One of my earliest posts for this blog last year was a list of a bunch of DVDs on my “to-watch” shelf that I hoped to get to some time in the near future.  One item on that list was the first set of DVDs collecting The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones.

Well, it took me quite a while, but I am pleased to report that almost a year later I have made my way through that DVD set!  (It’s the first of three sets that collect the entire run of the series.)

The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones was a TV series that ran, somewhat sporadically, from 1992-1996.  Alternating episodes would follow the adventures of 10 year-old Indy (played by Corey Carrier), and teen-aged Indy (played by Sean Patrick Flanery).  In each episode, Indy would find himself in adventures in varying parts of the globe, each time running into many real-life historical figures, Forest Gump style.  ABC cancelled the series after its second season in 1993, but the USA network picked it up and aired a number of new episodes in two-hour mini-movie formats until 1996.

For the 1999 release of the series on VHS, the entire series was re-edited chronologically, with each episode paired with the next one in sequence to form a two-hour mini-movie (similar to the way the episodes were aired on USA).  In so doing, all of the framing device scenes with a very Old Indy (93 year-old Indy was played by George Hall) that used to start and end each episode were completely removed.  These are the versions that have been released on DVD.  Also in 1999, Lucas, ever one to re-name his work (Star Wars eventually becomes Episode IV: A New Hope; Raiders of the Lost Ark eventually becomes Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark), at this point also changed the name of the series from The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles to The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones.  (And thank heaven for wikipedia for that little tidbit.  Writing this whole review I kept writing The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, but I could see that the title on the DVDs was The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones.  I had no idea why I kept getting the title wrong!  Well, it’s because I always knew this show as The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles! Sheesh!)

(By the way, here’s another amusing tidbit.  Does anyone but me remember how, when this series was released on VHS in 1999 in the form of 22 mini-movies, each labeled “chapter 1″ through “chapter 22,” Lucas also re-released the Indy movie trilogy, labeling the movies “chapter 23″ through” chapter 25″??  This got me so worked up at the time, but now it just makes me laugh at its ridiculousness.  The man just has a thing about numbering the episodes of his adventure serials!)

I watched this show when it originally aired.  I remember sort-of enjoying the episodes with teen-aged Indy (particularly the episodes that took place during World War I), although I was rather bored by the adventures of 10 year-old Indy.  Even as a kid I knew mediocrity when I saw it.  Since these DVDs contain the episodes re-edited chronologically (rather than by their original air-date), this first set of DVDs contains mostly the adventures of 10 year-old Indy (10 episodes, divided into 5 mini-movies), and only a few featuring Sean Patrick Flanery as teen-aged Indy (4 episodes, split into 2 mini-movies).  Nevertheless, I hadn’t seen any of these episodes since the mid-90’s, and many of them I hadn’t ever seen at all, so I was curious to revisit the series.

The Adventures of Young Indiana Jones is an interesting endeavor.  It was designed to focus more on education — teaching kids about history, geography, politics, and different peoples and cultures — than it was to be a whiz-bang action adventure.  I can appreciate that more now, as an adult, and as I re-watched the episodes I also didn’t have the immediate dis-interest in 10 year-old Indy that I had as a kid.  That being said, the show is, for the most part, pretty boring.  This is exacerbated by the mini-movie format, as sitting through two episodes in a row is a bit of a chore.  After the first movie, I started putting the episodes on, periodically, while I was drawing.  If I just sat down to watch one, I’d get bored, but having one on in the background while I worked suited me just fine.  (Most episodes didn’t require 100% of my attention in order to follow!)

What I found myself enjoying on the DVDs more than the episodes themselves were the ENORMOUS quantity of documentaries.  Each mini-movie is accompanied by up to eight documentaries (many of them around 30 minutes in length) that provide further detail about the people, places, and historical events covered in that particular adventure.  I found these documentaries to be FASCINATING in the extreme.  As with the episodes, these would probably be dull if I just sat down to watch a few straight through… but playing in the background while I was drawing, they were phenomenal.  I often was eager to get through an episode so that I could check out the accompanying documentaries.  An enormous amount of time, effort, and money must have gone in to the creation of these documentaries.  Again, it is clear that Lucas’ goal with this project is education, and I have to commend him for that.

Other thoughts:  I was pleased to see the number of famous guest-stars who popped up in the episodes in this first set (although some of them weren’t quite so famous at the time).  These include Max von Sydow as Sigmund Freud in “The Perils of Cupid,” Michael Gough as Leo Tolstoy in “Travels with Father,” and Elizabeth Hurley as Indy love-interest Vicky Prentiss and Vanessa Redgrave as Mrs. Prentiss in “Love’s Sweet Song.”  Young Indy is also notable in that it was one of the first TV shows to utilize digital effects in order to create some of the far-off locales in which the different adventures were set.  (In many ways, this was a test-bed for the techniques that Lucas would eventually use for the Special Editions of the Star Wars Trilogy in the late 90’s and then, of course, for the Prequel Trilogy.)

