Why Indiana Jones 5 will be the most intriguing action/adventure of 2023

It seems that after every spectacular and exciting Indiana Jones, a somewhat dull or let-down follows. Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny (2023) will be the former. While the plot is fairly unknown, the prediction does not derive only from the film’s trailer which is nostalgic and thrilling, but also from certain undeniable parameters.

Having left the ‘monster’ films behind him, it is known that Steven Spielberg won’t be sitting in the director’s chair this time and George Lucas will not be getting involved at all with the script. Fear not though as James Mangold is! The director behind films such as Copland (1997), Girl, Interrupted (1999), the incredibly underrated Identity (2003), and one of the best superhero adaptations Logan (2017) takes over, taking with him his Ford v Ferrari (2019) writers, Jez and John-Henry Butterworth. Furthermore, the one and only John Williams will compose for the last time the film’s score.

Though we don’t know yet who’s the foe and who’s the ally, the immensely diverse Mads Mikkelsen, Antonio Banderas, Phoebe Waller-Bridge, John Rhys-Davies (yes, he’s back), Boyd Holbrook, Toby Jones, Thomas Kretschmann, and more, will join Indy in what could be his last adventure against the unknown – at least with Harrison Ford. It’s an incredible cast that, be it Nazis, divine judgment, aliens, or anything else will support him or plot against him throughout this journey.

Indiana Jones 5 expands the franchise once more 42 years after the Raider of the Lost Ark (1981), which would have been a round 40 if the pandemic hadn’t changed the world the way it did. So, what does that mean for the hero’s journey now? As briefly mentioned above, Indy has been against numerous known and unknown forces that always came in twos. After Nazis and the Ark of the Covenant, the Thuggee cult and the mystical stones, Nazis and the Holy Grail, and Soviets and Alien artifacts, it only remains to be seen who Indy is going to go against in 1960s America. What human and non-human forces will be combined to add to Professor Jones’ experiences? How will his nostalgic self react to the new extraordinary stimuli presented? What will this adventure mean for his character arc? What does the future hold for one of the longest-running franchises?

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny promises to give a fresh perspective to one of the most beloved heroes of all time. It promises laughter, nostalgia, and action for the whole family with a new cast and crew, but still under the watchful eye of Steven Spielberg and George Lucas who will act as producers and still with Harrison Ford as the titular hero. Spielberg and Lucas created a universe where the mystical and the realistic co-exist, bringing to life from biblical theories to extraterrestrial conspiracies. On June 30, buy your popcorn and soda, get comfy, and let the Dial of Destiny guide you to the unfamiliar and the unexpected…

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In The Blink of An Eye (2019)

Being an Anthology of the Further Legends of Ellicott City’s Blink Man

Edited by K. Patrick Glover

In January 2019, I watched and reviewed Erik Kristopher Meyers’ Butterfly Kisses (2018) – https://kaygazpro.com/2019/01/30/butterfly-kisses-2018-documentary-horror/. Myers’ documentary/horror became a fresh approach to the kind of horror that has faced a lot of ups and downs over the decades. His fresh approach proved that the genre is not dead yet and that, in the right hands, it has still a lot of scares to offer.

The mystery of Peeping Tom/Blink Man and the Ilchester Tunnel has become an urban legend. From Hagerstown to Ellicott City, his story has ‘travelled’ through hearsay, horrifically realistic imagination and utterly nonsensical descriptions. Regardless, when K. Patrick Glover met one day Myers, the two of them gathered some incredibly descriptive authors and put these stories together. Will you manage to tell which story is based on (un)substantial evidence and which one isn’t? No. Will you recognise the truth when you read it? No, you will not. The real question is, does it matter? No, it does not. Because you will allow yourself to live the suffering, the horror, and the agony that these (non)fictional people endured. ‘In the Blink of an Eye’ is the blurry line between two worlds. One of them is real, and one isn’t. Turn off the lights while reading, and your inevitable human curiosity in finding out which one’s which will inadvertently become a descent to folkloric paranoia.

Highly recommended for the horror fans and not only as it generates a lot more questions than it aims to answer. ‘Blink Man’, the legend under the microscope, turns the tables and the observer becomes the observee. Humans turn into a case study themselves as he brings out the murky and obscure ways the human mind creates realities. Man’s unprecedented archetypal fears take over reason and interpret what we sense – or we truly believe we sense – through an unbeknownst to us chaotic, ghastly prism.

