For The Love of 'Kong'

The following does contain spoilers.

I’ve just returned from seeing Peter Jackson’s King Kong. All the way home on the bus, I was trying to put into words my deep sense of awe and wonderment. I don’t know if I will succeed, but I will try anyways.

First off, I could not rip my eyes from the screen. The sheer tension and excitement of the action was enough to keep me glued to my seat. But this film has more than just the action going for it. It has a heart and a soul, and an emotional element that just can't be defined with any words in the English language.

One of the things I loved about the film is how we relate to Kong himself. When he holds Ann in his hand and they stare into the sunset together, we can engage with his admiration of the beauty of his home. When he is captured, we are enraged. And when he finally finds Ann in New York after escaping from his chains, we're amazed that such a horribly destructive monster can be more humane than most of the people in the story.

What this engagement of Kong manages to accomplish is the we see things through his eyes. For me, the moment that crystalizes this is the scene with Ann on the frozen lake in the park. Kong has no idea what ice is; it's something completely outside his experience and as he steps out we see his childlike wonder of nature once again.

And now, my actual point: what this film did for me.

What is perfectly clear in every frame of this movie, is Peter Jackson's respect and admiration for King Kong. This isn't a remake; it's a love letter to the original. And it's infectious.

I never thought much of the 1933 film. I thought it was fun, yes, but I just could not understand why some people had to gush over it; a great love story? Bah. And then I saw this: one man's incredible love for Kong. And you know what? It spread to me. I can finally understand why the story became beloved, why it is timeless. I can't put it into words yet, but I can now say that I see Kong with new eyes. I felt like he did on the ice with Ann.

Now all I need is the DVD Collector's Edition of the original film. Hopefully, I should be getting that soon.

Here's to Kong, the King of Skull Island and the Eighth "Wonder of The World"!

The Next Original Movie

A lot of people (myself included) have noticed how Hollywood doesn't seem to have any more original ideas. Plots are clichéd, characters are nothing more than cardboard cutouts, and the dialogue is worse than any grade-school paragraph I may or may not have written on what I did over my summer vacation. Throughout film history, there have been movies that have so captured the public imagination and love (due to their amazing quality) that they have inspired what people in the business dub "sequels". What inevitabily happens then is that the sequel is also very good and it then inspires another. Sometimes around then, the thing has run its course, but what has been acheived is what is called a "franchise". So with a lot of film franchises recently ending themselves--The Matrix, Star Wars, and arguably Star Trek--people are wondering: when is the next original film franchise going to come around and take off? When is Hollywood going to give us a truly original story?

On the originality of stories, there isn't a whole lot to say. I think it was Aristotle (though I'm probably mistaken) who said that there were only about 20 plots in the world. I think the next big original film franchise is going to find its success through the characters it gives us, rather than the plot devices or story elements it puts them in. That's where the true originality lies; in the characters we can identify with and get to know rather than how many cars were in the last big chase, or how many tons of dynamite it took to blow up that bridge that the enemy army so desperately needs in order to get to the other side so they can kidnap the heroine.

Another area where it will probably have to succeed to some degree is not in what it shows us, but how.

As an example: there have been a gazillion car chases in film history, and it's OK if you want to put one into the movie--it's a sure way to guarantee thrills--but what will set this car chase apart from all the others? What will be the objective? And (harking back to the previous paragraph) who are the people being chased and what did they do? Taking the time to think about that (and not just how many cars can we crash) is what makes an original car chase original. Also, finding something interesting for the cars and the people driving them to do; quite a challenge, but a truly talented director will be able to pull it off.

And I have to believe that one is out there somewhere, waiting to be discovered. Waiting for his chance to make the films he's had going through his head for ages. Just wait patiently, and give him time.

Be seeing you,
Steven

Quote of The Day-Dec. 20

"I expect to pass through this world but once; any good thing therefore that I can do, or any kindness that I can show to any fellow creature, let me do it now; let me not defer or neglect it, for I shall not pass this way again." -Ettiene de Grellet

Be seeing you,
Steven

Word of The Day-Dec. 17

ersatz: adj. Being an imitation or a substitute, usually an inferior one.

Be seeing you,
Steven

The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

THE BAD:
I just thought I'd take a moment to note the passing of the actor John Spencer. He had a heart attack earlier today; he would have been 59 next week. Spencer has been known for many character roles, the most prominent being Leo McGarry on NBC's television drama"The West Wing". This is the role I know him for, and he became an almost immediate favourite of mine while being introduced to the show through the DVDs. Farwell, John; you will be sorely missed.

THE GOOD:
And now for some cheerful news: Mom and I are officially moving. The deal was concluded just in the last couple of hours. The plan is to paint the new place, clean the carpets, and move our stuff over a bit at a time in the car, with the Big Move Itself (TM) happening in the window between Christmas and New Year's. I wanted one last Yuletide morn' in our basement suite.

THE UGLY:
Everything has to be packed:)

Be seeing you,
Steven

The Best Decision Ever Made

At the time we make them, decisions can often seem small and insignificant. But if we look back I'm sure most of us can find a small choice we made which changed the direction of our lives. This was mine.

On a rainy Friday night in the fourth grade, I was browsing through the video store looking for something that my Mom and I could watch for our weekend treat. A certain movie caught my eye and I picked it up to read the blurb. Excited, I went to my mother who smiled and said, "I think you might like that." I made my choice right then. The film was Star Wars.

That night I was transported to a world where it seemed anything was possible: the world of science-fiction. The exhiliration I felt has been equalled by few other films and surpassed by almost none. A whole galaxy (pun intended) of stories was possible in this genre. I became determined to read all I could. I had always liked stories, but now I was hooked.

Not long after, I began watching Star Trek on television (I still remember the first episode I saw), and reading the tie-in novels for both franchises. I began branching out in my interests as well: The Lord of The Rings, Narnia, Sherlock Holmes, and even Shakespeare (!) all became part of my life. Even now, I can barely last twenty-four hours without a book to read. My love of reading and hearing stories gradually turned into the desire to tell my own. And so here I am, studying for a degree in creative writing.

The best decision I ever made was in the sci-fi aisle of the video store. It was small, unimportant, and insignificant. It also changed the course of my life. Just another lesson that few things are quite what they appear to be.

Be seeing you,
Steven