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Thursday, February 14, 2008

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An interesting test of cultural wills

Here's the new Indiana Jones trailer (hat tip: Isaac Chotiner):

Of course, the last time George Lucas tried to resuscitate a classic movie series from my youth, I had to endure the torture of watching Lucas reduce Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman, and Samuel L. Jackson to uttering the worst lines since Showgirls. Even Lucas admitted that much of the second Star Wars trilogy was padding. This is a serious cultural transgression -- I mean, this is Samuel motherf@#$ing Jackson we're talking about!

However, in the case of the Indiana Jones saga, Lucas faces an interesting frenemy -- Steven Spielberg. As Tom Shone discussed in a fascinating Slate story a few years back, the interplay between these two has been fascinating. For the audience's sake, I can only hope that Spielberg proves to be stronger with the force in shaping this movie.

posted by Dan on 02.14.08 at 03:59 PM

Comments:

Oh, to age as well as Harrison Ford.

posted by: a Duoist on 02.14.08 at 03:59 PM [permalink]

Nice to see an heroic college professor for a change...

posted by: msj on 02.14.08 at 03:59 PM [permalink]

At least one missed opportunity already in the trailer. The response to "You're a teacher?" should be "Adjunct." Just sayin.

Also, a very loose adaptation of the WWII parts of Cryptonomicon would be a good basis for an Indiana Jones movie.

posted by: Doug on 02.14.08 at 03:59 PM [permalink]

Shia leWho?

posted by: Troll on 02.14.08 at 03:59 PM [permalink]

Doug--Good idea, but the part about Bobby Shaftoe getting impaled on all the antennas on top of Corregidor at the end would be kind of a downer for an Indy Jones movie, I'm thinking.

Indy Part IV can't be any worse than Temple of Doom, can it?

posted by: Useless Sam Grant on 02.14.08 at 03:59 PM [permalink]

Temple of Doom is a terrific movie ... as long as you stop watching when the plane takes off and the bad guy pilot looks through the cockpit window and grins. Up to that point it's perfect, and after that ... well there isn't any after that because none of us ever watch it, right`?

posted by: Doug on 02.14.08 at 03:59 PM [permalink]