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King Kong

King Kong

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Warners is brining it to DVD...
Review: Well early this year, Warner Brothers announced that they are brining both this movie and it's sequal Son of Kong, to DVD as two disk sets with lots of bonus features on the making of the movie mostly done by film historians and science fiction movie makers who grew up watching this movie, reportedly the movie will feature a commentery by special effects master Ray Harryhausen who knew the effects man who brought Kong to life, Willis O'Brien. Other details pending.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: This Movie is a Stinker!
Review: I thought this movie was lame! It was so hokey and the plot and acting was horrific!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: King Kong and Godzilla
Review: I love both movies. But I would not call Godzilla a superior film. King Kong was animated utilizing stop-motion photography, a huge mechanical bust, a gigantic hand with finger joints, back screen projection and the optical printer. The 18" high figures were extremely detailed in their joints and muscles so that animator Willis O'Brien could manipulate the movements to a high degree of accuracy. These figures "the dinosaurs of Skull Island" not only jumped but also flew and, of course, no hint of wires could be seen. Remember, there was no computer technology (the first electronic computers were developed in the 1940s)to perfectly smooth out the animation. The animation could not be checked til the film was developed and screened; not until then could it be corrected. Of course this could get very expensive. Godzilla used a man in a suit and a puppet for close-ups to great chilling effect and scale scenes of the monster combined with people were very realistic but the film looses credibility in its tonka toy like tanks and fire-engines. A wire is seen in a few scenes of Godzilla's tail but that doesn't bother been since it is so faint. One point I have to address is the usage of that old hackneyed phrase, "The film's effects were great for its time," which does such an injustice to both films! Even recent films like 'The Hulk' with its innovative camera angles and great use of smooth computer animation could not keep its main character from looking cartoon-like and lacking a perfect 3 dimensional form. But don't get me wrong I love The Hulk film. I'm just making a few points to be fair and honest since the producers of all the films mentioned worked very hard to make a good product and should be treated fairly and reviewed in a tacful and mature manner.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The "ORIGINAL" Classic
Review: Classic theme, breakthrough effects(for it's time), and awesome casting. This was the first, best giant monster movie. Boy, can Faye scream!!! Keep in mind folks, this was at time LONG before George Lucas created ILM, so the effects have to be appreciated for what they are. In 1933, I'm sure it looked real enough. Kong's impact on pop culture was as tremendous as he was. Enough so, that several other studios had to borrow or steal aspects of it in more than one way. Yes, I'm talking about TOHO also.
A timeless classic that I will never tire of, and will pass down to my children.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Never Gets Old
Review: One of the best monster films ever made. The claymation and other effects were way ahead of its time and it was many years before they were surpassed.

The scenes of old New York are great. The acting was both corny and great at the same time. The wreaking of the subway train and the closeups of Kong's face were excellent. And who can forget the scenes at the top of the Empire State Building?

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Drunken Ape [What a Loser you also will say]
Review: He looks so fake. I know it eas made on 1933 but who would like it.I use it to get me tired for bed. That is right that's how boring. The effects LAME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I know Godzilla is the true king. In real life Godzilla would beat King Kong with his atomic breath. I am talking about the Toho Godzilla.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: "Why, the whole world will pay to see this!"
Review: Merian C. Cooper and Ernest Scheodsack's "King Kong" is one of the famous productions of cinema. It is not a perfect film. It is not a film that will change the way you live your life. However, it is a shining example of the creative power of the human imagination and Hollywood's inspired ability to give form to such thoughts. It is a film that illustrates the ability of cinema to displace you from the real world and relocate you to a fictional world of its choosing. It is a film whose special effects still retain the power to awe in light of modern filmmaking advances. It is storytelling at its most powerful. It is a film for the ages.

Film director Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong) hires a woman named Ann Darrow (Fay Wray) in New York to co-star in his next project. The pair sets sail for a strange island in the Pacific to find the other star of the film - a supposedly mysterious creature. Upon reaching the island, Denham, Darrow, and sailor John 'Jack' Driscoll (Bruce Cabot) discover that the creature is no figment of the imagination but a giant ape named Kong. After Darrow is rescued from Kong's clutches, the creature is captured and taken to New York to be put on display. Chaos erupts when Kong breaks free and seeks out Darrow before making a last stand at the Empire State Building.

