Confessions of a Practical Blonde: Return of the Fedora!
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Memorial Day weekend 2008 begins officially (my time) at 4:35 p.m. (OK, maybe a bit early) Friday, May 23.
Memorial Day means backyard barbecues, graduation parties, honoring our veterans, yard work and the kick off for the summer movie season.
Lucas+Spielberg+Ford=BLOCKBUSTER!
I haven't been this excited about a movie premiere since Episode 1 of the Star Wars saga. That was the last time I bought a ticket in advance for a movie, I had to see the premiere as soon as I could. I went to an 11:55 p.m. showing at the Berkshire Mall Cinemas and it was sold out!
What am I so excited about? The return of possibly the greatest adventure action movie character of all time, Indiana Jones, hits the big screen this coming Thursday, May 22, in "The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull."
The latest installment in the tales of Indiana Jones is already gaining critical acclaim and looks to be a crowd-pleaser. This round includes the addition of Shia LeBeouf and Cate Blanchette and the return of South County resident Karen Allen as Marion Ravenwood. It also includes veteran actors Jim Broadbent and John Hurt.
<L2>I won't go into specific details about the movie as I don't like to give out spoilers. However I will tell you the plot is set in the 1950s and includes the KGB, an ancient artifact that can save or destroy the world and Indiana Jones careening through a variety of stunts that were filmed without any digital enhancement. I give major kudos to the 66-year-old Harrison Ford. Is that even possible? Wasn't it just yesterday he was in "American Graffiti?"
I do not know this for a fact, but I get the feeling that Dr. Jones may be a Pop. The trailers lead me to believe that LeBeouf's character Mutt Williams is Indy's kid. I won't know for sure till I see the movie May 22.
Memorial Day = Major Movie Premieres
"Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" opened on May 24, 1989, and grossed $29 million. It was a Memorial Day blockbuster. George Lucas likes to release his mega-hits over the first long weekend of the summer.
You'd be surprised at what other movies premiered on Memorial Day. Here's a short list for the 21st century:
| 2007 | Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End |
| 2006 | X-Men III: Last Stand |
| 2005 | Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith |
| 2004 | Shrek II |
| 2003 | The Matrix Reloaded |
| 2002 | Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones |
| 2001 | Pearl Harbor |
| 2000 | Mission Impossible 2 |
Some other notables include: "Godzilla," 1998; "Casper," 1995 (actually beat out "Braveheart"); "Alien 3," 1992; and "Back to the Future III," 1990. And I found out one of the most beloved movies of all time, "The Sound of Music," was released Memorial Day weekend 1965.
'Well Jones, at least you haven't forgotten how to show a lady a good time.'
(Marion from "Raiders of the Lost Ark")
Harrison Ford will always be one of my favorite actors. I first saw him in "Star Wars" when I was 10 years old. I was actually torn between the wise-cracking rebel Han Solo and the good-guy hero Luke Skywalker, played by Mark Hamill. Hamill, who had one other notable movie ("Corvette Summer") besides the "Star Wars Trilogy," was in contention with Ford for my heart.<R3>
"Corvette Summer" was goofy and fun and looked to put blonde hair, blue-eyed Hamill on the map, but a car accident impeded Hamill's career. Alternately, Ford's career skyrocketed.
Ford has starred in drama, science fiction, action and adventure, romantic comedy and thrillers. He has a vast range, but I have to say I like him best when he portrays that wise-cracking rebel with a heart.
A big part of the reason why the movie "Working Girl" is one of my favorites is because of Ford's character Jack Trainer. He is at once charming and a little off kilter - qualities I love in a guy. Other favorites include "Six Days, Seven Nights" with Anne Heche, "The Fugitive," "Presumed Innocent" and "Witness," for which he was nominated for an Oscar in the best actor category.
Ford also starred in one of the greatest science fiction movies of all time (other than "Star Wars"), "Blade Runner." The movie directed by Ridley Scott also features Rutger Hauer, Sean Young, Edward James Olmos (now Admiral Adama on SciFi Channel's "Battlestar Galactica") and Daryl Hannah.
To this day, the movie is a cult favorite. Check out the director's cut on Netflix.
<L4>(Editor's Note: The Berkshire International Film Festival screened a pristine digital director's version on Sunday at the Mahaiwe in Great Barrington. It was great; better yet, special-effects wizard Douglas Trumbull was on hand to explain how he created the film's version of a future Los Angeles.)
Summer Movie Preview
The summer looks promising for moviegoers. Check out www.firstshowing.net/2008 for trailers for upcoming flicks. Here's a list of what I think will be popular and what I hope to check out.
Adam Sandler's "You Don't Mess with the Zohan" comes out June 6; M. Night Shyamalan's "The Happening" and the latest "The Incredible Hulk," both on June 13; Steve Carell, Anne Hatheway, Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson and Alan Arkin in "Get Smart" on June 20; Pixar Animation's "Wall-E" on June 27; Will Smith's latest Fourth of July release "Hancock"; Christian Bale returns as Batman in "The Dark Knight" on July 18; the dynamic comedy duo of Will Ferrell and John C. Reilly in "Step Brothers" on July 25; "X-Files 2" on June 25; "The Mummy 3" on Aug. 1; "The Pineapple Express" starring Seth Rogen and James Franco on Aug. 8; and "Tropic Thunder" starring Ben Stiller, Jack Black and Robert Downey Jr. Aug. 15.<R5>
To be crowned King of the Box Office this summer, "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull" will have to blow away "Iron Man" and "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian." "Get Smart" and "The Dark Knight" are also big contenders for movie of the year. My money is on Dr. Jones.
A very memorable Memorial Day
My most memorable movie experience over the long holiday weekend came on May 25, 1980. It was my brother Jay's 13th birthday. It was also the premiere weekend of "The Empire Strikes Back." We sat in the second row mesmerized by Yoda, curiously cautious about Lando, frightened when Han was frozen and appalled when we discovered that Darth Vader was indeed Luke Skywalker's father!
Movies are a form of escape as well as entertainment. I love when I realize during a movie that I have been so transfixed that I haven't touched my popcorn or when I leave the movie theater and my imagination is running on overdrive.
Harrison Ford has never let me down on a Memorial Day weekend; I don’t expect he will begin in 2008.
See you at the movies.
