Hey folks, Harry here... KING KONG (1933) is tied with ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD at the top of my Favorite Films of All Time. I love Kong because when you watch that original film... Before World War II, in the days of the of the Great Depression... the early years of sound cinema... There arose a roar heard around the world. Kong, the Eighth Wonder of the World. I don't assume that you've all seen the original. I know there are some folks that just refuse to watch old movies and especially black & white movies. This isn't anything new. When Television went to color, Father Geek's Dad, my grandfather refused to watch Black & White films upon it. I mean, to him, that defeated the point of having a color television. That always struck me bizarre, cuz FatherGeek was so completely different.
But one of the reasons I love KING KONG so much, beyond all the reasons everybody enumerates upon when they effuse about the film. KING KONG taught me to love remakes & tribute films. It showed me how flexible a notion could be. Through the sequels and sidequels of KING KONG like SON OF KONG, MIGHTY JOE YOUNG... or remakes from cultures around the globe. Men in suit versions, Animated cartoon versions, Modern blockbuster CG ones. If you haven't checked out MIGHTY PEKING MAN - you're seriously missing out. Now sure - all those films, all that effort - nobody has even come close to the original. Steiner's score, the performances, the dialogue, the matte paintings and yes, the stop motion animated characters - it all forms a perfect nightmarish dream that at least this oversized boy has always and will always love.
Jordan Vogt-Roberts has this new Legendary Pictures release version of KONG: SKULL ISLAND coming from Warner Brothers. Here, Jordan is attempting to make King Kong godly... like some spiritual protector of the Island. Set in the 1970s... Vietnam era mercenaries from the look of things... and we've seen that they have flame-throwers... and now - because of this latest trailer - we're seeing... Skull Island MONSTERS that belch forth from the bowels of this troublesome islet!!!
Now - are you ready for a trailer to scale your expectations. How this will collide with the pre-existing Legendary GODZILLA - which takes place over 40 years after this film... well, I can't wait to see this puzzle make sense!
Most impressive, eh?
Keep it cool,
Harry
