Great Movies- Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Thirty five years ago today, the third installment of the hugely successful Steven Spielberg/George Lucas franchise kickstarted the glorious 1989 summer movie season. "Batman", "Ghostbusters II", "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids", "Lethal Weapon 2", and "When Harry Met Sally..."(just to name a few) were right around the corner. This was nirvana, the distillation of everything the decade stood for, and everyone was cashing out(the holidays would bring "BTTFII" and "Christmas Vacation"). But we're here to talk about Indy III. Spielberg, feeling apathetic over "Temple of Doom", insisted that the threequel be closer to "Raiders" in spirit and tone, and rejected multiple scripts. The Holy Grail came, literally and figuratively, from late screenwriter Jeffrey Boam("Innerspace", "The Lost Boys"), and a father-son subplot that supplied plenty of humor and heart. "Last Crusade" could be the most all-around satisfying film in the series, and was my proper introduction to the ultimate '80s hero. Join me as I explain in great detail why you should be showing it to the little ones in your life.

River Phoenix, of "Stand by Me" fame, got viewers off to a great start in 1912, Utah, as a teenaged Indy disrupts a group of graverobbers as they dig up the cross of Coronado. One of them has a cool fashion sense. Harrison Ford actually recommended his onscreen son in "The Mosquito Coast" for this pristine prologue, made even more special by Phoenix's tragic demise in 1993 at age 23. An inspired George Lucas would find a way to keep Indy's adventures going on television without his busy director/star combo. "The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles" was his primary pursuit from 1991-96.

Ford's familiar face brings us to the present day, 1938, as Indy makes one last play for the cruxifix off the Portuguese coast. It belongs in a museum. Like the first two films, we're catching up with Jones in the middle of another hair-raising episode, a very effective re-introduction. Indy barely survives a boat blow-up on a stormy night. His old rival 'Panama Hat'(Paul Maxwell) does not.

We're back in a cozy classroom with Marcus Brody(Denholm Elliott) to re-establish those "Raiders" vibes. You should recognize gray-haired Julian Glover from "The Empire Strikes Back". Walter Donovan is an American businessman who hires Indy to find the Holy Grail. Or is he? Henry Jones Sr. is already on the quest but has gone missing. His diary, sent to our hero in the mail, contains all of his lifelong research.

Blonde beauty Alison Doody is Elsa Schneider, an Austrian archaeologist, and was only 22 years old when she met Dr. Jones in Venice. That just wouldn't happen today. 'X' marks the spot at the library that leads to catacombs and an ancient shield with the inscription 'Alexandretta'. Oh, and 2,000(disease-free) rats, continuing an Indy tradition, and Ford wasn't afraid of them either. His father, a less adventurous bookworm, wouldn't have made it past the rats. Just as progress is made, we've got company.

A mysterious gang, the Brotherhood of the Cruciform Sword, has worn to protect the location of the Grail. That means trying to kill Indy and Elsa. I love how there's an action sequence for each mode of transportation. A narrow escape in a motorboat on the Venice canals ends in an uneasy truce between Indiana and leader Kazim(Kevork Malikyan). He offers the whereabouts of Jones Sr. in exchange for his freedom- an Austrian castle under Nazi control. "Why do you seek the Cup of Christ? Is it for His glory, or for yours?" This movie is already awesome.

Remember when the hero got to have sex? Look at the way Elsa looks at Indy. Big-budget movies are so chaste now.

Speaking of sex, that brings us to the original 007, Sean Connery at the 47-minute mark. Best Supporting Actor for 1987("The Untouchables"). Sexiest Man Alive for 1990. The tweedy tough guy has rimless glasses and renewed relevance as an elder statesman(next up- "The Hunt for Red October"). As soon as Ford and Connery are in the same frame, you're in movie heaven. We go from very-good to great. Spielberg's masterstroke was securing Connery, a full-circle moment as James Bond was among the franchise's earliest inspirations(Gregory Peck was the back-up plan). "Dad"! "Junior"! It's a one-time only meeting of masculine icons.

