Findcate

George Lucas has had an idea for a fourth Indiana Jones movie for more than a decade now, but Spielberg and Ford wanted nothing to do with it. Eventually he wore them down and the result is Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. It’s easy to see why Spielberg and Ford were hesitant to make it.

Indiana’s survival is now the stuff of utter fantasy. Sure the tight spots he made it out of in previous movies stretched the bounds of believability, but now those bounds have been broken, snapped, and tossed straight out the window. Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull does that in the first fifteen minutes, when Indy survives something so ludicrous that it’s right out of a bad, 1950s, sci-fi serial; which of course is what Lucas and Spielberg are using as inspiration.

He may be more grumpy and he may not be much of a dresser, but the glimmer hasn’t entirely gone out of Harrison’s eyes. We’re reacquainted with Indy in the midst of intrigue involving Russians. It’s the 50s, the Nazis have been defeated, and that means Indy must now fight communism. The Reds are led by an army officer named Irina Spalko, played by Cate Blanchett.

From the outset she’s no match for Indiana Jones, and Cate’s take on the character seems to involve a lot of gaping and staring. Spalko is after an American secret and she drags Indy out to a certain spot in the Nevada desert, where our adventure begins, offset by comedic gophers which seem to have wandered over from the set of Caddyshack. From Nevada it’s off to South America, where the gophers are replaced by monkeys, and jungle clue chasing with Indiana and his friends can begin in earnest.

But you’re here for adventure and there’s plenty of that. The movie soars in several character driven action sequences, and sags in others. Indiana has another one of those genius “shoot the sword guy” moments which alone makes Kingdom of the Crystal Skull worth the price of admission. Most of the effects are good, and it’s all well staged. Unfortunately, sometimes perhaps a little too well staged. This Indiana Jones feels less organic than any of the other movies. It feels more choreographed. Of course it’s all choreographed, but some of the action sequences in this one seem more like dance numbers than truly dangerous, rock-em-sock em Indiana Jones action.

Even though old age should mean he’s more fragile, I never truly felt like Indiana was in trouble, and I’m not sure he ever did either. Maybe it’s because some of it goes so far over the top that it crosses that believability line I mentioned earlier. Or, and I hate to keep harping on this, maybe it’s Harrison’s age. There’s no way a guy this grey could pull any of this off, and so when he does, it’s harder than ever to buy into any of it.

The idea of a fourth Indiana Jones movie is better than the reality, and a few years from now I guarantee fans will find themselves more likely to re-watch Temple of Doom than to revisit this entertaining, yet past its prime Indy entry.

Tags: 1950s, action sequences, army officer, believability, caddyshack, cate, cate blanchett, crystal skull, fifteen minutes, ford, fourth indiana jones movie, george lucas, gophers, indiana jones, indy, irina, nevada desert, outset, price of admission, sags, soars, spielberg, spira, temple of doom, tight spots

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On Christmas Eve, when many American families will be sitting down to a ham or turkey dinner, the Rathnaw family will be dining on fish, the integral ingredient in their traditional holiday meal.

For the last 15 years, Nina Rathnaw has served up her version of the Feast of the Seven Fishes or La Vigilia, one of Italy’s best-known traditions and a Sicilian custom to her family.

She learned to make the meal, which is by all means a labor of love, from her Sicilian grandmother who lived with her family while she was growing up.

“She served all seven courses and we looked forward to it every year,” recalled Rathnaw. “One year I realized that if I don’t do this, the traditional will die. “It’s labor intensive but once a year it’s worth it.”

The feast dates back to ancient times and can be served in three, five or seven courses, said Rathnaw, who lives just north of Suttons Bay. The three courses symbolize the blessed trinity, the five is for the five acts of charity and the seven stands for the seven sacraments, she said.

“Newlyweds typically do three because it’s a lot to do all seven,” she explained.

It isn’t important what types of fish are used and preparation typically varies from family to family. Rathnaw uses a variety of seafood in her meal.

Plenty of good bread and wine accompany the meal and Rathnaw also includes salad with some of the courses.

She begins her feast with a fish soup that is a light, clear broth, which is followed by the second course of shrimp cocktail.

Third is the marinara sauce with sardines. Rathnaw begins the sauce the day before Christmas Eve and finishes it the next day. She also adds pine nuts and fennel leaf to her Sicilian sauce. Fifteen minutes before it is served she adds the sardines and serves it over spaghetti.

Tags: Feast, fifteen minutes, Food

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