I think that we can all agree that “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” (2008) is the least of the film series. (Some people really despise it.) And I suppose it’s telling that I’ve only seen it twice.
It isn’t a terrible movie, it just couldn’t match the magic of the original trilogy. (I was surprised a moment ago when Wikipedia informed me that it was indeed still directed by Steven Spielberg.) The Russian villains were a little too cartoonish, the chemistry among the leads was a little off, and the whole thing maybe felt a little … rushed. For some reason, it makes me think of a pretty good made-for-television movie instead of a feature film — sort of an “Indiana Jones Reunion Special.”
Hey, I didn’t hate it. The artifact they’re chasing is unique and cool, the denouement is inventive, and Shia LaBeouf’s “Mutt” actually didn’t bother me much. This movie was fun.
I’ll be honest with you … the jury is still out with me about whether this is actually a beaver dam in the Roanoke River. Is it possible that this is just a collection of detritus?
One or two of my Southern friends have assured me that it indeed looks like a dam. But I’m not sure if they’re messing with me or not.
And I realized earlier tonight that I could have been seeing another group of animals entirely. After I took the pictures you see below, I passed over that bridge yet again, and I got excited when I saw a critter down there. I grabbed my phone and started shooting video … until I recognized the distinctive striped tail of a raccoon. Little masked bandit had me fooled. He even saw me looming after him, and shot me what looked like an embarrassed look before scampering off.
