2519 replies to this topic

[Judo chop]

[quote name='Harmsway' post='861519' date='17 April 2008 - 10:33']Just something Spielberg had to say about the Indy trailer and trailers in general:

[box]"I've always been stingy about the scenes I show in a teaser or a trailer. Because my experience has been

[Royal Dalton]

Harrison Ford interview.

http://www.usatoday....ison-ford_N.htm

He also might consider a fifth installment of Indiana Jones, though he hopes it wouldn't take 20 years to pull together.

[Harmsway]

So now I will blindly assume that everything we've seen so far all occurs within the first 60 minutes of the film.

Not quite. But (really minor spoilers follow)

Spoiler

it seems pretty certain that the warehouse stuff is just the teaser sequence, and the token shots of jungle activity are just assorted bits of none-too-impressive material (and the action scenes, I'm told, are quite epic).

[Judo chop]

So now I will blindly assume that everything we've seen so far all occurs within the first 60 minutes of the film.

Not quite. But (really minor spoilers follow)

Spoiler

it seems pretty certain that the warehouse stuff is just the teaser sequence, and the token shots of jungle activity are just assorted bits of none-too-impressive material (and the action scenes, I'm told, are quite epic).

Still feeling pretty good about Kingdom, are you Harms? Feeling like it

[Harmsway]

Still feeling pretty good about Kingdom, are you Harms?

I am. However, I also recognize that KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL is going to be a controversial flick. Some people will love it, others will hate it.

Feeling like it’ll fall between Raiders and Temple in terms of your own personal preference? (Which is another matter, and one that I'm still hoping to cure you of. )

Lost cause, my friend. Lost cause. But I do imagine that I'll end up liking KINGDOM more than either of the sequels.

I’ve spent hardly any time in this thread, so the question may have already been broached a billion times over, but any chance that…

Spoiler

that warehouse in the trailer is the same place where the Ark’s been stored all these years?

It has been broached a million times over, and the answer is yes (it's been confirmed through official channels a few times now). However...

Spoiler

the Russians aren't there to get the Ark, from what I understand... they're getting that crate from the Roswell crash.

[freemo]

Too long!

Why can't they keep these things to under two hours anymore?

Well if it's any comfort, going on Speilberg's recent form, the film proper will end at the 2 hour mark and then go on for an extra (and pointless) 20 mins extra!

That's a tremendous comfort. Thank you.

I'm tentatively looking forward to this, but I fear, and have done since the beginning, that it's going to be a big, bloated, over long, overly-sentimental, self-important, overtly self-conscious pseudo-epic (with 45% more winks and nods). The 140 min runtime doesn't ease those concerns.

All I want is a 100-110 minute thrill ride. Indy and team go into a booby-trap filled haunted house looking for treasure, and get knocked off one-by-one TEN LITTLE INDIANS style. Is that too much to ask? Or rather, is that not enough to ask?

[Loomis]

I agree with you, freemo. My advice is: be a RAMBO man. Sure, it's pretty basic, but it is what it is, and it won't try to get clever with you or sell you a bill of goods. There aren't any winks or nods, and as for "self-conscious" - well, Stallone very obviously doesn't have a single self-conscious bone in his body. You'll know where you are with it. Enough of this chestbeating TWINE and Indiana - oh, pardon me, Doctor - Jones rubbish. This munching at McDonalds that has to pretend it's savouring at Sardi's. Sly'll sort you out fair and square. Wham, bam, thank you, ma'am, meat-and-potatoes action flick fare.

[freemo]

Loomis, I've only ever seen the first one (great, BTW), but you'll be pleased to hear that I went through a huge ROCKY phase about this time last year. You might be less pleased to hear that IV turned out to be my DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER of the ROCKY series. I'll explain why the next time there's a ROCKY thread floating about.

[Loomis]

You might be less pleased to hear that IV turned out to be my DIAMONDS ARE FOREVER of the ROCKY series.

