It's official -- Peter Jackson's next film: King Kong

#451

Rating: 0

10/28/05 at 12:01pm

Tim Glover
Tim Glover
offline

Joined: January 1999
Post Count: 7,367

I'll confess as to not even remembering what happens in this film. Guess I'm a fraud for not having seen the original 1933 or whatever year it was? I did see the 1978? version with Jeff Bridges? See, I can't even remember who was in that one.

I'm going in with some low expectations and also not really knowing what takes place. :b

Club Timobi Wan-Episode II

#452

Rating: 0

10/28/05 at 12:11pm

Jack Briggs
offline

Joined: June 1999
Post Count: 16,605

You've never seen King Kong? Really?

#453

Rating: 0

10/28/05 at 12:15pm

Jefferson Morris
offline

Joined: June 2000
Post Count: 811

First time for everything, Tim. The upcoming DVD will be a great place to start.

Even as a young child, the original Kong always enthralled me in a way that no other film of its era did. Yes, it was black and white, and older than dirt, but I always loved it. It is perfect escapism, and still contains moments when I think, "Gee, how'd they do that?"

--Jefferson Morris

"If fakes, they were masterpieces."

--The New York Times commenting on Willis O'Brien's dinosaurs in The Lost World (1925).

"From the two trailers I've seen, the movie looks like AIDS."--Recent thread post on AICN

#454

Rating: 0

10/28/05 at 12:16pm

Tim Glover
Tim Glover
offline

Joined: January 1999
Post Count: 7,367

Well...no not really. And I call myself a film lover. :b I'm a fraud. :b

I've seen just bits on tv when growing up. I'm assuming this was the original black and white. I need to shut up...I'm losing whatever credibility I had.

Club Timobi Wan-Episode II

#455

Rating: 0

10/28/05 at 12:23pm

Tim Glover
Tim Glover
offline

Joined: January 1999
Post Count: 7,367

Thanks Jefferson.

I am looking forward to owning that.

Club Timobi Wan-Episode II

#456

Rating: 0

10/28/05 at 2:03pm

Paul_Scott
offline

Joined: July 2002
Post Count: 6,075

after seeing the trailer again a few more times in the theater, i'm getting much more hyped to see this now. in fact, by the time mid December rolls around i'm going going to be near busting out of my skin to see it.
i agree with Ebert that no good film is too long, but i also recognize that many 'dream projects' falter and stumble because of lack of proper distance to the material.

but catching an article in some foreign film mag recently, i read that some things Jackson wants to incorporate are backstories to Ann and Kong- in the case of Kong, not so much back story as context.
i dunno if i should put these in spoilers, but i will just in case

Warning Spoiler! Click to show

one of the things that Jackson wants to show is that Kong is alone- he is the last of his race on the island and at one point in the script he has him picking up his fathers skull and stroking it

any serious reservations i had about the remake pretty much flittered away when i read that. if Jackson can get across that idea well, this film is going to be something really special. i had reservations about Black too earlier, but seeing the trailer again i'm not quite as off put as i was.
Robert Armstrong is one of my favorite character actors so there is some natural resistence to anyone else impersonating the character, but i'm hoping Black brings something special to his interp.

there is the danger that the final film will be too indulgent and lose focus- but i think the more likely outcome is that it will 'overwrite' the original to such an extent that it will render the original irrelevant to everyone but 30's film buffs and pop archeologists.

#457

Rating: 0

10/28/05 at 2:59pm

Mark Seyb
offline

Joined: February 2005
Post Count: 27

I love King Kong but I LOVE Mighty Joe Young. I'm looking forward to getting that on DVD more.

My DVD Collection

#458

Rating: 0

10/28/05 at 5:04pm

Jefferson Morris
offline

Joined: June 2000
Post Count: 811

Word has it that the new trailer will be on Access Hollywood next Thursday (11/3). No doubt scrunched up in one side of the screen, with the beginning and end truncated, plus insipid fucking voice-over from the A.H. hosts. But still...

--Jefferson Morris

"If fakes, they were masterpieces."

--The New York Times commenting on Willis O'Brien's dinosaurs in The Lost World (1925).

