MOVIE REVIEW - Indiana Jones And The Kingdom Of The Crystal Skull (2008)

Indy 4 is a must-see mostly because of nostalgia for the franchise. It in no way becomes a classic like the original, but it does hold its own in the franchise, far surpassing Indy 2 as the worst of the Indy's. Harrison had no trouble reincarnating his old self and growing into the older action hero. It was great having Karen Allen back, though the writing between them was a bit typically-Lucas-lame. Shia did no damage, though I would be disappointed if he became the lead for Indy 5. The action was very good, with cool scenes (finding the skull in the warehouse; the mud pit snake; the swordfight across vehicles; the ants - oh my, the ANTS!). I prefer the spiritual mythological elements of Raiders to the too-Close-Encounters theme here, but this is very fun summer thrills.

MOVIE REVIEW - Lars And The Real Girl (2007)

Heartwarming, charming, mildly funny drama about a shy, damaged guy (Ryan Gosling) who deals with his isolation by falling in love with a life-size doll. The story is very nice, if unbelievable and unhealthy. Critics liked the movie, but with hesitation about whether it was a good idea to entertain feeding someone's delusions. The movie does a nice job of showing why the town would get trapped into Lars' fantasy. And it does show his family and friends as being truly concerned about Lars. On the movie alone, I would've normally given this film a 7 or 8. But then, I watched the extras, with an interview by the screenwriter, who said, "it was a question I had asked myself - if there are so many desperate people walking around with mental illness, what would happen if we treated their delusions with compassion and acceptance and tolerance?" And it pissed me off that she would actually think this is a healthy and compassionate tactic. The political and psychological motivation behind the writer tainted my view of the entire movie and detracted from what I had just enjoyed.

MOVIE REVIEW - Iron Man (2008)

Good escapist fun. Downey is a great choice for the nonconventional superhero. The script spent a long time on the "making of Iron Man" - once in Afghanistan, then back in Downey's lab. Iron Man only did one minor "super" deed through the film. But still, very well done, and I'll look forward to the sequel. Unfortunately, I hadn't heard until it was too late that I should've stayed after the credits for an additional scene.