Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade by Steven Spielberg, 1989 (PG)

with Harrison Ford (Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strike Back, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Morning Glory, Blade Runner), Sean Connery, Denholm Elliott, Alison Doody, John Rhys-Davies, Julian Glover, River Phoenix, Michael Byrne (The Saint), Kevork Malikyan, Robert Eddison
Following Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark and Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom

Fedora and whip at the ready, Indiana Jones sets off on his third cinematic outing accompanied by none other than his father, Henry, to explore the cradle of civilization on a perilous hunt for the Holy Grail -- which the Nazis are also after.

This is my favorite, perhaps because it plays with switching roles, because the relationship between the two Jones is funny and it works, also perhaps because it happens at the heart of WW2 in Germany, which is easier to relate to than deep India. And finally because it tells you a little more about Dr. Jones, his childhood, and his emotions... making him a little more interesting than just a witty seductive man.

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Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom by Steven Spielberg, 1984 (PG)

with Harrison Ford (Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strike Back, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Morning Glory, Blade Runner), Kate Capshaw, Jonathan Ke Quan, Amrish Puri, Roshan Seth, Philip Stone, Roy Chiao, Ric Young, David Yip, Philip Tan, Dan Aykroyd, Michael Yama, Chua Kah Joo, Rex Ngui, Akio Mitamura, D.R. Nanayakkara, Dharmadasa Kuruppu, Stany De Silva

Following Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark and followed by Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade
The second film in the Indiana Jones series takes Indy, young sidekick Short Round and spoiled songbird Willie Scott to a remote fortress in India to find a missing magical stone. In the process, the trio stumbles upon a pagan cult.

This one is cute, the comic element being centered on the little boy and his funny comic of situation. The action is easy to follow, and they journey enjoyable. The story is a little less scientifically realistic, and perhaps the relationship between the characters less believable... Oh well... I was told each new Indiana Jones were better than the previous one (excluding the alien of 2008 Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull). So the expectation kept rising...

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Indiana Jones: Raiders of the Lost Ark by Steven Spielberg, 1981 (PG)

When Dr. Indiana Jones -- the tweed-suited professor who just happens to be a celebrated archaeologist and adventurer -- is hired by the government to locate the legendary Ark of the Covenant, he finds himself up against the entire Nazi regime.

This was a classic everyone had seen, and I didn't. I was expecting to love it right away, but the movie has aged, and not only that, the references to this movie are numerous, so I felt everything was quite predictable. Still, I got to enjoy it, Karen Allen is definitely my favorite girlfriend of Dr. Jones, and Alfred Molina is a baby, which is quite funny.

with Harrison Ford (Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope, Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strike Back, Star Wars Episode VI: Return of the Jedi, Morning Glory, Blade Runner), Karen Allen, Paul Freeman, Ronald Lacey, John Rhys-Davies, Denholm Elliott, Alfred Molina (An Education, Chocolat, Rango), Wolf Kahler (The Girl in the Cafe), Anthony Higgins
Followed by Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

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The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones by Harald Zwart, 2013 (PG-13)

After teen Clary Fray witnesses a murder at a New York nightclub, a sinister stranger named Valentine attacks and kidnaps her mother. Endowed with supernatural vision, Clary recruits a band of youthful human-angel hybrids to help rescue her mother.

I have been expecting this movie for a long time, because I am a fan of Lena Headey. For a long time. I am probably not quite objective, but I actually liked the movie, and am looking forward to the next episode. The story has this mystery that most likely is quite predictable, but on the other hand,
the cast is effective, besides vampires and werewolves, magic, and sort of British castle with a hint of Harry Potter's hogwarts and X-Men Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters, there is a whole new world of supernatural creatures, with doors to other worlds, this suffice to make me hooked. Looking forward to the next episode...

with Lily Collins (The Blind Side, The English Teacher, Mirror Mirror), Jamie Campbell Bower (The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn - Part 2, Winter in Wartime - Oorlogswinter), Robert Sheehan, Kevin Zegers, Lena Headey (The Red Baron - Der rote Baron), Kevin Durand (X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Cosmopolis), Aidan Turner, Jemima West, Godfrey Gao, CCH Pounder (Avatar, Face/Off), Jared Harris (Lincoln, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows), Jonathan Rhys Meyers (Albert Nobbs)

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Disconnect by Henry Alex Rubin, 2012 (R)

A hard-working lawyer, attached to his cell phone, can't find the time to communicate with his family. A couple is drawn into a dangerous situation when their secrets are exposed online. A widowed ex-cop struggles to raise a mischievous son who cyber-bullies a classmate. An ambitious journalist sees a career-making story in a teen that performs on an adult-only site.

