Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom Turns 30

Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom turns 30 years old this weekend. Some movie houses in larger cities are commemorating the release of the film by showing it all Memorial Day Weekend. Temple of Doom is both compelling and repelling, and accomplishment in its own right. The movie is dark, conceived at a time when both Steven Spielberg and George Lucas were going through divorces which may have played into the sometimes frightening tone of the film. Spielberg later apologized for some of the aspects of of the film which led to the category of PG-13 being created. Child slavery isn't a very popular topic and TOD displays the oppression in spades. Critics pretty much wrote scathing reviews of the movie because the subject matter is sometimes hard to watch let alone enjoy.

But other than the seemingly non-stop Kate Capshaw screaming which gets on my nerves, I kind of like the film. It is daring and definitely brings a counterpoint to the comic book hero stylings of Indiana Jones. Sometimes going against the grain isn't always a bad thing.

American Graffiti: More Interesting Than Entertaining

I watch George Lucas's American Graffiti about once a decade. Yesterday was the day. Considered an American classic film, I found it to be more of an interesting film than an entertaining movie as the stories of high schooler's lives about to be forever changed interweave over the course of one night. The non-stop vintage rock and roll soundtrack provides a backdrop. The film meanders giving bits and pieces in seemingly random order. The performances are a mixed bag with some being stronger than others. As intended, the film seem almost a documentary rather than a movie that builds to a pointed conclusion.

Of course, the surprise success of the low budget American Graffiti gave George Lucas the means to go on and make Star Wars and from there, the rest is history as they say. My conclusion is that I have liked previous viewings of American Graffiti more than what I saw yesterday for which I felt like I was getting an exercise in film making rather than an entertaining movie. Maybe next decade, that opinion will change again.