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 #62 - Be Kind Rewind

Be Kind Rewind
New Line Cinema
2008 - Rated PG-13 - 1 hr 42 min
Director: Michael Gondry
Starring: Jack Black, Mos Def, Danny Glover, Mia Farrow, Melonie Diaz


Alright, first of all, this movie is not as funny as the previews made it seem. True, the Ghostbusters filming and some of the other moments between this unlikely duo illicit a chuckle, but for the most part, I wasn't laughing.

That said, the movie's not bad. It's just different from what I expected it to be, and when that happens, it takes my brain a moment to go, "Oh, hey. I liked that in a different way than I thought I would." So I do like this, and it's heartwarming save-the-town, preserve-VHS-tapes message. It's fun to watch, for sure. But pretty calm for a Jack Black movie.

It's not one I'll watch over and over, but I liked it all the same. And even though the ending is a bit weird (it just kinda stops...), I'm glad they didn't try to keep going. Everything you need to see resolved is resolved. Good for them for just ending it where it needed... even if it's a bit awkward.