Film of the Month: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989)
Directed by Steven Spielberg.
Starring Harrison Ford, Sean Connery, and Alison Doody.
By some freak accident, it took me 24 and a half years to see the last three movies in the Indiana Jones franchise. I've seen Raiders many times (only all the way through a few though), and I've even seen the live show they do at MGM Studios in Orlando a couple times, but I never checked out the other three movies for some reason. I finally watched them though. Kingdom of the Crystal Skull is nowhere near as bad as people make it out to be. Sure, it's no masterpiece, but it's a fun movie that holds true to a lot of the core Jones stuff. And don't get me started on how bad Temple of Doom is. It's the third one, The Last Crusade, that really stands up to the original. It's got literally everything that makes these movies awesome: a cool plot, Nazis, interesting sidekicks, good locations, Harrison Ford being a badass, and lots of fun. There's also not really a centralized love interest, meaning that Spielberg didn't waste half of the movie's dialogue on some woman I don't care about screaming and crying about bugs. What really brings Crusade to a higher level, though, is Connery. Of course, he brings the usual Connery swagger to his role, but what surprised me was the amount of chemistry he was able to build with Ford. They really felt like a father-son duo, and it was great to watch them bicker. I have a few friends who actually say that Crusade is their favorite of the entire series. To me, none of them could ever beat Raiders, but after watching it, I can see their point of view.
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Honorable Mentions
American Splendor (2003)
Directed by Shari Springer Berman and Robert Pulcini.
Starring Paul Giamatti, Hope Davis, and Judah Friedlander.
I love when a movie is able to surprise me. I went in with no clue what to expect, and I was still surprised at Splendor's meta-film aspects and its ability to switch between different scenes and even different levels of filming without being confusing at all. Giamatti puts in yet another career-making performance. This guy impresses me more with every film I see him in.
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Collateral (2004)
Directed by Michael Mann.
Starring Tom Cruise and Jamie Foxx.
I don't think I'll ever understand the Tom Cruise haters. Sure, he might be a little off kilter, but his religion and sanity has never affected his acting. I can admit that I really enjoy Cruise, and Collateral is one of his finest movies. While it's a fairly straightforward story, Cruise and Foxx elevate the entire film with their commitment to their roles. Michael Mann's slick directing is also really great. The scene in the club is about as close to a perfect scene as you can get.
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Crimes and Misdemeanors (1989)
Directed by Woody Allen.
Starring Martin Landau, Woody Allen, Mia Farrow, and Anjelica Huston.
I know I should be talking about the film here, but I had a very odd experience when I watched Misdemeanors. I've never seen it, but there were 6 or 7 scenes where I knew exactly what was going to happen. Perhaps I saw it when I was a lot younger and didn't know what it was, but I literally had some scenes memorized. It was very weird. Anyways, I'm still a noob in Allen terms, having only seen 7 of his films, but I'd put this film 3rd of the ones I've seen. I'm quickly becoming a big fan of him.
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Downfall (2004)
Directed by Oliver Hirschbiegel.
Starring Bruno Ganz, Alexandria Maria Lara, and Ulrich Matthes.
Wow, a sympathetic World War II film from the perspective of the Nazis. And it's done tastefully. What are the odds? Downfall paints a picture of Hitler that no other movie has the balls to do: as a normal guy. Of course, you never forget the atrocities that he commits, and you never truly sympathize with him, but the best thing about Downfall is that it shows you how you could have done those things if you really knew him. Also, the fact that Ganz didn't even get a nomination for his portrayal of Hitler is utterly ridiculous.
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JFK (1991)
Directed by Oliver Stone.
Starring Kevin Costner, Gary Oldman, Tommy Lee Jones, and Joe Pesci.
I kept my expectations very low going into JFK. Other than Platoon and Wall Street, the films I've seen by Stone have ranged from mediocre (U-Turn, Natural Born Killers) to downright annoying (Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps). I'm so happy that I found another of Stone's greats, because when he's on, he's really on. JFK is loaded with star talent, and, other than Costner's flatlining performance, they all do exceptional, particularly Oldman and Jones. Most importantly, though, the story is engaging and will leave you wondering what really happened that day.
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Match Point (2005)
Directed by Woody Allen.
Starring Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Scarlett Johansson, and Emily Mortimer.
Yet another Woody Allen movie, and, other than the flawless Annie Hall, this is the best I've seen from him. The different twists and turns keep the film interesting throughout, and Scarlett Johansson is a beauty. But what really sets Match Point apart is that it is a loose adaptation of Dostoevsky's Crime and Punishment, set in modern times, about a tennis instructor. Being one of my favorite books, it was unexpected and amazing when I finally realized, about 3/4 of the way through the film, that Allen had done this. It's genius, and I loved it.
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Mission Impossible III (2006)
Directed by J.J. Abrams.
Starring Tom Cruise, Philip Seymour Hoffman, and Ving Rhames.
It's exceptional when the third movie in a franchise is far and away the best of the series, and yet Mission Impossible III easily fits the bill. MI2 is horrific, and while MI1 was good, it doesn't come close to the awesomeness on display here. By simply making the stakes of MI3 personal for Ethan, the movie immediately becomes more intense and exciting. The acting is also far better here than in the other films, and Abrams brings an energy to the filmmaking that is missing in the other two installments. This entry alone has me eagerly anticipating Ghost Protocol this winter.
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Directed by Rupert Wyatt.
Starring Andy Serkis, James Franco, and John Lithgow.
One of the best films of 2011 so far, Rise of the Planet of the Apes is a very entertaining ride. Check out my review to read more about it.
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Timecrimes (2007)
Directed by Nacho Vigalondo.
Starring Karra Elejalde, Nacho Vigalondo, and Barbara Goenaga.
Timecrimes is such a fun movie. It was almost my pick of the month, but I couldn't go against Indy. The film follows a man who gets chased through the woods and accidentally goes back in time a few hours. He then has to try to avoid running into himself so as to not destroy the space-time continuum. He eventually goes through the time machine a few times, meaning there are simultaneously 3 or 4 of him running around at the same time. It's an awesome concept and Vigalondo pulls it off perfectly.
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Other Great Films From August
Another Earth (2011)
Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
Insidious (2011)
The Lincoln Lawyer (2011)
MacGruber (2010)
The Mist (2007)
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Previous Films of the Month:
January - Children of Men (2006)
February - Kramer vs. Kramer (1979)
March - Rango (2011)
April - Source Code (2011)
May - Blue Valentine (2010)
June - The Tree of Life (2011)
July - Once (2007)
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