"Temple of Doom" Does Not Live Up to Expectations

"Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark" was a critical and commercial success. Harrison Ford carried the mantle of "action hero" skillfully, reminding us of his earlier days as Han Solo in the Star Wars movies. As Jones, the treasure hunter, we were entertained by an interesting plot, exciting action sequences and colorful characters. I was anticipating a similar reaction to "The Temple of Doom," the prequel to "Raiders": an intelligent, coherent story with great banter between Jones and his sidekicks. Needless to say, I was extremely disappointed. What were Spielberg and Lucas thinking when they directed and produced this movie? The story unfolds a year before Indiana Jones encounters the Ark of the Covenant. He finds himself in a Shanghai night club attempting to trade an artifact for a diamond. The deal goes sour and Indy escapes with the nightclub singer, "Willie" and his sidekick Short Round. They board a plane which will eventually crash in the Himalayan Mountains. The threesome find themselves in a village with an evil ruler who's seeking the Sankara Stone. With this stone the possesser can rule the world. There are human sacrifices, gruesome rituals, idol worship, evil spells and other far fetched and distasteful scenes which turns one's stomach. If the point of this movie is to turn our stomachs, it clearly succeeded! While there are the usual exciting action sequences, especially the mine cart chase, it's not enough to boost the "plot" of this movie. Indiana Jones is much better showcased in an intriguing story with mystery and danger rather than wasting his time with a demi-God who believes in sacrifices and enslaving children. If there's another Indiana Jones movie, let's hope it will live up to the excellence of the first one.

Raiders of the Lost Ark: A Roller Coaster Ride of Thrills

Steven Spielberg has done it again. He's produced another film with a great story: lots of action and adventure. Right from the beginning you're drawn into the life of Indiana Jones, an archaeologist who hunts for lost artifacts. He's in the jungles of Peru seeking a golden idol, but many have lost their lives attempting to do so. Jones uses his wits to outmaneuver the various booby traps set in place to protect this treasure. He barely escapes with his life only to lose the treasure to his rival, Rene Bolloq. Jones returns home to his sedate existence as a college professor of archaeology. But before you know it, Jones is jetting to Nepal to seek his mentor Ravenwood, who possesses an artifact that will reveal the location of the Ark of the Covenant. The U.S. government is concerned that the Nazis will discover the Ark and exploit its power for their evil purposes. Jones is requested to check the situation out. It's a race between Jones and Bolloq, his rival and now an ally of the Nazis, to acquire the Ark. Along the way, Jones is reunited with his former love, Marion, Ravenwood's daughter. He also teams up with an Egyptian, Sallah, who helps Jones navigate through the local culture. In the end, Bolloq once again lets Jones do the dirty work of finding the Ark, then forcibly takes it from him. The Nazis discover a valuable lesson: do not interfere with Divine objects for they are holy and not for ordinary men to exploit. Jones knew this, and as a result survived to tell the tale, whereas the others did not. You'll love the thrill of seeing Jones getting into and out of various death defying moments. One scene shows Jones encountering snakes, lots of snakes. You wonder how much punishment one man can endure. Harrison Ford is perfect for the role of Indiana Jones. He's the intellectual action hero using brains and brawn to save mankind. A big round of applause for "Raiders of the Lost Ark."

Get a Rush from Speed

I was skeptical about seeing this movie because I'm not one for explosions, car chases and gratuitous violence. I had seen the television advertisement touting "Speed" as a "sit on the edge of your seat" action movie. I had to admit I was curious to know how they would resolve their dilemma. Well I was pleasantly surprised, and I'll confess that the movie really did keep me on the edge of my seat. I kept thinking, how are they going to get out of this alive? Jack is the hero of the movie. He's one of those specially trained rescue, SWAT type law enforcement officers you hope is around if you're ever in trouble. The movie opens up with Jack and his team attempting to rescue people trapped on an elevator set to explode and plummet down 30 stories. The bad guy wants millions of dollars, otherwise he'll detonate the explosive. We see Jack and company rescue every single person, even the one person who's too paralyzed to move, seconds before the elevator drops. Phew!
Well, the villain in this movie is not thrilled about this rescue. Who is this psychopath? Someone who doesn't quit. He decides to rig a city bus with an explosive set to detonate if its speed goes below 50 mph. How long can this bus maintain 50 mph? What happens if they run out of gas? How is this rescue team supposed to remove the passengers without risking injury and keep the bus above 50? Jack manages to get on the bus and with his team watching his back, they eventually get everyone off the bus until it's Annie (who replaced the injured bus driver) and Jack. Along the way, we see the bus careen around corners, jump missing sections of the freeway and roar through residential streets until it ends up at the airport. The sequences of the rescue are awesome. Even though it seems unbelievable, you don't care because you're rooting for Jack to save the day and catch this very wily and crafty villain. Just when you think it's over, he still has a trick up his sleeve. Let's just say, he's a little disgruntled that Jack has foiled two of his plans. "Speed" is just the ticket if you're looking for an "edge of your seat" thriller. Keanu Reeves makes a great action hero, and Sandra Bullock is the perfect sidekick. And who can argue with casting Dennis Hopper as the nasty villain you love to hate.

