Twice the Indy...

My review of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is now available at Revolution SF.

As in the seminal Raiders of the Lost Ark, the relationship between Indy and Marion drives the story. Their ceaseless bickering never tires, though disappointingly often interrupted by the abundance of action. The absence of this interaction weakened both the dreadful Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and the excellent Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. This latest adventure all but destroys George Lucas's contention that featuring a different leading lady in each Indy story strengthened the series. Any Indiana Jones project without Marion Ravenwood immediately begins with a handicap.

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Also in the current Austin Chronicle is my review of Indiana Jones: The Adventure Collection.

By way of 1930s movie serials, exotic locales, and witty scripts, the Indiana Jones films introduced one of the most popular and exciting action heroes of the 20th century. The whip-wielding archaeologist Indiana Jones, portrayed by the rakish Harrison Ford, challenged world-dominating Nazis and power-hungry Kali worshippers through three highly successful, rousing adventures: Raiders of the Lost Ark (1981), Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1984), and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989). In anticipation of the fourth installment, Paramount has reissued the three movies as Indiana Jones: The Adventure Collection, available separately or as a set.

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Animated Opinions

The latest issue of The Austin Chronicle contains my feature on the unique internet movie review site, Spill.

Like most weeks over the past six years, Martin Thomas, C. Robert Cargill, Chris Cox, and Korey Coleman gather to record their movie discussions. But now, instead of weekly Austin cable-access show The Reel Deal, they bring their act – equal parts critique, comedy troupe, and sideshow – to the Internet as a series of animated shorts under the moniker Spill.

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Jeff Vandermeer's Pop Culture Report #1

The first in a new series of single-take review videos from the tireless Jeff Vandermeer.

In this installment, Jeff reviews Shaun Tan’s The Arrival, Brian Talbot’s Alice in Sunderland, Nicola Griffith’s And Now We Are Going to Have a Party (from the amazing Payseur & Schmidt), and the Star Wars Pop-Up Book.

So when does Jeff sleep?