This movie is interestingly good. The interconnected stories reminded me of the format of Crash of Paul Haggis, and little by little, you discover the characters and the catalyst that internet has been to discover another side of themselves. The fact that internet protects you from being identified allows them to become more vulnerable, interestingly enough, to the point where they end up with real world consequences. The topics have been all over the media, with real cases of harassment, identity thief, sex site using minors... This movie is one of the first entering the subject in an interconnected way, with an original script where no-one is either good or bad, just somehow irresponsible, and the cast is really holding the story together.

with Jason Bateman (Juno, Up in The Air), Hope Davis (Mildred Pierce), Frank Grillo (Zero Dark Thirty, The Grey, Warrior), Michael Nyqvist (Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo), Paula Patton (Deja Vu, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol, Precious), Andrea Riseborough (Shadow Dancer, Oblivion), Alexander Skarsgård (True Blood, What Maisie knew, Melancholia), Max Thieriot (Chloe), Colin Ford (We Bought a Zoo), Jonah Bobo (Crazy Stupid Love), Haley Ramm, Norbert Leo Butz (The English Teacher, Dan In Real Life), Kasi Lemmons, John Sharian, Aviad Bernstein

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Blackfish by Gabriela Cowperthwaite, 2013 (PG-13)

This fascinating documentary examines the life of performing killer whale Tilikum -- who has caused the deaths of several people while in captivity -- and questions the safety and humaneness of confining these intelligent creatures.

Well, if you are looking for the reason to never visit a zoo, you will be served. The way the documentary is constructed makes you look at the expected in a way SeaWorld has nearly no excuse. What also impressed me is how naive were the trainers, and somehow how lucky they have been all along, despite the love they have shared with Tilikum. The story is still the story of Tilikum, and there is a lot to understand about how much he gave and how traumatized he has been. This is actually the most interesting, seeing how responsive he was, and how gentle, most of the time, how evolved. This is a sad story.

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Sense and Sensibility by Ang Lee, 1995 (PG)

Jane Austen's classic tale of 19th-century etiquette and ethics chronicles the troubles and triumphs of the marriage-minded Dashwood sisters -- sensible oldest sibling Elinor (Emma Thompson) and her romantic younger sister, Marianne (Kate Winslet). While Marianne deftly charms two suitors (Alan Rickman and Greg Wise), Elinor must weather a circuitous courtship with an aspiring clergyman (Hugh Grant) of considerable reserve.

I love Elinor, and for years, she was my summum of proper behavior. To masochism... But so classy anyway it didn't matter, she was suffering properly, following the rules of her upbringing, and not creating drama where there could be if only she were to say what she felt. And Marianne as her opposite was not to be judged but nevertheless quite the irritating counterpart. But she becomes secondary, somehow, because her behavior in a way was more common. Anyway, Emma Thompson is perfect for Elinor, her sensibility is right on, and whether you believe the story is cheesy or not, she has to affect you somehow. The rest of the cast is perfectly directed by Ang Lee, to me the expert in romantic drama.
PS: Emma Thompson won for Best Writing - Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published and was nominated for Best Actress in a Leading Role at the 1996 Oscars.

with Emma Thompson (Beautiful Creatures, Brave, Men in Black 3, An Education, Love Actually), Kate Winslet (The Reader, Titanic, Mildred Pierce, Contagion), Alan Rickman (Lee Daniels' The Butler, Galaxy Quest, Love Actually, Alice In Wonderland, Snow Cake, Harry Potter), Hugh Grant (Love Actually, Did You Hear About The Morgans?, Two Weeks Notice, Cloud Atlas), James Fleet, Tom Wilkinson (The Debt, The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, Michael Clayton, Duplicity, The Ghost Writer, The Conspirator, Mission: Impossible - Ghost Protocol), Harriet Walter, Gemma Jones, Emilie François, Elizabeth Spriggs, Robert Hardy, Ian Brimble, Greg Wise, Imelda Staunton (The Girl, Another Year, Harry Potter), Imogen Stubbs, Hugh Laurie
From the director of Brokeback Mountain, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, Life of Pi
 
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