The Librarian: The Curse of the Judas Chalice (2008)

Touches You

good back-story, and good acting

It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.

Through painfully honest and emotional moments, the movie becomes irresistibly relatable

There are movies that got the Oscar for best movie of the year and I have watched them only once, The Curse of the Judas Chalice never got that kind of recognition but I've watched it four times already and enjoyed each one of them. When I get to that part where Stana Katic sings that song in the bar, I always replay the scene once or twice. Stana Katic is Mona Lisa reincarnated in the twenty first century but better than the Da Vinci's version. Noah Wyle and the rest of the cast are always in tune with the story. Aside from a few exceptions, I'm not into vampire movies that much but this one makes the grade. Not having the kind of budget Indiana Jones movies got and succeeding in making a gem of a flick deserves praise. Hats off for their great work.

You take 3 parts Indiana Jones, 2 parts Harry Potter. For a leading man, star a young TV veteran from a hit melodrama of the last decade. In each installment cast an affordable exotic beauty in her late 30's. For a villain, cast a recognizable but unnameable TV actor from the last century. Leaven with 2 aging but able sitcom stars of the 1980's. Cook with just enough sex and violence to pass basic cable standards, but no bad language, so reruns can occur on broadcast TV on weekend afternoons when there is no sports game.As I write, this, the third installment of the Librarian, is up in a 6 hour marathon of the trilogy on a Turner station. It is not bad for a lazy Sunday afternoon, if you have other things to do indoors to distract you.As many have already noticed, it is a blatant riff or rip-off of the Indiana Jones franchise, except set in today's world. Noah Wylie wears Indy clothes and works for a "library" that is much like Indy's museum. Except the Library has not only a collection of fantasy icons from the past (from the bible to King Arthur to Grimm tales) but also wizard-like magic straight from Harry Potter. Noah is sent on a major quest in each episode, with magic-wielding villains to overcome and a sexy babe as his companion.This third one is the darkest, I suppose, what with vampires in New Orleans (where did they come up with that, I wonder?) and Russian mafia types. Unlike Spielberg and his big-time budget, the special effects here are pretty cheesy computer graphics. The smaller the screen, the better they look.I read that a basic cable series (hour-long format) is in the works for The Librarian franchise. Noah Wylie makes an appearance here and there. But younger actors do the heavy lifting, and apparently John Larroquette takes over the aging sitcom star duties.Having said all that, it isn't all that bad, as long as you aren't after real thrills, real drama, or real comedy. It is passable eye-candy and decent time-filler for shut-ins on a rainy day. Nothing too gory or scary for youngsters beyond the first grade. And nothing too sexy to embarrass your grandma who may be baby-sitting. Just clever enough and good-looking enough to keep from reaching for the remote.In short -- just what the TNT production committee ordered!

The movie is plain horrible. The only good thing are few non cliché dialogues, but that's it. The acting is horrible, and plot is just as bad.Let me just tell you of one scene: Actors gets locked in an old, rotten ship, and in order to get out they decide to blow the door out with a cannon.. That, despite in two scenes you can clearly see a large window behind them, which and adult can get through..Not the worst, but far from good.Not to mention that russians who can barely speak English is a very old cliché, same goes for all their acting.. sigh..

As I recall, Spielberg created "Raiders of the Lost Ark" with the idea of recreating "Saturday afternoon" movies with a little something for everyone--humor, high-stakes, scary moments, spectacle."The Librarian" series has the same aim and hits it well, so you're guaranteed sheer mindless entertainment. Noah Wylie's geeky "Librarian" keeps saving the day with lots of knowledge and few social graces, generally making a fool of himself along the way. Bob Newhart and Jane Curtain are such steady pros, they make you laugh without appearing to try. There's a well-cast requisite gorgeous girl in each show, and thankfully these female characters can hold their own and do as much rescuing as being rescued. Plus, it's nice to see a series that shows the value of knowledge and learning, even if Flynn has taken that idea a bit far. Geeks and friends of geeks will see much that hits home.The special effects are good rather than great, but they work just fine. This series doesn't have the massive special effects budget that most blockbuster movies have. However, that's not necessarily a bad thing, since many big-budget movies overuse special effects to substitute for plot and character, without making the movie or the effects more interesting.I enjoyed Librarian #3 "Curse of the Judas Chalice" probably even more than the prior 2 in the series. I loved the New Orleans setting, the female lead Stana Katic, plus this time they left out Flynn's mother (a not well written character). Watch the movies in sequence if you can. I'm recommending the series to several friends, and I'm looking forward to seeing more!