Indiana Jones and the Magic Box: Why I Seriously Dislike Raiders of the Lost Ark

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I Can't Get Attached to the Characters, so I Can't Get Invested in the Story To be honest, I don't even like Indiana Jones.  He takes the unemotional, "tough guy" archetype so far that I can't relate to him at all.  For example, when he is forced to relinquish the Chachapoyan Fertility Idol to Belloq, he shows little emotional reaction, even though he just escaped death to procure it. (By the way, I'm pretty sure I'd be yelling or crying or both.)  Even during his "romantic" scene with Marion in the ship, he lacks tenderness.  He never tells her that he's been worried or that he's missed her or even that she looks beautiful, leaving him looking simply lustful, instead of caring.

I'm not too much fonder of Marion.  While I want to like her in Nepal, when she stands up to Major Toht's threats without giving away the headpiece that Indy needs, I get frustrated with her damsel in distress moments later.  In particular, I think of when she gets kidnapped and trapped helplessly in a basket being carried on someone's head.  For goodness sakes, it's a basket.  Punch it. Rock to unbalance it.  Do something other than yell, "Indy!"  Surely if she can run a bar in Nepal, she can escape a the clutches of a nefarious basket.

Because I can't get close to either of these characters, I get bored with the story.  I really don't care that Indy is clutching the front of a speeding car, about to be smashed to smithereens or that Marion is being held hostage in the Nazi camp; I'm just wondering how much longer the movie is.

Eleven Songs from the 60's, 70's, and 80's that are Totally Relevant to the US's Political and Social Climate Right Now

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This post began when I was cooking dinner and listening to Bob Dylan's "The Times They Are a-Changing" (which oddly enough didn't make the final list) a couple weeks ago.  Somewhere in the first or second chorus, (I think I was chopping green beans) I realized that it brilliantly describes the uncertainty, the tension, and the fear that the US has been facing, especially since President Trump's inauguration in January.  That sent me into a frenzy to find other classic songs that had already once captured the seemingly un-capturable moment that we're experiencing as a country, and compile them into a list for you all.  Below, you'll find my list, narrowed down to 11 songs and ordered by year.  Enjoy!  

A NOTE  ABOUT POLITICS AND MORALITY: I am not as liberal as this list is probably going to make me sound; in fact, I am quite conservative in many ways.  I do not endorse everything that each one of these songs says, nor do I endorse the behaviors of many of the groups of people that I bring up here. In this post, I bring up the potential safety and well-being of many groups of people I don't agree with because I fear that their God-given right to loving and respectful treatment (which has nothing to do with their choices or perspectives) is under threat at the moment.

A Note About Trigger Warnings:Some of these songs deal with sensitive and difficult material.  With those that are an obvious trigger danger, I've included a warning in red.

"A Hard Rain's a-Gonna Fall" (1962) By Bob Dylan Download from Amazon Here

Writer: Bob Dylan
Producer: John Hammond
Source 

To me, a person far too young to remember the 60's, this song represents the trepidation that the US experienced during that era. It captures a deep pain that, like a drum beat, is driving the country toward some impending change - a change that ultimately took many forms, including civil rights legislation and the country's withdrawal from the Vietnam War.  Watching the recent marches and living in a country that is as deeply divided over painful social and political issues as the US was over Vietnam, I feel too that "A hard rain's a-gonna fall."