Tuesday, September 18, 2012

Indiana Jones and the Blu Ray of Awesomeness

It's hard to believe that one short year ago we were blessed with Star Wars on blu ray, which I picked up at about 8am on release day at Target, just to get some stupid free lithogram things that still sit in an envelope in a box.  But you know, at the time, I just had to have them.  And like any good Han and Leia fan, the first thing I did with my new box set was go straight to the Empire special features and watch that super smokin' hot alternate kiss on the asteroid.  I stand by the fact that I prefer the kiss as it is in the movie from a pure story-telling standpoint, it doesn't mean I wouldn't enjoy watching footage of take after take of them trying different kiss versions.

But wait, I got sidetracked because that is definitely not what this post is about.  No, now we have been given another treat in the release of the Indiana Jones saga on blu ray.  I feel this is at least somewhat relevant to this blog because Star Wars fans and Indiana Jones fans tend to intersect quite a bit.  I know this is not universal (just ask Push) but at least it gives us something to talk about. 

Unfortunately I am on the road this week and it is a little inconvenient for me to pick it up until I get home.  Not to mention pointless since I can't watch it.  But rest assured I'll be all over it upon my return home, at which point I will dig into the special features.  Mostly because any new footage of Harrison Ford at the absolute peak of his hotness is of great interest to me. 

Don't worry, I'm a way bigger Star Wars fan than Indy fan.  Every once in a while I try reading some Indy fanfic, and it does nothing for me.  But you have to admit that they are some pretty cool movies.  And look at that picture up there!  Not to mention the fact that three of these four movies offer something highly desirable that Star Wars never did: shirtless Harrison.

So did anyone pick this up yet?  Anyone see any fun features?  We'll talk about Star Wars next time, I promise. 

14 comments:

  1. The only Indy film I truly love is Raiders. The rest are just okay...and Temple of Doom is torture. So I won't be forking out any money for this. I might wait until I can get a lone Raiders disc from ebay or something.

    I would be interested in the special features, but that's what youtube is for!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. See, I've always really liked Temple of Doom, even with Willie's constant screaming! And I wasn't a huge fan of Last Crusade (still loved it, but compared to the others didn't think it was that good) but in recent years I've started to really appreciate the interaction between Indy and his dad and how that adds more to the character. It was a fun dynamic. I do like parts of Crystal Skull, too, I admit.

      Hope I'm not alone here in my love of Indy!

      Delete
    2. I will say Temple of Doom has some great action sequences, but as a whole it just gives me this weird uneasy feeling every time I watch it...maybe it's just me. The clencher for me though is Willie. She's like the Jar Jar Binks of Indiana Jones.

      Delete
  2. I love both Raiders and Temple of Doom fairly equally, think Crystal Skull is underrated, and Last Crusade is my least fav, I just don't know why. Think I cut Crystal skull some slack simply because of Marion, it was great to see her back, even if she was tragically underused. Never had an issue with Willie, yes she screams a lot, but she adds a bit of lightheartedness to what would otherwise be a pretty dark film.

    Of course this bluray set is not released in the UK until next month, so I will just sit here and sulk. :(

    ReplyDelete
  3. Oh you know why I don't like Last crusade? it must be.....NO SHIRTLESS HARRISON!! ;)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Good call. Why did he need to keep his shirt on for that one? The time he was in the robe he could just as easily have been hanging out with a towel behind his waist ;)

      Delete
  4. Indy! (the way Marion says it in the basket, not the way Willie says it). I enjoy all of them, but Raiders is truly a classic in and of itself. The movies are all different types of genre movies (serial/epic, horror/comedy, buddy/comedy, sci-fi), but the first one did it the best. First off, Marion can hold her own a lot even if she gets used as a damsel in distress and (spoiler for KOTC) I'm glad that he ends up with her in the eventual end.
    I'm excited that they're cleaning up Raiders, but I hope they don't take away the way it's always looked from an older time. Saw it on the big screen last week, Harrison shirtless and young on the big screen was all ready a bonus feature.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I'm happy he ended up with Marion too. Leia is Han's soulmate, and I always thought that Marion was Indy's. They just belong together.

    I've been trying to find a list of all the extra features. Just wondered if they might have included that infamous practical joke from Temple of Doom, where Carrie and Barbra Streisand show up. Thought it might be a hidden easter egg or something. Now we know it exists, it would be cool to see a "cleaned" up version of the footage and actually be able to see what's going on.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I think Raiders is a nearly perfect movie - romance, adventure, humor, and - oh yeah - a smokin' hot Harrison. Last Crusade is my second favorite; I like the interaction of father and son and seeing that relationship evolve. And Temple of Doom - like most hardcore Indy fans - is also a close third. Though I could do without the cultural stereotyping and Willie's shrieking, it is actually really funny and dark, and it has great action sequences, too. Crystal Skull continues to grow on me, and my issues with that one are mostly with execution and the rather stilted dialogue, rather than premise (I guess I would say the same for the Prequels and much of the EU). My main reservation is buying the Blu-Rays is that I already own Crystal Skull on Blu-Ray, and I think you can only buy all 4, right? And seriously, who wants 2 copies of Crystal Skull on Blu-Ray? I am sure they won't just sell 1-3, because, well, they know people would mostly buy that set.

    Also, I think I would give my left arm for all the cut footage of Han/Leia kissing scenes - all of them.

    ReplyDelete
  7. So is anyone else doing the new Star Wars Uncut? I just finished a scene yesterday, check it out!

    http://www.starwarsuncut.com/scene/456

    You should also browse the rest of the scenes others have done already.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Great job! I liked the outline drawings of the characters.
      I've seen bits and pieces of this and A New Hope. I am amazed by the talent, originality, and love that people have in making these scenes.

      Delete
    2. Is it bad that I've never seen SW Uncut? :(

      But I watched your scene, Elivagar, and it's really great! :)

      Delete
  8. This comment has been removed by the author.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Sorry typos before. I did pick up the blu rays, but have only managed to watch Raiders so far. I'm not as partial to Last Crusade. I like Indy and his dad. But not a big fan of Elsa. I always thought Willie was funny. Haven't seen Star Wars uncut. Will check that out

    ReplyDelete