LOL! I can certainly understand where you're coming from on that one. It's definitely the DAF of the series. (By the same token, the GOLDFINGER is ROCKY III, with its settling of all the iconic elements by introducing the "Eye of the Tiger" song, Rocky's USA trunks, etc., and the CASINO ROYALE is, of course, ROCKY BALBOA.)

At least you're not saying that you think ROCKY V is the best of the bunch. I gather that there are actually some people out there who think that. Somewhere. *Shudder*

[Harmsway]

The 140 min runtime doesn't ease those concerns.

The 140 minute runtime was debunked today. It was B.S. speculation based on an off-hand comment by John Williams. The runtime for KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL is a neat 123 minutes, right in line with the other three.

In other news, though, THE DARK KNIGHT clocks in at an epic 2 hrs, 45 minutes.


Anyway, new photos:









And Variety's Anne Thompson writes an good blog post about INDY IV's advertising, in light of some less-than-positive rumors that have come down the internet pipeline in recent days:

Don't believe anything you read about Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull based on people who have actually seen it because as far as I know, Steven Spielberg has only shown it to the Cannes Film Festival (read Todd McCarthy's story here). Yes, the movie will show in Cannes, as we initially reported, on May 18. It will screen in the states that same day. There will be no junket.

This amazingly speculative Indy 4 blog post from New York's Vulture fancifully cobbles together the mere suggestion that George Lucas is downplaying the movie and therefore it must be as bad as Star Wars: Episode 1--The Phantom Menace. This inspired the suggestion that Shia LaBeouf will prove to be this movie's Jar Jar Binks! Jesus. A headline in search of a story. The advance buzz on Indy is getting damaging enough that that Lucas and Spielberg may want to reconsider the current strategy of waiting until May 18 to show the film to everyone at once. That's a long way off.

All the controlling behavior on Munich only backfired. Spielberg has an old-fashioned view of the marketing and PR world. He may not realize how fast-moving everything is now. Saving up for the big reveal can backfire in a huge way, as last year's The Da Vinci Code proves. (At least Indy 4 is not slated for opening night.) In other words, you better have the goods.

[HildebrandRarity]

Er...So, The Da Vinci Code was a bomb? I know it was a s#!t movie, but it made a fair amount of BO (that's box office, not body odour).

So what is that person's point?

[jaguar007]

I'm sure Indy 4 will be exactly what I am expecting, a great fun ride about as good as the two Raiders sequels and not as good as Raiders itself. I am happy with that.

[stamper]

Is that a beer gut I see on Indy in that last picture ?

[Mr Teddy Bear]

SPIELBERG: There's a line that was thematic for me, and it's not a line that's actually in the movie. And it illustrates why I was comfortable letting Harrison age 18, 19 years. In the first movie, he says, ''It's not the years, sweetheart, it's the mileage.'' Well, my whole theme in this movie is, It's not the mileage sweetheart, it's the years.

Everyone was expecting/predicting that line. If Kingdom was going to go down the self aware route surely this would've been the quintessential line to include. I think Spielberg knows what he's doing.

Those new photos look fantastic, Harmsway. I am particularly anticipating Indy's brawl with the heavy on the rock sled. It looks like he is in the process of getting the beaten out of him, a scene any good Indy flick needs.

Edited by Mr Teddy Bear, 18 April 2008 - 06:24 AM.

[marktmurphy]

In other news, though, THE DARK KNIGHT clocks in at an epic 2 hrs, 45 minutes.

Oh no; seriously? Not sure I can take that.

[Loomis]

Er...So, The Da Vinci Code was a bomb? I know it was a s#!t movie, but it made a fair amount of BO (that's box office, not body odour).

So what is that person's point?

It wasn't "last year's The Da Vinci Code", either - the film came out in 2006. Poor research.

