{"id":865,"date":"2008-06-02T21:12:31","date_gmt":"2008-06-03T01:12:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/?p=865"},"modified":"2022-10-12T16:05:36","modified_gmt":"2022-10-12T20:05:36","slug":"raiders-of-the-lost-ark","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/raiders-of-the-lost-ark\/","title":{"rendered":"They don’t make PG movies anymore like Steven Spielberg’s Raiders of the Lost Ark"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In order to catch up on the overwhelming backlog of movies I intend to cover here on this blog, this blogger is forced to cover Raiders of the Lost Ark<\/em> with only a few disconnected observations:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The 2008 DVD reissues of the classic Indiana Jones<\/em> trilogy have terribly designed menus; it looks like everything’s been overprocessed with Photoshop’s “Dust and Scratches” filter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The zippy, witty screenplay is by Laurence Kasdan, known to genre geeks as the beloved writer of the best Star Wars<\/em> script, now and forever: The Empire Strikes Back<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Harrison
Indy ponders the ethics of looting<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Hey, it’s that guy! A young Alfred Molina briefly appears in his first film role. In the DVD bonus features, he recounts an amusing tale involving his lack of difficulty in evoking fear in his performance as a batch of real tarantulas scrambled across his face.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Does the Indiana Jones franchise really give the field of archaeology a good name? Indy is motivated by money; he loots relics without the permission of indigenous peoples, and sells them to a museum associated with the university where he teaches. It’s implied his job or tenure – and that of his boss Marcus – depend on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Karen Allen is really winning as the hard-drinkin’ Marion, and it’s a pity she never became a bigger star, or at least appeared in the second and third installments. She was robbed!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Karen
Karen Allen, when she learned she wasn’t being called back for the sequels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I think I had the official coloring book as a kid, and I recall being fascinated by the concept of lost cities buried under sand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For better or for worse, the practical details of the phantasmagoric climax are left unexplained: why is the Ark empty, why does it make bad guys’ heads explode and\/or melt, why does it matter if your eyes are open or not, and how does Indy know all this information?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There’s lotsa drinking, gunplay, gore, and German profanity – in other words, all the stuff kids love! They don’t make PG movies like this anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Kids, the moral of the story is: anyone with a non-American accent is not to be trusted.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In order to catch up on the overwhelming backlog of movies I intend to cover here on this blog, this blogger is forced to cover Raiders of the Lost Ark with only a few disconnected observations: The 2008 DVD reissues of the classic Indiana Jones trilogy have terribly designed menus; it looks like everything’s been […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4839,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[16,2],"tags":[1557,35,730,639,1102,1101,1111,2055,1105],"class_list":["post-865","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-4-stars","category-movies","tag-1557","tag-action","tag-alfred-molina","tag-george-lucas","tag-harrison-ford","tag-indiana-jones","tag-karen-allen","tag-laurence-kasdan","tag-steven-spielberg"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/raiders-of-the-lost-ark-feature.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pa9lhB-dX","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":869,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/indiana-jones-temple-of-doom\/","url_meta":{"origin":865,"position":0},"title":"Indiana Jones seeks fortune and glory in The Temple of Doom","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"June 3, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"In order to catch up on the overwhelming backlog of movies I intend to cover here on this blog, I'm going to keep it brief with a few disconnected thoughts: An opening caption places the action in \"1935.\" Raiders of the Lost Ark was set in 1936, so, The Temple\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "2 Stars"","block_context":{"text":"2 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/2-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/indiana-jones-and-the-temple-of-doom-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/indiana-jones-and-the-temple-of-doom-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/indiana-jones-and-the-temple-of-doom-feature.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/indiana-jones-and-the-temple-of-doom-feature.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/indiana-jones-and-the-temple-of-doom-feature.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":873,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/indiana-jones-last-crusade\/","url_meta":{"origin":865,"position":1},"title":"Indiana Jones returns to form in The Last Crusade","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"June 4, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"In order to catch up on the overwhelming backlog of movies I intend to cover here on this blog, this blogger is going to keep it brief with a few disconnected thoughts: Re-watching the original trilogy as an adult is an interesting experience; even the first time around as a\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "3 Stars"","block_context":{"text":"3 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/3-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/indiana-jones-last-crusade-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/indiana-jones-last-crusade-feature.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/indiana-jones-last-crusade-feature.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/indiana-jones-last-crusade-feature.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/06\/indiana-jones-last-crusade-feature.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":857,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/indiana-jones-kingdom-of-the-crystal-skull\/","url_meta":{"origin":865,"position":2},"title":"Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is the second worst Indiana Jones movie","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"May 24, 2008","format":false,"excerpt":"Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is ultimately disappointing, especially if one reflects too much on its plot and basic plausibility, but it not totally without redeeming qualities. It is also far from the worst entry in the franchise (that would be Temple of Doom - blech!\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "3 Stars"","block_context":{"text":"3 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/3-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Indiana Jones Kingdom of the Crystal Skull","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/indiana-jones-kingdom.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/indiana-jones-kingdom.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/indiana-jones-kingdom.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/indiana-jones-kingdom.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2008\/05\/indiana-jones-kingdom.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":1854,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/transporter\/","url_meta":{"origin":865,"position":3},"title":"Lean, Tailored, and Ferociously Fit: Jason Statham in Transporter 3","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"July 7, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Transporter 3, produced by Luc Besson and directed by Olivier Megaton, is an international product tailored for the American market. Despite its French locales, German cars, and adorably freckled Ukrainian hottie, the hero and villain are both quite American. The titular Transporter is Frank Martin (Jason Statham), a fighter and\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "1 Star"","block_context":{"text":"1 Star","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/1-star\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Transporter 3","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/transporter-3-featured.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/transporter-3-featured.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/transporter-3-featured.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/transporter-3-featured.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2009\/07\/transporter-3-featured.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":301,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/the-dork-report-for-july-7-2006\/","url_meta":{"origin":865,"position":4},"title":"The Dork Report for July 7, 2006","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"July 7, 2006","format":false,"excerpt":"Roger Ebert's Great Movies. But what on earth was he thinking with Ripley's Game? As someone who works at New Line \/ Fine Line (and in fact actually started to design the official web site), my impression was that it went straight to video not because of Lord of the\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "The Dork Report"","block_context":{"text":"The Dork Report","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/dork-report\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Dork Report","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/dork-report.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/dork-report.png?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/dork-report.png?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/dork-report.png?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/08\/dork-report.png?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6275,"url":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/laurence-olivier-wrestles-gregory-peck-in-the-boys-from-brazil\/","url_meta":{"origin":865,"position":5},"title":"Laurence Olivier wrestles Gregory Peck in The Boys From Brazil","author":"Chad Ossman","date":"December 2, 2009","format":false,"excerpt":"Franklin J. Schaffner's The Boys From Brazil is one of those they-don't-make-them-that-way-anymore that I miss: the paranoid thriller that blends sci-fi with politics. I'm thinking Coma, The Manchurian Candidate, and Jacob's Ladder. It's often a fool's errand to complain about plausibility in genre flicks, but I think internal consistency is\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "3 Stars"","block_context":{"text":"3 Stars","link":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/category\/ratings\/3-stars\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"The Boys From Brazil","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/boys-from-brazil-poster.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/boys-from-brazil-poster.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/boys-from-brazil-poster.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/boys-from-brazil-poster.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/10\/boys-from-brazil-poster.jpg?resize=1050%2C600&ssl=1 3x"},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/865","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=865"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/865\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6333,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/865\/revisions\/6333"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/4839"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=865"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=865"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chadossman.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=865"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}