. All that remain is working out the riddle of Sam Raimi (presently negotiating with Paramount on the Ryan franchise) vs. Philip Noyce as director, a clear reply to the question 'Is the thriller By Any Means Necessary [in pre-production, prod. Lorenzo di Bonaventura] a Ryan project after all?' -- and a good workable script. In our opinion the latter is the biggest obstacle. Big thanks to HFW member Shauni for the KHSL TV tip!! | ||
KHSL TV.com
Cinema Blend
Posted by Grethe at 03:35 AM
May 28, 2008
The HFW Crystal Skull Review
THE HFW CRYSTAL SKULL REVIEWBy James Clarke
"On balance, I suppose I'm not well known for comedies, but I enjoy doing comedies... I think (comedy's) a question of creating a character that has both the limitations and the qualities that cause him to be more comic than that character might otherwise be in the same story told without comic intention. And then you do, of course, a certain amount of shtick to help make it clear that's what the intention is. I don't know that I can pronounce all the comedy rules, but I think I know it when I see it."
Harrison Ford and comedy fit as well as Harrison Ford fits a dusty fedora.
It might just be that Ford's great comic timing and expressive acting get overlooked amidst the run of action movies and thrillers that have come to dominate the way his work is recalled. Mr Ford's fourth Indy movie reminds us of how good a comic actor he is. To my mind Ford seems to have delighted in the comic possibilities in this fourth Indy installment.
With Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I think Mr Ford gives one of his fullest performances of the last few years. To my mind, the fullness (reality maybe ? ) and energy of his fourth Indy incarnation was evident in that teaser trailer back in the winter of this year.
Certainly, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull contains its share of 'silly physics' action (no sillier and playful than inflatables used to slalom down a mountain or a tug of war with Short Round in a rattling mine car) that put it on a par with Temple of Doom. The movie divides between what I think of as playful action and the action that is underpinned more by mystery, menace and a real sense of jeopardy: clearly, the wonderful Area 51 sequence that opens Crystal Skull is the best evidence for this.
As Crystal Skull began and Mr Ford made his appearance I was struck by just how much he made me think of John Wayne in the later part of his career from the mid 1950s onwards. Ford and Wayne have been mentioned in the same breath before but this time I really thought it was a valid association.
When I was a kid seeing the Indy movies for the first time when they were released in their original theatrical run I understandably picked up most eagerly on the action and physical courage of Indy and the great peril he found himself scrabbling to escape from. As I sit here now, and certainly a fair way older than twelve, I actually find that the Indy quartet of films work even better (and linger in my imagination) as comedies and as romantic comedies also. Indeed, Mr Ford often referred to the Indy movies in this way and George Lucas recently acknowledged the 'wacky' quality inherent in the Raiders / Indy concept.
As I watched Crystal Skull for the first time (spending the first half hour getting over the pleasant shock of watching a new Indy movie; I hope to re-view it again on the big screen soon) I really enjoyed it for its comedy. When Indy gets trapped in the quicksand the humour is broad and playful and for me this wasn't too far from Indy calling for water at the end of the minecar chase in Temple of Doom or toppling down the castle stairs in The Last Crusade (potentially still my most favourite film of the four; but then we have over twenty years of familiarity with the first three and perhaps in twenty years' time Skull will feel just as comfortable and familiar).
Mr Ford's performance, then, remains true, I think, to the other films in the series and certainly in the second half of Skull the 'replaying' of The Last Crusade 's themes and comic tone are especially vivid. Mr Ford's comic effectiveness runs right through Crystal Skull (even the title is smile inducing). The same comic grace notes were there in his Han Solo incarnation and in so many of the right places in Witness and on, of course, to Working Girl, Sabrina and Six Days, Seven Nights. Even The Mosquito Coast (one of Mr Ford's all time greats) sees the character of Allie Fox marked not only by a relentless determinism but by humour also.
Yes indeed, Indy is brave, determined and resolute but he's also got a sense of humour and it's the humour in life that keeps us human much of the time. Alongside the sense of justice and that Mr Ford's characters typically embody it's the comic undertone that Mr Ford lends to the right moment that marks his great gift as an actor. Harrison Ford keeps genre movies real and in that is his great appeal and what we assume is his last adventure as Indiana Jones he reminds us why this character continues to endure.
