Utter the words Indiana Jones and immediately everybody knows what you’re talking about.  You’re talking about fast-paced, globe-trotting quests for long-lost artifacts, ancient deathtraps and amazing action sequences.  But most importantly, you’re talking about a cinematic icon who has become a household name for any film buff.  From the fedora hat to the bullwhip, Indiana Jones the character is one whom almost everybody loves.

This year, Kingdom of the Crystal Skull was released after a 19 year-long wait, and the results were for the most part a mixed bag for everyone.  Of course there were those (myself included) who continued to be thrilled and fascinated by everything, however there were also those who were disappointed by it.  All I have to say to those people is were you watching the same movie I was?  Because the “Indy 4″ I’ve now seen a total of five times retains everything that made the original three so great, making for yet another solid entry in the franchise.  Yes, i agree that sometimes it does stretch the boundaries of logic even by Indy standards (i.e. the whole refrigerator scene and a piece of the jungle sequence), but overall it’s a very fun ride that returns us to the world of a hero missing from the big screen for too long.

Without going into great detail about the plot, the fourth film involves a hunt for an ancient artifact that may contain clues to extraterrestrials.  Yes, aliens actually made an appearance in an Indy movie, although they’re commonly referred to as ‘interdimensional beings’ in the movie.  Along for the ride is Indy’s long-lost son, Mutt Williams (Shia LaBeouf), a double-crossing friend (Ray Winstone), and old flame Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen).  This time, the Russians are the bad guys and they’re led by the cold Irina Spalko (Cate Blanchett).  Everyone’s after the Crystal Skull, which has a mystery surrounding it that has to do ith the mythical Lost City of Gold.

This 2-Disc Limited  Edition is loaded with behind-the-scenes features that detail every step of the filmmaking process.  Along with the film itself on the first disc are two short featurettes:  “The Return Of A Legend” and “Pre-Production”.  “Pre-Production”, of course, gives a brief glimpse into how Steven Spielberg, George Lucas and the others went about developing the idea for “Kingdom” and “Return Of A Legend” pretty much does the same thing, only it focuses more on the collaborative team behind Indy talking about how the dream of a fourth Indiana Jones movie finally became a reality.  The second disc includes more behind-the-scenes goodness, with a detailed 12-part look at the creation of the film.  With this multi-part documentary as well as the one featured on the “Iron Man” Special Edition gives me a renewed faith in the “Making-Of” features for blockbuster DVDs in the future.  Also included are Pre-Visualization Sequences that show exactly how three of the film’s most exciting sequences were conceived, prepped and executed AS WELL AS Galleries, Trailers and a Game Demo for the LEGO Indiana Jones XBOX 360 game.

All in all, this is a must-buy for anyone who enjoyed the film, or any Indy fan period.

I must admit that by the end of the second act of Nights In Rodanthe, the sappy romantic inside of me was almost won over by the film.  Almost. But about a minute into the third act, the professional film critic in me took over, immediately recognizing the film’s overly sappy final 20 minutes as a form of exploitation on our emotions.  It’s as if the film is trying to bully us into weeping, saying “Look how sad this is.  And this.  And this.  And this!” Now, here’s a lesson for filmmakers when it comes to perfecting a truly moving moment or moments: never, ever pulverize us with extended shots of characters crying their eyes out.  If crying is ever effective and rubs off on the viewer, it’s because it’s used an appropriate amount of time.  But in Nights In Rodanthe, the waterworks just feel obligatory in a way, but that’s what Nicholas Sparks, who wrote the book the film is based on, is known for: sad endings.  Now, fans of Sparks’ work may very well be satisfied with this adaptation, but to anyone else, it’s just another mushy romantic drama.