I think I would have preferred if the episodes had been released on disc as originally aired.  I do like the chronological presentation, but the transitions half-way through each mini-movie (where one episode originally ended and another began) are very awkward.  Often-times the episodes, although chronologically in sequence, were shot many months apart.  This resorts in some awkwardness in which 10 year-old Indy seems to age by a year or more between one scene and the next!  Also, as noted above, sitting through two of these episodes in a row can be a bit rough.  Another nit-pick: while I understand the decision to excise all of the Old Indy framing-device scenes (my recollection is that, even to childhood-me, those scenes were lame in the extreme), for completeness’ sake I was really disappointed that they’re not included on the DVD set as a special feature of some kind.  That’s a pretty enormous omission.  Also, while I understand that Lucas and co.’s focus was on all of the educational documentaries, I would have really liked to see some sort of making-of documentary or featurette that dealt with the creation of this show itself.  I bet there are some interesting stories to be told, and it’s a bummer that there’s nothing like that on the set.

So there you have it, folks.  In the end, the episodes are about what I expected, and the documentaries are fascinating (if you’re interested in that sort of thing, and have a lot of time to kill or the need for something mildly-diverting to watch/listen-to as you work on something else).  But I’ll tell you this, though: the lamest Young Indy adventure on this set is still better than the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull!

Click here for a terrific three-essay series that delves into the first three Indiana Jones films.  These are all really well-written pieces, filled to the brim with love for the cinematic adventures of Dr. Jones.

Clever tourists wrecking the world one monument at a time.  Don’t think — just follow that link.  You won’t regret it.

Click here for a fascinating list of the twenty best non-fiction books for people who think they hate to read non-fiction.  I need to get on this, having only read two of the items on this list!

I’m not exactly recommending this lengthy essay, because I disagree with it wildly, but it’s sort of bizarrely fascinating two see two individuals who really don’t seem to like Star Trek at all go on an enormous length about it as they revisit the first six Trek films.  (Well, one of the two authors seems to be a fan, but he doesn’t seem to put up much of a fight whenever the other one bashes the series.)

Speaking of Trek, here is a link to a lengthy, fascinating Q & A that’s been going on over at Trekmovie.com between Star Trek screenwriters Bob Orci & Alex Kurtzman and a number of fans who, like me, had lots of questions about elements of the new movie’s plots.  I really respect Mr. Orci for engaging with the fans in this way — though I feel most of his responses are pretty flimsy.  Check it out and see what you think.  (UPDATE:  Still MORE Q & A with Mr. Orci & Mr. Kurtzman can be found here!)

It’s pretty obvious that the new Star Trek movie was pretty heavily influenced by the action and dynamism of Star Wars.  But have you considered just how deep those similarities run?  Shocking!  (And hysterical.)

Let’s close with three intriguing trailers: Guy Ritchie’s Sherlock Holmes with Robert Downey Junior, the bizarre-looking Nine and (can you believe it?) Toy Story 3.

That should keep you all good and busy until tomorrow!  See you back here then!

I posted my final cartoon making fun of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull on Friday. (I don’t usually post new cartoons on a Friday, but I was running one day behind last week.) If you missed it, just check out the Archived Comics page!

See you back here tomorrow…

I’ve gotten quite a response, via e-mail, to yesterday’s review of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull! I truly wish I had better things to say about that movie. Maybe some of you out there will enjoy it more than I did.

No new cartoon on Monday because of the long weekend. Have a great Memorial Day, everyone, and I’ll see you back here on Tuesday! Fun with Iron Man will continue…

just returned from a midnight showing. What follows are my spoiler-free thoughts.

Boy.

They did it to me again.

I have never been more disappointed walking out of a movie theatre than I was after sitting through Star Wars: Episode I back in 1999. It truly never occurred to me that Episode I would be bad — and I never in my wildest dreams could have imagined just how awful it turned out to be.

Going into the 1st new Indiana Jones movie in 19 years, I tried my best to lower my expectations. The Star Wars prequels proved that George Lucas has lost quite a bit of his once-magic touch, and even Steven Spielberg has proven to be fallible (Anybody watched The Lost World or AI: Artificial Intelligence recently?). But still, I couldn’t help but be excited, and optimistic. Its a new Indy movie!!!

Well, there’s nothing in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull that approaches the mind-numbing tedium of Star Wars Episode I, or the sheer inanity of Jar Jar Binks.