Elsa is a Nazi(who talks in her sleep). So is Donovan. They have the diary. I guess Indy has no choice but to get along with his Dad. The villainous colonel Vogel(Michael Byrne) also played a German opposite Ford in 1978's "Force 10 from Navarone", and an English would-be rapist in 1995's Best Picture "Braveheart". Mind blown!

It's a "Raiders" reunion, as Sallah(Jonathan Rhys-Davies) finds Brody failing to blend in and disappear. He got lost in his own museum. The Nazis intercept the sidekicks, and abduct Marcus.

Indy and his Dad are tied up in a burning dining room. What a great visual. They escape, of course, in a motorbike with a sidecar, another great visual(Spielberg understands this medium). The pursuing Nazis can't keep up with the Joneses. This is a highly-enjoyable ten minutes that ends with a testy exchange and an acknowledgment of Indy's unseen mother. Henry Sr. is obsessed with the Grail, so it's off to Berlin, the lion's den.

The Nazis weren't burning books anymore in 1938, nor did they have high-ranking females in their dastardly ranks at the time. Doesn't matter. A disguised Indy gets the diary back from Elsa and considers killing her. Hitler's autograph was a nice bit of black comedy- late Scottish actor Michael Sheard played the role five times(!) in his career.

Indy ejects Vogel from the departing Zeppelin, another comedic touch. Playwright/screenwriter Tom Stoppard polished some of Ford and Connery's dialogue exchanges. These duo have unresolved issues. Henry isn't hearing any twenty-five year old complaints about his parenting skills on this most-important quest. If you're a diehard fan, you've surely heard that the two acting titans went without pants to increase their comfort during this scene. The trilogy received a highly-successful DVD release in 2003 that was loaded with extras.

The Zeppelin is turning around, but the Joneses aren't going back to Germany. It just can't be overstated how great the Ford-Connery chemistry is. Harrison hasn't got as much facial hair in '88, to hide the fact that there's only a twelve-year age difference. Yes, the 46 year old Ford, who squeezed in "Working Girl" a few months earlier, was a late bloomer. We get a plane crash, a car crash, two downed Nazi fighter pilots, and some helpful pigeons in this five-minute sugar rush. Indiana Jones and his father have escaped. Is Junior starting to admire his old man?

Here we go. The desert tank. The action centerpiece of a movie filled with them. This was actually the first week of filming, and felt like a deliberate effort to match the truck scene in "Raiders". Indy and his Dad find Sallah and Marcus, but first must battle a small German army in a variety of crowd-pleasing ways, with another wonderful John Williams score enhancing everything we see. Spielberg's most important collaborator is 92 years old as I write this, and there will simply never be another like him. Btw, would Steve still be a multi-billionaire world-beater without his three-time Oscar-winning editor Michael Kahn? Like the legendary D-Day sequence in "Saving Private Ryan", this is a dazzling display of his talents.

No time to rest, we're so near the end.

Indy entered our movie-going lives by entering an ominous booby-trapped cave, so it's very fitting that his original run of adventures concludes the same way. Now is a good time to mention Douglas Slocombe, cinematographer on all three films, and production designer Eliot Scott, who joined the team on "Temple of Doom". Hitchcock has got nothing on Spielberg as he builds tension in the Temple of the Sun. Hatayan soldiers are decapitated by the Breath of God- two huge swooshing circular blades. Religion is scary.

Only the penitent man will pass. A leap of faith, really good spelling, and superb reflexes will be required to save Henry will the healing power of the Grail. He took a bullet to the abdomen from Donovan. This is another mini-masterpiece, comparable to the "Raiders" opening. We're so much more attached to Dr. Jones than we were in '81(or '36).

Donovan allowing Elsa to choose his cup has to be an all-time bad guy blunder. Doody, for all her blonde beauty, would only have one more major screen credit(1994's "Major League II") and supposedly turned down the Penelope Ann Miller role in "Carlito's Way"(ouch). The ILM crew achieved Donovan's demise with three puppets, the first-ever digital composite, and an assist from make-up man Stephan Dupuis("The Fly").

Grail Knight Robert Eddison and his baritone voice must have loved delivering that line.

