Steven Spielberg’s Indiana Jones And The Temple of Doom (1984) sits in a weird place in the Indiana Jones franchise. It ventures into darker territory, portraying a more sinister and supernatural side, trading Nazis for the creepy Thuggee cult. Even Spielberg himself has mentioned that it is his least favorite of the series. He should re-watch Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull in our opinion. He may change his mind.

Today on The Arrow In The Head Show, Lance Vlcek and John “The Arrow” Fallon aim to prove him wrong. The prequel to Raiders Of The Lost Ark (1981) is about: In 1935, Indiana Jones is tasked by Indian villagers with reclaiming a rock stolen from them by a secret cult beneath the catacombs of an ancient palace

The film stars Harrison Ford, Kate Capshaw, Ke Huy Quan and Amrish Puri.

The M.O. of The Arrow in the Head Show is: After many years behind the scenes, we’ve decided to take our sarcastic, booze-influenced style into the video age with The Arrow In The Head Show! Hosted by John Fallon aka The Arrow and Lance Vlcek, the show digs into the good, bad, and ugly of horror, sci-fi and action from the golden ages of the ’80s through the underrated 90s and maybe a bit beyond. Something groovy and a tad rough around the edges, we are here to talk shop with a drink in hand, a bit of foul language, and a whole lot of heart.

Check out previous episodes of The Arrow in the Head Show below! Peruse all of our shows and subscribe to the channel while you’re at it here: Arrow in the Head Show YouTube channel.

Episodes of The Arrow in the Head Show are also available to listen to as audio-only podcasts. Get the 411 at THIS LINK.

Karen Allen says that an early version of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny focused more on Indy and Marion.

SPOILERS for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny. Indy (Harrison Ford) and Marion (Karen Allen) tied the knot at the end of Indiana Jones and the Crystal Skull and were headed for wedded bliss. However, Marion doesn’t seem to be in the picture in The Dial of Destiny, but Karen Allen told Variety that that wasn’t always the case.

While Karen Allen does make a cameo in Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the actress had imagined that she would have had a bigger role given where the last movie left off. “I think because the last time you see Indy and Marion, they’ve gotten married,” Allen said. “I don’t know that I thought we’d pick up from where we left off, but I did always imagine that it would be a story with Indy and Marion going forward.” Allen added that when Steven Spielberg was still attached to direct the movie, “the scripts were more focused on an Indy/Marion story. But when Steven stepped aside and James [Mangold] came in, he started fresh with new writers and they just went in the direction they went in. They were going to tell a different story. That’s not to say that I had ever read a script that Steven was working on, because I hadn’t. But I just knew from conversations that we’d had that the ongoing story had involved Marion in a much bigger way than the story that they ended up with.“

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny revealed that Indy and Marion separated after Mutt (Shia LaBeouf) was killed in Vietnam, which Karen Allen admitted “disappointed” her. “I knew that there had been talk that they did not want to go forward with Shia, so I knew that something in the story had to create the potential for him to not be there in a way that made sense,” Allen said. “I didn’t know that he was going to die in Vietnam until I read the script, oh gosh, maybe just it was maybe six months before they were going to start shooting. I was deeply happy that Marion came back at least the end of their story. If this is indeed truly the last film of this particular group of films — if this is the last story with Harrison as Indy and me as Marion — I was profoundly happy that it didn’t end without them coming back together. That meant a lot to me, to feel like they were going to ride off in the sunset together.“

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny is now playing in theaters, so be sure to check out a review from our own Chris Bumbray and let us know what you thought of the movie as well!

Idris Elba is ready to star in more Luther movies after the success of Luther: The Fallen Sun on Netflix.

There had been rumblings of a Luther movie for close to a decade, and Idris Elba finally got his chance with Luther: The Fallen Sun. The film was released in select theaters and on Netflix earlier this year, but Elba is ready to jump back into Luther’s world.

While speaking with Collider, Idris Elba said that Luther: The Fallen Sun performed well on Netflix and that a sequel is a possibility. “Yeah, it did really well. Luther ended up being one of the top five most streamed films on Netflix, which is an incredible achievement, since it was the first film from the television show,” Elba said. “I’m hoping to make another one. I love Luther. I love that character, and I love where I can possibly take him, as a story and as a character. So, yeah, keep your fingers crossed.“

If you’re not familiar with Luther, the BBC series stars Elba as Detective Chief Inspector John Luther, a dedicated and obsessive police officer who often finds himself becoming consumed by the darkness of the crimes he deals with. Luther: The Fallen Sun found the character breaking out of prison in order to hunt down a sadistic serial killer who is terrorizing London.

