Hat Blog

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Movie Reviews

 

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Movie Reviews from a Hat-Centric Point of View

First of all – it wasn’t a premier; just a lowly screening.  Han Solo did not step out from behind the curtain.  Karen Allen was probably back on her farm in New England.  Spielberg was off planning his next serious project.  We were simply at an early viewing along with various other overweight fan boys, geeks and merchants of Indiana Jones various licenses.  Although the geeky skateboarding kid from Clueless who falls in love with Brittney Murphy was in attendance with his friends.  He seemed like a pleasant enough fellow.

So to be fair – right of the bat we were a bit disappointed.  We didn’t even get to view it at Mann’s Chinese Theatre as promised (and where I had never been).  It was at the multi-plex upstairs.  We were duped.  Mislead.  And aggravated.

When the movie finally started, our first partial glimpse of Indy in nearly 20 years came as a pleasant surprise – it was not actually our boy, but his hat.  And, I should add it looked damn good.  In fact the hat was a major character throughout the movie (and one of the best).  That can’t be a bad thing for the hat industry.

The movie on the other hand was sort of a disappointment.  It wasn’t a bad movie; in fact I’m giving it a B+ (just barely – like 87.5% with a cool teacher).  But compared to the first three (A+, 100% on Raiders, A-, 92% on Temple and solid A, 97% on Crusade), it just does not hold up.  Indy looked old – which is fine but they should have had much more fun with this fact.  Other than a couple brief mentions they seemed to ignore his advancing years as he beat the hell out of men half his age (sometimes three at a time).  Karen Allen looked like an aging athlete trying to get back in the game (think Larry Holmes circa 2004).  She seemed so pleased with herself that I kept thinking she was going to look at the camera, wink, and say, “Isn’t this just the greatest thing ever!  I’m acting!”  And as far as Shia LeBeouf goes, I have yet to be all that impressed with a single thing he’s ever done.  I don’t particularly dislike him mind you – he’s nowhere near my almost pathological hatred of Brendan Frasier (what has that jackass ever done that’s worth a damn and why is he famous and rich?)  He’s just blah.  And he continues his blah streak in this movie.  I mean, really – Shia LeBouf?  A tough guy with a switchblade?  Man, I am just not buying it.

Despite all that criticism, I was entertained for most of the two hours of the movie.  Any chance I get to see Indiana Jones/Han Solo/Rick Deckard on the big screen speaking in Mayan, brushing off cobwebs in some 4000 year old grave, cocking that beautiful hat and teaching some punk kid a thing or two, I still walk smiling.  Even if the story has some absurd holes and ridiculous twists towards the end, Harrison Ford has the ability make it all worthwhile, as anyone who came of age in the 70’s will attest to. 

My verdict is – go see it.  Just don’t expect too much and you won’t be disappointed.

Bruce Zales – Designer of Jaxon Hats
www.VillageHatShop.com
www.JaxonHats.com

 

I would say the film is an 8.5, definitely a lot of action and an interesting story line.  I would rate it as the number 4 movie in the series. 

A lot of references to the hat, at least 3 majors ones that I remember.  The hat is almost a character in itself!  One interesting tidbit, Indiana Jones does wear a different color fedora in a few scenes in the movie.  A grey felt fedora with a black hat band; this hat is soon lost and never recovered. 

I caught a few references to the past storylines, I'm sure there were more that I didn't catch.

Cate Blanchett was great as the new villain - thirsty for power; and Shia LeBeouf played the rebellious youth, his energy was a great part of the entire cast ensemble.

As for Harrison Ford, he was great!  He still has that charm that guides us through all of his adventures throughout the world. 

The story touches upon the mortality of its main character, we learn that heroes can't live forever but their legends live on. 

All in all, I think the 4th installment stays true to the series, fun and exciting; I would definitely see it again!

Susan Lee – Designer of sur la tete Hats
www.VillageHatShop.com

 

I went to the screening of the new Indiana Jones movie last night! The picture will certainly be the blockbuster of the summer. It was fun, exciting and action pack. Harrison Ford played the classic Indiana Jones we all remember and loved. He still has it!