Star Trek Nemesis Packs a Punch

Star Trek fans everywhere will be very satisfied with the latest "Next Generation" movie. Starfleet's tenuous relationship with the Romulans is tested after a change in their government's power. A new Praeter named Shinzon has taken control and extends his hand in peace to Starfleet. Captain Picard is ordered to meet Shinzon and evaluate his bona fides. On a personal note, Commander Riker and Counselor Troi finally tie the knot. "About time" is all I can say. The traditional Betazoid wedding ceremony is postponed while the Enterprise makes a detour to Romulus. While traveling through a sector of space, Worf detects a positronic signal much like Data's. Worf, Data and Captain Picard venture to the planet's surface and discover a dismembered android who's a clone of Data but not as intellectually enhanced as Data. Picard meets Shinzon, a Reman leader who heads the Romulan government, and discovers he's a younger version of himself. Picard wants to believe in Shinzon's sincere wish for peace between Starfleet and the Romulans but he remains skeptical. Scans of Shinzon's ship reveal thalaron radiation, a deadly weapon banned by all species. The Commander realizes Shinzon is not on a mission of peace, rather a mission of annihilation. He will stop Shinzon from achieving this goal at any cost. I will not reveal the sacrifice which was made at the end to destroy the Scimitar, but I'm not ashamed to admit that I shed a few tears. Star Trek Nemesis follows the great tradition of past Star Trek movies with its awesome action sequences and its wonderful characters. There's nothing like watching Data, Worf, Picard, Riker, LaForge, Troi and Crusher illuminate the big screen.

The saga continues in another "High School Musical 2" hit

The much-anticipated debut of "High School Musical 2" did not disappoint its millions of fans across the country, including my own daughters. I was a skeptical parent who finally succumbed to the HSM fever and watched the show, only to discover it was quite entertaining. So when I heard HSM2 was being released, I admit being caught up in the excitement. And it did not disappoint. We follow the story of the main characters, Troy and Gabriella, who are high school sweathearts, but have yet to share their first kiss. High school is now over for the summer. Both promise to spend time together and hope to make it a memorable summer. But Gabriella's rival, Sharpay, has other plans. She uses her influence to have Troy hired at the family country club where she can keep an eye on him. But to her dismay, Troy gets his friends jobs there, including Gabriella. Sharpay wields her influence by promising Troy access to the right people who will determine college scholarships at the local university. Along the way, Troy blows off his friends while he works the influential crowd. Of course this does not sit well with Gabriella who ends up quitting her job and leaving. Meanwhile, Troy's friends prepared to participate in the club's talent show, but Sharpay once again wields her influence to exclude club employees. But we know there's a happy ending. Troy comes to his senses, and the show must go on. Troy realizes he cannot abandon his friends and become someone he's not even though earning a scholarship is important. Once again we are treated to engaging musical numbers which capture each moment and relate the feelings and the relationships between Troy and Gabriella and their friends. The talent show finale is an excellent example. Troy and Gabriella reunite in a beautiful duet. I can't wait to see what they come up with for "High School Musical 3!"

Catchy tunes and fun characters in High School Musical

My daughters caught the "High School Musical" fever like millions of other children and teenagers last year. Friends of theirs had a DVD which they borrowed. Well before you know it, my girls are singing "Something New" and "Were All in This Together," among others, morning, noon and night. It was starting to drive me crazy. They were also trying to mimic the dance steps. I had to find out what the attraction was. Well little did I know that I'd become a "High School Musical" fan too! There are very few movies you can label "wholesome," and this is one of them. This musical has no profanity and imparts a positive message. As a parent, you can't ask for better than that. The main characters, Troy and Gabriella, are high school juniors who are randomly paired to sing a duet karoke style. They both like singing but have never nurtured it. Gabriella ends up moving to Troy's hometown and attends his high school. She's the "brainiac" and he's the star of the basketball team. Both secretly harbor desires to break out of their respective labels and sing in the high school production, but their friends discourage them. Who doesn't relate to high school peer pressure? In the end, Troy and Gabriella's friends realize they were wrong to do that and end up encouraging their friends to participate in the call back. They all show up to cheer their friends on and realize what amazing singers Troy and Gabriella are. Bottom line: break out of the mold and follow your dream. The musical numbers throughout the movie capture each moment beautifully and showcase the amazing talents of the young actors and actresses. Not only do they have to act, they must sing and dance as well. I don't think I'm going out on a limb for predicting a bright future for the cast of "High School Musical," especially the lead actors, Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens.

More Beauty than Beast

I will freely admit that I, an adult of middle age, enjoy watching Disney movies. It's a guilty pleasure I have. If you look at it objectively, you have to concur that these animated movies are beautifully done. Those in charge of the script took pity upon the parents who will have to schlep their children every year to a movie theater to watch these movies by adding humor adults can appreciate. Even the songs are catchy! So recently I revisited the magic of "Beauty and the Beast." Here is a heroine, Belle, young girls can emulate. She's a young woman who loves to read and to learn. She's also a devoted daughter to her father. The story unfolds as a concerned Belle searches for her father who's late returning from an errand.
Belle shows much courage as she confronts a beast who has imprisoned her father. The Beast agrees to release her father, but in exchange, Belle must remain his prisoner. Over the course of time, Belle discovers that there's more to the Beast than meets the eye. Along the way we're treated to some amazing and creative songs which capture the moment and help illustrate the story. And what would a heroine be without her sidekicks? The ready, willing and able army of a "tea cup," "teapot," "candlestick", and "clock" aid Belle in "battle." These characters help round out the beautifully animated love story of one beauty and a beast. I know I won't give anything away by saying that the story has a happy ending. I highly recommend watching "Beauty and the Beast" with your children. It's nothing to be ashamed of. I proudly proclaim to be a fan!