Our own JimmyO enjoyed Luther: The Fallen Sun quite a bit. “Whether or not you are new to Luther, there is much to enjoy in this tense and atmospheric thriller,” JimmyO wrote in his review. “Idris Elba, Cynthia Erivo, Andy Serkis, and the rest of the cast are terrific, and the nerve-inducing tension rarely lets up. You may find a few brief moments that feel a bit rushed, but it hardly detracts from the story. What you have here is a solid direction for the series to take. And giving it an edge with the R-rating makes for a vicious and brutal story with a memorable villain.” You can check out the rest of JimmyO’s review right here.

Idris Elba can currently be seen starring in Hijack, a thriller series that debuted on Apple TV+ last week. “The action takes place in real-time, over the course of the seven-hour flight from Dubai to London,” reads the official synopsis. “The clock starts ticking as Sam (Idris Elba) tries first to negotiate and then outsmart the terrorists but, in so doing, uncovers a larger conspiracy. The action takes place in real-time, over the course of the seven-hour flight from Dubai to London. On the ground in London, a counter-terrorism team led by Archie Panjabi becomes embroiled in the investigation and scrambles to find answers before passengers start dying.” Take a peek at a review from our own Alex Maidy if you’re curious.

Do you want to see Idris Elba return for more Luther movies?

UFC champ Michael Bisping joins Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr in Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, which is currently filming.

THR reports that Michael Bisping has joined the cast of Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, the long-awaited action sequel starring Gerard Butler and O’Shea Jackson Jr.

The outlet reports that the UFC champ will be reprising his role of Connor, who was seen at the end of the first movie. Den of Thieves 2: Pantera will find Big Nick (Butler) back on the hunt on the mean streets of Europe, closing in on Donnie (Jackson Jr.), who is embroiled in the dangerous world of diamond thieves and the infamous Panther mafia, as they plot a massive heist of the world’s biggest diamond exchange. Christian Gudegast has returned to write and direct Den of Thieves 2: Pantera, and production is currently underway.

In addition to Den of Thieves 2, Michael Bisping can be seen in xXx: The Return of Xander Cage, Triple Threat, Warrior, and Twin Peaks. He will also appear in the upcoming Red Sonja movie.

The original movie followed “the intersecting and often personally connected lives of an elite unit of the LA County Sheriff’s Dept. and the state’s most successful bank robbery crew as the outlaws plan a seemingly impossible heist on the Federal Reserve Bank of downtown Los Angeles.” Den of Thieves grossed $80 million worldwide and received mixed reviews upon release but has since grown a sizable cult following. Gerard Butler has previously said that Den of Thieves sequel would be a “more glamorous journey” than the first film as well as “more fun [&] sexy.”

“We are tremendous fans of Gerard Butler, who we’ve worked with numerous times, and are so thrilled to be on board with him, Christian Gudegast, Producer Tucker Tooley and the amazing supporting cast,” said Tom Ortenberg, CEO of Briarcliff Entertainment. “Films like this make going to the theater fun, and we can’t wait to give moviegoers the chance to see it on the big screen.” The sequel doesn’t have an official release date yet, but Briarcliff has said that they are aiming for a nationwide release in Q4 of 2024.

Deadpool 3 set photos feature Ryan Reynolds in full costume, which seems to have been updated for his MCU debut.

Ryan Reynolds has been filming Deadpool 3 in the UK and the Daily Mirror has dropped several set photos which feature the actor in full costume. Deadpool’s suit seems more or less the same, but there are a few cosmetic differences, not to mention a far more vibrant red colouring.

Deadpool Updates has a comparison between the new and old costumes.

Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One delivers the old-school thrills missing from most modern action movies.

PLOT: Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) is back in a battle against “The Entity,” a state-of-the-art, self-aware AI that threatens to topple the world’s government. Battling an old foe (Esai Morales) for a key that The Entity wants, Hunt has to recruit his old team, plus a master pickpocket (Hayley Atwell) for his most impossible mission yet.