James Clarke is the writer of The Pocket Essentials: George Lucas and The Pocket Essentials: Steven Spielberg. He is currently at work on a number of books including a book about the films of James Cameron (out in 2010) and a new Pocket Essentials guide book due out in 2009. James has also written for Empire magazine, The Guardian and Moving Pictures movie magazine. Read more about James' work at www.james-blueskies.blogspot.com
Posted by Grethe at 02:04 PM
Drew Struzan: First Suggestion
DREW STRUZAN: FIRST SUGGESTION |
Left: Drew Struzan's first piece of artwork for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. He writes the following on his web pages: "This is the first piece of finished artwork I did for the fourth Indy. I did it at the request of George Lucas. While it was never used in the advertising campaign, you may recognize pieces of it that were imposed upon the advance poster." Click image left to head over to Drew Struzan's official web pages to see the image bigger size and view examples from his incredible portfolio. Big thanks to James Clarke for the find!! |
drewstruzan.com
Posted by Grethe at 04:11 AM
May 27, 2008
Updated Box Office Results
UPDATED B.O RESULTS| The Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull box office Thursday May 22 - Monday May 26. Note: Monday May 26 was a holiday in the US (Memorial Day) but an ordinary workday in most other markets.
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Associated Press
Posted by Grethe at 12:22 AM
May 25, 2008
Crystal Skull King of Weekend Box Office
CRYSTAL SKULL KING OF THIS WEEKEND'S BOX OFFICE |
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is performing on predicted target for US domestic box office -- and unearths an massive treasure internationally. The international result is indeed impressive when we consider that the movie hasn't even opened in all markets yet. According to Variety, the movie has had the sixth biggest opening of all time internationally. | ||||||
The official results:
We have a feeling there'll be big grins and jitterbug over at Paramount & Lucasfilm tonight :) | |||||||
Reuters
Variety
Posted by Grethe at 05:38 PM
Disneyland: The Summer of Hidden Mysteries
DISNEYLAND: THE SUMMER OF HIDDEN MYSTERIES |
On May 22, Disneyland launched The Indiana Jones Summer of Hidden Mysteries, which features Indy-inspired events and activities throughout Adventureland, among them Secret of the Stone Tiger (taking place in the former Aladdin's Oasis), Random Acts of Indy, a new photo location where you can get yourself photographed chased by a giant boulder, an Indiana Jones Map inviting guests to look for clues to adventure -- and Indy elements in the classic Jungle Cruise. |
| As far as we know, these activities apply to Disneyland in Anaheim, CA. We have no news on the status of the Indy attractions in DisneyWorld (Florida) and the international parks (Europe, Asia). Head over to MiceChat to read get more details and see official shots of the new attractions. | |
MiceChat
Posted by Grethe at 05:13 AM
Nyet to Indy
'NYET' TO INDY |
The ideology committee of the communist party in St. Petersburg, Russia is unhappy with Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. So unhappy they've written an open letter calling for boycott of the film and naming Harrison Ford and Cate Blanchett 'capitalist puppets'. |
| The letter addresses Harrison Ford directly: "Your work in this film is an insult to the Soviet and Russian people, who remember the difficult Fifties when our country was concluding its reconstruction after the Great War, but did not send merciless terrorists to the USA." The letter says that Russians had loved Ford in previous serious roles - which include a Soviet submarine commander in K-19: The Widowmaker - but continues: "You have no future in Russia any more. Speaking plainly, it is better for you not to come here. You will be beaten and despised" The leader of the St. Petersburg Communist Party, Mr. Sergei Malinkovich, echoes the displeasure: "Our moviegoers are teenagers who are unaware of what happened in 1957. They will go to the cinema and will be sure that in 1957 we made trouble for the United States and almost started a nuclear war. It's rubbish." Comments from party members on the party's website are also acid. As far as we know, no official statement or comment has been issued by the national Communist Party of the Russian Federation and the leader, Mr. Gennady Zyuganov. The CPRF is the second biggest party in the Russian national assembly (the Duma) | |
Times Online
Posted by Grethe at 04:03 AM