DIAL OF DESTINY
Added 2023-06-27 01:13:52 +0000 UTCHas anyone seen it yet? I know some have gone to some screenings. I try not to learn much about a movie going into it but...unfortunately I've heard some things. What are you guys anticipating?
Comments
yeah she was great. Agreed.
Deepfocuslens
2023-07-07 05:49:04 +0000 UTCI just watched your review of the new Indiana Jones films. Like most reviewers you are disappointed with the the female lead. I have not seen the film yet so I can't comment. I would like to give you an example of a good female lead. - the Rachel Weisz character in the mummy. She is fiesty with out being obnoxious. This is the type of character they should have portrayed in the new Indy film
anthony scully
2023-07-07 04:52:13 +0000 UTCOh man…we’re at opposite ends of the divide on this one. It’s not that I don’t see your perspective. Han has qualities that one finds appealing when they’re younger: the cockiness, the smart-ass attitude, the reckless impulsivity. But as you get older and more mature…those things lose their appeal because they denote a person without much of a long-term plan, or a willingness to grow up. That type of person, from that perspective, can be hard to like. Thinking in terms of company I admit I would prefer someone like Indy to that of Han; I’d certainly get tired of the latter one faster. Still, in terms of movies, with the benefit of aesthetic distance, I’ll take the rogue over the archaeologist. Han has a livelier, spikier aura than Indy that, to me, makes him more fun to watch. I daresay he’s given better lines as well. And it’s not as if he doesn’t grow up a little over the course of the trilogy. He learns to be a little more altruistic and give a shit about other people. And when Leia grows closer to him and starts to admit her feelings, and especially when he’s captured, he takes on a kind of…gravitas that looks good on him, a concern for the people around him. It makes him that much more of a romantic hero, I think. I’m trying to think of a part where he acts like a simp, as you say (damn, that’s harsh). Is it where he throws a fit on Hoth when she doesn’t admit to having feelings towards him? I’ll admit that’s a low point for Han, but I think he bounces back from that over the course of the movie. The real problem with Han Solo, I think, is this: he should’ve died in Empire Strikes Back. With his relationship with Leia and his friends, as well as his antagonism towards the Empire, Han got to be the best possible version of himself he could be. But ultimately, he was still a smuggler, a criminal with no future ahead of him outside of the war against the Empire. It made sense for him to die, to heroically sacrifice himself for his friends, and for the only romantic moments between him and Leia to exist in the second film. They weren’t going to have much of a future together beyond the conflict they’re engaged in; they’re vastly different people with different priorities and wants in life. Besides, in order to bring weight to the darkness of the second chapter, it’s a bold yet canny move to kill off arguably the most popular character. It would mean that the saga’s not messing around. But then, I suppose, you wouldn’t sell as many toys. If you want to see how much of a dead-end trajectory it is to keep him alive, look no further than the entirety of Return of the Jedi. Han loses a lot of his spark in that one; he’s pretty bland and boring compared to the previous two films. If Harrison Ford prefers Indy to Han, then so be it. It may very well be for the reasons you say, and it might be more pleasureable to inhabit a character with nobler qualities. But…I don’t think there’s reason to write off Han as much as he does. Han is the cynical loner of the original trilogy who comes to discover a heroic streak he didn’t know he had. He comes to care about people and things other than himself. Had he been given a more tragic end, these changes in him would’ve been weightier and more pronounced. Nevertheless, I think he’s a character worth treasuring and having pride in portraying, certainly right alongside Indiana Jones.
Bennett Oliver
2023-06-28 01:38:29 +0000 UTCI dont ever want things to fail. But it's hard to have that position when people like Kathleen Kennedy are in charge.
Deepfocuslens
2023-06-27 21:03:13 +0000 UTCI'm glad to hear it. I really try to do the same with each film I see. Though...it's hard with this one. But I'm really gonna give it my attention.
Deepfocuslens
2023-06-27 21:02:45 +0000 UTCSo it's interesting you say that. Because I actually find there to be quite a difference between Han and Indy. I watched all the Star Wars films last year, and watched a couple Indiana Jones films as well, so it's all quite fresh in my mind in ways it hasn't been in years. I find it weird how Harrison Ford seems so bitter towards Star Wars and less so towards Indiana Jones for sure. Have always thought that. Though I do see how Star Wars is likely much more of a nightmare for a celebrity to live with day to day compared to being in an Indiana Jones film. So perhaps it's that, or perhaps it's having to do more Star Wars films in the contract than he wanted to do, or maybe it has to do with George. I really dunno. But so far as character preference, I find Han Solo to be a character that really doesnt age well at all, whereas Indy ages quite well. Han is really lame. He's rude, selfish, immature, but worse than that, he is a bit of a simp, ironically. Yet would never admit to it, of course. He's a rather grading character that really doesnt age well in my eyes. Others have pointed it out to me too in recent years. It's really a credit to Harrison Ford that he made that character compelling. Because for me, it's certainly not on the page that we get that from Han. Of course I would've preferred Kurt Russel in the part but...Harrison gave Han the right kind of swagger that works for a kids movie. But Indiana Jones is a lot more likeable so far as personality. More middle of the road accessible hero who certainly has his flaws, but he's a good dude with honest intentions. He's likeable, stoic, but funny too, motivated beyond his self-interests, he's interesting, and easy to get behind for each adventure. For these reasons, it is no surprise to me why Harrison prefers this character from an enjoyment perspective.
