Recently in Peter Jackson Category

A doctrinal schism in Wellington? Peter Jackson's The Lovely Bones goes on filming hiatus while PJ and his art director clash over their respective visions of Heaven. (Somewhere, Howard Shore nods ruefully.) Earlier, the project was stalled by Ryan Gosling leaving over "creative differences" the day before shooting, to be replaced by Mark Wahlberg (a la Stuart Townsend and Viggo Mortensen.) Take note, Mr. del Toro, before you rush to embrace animatronics...

Indiana is May 6. Indiana Jones is May 22. And, while WB's cadre of lawyers try to lock down various versions of the Dark Knight trailer, the new Kramerized Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull trailer has also popped up online. I'm still of 2 minds about Indy 4. It could be a great throwback, it could be Attack of the Clones...but at least we only have to wait a few weeks to know the score. (In fact, Indy IV will close out four weeks of Fanboy May(hem), beginning tomorrow with Iron Man, followed by Speed Racer (5/9) and Prince Caspian (5/16).

Regarding much-anticipated projects further down the pike, Guillermo del Toro has been confirmed for The Hobbit, as has Ian McKellen. "'Yes, it’s true,' he said. 'I spoke to Guillermo in the very room that Peter Jackson offered me the part and he confirmed that I would be reprising the role. Obviously, it’s not a part that you turn down, I loved playing Gandalf.'" I'm obviously hugely excited for this project, but, still...that second filler movie attached to The Hobbit sounds like it could end up being a colossally bad idea.

Update: Also out today, Edward Norton wrestles with the angry, powerful alpha male inside him in the new trailer for Louis Leterrier's Incredible Hulk. Pfff...Tyler could still take him in a fight.

"Encouragingly, Peter and Fran Walsh have told me they couldn't imagine The Hobbit without their original Gandalf. Their confidence hasn't yet been confirmed by the director Guillermo del Toro but I am keeping my diary free for 2009!" Grey Havens be damned, Ian McKellen reports he's likely returning as Gandalf for The Hobbit (well, if he and producer Peter Jackson have anything to say about it, and they probably will.) Update: More good news: Composer Howard Shore is back as well.

Also in movie news, the viral marketing campaign for The Dark Knight is picking up again. As you may remember, a slew of new Gotham-related sites appeared last December. Now, more have arrived, of a distinctly Harvey Dent bent: A new edition of The Gotham Times, Dana Worthington for DA (a.k.a. Harvey Dent's opposition), Maiden Avenue Report (Gotham's Drudge, it seems), Citizens for Batman, St. Swithuns Church, and Gotham Cable News are all now online, along with the Dent campaign site linked to the other day. Also, apparently the original marketing plan was always to shift from the Joker to Harvey Dent, so this rollout hasn't necessarily been affected by the loss of Ledger. (That being said, viral text messages seem to indicate the Clown Prince of Crime will pop up yet again before April Fool's Day.)

"An executive who worked with Sangster in Los Angeles recently told me: 'Thomas seems to be the one. He was just great, but I'm not certain if anything has been finalised yet.'" Spielberg and PJ look to have found their Tintin, and it's Thomas Sangster, formerly of Love, Actually (but I'll try not to hold it against him.) He joins Andy Serkis as Captain Haddock and...hey, it's mocap...can we get Berk as Snowy/Milou?

The fruits of the Compass? After forty years from Reefer Madness to Semi-Pro (with, of course, PJ's Rings trilogy being the notable highlight), New Line Cinema is no more. "The company will lay off hundreds of employees and be merged into its corporate sibling, Warner Bros...In a sign of retrenchment that is increasingly prevalent in Hollywood, the company will now focus on making fewer movies limited to the kind of smaller, low-cost 'genre' horror and comedy pictures upon which it built its name." (Nevertheless, the Tolkien suit will go forward.)

"Few filmmakers have the cachet that del Toro has, as well as a deep love for the source material, an assured grasp of fantasy filmmaking and an understanding and command of geek culture as well as its respect." In a realm blissfully removed from the political fight engaging these lands, Guillermo del Toro seemingly gets the nod for The Hobbit. That works. I might've preferred Alfonso Cuaron, or a more adventurous pick, such as Peter Weir. Still, del Toro has proven he can probably do The Hobbit justice, and he seems just as Hobbity as PJ, in his own right.

