kritikal kritiks

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is one of the highly-anticipated movies in my list ever since I heard that this movie was being produced a couple of years ago. And how time flies! Today is the first day of showing and I just had to watch it tonight.

Well... what can I say? This movie brought me back to the good old days when sleuthing was the coolest thing thanks to Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys and the Bobsy Twins. And Indiana Jones was the ultimate detective, solving riddles that tested man for centuries.

Like always, I will not divulge much in terms of plot in this review. But the good old Indiana Jones goes out once again for ancient artifacts and legends, and that things are not always what they seem to be.

This adventure is centered on a mystical crystal skull, said to have been taken from El Dorado, the lost city of gold. The setting of the film is in the cold war era, and right behind Indy's every move are the Russians trying to get hold of power to rule the world.

There are the action scenes with cars and guns in them. Great show! And of course, there's the exploration bit in jungles and solving ancient puzzles and slipping through traps. It's what I expected an Indiana Jones movie to be!

I really, really want to touch on the storyline right now so I'll just stop and say that I enjoyed the movie. Now begs the question: which of the four films is my favorite?

I'd still say that Raiders of the Lost Ark is still be best Indy movie, principally because it centered on something we can relate to (the Ark of the Covenant), and it had just the right magic touch to spurn the imagination of the kid that was me all those years ago that I still feel the adventure whenever I watch the DVD. Second is the Last Crusade, followed by this latest installment, and then Temple of Doom would be the fourth. But that's not to say that this film is a measly third. In fact, if Raiders of the Lost Ark were a 99%, then the Last Crusade would be a 98, and Crystal Skull a 97, and Temple of Doom a 96.

It's sooo good to watch an Indiana Jones movie on the big screen once again! Hats off to Steven Spielberg!

[cross-posted in watson.online/]

Watching films like this sometimes make me wonder how easy life must be in the Land of Opportunity. I mean, here's a dude who works for his father but he simply goofs around and he still gets to keep a really huge apartment. Then there's this girl who works in a busy trading floor but still has time to plan every bit of detail for her loved one. And then, just like that, they pack up and head for Vegas. What a life.. it's like they have no care in the world.

Yeah, it's time to slap me a couple of times so I can get thrown back to reality. Movies don't exactly portray real life, don't they?

At any rate, the premise of getting married to a person you knew for a very brief period exemplifies how life can make a turn for the worse, and then suddenly for the better... or is it? Well, the trailers show this anyway so it's no secret that the movie is about a couple who really want out of an instant marriage suddenly end up wanting in because of a 3 million dollar prize money. But their marriage isn't exactly a bed of roses. It's more like a bed of thorns. But the six months of hard marriage could be the most interesting highlights of their life yet as they try to outwit, outlast, and outplay each other. Wait... that's another show.

We certainly enjoyed watching this movie. Lots of laughs, lots of heart. Cameron Diaz is one of my favorite actresses, and Ashton Kutcher certainly played his character as a bum-turned-responsible citizen to a tee.

Ok, I admit it. I'm a sucker for superhero movies. Save for Punisher and Elektra, I have watched the Batmans , Supermans and X-Men and eagerly anticipate whatever Marvel or DC Comics will pull from its hat in the future. And though Iron Man isn't exactly one of my favorite heroes, the teasers were enough to get me reeled in, hook, line and sinker.

Well... I have watched the movie twice and I must say that I really like how the story of Iron Man was told. It wasn't all eye candy, although I should give credit to the cinematic crew for creating such a hi-tech environment that's not at all impossible, what with the recent developments in AI and virtual reality.

I must say, I am indeed impressed at how these two technologies have been fused together to allow for full human interaction with system design and analysis. Tony Stark, a certified genius for creating electronic marvels, accomplishes his feats with his robotic arm assistants and virtual reality, 3D interface. I am awed enough to have my interest sparked once again in robotics and AI. Yes, I'm a frustrated computer engineer (that course was not yet offered when I was in college - don't ask what year that was).

Iron Man gives us a glimpse of how man exerts his power of technology to bring either productivity, or destruction. Tony Stark makes a 360-degree turn on his outlook of life as he becomes entrenched in a trap which he inadvertently helped create: a trap of demise and cruelty. And using the skills that he possess, he creates a force to combat that evil.

This is a feel-good movie, and the action scenes do not disappoint. No mutants or space people this time, just humans and their hi-tech toys, making this film truly believable. I have not read any Iron Man comic title, but I believe that Robert Downey, Jr. did an exceptional job at depicting the complex character that's Tony Stark. It was a pleasure seeing Gwyneth Paltrow as well as the faithful assistant Pepper Potts. And Jeff Bridges! My, has he grown old! Or was his character simply meant to be that way?

Overall I love the plot, the eye candy, the characters, the cars, the computers, the robots. The war scenes where the people hide in houses and the enemy throws bombs inside or riddles it with bullets even reminded me of the book I read about World War II in Manila. I wish there was an Iron Man back then.

cross-posted in watson.online/