She Likes to Watch

As you may have heard, an earthquake hit Southern California a few hours ago.

According to the Associated Press, the 11:42 a.m. quake made buildings sway and triggered a few evacuations . However, there were no immediate reports of major damage or injuries.

The quake, estimated at magnitude 5.4, was centered 29 miles southeast of downtown Los Angeles near the San Bernardino County city of Chino Hills, the AP reported.

As it so happens, the quake shook the very spot where Profiles in History is preparing for its huge movie memorabilia auction.

Superman’s suit. James Bond’s cuff links. The Holy Grail from “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade.” It’s all there.

Here’s an excerpt from the AP story by Robert Jablon:

Joseph Maddalena, who runs the historical documents and memorabilia dealer Profiles in History, was on the phone in his office in Calabasas, near Malibu, when the earthquake struck. He quickly put down the phone and ran to check on his 14-year-old son who had come to work with him as he prepared for a Thursday auction of 1,100 pieces of Hollywood movie memorabilia.

“Our building shook pretty good,” he said after discovering his son and his employees were unharmed and the building was fine.

“The window in my office kind of bowed out but it’s all right now. Everything is fine,” he said.

Pretty funny, huh?

Somehow I feel I might be responsible. I did write about the auction, after all.

It’s the Holy Grail of all auctions

Want to own a piece of Hollywood history?

This week, movie fans can bid online for props, costumes, scripts and posters ranging from The Lone Ranger’s pearl-handled revolvers (starting at $4,000 for the pair) to a mechanical Velociraptor from “Jurassic Park III” ($80,000).

The live Internet auction is being organized by Profiles in History of Calabasas, Calif.

How’d you like to get your hands on a phaser used by William Shatner in “Star Trek”?

What about a helmet from “CHiPs”? James Bond’s cufflinks? C-3PO’s feet from “Star Wars”? Or Lou Ferrigno’s prosthetic nose from “The Incredible Hulk” television series?

Even the Holy Grail used in “Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade” is up for grabs. It’s a steal with bids starting at $20,000.

For as much as $50,000, you can purchase the “Ten Commandments” tablets that Moses himself (aka Charlton Heston) brought down from Mount Sinai.

Although most of the auctions items tend to run in the thousands of dollars, there are a few for relatively cheap. For instance, you could own a lobby card for 1962’s “Lolita” for a mere $200.

Click on this link for a closer look at the hundreds of items for sale. The auction ends 11 p.m. Thursday (Pacific Standard Time).

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You’ll notice that the same guy is modeling most of the men’s costumes up for auction, everything from Christopher Reeves’ “Superman” suit to the Sabertooth costume from “X-Men.” Lucky stiff.

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Photo courtesy of LiveAuctioneers.com.

For all you Indiana Jones fans out there, here’s a video of a faux Indy being chased by a giant Lego boulder. Yikes!

Look for the fake Sallah and Dr. Henry Jones.

You know you’re at an “Indiana Jones” screening when every third male is sporting a fedora, a leather jacket and a whip.

Indy wannabes showed up in droves for this morning’s midnight showing of “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull,” held at the Fremont movie theater in San Luis Obispo.

I saw one Short Round, three girls dressed as Elsa (all brunette, strangely) , even that girl from “Raiders of the Lost Ark” with “I Love You” on her eyelids. The crowd of moviegoers stretched past the county building.

Since reviews of “Crystal Skull” are sure pop up like mushrooms after a rain, I’ll keep my own take to brief.

It’s fun, yes, and reassuringly familiar. It’s not the best in the Indiana Jones series. But it is a nostalgic romp, with nods to the original trilogy as well as Marlon Brando’s “The Wild One,” “Tarzan” and swashbuckler Errol Flynn.

Here’s my (mostly) spoiler-free reaction to “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.”

THE OLD MAN: Harrison Ford can still swing a bull whip. He also looks surprisingly natural back in the ol’ fedora, punching bad guys and hunting treasure. Still, there’s no denying that Ford — now 65 — is showing his age. He seems winded at times and has less chemistry with his co-stars than one would hope. Shaggy-dog humor and unexpected sweetness make up for it.

THE GIRL: Not to sound cheesy, but Indy’s reaction to his long-lost love interest may rank among cinema’s tenderest scenes. His face lights up. Hers glows. And for once, Marion Williams, nee Ravenwood, doesn’t slap him.

As Marion proves, she’s the most capable of Indy’s women, and the one who belongs in his arm.

(A side note: Karen Allen is still a cutie.)

THE KID: When I first heard that action-movie It Boy Shia LaBeouf was starring as Indiana Jone’s latest sidekick, I admittedly cringed. While the 21-year-old star made “Transformers” tolerable, he’s not the kind of guy you picture gallivanting around South America.

And his character’s name is Mutt. MUTT, for Pete’s sake.

LaBeouf spends the first half of the film in the woman’s role (freaking out at yucky bugs and desiccated corpses), then settles nicely into the role of wisecracking companion. The kid even does some detecting of his own.

(My co-worker Justin offers this fitting epitaph: “Shia LaBeouf: Not As Annoying As You’d Think.”)

THE VILLAINS: Let’s face it — Indiana Jones is at his best when he’s fighting Nazis. “Crystal Skull” gives him a rapier-swinging Russian scientist (Cate Blanchett), alien-obsessed Communists and a double-make-that-triple agent. “Crystal Skull” has no clear villain, and the movie suffers.

THE PERIL: Murderous Commies? Check. Poison dart-shooting natives? Check. Fire ants and waterfalls? Double-check. With plenty of gross-out moments and sudden scares,”Crystal Skull” has a higher body count than the previous films and plenty of abuse for its heroes. The filmmakers pull few punches.

THE TITLE: “Raiders of the Lost Ark” is the perfect title. It defines an action (raiding) names the goal (the Ark of the Covenant) and explains why it’s important (it was lost). “Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” is WAY TOO LONG.

MISCELLANEOUS: John Hurt is terrific, Ray Winstone is misused. Cate Blanchett’s accent keeps changing from Russian to English. The “X-Files” angle is annoying. I could do without the cute-and-cuddly CGI animals.

The filmmakers drop a tantalizing hint about “Colonel Jones” and his involvement with the Office of Strategic Services during World War II. That’s the movie I want to see!

BOTTOM LINE: Fast, frequently fun and mostly satisfying.

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“Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull” opens today at the Bay Theatre in Morro Bay, Park Cinemas in Paso Robles, Regal Cinemas in Arroyo Grande, and the Downtown Centre Cinemas, the Fremont and the Sunset Drive-In (paired with “Iron Man”!!) in San Luis Obispo.

* Photo courtesy of MovieWeb.com.