New Indy action figure

There's a link over at The Raider.net with a photo of the new 7-inch Indy action figure being done by Gentle Giant. According to the source, it may only be sold in the Disney theme parks. But it looks great and comes with some cool acessories, including a fertility idol, sword (from ToD) and, what appears to be the Grail Diary.

Music to Live By: Temple of Doom

As long as we're on the topic of Indiana Jones today, I thought I'd take a minute to impart my thoughts on a recent addition to my CD collection: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

This is an album I've been after for years and when I finally got ahold of one a month ago, I was ecstatic. I was a bit anxious in acquiring this CD; first, because of its typically high price tag ($40+) and secondly because I had read a number of comments from mildly disappointed film score aficionados who felt it didn't adequately live up to John Williams' other Indy scores.

Being a devoted Indy score and film fan, as well as a John Williams appreciative (I don't yet aspire to be a score completionist, but admire those who are), I felt picking this title up for less than $30 was a no-brainer. Even if it found only a luke-warm reception in my heart, I could burn a copy and re-sell it for at least what I paid, if not more. But I haven't even come remotely close to considering that since I listened to it because it's a fun CD.

The CD's 40-minute playing time is the shortest of all the Indy movie scores so far (the 19-track extended Raiders CD is 70-some minutes; Last Crusade with 13 tracks is 58 minutes). And this one feels the shortest. But that's mostly because it moves so quickly. Most of the cues are action pieces, or at least action-oriented.

So, let me give you a blow-by-blow of the tracks:

The disc kicks off with the "Anything Goes" opening sequence from the film and plunges right into the "Fast Streets of Shanghai" which follows it shortly in the film. Some of the tracks that follow are a bit out of chronological order when compared to the film, but it's not terribly disorienting, even for guys like me who like a score to be an orchestral guide through the film's themes and memorable moments.

"Nocturnal Activities" recounts the musical cues during the romantic "stand-off" between Willie and Dr. Jones, culminating in the thugee attack on the good doctor. "Short Round's Theme", which follows, is the cue Temple of Doom aficionados will recognize from the elephant trek to Pankot Palace.

The next cue, "Children in Chains" is the scene where Indy stumbles upon the cadre of chained children digging for Shankara Stones and is summarily captured by Thugees.

Track 6 is "Slalom on Mt. Humol", the name of which describes it pretty well. Why this isn't track #3, I have no idea. (Note: this trek reminds me of the Indiana Jones ride in Disneyland because a recognizable portion is used in that ride. In fact, there are a number of cues from the Temple of Doom score used in that ride and finding them throughout listenign to this CD was a treasure of pleasure. I "claim" that term right here and now, by the way.) I love this track because it makes me want to do exactly what is happening in the movie - do a high-speed, perilous sled ride.

The next track, "Temple of Doom" is everybody's favorite thugee chant, which builds to quite a nice "heart-wrenching" crescendo. Be sure to grab a nice chianti when listening to this one.

"Bug Tunnel and Death Trap" ToD fans will recognize from the sequence Willie is called upon to conquer her fears of the dead, the dark, and things that go "crunch" under the feet to save Indy and Shorty from impending impalement. Another one I really like because of the tensions and urgency conveyed throughout this cue.

"Slave Children's Crusade" is the fight cue in the quarry near the end of the movie that leads into famous "The Mine Car Chase". Both of these tracks are fun and are as uptempo as they seem while watching these scenes in the movie. To me these two scenes always seemed the counterparts to the Airplane Fight and Truck Chase sequences in Raiders. Which probably just sets them up unfairly to seem weaker when compared. Those two scenes in Raiders are two of my all-time favorite movie scenes, favorite action scenes, and I'd argue that the Truck Chase is one of the very best action sequences of all-time in all of cinema; one whose score compliments it to a "T".

So, comparing the music cues for these scenes is a bit unfair because they just don't seem as inspired by adventure as the others. However, these tracks are still fun and sound great. The Mine Car Chase is fast-paced, but just doesn't pack the orchestral "wallop" the Truck Chase does. But that's not a criticism of Williams' work as much as it probably is of the filmmaking. Anyone who doesn't mind the music in the actual film is still going to really enjoy all these tracks.