Smaug awakens! "I'm very pleased that we've been able to put our differences behind us, so that we may begin a new chapter with our old friends at New Line. 'The Lord of the Rings' is a legacy we proudly share with Bob and Michael, and together, we share that legacy with millions of loyal fans all over the world. We are delighted to continue our journey through Middle Earth." Paging Glenn Yarbrough...Peter Jackson and New Line have made up, and he and wife Fran Walsh have been named as Executive Producers for two forthcoming Hobbit movies, to be shot simultaneously in the manner of LotR -- Production starts immediately. (This is no doubt partly the fruit of The Golden Compass bombing...New Line needs cash.) Of course, executive producing is not directing...does this clear the way for Sam Raimi to take the helm? Or what of Peter Weir? Martin Freeman as Bilbo? And how will The Hobbit, more of a simple children's adventure than Rings, be broken in two anyway? (Will they beef up the Sauron at Dol Guldur stuff?) We'll know in good time...But, PJ, I'm glad you're with us. [Freeman fake via here.] Update: PJ is definitely not directing.

Dictatorial duck billed diplodocus! Motion-capture veteran Andy Serkis joins Peter Jackson and Steven Spielberg's Tintin trilogy, most likely as the inimitable Captain Haddock.

"Notwithstanding our personal quarrels, I really respect and admire Peter and would love for him to be creatively involved in some way with The Hobbit." Oh really? Bob Shaye of New Line tries to kiss and make up with Peter Jackson, most likely to secure his ok (and a producer cred) for a forthcoming Sam Raimi-directed Hobbit."Raimi has previously said he would not take on the project without Jackson's blessing and is apparently leaning towards it as his next project rather than the 'Clash of the Titans' remake."

Can't say I'm all that excited about the project, but I am obviously a fan of the director: The lovely Rachel Weisz joins Peter Jackson's version of The Lovely Bones, as the mother of the narrator, it seems.

Thundering son of a sea-gherkin! Steven Spielberg and Peter Jackson are teaming up for a Tintin trilogy! "Sources said Monday that Jackson and Spielberg would each direct installments of the franchise...The movies would be made using motion-capture technology."

Peter Weir for The Hobbit? Hmm. I find that more interesting than a Raimi-directed outing, particularly after Spiderman 3, but I still think PJ should have right of first refusal.

"Peter Jackson might be the best filmmaker on the planet right now. But, um, I don't know what's going to happen next for me right now. First and foremost, those are Peter Jackson and Bob Shaye's films. If Peter didn't want to do it, and Bob wanted me to do it -- and they were both ok with me picking up the reins -- that would be great. I love the book. It's maybe a more kid-friendly story than the others." As Spiderman 3 gets its Tokyo premiere, Sam Raimi discusses the possible Hobbit in his future. Well, Raimi isn't a bad choice by any means. But, even despite New Line's bad behavior of late, this should really be PJ's film to make, and anything less will seem a disappointment.

"I don't want to work with that guy anymore. Why would I? So the answer is he will never make any movie with New Line Cinema again while I'm still working for the company." More troubling news for The Hobbit: In an interview with Sci-Fi Wire, New Line president Robert Shaye lays into Peter Jackson over the outstanding lawsuit filed by Wingnut films over ascertaining LotR revenues. (PJ's response is here, and I'm inclined to agree with him. What reason would New Line have to hide the books, unless they've been practicing shady math?)

"This outcome is not what we anticipated or wanted, but neither do we see any positive value in bitterness and rancor. We now have no choice but to let the idea of a film of The Hobbit go and move forward with other projects...We got to go there - but not back again..." In an e-mail to The One Ring, PJ and Fran say they're off The Hobbit due to outstanding and unresolved matters regarding their lawsuit against New Line, who want to move on the project now before they lose the rights. MGM (who owns the distribution rights) says it ain't over yet, but, my, it's not looking good.

Quite a bit of movie news lately: Bryan Singer's next Superman achieves liftoff, as does Harold & Kumar II. (I didn't think much of Superman Returns, but am willing to give Singer another shot, particularly given how much better X2 was over X-Men. As for H & K...yeah, I'll see it.) Meanwhile, the Peter Jackson-produced Halo is off for now...probably not a great loss, I suspect. And, finally, Steven Soderbergh and Benicio del Toro's Che is now two films: The Argentine and Guerrilla, to be shot back-to-back.

As MGM announces it's planning The Hobbit as a tentpole release (with New Line, and hopefully with Peter Jackson at the helm), PJ contemplates optioning the Termeraire books by Naomi Novik. Get back to Bag End, Pete!

