Indiana Jones and the Dial of Diminishing Returns?

 

Indiana Jones came out of retirement for one last adventure on June 30 for James Mangold’s Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, a film rife with nostalgia in Disney’s continued plundering of time-tested IP in pursuit of theatrical fortune and glory. Given the lukewarm box office reception in its debut weekend, during which it fell short of projections by whipping up just $82 million domestically over five days, it’s safe to say that fortune eluded Indy this time around – especially given its $300 million budget. As for the glory? Well, that depends.

Way back in 2008, I was remarkably high on Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, a film that became the subject of much derision due to its fridge-nuking propensity for silliness. Although I affirm that Crystal Skull is still the weakest in the series to this day (spoiler: Dial of Destiny is a stronger film), it still has that classic Steven Spielberg charm in spots and features Harrison Ford as Indiana Jones – one of the greatest marriages of actor and character in movie history.

And it’s that strength of Ford’s performance that carries much of Dial of Destiny, even when it veers into the realm of the preposterous. Infamously a curmudgeon in the press these days, Ford, 80, has a twinkle in his eye as he closes the curtain on a character that he, Spielberg and George Lucas created more than 40 years ago. Indy alumni Karen Allen and John Rhys-Davies return as Marion Ravenwood and Sallah, joined by series newcomers Phoebe Waller-Bridge as Indy’s goddaughter Helena Shaw, Ethann Isidore as aspiring aviator Teddy, and Mads Mikkelsen as the villainous Jürgen Voller. The story, which spans several decades, revolves around Archimedes’ Dial, a device that gives its wielder the power to transcend space and time.

Mangold had big shoes to fill in directing the first and only Indiana Jones film not helmed by Spielberg, but as he did with the phenomenal Logan, he tells a compelling story about an aging hero coming to terms with the mistakes of the past and the mounting limits of his mortality. A well-paced first act shows us a younger World War II-era Indy (by way of some impressive de-aging technology) escaping Nazis on board a speeding train, where we’re introduced to the film’s main villain and the titular Dial (or at least half of it). We then catch up with an elderly Indy in 1969 on the cusp of his retirement, but a chance reconnection with his estranged goddaughter Helena brings him back into conflict with Nazis and back into pursuit of an artifact that has the power to alter the course of history.

A fun first act gives way to a muddy middle that caused me to look at my own Dial of Destiny (my watch) a few times, and the climax is going to be something scholars (nerds) debate for a long, long time. That said, for a series that’s featured beating hearts plucked from chests, an eleventh-century knight living long enough to learn the Charleston and actual ALIENS, I didn’t bump into the film’s final scenes as much as some other people on the internet and I’m satisfied with where Indy ultimately winds up.

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny likely won’t be the most memorable film you see this year or even this summer, and anyone expecting it to reach the highs of the original three films will be as disappointed as Walter Donovan when he wet his whistle in the Canyon of the Crescent Moon. That said, getting to see Ford as Indiana Jones one more time goes a long way. And when it comes to long-running, decades-spanning franchises – Indy or otherwise – it’s not the years. It’s the mileage.  

George Lucas' 'Star Wars: Episode VII' Ideas Not Used By Disney

In a recent interview with Cinema Blend, Star Wars creator George Lucas revealed that he provided Disney with some ideas for Episode VII when he turned over the franchise to The House of Mouse back in 2012, but it looks like none of those concepts are making it into J.J. Abrams' The Force Awakens.

"The [ideas] that I sold to Disney, they came up to the decision that they didn't really want to do those," Lucas told Cinema Blend. "So they made up their own. So it's not the ones that I originally wrote."

Do you hear that sound? It's prequel haters around the world rejoicing. Star Wars: The Force Awakens hits theaters Dec. 18. Check out the teaser trailer below.

Hamill, Fisher and Ford to Return for Disney’s ‘Star Wars’ Sequels

George Lucas has strongly hinted that Mark Hamill, Harrison Ford and Carrie Fisher will indeed reprise the roles of Luke Skywalker, Han Solo and Princess Leia in Disney’s forthcoming continuation of the Star Wars saga.

