When I was a young teen, or possibly even a preteen, my cousin Karen, who is 6-7 years older than me, got a babysitting gig and she invited me to help. The family had three kids, all of whom were quite a bit younger than me. I have no idea why she invited me to help, as that wasn’t something I regularly did, but there I went.
She rented two movies for us to watch and made a big deal out of how one of them was for the kids, and the other would be just for me and her. We’d watch that one after the little ones were put to bed. The first one was Robin Hood, the Disney animated film. The second was Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.
I had seen both of them before, but it really did make me feel special getting to watch Indiana Jones with my cousin after the “kids” had gone to bed. Famously, that film helped create the PG-13 rating as it has some pretty intense scenes including cutting a snake open so that they could eat the baby snakes writhing inside, and a man yanking another man’s heart out. All of that was catnip to this kid.
The entire movie was amazing to me in those days. As was Raiders of the Lost Ark, and later Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. While I now recognize that Temple of Doom is problematic in a variety of ways, I still absolutely love that trilogy.
Years later, they made a long-awaited fourth sequel, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. I hated it upon first viewing, but have warmed up to it a bit over the years. But not enough to make me actually go to the theater and see this latest installment, Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.
The reviews for that one have been pretty mixed, but I’m still excited to get a chance to watch it finally. And I’m happy to make it my Pick of the Week.
Also out this week that looks interesting:
Days of Heaven (Criterion, 4K UHD): Terrence Malick is one of those directors I really need to catch up on. He’s a critical darling, but I’ve only ever watched Badlands and The Thin Red Line, both of which I quite loved. Days of Heaven is often considered his masterpiece and now seems like the perfect time to find out how true that is.
Titanic (Paramount, 4K UHD): James Cameron’s epic about the failed voyage of the world’s most famous ship is getting a 4K upgrade complete with a huge box full of all kinds of cool extras. Greg Hammond has our review.
A Disturbance in the Force (Allied V): In 1978, CBS aired the Star Wars Holiday Special, a 98-minute television program that has become infamous in fan circles. It was so poorly received that George Lucas (nor Disney) have ever officially released it. Naturally, people have still found a way to watch the thing, being passed around on VHS cassettes and now on torrent sites and the like. This film is a documentary on how exactly the special was made and why it was so bad.
Silver Bullet Collector’s Edition (Shout Factory, 4K UHD): A pretty good little werewolf movie based on a Stephen King story gets special treatment from Scream Factory. Greg Hammond has our review.
Blast of Silence (Criterion Collection): Allen Baron’s terrific low-budget noir follows a hitman on a job that was doomed from the start.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – Season Two (Paramount Pictures): I hear really good things about this Star Trek series which acts as a prequel to the Original Series.
Young Guns: 35th Anniversary (Lionsgate, 4K UHD): Emily Estevez, Lou Diamond Phillips, Keifer Sutherland, and Charlie Sheen star in this classic 1980s western about Billy the Kid and his band of Regulators. For its anniversary, it is getting a fancy box loaded with extras. The coolest-looking set is a Best Buy exclusive.