Indy saves his Dad from certain death, before Elsa pays the ultimate price for her greed. She never really believed in the Grail. We then get the greatest father-son moment since, well, "Field of Dreams" released ONE MONTH EARLIER. Damn, 1989, we miss you.

Producer Frank Marshall filmed this perfection in Amarillo, Texas.

Seeing "Last Crusade" in the theater with my family at nine years old is part of the reason I write this blog. I want every child to have a similar experience. It's 127 minutes of magical escapism, and is still a briskly-paced blast through my 44 year old eyes. Like all of us, Spielberg, Ford, and Lucas got really nostalgic for their '80s creation and started plotting a fourth installment in the early 2000s. "Crystal Skull" and "The Dial of Destiny" would make Indiana Jones a five-part film series(sigh). I know I'm not alone in wishing this TRILOGY(remember those?) had remained pure and untouched by the aging trio and their CGI and the profit-seekers at Disney/Paramount. Oh, well. If you click on the Well of Souls or Short-Round or Sean Connery the next time you're aching for some old-school archaeology, you've chosen wisely. "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" is one of the world's greatest films.

The Worldwide Box Office- The 2000s

1. "Mission Impossible II"(2000) $546 million. 2. "Gladiator"(2000) $465 million. 3. "Cast Away"(2000) $429 million. 4. "What Women Want"(2000) $374 million. 5. "Dinosaur"(2000) $350 million. 6. "How the Grinch Stole Christmas"(2000) $346 million. 7. "Meet the Parents"(2000) $330 million. 8. "The Perfect Storm"(2000) $328 million. 9. "X-Men"(2000) $296 million. 10. "What Lies Beneath"(2000) $291 million.

1. "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone"(2001) $974 million. 2. "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring"(2001) $883 million. 3. "Monster's, Inc."(2000) $528 million. 4. "Shrek"(2001) $488 million. 5. "Ocean's Eleven"(2001) $450 million. 6. "Pearl Harbor"(2001) $449 million. 7. "The Mummy Returns"(2001) $433 million. 8. "Jurassic Park III"(2001) $368 million. 9. "Planet of the Apes"(2001) $362 million. 10. "Hannibal"(2001) $351 million.

1. "The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers"(2002) $936 million. 2. "Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets"(2002) $878 million. 3. "Spider-Man"(2002) $821 million. 4. "Star Wars: Episode II- Attack of the Clones"(2002) $653 million. 5. "Men in Black II"(2002) $442 million. 6. "Die Another Day"(2002) $432 million. 7. "Signs"(2002) $408 million. 8. "Ice Age"(2002) $383 million. 9. "My Big Fat Greek Wedding"(2002) $368 million. 10. "Minority Report"(2002) $358 million.

1. "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King"(2003) $1.1 billion. 2. "Finding Nemo"(2003) $871 million. 3. "The Matrix Reloaded"(2003) $739 million. 4. "Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl"(2003) $654 million. 5. "Bruce Almighty"(2003) $484 million. 6. "The Last Samurai"(2003) $454 million. 7. "Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines"(2003) $433 million. 8. "The Matrix Revolutions"(2003) $427 million. 9. "X2"(2003) $407 million. 10. "Bad Boys 2"(2003) $273 million.

1. "Shrek 2"(2004) $935 million. 2. "Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban"(2004) $798 million. 3. "Spider-Man 2"(2004) $789 million. 4. "The Incredibles"(2004) $631 million. 5. "The Passion of the Christ"(2004) $611 million. 6. "The Day After Tomorrow"(2004) $552 million. 7. "Meet the Fockers"(2004) $522 million. 8. "Troy"(2004) $497 million. 9. "Shark Tale"(2004) $374 million. 10. "Ocean's Twelve"(2004) $362 million.

1. "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire"(2005) $$896 million. 2. "Star Wars: Episode III- Revenge of the Sith"(2005) $868 million. 3. "The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wadrobe"(2005) $745 million. 4. "War of the Worlds"(2005) $604 million. 5. "King Kong"(2005) $562 million. 6. "Madagascar"(2005) $542 million. 7. "Mr. and Mrs. Smith"(2005) $487 million. 8. "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory"(2005) $475 million. 9. "Batman Begins"(2005) $372 million. 10. "Hitch"(2005) $371 million.