[Jim]

In other news, though, THE DARK KNIGHT clocks in at an epic 2 hrs, 45 minutes.

Oh no; seriously? Not sure I can take that.

Agreed. One for DVD, I think.

[sharpshooter]

In other news, though, THE DARK KNIGHT clocks in at an epic 2 hrs, 45 minutes.

Oh no; seriously? Not sure I can take that.

2hrs 45 minutes worth of Bat? = Heaven.

[Loomis]

In other news, though, THE DARK KNIGHT clocks in at an epic 2 hrs, 45 minutes.

Oh no; seriously? Not sure I can take that.

Even though I'm even less of a Batman fan than I am an Indiana Jones fan, I'd rather see a long DARK KNIGHT than a long CRYSTAL SKULL, simply because I trust the Batman series (under Nolan) more with complex, interesting narrative and characterisation than I trust the Jones franchise.

Recently, I saw a three-and-a-half-hour film called EUREKA that's one of the most riveting things I've ever seen and simply flies by (although admittedly I watched it in stages). I very much doubt that THE DARK KNIGHT will be in remotely the same league of excellence, but I'm personally not discouraged by the running time (I really hope there'll be an intermission, though!). After all, it ain't about how long a movie is - it's about how long it feels.

[DamnCoffee]

In other news, though, THE DARK KNIGHT clocks in at an epic 2 hrs, 45 minutes.

Oh no; seriously? Not sure I can take that.

2hrs 45 minutes worth of Bat? = Heaven.

Indeed , I'm looking really forward to seeing this.

[zencat]

That's crazy.

[Harmsway]

In other news, though, THE DARK KNIGHT clocks in at an epic 2 hrs, 45 minutes.

Oh no; seriously? Not sure I can take that.

2hrs 45 minutes worth of Bat? = Heaven.

Indeed , I'm looking really forward to seeing this.

And since Nolan has more than enough material to fill it, I'm quite excited. In fact, I'd be worried if it was any shorter, since I'd question his ability to do some of the story elements justice.

[Harmsway]

In an interview with a German cinema magazine, Lucas openly confirmed that

Spoiler

Mutt Williams (Shia LeBeouf) is Indy's son, and that the crystal skulls are of alien origin. We already knew this, of course, but this is the first official confirmation.

Spoiler

According to numerous accounts, the quicksand scene is where Indy is told that Mutt Williams (Shia LeBeouf) is his son.

[Loomis]

Ford really does look amazing for his age. Okay, so he's a multi-millionaire who's also getting all the lookin' good help Hollywood can give him, but it really does look as though CRYSTAL SKULL was made just a couple of years after LAST CRUSADE.

Harmsway, which story elements in particular are you thinking of when you say Nolan needs a long running time (which I for one certainly don't begrudge him - this is the third piece of DARK KNIGHT news that has made me somewhat interested in the film, following the announcements of Maggie G replacing Katie H and the Hong Kong locations)?

Also, to what extent do you think Ledger's death may have impacted on the film, e.g. editing scenes For Reasons Of Taste™ [for instance, if the Joker were seen buying sleeping pills, which is obviously an extreme and imaginary example, but you know what I mean, I'm sure], or reworking the storyline given that Ledger won't be able to do BB 3 and the role will presumably not be recast?

[Harmsway]

Ford really does look amazing for his age. Okay, so he's a multi-millionaire who's also getting all the lookin' good help Hollywood can give him, but it really does look as though CRYSTAL SKULL was made just a couple of years after LAST CRUSADE.

It's really remarkable. For all the qualms about Ford's age, it seems those concerns, at least, can be safely put to bed.

Harmsway, which story elements in particular are you thinking of when you say Nolan needs a long running time (which I for one certainly don't begrudge him - this is the third piece of DARK KNIGHT news that has made me somewhat interested in the film, following the announcements of Maggie G replacing Katie H and the Hong Kong locations)?

Well...

