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Reviews
King Kong (2005)
Jackson Does His Favorite Movie Proud
Like a lot of others, I loved the "King Kong" remake. While it will never take the place of the 1933 original in my heart (nor in the hearts of all the film critics and historians who have ranked it among the top 20 films of all time), this Kong is a vast improvement over both the regrettable 1970s Dino DeLaurentus debacle (remember the ads for a black man to put on a monkey suit to play Kong?)and the originators own cutesy and mostly forgotten "Son of Kong." As one reviewer said, the original Kong was a monster, violent and uncaring. This Kong is a real gorilla in all aspects, but simply too big for the modern world. The fight with the three dinosaurs was one of the most exciting I have ever seen and the playful interlude between Ann and the great ape was immensely tender. I do think that 30 minutes could have easily been cut from the early NYC scenes and another 20 from the voyage to Skull Island. The attempt at fleshing out secondary characters so we'd feel something when they got it on the island was unnecessary, and the director's financial problems could have been summed up in a matter of minutes. While Jack Black wasn't the best choice for the role of the director, I was even less pleased with Adrian Brody as the love interest. He may be a better actor by far, but he was like a twig next to an oak tree compared to Bruce Cabot's sturdy sailor in the original. If he was supposed to be a writer, he should have been more Ernest Himmingway and less Noel Coward.
Bluto
Myra Breckinridge (1970)
Yes, it IS as bad as they say!
I saw "Myra Breckinridge" when it first came out in 1970. I was a healthy 20-year-old at the time, who loved movies and really liked Raquel Welsh. On top of that, I had read the Gore Vidal novel it was based on and thought it was very funny. I saw the movie at a local drive-in and about half way through I was sorely tempted to turn the motor of my car on so that maybe I'd die of monoxide poisoning and not have to see the rest of this shipwreck of a movie. It wasn't "smart" or "trendy", it was gross and sloppy. All the actors were tone deaf and the director didn't have the slightest idea what he was doing. The casting of Mae West was one of the worst casting choices in movie history. As one reviewer here said, her role had nothing to do with the movie or book. Her character in the book is sexually beaten up by the young stud, which would never do for the legendary Ms. West. Oh no, the plot is changed so she sexually beats HIM up, very believable from a 77-year-old woman who looks every DAY of her age. I could go on, but why? It was an awful movie.
Bluto