 

Best of all, the movie really focused in on the hat! Several close-ups and laughs drew attention to his hat. Truly solidifying the Indy trademark.

 

The movie ended with the hat blowing in from a gust of wind. It lands at the feet of the kid (Shia LaBeouf). He picks it up and is JUST about to put it on. You are thinking the hat is passing on to Indy's predecessor. BUT... Indy swiftly grabs it, puts it on, and strolls out of the building.

 

Classic ending that left you with a smile and relief Indiana Jones will live on!

 

Gear up for big "IJ" hat sales next week. The movie has sold it!

 

 

Lisa Deluca Zimmerman – Hat Seller of Official Indiana Jones Hats

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull Coming Next Week

After a two decade hiatus, Indy is back. If you’re a HAT BLOG reader, you know that this is big news for the hat industry (see past postings either here at the HAT BLOG or at EZINEARTICLES.COM or VILLAGEHATSHOP.COM). Because we are authorized dealers selling the officially licensed Indiana Jones Hats, we have been invited to the world premiere of the movie this Tuesday in Los Angeles (yes, Harrison Ford will be there - we’ll say hello to him for you). Return to the HAT BLOG on Wednesday May 21st, to read the first movie reviews for Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull as we will post them on that day.

Hold on to your hats Indy fans, for the fun is about to begin again!

Fred Belinsky
www.VillageHatShop.com

Indiana Jones and the Fedora

New Movie coming May 22nd - Wear Your Indiana Jones Fedora to the Movie Theater!

The hat industry is buzzing, giddy in fact: “It’s coming. It’s coming.” No, it’s not the Russians or the Martians. It’s the new Indiana Jones movie, Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. These Indiana Jones movies – the first one was released in 1981 - have meant more to the hat business in the last half-century than any other event on the planet. [The only thing that comes close is the relatively new realization that hats serve an enormous benefit in protecting people from the harmful effects of the sun. Imagine, the direct relevance of hats to one’s health has had less impact on this industry than a series of movies!] Indy’s hat is a modern-day icon. Its current influence on the hat buying public is nothing short of phenomenal. The current popularity of fedoras can be traced to the first Indiana Jones movie when Indy, played by Harrison Ford, wears a safari style fedora, where the medium-to-large brim is turned down in the front and the back. The hat has become emblematic of the man. After that, all fedora styles took off. Today’s fashionistas like their fedoras with stingy (short) brims - very much on the other side of the fedora brim length continuum from Indy. Whether they know it or not, these young hipsters are the direct fashion descendents from Indiana Jones' Hat.

The newest installment is scheduled for release in May 2008. Harrison Ford was recently quoted, "I'm delighted to be back in business with my old friends. I don't know if the pants still fit but I know the hat will."

Fred Belinsky
www.VillageHatShop.com
www.Berets.com
www.JaxonHats.com

Borat's Favorite Hats

If you were closely watching Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan , you may have noticed the traditional Kazakh headwear. It just so happens that we have examples of these distinctive hats in our collection. Our friend and ex-Village Hat Shop store manager, Tom Toomey, is currently working in Kazakhstan. Tom, who travels and works in all the “Stans” as well as in Russia, never fails to make important contributions to our always-expanding collection of hats from around the world.

: The Kalpak: The traditional hat worn by men in both Kazakhstan and neighboring Kyrgyzstan. It is usually white with designs of black embroidery. The hat is primarily seen today in towns and villages, but is still worn on the streets of Bishkek, the capital city of Kyrgyzstan, where older men wearing business suits are often topped by their kalpaks.

: The Fanck Kalpak: Note the differences with this kalpak. It has expanded gold embroidery designs on the crown and the brim, a rounded rather than squared crown, and a small tassel coming from the top. This hat is to be worn on important occasions, celebrations, and the like.

:Kazakh Wedding Hat

Fred Belinsky
www.VillageHatShop.com

Drugstore Cowboy and Hats On Beds

Those of you who have been following HAT BLOG posts will remember the short article where I discuss Cormac McCarthy’s The Crossing and the passage where Billy visits the Mexican man rumored to be a brujo and almost makes the serious mistake of putting his hat on the man’s bed.  [You can still read this, “More on Hats and Cormac McCarthy", at the Hats and Literature link on the right.  It includes a short explanation of the possible origins of this superstition.]    