The character of King Kong was unique from all the other giant monsters that he inspired. He was a romantic at heart who wanted to be with his true love and not the primal force of nature that existed only to wreak havoc. The time taken to develop this sympathetic dimension to his persona is the reason why he endures to this day. Kong was not an empty special effect but a fully developed character with his own set of motivations and longings. He was meant to be as complex a figure as the human characters he shared the film with. In the end, beauty may have killed the beast, but the legacy of the beast has outlived him and will continue to outlive him for years-to-come.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The Eighth Wonder of the World
Review: For a movie of "King Kong"'s calibur, it's amazing to see that there has yet to be a DVD release of one the greatest movies of all time. I know that there is probably some issue with copyrights and ownership licenses or maybe they're working on it as I type this, but it seems wrong that this movie has yet to be released on DVD.

Well, anyway, "King Kong" is a great movie. Beginning in the streets of New York, where a young girl named Anne is on the verge of starvation when she's rescued by Carl Denham, a movie producer who wants to make her the star of his greatest film yet, and with the biggest, darkest, and hairiest co-star of all.
"King Kong" is an adventure film, and unlike some monster movies of the past, it does wear thin over time. Instead, it's become an American classic, becoming the AFI's 43rd greatest movie of the past 100 years, joining ranks with "A Clockwork Orange," "It Happened One Night," and "Jaws."

From the streets of New York City to the strange Skull Island and back to New York again, the movie never loses the viewer's attention. The acting is great, as the characters are all very convincing (and you'll quickly come to love Carl Denham's smart mouth.) The stop-motion special effects pioneered by Willis O'Brien and his team never lose their spectacle (this happens to be the film that inspired a young Ray Harryhausen to take up the practice of animated models.)

This movie also contains some of the moments that will stick in memory for years to come. The first minutes after the credits, where Anne first meets Denham. The first time Kong roars from the distance as he approaches the gates of Skull Island. The scene with the bridge as Jack Driscoll leads the sailors to rescue Anne. The escape through the jungle and from the island. And the famous climactic battle at the top of the Empire State Building. Simply telling of these events brings back many fond memories of a movie I've seen so many times, and yet not enough.

The first time I'd seen it on TV, colorized and with parts edited out. I only saw it this way a couple times, and then I found the unedited, black and white version in a video store. After that, I made it my prospect to own it, complete and as it originally was.

This movie is a landmark in cinema, and is worth owning in whatever form it's in. I just wish a DVD would become available. For those who also want this, you can help. If you found this another way than searching for a DVD of "King Kong," make that search on Amazon now and ask Amazon to let you know when it's available. This will inform those who hold ownership of who wants the movie and will count as a vote towards its DVD release. I don't mean to alter the system; only do this if you're like me and do want it on DVD. "King Kong" is a classic, and it deserves the best treatment that technology and viewers can give it.

"Why, the whole world will pay to see this!"
"No chains will ever hold that."
"We'll give him more than chains. He's always been king of his world, but we'll teach him fear. We're millionaires, boys! I'll share it with all of you! Why, in a few months, it'll be up in lights on Broadway: Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World!"

-Escushion

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: It's good to be king
Review: Even 70 years later, King Kong, better than any film ever made, points out the basic drawbacks to modern democracy: Ultimately, we all want to be ruled by a benevolent king who understands our needs perhaps even better than we do ourselves. The tragedy of King Kong is that all too often we don't realize this until it is far too late.

This is certainly the case for Kong, an obvious metaphor for many of history's tragic kings. The great ruler fights off a T-Rex, a giant snake, and a pterodactyl, protecting all of humanity from horrors against which it certainly could not adequately defend itself. Unfortunately, much like the British threw Churchill out of office not long after he valiantly led them through World War II, the humans in King Kong destroy the regal beast over a misunderstanding about his intentions toward Fay Wray. I especially liked the symbolism of Kong making his last stand from the top of the Empire State Building, representing the great heights to which Napolean, Alexander the Great, Genghis Khan, and others reached before their ultimate downfalls.

This movie is highly recommended for anyone who is a student of great civilizations and the powerful rulers that led them.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Don¿t monkey around with Kong
Review: The basic story is of Carl Denham (Robert Armstrong), who makes those cute little animal pictures that are going out of style. If he wants to stay in business he must add a female interest and some excitement. Circumstances forcing him to leave port quickly, he meets a girl Ann Darrow (Fay Wray), that is down on her luck and convinces her that he will make her a star (on the up and up).
Things get complicated, as you know it is bad luck to bring a woman onboard a freighter. And Ann really stirs them up including the first mate, Jack Driscoll (Bruce Cabot). On top of this she has a large date awaiting her at Skull Island.
I will not tell the rest of the story just incase you are one of the few that has missed the movie. But as you have guessed it includes a big ape named KONG. Not that cheesy thing that is always tussling around in Japanese movies, but a much more convincing Kong that can show great emotion.
You are about to watch the eight wonder of the world.


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