Clap Clap Clap, Clap-Clap-Clap!

As I've often commented, Century 21 was THE place to go to see movies growing up.

Seeing Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull opening night was incredible.

The one thing that would have made the experience a perfect blast from the past can be seen here:

The magic of Indiana Jones

My reverence for Raiders of the Lost Ark is well documented. The first I had heard of that film was a promotional flyer I received as a member of the Star Wars fan club. It was certainly intriguing - an adventure from George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, starring none other than Han Solo himself. It was enough to compel me to be there with several schoolmates for the first show at Century 21 on opening day, June 12, 1981.

Needless to say, my life was changed that day. Raiders is one of a handful of films I've seen more than 100 times since it's release. It's officially the most-watched film in the Slaughtered Lamb cinema. And unlike Indiana Jones himself, Raiders will never grow old.

In 1984, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom was the most anticipated movie of the summer. I saw it on opening day (this time at Century 22), along with Joe, his friends and a foreign exchange student from Sweden who enjoyed telling passers-by that we were waiting in line for Fanny & Alexander. The film was certainly different than Raiders. The darker tone appealed to me, and while it wasn't as perfect as it's predecessor, in retrospect I realize that it fulfilled a 14-year old's dream that Indiana Jones could be his best friend.

It was 5 years before we'd see Indiana Jones again. In 1989, Vonna and I were able to see Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade the night before it officially opened (thanks Kyle!), once again at Century 21. Indy saved his dad, his dad saved him, and off into the sunset they rode. Again, while not perfect, it was a fitting conclusion to what seemed destined to end a trilogy.

So here we are, 19 years later, on the cusp of the release of a new Indiana Jones film. And I can't wait. The Star Wars prequels reminded us of the risks of high expectations. So why am I not concerned? Because the ingredients are all here. Lucas and Spielberg. John Williams rousing score. And Harrison Ford in the fedora. There's no burden of trying to tie together all the loose ends of a much larger tale.

Watching the original trilogy again over the weekend reminded me that despite the flaws in the sequels, each is still an amazing film. And that's why I cannot wait to see Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. To relive the magic, one more time.

Thursday night, Century 21. We'll be there.

A day for adventure!

We're only two weeks away from what I anticipate will be our most popular movie party since we held the Star Wars Marathon in December.

We can't wait for the release of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, and we're obviously not alone. What better way to prepare for the new film than to refresh yourself with the original trilogy on the big screen!

To accommodate the needs and interests of everyone, we'll be running the original trilogy, starting with Raiders of the Lost Ark at 1pm on Saturday, May 17. As we expect there will be an increased interest in watching Raiders in particular, we've scheduled an encore presentation of that film at 9pm, following the completion of the trilogy.

Whether you want to see them all, only watch Raiders, or skip the under-appreciated Temple of Doom, the schedule will facilitate your viewing needs.

To ensure Vonna can prepare enough food for the event, we are requesting RSVP's this time out. We'll find a way to squeeze all interested parties into the theater - but we'd hate to prepare too much (or too little) food to satisfy everyone.

We've got some fun stuff planned, and are looking forward to enjoying these films with you all.

John & Vonna