King Kong
2005, WingNut Films
I've never been big on King Kong (ahem), although my best friend is, so I'm aware of the loyalty of its fans. Nevertheless, in terms of filmmaking, I'd have to say that Peter Jackson—who is not known for going small—got it right. The love and care he invested in the film is manifest, particularly the period New York City scenes; in fact, those scenes enthrall me. Jackson is also not known to release anything with less than spectacular visuals, so it's no surprise that Kong was technically flawless. And, in true Jackson fashion, there are copious extras, which are a film student's dream.
DKS 12/17/17
GRUMPY OLD FART-O-METER® Rating:
Kong: Skull Island
2017, Legendary Pictures et al
Being neither a King Kong follower nor a hyper-action blockbuster fan, I watched this mostly to study how visual effects technology is progressing. In the last few years, CGI has been leveling off: there's not much more that can be accomplished technically, so now its down to the artists pushing the pixels around to create something new and exciting. Yet I was strangely surprised by Kong: Skull Island: it was way better than I'd anticipated, especially given how low they were at the outset. The reimaged mythology of Kong was somewhat intriguing, and the humanity instilled in the creature was compelling. Meanwhile, the temporal setting and extensive helicopter sequences gave it a distinct Apocalypse Now vibe, which was perhaps to its greatest benefit—in many respects, it was better than Apocalypse. Relentless, over-the-top bloody action notwithstanding, it was surprisingly good; kudos to the exceptional editing. Did not see that coming.
DKS 12/17/17
GRUMPY OLD FART-O-METER® Rating: