If you paid good money to see Jaws 3-D, Friday the 13th Part 3 (in 3-D) and The Man Who Wasn't There (the Steve Guttenberg 1983 version in 3-D) during their original theatrical runs, as I did, then you might understand why I've been so reluctant to board the new 3-D bandwagon.Those were awful movies and terrible 3-D experiences: ghost images everywhere, red/blue mix-ups, and constantly shifting focus. The stupid little 3-D paper "viewers" never fit correctly over my own prescription eyeglasses. Instead of inducing a sense of wonder, those movies made my stomach queasy.

But everyone says the new technology is markedly better, and I'm even more optimistic after reading Christopher Campbell's recent column on the wonders of Journey to the Center of the Earth in digital 3-D. I plan to see for myself this weekend, and in anticipation, I started dreaming about other movies that might really benefit from 3-D done right. To keep the list from becoming endless, the seven below could all be considered future cousins of Journey, adventures involving travel through time, place and/or space. All are proposed sequels or remakes or adaptations of published works, and, alas, all must be considered dream projects, at least as far as 3-D is concerned.

Put on your 3-D glasses before jumping onward to my choices, and please share your dreams in the comments.

Fans of Raiders of the Lost Ark might want to look away right now as what you're about to watch could cause serious damage to your soul. A brief snippet from the upcoming Raiders of the Lost Ark Special Edition DVD has leaked online and, in it, there seems to be a little update from George Lucas. I kinda like the small touches added and think fans will get used to them after awhile. Yup, don't worry ... they'll just blend into the background. I mean, really, who cares about this old flick anyway? It's so ... 1981-ish. That said, I'm sure folks are already in the process of creating an "Indy Shot First" t-shirt. Check it out up top, then let us know what you think? Should we start a petition? Has Lucas lost his mind? And how could Spielberg agree to something like this? Sound off ...

[Thanks Matthew]

Apparently teens have short attention spans, evidenced by this year's nominees for the 2008 Teen Choice Awards, which were announced this morning. Looking at the first two movie categories, Best Action Adventure Movie and Best Actor: Action Adventure, all the contenders (including Iron Man, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull and The Forbidden Kingdom) are from either May or late April of this year. I guess this summer's other movies, like The Dark Knight, The Incredible Hulk and Hancock will just be ignored, since they're too late for this year and won't be remembered next year.

Another related thing that was revealed: actresses were not too prominent in action movies of that same period, because the category for Best Actress: Action Adventure looks back a little farther to Abigail Breslin in Nim's Island, Rachel Bilson in Jumper and (whoah, December? that was so long ago) Diane Kruger in National Treasure: Book of Secrets.

Well, this is an interesting find, Dr. Jones. Apparently, a PDF document claiming to be Indiana Jones and the City of the Gods, as written by Frank Darabont, has found its way online. There's no word yet on whether it's the real deal, and I haven't had the time to read through the whole thing, but it might be worth a look. To recap: Frank Darabont (The Shawshank Redemption) wrote an early draft of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Legend has it Steven Spielberg really liked his draft, but George Lucas did not. Thus, Darabont eventually left the project -- one he'd worked on tirelessly -- time went by, and David Koepp finally wound up with it.

But what happened to Darabont's unused script -- the one Spielberg apparently loved? Who knows. Some people say aliens took it one night when Darabont wasn't paying attention, while others believe it was buried with one of them rare crystal skulls in the mountains of Peru. Regardless, folks are saying it's now online and you can read it right here. I'd do it fast, though, because someday a crazy wild-eyed scientist or a kid (or an angry studio) might show up lookin' for that there script (which includes both Papa Jones and Marion, by the way).

Again, it could be an elaborate fake. Nevertheless, I suppose you now have something to read while on the shi .... ahem.

[Thanks IHoM]

The nomadic DVD peddlers in Chinatown and other urban areas seem virtually unstoppable, but that hasn't kept Hollywood studios from launching various attempts to prevent movie piracy. Boing Boing reports on the rumor that at least one theater has been silencing the soundtrack in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull throughout the film in order to mess with potential bootleggers trying to record the thing. If true, it's got to be one of the most brain dead attempts at security since the rise of quart-sized bags. When you really get down to it, most two-bit criminals with camcorders in their laps don''t really care if the quality of the movie they're recording suffers, since the resulting product will already feature lo-fi video, the overlapping sounds of laughter and other audience reactions, and silhouetted cameos from patrons venturing to the concession stands or taking bathroom breaks. With all that, the intermittent exclusion of music doesn't sound like a major concern for the bad guys.