"From the two trailers I've seen, the movie looks like AIDS."--Recent thread post on AICN

#459

Rating: 0

10/28/05 at 9:57pm

Ray H
offline

Joined: June 2002
Location: NJ
Post Count: 3,273

I don't know about three hours. I can go for it if it's entertaining, but three hours? Doesn't that sound excessive? Maybe I'm typecasting the movie based on the 1933 film, but I was thinking it'd be more of a light adventure movie rather than a three hour long epic.

"Here's looking at you, kid."

#460

Rating: 0

10/28/05 at 10:42pm

Paul_Scott
offline

Joined: July 2002
Post Count: 6,075

i would like to get to know more of the Ventures crew so that when they meet their fates on the island, it has some meaning.
Jackson hinted in that article i referenced earlier that we will understand how Ann became emotionally equipped to live thru such an extreme experience- that notion has me intrigued.

#461

Rating: 0

10/29/05 at 7:57am

RobertR
offline

Joined: December 1998
Post Count: 7,871

Quote:

I was thinking it'd be more of a light adventure movie rather than a three hour long epic.

If it's "not what was expected", that's fine with me as long as it's a well done three hour epic. Maybe some people don't like epics (too long in this MTV culture). Maybe some people don't think this story fits the epic style. What would really annoy me is if people started posting something like "character depth and development? Pathos? Ewwww! I just wanna see the good CGI stuff and stuff smashed up good!"

The more I'm hearing, the better I like the idea that Jackson is taking the story in a different, more developed direction. That's MUCH better to me than simply doing a technologically updated rehash of the old movie.

#462

Rating: 0

10/29/05 at 8:34am

Holadem
offline

Joined: November 2000
Post Count: 8,847

You are completely mischaracterising the audience in this case. The biggest LOTR, Peter Jackson, and Peter Jackson's King Kong fans are exactly the same MTV culture you are deriding. I very much doubt that there has been a director with higher standing on high school and college campuses in the last 4 years.

These movies were 3+ hours long and were wholeheartedly embrassed by this short-attention-span generation, who asked for seconds (Extented Editions) and who has been clamoring for the Hobbit in the same vein since.

There is no reason to believe that that same crowd would expect any less of this movie than the excellence they experienced with LOTR.

Anecdotal evidence alert: the only people I have heard complaint about the lenght of these movie were people at work, well into the 40s and 50s. I am more inclined to believe that sitting in a movie theater for 3+ hours is more of an issue for the average adult with a job and a family than for those pesky youngsters.

--
H

#463

Rating: 0

10/29/05 at 8:34am

Johnny Angell
offline

Joined: December 1998
Location: Little Rock, AR
Post Count: 2,069

The length of the movie says to me that Jackson wanted to make more than just a "remake" of KK, he wanted it to be more.

Johnny
www.teamfurr.org
Another cat? Perhaps. For love there is also a season; its seeds must be resown. But a family cat is not replaceable like a wornout coat or a set of tires. Each new kitten becomes its own cat, and none is repeated. I am four cats old, measuring out my life in friends that...

#464

Rating: 0

10/29/05 at 11:41am

RobertR
offline

Joined: December 1998
Post Count: 7,871

Quote:

There is no reason to believe that that same crowd would expect any less of this movie than the excellence they experienced with LOTR

Hey, if the film is embraced on its merits, then I'll be happy. It wasn't my intent to characterize everyone under 30 as rejecting a three hour epic.

#465

Rating: 0

11/1/05 at 9:00am

Jefferson Morris
offline

Joined: June 2000
Post Count: 811

You fellows might want to see this little behind-the-scenes on Kong, released yesterday (PJ's birthday, incidentally). There are a bunch of new completed shots in this one - probably from the trailer upcoming on Thursday. Visual spoilers therein...

http://movies.apple.com/movies/unive...nside_h480.mov

And a HD-rez version:

http://movies.apple.com/movies/unive...side_h720p.mov

--Jefferson Morris

"If fakes, they were masterpieces."

--The New York Times commenting on Willis O'Brien's dinosaurs in The Lost World (1925).