The last cue on the disc is "Finale and End Credits", which picks up in the movie exactly where one would think - the end when Indy and Willie are about to kiss and Short Round annoyingly covers his face and I want to smack him. He just went through a hellish thugee debacle and he can't "bare" to see his surrogate dad/best friend kiss a woman. Come on Speielberg, dammnit.

I've seen people who feel that the Indy scores must be ranked in order of greatness, but I don't think it's a fair assessment for anyone else reading this review to do such a thing. Every individual likes and dislikes certain things about any given object and film scores speak to people in exactly the same ways. So, I'll just tell you what I liked about this CD and what would have improved the experience for me:

Liked:

• Completing my trilogy of Indy scores!
• Anything Goes, Slalom on Mt. Humol, Nocturnal Activities, Bug Tunnel & Death Trap - these are probably my favorites cues on this one
• A John Williams score that reminds me of his other work from this period (Empire/Jedi, ET, Raider/Last Crusade)
• Cover art

Coulda been better:

• Release this in English! - Because this is only available via Japanese import, I can't read any of the extensive liner notes.
• Give us an extended version like the one done for Raiders in 1995. At only 40 minutes, it feels like there's certainly some music missing.

Awesome Art: Crazy 4 Cult

I'm going to an art exhibition at the Laguna Beach Art Museum this weekend for the artist Shag. I'm a big fan of his work and am hoping to get to meet him at the opening party Saturday night.

Shag kicks ass!

While clicking down some rabbit holes on Shag's website, I stumbled upon another gallery in Los Angeles that done some pretty fantastic looking exhibitons. In particular: Crazy4Cult. You like movies with a cult following? You like pop art? You need to check this thing out.

How many can you pick out?

Edward Scissorhands, A Christmas Story, Hellraiser, Princess Bride, Freaks- if it has a following, somebody probably did it.

It's not for sale, FRAN-CESS!

BEWARE!

Halloween is coming!

Beware!

BEWAAAAAAAAAARE!!!

Eating in Redding, CA

I did a brief site inspection in Redding, CA last Friday. Check out my "dining report" over on the GoSightsee blog for my review of Black Bear Diner - a place I highly recommend you get your grub on. It's some tasty stuff!

INDIANA JONES IV TITLE!!

It has been announced...and be sure to inhale deeply before you say it aloud.

Not exactly the "Pharaoh's Crown", huh JettL93?

For the non-believers (that have Flash!), check out the announcement on the official site or on Ain't It Cool.

Unlike some of the immediate reaction by raving fanboys/girls, I don't have any real distaste for the title. Fanboys/girls are apt tp have sudden, violent reactions, so nobody should be surprised. Least of all Lucas, who has experienced this phenomenon every two years since 1998.

The title has that pulpy, serial feel to it, which makes it fit in fine with "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Temple of Doom", and "Last Crusade". Personally, I almost wonder if it wouldn't have been appropriate just to call this film "Indiana Jones" and leave it at that. But using my previous arguement, that wouldn't fit in as nicely with the other three, would it?

Will It Blend - iPhone and Glo-sticks

I love these things
Watch Tom obliterate an iPhone

Now watch him mutilate some Glo-Sticks

DCA gets a facelift and SUPER Indiana Jones Adventure

Hi kids!
Disney's California Adventure (DCA) is finally going to get its $1.2 BILLION makeover, starting in 2008. Can you imagine, not even ten years old and already getting a facelift? (If you've been there, though, you know it's in dire need.) And before the decade is through, Disneyland's ailing Tomorrowland and several other attractions will also be getting some renovations. The rumor is that in addition to a Star Tours 2.0 (featuring new destinations!), Lucasfilm and Disney are working together on creating a bigger, better Indiana Jones Adventure ride over in Adventureland. By the looks of it, they're trying to recapture the spirit of what the original attraction was intended to be - TWO rides intersecting with each other AND the existing Jungle Cruise.

Read about all the plans on MiceAge.

There's an interesting article from last year detailing what the original plans for the Indy ride were, complete with artwork and site plans showing how the two Indy rides and the Jungle Cruise would have intertwined.

Behold: what Indy might look like at Disneyland one day.