“We had already signed Mark and Carrie and Harrison — or we were pretty much in final stages of negotiation,” the Star Wars creator told Bloomberg Businessweek, referring to the status of the sequel films when Disney purchased Lucasfilm for $4 billion last year. “Maybe I’m not supposed to say that. I think they want to announce that with some big whoop-de-do, but we were negotiating with them.”

Well, there you have it. Although we can hardly take Mr. Lucas’ statement as 100 percent confirmation — that will likely come in the form of the aforementioned “whoop-de-do” — but it seems that all of those rumors of the original cast’s involvement in the new Star Wars films have finally been substantiated.

For more Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm and what it means for the future of the Star Wars franchise, check out Businessweek’s comprehensive feature by clicking here.

Lucas, Abrams Comment on ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’

On Friday, Lucasfilm issued an official statement confirming that Star Trek director J.J. Abrams will indeed helm Star Wars: Episode VII. Abrams joins Academy Award-winning scribe Michael Arndt, who will pen the screenplay of the anticipated 2015 sequel.

“I’ve consistently been impressed with J.J. as a filmmaker and storyteller,” George Lucas said. “He’s an ideal choice to direct the new Star Wars film and the legacy couldn’t be in better hands.”

Even though the Lost creator was initially hesitant about being a part of Disney’s resurrection of the Star Wars film franchise, Abrams is now clearly excited about the prospect of playing in Lucas’ sandbox.

“To be a part of the next chapter of the Star Wars saga, to collaborate with [new Lucasfilm head] Kathy Kennedy and this remarkable group of people, is an absolute honor," J.J. Abrams said. “I may be even more grateful to George Lucas now than I was as a kid.”

Abrams’ next film, Star Trek Into Darkness, hits theaters on May 17. For the full press release, click here.

J.J. Abrams Will Direct ‘Star Wars: Episode VII’

Well, it looks like a Chewbacca vs. Worf Steel Cage Match isn’t as far-fetched as it was a week ago.

Star Trek director J.J. Abrams has been tapped to helm Star Wars Episode VII, Deadline.com reports. Despite Abrams’ prior admission that he would like to instead experience Disney’s continuation of the iconic space saga as a fan, the Lost creator will take audiences to George Lucas’ “galaxy far, far away” in the summer of 2015.

Since Abrams’ Star Trek was the best Star Wars film in more than two decades, I couldn’t be happier that he’s in the director’s chair for Episode VII. This will mark the first time that a lifelong Star Wars fan will direct a live-action Star Wars film, and it will be interesting to see someone with Abrams’ talents pick up where Lucas left off.

For more on this developing story, click here.

George Lucas Is Engaged!

Now that Disney has taken the reins of his Lucasfilm empire, Star Wars creator George Lucas has seemingly finally found time to focus on his personal life. The 68-year-old filmmaker is now engaged to 43-year-old investment firm president Mellody Hobson, the San Francisco Chronicle reports.

Lucas’ previous wife was film editor Marcia Lucas, with whom he was married from 1969 to 1983. George and Marcia have three children together: Amanda, Katie and Jett.

I can’t wait to see the “Special Edition” footage of the wedding ceremony. For the full story, click here. 

‘Star Trek’ Director J.J. Abrams Explains Why He Declined Disney’s ‘Star Wars’

It’s common knowledge at this point that Lost creator and Star Trek director J.J. Abrams declined an early offer to be involved with Disney’s forthcoming Star Wars sequel trilogy, but a new interview in Empire Magazine reveals that Abrams was initially toying with the idea of trekking from “where no man has gone before” to “a galaxy far, far away,” and even had meetings on the matter with Star Wars’ new overseer, Kathleen Kennedy. However, the lifelong Star Wars fan felt strongly that he’d rather enjoy the new films from a distance.

“I quickly said that because of my loyalty to Star Trek, and also just being a fan, I wouldn’t even want to be involved in the next version of those things," Abrams told Empire. “I declined any involvement very early on. I’d rather be in the audience not knowing what was coming, rather than being involved in the minutiae of making them.”

The first of Disney’s Star Wars sequels is slated to hit theaters in 2015, while Abrams’ follow-up to his 2009 Star Trek reboot, titled Star Trek Into Darkness, will be released on May 17, 2013.

