Killing time until May 22, 2008

The Man in the Hat is back! Is anyone else as excited about the new Indiana Jones movie as I am? I doubt it. Indiana Jones is the greatest movie hero of all time (I know, the American Film Institute says that it is Atticus Finch, from To Kill a Mocking Bird, but that’s just being socially responsible...I may be persuaded to put Atticus in the number two spot though). My favorite movie of all time is Raiders of the Lost Ark. I remember the first time I saw it - December 9, 1981, it was my best friend’s ninth birthday. What I knew about movies at that point essentially involved lightsabers, death stars, droids and wookies, and that was all perfectly fine. But, there I sat, in the darkened Villa Theater -- an old time movie palace, with a gigantic screen. The lights went down, the curtain came up. The Paramount logo faded to the silhouette of a South American Mountain. Five minutes later, as one of Indy’s guides pulled a gun on him, out flashed the bullwhip...A BULLWHIP! My life was never the same. There was all of the normal, cool things about Indiana Jones -- the aforementioned whip, the hat, the theme song, the nazi butt-kicking...but something else happened too. Raiders of the Lost Ark sparked in me a fascination with ancient Egypt, which in turn led to a fascination with all ancient civilizations, and eventually a love of all history.
So now, 19 years after we last saw Indiana Jones, he comes crashing back into our lives, and I, for one can’t hardly sit still anymore. It’s like I’m nine years old again!