Tag Archives: peter jackson

ANOTHER King Kong Movie… Ugh!

Old King Kong filmWe’ve had so many Kong movies, and now they want another!

  • It began in America in 1933: King Kong
  • Nine months later came the little-known sequel: The Son of Kong
  • A Japanese remake called Kong vs Godzilla in 1962
  • Another Japanese remake, King Kong Escapes, released in 1968
  • Then another American remake, King Kong, in 1976.
  • Queen Kong was a British spoof that encountered legal problems in 1976 (resulting in a limited release).
  • King Kong Lives was made in 1986
  • The Mighty Kong was a straight-to-video animation in  1998
  • I assumed Peter Jackson’s remake in 2005 would put an end to it. It was certainly long enough!

But good Lord, here comes another. Kong: Skull Island is expected to hit screens in early 2017, with stars such as the glorious J.K. Simmons and Tom Hiddleson confirmed to be a part of it, with potentially Michael Keaton too.

It’s to be directed by Jordan Vogt-Roberts, who, after checking wikipedia, hasn’t done a huge amount of directing. The film he’s suposed to be known for is a Sundance film called The Kings of Summer.

Another King Kong movie - No! gif
NO!

Are they trying to compete with Planet of the Apes? That’s been remade and/or sequelled eight times since 1968 – with a ninth (a sequel to Dawn of the Planet of the Apes) also reaching cinemas in 2017!!

Is this really necessary?? What’s this obsession we have?

No, I say. No!

Edit in March 2018: News flash! Godzilla vs. Kong is expected to be released in 2020. God help us all.

Jodie.

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug

the-hobbit-the-desolation-of-smaug-CDDirector: Peter Jackson
Writers: Peter Jackson, Fran Walsh, Philippa Boyens and Guillermo del Toro.
Based upon The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien
Released: December 2013
Starring: Ian McKellen, Martin Freeman, Richard Armitage, Benedict Cumberbatch,
Evangeline Lilly, Lee Pace, Luke Evans, Ken Stott, James Nesbitt and Orlando Bloom
—

This movie is about three hours long, but I felt like I was in the cinema a lot longer than that. Perhaps because we went to the midnight premiere. Being in a theatre until three in the morning can be tiring…

However, despite not being too fussed about the Lord of the Rings trilogy, or anything to do with The Hobbit, I did enjoy this film.

Despite not seeing the first instalment, I certainly found The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug  entertaining.

The-Hobbit-TDOS-001-river-barrelsWell shot, incredible visuals, powerful Howard Shore pieces and a fun storyline! Actually, it was quite funny – particularly the ‘barrels on the river’ scene. Absolutely absurd! Yet brilliant! …you’ll know it when you see it.

There are wicked scenes and it was quick-paced for the most part. But I must mention the exhausting monologues and the drawn-out scenes. It was easy to lose interest during these parts.

The-Hobbit-Smaug-4I’ll tell you this for free: if Peter Jackson let his movies be edited down to no more than two hours long, I think they would be highly rated by a much wider audience. But I guess he has captured an extremely devoted viewership.

Fair enough though. His films tend to be vast and epic to say the least.

I feel like this movie needs two ratings. For The Hobbit fans, I’d say you will adore this movie and a 7.5/10 would be about right.

However, for those of us who appreciate the movie for what it is, and are not affected by the hype, I think a 6.5/10.

Jodie’s rating: an average of 7/10

As a side note, the scenes that included a dark forest with giant spiders reminded me of
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Remarkably similar.