Deepfocuslens
2023-06-27 21:02:21 +0000 UTCI anticipate an improvement over Crystal Skull. It will upgrade from a horrible festering turd of a movie devoid of any joy or cleverness but with plenty of eye-rolling implausibility to a movie that is…just mediocre. I don’t think there will be any “nuke the fridge” moments or incongruous little green men, but the freshness of an Indiana Jones movie has long since died out. It’s not just copycat properties like the National Treasure movies and the Uncharted games, it’s virtually every summer blockbuster that has come out since Raiders of the Lost Ark. The makers of those movies, consciously or not, looked to Raiders as a template for what they wanted theirs to be—action thrill rides with set pieces and humor and adventure and spectacle and…pretty much anything to be found in a summer film. I know that Harrison Ford was the driving force to getting this made, and I can understand that he wanted to give Indy a proper sendoff. But…it’s not enough that the character is older now and more vulnerable. We’ve seen his type of adventure in many iterations since his glorious days in the ‘80s. It’s been played out. But even with all that said, here’s hoping Dr. Jones gets a satisfying conclusion. I think he deserves it…though if we’re being honest, he should’ve died long ago from radiation exposure. That shit will melt your face off for real, more so than anything found in the Ark of the Covenant. Here’s my question though: why does Harrison Ford prefer Indiana Jones so much over Han Solo? They’re so…interchangeable. I mean, okay, Han is more snarky and cocksure and Indy more endearingly beleaguered and vulnerable, but I think both characters are defined by the essential qualities of Ford himself, that which had a hold on audiences for so long a time. They’re both stock characters given life by his own personality, his own appeal as a star: an everyman with gruff charm, wiseacre humor, rugged good looks and enough physicality to make you believe he can put himself through all that derring-do action but not too much to make you think he’s invincible. They’re qualities that, with the exception of a few movies like 42 or The Mosquito Coast (and, arguably, Blade Runner), he’s given to all his characters throughout his career. I don’t know, maybe what it comes down to is that Han and Indy are rooted in the same kind of kid stuff that Spielberg and Lucas grew up on: Flash Gordon space fantasies and adventure serials. With that in mind, it seems weird to favor one immeasurably over the other. He famously, and hilariously, doesn’t relate to Star Wars and its milieu. Is the world of Indiana Jones, with its B-movie dangers and comic-book Nazis, that much different or more sophisticated? Anyways, his preference has always kind of puzzled me.
Bennett Oliver
2023-06-27 03:09:49 +0000 UTCI saw that same video. It’s ridiculous how much money was put into the movie
Ken
2023-06-27 03:04:17 +0000 UTCI’ll give it a chance. I’ve heard things too, but I have an open mind about it.
Ken
2023-06-27 03:03:48 +0000 UTCI love Critical Drinker and he came out with a video today about how this is a recipe for a sure financial flop. I hope it does so these bigoted morons will learn to stop trashing more and more franchises although I'm not holding my breath over them.
Wolfman Brandon
2023-06-27 01:41:17 +0000 UTCThat’s fair. Everyone has their own movie tastes. Your Star Wars reviews are great. I could tell you were slowly dying inside with each review. I personally can’t get past the prequels.
Shane Palamara
2023-06-27 01:37:22 +0000 UTChaha I'm pumped af about it. I reviewed nine major the Star Wars films last year and that was just such a unique perspective that I can't pass this one up.
Deepfocuslens
2023-06-27 01:31:40 +0000 UTCI have 0% interest in seeing it. I wish major studios would have the balls to allow young creative directors to form their own action/adventure franchises for the younger generations (instead of nostalgia circle jerks). Even if the original projects are a total fail, they have my respect!
Shane Palamara
2023-06-27 01:30:19 +0000 UTCI like Mangold but I dont think his directing can save a faulty product. Or at least, that's what I fear. Another Star Wars situation.
Deepfocuslens
2023-06-27 01:19:50 +0000 UTCI hate that film so much that I dont ever plan on seeing it again. I just pretend it doesnt exist.
Deepfocuslens
2023-06-27 01:19:03 +0000 UTCI agree. I only have interest to see how Kathleen Kennedy ruins it lol.
Deepfocuslens
2023-06-27 01:18:45 +0000 UTCFrom what I’m hearing, not as bad as Crystal Skull but still has its issues especially in the beginning and the end. I want to see it since I’m a big fan of the original trilogy and have always appreciated James Mangold.
Stephen
2023-06-27 01:18:35 +0000 UTCIf there's any reverence for Indiana Jones its nostalgia for when blockbusters used practical effects and real locations. The new movie looks like it basically stars and animated version of Harrison Ford. I don't understand who would be excited about this?
Arthur Augustyn
2023-06-27 01:17:44 +0000 UTCI’m anticipating a disaster that will cause me to reevaluate Crystal Skull much more favorably
Jackson Littlewood
2023-06-27 01:14:48 +0000 UTC