"From the two trailers I've seen, the movie looks like AIDS."--Recent thread post on AICN

#466

Rating: 0

11/1/05 at 12:33pm

Ivan Lindenfeld
offline

Joined: April 2000
Post Count: 336

Thank you Jefferson for posting that. I enjoyed it.

Ivan Lindenfeld

#467

Rating: 0

11/1/05 at 1:54pm

Jefferson Morris
offline

Joined: June 2000
Post Count: 811

You're welcome.

This thread seems a little anemic. I'm surprised to see so few posts in recent days, given the excitement that's building for this title in the world-at-large.

--Jefferson Morris

"If fakes, they were masterpieces."

--The New York Times commenting on Willis O'Brien's dinosaurs in The Lost World (1925).

"From the two trailers I've seen, the movie looks like AIDS."--Recent thread post on AICN

#468

Rating: 0

11/1/05 at 2:21pm

Johnny Angell
offline

Joined: December 1998
Location: Little Rock, AR
Post Count: 2,069

Jefferson, I haven't viewed that yet because of the visual spoilers you mention. Does it give away plot points that we might not know from the original?

Johnny
www.teamfurr.org
Another cat? Perhaps. For love there is also a season; its seeds must be resown. But a family cat is not replaceable like a wornout coat or a set of tires. Each new kitten becomes its own cat, and none is repeated. I am four cats old, measuring out my life in friends that...

#469

Rating: 0

11/1/05 at 3:08pm

Stephen Orr
offline

Joined: March 1999
Post Count: 1,080

I just picked up the prequel novel "The Island of the Skull." I haven't started it yet, but it's supposed to be some backstory on Denham and Darrow.

One of my methods to become debt-free. Thanks, Dave Ramsey!

#470

Rating: 0

11/1/05 at 3:20pm

Jefferson Morris
offline

Joined: June 2000
Post Count: 811

Johnny,

No major plot points are blown or anything, but you will get a few more of the action beats in the Kong vs. V-Rex scene.

If you plan on watching the new trailer, there's no reason not to watch the video -- all the money shots doubtless are from that. But some people consider trailers and promos themselves to be spoilers, hence my warning.

--Jefferson Morris

"If fakes, they were masterpieces."

--The New York Times commenting on Willis O'Brien's dinosaurs in The Lost World (1925).

"From the two trailers I've seen, the movie looks like AIDS."--Recent thread post on AICN

#471

Rating: 0

11/1/05 at 3:37pm

Ravi K
offline

Joined: February 2003
Post Count: 705

We're questioning the 3-hour running time because right now most of us can't conceive of how the King Kong story could justify such a length. The LOTR films were totally justified in being long, but I'm a skeptic about King Kong. Seems like it would work better as a tight and punchy 90-120 minute film. We're talking King Kong here, not Howards End

My DVD Collection

#472

Rating: 0

11/1/05 at 3:48pm

Chuck Mayer
offline

Joined: August 2001
Post Count: 7,528

Perhaps this King Kong is Howard's End with a giant ape. Let's just wait and see. As Ebert says, some of the longest movies he's seen have been 90 minutes in length. If it's bloated, it'll hurt. The execs, who cringe at running length, seemed to think it was worth the limited daily showings. I would rarely trust them to make these decisions, but when they go against their nature...maybe it's for a good reason.

I don't have a lot of posts in this thread, but be certain I'll be at the midnight showing, Jefferson

Probably sitting next to you incognito,
Chuck

Hey buddy...did you just see a real bright light?

#473

Rating: 0

11/1/05 at 4:40pm

Paul_Scott
offline

Joined: July 2002
Post Count: 6,075

just expanding a timeline from the original film to three hours, this is probably where i would look for embellishment

45 minutes in New York and at sea in which we have to
- meet Denham and find out why he is so desperate (what is he coming out of in the trailer? a meeting with his financial backers? just how desperate is his situation?
- meet Driscoll
- meet Ann and learn of her desperate circumstances and what forces her into this situation
- meet the crew of the ship
- prepare to leave, set sail, the map is discussed, a relationshipp develops between Driscoll and Ann (and with this Driscoll being a writer/intellectual, there is the implication that it will be a more dialouge expressed relationship

easily 1 hour 30 minutes from the point they discover the island, make land fall, do their test shooting, discover the natives, go back to the ship, etc- thru Kong being gassed and ready to transport.