Toothepaste For Dinner - Go read some webcomics!

Drew's whole month of July is outstandingly hilarious.

I thought I should let you know in case you haven't read it yet.

Ghostbusters score

I'm a big fan of the 1984 movie Ghostbusters. It was one of the I watched repeatedly on HBO and VHS (pirated from HBO) growing up. And int he spirit of watching it on DVD this weekend, not once, but TWICE, I feel obliged to share with you other Ghostbuster junkies a link to the score. Now, I can't be certain, but I believe these tracks are actually from the 1998 disc, not the newer Varese one. There are 22 tracks here and the Varese one contains 39.

This material was unavailable for many years until Varese Sarabande released the full score as part of their "club" collection (which just means there's a limited run of 3,000 produced). There was a bootleg release in 1998, but they're hard to come by as well. Unfortunately, I've only recently been reaching out to other score junkies on the Internet and didn't know about this release until long after the disc was sold out (which was probably a matter if weeks.) Now if you want the score, it means forking over $50 bucks on ebay.

The first time I listened to these tracks I was sort of underwhelmed, but it really grows on you. So much of Elmer Bernstein's original cues are cut up or altogether replaced in the final cut of the film that the score at times felt like it went with an inferior movie. In a way, it is a portentious reminder what a turkey this film could have turned out to be. That's not a knock at all against Bernstein's score or the material, which was executed impeccably. Tracks like the beginning of #21 will instantly bring to mind exact moments in the movie for any GB junkie.

Go See It - Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix!

The second in what will be an occassional on-going series of posts about movies that have been released for at least 2 weeks and that I recommend you see...
I'm making this brief because I'm working on something else today.

- Possibly the BEST Potter flick yet.

- These movies aren't meant to be stand-alone anymore; meant to capitalize on Pottermania, which likely just passed its all-time peak in the last week with the release of Deathy Hallows

- Great for those familiar with the book as well as the overarching story of Potter vs. Voldemort

- effects look great, though Grawp still cartoonish- but at least he wasn't annoying

- Imelda Staunton is Psychotic - awesome

-Not enough Snape - never is

- Dumbledore shines, esp when Ministry comes to arrest him and at the Wizard Duel with Voldemort

Cereal - The Staple of Childhood

I originally intended to make this post all about the way children bond with cereals while growing up, but work has got me plenty busy right now. Instead, I'd like to give a shout to The Breakfast Bowl, a blog all about cereal and the latest happenings in the world of Kellogg's, General Mills, etc.

"Cereal???" you say. Yes, there's all kinds of interesting things going on continuously in the world of everyone's favorite breakfast treat. Did you know that the big cereal makers are shrinking the size of their packaging to reduce costs? Have you seen these new "cereal straws" popping up in your grocery store? Ever tried one? Caffeinated cereal? It could be happening.

Check out the Breakfast Bowl and the other cereal and food releated sites Lloyd links to. I think you'll find it enlightening, and if nothing else amusing.

AND, check this out...

There's an emerging food chain called Cereality. Situated around what seem to be college towns in mid-size markets, this cafe specializes in hot and cold cereals, cereal bars, and smoothies.

Hasbro's Indy IV toys at San Diego Comic Con

Sorry, this post was on-hold for a few days by accident.

Check'em out!

There's a close up of the "mini heroes" 2-packs here, some of which weren't in the Comic Con display. Interestingly, the Marion Ravenwood mini figure isn't in any of these sets.

Another look at the five 3 3/4 inch figures Hasbro will have. I hope they make a melting-face Toht, too!

Monster Squad on DVD

There's a pretty amusing and informative review of the 2-disc Monster Squad DVD over at CHUD today.

Go ahead, kick Wolfman in the nards one more time!

Indy IV Teaser Poster

The teaser one-sheet poster for next May's new Indy sequel was spotted at Comic Con this poast weekend. Head over to Slashfilm.com to get a bigger look.

WATCHMEN: The Poster

Another exciting piece of Watchmen news from Comic Con:

Loving the look of this, since it means Snyder still appears to remain committed to staying as true to the comic as possible.

