Not only am I somewhat of a Kevin Smith lookalike, I’m also a big fan of his movies. His next movie, Zack and Miri Make a Porno comes out this coming October. He’s released a teaser trailer containing footage not seen in the movie, but it gives us an idea what to expect. I’ll be waiting in line the day of release.
Indiana Jones is back, and he’s as good as he ever was. Its been 19 years since we last saw a new Indy movie on the big screen, and it has been wait has been worth it. He may be a little older and a little wiser, but he’s not too old to still kick some ass in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
The story (without giving away too many spoilers) is like so. We find ourselves after the 2 World Wars. Indiana is forced by communist Russians (replacing the Nazis of the previous movies) to find the mythical Crystal Skull. It is said he who holds the skulls commands the powers that it possesses. Stalin has created a squad who seeks out supernatural items. The story starts off in Area 51 in Nevada, with the communists forcing Indiana to seek out a special object in the same warehouse that we see at the end of Raiders of the Lost Ark. Indiana manages to escape, survive a nuclear blast, is targeted by the CIA for possibly being a communist and getting fired from his job as a university professor.
Enter Shia Labeouf (as Mutt Williams) who tracks down our hero. We learn that his mother (Marion from Raiders of the Lost Ark) was kidnapped by the Soviets to force Indy to help continue their search for the mythical skull. She was searching for Professor Oxley, an archeologist who was obsessed with the legend of the crystal skull. Indiana, with Mutt in tow, make their way to South America to rescue Marion and Oxley, and to search for the skull and return it to its place of origin, the fabled El Dorado (city of gold).
The quest has our heroes fight off the Soviets, ninja-like natives who are protecting the skull/El Dorado and giant ants who devour anything in their path. They make their way to the hidden city, fight off an army of natives, survive booby traps and finally return the crystal skull where it belongs.
As excited as I was at the thought of a new Indy movie, I was also a little hesitant. Harrison Ford isn’t a young man anymore. At age 65, would we see a mere shadow of who he once was? Being an action movie, could he still pull it off? The answer is a resounding YES! It only takes a few seconds to completely forget that he now qualifies for a senior’s discount. As soon as we see him put on the famed fedora hat, its like 20 years is washed away. We see Indy as he always was, a man of action, intelligence, wit and full of energy. Its very impressive to see him do his own stunts and pull it off flawlessly with little obvious CGI help.
This movie does not disappoint. This is truly an Indiana Jones movie. Though not as good as Raiders of the Lost Ark, its better than Temple of Doom, and I would place it on equal footing with The Last Crusade. I will warn you about one thing though. For the last 5-10 minutes of the movie, your suspension of disbelief has to be put in overdrive, even considering the subject matter of the past movies.
There was also a slight hint of passing the torch to Shia Labeouf. I really hope this doesn’t happen. I would rather see another actor take the helm and play the character of Indiana Jones, with my vote being 
Nathan Fillion (of Firefly fame). I know some of you think that no one but Harrison Ford could play Indiana Jones. I have to disagree. I just have to look at the James Bond series to see that a great character can be played by different great actors. With the right actor, and the right stories, there’s no reason why we couldn’t see Indiana Jones on the big screen in the future.
I give Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull 8 out of 10. 
Unlike last year, there are quite a few movies that I’m really interested in seeing this summer.
May 23rd
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I’ve seen this one today and will write a review shortly.
June 6th:
Kung Fu Panda. A funny animated movie voice starring Jack Black.
You Don’t Mess with the Zohan. I love Adam Sandler movies and this one looks just as funny as his previous ones.
June 13th:
The Incredible Hulk. The first version of the Hulk was one of Marvel’s weakest films. With Ed Norton in this one, it should be better.
The Happening. The latest movie from M Night Shyamalan. Interesting concept, hopefully it will be good.
June 20th:
Get Smart. I loved the show as a kid, and I think Steve Carell is hilarious.
June 27th:
Wall-E. The newest Pixar movie.
July 4th:
Hancock. Wil Smith as a superhero.
July 11th:
Hellboy II: The Golden Army. I loved the first movie, and I’m a big fan of Guillero Del Toro.
July 18th:
Batman: The Dark Knight. One of the 3 *really really really must see* movies I have this summer.