My Thoughts on Disney’s Lucasfilm Purchase

About a week ago in, well, this galaxy, the Internet was abuzz in reaction to shocking news that The Walt Disney Co. had purchased Lucasfilm, Ltd., for a whopping $4.05 billion dollars. As if that bombshell wasn’t enough to send the geek world into a tizzy, The House of Mouse revealed that it would be bringing Star Wars: Episode VII to theaters in 2015

This was a lot to process — especially considering the fact that many of us on the U.S. East Coast were dealing with the aftereffects of Hurricane Sandy, which left millions without power (myself included). Nevertheless, it seems as though just about everyone has an opinion about Disney’s latest acquisition, including the belief that Disney will forever tarnish the legacy of one of the film world’s most beloved properties. Will Mickey Mouse ruin Star Wars?

To answer that question, no. If the prequels didn’t ruin Star Wars forever, the franchise can withstand anything.

Jokes aside, though, I firmly believe that Disney’s purchase of Lucasfilm is the best thing to happen to George Lucas’ empire in more than a decade. The 68-year-old filmmaker’s decision to hand the keys to his kingdom over to the caretakers of the Magic Kingdom will no doubt allow for fresh, new creative minds to play in the sandbox the Flanneled One created nearly four decades ago. By essentially relinquishing control of the franchise and serving as “creative consultant” on this new trilogy of films, Lucas has ensured that Star Wars will live forever.

That’s the big thing that seemed to be lost on many people hearing this news last week: a new director (or directors) will helm the next Star Wars trilogy. When Episode VII hits theaters in 2015, we will witness the first-ever live-action Star Wars film directed by a fan. There’s an entire generation of talented directors that was weaned on the classic films, and all of them are surely anxious to take the Star Wars franchise into hyperspace. As we’ve seen with Dave Filoni’s work on the stellar animated Star Wars: The Clone Wars on Cartoon Network, modern Star Wars is at its best when fanboys are in charge.

But what about the other stories to be told in Lucas’ far, far away galaxy? Will we finally get that Star Wars live-action series we’ve been hearing about all these years? What about some traditional 2D Star Wars animation? Can we expect Han Solo and Chewbacca to join Woody and Buzz Lightyear in the next Toy Story film? We can only speculate on the future of Star Wars at this point, but I feel we can rest assured that it will be a bright one.

‘Indiana Jones 5’ Unlikely

Acclaimed producer and longtime Steven Spielberg collaborator Frank Marshall has all but confirmed that a fifth film in the Indiana Jones franchise isn’t in the cards.

“I say, for me, [Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is] the last hurrah,” Marshall told Collider.com. “I know that yes, we talk about it, but there’s no idea, there’s no MacGuffin.”

Phew. That’s a relief.

For the uninitiated, a MacGuffin is a plot device that motivates the protagonist. In the case of the Indiana Jones series, the MacGuffin is an artifact Indy must find or recover, represented in previous installments as the Ark of the Covenant, the Sankara Stones, the Holy Grail and, finally, a Crystal Skull. Since there’s no concrete idea for a fifth installment, and with franchise creator George Lucas announcing recently that he was done with Lucasfilm—naming Marshall’s wife Kathleen Kennedy as his successor—it doesn’t look like we’ll be seeing Harrison Ford don his trademark fedora onscreen ever again. And based on how Crystal Skull turned out, this is awesome news.

To check out the full story, click here.

Is George Lucas Really Retiring?

In a press release this week, Lucasfilm Ltd. Announced that George Lucas is moving forward with retirement plans, with [Steven Spielberg’s longtime producing partner] Kathleen Kennedy becoming co-chair of Lucasfilm. The Star Wars mastermind will continue to serve as fellow co-chair while Kennedy acclimates herself to this role, and will continue as CEO of the company. Micheline Chau will remain as president and COO of Lucasfilm, and, according to the release, will “continue to focus on the day-to-day operations of the business.”

