Movie #344 - King Kong

King Kong
2005 - Rated PG-13 - 3 hr 7 min
Director: Peter Jackson
Starring: Naomi Watts, Jack Black, Adrien Brody, Thomas Kretschmann, Colin Hanks, Andy Serkis, Jamie Bell

I remember when this came out, how big a deal it was. Peter Jackson does Kong... and it's bigger, better, and hairier than the original!  So there are some things about it that make it a unique experience.  Jack Black for one, who seems to play Peter Jackson in this movie.  And the giant bugs for another.  Scary, creepy giant bugs.

I'm not really sure what's up with the bugs, actually.

I also can't quite figure out why this movie needs to be more than three hours long.  It almost feels like they're trying to force an epic from this story.  While Naomi Watts does a great Fay Wray impression and creates an even stronger tie to the unlucky ape, I feel like much of this update was unecessary.

Movie #275 - The House Bunny

The House Bunny
2008 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 37 min
Director: Fred Wolf
Starring: Anna Faris, Colin Hanks, Emma Stone, Kat Dennings, Hugh Hefner, Christopher McDonald, Katharine McPhee, Rumer Willis, Kiely Williams, Dana Goodman

Another campy one, House Bunny also knows how dumb its premise is.  A Playmate gets tricked into leaving the Playboy Mansion by another playmate and finds a home among a college sorority for misfits...as their house mother.  Emma Stone and friends (including Bruce & Demi's daughter Rumer and an American Idol runner-up) make a great ensemble, playing off Anna Faris's spot-on Shelly.

Hugh Hefner can't act, which we quickly establish in this movie but somehow don't mind, and Colin Hanks plays the charming, handsome love interest.  They seem mismatched, Anna and Colin, but they are adorable together in their own way.

This one's just fun to watch, thanks to Farris's all-in performance. She's all bunny, all blonde, and all funny too.