July 25th:
The X-Files 2: I Want to Believe. My 2nd *really really really must see* movie for the summer.
Aug 15th:
Star Wars: The Clone Wars. My 3rd *really really must see* movie.
Aug 29th:
Babylon AD. A Sci-fi movie starring Vin Diesel and martial artist action star Michelle Yeoh.
Looks like I was way off in my conference finals predictions 🙂 I was extremely surprised to see both my picks go down 3 games to none, mount a brief comeback, but eventually falling to the Red Wings and the Penguins.
So what’s my prediction for the finals? I say Detroit Red Wings in 6. This is an older, more experienced team who has been to the finals not too long ago and won. I don’t believe the Pittsburgh Penguins team is mature enough or experienced enough to come out a winner in these Stanley Cup finals.
Since my predictions were so bad in the last round, don’t take this one to the bank 😛
The moment I’ve been waiting for the last few months finally arrived this weekend. I finally managed to get my hands on Rock Band for the 360! I haven’t gotten to play much due to other things going on, but so far I absolutely love the game. This game allows me to do something that I’ve wanted to do for a long time, which is to play the drums.
Playing drums is a curiosity that I’ve carried with me since my teenage years and I have yet to fulfill that dream. Growing up, my parents wanted nothing to do with bringing in some loud drums into the house. When I moved out, I lived in an apartment for 10 or so years, so having a drumset was out of the picture. Now that I have a house drums may be possible, but not now. So this game allows me to fulfill this dream a little bit.
I’ve also tried the vocal/mic portion of the game and its a real hoot. Trying to vocally hit the right notes can be a little troublesome sometimes, especially if you don’t know the song. Its still lotsa fun. I haven’t tried the guitar/bass yet, as I’ve played plenty of Guitar Hero III and I was busy tasting something new. I’m sure I’ll get around to trying them soon.
I give Rock Star 9 out of 10. 
I managed to catch 2 movies at the theater in the last couple of weeks. It had been a while. I think the last movie I saw in theaters was Walk Hard over the Christmas break. Being an avid comic book reader, I was excited to see this movie. Though I’ve never read the Iron Man comic book, I did read some Avengers. Iron Man also has had tons of ‘cameo’ appearances in other comic books, so I was fully aware of his story.
This movie was pure fun! The story is fun and interesting without being over the top. Unlike previous Marvel movies, both the hero and the villain are ‘mere’ humans, not beings with super powers or mutants. Even though this is pure fantasy, it did bring the story to a more down to earth level. The acting in this flick was very very good, especially Robert Downey Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man. As much as his real life has been one disaster after another, this man can really act.
If you haven’t seen it yet, do yourself a favour and catch this flick. Just make sure you stay until the final credits have scrolled by for a little easter egg (and hopefully a sneak peak of what’s to come next!).
I give Iron Man 9 out of 10.
Last night my fiancee and I finally managed to go see the second Harold and Kumar movie, Harold and Kumar: Escape From Guantanamo Bay. This sequel, like most sequels, wasn’t as funny as the original. Like the original, the story revolves around these 2 stoners on a quest, walking into many situations which deter them from that quest. This time around, Harold and Kumar are trying to make their way to Amsterdam so that Harold can meet up with Maria, the girl we saw him confess his attraction to at the end of the first movie.
A funny situation on the plane derails those plans, as the main characters are labeled as terrorists and sent to Guantanamo Bay prison. They manage to escape and make their way back to the U.S., where they embark on another adventure to clear their names (and make their way to Amsterdam). Along the way Kumar hooks up with the love of his life, which in itself brings its own sub-story.
Though this movie has its funny moments, and you get to know more about the 2 stoners, its not as funny as the first movie. That would be a hard feat to accomplish, as the first movie was an instant classic and a breath of fresh air for comedies. This doesn’t mean the sequel is not funny, but its not as funny. The best bits in the movie revolve around Neil Patrick Harris who returns as himself, but drugged out and heterosexual.
Its still worth catching this flick if you can. Its been out for a while and may be out of distribution in some markets. If thats the case, do yourself a favour and rent this baby when it comes out on DVD.
I give Harold and Kumar: Escape From Guantanamo Bay 6 out of 10. 
Luc "Sandman" G.