What does this mean for Lucas? Freed up from corporate responsibilities, he would have time to helm those smaller and more personal films he’s always wanted to make. Lucas said as much in a recent interview with Empire, stating the following:

“I’m moving away from the company, I’m moving away from all my businesses, I’m finishing all my obligations and I’m going to retire to my garage with my saw and hammer and build hobby movies. I’ve always wanted to make movies that were more experimental in nature, and not have to worry about them showing in movie theatres.”

For more on this story, head over to /Film.

George Lucas Gives New Details on the Live-Action ‘Star Wars’ TV Show

In a recent interview with G4TV’s Attack of the Show, Star Wars mastermind George Lucas talked about the process of converting the entire saga to 3D and the status of the live-action Star Wars television series, which will be set between Revenge of the Sith and A New Hope.

“It sits on the shelf,” Lucas told Attack of the Show’s Kevin Pereira, much to the disappointment of countless Star Wars geeks (myself included). “We have 50 hours, and we’re just waiting to figure out a different way of making movies—a different technology that we can use—that will make it so that it’s economically feasible to shoot the show. Right now, it looks like the Star Wars features, but we have to figure out a way of making it for about a 10th of the cost of the features. Because it’s television. We’re working toward that and we will get there at some point.”

Keep in mind that the “50 hours” of Star Wars TV Lucas mentioned is in reference to scripts, not finished episodes. This series is still a long way off.

Watch the interview below.

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Remembering Irvin Kershner, Director of 'The Empire Strikes Back'

Irvin Kershner, known to Star Wars fans as the director of The Empire Strikes Back, has passed away. He was 87 years old.

I became hooked on all things Star Wars at the tender age of three, when my parents introduced me to The Empire Strikes Back on VHS. I had no idea there were other Star Wars films in existence at that point in my life, so I’m fairly certain large portions of the story went right over my head. Nevertheless, I thrilled to the Rebels’ Hoth escape, the Millennium Falcon’s race through an asteroid field to evade the Empire, the wisdom of Yoda and the exciting lightsaber duel between Luke Skywalker and Darth Vader.

Even though I had no real concept of the grander Star Wars universe—something I’d go on to spend many years examining and appreciating—Kershner’s storytelling sensibilities made that galaxy far, far away feel accessible, rich and, most importantly, real. Sure, George Lucas unveiled Star Wars to the the world with the original film in 1977, but it was Kershner’s sequel released three years later that transformed Lucas’ space opera into a genuine modern myth. This is probably why just about every adult Star Wars fan will name The Empire Strikes Back as their favorite film of the saga.

“Following Star Wars, I knew one thing for sure: I didn’t want to direct the second movie myself,” Lucas said in a statement on StarWars.com. “I needed someone I could trust, someone I really admired and whose work had maturity and humor. That was Kersh all over.”

Lucas met Kershner while he was a student at the University of Southern California, and came to admire the elder filmmaker as a mentor.

“I didn’t want Empire to turn into just another sequel, another episode in a series of space adventures,” Lucas explained. “I was trying to build something, and I knew Kersh was the guy to help me do it. He brought so much to the table. I am truly grateful to him.”

The Star Wars creator added, “He was a friend as well as a colleague. He will be missed.”

Indeed, he will be. Click here to read a recent interview with the director, originally published in the August/September 2010 issue of Star Wars Insider.

Looking Back and Moving Forward at Star Wars Celebration V

As most geeks are probably well aware, Star Wars Celebration V took place this past weekend in Orlando (ha, Lando). This particular Force-centric convention celebrated the 30th anniversary of The Empire Strikes Back, considered by many to be the best film in the saga, but it also clued fans in on some upcoming developments pertaining to that galaxy far, far away.

George Lucas and co. unveiled an exciting new trailer for the anticipated third season of Star Wars: The Clone Wars, which kicks off September 17. The clip introduces Savage Oppress, a servant of the dark side and a formidable new threat to the Galactic Republic. Oppress is a Zabrak, the same species as Phantom Menace baddie Darth Maul. I’m guessing he’s savage and, well, oppresses people from time to time. Sigh.

“It’s important that when creating a new character that they become iconic,” says Clone Wars supervising director Dave Filoni. “It was important that you don’t confuse him with Darth Maul—we couldn’t make him red and black so we made him yellow and black.”

