bookmark_borderKing Kong

Movie info from IMDB
Movie reviews from Metacritic

“A beast of a movie” screams the poster although not as well as Naomi Watts screams later on… best movie scream ever? Maybe but it still doesn’t quite match the one in Home Alone (the bit with the spider).

Back from a noisy cinema and initial reaction to this movie is good, a few niggles as ever, and still the CGI falls short occasionally but on the whole it’s a cracking movie. You know the plot so I can skip that bit and head straight for the script which does it’s job but felt a little on heavy on the ham. It’s also guilty of pandering to the viewer a little too often for my liking, with plenty of “just to make sure you understood” moments which left a bitter taste in the mouth.

As for the cast, Naomi Watts is brilliant as the screaming heroine (love interest?) of the movie. Considering it’s not exactly the deepest of parts and that for the large majority of the movie she would have been acting into thin air I thought she portrayed the confused and enamoured young woman very well. Adrian Brody was more than capable of running around the jungle but Jack Black was a little disappointing. He did manage to tone things down though so thank heavens for small mercies.

The movie zips along and it certainly didn’t feel like it was three hours long, credit to Peter Jackson for ensuring we weren’t too bothered with superfluous scenes, after all we all know the story.

Animation wise some of the scenes are jaw-dropping, but only when you think back because, largely, it seems CGI has progressed far enough to be believable. The fight scenes on the island between Kong and the dinosaurs are wonderfully staged, completely engrossing and damn exciting to boot!

I’m at a loss as to what to say next, there is obviously the underlying story, the moral of the tale but when it’s scripted into the movie it’s kinda hard to miss. The action scenes crackle along, the plot doesn’t feel too contrived, and overall it was a great way to spend a few hours. Definitely one to catch at the cinema though, as you need the sense of scale, particularly for the vertigo-inducing last scenes atop the Empire State Building.

As far as remakes of classic movies go this one hits the mark nicely. It tips a knowing hat to the original, but delivers a modern interpretation that is well worth your money. Here’s hoping that Peter Jackson gets to make The Hobbit next!

New York, New York
Is a wonderful town..
So for all you… New Yorkans? No, that’s not right.. is it? anyway.. if you are in New York (yes AnnMarie I’m talking to you) and happen to be bored one Sunday evening and think you’ll venture out to, say, the top of the Empire State Building, well take heed.

bookmark_borderSold

Walking for the train last night I passed some building works, a new office block no doubt, about 6 or 7 storeys high. Right at the top two guys were erecting scaffolding. Standing on one bar, hanging on to one upright, it all looked very precarious to me (and from someone with a mild fear of heights, bloody scary as well). Admittedly not quite as breathtaking as the pictures of the workers having lunch whilst working on the Empire State Building – pictures which demonstrate one thing, you must be certifiably nuts to do THAT job…. I digress.

It got me thinking about my fears, then onto my aspirations, and somehow round to my ‘selling out’. I used to be a staunch supporter of many things, and I still am. I just don’t vocalise my support as often (if at all). A few years back I remember a friend at university heckling someone for selling out and becoming middle aged. Is that person now me?