Yes Indy is back this summer for one more installment of the Indiana Jones series. But where did we leave Indy exactly? Can’t quite remember? Well no worries, the original trilogy has being re-released on DVD in crystal clear quality and is full of special features.
I just got the Indiana Jones Adventure Collection DVD Set, and couldn’t believe how much I had forgotten. The thing I like about the Indiana Jones series is that it combines adventure with a bit of humor. Another thing I really like about Indiana Jones is that he makes you dream of exotic destinations. I think he is the first one to light the fire of adventure travel in my soul. Indy globetrots in the original series to places like Peru, Nepal, China, India, Austria, Italy, and on and on.
This set contains interviews with Spielberg and Lucas. They talk about how they came up with the characters, the stories, the locations, and even some ways that the series ties to Star Wars. There is an introduction feature you can watch before each movie where Spielberg and Lucas give you a little information on that specific film. Here is a run down of some of the special features you’ll see…
Indy’s Women Reminisce (Dr. Jones’ ladies…)
Creepy Crawlies (Bugs, Snakes, Rats… and how to deal)
Discover Adventure on Location with Indy (the places)
The Mystery of the Melting Face (who could forget…)
Storyboards, Photo Galleries
Lego Star Wars Video Game Trailer and Demo (I’m hype about this, I loved Lego Star Wars!)
So, I’d say this set is an enourmous value if you’re an Indiana Jones fan. You get 6 hours of fun, and It’s priced at $41.99. It will get you pumped for the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull coming out on May 22nd for sure.
I love to be outside in the summer. I like it when it’s hot and I can go down to the creek and float all day. There are days that the heat is unbearable in the Southeast US though. And summertime is the time for movies. So on those really bad scorchers many of us like to head into a cool theater and let them pay for the electric bill.
Hollywood has focused largely on horror movies with a little girl in the trailer saying something like, “They’re coming,” the last few years. The Into the Wilds and Touching the Voids are rarities. So, I was wondering if there were any “outdoor adventure” oriented flicks debuting this summer. Below is a list of what I found…
The life and times of Genghis Kahn. If Braveheart and Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon had a baby, this is what it would look like. Great cinematography and beautiful scenery on the Asian plains.
The Happening - see trailer here
M. Night Shamamalalamamama has scared us with The Sixth Sense, Unbreakable, and Signs, while not really wowing us with Lady in the Water. But this one looks interesting to me. Basically something is “Happening” and everyone is dying from some biological agent. Leave it to Marky Mark to traipse around the countryside and solve this problem. Maybe those Good Vibrations will save the day?
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - see trailer here
The original adventurer. Ole Indy is in fact getting some age on him, but we’ll see if he can still dodge arrows and outrun giant stone balls. Now this is going to be fun…
BlindSight - see trailer here
“Set against the breathtaking backdrop of the Himalayas, BLINDSIGHT follows the gripping adventure of six Tibetan teenagers who set out to climb the 23,000-foot Lhakpa Ri on the north side of Mount Everest.” … You had me at “set against the breathtaking backdrop the Himilayas.
The Fall - see trailer here
If ever there was a movie that should win an award for costume design… based purely on what I’ve seen in the trailer… it would be The Fall. This is one of those movies that nobody will see in the theater, but looks like it could become a beloved classic. The story of a little girl, sick in the hospital, and a dying man who tells her a story to keep her mind from her pain. The landscapes look like they were inspired by a Dali painting.
Surfwise - see trailer here
Midway through this century, when it was rare for people to stray from the mainstream, a man loaded his 9 children and his wife into a 24 foot RV and hit the road. They found surf spots from Florida to Venezuela and bonded as a family. This looks like an interesting documentary with commentary from the kids today about how it changed their lives.
The guys from AEG, who brought you Trout Bum Diaries: Patagonia and Trout Bum Diaries II: Kiwi Camo, are back. For two months the guys travel to five rivers that potentially no other fisherman has floated down in search of a mysterious fish. Their travels in this fly fishing adventure movie take them into inner Mongolia by horse, camel, Russian military vans, and hiking boot in search of the taimen, also known to Mongolians as River Wolf.
Taimen is the largest fish species in the salmon family. In the natural environment, without pressure, taimen can grow in excess of five feet in length and weight as much as 75 pounds. The have eyes that are centered more towards the front of the head which allows them to see prey below and above the water. This allows them to find and eat other fish species as well as mice, prairie dogs, and small water fowl and with rows and rows of teeth, they have no problem taking on that task.
At first they guys have a hard time locating taimen. What does taimen water look like? Where do they hold up in the river? These are the questions the guys have to answer during their 14 to 20 km river floats. In the beginning, the crew is catching lenok, which is the Mongolian equivalent to trout. The crew tried a multitude of flies: tungsten head streamers, top water streamers, giant grasshoppers, and so on, but all they could catch was lenok. It wasn’t until one guy had on a lenok and after releasing the fish back to the river, a giant taimen come out of nowhere and ate the fish. That is when the guys realize that they were not fishing flies that were big enough.
The movie has some spectacular views of the mountains and rivers of Mongolia as well as plenty fly fishing footage. The guys spend their nights sleeping in tents or on the ground, drinking beer, tying flies, and fly fishing for the mysterious River Wolf and once again the deliver a great fly fishing adventure movie. I can’t wait until the next movie.
I was recently given the opportunity to review Bee Movie. I was actually pretty excited to check this out since I am a huge fan of Seinfeld. In fact, I just spent the last month or so rewatching the first 6 seasons (now don’t give me crap about that, my outdoorzy activities don’t get started till they get the volleyball nets up…which just happened this weekend).
Even though I like Seinfeld, I am normally not a huge fan of cartoon movies. I was actually pleasantly surprised with this one though. The animation was fantastic. It is really surprising to me how easily it is now to get engulfed in animated movie and forget that you are watching a cartoon. The characters were actually drawn with the mannerisms of the voice actors playing them. The cast was pretty star studded as well, Renee Zellwegger, Oprah, John Goodman, Puddy.
The gist of the movie is that Barry B. Benson (Jerry Seinfeld) has just graduated and is not wanting the follow the status quo of becoming a worker inside the hive. He eventually heads out and then falls in love with a human, finds other bees that make honey for humans, goes to court, which as you can guess leads to lots of shenanigans and goings on. I don’t want to ruin it for you, but oh the hilarity does ensue.
Overall I would give this movie an 8. Remember this is an 8 for overall cuteness and “fun to watch”-ability. If you like Seinfeld and his type of humor and wit, you will like Bee Movie.
cinematography and beautiful scenery on the Asian plains.
Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull - 
climb the 23,000-foot Lhakpa Ri on the north side of Mount Everest.” … You had me at “set against the breathtaking backdrop the Himilayas.