Okay, cool, I dig the look of the character (pictured above), but the name? After General Grievous, Cad Bane and now this guy, I wouldn’t be surprised if the next major Star Wars villain gets saddled with the name Evil Vicious. it’s almost as if the creative team at Lucasfilm just picks synonyms for “bad” out of the thesaurus and calls it a day when it comes to naming new villains. I’d go on, but since The Clone Wars is an excellent show overall, I’ll let the lazy monikers slide for now.

Perhaps the biggest piece of Star Wars news to come out of Celebration V was the announcement that the entire Star Wars saga will arrive on Blu-ray in the fall of 2011. The boxed set will feature all six films and extensive special features, including deleted scenes. Among this never-before-released footage is an introductory sequence from Return of the Jedi that shows Luke Skywalker building his lightsaber.

Reportedly (and expectedly), the set will not include the unaltered pre-Special Edition versions of the first three films. On the contrary, we’d all be wise to expect entirely new alterations to the original trilogy when the set hits shelves next fall.

For complete Celebration V coverage, visit StarWars.com.

Red Letter Media Roasts Attack of the Clones

It’s taken me a while to realize this, but Star Wars: Episode II-Attack of the Clones is the worst of the Star Wars prequels. But rather than bore you with the reasons Clones doesn’t really work all that well if you think about it, I’ll direct you to Red Letter Media’s uproariously funny 90-minute review of the film, which hit YouTube this weekend. In case you forgot, Red Letter Media posted an equally brilliant analysis of The Phantom Menace late last year.

“Almost everything in this movie is wrong,” says Red Letter Media’s “Mr. Plinkett,” an obsessive film buff/deranged serial murderer. “The only way to really describe it [is] to imagine that someone has dumped out five different puzzles into a pile on the floor, mixed them all up and told you to put ‘em all back together in one hour or they were gonna stuff you into an old fridge filled with flesh-eating cockroaches.”

Plinkett astutely adds, “You know, if you stand back and look at this movie as a whole, it just comes off to the viewer as some kind of assembly-line production devoid of any emotional involvement by anyone; a film that coldly exploits the works of craftsmen and artists in a sterile, computer-controlled environment resulting in a series of colorful, crisp images that are played in a sequence.”

Looking back at the film, nearly eight years after its release, it’s really hard to disagree with him. Watch the first installment of the nine-part review below, and head to Red Letter Media’s YouTube channel to watch the rest.

Another Star Wars Cartoon?

To quote several Star Wars characters, “I have a bad feeling about this.”

IESB reported on March 17—citing an unnamed source—that Lucasfilm Animation is in pre-production on a Star Wars cartoon aimed at pre-school and kindergarten-aged children. The show, apparently, would be based on Hasbro’s Galactic Heroes line of kid-friendly Star Wars toys, which feature squat bodies and oversized hands, feet and heads. If you’ve seen The Superhero Squad Show on Cartoon Network—based on a similar line of Marvel Comics toys—this series would pretty much be exactly like that. Ugh.

The MTV Movies Blog reached out to Lucasfilm for comment and received confirmation that one of the projects Lucasfilm Animation is working on “is for a younger audience but it’s in very early development and too early for any details.” Hopefully the Lucasfilm rep is referring to that CGI fairy musical George Lucas is reportedly producing, which has absolutely nothing to do with Star Wars.

Since I consider Star Wars: The Clone Wars to be an excellent all-ages Star Wars cartoon series, with plenty of appeal for younger and older fans alike, I’m baffled as to why a series based on the Galactic Heroes toyline would be at all necessary. Sure, this would probably help Hasbro sell more product, but since when has Star Wars been motivated by merchandising? Wait, don’t answer that.

George Lucas’ Next Project: A CGI Fairy Musical?

Huh? According to The Hollywood Reporter’s Heat Vision blog, Star Wars mastermind George Lucas is producing a computer-animated musical about fairies. Yep. This is an actual thing that is actually happening. In real life.

Kevin Munroe, who directed the 2007 animated Ninja Turtles flick TMNT will helm the as-yet-unnamed project. David Berenbaum (Elf) will write the screenplay.