But that’s not to discredit the rest of the film, which is overall pretty different and relatively easy to sit through.  Even if Nights In Rodanthe contains the usual gimmicks of a romantic drama, what really sells this thing are its two main stars, Richard Gere and Diane Lane.  It’s obvious that the two of them have good chemistry, which translates well to the screen, and their chemistry is easily the best thing about the film.  But the fact that everything eventually became so weighted down in melodrama made it clear to me that while faithful to the dramatic essence of the 212-page novel, the film is really just a play at our emotions when you get right down to it.

Since Nights In Rodanthe comes from a book by Nicholas Sparks, as I mentioned earlier, it of course takes place in my home state, North Carolina.  Set more specifically in the cozy little beach-town of Rodanthe located in the Outer Banks (a lovely vacation destination), the story follows two love-depressed individuals.  Adrienne Willis (Diane Lane) is a deeply committed mother on the fringe of divorce from her cheating husband Jack (Christopher Meloni).  In order to temporarily escape from the hassles of her personal life, Adrienne has agreed to watch over an inn owned by a close friend (Viola Davis), set precariously on the shore of a beach in Rodanthe.  During an extended weekend, the inn has only one guest: Paul Flanner (Richard Gere), a bone-weary doctor still grappling with the consequences of some recent tragedy.  Both Adrienne and Paul are at the Inn during a weekend where a ravaging hurricane is expected to strike the Outer Banks, so they are basically confined there.  And as they gradually come to learn more about each other, they of course fall in love in the time span of a few days; isn’t that how these things always go?  What happens next?  Well, I’m certainly not one to willingly spoil a movie for anybody, but if you’ve seen enough of these sappy romantic movies, then you can make a fairly accurate guess.

I speak from years of firsthand experience when I say that the Outer Banks is a very relaxing and beautiful place to spend a vacation.  My family and I go down there every summer and thoroughly enjoy it.  So I was pretty excited to see certain locations and areas that I’m very familiar with on the big screen.  However, while it was nice to see the Outer Banks used by Hollywood, I was also disappointed by how the producers portrayed the journey there.  The film has Paul come in on a long winding bridge, which is accurate, but then he boards a ferry to travel to Rodanthe.  That last part is entirely false.  After driving across the bridge, Paul would have to drive down a road that would give him about a 20 to 25-minute drive to Rodanthe without crossing a body of water.  What’s more, after departing from the ferry, Paul drives to Rodanthe, but from the opposite direction.  He drives away from the Cape Hatteras lighthouse, when he should traditionally be driving toward it.  In my humble opinion, it wouldn’t have killed the producers to keep the facts straight where the journey to Rodanthe was concerned.

But back to the movie itself, and as I said before, Gere and Lane are the best things about it.  The chemistry that the two of them share makes their scenes together all the more believable and tolerable.  Despite the typical cliches that are thrown out to us amidst the simple plot line, Gere and Lane are able to shine above all those cliches and sell the material well enough.  In fact, even though I’m giving Nights In Rodanthe an overall negative review, I’d still say that it just might be worth your time on a rainy day if you’re at the multiplex and you’ve seen all the other good movies currently playing; I say that because the two stars headlining the picture.  Also, Scott Glenn has a very good small role in the film as a grieving man who may be part of the reason Paul visited Rodanthe in the first place.  Plus, James Franco is also very good but very underused as Paul’s estranged son.

Director George C. Wolfe certainly has the proper vision for the film, as each exterior beach scene perfectly captures the sunny beauty of the Outer Banks.  In fact, he’s so good at that, that at one time I think I actually felt as if I were back on the beach.

But the main two performances and effective eye candy are ultimately outweighed by the roll-your-eyes-at-the-ceiling sappiness that takes center stage at around the end of the second act.  I wouldn’t have minded it if it hadn’t been so drawn out, especially in one scene where the camera lingers a few seconds too long on a character who’s sobbing their eyes out.  Plus, if you’re familiar with Sparks’ work and/or have read the book, it kind of detracts from the whole experience considering you know on what note the film will end.  So, in the end, Nights In Rodanthe is a wave of ocean water that crashes just before reaching the shoreline.

Rating: ★★½☆☆