Gizmodo Australia » indiana jones

Short Round and Sean Connery’s Papa Jones are My New Favourite Lego Minifigs

John Mahoney — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 20:25:05 +0000

The new Indiana Jones Lego sets are awesome. Not only do they adorably recreate several classic scenes from the three non-retarded Indy flicks, they’ve evolved the minifig to new heights: Short Round heights.

That’s Short Round there on the right in the top photo, next to the beefy Egyptian Luftwaffe Nazi that gets diced up by the propellers at the end of Raiders.

And here’s Connery, in the back of the biplane, before haplessly shredding the rudder with his machine gun. Oh Dad.

You can recreate all of those scenes, along with the heart-removal from Temple of Doom (KALI-MA), the Venice Canal chase with the fez-wearing Brotherhood of Grail protectors, and the old-timey Shanghai car chase from the beginning of Temple of Doom, where you can find the aforementioned Short Round (note the half-length legs).

All of them are being released in August, and they are 100% cooler than Lego Star Wars. [Toy Fair 2009]

Should George Lucas Be Condemned for Crimes Against Our Childhood?

Jesus Diaz — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 02:01:12 +0000

After abominations like Indiana Jones 4 and the Star Wars prequels, what do you think? Watch the great trailer for The People vs George Lucas-featured at io9 and tell us your verdict in the comments.

My verdict: Exile in Dagobah. Or failing that, Albuquerque. Plus a remake and rewrite of the prequels, Indy 4, and Return of the Jedi-to get rid of the fraking Ewoks. And let JJ Abrams do this, or Jon Favreau, or Zack Snyder.

What do you think? What’s your verdict? And who should re-write and redirect the damn trilogy and ROTJ? Tell us in the comments. [io9]

Buy Luke’s Original Lightsaber for $US185,000, Gizmo Animatronic for $US5,000

Jesus Diaz — Wed, 26 Nov 2008 00:40:00 +0000

This is it. The real McCoy: Luke Skywalker’s one and only lightsaber, used in the original Star Wars and The Empire Strikes Back. It can be yours for only $US185,000. If you don’t have $US185,000 handy, you can get the real fedora hat or the bullwhip used by Indiana Jones in Temple of Doom for $US61,000 each (reportedly, the ones from Indiana Jones and the Crappy Flying Saucers with the Stupid Kid will be $US20.84). These are only three of the original props that will be available in a December 11 auction, which will include one with our name on it: The original Gizmo, the animatronic puppet used in Gremlins, with control box and wires included.

The original Luke Skywalker is the property of Star Wars producer Gary Kurtz, and is going to be auctioned along the rest of the movie goodies by Profiles in History on December 11:

• C-3PO face for $83,000 and hands for $30,000.
• Mohawk and Brain Gremlins puppets for about $7,000 each.
• The original Jor-El tunic wore by Marlon Brando in Superman for $51,000.
• His t-shirt in Apocalypse Now for $20,000.
• An original set of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, bound in red cloth, signed by Tolkien, and containing a fold-out map of the Middle Earth for $124,000.
• For the same amount you can also snatch an 82-inch flying saucer made of wood, steel and fiberglass from Forbidden Planet.
• First editions of James Bond novels inscribed by Ian Fleming, including one that said “To the real James Bond from the thief of his identity”, which was dedicated to American Ornithologist James Bond.

In total, there will be over 500 objects related to movies, from the silent era to sci-fi classics. Now, can any reader with deep pockets bid for Gizmo and then give it to us. Thank you very much. [Daily Telegraph]

Indiana Jones Giant RC Ant Can Chomp George Lucas’ Ballsack

Jesus Diaz — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 19:00:00 +0000

As he gets ready to rape Indiana Jones again with the fifth part of the series, George Lucas keeps milking the merchandise tits of the most famous archeologist by releasing all kinds of products. Fortunately, this Giant RC Ant is worth it, and probably one of the few good things to come out of that disaster of a movie called Indiana Jones and the Stupid Crystal Craniums of Some Dumbass Aliens. You can make the $US29.99 ant crawl and chomp its mandibles with the Crystal Skull remote control, all while singing the secret lyrics to the Indiana Jones theme out loud. Jones–my beloved dog, not the archeologist–would totally dig this. [Uncle Milton]

Indy 4 Blu-Ray Comes With 5 Different Retail Packages, Still Hurts Me Inside

Gizmodo US Edition — Thu, 09 Oct 2008 03:30:00 +0000

There’s only one week left until the Blu-Ray release of the worst sequel ever (at least in terms of how it took my childhood and ripped out its heart Kali Ma-style), Indiana Jones and The Goddamn X-Files, and retailers have decided to go with an equally frustrating promotion gimmick. Indy-enthusiasts will have to choose between five different exclusive retail packages—getting every single piece of movie paraphernalia will be like a treasure hunt… with mediocre cinema attached!

Basically, each retailer will have its own specific exclusive that comes with the Blu-Ray disk. If you go to Circuit City, you’re given two lithographs of concept art from the movie.

Best Buy gets a gift set with a replica of that Crystal Skull as well as $US25 to spend on sideshowcollectables.com.

Target customers receive an 80-page hardcover book of behind-the-scenes photos and images.

Kmart & Sears will hand you four LEGO mini-posters (LEGO replicas of all four Indy films).

And finally, Trans World shoppers receive steelbook packaging. Yes. Packaging.

Right. If LEGO posters and exclusive picture books are enough to make you want to go out and buy this travesty of a movie, they’ll be in all the stores mentioned above on October 14. Happy hunting.

