Film Clips: June 29, 2023

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Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny

(In Theaters on June 30)

Harrison Ford, now 80, takes another crack at playing Indiana Jones. Fans of the long-running saga are treated to a younger, digitalized Ford, thanks to a time-traveling, “Dial of Destiny.” The scriptwriters (a small army that includes director James Mangold), revel in a sequence that de-ages Jones by about forty years, to protect valuable antiquities from Nazis, at the close of World War II. The film’s present day is 1969, when Jones meets archeologist Helena (Phoebe Waller-Bridge), and the pair race Nazi villain Jurgen Voller (Mads Mikkelsen) to locate and acquire the Dial. Rated 61% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes, this two-and-a-half-hour entry features eye-popping CGI sequences. Yet, the film is most appealing during scenes that allow Ford’s rough-hewn charm to dominate the screen. (Lisa Miller)

Ruby Gillman, Teenage Kraken

(In Theaters on June 30)

DreamWorks’ latest animation is literally a “fish-out-of-water” tale. When we meet 15-year-old Ruby (voice of Lana Condor), she’s a kraken (living on land as a blue-skinned human) and trying to fit in at her seaside high school. Ruby is a mathematics geek with a crush on skate boarding, purple-haired Connor (Jaboukie Young-White), who returns her feelings.

Instructed by her strict mother Agnes (voice of Toni Collette), to never ever go in the ocean, Ruby inevitably takes the plunge, prompting her transformation into a giant, purple, squid-like kraken. Ruby’s Grandmamah (Jane Fonda), tells Ruby the girl is actually a super-powered, kraken princess. As Ruby grapples with these revelations, she also learns it is up to her to defend the ocean’s inhabitants, as well as her human friends, from evil mermaids. Rendered in bright, muted tones, the big-mouthed characters are endearing in a “so-ugly-they’re cute” way. PG-rated, family-themed visuals will captivate kids, while the film’s comedy ensures its watchable for adults. (Lisa Miller)

Warm Water Under a Red Bridge

(Film Movement Blu-ray)

Yosuke is at loose ends. He’s been laid off from his job, separated from his badgering wife and desperate to pay child support. And then his friend, an eccentric homeless person with a sage demeanor, dies. Yosuke recalls the old man’s story about a treasure hidden inside an old house in a remote fishing village. With few prospects, Yosuke sets forth to find the treasure and stumbles instead into experiences he could never have anticipated. The final film by Japanese director Shohei Imamua, Warm Water Under a Red Bridge (2001), is a social and sexual comedy revolving around Yosuke’s encounter with Saeko, a voracious woman with an unusual problem. The new release is restored and released on Blu-ray with an informative essay booklet. (David Luhrssen)