its possible that like the 76 version, we'll get material about the voyage home. in that case, i would reduce the time count from the first act and tack it on here.

and i would expect at least 45 minutes with Kong in New York, with maybe a good 10-15 minutes, maybe more, before we see Kong again since the island/ship (to build up the anticiaption/impact for his unveiling) i would also expect from the moment he arrives at the base of the ESB to the end of the credits that it will cover another 15-20 minutes. easy.

i see 3 hours easy to fill with substance.

#474

Rating: 0

11/1/05 at 7:13pm

BradWOO
offline

Joined: August 2003
Post Count: 89

Behind the scenes preview looks really good!

#475

Rating: 0

11/1/05 at 8:18pm

MatthewLouwrens
offline

Joined: March 2003
Location: New Zealand
Post Count: 3,013

Does anyone happen to have the 8-Weeks-To-Go PPD - the one that was suddenly removed from KongIsKing. I had downloaded about 70 percent before it was removed. If anyone does, if they could put it up somewhere for temporary downloading, it would really be appreciated.

Thanks.

AFI Top 100 lists:
100 Movies, 100 Thrills - Completed
100 Laughs - 24 to go - last seen: The Freshman
100 Passions - 39 to go - last seen: Breakfast At Tiffany's
100 Heroes & Villains - 10 to go - last seen: Tom Powers in The Public Enemy100 Songs - 44 to go - last seen: "When You Wish upon a Star"...

#476

Rating: 0

11/2/05 at 5:36am

Sam Davatchi
offline

Joined: September 1999
Location: Paris, France
Post Count: 3,121

What's in it?

#477

Rating: 0

11/2/05 at 2:01pm

Mattias Stridsman
offline

Joined: January 2001
Post Count: 64

8 weeks to go is up again:
http://img-nex.kongisking.net/kong/m...o_qt6_high.mov

#478

Rating: 0

11/2/05 at 2:09pm

Jefferson Morris
offline

Joined: June 2000
Post Count: 811

Chuck wrote:

Quote:

I don't have a lot of posts in this thread, but be certain I'll be at the midnight showing, Jefferson

I don't think I'll manage a midnight show. My g/f also is a fan and if we did a three-hour movie that started at midnight, she'd end up getting about an hour of sleep before having to get up the next morning for work.

Instead, I imagine I'll be doing the same thing I did for LOTR three years in a row on release date Wednesday - go straight from work to the beloved Uptown Theater in Washington, D.C., to stake out a place in line and wait for seating for a 10:30 p.m.-ish show. Friends will accrue later with hip flasks of hot chocolate spiced up with a bit of alkyhol. Still a late night, but not as late. I look forward to it.

Matthew, that PPD was just reposted on KIKN an hour or two ago. Guess they worked out whatever the problem was. (Mattias beat me to it.)

The most notable thing in it was a brief snippet in which the original 1933 King Kong armature (minus fur, of course) is actually stop-motion animated by the WETA crew. King Kong Lives, as it were. Did someone from RKO Pictures (still in existence) have a beef with this? Dunno. But thankfully, it's back up.

--Jefferson Morris

"If fakes, they were masterpieces."

--The New York Times commenting on Willis O'Brien's dinosaurs in The Lost World (1925).

"From the two trailers I've seen, the movie looks like AIDS."--Recent thread post on AICN

#479

Rating: 0

11/2/05 at 4:07pm

Michael Harris
offline

Joined: June 2001
Location: Fairfax, VA
Post Count: 1,254

If the PPD was there, it is gone now.

#480

Rating: 0

11/2/05 at 7:34pm

BradWOO
offline

Joined: August 2003
Post Count: 89

The largest file isn't working try the next largest one.

http://img-nex.kongisking.net/kong/m...ksToGo_qt4.mov

Tags

Other Threads

Recent Reviews

What Users Want

Got Facebook?

Already a User?

Create a New Account

Recent Discussions

Recent Reviews

Recent Wikis