1. "Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest"(2006) $1 billion. 2. "The Da Vinci Code"(2006) $760 million. 3. "Ice Age: The Meltdown"(2006) $661 million. 4. "Casino Royale"(2006) $606 million. 5. "Night at the Museum"(2006) $574 million. 6. "Cars"(2006) $462 million. 7. "X-Men: The Last Stand"(2006) $460 million. 8. "Mission Impossible III"(2006) $398 million. 9. "Superman Returns"(2006) $391 million. 10. "Happy Feet"(2006) $384 million.

1. "Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End"(2007) $963 million. 2. "Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix"(2007) $941 million. 3. "Spider-Man 3"(2007) $895 million. 4. "Shrek the Third"(2007) $813 million. 5. "Transformers"(2007) $709 million. 6. "Ratatouille"(2007) $623 million. 7. "I Am Legend"(2007) $585 million. 8. "The Simpsons Movie"(2007) $536 million. 9. "National Treasure: Book of Secrets"(2007) $459 million. 10. "300"(2007) $456 million.

1. "The Dark Knight"(2008) $997 million. 2. "Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"(2008) $786 million. 3. "Kung Fu Panda"(2008) $631 million. 4. "Hancock"(2008) $629 million. 5. "Mamma Mia"(2008) $610 million. 6. "Madagascar: Escape 2 Africa"(2008) $604 million. 7. "Quantum of Solace"(2008) $589 million. 8. "Iron Man"(2008) $586 million. 9. "Wall-E"(2008) $521 million. 10. "The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian"(2008) $419 million.

1. "Avatar"(2009) $2.7 billion. 2. "Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince"(2009) $934 million. 3. "Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs"(2009) $886 million. 4. "Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen"(2009) $836 million. 5. "2012"(2009) $769 million. 6. "Up"(2009) $735 million. 7. "The Twilight Saga: New Moon"(2009) $710 million. 8. "Sherlock Holmes"(2009) $524 million. 9. "Angels & Demons"(2009) $486 million. 10. "The Hangover"(2009) $469 million.

Two Star Movies Vol. 11

Lea Thompson

"Destroyer" got destroyed at the summer box office by "Ghostbusters" and "Gremlins". Arnie would be back.

More like the worst of times. The movie career of Robin Williams didn't go as smoothly as you might think. This high school football flop and "Club Paradise"(released six months later) cast serious doubt on his big screen aspirations. Kurt Russell, as his old teammate, wasn't exactly on solid ground either outside the work of John Carpenter. Things obviously worked out for both men, but not before they fumbled the ball with director Roger Spottiswoode("Turner & Hooch").

R Arquette is good as a hot-headed hooker

The plant puppet was cool. That's the nicest thing I have to say about Frank Oz's film version of the '80s off-Broadway sensation that started life as a 1960 Roger Corman cult creation. I just don't know how many people hold it close today. Rick Moranis leads a splashy comic cast that includes Steve Martin, John Candy, and Bill Murray. I should definitely like it more than I do. As of this writing, the stage incarnation remains.

Whoopi Goldberg made way more movies than people realize.

Dennis Hopper had four films released in 1990, and not one of them was good. That's oddly impressive. The "Easy Rider" star spoofs his counterculture past as a hairy hippie in the custody of Kiefer Sutherland's ultra-conservative FBI agent. Could this mismatched pair have more in common than they think? This forgotten action comedy strains for "Midnight Run" vibes on trains and an assortment of detours, without ever coming close.

got a sequel

Joe Pesci released three good films in 1992. This -set snoozefest wasn't one of them.

Leslie N

Pat Morita's Mr. Miyagi wears out his welcome in the fourth and final installment(for a long while) of the teen martial arts franchise that started ten summers earlier in 1984. That felt like an eternity, and Hilary Swank's Julie-san had no chance against "The Mask" and "Forrest Gump". Producer Jerry Weintraub and director Christopher Cain(Dean's dad) just made a lame movie. Unless Swank teams up with Ralph Macchio on Netflix(she turned down a "Cobra Kai" role), "Next" will have no redemption.

