Film Review: “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny”

A bounding thrill ride caps off the iconic hero’s adventures in pure escapist fashion

Let’s first recall that Indiana Jones films were inspired by campy serials and pulp novels of the 1930s and 1940s, thus an unperturbed sense of adventure and eagerness for escapism has always been key to enjoying each film. Regarding suspension of belief, every viewer’s tolerance may vary, perhaps hitting a ceiling somewhere between powerful holy relics and extraterrestrials. That being said, the enjoyment of any given Indy film is not all on the viewer’s shoulders. An Indiana Jones film needs to be filled with adventure, introduce us to exotic locales and archeological lore, and look good while doing so. Of course, it also needs the willing participation of Harrison Ford. The first three films, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade have all these ingredients and are universally considered iconic examples of the action-adventure genre (even if Doom remains polarizing). The fourth film, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, featured a sixty-five-year old Ford, underdeveloped side characters, and a plot that aggressively pushed the boundary between escapism and ridiculousness, with mostly cringeworthy results. But even Crystal Skull has its defenders. Not here. Not today. With a great sigh of relief, then, I’m happy to report that Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the fifth and final Indiana Jones film, manages to deliver a thrilling adventure and an emotional send off, even as it doubles down on its own outlandishness. 

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Film Review: “Empire of Light”

Bright spots transcend cliched moments in new Mendes picture  

Hilary (Olivia Colman) works the ticket booth at the Empire Cinema. 

Hollywood loves to make movies about itself. My last review was on The Fablemans, a movie about the magic of movies. This review is about Empire of Light, a movie about the healing power of movies. And my next review will be about Babylon, a movie about, you guessed it, the good and bad of the movie industry. If Hollywood wants to get folks back into theaters, maybe making a bunch of narcissistic films about itself isn’t the best way, but nevertheless, here we are, with three releases within a month that basically say, “Movies are awesome! Go to the movies!!” This week’s offering makes its case mightily, and somewhat succeeds in spite of the pervasive layer of schmaltz that covers the picture.

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Film Review: Serena

‘Camp’ is the operative word in Bier’s tiresome logging camp melodrama

Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper playing dress up in Serena.
Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper playing dress up.

Critically acclaimed Danish director Susanne Bier tries her hand at directing an American period piece with her newest film Serena, and, unfortunately, the result is a serious misstep, paling in comparison to her excellent, award-winning earlier films (In a Better World, After the Wedding, and Things We Lost in the Fire, among others). Based on a novel of the same name by Ron Rash, the picture stars Jennifer Lawrence and Bradley Cooper in a troubled romance, and the fact that so much talent is wasted here is beyond disappointing.

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