Indiana Jones 4 Blu-Ray Details Released With Cool Extras, Movie Still Poop

Jesus Diaz — Tue, 12 Aug 2008 18:20:20 +0000

The Blu-ray edition of the biggest letdown in movie history, also known as Indiana Jones and the Temple of the Whatever Crystal Something will be released on October 14, just in time not to buy it for this holiday season. The two-disc Blu-ray comes in the obligatory 1080p and comes loaded with extras that don’t make the movie any less crappy:

The Special Edition Blu-ray is presented in 1080p High Definition with THX Certified English 5.1 Dolby True HD, French 5.1 Dolby Digital and Spanish 5.1 Dolby Digital and English, English SDH, French, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese subtitles. The two-disc set includes the following special features:

Blu-ray Disc 1:

Indiana Jones Timelines– Explore the movie through interactive timelines that include video featurettes, in-depth information and unique imagery. Your adventure begins with one of these three timelines:
Story Timeline: Showcases the key events of the “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” storyline.
Production Timeline: A Making-of chronology for “Kingdom of the Crystal Skull”.
Historical Timeline: Dives into the real-world historical influences that are referenced in the film.
The Return of a Legend–The evolution of the new film and a tribute to the legendary hero and his creators. (HD)

Pre-Production–Follows Steven Spielberg as he creates animatic sequences, Shia LaBeouf as he learns to swordfight and captures the reunion of filmmakers and cast on the soundstage. (HD)

Disc 2:

Production Diary: Making Kingdom of the Crystal Skull–Join filmmakers, cast and crew for a complete look at the making of the film.
Shooting Begins: New Mexico (HD)
Back To School: New Haven, Connecticut (HD)
Welcome to the Jungle: Hilo, Hawaii (HD)
On-Set Action (HD)
Exploring Akator (HD)
Wrapping Up! (HD)
Warrior Makeup (HD)

The Crystal Skulls (HD)

Iconic Props (HD)

The Effects of Indy (HD)

Adventures in Post Production (HD)

Closing: Team Indy (HD)

Galleries

The Art Department
The Adventure Begins
Cemetery and Jungle
Akator
Stan Winston Studio
Corpses, Skeletons & Mummies
Aliens & Crystal Skulls
Production Photographs

Portraits

Behind-the-Scenes Photographs

[Latino Review]

Indiana Jones Roundup: Making Everyone Behave Like They’re Mentally Ill

Gizmodo US Edition — Mon, 26 May 2008 13:00:00 +0000

Forget the iPhone, and screw Terminator 4. Everyone who’s anyone knows that this week was all about Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. There are plenty of mature and dignified ways of welcoming back the good professor. Here are the rest:

Review: New Indy’s Most Deadly Trap Is the Movie Itself

Gizmodo US Edition — Fri, 23 May 2008 20:30:00 +0000

Yesterday I saw Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull. Like a kid, I went to the movie theatre ready for all the popcorn cinema fun I could get—the crazy chases, the fights, bugs, snakes, temples, tombs, skeletons and all the deadly machines and ancient gadgets that they could throw at me. In fact, I’ve been ready for them since the end credits of the Last Crusade. Right there, as the lights went down, waiting for the first notes of the theme song, I was ready to shiver and jump in my seat. I was ready for the ride. (WARNING: SPOILERS AHEAD)

Indiana Jones Crystal Skull Projector, Not Morbid At All

Mark Wilson — Thu, 22 May 2008 17:40:00 +0000

In case the Indiana Jones whip is outlawed in your state, there’s always other Indiana Jones merchandise to purchase! Take this Crystal Skull Projector—an accompanying audio CD teaches your child history as the skull projects some of Indiana’s most famous moments, along with history’s biggest archaeological finds through its “glowing eye.” At US$39.99 this October, it’s probably not the most bang you can get for your toy buck. But that skull is probably the finest piece of edutainment we’ve seen this side of the 80s. [Indiana Jones Shop via nerd approved]

Indiana Jones’ Theme Secret Lyrics Uncovered

Gizmodo US Edition — Thu, 22 May 2008 12:00:00 +0000

Indy IV’s out! But what most people don’t know, however, is that the classic Indy theme now comes with new lyrics. Apparently, John Williams writes lyrics for all his compositions—even while they won’t be sung—as a way to keep them in character. Gizmodo has uncovered those lyrics after days of arduous investigation and heavy drinking, following up a scoop by Alex Balk. (Note: lyrics contain foul language.)

Yes, lyrics. I know. Weird. We didn’t know ourselves that the classic John Williams Indy theme song had lyrics, until we learned about it a few days ago in Alex’s Tumblr page. According to Alex, Williams confessed in an Q&A with Radar Magazine that before he “composes a score he comes up with lyrics in his head first and then writes the music to them, even though he knows no one will ever hear the words.” The iconic composer then went on to reveal the secret lyrics to Raiders of the Lost Ark to el Sr. Balk.

When asked about the veracity of this story, Alex declined to comment. The lyrics he posted sounded about right, but just a little bit off-beat at the end. I then chased the story like a fake LEGO boulder rolling behind an archeologist with a dog’s name, and managed to get John Williams’ assistant Alan Smithee to fax me the secret lyrics under condition of anonymity.

The lyrics are very similar, but the last verse of the first strophe is actually the real one. This updated version also includes more verses, as well as new references to the Soviets in the movie, and beloved teen star Shia LaBeouf.

We debated internally about publishing the story, and we finally decided to share them with you in this video, as a sing-a-long. I hope you sing them today in the theatres, and they stay in your mind for the next five days—at least, that’s what happened with me.

Enjoy.

[NOTE: needless to say, we made this thing up so you can sing along in the movie theatres (in your mind, that is. Whoever sings this next to me in the theatre today gets smacked. Hey, we named our dog Jones after Indy.]