But it is, I’m afraid, an exceedingly mediocre film nonetheless.

What’s good? Well, Harrison Ford shows more life and charisma than he has for well over a decade. I’ve had a habit of declaring to my friends that Harrison Ford hasn’t been in a good movie since The Fugitive (1993) and Clear and Present Danger (1994). (Do you disagree? Check out this list: Sabrina, The Devils’s Own, Six Days Seven Nights, Random Hearts, What Lies Beneath, K-19: The Widowmaker, Hollywood Homicide, Water to Wine, and Firewall. Yikes!) Not only have those movies stunk, but Ford has seemed rather lifeless in most of them. But here the Old Harrison Ford seems back, as if he’s delighted to be playing this iconic character again — and that energy really shows through in almost every scene.

What else is good? Wellll…the jungle landscapes of Peru in which much of the movie is set is an excitingly different environment than the settings of the 1st 3 Indy movies, which is fun. There are some great moments of action. And (OK, this is a tiny spoiler but anyone who has seen or read ANYTHING about this movie knows this already) its really great to see Karen Allen back on screen as Marion Ravenwood. Her smile is every bit as beguiling as it was back in 1981 in Raiders.

So what’s bad about the movie? Where do I begin. The whole tone of the film is way off. Moments that should be dramatic and emotional (such as Marion’s revelation to Indy in the quick-sand pit), or moments that should be suspenseful and dramatic (such as Indy’s escape from the catastrophic event — that I won’t reveal here — at the end of the opening sequence), are played for yucks. Even the traditional opening shot of the Paramount logo dissolving into a mountain shape (that opened the 1st three Indy movies) is played for a joke in this one. Every time I started to settle in and enjoy a sequence, its interrupted by a stupid joke (with the Shia LaBeouf Tarzan bit in the middle of the film being the most egregious).

Whereas the other Indy films (Raiders in particular) unfolded with a clock-like precision, in which one exciting sequence lead logically to the next as the jeopardy escalated and Indy was lead through ever-growing obstacles, this film is a puzzle of questions. Why did the Russians need Indy in the opening sequence? How does Mutt (Shia LaBeouf) find Indy, and why does this rebellious youngster suddenly seem so eager to follow him around the globe? How exactly do Professor Oxley’s (John Hurt) scratchings on the dungeon floor lead Indy to an important location? What happens at the end to Indy’s blacklisting by the government? I could go on and on. There are some fun scenes, but they don’t really connect with one another, and I was often confused about where characters were, or how (or why) they’d gotten from one place to another.

The film really fell apart for me when I realized that, ultimately, the its all been building to Indy and the gang having to re-trace the steps of one of the other characters. This takes all the adventure and excitement out of the narrative! No more is Indy visiting places no one has ever been, or discovering things no one has ever seen (or at least, haven’t seen for thousands of years). No, here’s he’s just going back to someplace someone has just been. Where’s the excitement in that for the audiencve?

And finally, there is the ludicrous ending. I’m trying desperately to give my comments without ruining any details for those of you who will be seeing the movie. Maybe in a week or two I’ll revisit this in my blog in greater detail, after more people have seen the flick so I can worry less about spoilers. But remember what I wrote earlier about my feeling that the whole tone of the film was off? Nowhere was this more on display than in the last 20-30 minutes, in which it felt like our characters had wandered into the X-Files movie.

I wish I could report otherwise, but while there is some fun to be had, overall the movie is a bust. To me, the Indy saga ended with the gang riding off into the sunset at the end of The Last Crusade back in 1989. This new bunch of characters with some familiar names off on a new adventure? Don’t much recognize ‘em.

So I feel like I’ve come across as being rather down on the new Indiana Jones movie in my recent blog entries.   But really – it’s the first new Indiana Jones movie in 19 years!   How could I NOT be incredibly excited??

Am I a little dubious about The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull? Well, sure. But still, I cannot wait for May 22.

So, in the spirit of the power of positive thinking, I’ve decided to focus on the positives today.   So I hereby present you with my list of my ten favorite moments in the Indiana Jones series (so far), listed in order of preference:

10.   “They’re digging in the wrong place!”   I am as filled with glee as Indy and Sallah are each time I hear this magnificent line-reading.   (Raiders)

9.   “She talks in her sleep.”   Henry Jones’ revelation of how he knew Elsa was a Nazi.   Henry:   “I’m as human as the next man.”   Indy: “Dad, I was the next man!”   (The Last Crusade)

