Return to Steam - Arcade, NY - May 24, 2008

As promised, here is my video from the "Return to Steam" trip on May 24, 2008 on the Arcade and Attica Railroad. This wonderful trip was taken behind newly restored Arcade and Attica engine 18, an American Locomotive Company (ALCO) 2-8-0. Restoration work on the engine began after the end of the 2001 tourist season and continued for 7 years, to bring the engine in line with new Form 4 standards for the FRA.

Now, number 18 is regularly pulling steam excursions on weekends. For full details, visit the Arcade and Attica Railroad site at http://www.arcadeandatticarr.com.

This video is being hosted off my own site only, currently. Flash Player 9 is required. A higher quality download will soon be available, suitable for burning and playing on a DVD player hooked to TV.

This is my first serious attempt in years to do a professional (semi-professional) grade video, so I'm not going to ask for payments, but if you do like the work and might be interested in seeing further videos from me this way, please let me know.

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Also, I could use some donations to help offset the cost of producing these. If you can and would like to help out, click the 'Donate' button under the video. And if anyone else would like me to help them produce better quality video footage, let me know, I'm open to working out a deal on being a producer / editor.

Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull review

Indiana Jones is back for one last grand hurrah, bringing the story arc of the first 3 movies around to a sort of sense of closure. Set in 1957, Indiana Jones (Harrison Ford) is forced into assisting a group of KGB and Soviet army officers in finding an unusual crystal skull, legendary for giving immense powers to those who find it. The skull is made from a solid piece of crystal, and it's creation by man is doubted, as even modern tools would be incapable of making something of it's nature.

Indiana and a new sidekick named Mud (Shia Labeouf) head to the Amazonian rain forest, searching for the skull. Followed by the KGB / Soviet group, they are eventually forced to work with them, as the KGB's Leader (Kate Blanchett) has captured Indiana's old flame, Marion Ravenwood (Karen Allen) from the original film, Raiders of the Lost Arc. Marion makes a shocking revelation about her past with Indie.

The film ends with a slightly more science-fiction orientation that does somewhat tax credibility, but in the end, didn't all of the films do that? The acting was well done, though if you didn't see the previous films, you'll miss a few in jokes and other movie references. My best recommendation is that if you never saw ANY other Indiana film, make sure you at least saw Raiders of the Lost Arc (and be forewarned, there is another scene with creepy crawlies in this film). A number of people have criticised this film for not being classic Indy, but it's difficult to remain "classic" all the time. I give 4 and 1/2 stars out of 5 for this film.