I haven’t been excited about a movie in a long time. As I wrote to a friend yesterday, who asked me to comment on the movies of 2005 for an article he is writing: “There are so many CGI-powered films these days that special effects hardly seem challenging any more. The real magic of Star Wars back in the 70s was the innovation behind the visuals. No one had ever seen anything like it before. Now, it seems like Sith was sandwiched in somewhere between Chronicles of Riddick and Serenity, and the magic has become mundane.” I just quoted myself. About Star Wars. If there’s still any uncertainty about whether or not I will die alone, this should put that right to bed.
A King Kong remake seemed like a decent idea to me. Mighty Joe Young didn’t quite cut it, and the 1976 version is a snoozer, in spite of Charles Grodin. Add Peter Jackon to the mix, and I might actually go see it in the theatre instead of downloading it whilst counting booty, sharpening a cutlass and feeding a parrott. Walking around on a peg leg whilst making a Frenchman walk the plank and leering at the computer screen with my one good eye. Dammit I’m a pirate!
The preliminary reviews have started to come in, and they are beyond good. I haven’t seen the movie, so I can only share some of the snippets I have heard thus far:
– “Grown men around me were crying,” says one Hollywood insider.
– “…a wonderful blend – probably the most perfect blend – of escapism and adventure, mystery and romance”.
– “could legitimately be described as the most thrilling B-grade movie of all time”.
– “Jackson evokes such a sense of empathy for his beast that Kleenex should be sold along with the popcorn.”
So we have the action of Jurassic Park (the flick is apparently chock full o dinos once they get to Skull Island,) and the weepiness of Titanic. Something for everyone. A bit chicky, and a lot dudey. An enormously diverse target audience. Time will tell, but I can say that I’d love to see Jack Black, and not Leonardo DiCaprio, as the star of the highest grossing movie of all time. I mean I’d just sleep better.
I keep telling myself that King Kong can’t possibly be as good as what they are saying – I mean it is a movie about a monkey – even though he was one of my favourite ‘people’ as a kid – right up there with The Hulk, Spiderman, Tarzan, and Captain CaveMan!!
Let’s not forget Speed Buggy, Bryan.
Tinker had to have been a cousin of Shaggy’s!
And they probably bought from the same dealer too…!
I’ve seen the previews… its the best of two worlds… monkeys AND dinosaurs AND Jack Black (who I think is brilliant…) Plus it was filmed in NZ…
has anyone seen a pic of Peter Jackson lately though? That guy is about half the size he used to be…
Damn that Hannah Barbara – peddling drugs! We shoulda known.
Yah – it is called Methamphetamines. Who prescribed to Jimmy Tango’s Fat Busters.
Ride the snake.