Spoiler

THE DARK KNIGHT is a sort of sprawling epic. We have tons of story threads going on at the same time: mobs vying for control of Gotham (Scarecrow, Moroni, Joker, all in-fighting); the Joker's campaign of terror and assassination plan; vigilantes flooding the streets; Batman's identity being discovered by a media-hungry journalist; Harvey Dent, Batman's, and Gordon's crusade against the mob (very involved - Hong Kong is part of this storyline); Harvey Dent's disfigurement and descent into madness; Bruce Wayne's struggle to recognize that his crusade doesn't have an end in sight... There's a lot in here.

The storyline I was most concerned about was really Harvey Dent's (Aaron Eckhart). Two-Face, as a villain, is one of the most complicated and emotionally rich villains, and his origin story requires a lot of attention. Originally the plan was to have Harvey Dent's rise as D.A. occur in BBII, and then have his fall into madness in BBIII. When I heard that THE DARK KNIGHT was going to encompass both his rise and fall, I was a bit nervous.

How could they cram such a great story into a few hours with so much else going on? I mean, you're already introducing the greatest Batman villain of all time, the Joker, and you're going to try to cram in the rise and downfall of Batman's most compelling foe as well? Both would inevitably suffer. But if the film is 2 hrs, 45 minutes, it gives Nolan the time to develop the characters and deal with all the other story elements.

Also, to what extent do you think Ledger's death may have impacted on the film, e.g. editing scenes For Reasons Of Taste™ [for instance, if the Joker were seen buying sleeping pills, which is obviously an extreme and imaginary example, but you know what I mean, I'm sure], or reworking the storyline given that Ledger won't be able to do BB 3 and the role will presumably not be recast?

No changes have been made to THE DARK KNIGHT. Nolan has refused to make any, even though there is at least one scene that has made the studio anxious. But Nolan sees editing any of Ledger's performance as the Joker as insulting to Ledger.

[Loomis]

Cheers, Harmsway. All of that is very encouraging.

I did watch the bank robbery opening online a few months ago, and I thought it was pretty good, if very derivative of HEAT (one of my favourite films, BTW) - and there's even a very obvious HEAT in-joke in the casting of William Fichtner that made me feel it was all a bit forced and fanboyish. (Given the stories that Nolan screened BLADE RUNNER for the BATMAN BEGINS team to try to convey to them what it was that he wanted to achieve, I wonder - given the complexity of THE DARK KNIGHT - whether he actually showed HEAT to his colleagues this time round.)

Still, I don't need THE DARK KNIGHT to be the best film in the world. I just want it to be a solid improvement over BATMAN BEGINS (which doesn't really hold my attention after the first half hour or so) and a pretty decent flick. And it looks as though it's shaping up to satisfy me, and hopefully surprise me a little, too. I like Nolan, but I've found all of his films to date (that I've seen, anyway, which on reflection is by no means all of 'em) very flawed - FOLLOWING was about the only one that really cut the mustard for me, while INSOMNIA, is very much marred by some huge gaps in logic. Still, things are by no means looking bleak on the Batman front.

[Bondian]

Harry looks amazing for his age and so does Karen Allen.

Cannot wait to see this.

[DamnCoffee]

If only Moore looked like that in A View to a Kill eh?

[Professor Dent]

Also, to what extent do you think Ledger's death may have impacted on the film, e.g. editing scenes For Reasons Of Taste™ [for instance, if the Joker were seen buying sleeping pills, which is obviously an extreme and imaginary example, but you know what I mean, I'm sure], or reworking the storyline given that Ledger won't be able to do BB 3 and the role will presumably not be recast?

No changes have been made to THE DARK KNIGHT. Nolan has refused to make any, even though there is at least one scene that has made the studio anxious. But Nolan sees editing any of Ledger's performance as the Joker as insulting to Ledger.

Great news. I'm glad to see that Nolan has this attitude (& I agree with him).

[Harmsway]