In a little under 2 weeks we’ll all be able to enjoy all the glory of Irina Spalko in the comfort of our own bunkers. On October 14th the 2-disc special edition of Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull will be released on both DVD and Blu-Ray. A new-and-improved collection of all 4 movies in one, the Indiana Jones - The Complete Adventures Collection will also be available the same day.

The 2-disc DVD edition contains a wealth of special features which we’ll outline for you here:

Indy 4 Disc 1:

• The movie - duh!
• The Return of a Legend—The evolution of the new film and a tribute to the legendary hero and his creators.
• Pre-Production—Follows Steven Spielberg as he creates animatic sequences, Shia LaBeouf as he learns to swordfight and captures the reunion of filmmakers and cast on the soundstage.

Indy 4 Disc 2:

• Production Diary: Making Kingdom of the Crystal Skull—Join filmmakers, cast and crew for a complete look at the making of the film. The diary includes: Shooting Begins: New Mexico; Back To School: New Haven, Connecticut; Welcome to the Jungle: Hilo; Hawaii; On-Set Action; Exploring Akator; Wrapping Up!
• Warrior Makeup
• The Crystal Skulls
• Iconic Props
• The Effects of Indy
• Adventures in Post Production
• Closing: Team Indy
• Pre-Visualization Sequences: Area 51 Escape; Jungle Chase; Ants Attack
• Galleries - The Art Department: The Adventure Begins; Cemetery and Jungle; Akator
• Stan Winston Studio: Corpses, Skeletons & Mummies; Aliens & Crystal Skulls
• Production Photographs
• Portraits
• Behind-the-Scenes Photographs

Absent is the color, 8×10 glossy of Colonel Spalko that I was hoping for, but I can’t deny - that is an impressive pile of special features. Well done to Paramount. Buy Crystal Skull on DVD or Blu-Ray, pop some corn and get ready to watch one of the most unlikely sequels in movie history from your own living room.

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… who needs enemies? Regardless, you might want to pop on over to her very official looking MySpace profile and make nice with our favorite summer 2008 baddie. A friendly gesture at this early stage might spare you the tip of her rapier.

I was born in 1929 and raised in a superstitious Ukranian village, where my psychic abilities led me being branded a ‘witch’. I was handpicked by Stalin to oversee research into psychic warfare. A former member of the KGB’s Science and Technology Directorate, I have been decorated with the Order of Lenin. My powers of intuition have taken me a long way from the experiments i performed on animals as a teenager. As voracious a seeker of truth as any Indy has ever met, I show there is no limit to how far I am prepared to go to achieve my goals. My expertise with the saber, rapier, and foil drives the point home. My honest and incorruptible character, combined with my complete devotion to the cause, gained me swift recognition and the nickname “Iron Irina”. One of the several external operations that i did for the Motherland was the “Operation Crystal Skull”, where I had to travel to the jungles of Peru to find the crystal skull and to unlock its unspeakable powers for the glory of the great Soviet Union.

That is some great character development on behalf of our girl, and I have to assume the profile is an official marketing effort on behalf of the studio. It’s well done and worth a visit - if only for her Russian Red Army theme song!

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Hear Cate Blanchett’s first words as the evil Russian, Agent Spalko, in a short Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull TV spot released over the weekend.

“You Vill Find it!”

Only 24 days left, people!

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The only thing better than watching the evil and alluring Agent Spalko on screen might be to… drink her sweet nectar, or something. Now that everyone is sufficiently uncomfortable, have a look at Agent Spalko as the centerpiece for Dr. Pepper’s Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull marketing campaign. An evil Russian by any other name would taste as sweet…

For more interesting and frankly - crazy - Indy 4 tie-ins, have a look at ThrowMeTheIdol.com.

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