HARRY POTTER AND THE LEAKY PLOT OF THE 7TH BOOK

It's true and it's all over the Net. Like trying to contain details on a Star Wars prequel or an Indiana Jones sequel, the secrets of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows have been pouring out all over the Internet in the last 24 hours.

But before I get to the "leaky" news, I thought it was interesting to note what JK Rowling herself said of the "Deathly" spoiler leaks: "please, ignore the misinformation popping up on the web."

Methinks she's not really saying the plot details are wrong (though, undoubtedly there must be numerous "spoiler" pages out there with made up shit which are there only to capitalize on the recent news), but that she just wants people to disregard it and try to keep themselves "virgin" for Saturday's release. Which is cool with me. I started to peek at them, but turned away before I was bespoiled too much.

Leaky Cauldron also has a bit on Scholastic's press release, which names the dastardly retailer who shipped the books early and wholeheartedly breached their contract with Scholastic.

Now, onto the SPOILERS!

Actually there are no spoilers on my page.

But somebody uploaded what is supposedly all 759 pages of the new book on BitTorrent and PirateBay. Screenshots are/were also available at bayimg.

Or you can check out this mysterious page for an alleged list of all the major SPOILERS. Take it all with a grain of salt if you do read it. It could just be some attention whore pulling your leg. COUGHjettl93COUGH
http://www.zendurl.com/h/hallows/

Or, just enjoy the book like the rest of us and wait to read it on Saturday at 12:01am!

Finky the Kid reminds you to choose wisely! (Hey, I just bring you the news here. It's up to you to decide what to do with it.)

He chose wisely. So can you.

Go See It! - RATATOUILLE

Sightseer and I saw this over the weekend and it truly exceeded my expectations. I had doubts and up until the final full trailer really felt Pixar might be falling on their face this summer.

But I was wrong.
In fact, I don't think Ratatouille has gotten enough acclaim in a summer full of overblown action movie sequels. The film was well written/directed/scored. It was Pixar's top quality product, second only to the Toy Story movies and tied (for me) with Incredibles for 2nd place among the best Pixar films.

But oddly enough, I find many people not knowing "what it's about" or "if it's any good". Hopefully the buzz builds in time for its DVD release.

And for what it's worth, Michael Giacchino scored Ratatouille- the same guy as the Incredibles. So if you enjoyed the jazzy throwback sounds of Incredibles...

Taking an Indy Break

In case you're wondering (and I have to imagine all four poeple who have seen this blog, at least two "accidentally", must be rolling around on your backs kicking and screaming about not having a new Indy IV post here) why I've not put up anything about all the recent Indy IV spoiler mudslinging going on lately, I'm just kind of in "Indy overload". There's more than enough of it out there for anybody who wants to keep up on it, but for the uninitiated, here are some links:

http://tinyurl.com/2orukj

http://tinyurl.com/35a4kg


In the meantime, I've been enjoying one of my favorite YouTube guilty pleasures, DRSMOOV's Transformer parodies. Guaranteed hands down to make any G1 fans laugh.

I think what I enjoy the most about "Shockwave's Burden" is the hilariously pathetic side DRSMOOV has shown us of Cybertron's brute-by-the-book "Guardian". It's really plays up some foibles that one might have suspected were always there, but I don't remember ever really seeing in the tv shows. Meanwhile, the dialogue DRSMOOV has given some of the characters just tops off the clever situations he's put the characters in. If you don't laugh at any of Shockwave's "Oh shit. What now?" or "What does this jerk want?" comments, you maybe be even less human than a transforming alien robot.

As for the Rude Awakening of Optimus Prime, besides hearing the iconic Autobot leader say words that would not have been fit for Sunbow, Prime's uber-human reactions to the remaining less-than-favorite Autobots seems to mirror much of my own (and undoubtedly other G1 fans') feelings towards Blur, Wheelie, Bumblebee's makeover, etc. when we first experienced these wonderful changes to the G1 Transformers.

To quote DRSMOOV's Prime: "Of all the Autobots to survive...fuck me." Yes, Prime. We all thought the same thing.

INDY IV - UPDATE!

IndianaJones.com has just posted new behind the scenes production video.

Check that link to see Harrison Ford moving around in full Indy garb. I'd elaborate, but that's really all it is. And a glance at a couple of soldiers holding him captive.