Is something stirring in Middle Earth? While Peter Jackson announces he's producing a remake of The Dam Busters (to be directed by Christian Rivers, WETA's head animatic guy from LotR and Kong), very vague rumors emerge from the head office at New Line of a July 2007 start date for filming of The Hobbit. Let's hope they at least give PJ the right of first refusal...Giving this property to somebody like Ratner would be absolutely criminal. Update: Another intriguing LotR link (albeit from the Mises Institute), via Dangerous Meta: Tolkien v. Power.

As most of y'all likely already know, this past weekend was Comic-Con 2006 in San Diego, which means an exceedingly large amount of news in the fanboy department. To wit:

"Until when chance came, it ensnared a new bearer..." Breaking news from Gondor: The first of what promises to be many re-issues of Peter Jackson's Lord of the Rings trilogy happens August 29, when all three films will be re-released as 2-disc sets ($28.98 each.) "For each film, disc one presents both the theatrical version of the film and its extended edition through seamless branching, while disc two features an intimate, never-before-seen documentary created by Costa Botes. The feature-length documentaries, with more than 300 minutes of never-before-available footage, focus on a number of complexities and circumstances [that] affected the making of the movies." Since I own both the theatrical cuts and three extended versions, I really have no business buying these, particularly as they don't seem to include the much-noted blooper reels or any of the still-missing footage (The Watchers of Cirith Ungol, for example.) But the hearts of Men are easily corrupted, and the Ring of Power has a will of its own.

After winning Empire Magazine's Best Picture award, PJ offers up a slow-loading and decently funny King Kong blooper reel, which includes several F-bombs, a chronically mumbling Jack Black, and the missing "Back to New York" scene. Update: Try here instead.

Happy New Year's Eve to everyone..I'm celebrating in San Diego with old college friends and likely won't update again until 2006. So, without further ado, here's the 2005 movie round-up. Overall, it's been a pretty solid year for cinema, and this is the first year in the past five where the #1 movie wasn't immediately obvious to me. But, still, choices had to be made, and so...

[Note: The #1 movie of 2005 changed in early 2006: See the Best of 2006 list for the update...]

1. Syriana: I know Stephen Gaghan's grim meditation on the global reach and ruthlessness of the Oil Trade rubbed some people the wrong way, but I found it a gripping piece of 21st century muckraking, in the venerable tradition of Ida Tarbell and Upton Sinclair. True, Christopher Plummer was a mite too sinister, but otherwise Syriana offered some of the most intriguing character arcs of the year, from morose CIA Field Agent George Clooney's ambivalent awakening to corporate lawyer Jeffrey Wright's courtship with compromise. In a year of well-made political films, among them Good Night, and Good Luck, Munich, Lord of War, and The Constant Gardener, Syriana was the pick of the litter.

2. Layer Cake: If X3 turns into the fiasco the fanboy nation is expecting with Brett Ratner at the helm, this expertly-crafted crime noir by Matthew Vaughn will cut that much deeper. Layer Cake not only outdid Guy Ritchie's brit-gangster oeuvre in wit and elegance and offered great supporting turns by Michael Gambon, Kenneth Cranham, and Colm Meaney, it proved that Daniel Craig had the requisite charisma for Bond and then some (and that Sienna Miller is no slouch in the charisma department either.)

3. Ballets Russes: Penguins and comedians, to the wings -- The lively survivors of the Ballets Russes are now on center stage. Like the best in dance itself, this captivating, transporting documentary was at once of the moment and timeless.

4. Good Night, and Good Luck: Conversely, anchored by David Strathairn's wry channeling of Edward R. Murrow, George Clooney's second film (and second appearance on the 2005 list) couldn't have been more timely. A historical film that in other hands might have come off as dry, preachy edutainment, Good Night, and Good Luck instead seemed as fresh and relevant as the evening news...well, that is, if the news still functioned properly.

5. Batman Begins: The Dark Knight has returned. Yes, the samurai-filled first act ran a bit long and the third-act train derailing needed more oomph. Still, WB and DC's reboot of the latter's second biggest franchise was the Caped Crusader movie we've all been waiting for. With help from an A-list supporting cast and a Gotham City thankfully devoid of Schumacherian statuary, Chris Nolan and Christian Bale brought both Batman and Bruce Wayne to life as never before, and a Killing Joke-ish Batman 2 is now on the top of my want-to-see list.

6. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire: As I said in my original review, I initally thought Cuaron's Azkhaban couldn't be topped. But give Mike Newell credit: Harry's foray into Voldemortish gloom and teenage angst was easily the most compelling Potter film so far. Extra points to Gryffindor for Brendan Gleeson's more-than-slightly-bent Mad-Eye Moody, and to Slytherin for Ralph Fiennes' serpentine cameo as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named.