Studio anti-piracy measures are notoriously ill-conceived. Premieres and all-media screenings often force critics and even the filmmakers themselves to undergo intense evaluations before they're allowed to enter the theaters, while films open to the public, where pirates are more likely to show up, don't take any precautions. Granted, multiplexes wouldn't help their business if attending them felt like entering an airport terminal, but that doesn't mean there isn't a better way to prevent the crimes from taking place. Anyone care to offer some ideas?

[Via Movie City News]

If you missed any of our special Indiana Jones coverage last week, here's a recap of what went down:

Discuss: So, How was Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull?

Retro Review: Raiders of the Lost Ark
Retro Review: Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom
Retro Review: Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade

Cannes Review: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (James)
Review: Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (Scott)

Interviews: George Lucas, Shia LeBeouf and Cate Blanchett
Interviews: Harrison Ford and Karen Allen

Cinematical Sevens:

Indiana Jones Influences
Favorite Indiana Jones Moments
Indiana Jones Knock-Offs
Who Else Could've Played Indy
Watching Indy Through the Years

Special Features

The Exhibitionist: Indiana Jones and the Lost Art of the Serial
Monday Morning Poll: Your Favorite Indiana Jones Sidekick
The Geek Beat: Illumination
Discuss: The Women of Indiana Jones
Jeffrey M. Anderson's 400 Screens 400 Blows - How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Spielberg

More after the jump ...

It turns out that George Lucas and Steven Spielberg are as much movie nerds as Quentin Tarantino and that their four Indiana Jones films are just as full of references and echoes. But while Tarantino discovered most of his favorites on video, Lucas and Spielberg probably saw many of theirs in film school on 16mm prints, many of which never made the transition to video. Last month our own Richard von Busack wrote a post about a rare film called The Secret of the Incas (1954), with Charlton Heston as a fedora-and-leather-jacket-wearing adventurer. (Another Heston adventure, The Naked Jungle (1954), is also a definite influence.) Richard found his info at TheRaider.net, which is where I also went to work on this list of potential Indy influences. Many of the titles they list are difficult to find, and I'm also trying not to give away crucial plot points in Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, so -- to quote Indy himself -- I'm making this up as I go.

1. Saturday Afternoon Serials
For those that don't know, serials were presented in front of regular features in 20-minute installments over a period of 12 weeks (mainly in the 1930s and 1940s), leaving off each time with a cliffhanger, to be miraculously resolved the following Saturday. Many of them are rentable today, and you can watch the entire 240 minutes in one sitting, if you so wish. To date, I've made it all the way through only one serial, though I've attempted many. Most reviewers credit serials as a major Indy influence, but few reviews actually name which ones. I've narrowed it down to five. The first two are Zorro Rides Again (1937) and Zorro's Fighting Legion (1939), mainly for the swashbuckling hero's use of the bullwhip. These two are in the public domain and widely available on DVD and for download, but I'd suggest going with VCI Entertainment's DVD versions. The other three are examples of the "jungle adventure" subgenre: Perils of Nyoka (1942), Secret Service in Darkest Africa (1943) and Perils of the Darkest Jungle (1944) -- although each has also been released under alternate titles.

It took 19 years and a whole lotta convincing, but we've finally reached the day we've all been waiting for (and talking about ... and talking about ... and talking about): Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull has arrived in theaters -- and we want to know what you thought about it. You've read James' review, and Scott's review; now it's time to hear straight from you, the moviegoer: What did you think? Was it everything you'd hoped for and more? Did it disappoint? Were you on the edge of your seat the entire time; laughing, crying, high-fiving your friends? And where does this installment stack up against the previous three films?

Make sure to vote in the poll below, then feel free to discuss away in the comments section.

Sometimes there are props from films. Sometimes there are super-affordable replicas. And sometimes ... well, sometimes there are expensive fan creations. This one, however, is worth at least a mention, even though it is completely and ridiculously expensive.

Virginia505 on eBay created a life-sized Indiana Jones -- coming in at a whopping 6 feet. The fake Indy has the classic apparel -- jacket, belt, and the classic fedora, as well as props like his trusty whip and bits from all three films -- Staff of Ra headpiece, sanskrit cloth, and Grail diary.

This can be yours for the super-affordable price of ... oh, fifty thousand US dollars! And, if you're worried about someone outbidding you, there's a sweet and so-affordable Buy it Now price of $70,000! But have no fear, Indy fans -- shipping will be free. (Somehow, I imagine someone who spends 50+k on something won't be worried about shipping costs.)

Still, it's an interesting bit of fandom, if you happen to have the cash. You've got until May 27 to make your bid, unless someone grabs it through the Buy it Now option.