This is England ’83 / ’86 / ’88 / ’90: Crime / Drama

“Combo: Men have laid down their lives for this. For this… and for what? So people can stick their fucking flag in the ground and say, “Yeah! This is England (pointing to the ground). And this is England (pointing to the heart)! And this is England (pointing to the mind)!”

Danny Cohen’s ’80s grainy cinematography and Ludovico Einaudi’s heartbreaking soundtrack accompany Midlander Shane Meadows, who creates a tear-jerking, life drama based on his childhood experiences, that debuted and elevated actors who were introduced to the world. Thomas Turgoose, Joseph Gilgun, Jack O’Connell – whose part was written specifically for him, Andrew Shim, Vicky McClure who, as the years pass by, she turns into a more and more magnificent actress and woman, Rosamund Hanson, Chanel Cresswell, Michael Socha, and Andrew Ellis get into the role and truly become the everyday heroes you see on camera. The both amazing Stephen Graham and Johnny Harris need no introductions.

Straight from the kick-off, the opening credits, archive footage, montage spanning from the Falklands war to the “Knight Rider” (1982) pretty much sums up the story of the sociopolitical situation in England but also the world in the ’80s. Shaun, Milky, Lol, Woody, Smell, Gadget, Trev, Kelly, Lenny, Pukey, and Bully all go through a rite of passage; the inescapable process of becoming men and women. And share the story of a lifetime. The references are from both the film and the mini-series and start from ’83 until ’90. I believe I’ve kept all spoilers out. If you haven’t watched it, I hope they pique your interest. If you have, I hope you see where I’m coming from.

“Woody (to Milky): You are a fucking snake in the grass… We were brothers… I would have died for you… I would have fucking died for you… I fucking loved you!!!”

“This is England” is a state of mind that divides a what would have been an otherwise carefree, bonded, random ragtag bunch of skinheads and ska lovers living in ‘Thatcherland’. A mentality that consists of politics, economy, race, generation gaps, and religion and can be may as well translated as “This is [YOUR COUNTRY OF ORIGIN]”.

There are some astonishing cinematic moments that make both the film and mini-series be a league of their own.

The detestable Combo whose brutal, cowardice attack leaves a young, black kid half-dead.
Mick (the brilliant Johnny Harris) who, whenever shows up, makes your guts twirl.
The dramatic moment where Lol confronts Mick.
Combo’s brass balls, ultimate sacrifice for love.
The intense moment when Woody confronts Milky and the gang on the street.
Woody reuniting with the repentant Combo upon the latter’s release.
The house dinner’s revelation (Chanel Cresswell is simply mesmerising).
Milky putting the final nail on the coffin facing, the hero in our eyes, Combo who strives to keep a stiff upper lip.

“This is England”…

Is the domestic violence that knocks on the door of every single household that has faced it.

The decency of everyday people you probably have never met and maybe you never will who always had next to nothing, yet were always wealthier.

The pride of every English football fan has over the national team making it to the World Cup.

The genuine British humour that has always been part of but also characterised British society.

The vast diversity of accents that make this island unique.

It is the everyday struggle to keep the head above water.

It is the everyday struggle to keep the head above water and, against all odds, somehow, find the courage to move on.

It is the English responses, reactions, idiosyncrasies, and mannerisms that you’ll find nowhere else, exhibiting England to the world with the purpose of understanding rather than judging.

It is the forgiveness some people never gave and some people never received.

“Combo: I forgive you… I just hope one day you’ll be able to forgive me…”

“This is England” pointing to the ground, to the heart, to the mind starts off as a racist interpretation at the beginning of the journey only to become the harsh realization of life when it remorselessly pins you against the wall. Combo’s (Stephen Graham) monologues and outbursts are phenomenal and his path is the cornerstone of this journey. You will hate him with a passion in the beginning only to feel for him wholeheartedly in the end.

There are innumerable moments of English realism throughout the film and series where you will find yourselves confused as to which utterances, actions, and reactions are a scripted, and which ones aren’t. “This is England” could as well be a sociological docudrama on Thatcherite England and life itself.

An unknown journey of happiness drowning in sorrow…

You can find it here: https://amzn.to/37fUu3e