King Kong (dir. Peter Jackson)

[pistachioofliberty]

I am so lucky that I'd read no reviews at all, and had no place better to be that day. It was a lazy Sunday at 4 in comfy aisle seats. I wasn't anxious to see it (was not necessarily a PJ or LoTR fan) but felt a cultural obligation; it's a remade classic bound to be talked about as an Oscar contendah. Plus we'd seen the others so we'd want in on the compatitive chat.

So many reviews state that a major complaint was Kong's delayed entrance. Maybe because I was told in advance of that, I could enjoy the work that went onto that first hour. Or maybe it's because "the plot" never tops my list of why a movie is great. Also, if a movie is loved and hated by many - I'll go see it.

Okay, I do feel like an idiot for welling up. But I wasn't crying at Kong. I was crying what he represents: all the kicked puppies we've wished we could saved before they bit someone; the elderly people who outlive their family and friends are left alone with no one to share sunsets with; people who have beened doomed by circumstance, all the people I have judged unfairly before knowing them. I think that is why it has been is touching people despite themselves.

I have no desire to see this movie and reading way back that they cast Jack Black in it pretty much killed the smallest iota of curiosity I might have had.

Oh, God, so ditto on the Jack Black. But I am lucky I didn't let this stop me from going to see this. At the beginning, though, I did think that I didn't need to see that tight a shot of him - it was overkill since he habitually plays to the back of the room. But I got over it fast.

I wish they had gone ahead and made full use of the Joseph Conrad inner adventure theme. I just remembered too, how I loved when Annie first set foot on the boat.

**MoldyT? Did you see my post that we had eerily identical experiences/response to The Notebook? Thank you! I'd felt so alone**

[pistachioofliberty]

{In the The Notebook thread. Oh and Rent, too}

Wow. Is it just me or can you totally see the Naomi (at least her lower face) in
this pic of Wray?

[SweetOblivion]

For me, the worst decision made about this movie was letting Denham deliver the "twas beauty killed the beast line." Err, no. By chloroforming him and bringing him to New York against his will, you yourself sealed his doom, jackass.

Count me among those who think Andy Serkis should receive the first Best Motion Capture Artist Oscar. Hell, they really should just name the award after him, like the Irving Thalberg oscar.

[pistachioofliberty]

bringing him to New York against his will, you yourself sealed his doom, jackass.

But they didn't include that onscreen at all - so you can't prove that happened! Hah! I am convinced that when he awoke in the rocky grotto, he saw the ship, was handed some brochures and became convinced that an ocean voyage to the Big Apple would be just the thing.

I was bugged that we were looking at his face during the delivery of that line. ALL I could think of when the time came was, "Oh wow! It's that line! Jack Black must have wet himself that he got to delivert that line, while simultaneously agonizing over how to do it". Then, suddenly, it was over. I so wish there'd been some gorgeous, sweeping shot of ANYthing while he VO'ed that line.

[huntergrayson]

Jackson's original intention was to have Fay Wray deliver that final line, which might've been the coolest cameo ever, but she, you know, died. I think they really, really wanted it -- were in negotiations and everything. Oh, we can dream, can't we?

IMDB says that since she didn't, that's why she gets the shout-out when Denhem's talking about casting.

You can third my vote to those in favor giving Andy Serkis a fricking award (naming after it after him is a great idea) If the Academy wants to recognize where movies are going and the new artistry involved, they have to.

[lpatrice]

That would be awesome but we all know the Academy is way behind the times. They'll probably think of something like this in about 20 years, and by then of course the award probably won't be relevant because movies would have moved into new technologies.

I am finally seeing King Kong tomorrow at 5:00.

[bklynred]

Saw this last night. Entertaining, but the beginning was slow for me. I didn't expect to empathize so strongly with Watts' character but Kong was just suffering too much--actually, if I'd ever seen the original, I probably would not have seen this movie. Animal cruelty got me all huffy and uncomfortable.

That being said, the boat captain was the most distraught and emotional I've ever seen. Such expressive eyes! I kept expecting him to burst into tears at any moment.

It sounds so strange that a $50m opening box office would be considered "mediocre." I can see this movie overall making a ton of money--it would be an awesome date movie on DVD, snuggled up screaming next to someone.

[lpatrice]

I finally saw it yeah. I loved it. I thought the casting was perfect, Naomi Watts was absolutely luminous, Jack Black was fantastic, as was Adrien Brody. And I thought the Captain was all kinds of hot.

[pistachioofliberty]

His teeth seemed a bit too white, but yes, that Captain, he were hot, arrr. Imagine him and Jack Sparrow at a nightclub. Like Redford and Newman.

[Deleted]

I saw it today as my "christmas movie" that my husband and I always do instead of church. I feel eh about it. It wasn't horrible but it wasn't great either.

Now I will start right off saying that I'm not a Peter Jackson fan. I think that the LOTR movies were way too damn long (but then, I'm not a LOTR fan either). I also don't like any of his older movies that my husband--a rabid Jackson fan--has forced me to watch. So when I heard it was 3 hours long, I wasn't keen on seeing it. But we saw it . . . and honestly, sitting in that theatre, I easily could have cut an hour from the movie. I know many here are keen on the Billy Elliot kid but not knowing who he was, I didn't care about him and his excessive questions and reading of Heart of Darkness. I never got any of the Heart of Darkness stuff. Enough already, cut that out. I didn't mind any of the initial NYC stuff. I thought that the island could have been edited. Most of the action scenes were interesting but had that sort of feel to them like "We are able to create fantastic CGI effects and god dammit, we're going to fill this movie with them!" The dinosaur chase was about 5 minutes too long. In fact, all of the chase scenes were too long IMO. By the time we get to the bugs, I was so sick of the island and totally had to pee so I was like "Enough, the island is dangerous. I GET IT." so I would have cut the bugs out. Also, the excessive reaction shots bugged me. Close-up on Naomi, close-up on the ape. another close-up on Naomi. Single tear down her cheek . . .

They spent all the time on the island and then bada bing, bada boom, they're back in NYC. That was one area where I would have appreciated a little more. How in the world did Naomi & Adrian go through the entire voyage back without speaking? More chloroform for everyone?

Sooo, yeah. It wasn't a bad movie but I think it would have been a better movie if it was shorter. I read a lot of reviews where they said "You don't even notice the time when you're watching the action!" I noticed it. My arse noticed it. My bladder noticed it.

But on the Jackson scale, I was tired of sitting there but not like that last LOTR movie where I contemplated running out of the theatre screaming when it wouldn't stop.