Over the past 20 years, there have been decisions made by Disney that left me perplexed, disappointed, and sometimes even perturbed.  After a disastrous run of attempting to remake classic Disney movies from the 50s and 60s, Eisner and Co. turned to theme park attractions for inspiration.  The first such experiment was a made-for-TV movie with Steve Guttenberg and Kirsten Dunst involving the Tower of Terror.  Then there was the disastrous Country Bear Jamboree.  Pirates restored my faith in Disney making a decent movie relating to one of their hallowed rides.  Then they announced The Haunted Mansion.  This is one ride that has an established story that most visitors know.

Then came the news that Eddie Murphy had been cast as the lead.  As much as I loved his early work, Murphy has been downright horrible since Coming To America.  My faith was withering away faster than a hitchhiking ghost in a graveyard.

I did see it in the theater and came away pleasantly surprised.  While not a great movie, I certainly did not hate it and was glad to see how well they stuck to the storyline.

The DVD is an average presentation, with the usual extras, but not much more.

My advice: Not a must-see, but passable if nothing is on and nothing else appeals to you from Netflix…

No trilogy would be complete without the third movie of the set…

Last Crusade was originally supposed to be a prequel, like Temple of Doom, but was scrapped given that this was supposed to be the final one.  This one shows us what shaped certain characteristics and how much like his Dad he is, despite all efforts.  More importantly, it shows us that not all dreams are meant to be obtained and that we need to be happy with the journey that the quest provides.

While the weakest of the three movies, Last Crusade definitely holds up to multiple viewings.

My advice: watch it and enjoy the antics of the Jones boys…

Continuing through the trilogy box set, we arrive at the movie that created history by forcing the MPAA to create a fourth level of ratings: PG-13.

Most viewers do not realize that Speilberg chose to buck convention when he made this movie by going back to a time before Raiders.  This ‘prequel’ was to show how Indy became the one we loved in Raiders; it is also why Marion was not around.  The Indy we have here is much more interested in fortune and glory until he encounters a village ravaged by those also seeking fortune and glory.  What follows is a tale that involves delving into other religions and beliefs.  While some of the visuals are not needed from the banquet scene, the dialog that occurs is extremely important.

My advice: worth watching; better than most think…

In 2004, I picked up a nice box set from Best-Buy for the Indiana Jones trilogy.  In preparation for the release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, I decided to go back and have a marathon of adventure with Dr. Jones.

Raiders allows us to follow along as Indiana Jones tries to recover artifacts for his museum.  The government asks for help in recovering the Ark of the Covenant since his mentor, Abner Ravenwood, made it his life study.  Complicating things is Abner’s daughter, Marion, whom Indy left many years prior.  He gets involved anyway and takes us on a journey to fill dreams and nightmares.  It is a shame that it lost the Best Picture Oscar to Chariots of Fire.

The DVD features all of the usual remastering and commentaries.  Everything else was combined with the extras for the other movies on a supplemental disc.

My advice: Hunt for this set and get it; the recent releases look too cheap to have the same stuff…

There are certain milestones we all dread: turning 30, becoming eligible for Social Security, and our high school reunions.  It used to be that we only worried about the 20-year reunion; but over the past 30 years, we have seen the rise of the 10-year reunion.  I remember mine approaching and realizing that I had not accomplished all that I thought I would.  Turns out that not everyone else did either.

Well, a couple of years before my reunion, a movie came out that had its environment center around the 10-year reunion.  Grosse Pointe Blank allowed us to examine this milestone in a unique way: what if you wanted to make a change in your whole way of life, could you do it with minimal “damage”?

John Cusack does a great job of expressing what we are feeling without coming across like a whiny little baby.  This the first movie that I took notice of Minnie Driver and thought she did well playing a tough, but vulnerable love interest.  Include a crazy Dan Aykroyd and a great soundtrack, and you have the recipe for a fun couple of hours.

The DVD only had a trailer as extras, so that was disappointing.

My advice:  Good for any night of the week that you want to have fun watching movies…