7. King Kong: I had this film as high as #2 for awhile, and there are visual marvels therein that no other movie this year came close to offering, most notably Kong loose in Depression-Era New York City. But, there's no way around it -- even given all the B-movie thrills and great-ape-empathizing that PJ offers in the last 120 minutes, the first hour is close to terrible, which has to knock the gorilla down a few notches.

8. Capote: When it comes to amorality for artistry's sake, Jack Black's Carl Denham ain't got nothing on Philip Seymour Hoffman's Truman Capote. I think it'd be awhile before I want to watch this movie again, but, still, it was a dark, memorable trip into bleeding Kansas and the writerly id.

9. Sin City: One of the most faithful comic-to-film adaptations on celluloid also made for one of the more engaging and visually arresting cinematic trips this year. I don't know if the look and feel of Sin City can sustain a bona fide franchise, but this first outing was a surprisingly worthwhile film experience (with particular kudos for Mickey Rourke's Marv.)

10. Munich: I wrote about this one at length very recently, so I'll defer to the original review.

11. Brokeback Mountain: A beautifully shot and beautifully told love story, although admittedly Ang Lee's staid Brokeback at times feels like transparent Oscar bait.

12. Lord of War: Anchored by Nicholas Cage's wry voiceover, Andrew Niccol's sardonic expose of the arms trade was the funniest of this year's global message films (That is, if you like 'em served up cold.)

13. The Squid and the Whale: Speaking of which, The Squid and the Whale made ugly, embittered divorce about as funny as ever it's likely to get, thanks to Jeff Daniels' turn as the pretentious, haunted Bernard Berkman.

14. Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith: Thank the Force for small kindnesses: George Lucas put the Star Wars universe to bed with far and away his best outing of the prequels. The film flirts dangerously with the Dark Side, particularly in the "let's take a meeting" second act, but for the most part Sith felt -- finally -- like a return to that galaxy long ago and far, far away.

15. A History of Violence: I think David Cronenberg's most recent take on vigilantism and misplaced identity was slightly overrated by most critics -- When you get down to it, the film was pretty straightforward in its doling out of violent fates to those who most deserved them. Still, solid performances and Cronenberg's mordant humor still made for a far-better-than-average night at the movies.

16. Walk the Line: Despite the great performances by Joaquin Phoenix and Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line ultimately seemed too much of a by-the-numbers biopic to do the Man in Black full credit. But, definitely worth seeing.

17. In Good Company (2004): Paul Weitz's sweet folktale of synergy, downsizing, and corporate obsolescence was too charitable and good-natured to think ill of any of its characters, and I usually prefer more mordant fare. Nevertheless, the intelligently-written IGC turned out to be a quality piece of breezy pop filmmaking.

18. The Constant Gardener: Another very good film that I still thought was slightly overrated by the critics, Fernando Meirelles' sophomore outing skillfully masked its somewhat iffy script with lush cinematography and choice Soderberghian editing.

19. Primer (2004): A completely inscrutable sci-fi tone poem on the perils of time travel. Kevin and I saw it twice and still have very little clue as to what's going most of the time -- but I (we?) mean that in the best way possible.

20. The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe: The Chronic-what? Andrew Adamson's retelling of C.S. Lewis's most popular tome lagged in places, and the two older kids were outfitted with unwieldy character arcs that often stopped the film dead, but it still felt surprisingly faithful to the spirit of Narnia, Christianized lion and all.

Most Disappointing: The Fantastic Four, which I finally saw on the plane yesterday -- One of Marvel's A-List properties is given the straight-to-video treatment. From the Mr. Fantastic bathroom humor to the complete evisceration of Dr. Doom, this movie turned out just as uninspired and embarrassing as the trailers suggested. Runner-Up: The Brothers Grimm. Terry Gilliam's long-awaited return wasn't exactly a return-to-form. But, hey, at least he got a movie made, and Tideland is just around the corner.

Most Variable: Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: I still haven't figured out how I feel about this one. I liked it quite a bit upon first viewing, but it didn't hold up at all the second time around. Still, the casting feels right, and I'd be up for The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, provided they turn up the Ford-and-Zaphod shenanigans and turn down the forced Arthur-and-Trillian romance.