REVIEW: One has to give Tom Cruise and his director Christopher McQuarrie credit. The two consistently push the envelope, and in each other, the two have found kindred spirits bent on delivering the type of old-school thrills you don’t see anymore. After watching the latest Indiana Jones lose its soul in a sea of CGI and the various superhero movies, it’s a treat to see Cruise and McQuarrie doing real, cutting-edge practical action with some legitimate stakes. When people die, they stay dead, and as invincible as Cruise’s Ethan Hunt may seem, there are limits to his prowess. Unlike other action stars, he doesn’t always come out ahead in fights. His vulnerability is the key to his likability.

What’s always made Ethan Hunt such a likable hero is his moral code, along with the fact that, as always, his life is secondary to those he loves – his friends – even if inevitably being associated with him puts them in danger. Cruise’s Hunt is more world-weary this time as if the weight of thirty years of service is finally weighing on him. The movie kicks off when he’s sent to intercept a deal involving Rebecca Ferguson’s Ilsa Faust, who’s seemingly gone rogue. Once again, though, he’s not being told all he needs to know by his boss, Kittridge (Henry Czerny – in a nice full circle moment for the franchise), and he’ll have to use his own moral code to take down the movie’s big bad.

What’s interesting is how Dead Reckoning Part One doesn’t hesitate to go full sci-fi, with Hunt battling a rogue AI called “The Entity,” which has enlisted a baddie so evil in Esai Morales’s Gabriel that Faust calls him “a dark messiah, death is his gift to the world.” If it sounds a bit overwrought, well, go with it. The movie, which is somewhat more sombre than previous instalments, seems to be building towards something of a climax for Hunt, even though, as Cruise has said, this isn’t necessarily the end of the road for the character.

What the movies have always been known for are the action scenes, and there are some spectacular ones here, including a frantic car chase through Rome that puts a similar one in Fast X to shame. The climactic train sequence, which involves Cruise’s motorcycle jump, is one for the ages. It climaxes in a fight on top of a train which seems to be a direct reference to the ending of the first Mission: Impossible, only done practically and on a grander scale. The stuntwork, much of it done by Cruise himself, is jaw-dropping, especially at the very end, which I won’t spoil here.

Cruise is pitch-perfect as Hunt, and his supporting cast is once again top-notch. Rebecca Ferguson’s Isla Faust deserves her own spin-off, with her one of the best action heroines out there. All of Cruise’s leading ladies are excellent here, with Hayley Atwell getting the movie’s second leading role as the pickpocket who becomes embroiled in Hunt’s mission and winds up being his foil. Pom Klementieff is also really impressive as the nearly mute Paris, a bleached blonde assassin who chases Hunt around like he’s the Road Runner, only to have a deeper payoff than expected. Morales’s Gabriel is undercooked in that he’s built up to be pure evil and not much else, but it works for the film’s tone. Pegg and Rhames are having a ball as always, while Shea Wigham, sporting an excellent coif, is another agent sent after Hunt, with Greg Tarzan Davis as his partner, both of whom alternately chase and help Hunt as required by the plot. Plus, Vanessa Kirby returns as The White Widow, a beguiling arms dealer who, I noticed, never blinks.

Additionally, the movie has an incredible look, especially if you see it on IMAX. Fraser Taggart’s cinematography is impressive, seemingly paying homage to the kind of adventure movies they used to make in the sixties (like Where Eagles Dare and the early James Bonds), and the production design this time is remarkable. What’s cool is how tactile everything feels. You can tell CGI was used sparingly; if it was, it’s almost invisible. The score, by Lorne Balfe, is good as always, nicely complimenting the movie’s darker tone by occasionally taking on a more bittersweet, somber tone.

My only complaint is that “The Entity,” given what we know about AI now, is a bit quaint with it presented through this eye avatar as a singular being, like Skynet. Then again, a movie about an actual battle against AI would mostly take place with people on computers. Frankly, I prefer Tom Cruise jumping motorcycles off mountains onto a train.

As far as action movies go, you aren’t likely to see anything come out in the same league as this until Cruise and company return with Dead Reckoning Part Two. Like John Wick Chapter 4, it proves that the old ways are always better, with less CGI and more actual stunts.

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