It’s an odd choice for Lucas, since he’s currently wrapping up far more mature film, Red Tails. In addition to writing the story, Lucas is serving as executive producer on this long-gestating World War II epic about the Tuskegee Airmen, the first African-American fighter pilots.

I’ve gotta give cyber props to my good friend and longtime fairy (faery? faerie?) aficionado Shannon for the tip. I bet she sees this movie three times. At least.

Click here for the full story. And please, lay off the pixie dust. We worry.

Avatar Inspires George Lucas to Release Star Wars in 3D

You knew it was coming. In an interview with Access Hollywood, Star Wars mastermind George Lucas revealed that the 3D technology James Cameron used to bring Avatar to life has inspired him to finally take his galaxy far, far away into the third dimension.

[“I’m] happy it’s so successful, and worked very well in 3D,” Lucas said of Avatar at the HBO Golden Globes party on January 17. “Haven’t been a big fan of 3D, but that movie definitely improves in [the field of] 3D.”

He continued, “We’ve been looking for years and years and years of trying to take Star Wars and put it in 3D. But [the] technology hasn’t been there. We’ve been struggling with it, but I think this will be a new impetus to make that happen.”

Keep your inner cynic in check, fellow fanboys. This is good news.

George Lucas Pays a Visit to The Daily Show

While writing this might offend Star Wars fans who are still nursing prequel-related emotional wounds, I’ve gotta say: George Lucas seems like a really cool guy when you get right down to it. Don’t believe me? Watch him hold his own in this clip from the January 5 broadcast of The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, during which he self-effacingly discusses the prequel backlash, the power of nostalgia and, yes, even Jar Jar Binks. He also talks up his new book, George Lucas’s Blockbusting.

“I love doing Star Wars,” he says. “At the beginning I thought it was going to be one little movie [and I’d] move on. It’s not at all what I expected my life to be.”

A few moments later, he jokingly adds, “I expected to turn into something great. But, you know, you take what you get.”

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David Lynch on Turning Down Return of the Jedi

So, apparently, Star Wars creator George Lucas approached David Lynch—known for offbeat films such as Eraserhead, The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet and Mulholland Dr.—to direct Return of the Jedi. I can only imagine how that film would have turned out with Lynch at the helm.

In a November 15 interview posted on FORA.tv, Lynch recounts venturing to Northern California to meet with Lucas about the film, in which he had “next door to zero interest.” “But,” he adds, “I always admired George. George is a guy that does what he loves, and I do what I love. The difference is, what George loves makes hundreds of billions of dollars. So I thought I should go up and at least visit with him.”

Lynch goes on to describe what would become a headache-inducing ordeal, during which he was introduced to “these things called Wookiees” before taking a ride in Lucas’ Ferrari to a restaurant that only served salad. He would later decline the offer, suggesting to Lucas that he direct the film himself.

“But he doesn’t really love directing,” says Lynch. Relatively unknown Welsh director Richard Marquand would ultimately direct Return of the Jedi, while Lucas would later direct all three Star Wars prequels.

The clip is pretty brief, but it’s a cool bit of Star Wars history. Watch it below.

Lucasfilm Debunks Star Wars Sequel Rumors

As a lifelong Star Wars fanboy, I was pretty excited when I learned that MarketSaw, a blog focused on 3D movies and technology, ran an exclusive story on October 21 revealing that Lucasfilm is readying a Star Wars sequel trilogy to be filmed in 3D, a la James Cameron’s upcoming Avatar.

No Bothans died to bring us this information, but it allegedly comes from a reliable but anonymous source who said that Star Wars creator George Lucas would not be directing, and that Steven Spielberg and Francis Ford Coppola may take the reins of a new trilogy set after Return of the Jedi.

This story quickly began making the rounds online. But like many so-called “exclusives” citing unnamed but “trusted” sources, this was all too good to be true. Quint at Ain’t It Cool News squashed this rumor almost immediately, firing off an e-mail to Lucasfilm’s public relations department. The company affirmed that there are no new theatrical Star Wars films heading our way—3D or otherwise.

I’m not surprised, but I think this speaks to one of the prevailing issues in the blogosphere: it’s just way too easy for outright bullshit to spread quickly. When it comes to Internet movie rumors, keep those salt grains handy.