Worth a Rental: Constantine, Aliens of the Deep, Me and You and Everyone We Know, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, The Island, March of the Penguins, The Aristocrats,Tim Burton's Corpse Bride, Jarhead, Sarah Silverman: Jesus is Magic, The Ice Harvest, War of the Worlds

Ho-Hum: Inside Deep Throat, The Jacket, Million Dollar Baby (2004), The Ring 2, Kingdom of Heaven, Unleashed, Mr. & Mrs. Smith,
Aeon Flux

Best Actor: Philip Seymour Hoffman, Capote; Eric Bana, Munich; Heath Ledger, Brokeback Mountain; David Straitharn, Good Night, and Good Luck

Best Actress: Reese Witherspoon, Walk the Line; Naomi Watts, King Kong

Best Supporting Actor: Jeff Daniels, The Squid and the Whale; George Clooney, Syriana; Brendan Gleeson, Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

Best Supporting Actress: Maria Bello, A History of Violence; Tilda Swinton, The Chronicles of Narnia

Unseen: The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Bee Season, Broken Flowers, Cache, Casanova, Cinderella Man, Crash, Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room, Grizzly Man, Gunner Palace, Head On, Hustle & Flow, Junebug, Match Point, The New World, Nine Lives, Pride and Prejudice, Serenity (although I watched all of Firefly last week), Shopgirl, The Three Burials of Melquiades Estrada, Wallace and Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit, Wedding Crashers

2006: Frankly, the line-up doesn't look too exciting at the moment. Nevertheless, 2006 will bring A Scanner Darkly, Casino Royale, The Da Vinci Code, Flags of our Fathers, The Good German, The Inside Man, Marie Antoinette, M:I III, Pirates of the Caribbean 2, Snakes on a Plane (!!), Southland Tales, Superman Returns, Tristam Shandy, V for Vendetta, and X3.

The 2005 Golden Globe nominees are announced, with Brokeback Mountain (7 nods) and Good Night, and Good Luck (4 nods) the big winners and Syriana (2: Clooney for Supporting Actor & Best Score), King Kong (2: PJ for Best Director & Best Score), and Munich (2: Spielberg for Director and Best Screenplay) for the most part overlooked. (Despite what the official website says, All the King's Men has been kicked to 2006.) Brokeback seems to have the early lead, but I'd say the field is pretty open in most categories (although Philip Seymour Hoffman as Best Actor for Capote seems likely.)

"He's an old -- someone described him and I think it's a quite cool way of looking at him -- he's an old, psychotic hobo. He really is. He's not used to -- although it's in gorillas' innate desire to connect with other beings -- he's just not used to it. The only contact he has are with creatures that are trying to attack him or threaten." Dark Horizons runs a fascinating -- and spoilerish -- interview with Andy Serkis on King Kong, motion-capture, and acting tips from Rwandan primates.

Big doings for a Monday morning: Through a fortuitous series of events and two hours of toe-freezing waiting outside, I just got back from a critic's showing of Peter Jackson's King Kong over at the Loews on 68th St. (As an aside, the screening was run terribly-- From the color-coded seating to the random security lines, everything was organized just enough to unnecessarily complicate everything and to reward bad behavior.) But let's get down to brass tacks here: How much for the ape? Well, in essence PJ's King Kong is the Mother of All B-Films -- the Skull Island action sequences are spectacular, Kong's adventures in New York seem appropriately mythic, the special effects throughout (particularly the Great Ape himself) are mind-blowing...Without a doubt, Kong is one of the best movies I've seen this year. That being said, I'd be lying if I didn't admit that the film has some serious pacing problems, particularly in the first hour, and at times I thought it seemed almost too reverent of its source material. At the very least, Kong, while definitely a Wonder of the World and no mistake, could have benefited from some minor grooming.

Fortunately, many of the most glaring missteps in Kong occur relatively early on. The film begins very auspiciously with a choice montage of Depression-Era New York, during which we're introduced to beautiful young vaudevillian Ann Darrow (Naomi Watts) and, soon thereafter, director-on-the-make Carl Denham (Jack Black) and his long-suffering assistant (Colin Hanks). From here throughout, both Watts and Black are excellent -- One would never think Watts was interacting with anything less than a grotesquely large primate in the scenes to come, and Black is surprisingly good and unobtrusive as Denham, even if there are a few too many shots of him...slowly...turning...to look at...something huge, amazing, and/or ghastly.

