Mike Schulz talks with Dave Levora and Darren Pitra about the terrific time he had watching Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny with his family, all two-and-a-half hours of it. “It’s not a great movie,” Schulz allows. “None of the sequels are great. But it’s got great stuff; and the best thing about it is Harrison Ford looks like he’s having fun.” Compared to 2008’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull, Ford in Dial of Destiny seems both pleased to be involved and collect a fat paycheck (plus some filth-lucrative profit-sharing on the back end, no doubt). The Dial of Destiny also has some visual surprises, which, given the plausibility-straining physical stunt-work we’ve seen in sequels’ past, is actually saying something. Levora saw it, too, but wasn’t as delighted as Schulz, comparing it unfavorably to Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade — which, in the scheme of Raiders sequels, wasn’t that good, either. To his credit, director James Mangold held out for a better script than the one he was given initially, didn’t try to ape Steven Spielberg (which seems an inevitability: Raiders sequels, et al), and gave it moments of emotional intensity that have been missing from earlier films in the series. Props to Mangold, a solid, unfairly-underrated director. Concerning Kirk DiMicco’s computer-animated action-comedy Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken, anyone who bet this film would underperform in its first week made out like a bastard with their bookies: A $16.5 million profit on a $70 million budget — Yee-ouch! Schulz thought it “nutty,” noting that “the high-school stuff was really very cleverly constructed.” That seems to be about it, though, for qualities, as Schulz deemed the animation to be “the worst thing about the film” — not so much of a selling-point, is it? “Depressing Saturday-morning fare on a terrible cable channel you wouldn’t watch” is how he elaborates the point. The voice-work was great, with (short list) Toni Collette, Will Forte, Sam Richardson, and Jane Fonda; so if you’re a blind viewer, you can appreciate the film a little better. There is a chance, though, that the film might hang around a while yet, and not go down as one of the biggest flops of 2023. That was thought to be the fate of Peter Sohn’s Elemental, which initially earned $55.8 million on a $200 million budget — Yoi! Since then, it’s made $193.9 million; and if it hangs around a little longer, it might even break even — Double Yoi! Also doing better, incredibly, is The Flash, which has returned somewhere between $200 million to $220 million of its budget. Since producers don’t want their investments to “break even,” however, their metrics for success are much, much less forgiving. Conversely, Celine Song’s Past Lives, having been shot on 35-millimeter film, doesn’t have all the bells and whistles of the aforementioned films — “Everything Everywhere All at Once without the special effects” is how Schulz describes Past Lives — but made a great impact owing to its rich concept (Nora and Hae Sung meet as kids, keep getting separated by events, keep reconnecting every twelve years — a clear case of in-yeon, or “past lives,” if there ever was one), its “beautiful” acting (Greta Lee, Teo Yoo, and John Magaro are crushing it), and its “incredible” writing from Song. A film with adult concerns that do not necessarily include swapping various kinds of fluids? Sounds like a strong Oscar contender — although, given the insufferably-political thought processes of the Academy Awards committee, they are sure to stiff Song, seeing that, well, they did festoon Everything Everywhere All at Once with awards last year, and that was a veritable Asia-fest (plus Jamie Leigh Curtis), so. . . Alas, it leaves theaters today, but it will invariably stream, so don’t let it pass you by: The film has a 97% favorability rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Midway through the show, Pitra wanted to talk about his enthusiasm, but Schulz and Levora needed to address Past Lives (props, guys). Aside from Joy Ride, Adele Lim’s coming-of-age tale of four teenagers who journey across China to find the birth-mother of one of their own (“salty” is Schulz’s quick-take); Alice Troughton’s The Lesson, starring Richard E Grant, Julie Delpy, and Daryl McCormack (which, despite its formidable cast, doesn’t appear to be playing in the QCA, dammit); and Insidious: The Red Door, the fifth installment of the horror franchise (“It’s hit or miss,” says Schulz, “It started well. We’ll see [about the latest one]”) and featured actor Patrick Wilson’s directorial début. The one Pitra was gaga about, and Levora was likewise gonzo for, and even Schulz betrayed a hint of something akin to enthusiasm, if one read him correctly, is the forthcoming Liam Neeson action thriller Retribution, directed by Nimród Antal and co-starring Noma Dumezweni, Lilly Aspell, Jack Champion, Embeth Davidtz, Matthew Modine, and Arian Moayed, and coming out August 27. Now, Neeson is a distinguished actor whose career is freighted with many fine quality productions. Starting in 2008, when he starred in the first Taken film, producers have shown that there’s money to be made when you give Oskar Schindler a gun, or at least put him in a uniquely stressful situation that doesn’t involve Nazi extermination camps. Retribution sounds like the kind of joyously awful film with which you don’t need to engage intellectually, but rather let it wash over you like a tidal wave from a stupid ocean. Which is to say: Everyone’s going. . .

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Past Lives, and Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken