'Sixteen Candles' Not Enough? How About 'Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom'?

I'm not sure if I should be pimping 80s All Over so hard, because I am risking you replacing The Movie Breakdown in your podcast listening diet. But the latest episode not only had an insightful argument over Sixteen Candles, but there is an even hotter disagreement over another major movie from May 1984, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.

I think both hosts do a great job in arguing their sides. One being it is an ugly and racist movie that has its thrilling moments but a major step down for the series compared to the perfect Raiders of the Lost Ark. The other one being that it is a homage to classic pulp and a great insight into the personal lives of the filmmakers and producers of the time, and aghast, better than Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade. They even get a guest to appear and articulate the merits of the movie. It is all really fascinating, and to me shows the value in film criticism is getting different perspectives rather than being convinced one is right.

I recently rewatched Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom with Everett, and I have to say that I appreciate it a lot more as something that attempted to be very different from the previous movie. It is best seen as a dark fantasy rather than anything grounded in reality. Though the depiction of India is problematic, no matter how you want to frame it.

Since we are talking about Indiana Jones, I must ask: 'What ever happened to Short Round by the time Raider of the Lost Ark happens?" This bothered as a kid ever since I discovered it was a prequel.