Retro Review Tagged Articles at Cinematical

The prologue to Steven Spielberg's irresistible Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade tells you all you need to know about the upcoming movie: It's going to be fast-paced and energetic, nostalgic and warm, fun for new fans ... but definitely a treat for the faithful. It's a fantastic early-career mini-adventure for Indiana Jones, here played quite wonderfully by the late River Phoenix, as he bounds through caverns, races across the desert, and turns a circus train into a chaotic mess. This opening sequence is a fantastic mini-movie all by itself. And then the real fun begins ...

After taking a lot of finger-wagging from the mommies of the world, series creators George Lucas and Steven Spielberg decided to lose the nasty edge that was so prevalent in the previous film (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) and hearken back to the old-fashioned charms found (everywhere) in the original Raiders of the Lost Ark. The treasure this time around is nothing less than The Holy Grail, but (as usual) the relic means a whole lot less than what it does to the people around it. Plus we've also got a sneaky, sexy German spy; a big fistful of meticulously crafted action scenes; and, of course, the stately presence of Mr. Sean Connery as Indiana Jones' papa. (Seriously, who else could be Indy's dad besides James Bond?)

I first rented Overnight Delivery one evening years ago because that girl from Man in the Moon was in it. I popped the video in, half watching it and half surfing the Internet. After maybe 10 minutes, I'd logged off and turned all of my attention to the movie because it kept making me laugh in spite of myself, and in spite of the questionable story. Really, it's a simple formula: Guy thinks the world of girl, finds out she's cheating on him, goes nuts and sends off a scathing package, finds out it isn't true and then goes on zany adventures to try and stop the package and save his relationship.

Paul Rudd plays Wyatt Trips, a young man who is so sexually pent up that he has become this strange, stiff romantic caricature who knows how to shmooze his girl, but not seal the deal for something more carnal. His relationship has become so by-the-book that he can't even notice the lack of passion behind it. He is, at times, completely ridiculous, something which often makes him seem unbelievable. However, it's Rudd's performance that really sold me on this film. I used to know someone just like him. In fact, the two are so similar, down to the way they say "oh, awesome," that it feels like someone found my old friend and studied him for a few days.