That being said, after the opening, the film slows to a crawl for a good 30-40 minutes, as Denham, Darrow, & co. wend their way to Skull Island about the S.S. Venture. Frankly, I was reminded a lot of the first hour of The Matrix Reloaded during this sequence -- There's nothing as flat-out embarrassing as the Bacardi Silver rave here, but there is a lot of hamfisted expository dialogue masking as character development. Particularly egregious in this regard is everything involving the ship's First Mate (Evan Parke) and a young stowaway (Jamie Bell) he's taken under his wing. Frankly, this whole subplot is a mistake -- It's laden with stilted groaners (the digression on Joseph Conrad's Heart of Darkness, for example) and comes off as cliche-ridden as the tough general and his fresh-faced recruit in that other Matrix film.

Fortunately, right around the time the Venture loses steam, the film starts picking some up. The run-in with the natives is rather creepy in PJ fashion, although, once again, it could use some tightening -- We only need one slo-mo Bad Taste-ish zoom to a human skull and one frightening Zombified Skull Islander in the throes of an epileptic seizure...but PJ gives us four or five of each. Still, when Kong first rumbles out of the jungle to acquire his new sacrificial plaything, the film starts to gather the hurtling momentum that'll characterize most of the rest of its run.

And, indeed, the rollicking next hour of the film is, for the most part, Jurassic Park on 'roids. Throughout the Skull Island tour (which includes many death-defying stops and Shelob-esque reveals), Peter Jackson and the WETA gang really let their freak flag fly, and the fun here is infectious. This is a monster movie maven at the top of his game, and some of the sequences here -- most notably Kong vs three T-Rexes -- are jaw-droppingly (or jaw-rippingly, as the case may be) spectacular. I don't want to give away some of the twists and turns in this middle chapter...but, if you're not really enjoying the heck out of this hour of the film (even despite some of the less-plausible deux-ex-machinas involved), I'm not sure why you went to see Kong in the first place.

Of course, the story returns to New York in the final hour, when Denham brings his newly-acquired Eighth Wonder of the World to the Great White Way. (Look for the now somewhat-unfortunate cameo by Howard Shore, doing what he might well have done best...To be honest, the James Newton Howard score sounded mostly like incidental music. If there was a "Kong theme," I didn't catch it on first viewing.) And, at this point, the film forsakes the mayhem of its middle hour to bask in the Gothic-in-Gotham resonance of the Kong mythos. There are some really beautiful moments here in the final act, although I do have some quibbles: The timing of night and day makes very little sense, and streets seem to clear of fear-stricken bystanders at the most opportune times for Kong and his ladyfriend. (Then again, we are talking about a 25-foot ape here, so perhaps I should just shut up and suspend the disbelief.) Also, there's a scene in Central Park here that I expect will divide audiences -- particularly fanboy audiences -- down the middle. I found it somewhat touching, but I also couldn't help imagining Kong & Ann visiting Coney Island and/or partaking of a Gray's Papaya while they're at it. "Something tells me I'm into something good..."

And, then, of course, we end atop the Empire State. At this point, you're either with the movie or you're not, and I was definitely moved by Kong's last act. That being said, I can also see the argument that some folks made of Return of the King being made here...the last few scenes are exquisite and heartfelt, but they're also just ever-so-slightly redundant. You can forgive PJ being a trifle indulgent here, I think -- this is the big payoff, not only the culmination of a three-hour viewing experience but the most memorable moment in his favorite movie of all time. That being said, I have to admit that at a certain point, as the biplanes went around for yet another pass and Kong looked increasingly miserable, that the horrible cynic in me noted this was somewhat akin to watching a remake of Citizen Kane with a fifteen-minute sled scene.

I was also somewhat reminded of Old Yeller in the closing moments, which -- it must be said -- speaks for how amazing PJ, WETA, and Andy Serkis' King Kong turned out to be. In fact, this even far outshines their amazing work on Gollum -- At no point did I find myself questioning the reality of this Kong, even in the midst of some severe Tyrannosaurus Rex bashing. The Dian Fossey gloss on the relationship between Darrow & Kong helped too -- In perhaps the cleverest update of the old Kong, Darrow utilizes a very unique set of skills to bond with the Great Ape. And it's those scenes -- and their other quiet moments together -- that are the most memorable aspects of this Kong, which is no small feat given the action flourishes of the second act.

In sum, King Kong is an amazing film, and easily one of the best movies of this year. But, to be fair, it's also undeniably too indulgent at times, and I think it ultimately fails to achieve the transcendent heights of the Rings trilogy. (But I'll freely admit to having more of an emotional investment in Tolkien than I do in the original Kong.) At the very least, it's definitely worth seeing, not only as a world-class monster movie but also as a worthy retelling of one of the cinema's greatest stories.