Great post, Ryan. I find myself doing this too, though curiously never in a way designed to psych myself up for writing (though I will now!).

Good to see mention of Morricone, amazing atmospheric music. I sometimes listen to Morricone CDs when I’m writing, usually the same few songs over and over (’Ecstasy’ is a favorite).

FIVE DEADLY VENOMS (and old-school pulp kung fu Show Brothers classic)

HERO (the story of China’s greatest hero–Jet Li’s best movie hands-down)

HOUSE OF FLYING DAGGERS (amazing cinematography, unforgettable characters, and those incredible daggers!)

CROUCHING TIGER, HIDDEN DRAGON (Ang Lee’s best film, IMHO, is a tour-de-force of martial arts adventure and eastern mysticism)

A few other songs, like “Let me Be Myself” make me think of my assassin.

Although if I had to think of movies that have been inspiring, and the scenes that worked.

HITMAN - the opening scene when Agent 47 asks Mike, “How you decide when to kill?” A great question for an assassin trying to quit cold turkey.

Bourne Identity - When Jason and Marie are sitting in the cafe and he starts rattling off all the things he knows: where the most likely place to find a gun is, how much the big guy weighs how well he can handle himself, and such. For characters who don’t know why they can do what they do?

Transporter - Anytime Frank mentions his rules. Everybody has to have rules. I like the straightforward ones.

Man on Fire - When Denzel’s character is burning the stubs of fingers on the guy’s hands that are duct-taped to the steering wheel. Mercy even for bad guys, but if they don’t cooperate the fingers have to go.

Conan the Barbarian- The pit fighting scene. Savagery at its best.

The Matrix - recently rewatched this, and what amazed me most are some of the images. The one shot down the rectangular stairwell with all the checkered floor tiles. It was Alice in Wonderland all over again.

Oh, Raiders of the Lost Ark. Temple of Doom might have been more pulp, but they went too far with Willie. She was enough to keep me from watching it again. Moderation is often better than excess, and this is a prime example. Marion and Indy had differences and she screamed, but not nearly as loud or as often.

The point of Willie Scott’s character is that you’re SUPPOSED to hate her! She was the perfect foil for Indy–he’s capable in any situation, and she’s totally helpless. He’s humble and she’s arrogant. He’s worldly and she’s pampered. You’re not supposed to actually LIKE her…

The gross-out humor was one of the coolest things about the movie! The eyeballs, the snake surprise, all that…it was part of the pulp fun–just like the tunnel full of insects. They had already done snakes in the previous film, so this time it was insects.

The mine car chase–brilliant. The rope bridge scene–one of the most tense scenes in cinema history. As a 13-year-old watching this I was absolutely appalled and amazed when Indy CUT THE ROPE!!!

As for the villain–he’s the embodiment of evil…the Nazis in RAIDERS weren’t developed as three-dimensional characters either. Nor did they need to be. This is a fantasy-pulp story about basic good vs. evil. It’s action–it’s fists to the mouth and bullets and swords and falling out of airplanes. Its sheer movie adventure at its best.

CRUSADE was undoubtedly the weakest of the three movies–it rehashed the whole Nazi thing; it went to screwball comedy WAY too much; the plot drags like a T-Rex’s tail in the middle; and the Holy Grail premise was paper-thin.

Still, in my book, and Indiana Jones movie is a great movie–but CRUSADE was my least favorite. RAIDERS is technically the “best film”. But DOOM is my favorite of the three because it’s the most FUN…

I’m truly amazed by those who don’t like TEMPLE OF DOOM. But…to each his own…

But the big problem with Temple is the shallow story. The main villain — Mola Ram — is introduced late and we’re never sure who he is or where he came from. He’s just some guy who shows up with a skull on his head. How did he take control of Pankot, of the maharajah and the prime minister? With his magic Blood of Kali (which is never explained)? Why does fire break the Blood’s influence when their temple is sitting on top of molten lava? What happens if Ram collects all five shankara stones? What’s at stake?

At the end, Indy returns the shankara to the village elder and says, “I understand its power now.” Good thing because the audience doesn’t. He just recites some spell on the bridge and it ends up burning Mola Ram’s hand deus ex machina-style, sending him straight down to the crocs below.

Last Crusade is superior because it’s an integrated, coherent story whereas Temple is just a bunch of leftover scenes Lucas and Spielberg couldn’t shoehorn into Raiders.

Only redeeming aspect: The opening in the Shanghai nightclub is great.

Guys, Temple of Doom? Really? Annoying child sidekick, annoying female lead, forced gross-out humor, obligatory insect scene, choppy narrative flow, no secondary characters worthy of note, no villains with even a residue of personality. Comparisons to the first film provoke winces. I don’t think I could sit through Temple of Doom again while I imagine I could watch Raiders again this afternoon and look forward to the experience.

One day, a Black Gate post defending Temple of Doom. I swear by Shiva, whom I shall not betray.