What was a small reference to this old superstition in The Crossing is no less than a central theme and the turning point in the movie Drugstore Cowboy.  After reading about the “hats on beds” superstition, a HAT BLOG reader asked me if I had seen Drugstore Cowboy and if not, that I was in for a big surprise.  Boy, was he right.  The drug addicted, paranoid, obsessively superstitious, main character so much feared the idea of hats on a bed that it drove him to murder [I think he killed her although I know it's debatable as she may have died from a self-inflicted drug overdose] when a drug heist goes bad and he discovers one from his gang had put her hat on a bed that day.  This action becomes the movie’s turning point.  Drug induced dream sequences featuring hats floating around, becoming larger and smaller, changing colors, etc. are an integral part of the film’s action demonstrating the power of this idea in the mind of the main character. 

Not putting one’s hat on a bed may not be as iconic a superstition as not walking under a ladder, or not breaking a mirror, or doing one’s best to avoid a black cat from crossing one’s path, but to many, particulary those steeped in cowboy culture, it is to be taken very seriously. 

Fred Belinsky

http://VillageHatShop.com

Hats As Agents of Transformation

Imagine a film about an article of apparel.  Who would dare make a movie about a single category of attire?  And what inanimate thing that people wear can carry an entire documentary?  Well, the answers are Andee Kinzy and hats.  Yes, hats.  Hats matter and have always mattered.  The power and influence of hats is well documented (see the BOOKS ON HATS bibliography at http://VillageHatShop.com).  Anyone who thinks about this for a minute will realize its truth.  Whether acting as protection from the elements or as a measure of rank or religious devotion, hats have always played a major role in human history and culture.   But Kinzy’s film, What Is It About Hats, is not so much about what Christian Dior alleged, “Without hats there would be no civilization” but rather novelist Margaret Atwood's sentiment, “I myself have twelve hats, and each one represents a different personality.  Why be just yourself?”  Subtitled A Documentary About the People Under the Brim this work addresses a most compelling quality of headwear – its ability to transform the individual wearer.  Hats can and do uplift one’s spirit.  Hats can and do change or express one’s mood.  One can either hide in a hat or call more attention to oneself.  This film is at its best when these themes are being explored.  When hat devotees in the film say things like, “I think if we wore more hats we would not have as much Prozac”, or “Hats are a wonderful thing for shy people”, they are not being factious.  We may at first chuckle when we hear comments like these, but it’s the realization that there may be something here worth seriously considering – bona fide psychology - that gives the film its legs.  In future efforts, I'd like to see Kinzy delve deeper into the transforming qualities of hats.  When the movie switches to “How to Shop For Hats” or “How to Wear Hats” it left me wanting more of this thought provoking substance.  But don’t let that deter you from seeing this film.  What Is It About Hats tackles a unique theme; and it is filled with interesting hats and entertaining hat stories.  If you are a hat lover, a costume or cultural historian, a psychologist, a shopper, a sculptor, or a documentary film aficionado, this film is for you.  I eagerly await more fims that explore this heady issue.   

To read more about the film and milliner, filmmaker Andee Kinzy or to purchase a copy of the film, click this link - What Is It About Hats. 

Fred Belinsky

http://VillageHatShop.com

http://Berets.com

Secret Window

In the movie Secret Window, Johnny Depp plays the character of Mort Rainey. In the movie, Depp wears a beanie.

A beanie is Small, round skull-cap, cut in gores to make it fit the head. Also known as beany, dink, and skull cap.

I Robot

In the movie I Robot, Will Smith plays the character of Detective Del Spooner. In the Movie Smith wears what we call today a beanie.

A beanie is Small, round skull-cap, cut in gores to make it fit the head. Also known as beany, dink, and skull cap.

Scooby Doo II

In Scooby Doo 2, Matthew Lillard plays the character of Shaggy. Here we have him wearing a fedora.

A fedora is a Men's soft felt hat with brim and lengthwise crease in crown , adopted by women. The name Fedora was after the heroine of Victorian Sardou's drama presented in Paris in 1882. Also known as Tyrolean hat, Alpine hat, Homburg.