8.   Pretty much the whole opening sequence of The Temple of Doom, in which Harrison Ford plays Indiana Jones playing James Bond (complete with white Goldfinger tux).   I also admire anyone with the guts to open their big blockbuster action movie sequel with a dance number from “Anything Goes” – and in Mandarin, nonetheless! (Temple of Doom)

7.   “I am the monarch of the sea…”   After Marian kisses Sallah goodbye, he thumps his chest and wanders away down the pier while singing this little ditty.   It’s just a silly little extraneous moment, but there’s such LIFE in the character at that moment – I just love it.   (Raiders)

6.   “No time for love, Doctor Jones!”   My favorite Short Round line.
(Let me note here that I have never approved of a “kid sidekick” in a movie more than I approve of Short Round.   A terrific combination of role and actor.)   (Temple of Doom)

5.   “You could warn them…if only you spoke hovitos!”   The culmination of the phenomenal, iconic opening of Raiders of the Lost Ark is the introduction of the best Indy villain so far: Belloq.   Sort of a dark mirror image of Indy, Belloq is the archaeologist/adventurer without any morals. His taunting of Indy in this sequence (“once again Doctor Jones you see there is nothing you can possess that I cannot take away”) perfectly establishes his character and the rivalry dynamic with Indy.   (Raiders)

4.   “I should have mailed it to the Marx Brothers!”   There’s a lot of great Henry Jones/Indiana Jones banter throughout The Last Crusade, but Henry’s frustration at Indy for letting the Nazis capture his Grail diary is probably my favorite moment.   (Although “I suddenly remembered my Charlemagne” is pretty a good one, as well!”) (The Last Crusade)

3.   “Besides…you know what a cautious fellow I am.”   This is from a great scene early in Raiders, in which Marcus wishes that he were ten years younger so that he could accompany Indy on this adventure.   I love how that hints at their past together.   But my favorite moment is the end of that scene, when Marcus cautions Indy not to underestimate the significance and power of the lost Ark.   Indy scoffs at his warning (“Oh Marcus, what are you trying to do, scare me?   You sound like my mother”) but then adds “besides…you know what a cautious fellow I am” as we see, in a quick shot, Indy tossing his revolver into his suitcase…   (Raiders)

2.   “What truck?”   After getting his ass roundly kicked by the big Nazi boxer during the flying wing fight sequence, Indy is informed by Sallah that there’s still a chance to recover the ark, as the Nazis are now moving it on a truck.   The spirit with which Indy throws down the towel he’s been using to wipe his bloody face as he demands “what truck?” exemplifies the indomitable nature of this iconic character more than any other.   The magnificent truck chase sequence that follows ain’t too shabby either.   (Raiders)

1.   “You throw me the idol, I throw you the whip!”   Alfred Molina achieves movie infamy.   (Raiders)

On April 29th I wrote about my anticipation for all of this summer’s big-budget movies. But a quick perusal of last weeks’ Entertainment Weekly summer movie preview contained info on a number of smaller movies coming out this summer that sound like they’re also worth my ten bucks or whatever the hell it costs to go see a movie these days in downtown Boston.

Son of Rambow – Two British boys watch Rambo: First Blood and team up to film their own version. I saw the trailer last week and it looks dynamite. I have no idea of the story of the movie is anything like this at all, but the synopsis and the trailer remind me a lot of the 3 kids who made a shot for shot remake of Raiders of the Lost Ark. (I mentioned this on April 21st , and my buddy Andy Mo was kind enough to forward me the link to the Vanity Fair article about these guys.

http://www.vanityfair.com/culture/features/2004/03/raiders200403

I actually saw their version of Raiders at a sci-fi fan-film festival in Worcester a few years back, and it was one of the most amazing things I have ever beheld. I am desperate to see it again some day.) Anyhoos, that connection makes me very interested in this flick.

The Foot Fist Way – Apparently this is a comedy about a hapless tae kwon do instructor. It was made three years ago, and I’ve been reading about it on-line seemingly forever. According to EW, Will Farell used his clout to help this small film finally see a theatrical release. I’m intrigued.

Religulous – Bill Mahr and Larry Charles (writer for Seinfeld and director of Borat as well as many episodes of Curb Your Enthusiasm) team up for a documentary about the state of world religion. I’m there.

Towelhead – Another movie I’ve been reading about on-line for quite a while. Its based on Alicia Elan’s 2005 novel about a 13 year-old girl of Lebanese descent. On the surface that doesn’t sound so much like my kind of movie, but its written and directed by Alan Ball (who wrote American Beauty), so I’m interested.

Vicky Cristina Barcelona – Directed by Woody Allen and starring Penelope Cruz, Javier Bardem, and Scarlett Johansson. I always try to give a new Woody Allen movie a chance, and this one has a spectacular cast.

The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor – Just kiddin’!