Whoopi Goldberg, Drew Barrymore, and Mary Louise Parker hit the road after killing Drew's bad boyfriend(in self defense). The problem is we already have "Thelma & Louise". This girl-power dramady further suffers from the midway reveal that Parker has AIDS(!). Bonnie Raitt's rendition of Roy Orbison's "You Got It" made "Boys" video clips an early '95 MTV staple. I just wish the last Herbert Ross movie had been better.

A purple. Kristy Swanson as the damsel in distress? Yeah, that doesn't work either.

Luc Besson kinda sucks. The French filmmaker used the momentum of his well-received U.S. breakthrough "The Professional" to realize an ambitious project he'd been developing for twenty years. This campy, overblown sci-fi actioner, set in the 23rd Century, didn't land on my DVD rack, even with Bruce Willis and Gary Oldman in the hero/villain roles. Milla Jovovich's humanoid heroine is a highlight. Chris Tucker's insanely-OTT performance was not.

Tim Allen and Kirstie Alley

This surreal serial killer thriller has a 30 year old Jennifer Lopez, a villainous Vincent D'Onofrio, arresting visuals, and a clever marketing campaign. Too bad it doesn't make any god-damn sense. Director Tarsem Singh and screenwriter Mark Protosevich produced a divisive, pretentious, and meaningless film that made $104 million at the worldwide box office.

Hey, Johnny Depp, cheer up, you're a blockbuster movie star now. The "Pirates" heartthrob briefly stumbled as a divorced writer in a remote cabin in this dull thriller, based on a 1990 Stephen King novella. John Turturro overacts as the mysterious antagonist that keeps knocking on his door. Writer-director David Koepp should stick to scripts- in this case, he unsuccessfully altered King's original ending.

Zombie

Luc Besson still sucks. His European sensibility just doesn't translate to widespead approval in the States. A prime Scarlett Johansson and professor Morgan Freeman can't overcome the nonsensical "ten percent of the brain" storyline or inane action involving mental time travel(!) and Asian gangsters. At least it's only 90 minutes. A rumored sequel has yet to materialize.

Jared Leto's Joker was an intriguing take on the legendary supervillain and Margot Robbie's Harley Quinn is a win. Otherwise, director David Ayer's DC antihero actioner is a depressing mess. An overstuffed plot, dreary visuals, lame jokes, and an annoying soundtrack sunk what should've been a subversive rebuke of the Marvel machine. Even Ayer knows he fucked this up. Online hype sailed "Squad" to a $325 million domestic gross but few watched it twice.

dumb. Jennifer Aniston's

Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Jason Statham pointlessly bicker and

I wish I could say it doesn't suck.

cool title that has nothing

"The Sopranos" may be the greatest TV drama of all time. This pandemic-plagued prequel won't be held in nearly the same regard. Michael Gandolfini plays the teen version of his pop in a 1967-set story that apes "Goodfellas" and "A Bronx Tale", and just makes you want to watch those movies instead. A good supporting cast(Alessandro Nivola, Ray Liotta, Vera Farmiga) is undone by all the dull familiarity. David Chase had over a decade and blew it.

I used to think "The Matrix Revolutions" was bad. Keanu Reeves and his John Wick hair/beard couldn't resurrect his OTHER action franchise, in this messy fourth installment that felt like a middle finger from it's ONE returning Wachowski(Lana/Andy). The Warner Bros. property is truly dead and buried at this point. Where were Laurence Fishburne and Hugo Weaving? Better yet, where were the fans?? Were a long way away from 1999.

Dwayne Johnson had a grand plan, hatched in 2015, to lead a vulnerable DC Films into the future. Excuse me, while I laugh my ass off. "Adam", based on a relatively obscure character created in 1972, is a cure for insomnia and the textbook definition of superhero fatigue. The exhausting "Justice League" saga left no one asking for another CGI assault or a proposed team-up/showdown with Henry Cavill's Superman(appearing as a mid-credits surprise). James Gunn wasted no time hitting the reset button when hired by Warner Bros. ten days after this film's release.