I – “Illsa” to “Invasion of the Body Snatchers”

I ACCUSE MY PARENTS (1944)
Parental neglect is to blame for one boy’s decline from honor student (and flirty shoe salesman) to a seedy life of crime in this typical cautionary tale. The best parts are the unintentionally funny ones. The boy stands in court and proclaims the movie’s title with conviction. His alcoholic mom humiliates him at a school function in one standout scene. There are a couple of nightclub performances along the way, including a song called “Are You Happy at Your Work?” (?!)
* ½

IGBY GOES DOWN (2002)
A well-written but ultimately hollow coming of age tale in the Catcher in the Rye model. The dialogue is sharp but comes off as too precious at times. Susan Sarandon and Jeff Goldblum seem to be having a good time hamming it up in their supporting roles. The middle Culkin kid stars and impresses more than Mac has with his adult career. The “alienation of a rich kid” story wanders too close to self-consciousness and is inconsistent in tone. Most of the characters (protagonist included) are pretty unlikable. Amanda Peet has a brief unimpressive nude scene.
**1/2

I (HEART) HUCKABEES (2004)
Everyone who hated this movie seems to think that the people who like it are afraid to appear as though they don’t get “it.” It IS a smart movie, but that doesn’t mean you’d be pretentious for thinking so. Nor are you an idiot for not thinking so. (That said, many of those who hate it probably are.) Jason Schwartzman is very funny — in his first full-on adult role. Mark Wahlberg gives the performance of his career…not that that would have taken much effort. ***

ILLSA: SHE DEVIL OF THE SS

ILLSA: THE WICKED WARDEN  (1977)

INCREDIBLE HULK, THE ( 2008 )

INDIANA JONES AND THE KINGDOM OF THE CRYSTAL SKULL ( 2008 )

INDIANA JONES AND THE LAST CRUSADE (1989)

INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM (1984)
If you ever wondered what a big-budget b exploitation movie directed by Steven Speilberg would look like, look no further than the ToD. Raiders of the Lost Ark was an attempt at recreating the magic of the Saturday morning serials of the 40s and 50s. And while it’s arguably one of the greatest adventure movies ever, Raiders was almost a little too smart, a little too epic and a little too weighted-down with religious iconography to feel like a mindless popcorn caper. ToD doesn’t have any of those problems. After a great unrelated opening in Shanghai, Indy, child sidekick Short-Round and a nightclub singer/love interest named Willy (a grating Kate “Mrs. Speilberg” Capshaw) are sent to Pankot Palace by the shaman of an Indian village, to retrieve a sacred stone and the enslaved village children from the scariest looking sweat shop this side of Nike. From the gross-out effects (Monkey’s brains! Human sacrifice!) to its racist subtext, to its not-remotely-plausible set pieces (the inflatable raft scene for example), to shoddy optical effects (That mine car chase scene is pretty snicker-inducing now.) – ToD is a big bloody exploitation flick in blockbuster’s clothing. Even Harrison Ford’s portrayal of Jones seems more cartoon here than in Raiders. It’s unapologetically off the wall and relentless with its action (even more so than Raiders). It only stops to catch its breath a handful of times and then its back to booby traps, insects and fiery pits of death. It doesn’t stick to the ribs the way Raiders does, but it’s clearly not meant to. ToD is fun forgettable trash in the best sense. The opening subtitle informs us that this story takes place in 1934, a year before the events in Raiders technically making Temple a prequel. It was followed by Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, which lacked the spectacle of the first and the fun of this.
***

INVASION, THE ( 2007 )

INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS ( 1956 )

INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS ( 1978 )

IRON MAN ( 2008 )