It’s funny how memories long since lost can be triggered with a single conversation. I experience such a thing this week…
So as of this writing, we are less than two weeks away from the theatrical release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Most of the geeks are work are all jazzed about the upcoming film and, honestly, I cannot think of a movie series that is more universally loved than Indiana Jones.
Star Wars (particularly the new films) clearly has two camps. Lord of the Rings is sometimes divided. James Bond has its haters. But it seems like everyone loves Dr. Jones. And as the last film is practically permanently cemented in my Top Ten Action Films list, this fourth installment has a lot to live up to.
It has been nineteen years—that’s right, YEARS—since an Indy film has been in theaters. Which means that a significant number of the employees at my job were not even alive when The Last Crusade came to theaters.
I remember going to watch Raiders of the Lost Ark with my friend Mike Pepper when I lived in North Carolina. I would have been six or seven at the time. (Wow! Was I really that young?) And I remember being so excited when the lights when down in the theater at Eastland Mall in Charlotte thinking, “Wow, I’m watching the Temple of Doom with my dad…” (I would have been nine or ten for that one.)
And let’s face it, has their been a more parodied movie? The opening sequence of Raiders of the Lost Ark has been spoofed by The Simpson, Malcolm in the Middle, and Scrubs just to name a few.
And when it comes to Raiders, there are three iconic moments that everyone remembers: The guys all melting when they opened the ark, the snakes in the Well of the Souls, and the boulder when Indy steals the idol in the opening sequence…
So we have been discussing the movies at work and I have been humming the theme music all week. A friend was asking if they could top that opening sequence in Raiders. And this entire story brings us full circle to my original sparked memory.
At my house in Charlotte, NC, my parents built a patio off the back of the house out of bricks. And with most construction projects, there were a moderate handful of bricks left over after the project, which were left at the back of the driveway.
That pile of bricks served as a backdrop for many epic battles from which the fate of the universe hung in the balance. On that burnt red battlefield, countless Stormtroopers and rebel soldiers lost their lives.
He-Man battled the nemesis that was Skeletor.
Joes battled Cobras.
And I remember building a massive elaborate maze of bricks with all sorts of lost rooms and treasure troves. Centered in this mass of bricks was a large central “hallway” if you will. And time after time, my 5” Indiana Jones action figure frantically raced to avoid the rolling Wilson Volleyball that chased after him following his rampant thievery from a forgotten temple…
Now, that is a good childhood memory. Now that I think about it, maybe this is why I build such elaborate action figure backdrops for my Marvel Legends collection. Hmmm. Something to ponder at least. I think that much like the Star Wars movies, when I sit down to watch KofCS, I will be transported back to many good memories of my childhood. That’s some pretty big expectations but I’ve got a really good feeling about this one. See you guys at the movies!
So as of this writing, we are less than two weeks away from the theatrical release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Most of the geeks are work are all jazzed about the upcoming film and, honestly, I cannot think of a movie series that is more universally loved than Indiana Jones.Star Wars (particularly the new films) clearly has two camps. Lord of the Rings is sometimes divided. James Bond has its haters. But it seems like everyone loves Dr. Jones. And as the last film is practically permanently cemented in my Top Ten Action Films list, this fourth installment has a lot to live up to.
It has been nineteen years—that’s right, YEARS—since an Indy film has been in theaters. Which means that a significant number of the employees at my job were not even alive when The Last Crusade came to theaters.
I remember going to watch Raiders of the Lost Ark with my friend Mike Pepper when I lived in North Carolina. I would have been six or seven at the time. (Wow! Was I really that young?) And I remember being so excited when the lights when down in the theater at Eastland Mall in Charlotte thinking, “Wow, I’m watching the Temple of Doom with my dad…” (I would have been nine or ten for that one.)
And let’s face it, has their been a more parodied movie? The opening sequence of Raiders of the Lost Ark has been spoofed by The Simpson, Malcolm in the Middle, and Scrubs just to name a few.
And when it comes to Raiders, there are three iconic moments that everyone remembers: The guys all melting when they opened the ark, the snakes in the Well of the Souls, and the boulder when Indy steals the idol in the opening sequence…
So we have been discussing the movies at work and I have been humming the theme music all week. A friend was asking if they could top that opening sequence in Raiders. And this entire story brings us full circle to my original sparked memory.
At my house in Charlotte, NC, my parents built a patio off the back of the house out of bricks. And with most construction projects, there were a moderate handful of bricks left over after the project, which were left at the back of the driveway.
That pile of bricks served as a backdrop for many epic battles from which the fate of the universe hung in the balance. On that burnt red battlefield, countless Stormtroopers and rebel soldiers lost their lives.
He-Man battled the nemesis that was Skeletor.
Joes battled Cobras.
And I remember building a massive elaborate maze of bricks with all sorts of lost rooms and treasure troves. Centered in this mass of bricks was a large central “hallway” if you will. And time after time, my 5” Indiana Jones action figure frantically raced to avoid the rolling Wilson Volleyball that chased after him following his rampant thievery from a forgotten temple…
Now, that is a good childhood memory. Now that I think about it, maybe this is why I build such elaborate action figure backdrops for my Marvel Legends collection. Hmmm. Something to ponder at least. I think that much like the Star Wars movies, when I sit down to watch KofCS, I will be transported back to many good memories of my childhood. That’s some pretty big expectations but I’ve got a really good feeling about this one. See you guys at the movies!
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