Other Science Fiction Series

Indy Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull

POSTED BY: AURaptor
UPDATED: Monday, January 26, 2009 02:46
VIEWED: 6769
PAGE 3 of 5

Thursday, January 15, 2009 6:08 AM

I tried to watch this tonight. Got maybe 3/4 of the way in and just had to take it out.

Such a shame!

I am on The List. We are The Forsaken and we aim to burn!
"We don't fear the reaper"

FORSAKEN original

Yes We Did!




“I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ.” Mahatma Gandhi

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Thursday, January 15, 2009 4:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by TheSomnambulist:
Oh I loved this film! I thought it was heaps of fun. Watched it twice in the cine- Oh hang on. Wrong crowd. Bugger!


We are pilgrims in an unholy land, Som.



The laughing Chrisisall

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Friday, January 16, 2009 3:00 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by Katesfriend:
The first Indy was great, the second - the Temple of Doom - was dumb. The third was great again, and the fourth was just as dumb.

Whoah right there. ALL of 'em were DUMB when you get right down to it. This ain't SF; it's fantasy.
Quote:

It felt like the actors were being charactures of themselves, and were trying to find the cliches that had worked in the past, even though rat snakes don't make good ropes.
Once again, ageist attitudes prevail. These peeps are DECADES older than when we last saw them; they can't help but be markedly different.

It was a fun flick, period. If you want serious & meticulously devised, watch The Constant Gardner.


The LeCarre-like Chrisisall

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Friday, January 16, 2009 5:18 PM

Quote:

Whoah right there. ALL of 'em were DUMB when you get right down to it. This ain't SF; it's fantasy.


Whoah right there. Fantasy can be just as insightful as sf, and Sci-Fi can be just as banal as fantasy. Each genre has an underlying question. The core question of Sci-fi is "What if?"

Some sci-fi, like star wars, is often called fantasy or science-fantasy because it doesn't hinge on its futuristic or scientific elements. I mean, major key disputes come down to sword fights. You could take the whole thing, Vader is the dark lord, give him a castle instead of a space station, etc. And you have the same story.

Two things that people can't stand in a movie are basic outline choices, more than anything, some of these are inconsitancies or unimaginative choices, others can toss a whole film because they didn't like a perfectly legit and consistent, even surprising element, like killing Wash. I thought this was insanely clever, btw, because it had been preceded by a standard western death "Son, I'm going to croak, but let me impart some wisdom before I do so" style scene. Then Joss said, But wake up guys, this ain't the 1890s, and it ain't the 1950s, so it ain't your daddy's western, and I ain't constrained to no rules.

The other thing people don't like is anything that spoils the illusion, takes them out of the world of the story. Unbelievable situations, characters, and more than anything, just bad dialogue does this. If we can't believe in the characters, events, or places, in that order, then we can't believe in the world.

temple of doom, which god how did I end up defending, has the advantage that it doesn't spit you out of the reality. Here's what I think would be a step up from Indy and the CS, which I enjoyed watching, but has little cinematic merit: Indy and the CS4.

Just throw special effects and zombies and archaeology at us, and don't give us a reason. They can sell magic popcorn at the counter to help you enjoy the film ;)

There's no reason that visual entertainment has to be a coherent story. And, if it can't be one, it might as well give up and be all avant garde. I think Dr. Who has been running on this for 45 years

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Friday, January 16, 2009 5:36 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by dreamtrove:

Whoah right there. Fantasy can be just as insightful as sf, and Sci-Fi can be just as banal as fantasy. Each genre has an underlying question. The core question of Sci-fi is "What if?"


What if light sabres could actually work?
But they can't.
What if God really punished Nazis?
But she didn't.

So don't be throwin' Indy's fridge at me.
And I'm not one who just blindly accepts whatever crap is handed me; I HATED Matrix 2 & 3, SW 1, 2, & 3, Die Hard 3 & 4, Pirates 2 & 3, etc.

I place Indy 4 along side of X-Men 3; could have been better, but entertaining as hell in any case.


The 'splainin' Chrisisall

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Friday, January 16, 2009 6:35 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by chrisisall:
Whoah right there. ALL of 'em were DUMB when you get right down to it. This ain't SF; it's fantasy.



Whoah yerself, buddy. Fantasy isn't "dumb" by default, as you imply. And Raiders wasn't either.

I've never seen you post anything so wrong-headed or beneath your normal level. I'm seriously shocked here.

And your dismissiveness of those who have differing opinions... very dissapointing...isall.

I mean, equating the use of scifi tech in a space opera, or the foreshadowed ending of Raiders utilizing powers from the supernatural device - powers established in the second scene of the film, to the damned fridge... lazy man. Lazy.

"I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him."

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Friday, January 16, 2009 6:58 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Storymark:

Whoah yerself, buddy. Fantasy isn't "dumb" by default, as you imply.

If I implied that...I am sorry.
Quote:

And Raiders wasn't either.
I'm just sayin' that if Indy 4 is dumb, so are they all. Impossible stuff happens in all of them, and they all play fast & loose with physics. That's all.
Quote:



I've never seen you post anything so wrong-headed or beneath your normal level. I'm seriously shocked here.

Ground yourself, Story.
Quote:



And your dismissiveness of those who have differing opinions... very dissapointing...isall.


Never take my dismissiveness seriously when I'm talkin' entertainment, it's all good. Like I've said before, differences in how we perceive these flicks depends richly on what we individually bring to the party. Just please don't say a movie like Indy 4 is bad just because you (not YOU you) don't like it. Hey- some peeps loved Die Hard 4, and I can understand why.

The only time to take me 100% seriously concerning stuff like this is when I say Serenity is the BEST SF movie ever made.

Quote:

the damned fridge... lazy man. Lazy.
Can't really argue against this particular point.


The playin' Chrisisall

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Friday, January 16, 2009 7:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by chrisisall:
Just please don't say a movie like Indy 4 is bad just because you (not YOU you) don't like it.



Then, by the same token, you can't claim it's "good" just because you like it.

And the reason the fridge is dumb goes far beyond physics.

And is Firefly dumb, because of all the innumerable things show in it, that are impossible?

"I thoroughly disapprove of duels. If a man should challenge me, I would take him kindly and forgivingly by the hand and lead him to a quiet place and kill him."

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Friday, January 16, 2009 7:55 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Storymark:

Then, by the same token, you can't claim it's "good" just because you like it.

Touche'.
Quote:




And is Firefly dumb, because of all the innumerable things show in it, that are impossible?


Yep.
But they fixed them in Serenity.




Runs away

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Friday, January 16, 2009 8:23 PM

I think basically with all these films you have to dispense with alot of reality. (I'm sure I don't have to point that out) However I think what happens here is just how much reality you are prepared to dispense with... I believe myself and Chris are just happy to dispense with a great deal more than some... Could be that's a failing on our part could be it's not - who knows. Bottom line is we loved Indy 4 inspite of the points mentioned. No biggy.

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