Pretty hairy
I saw two movies this past weekend: Syriana and King Kong.
First, Syriana. I thought this was a great film, although I found it very difficult to watch at times (and not just the torture scene - OUCH). The way the movie was written reminded me a little bit of Traffic. Several different characters are introduced, and the viewer watches as their story lines weave together. The story is basically all over the map, but this is the very quality that allows the audience to realize how everything is connected with everything else. For example, Prince Nasir (played by Alexander Siddig) is the heir apparent to an oil-rich middle eastern country. Instead of kowtowing to the United States, he signs natural gas drilling rights away to the Chinese, who offered a more attractive bid than the Americans. Educated at Georgetown, Prince Nasir has forward-thinking ideas about how to advance his country, improve its infrastructure, and help his people. Bryan Woodman (Matt Damon) works for an energy trading company in Europe. Through a tragic event, Woodman and Prince Nasir become confidantes, and Woodman offers Nasir thoughts on how to implement his somewhat revolutionary ideas.
In the meantime, the merger of two major energy companies in the United States prompts a government investigation. Because of Prince Nasir's preference for the Chinese, the company naturally prefers his younger brother to take the throne rather than him, and they exert their considerable resources (including members of a top law firm) to try and make that happen. Shakeups at the company cause workers to be laid off in the Middle East, resulting in alot of young Arab men out of work. Alternative work is nowhere to be found. Two of the young men are subsequently drawn into the world of religious radicalism, and they eventually become terrorists.
Bob Barnes (played by George Clooney) is a battle-hardened CIA agent who has a specialty in the Middle East. Barnes is hired to assassinate Prince Nasir (in order to protect the U.S. oil interests in the region), but the plan goes horribly awry. The end of the film culminates in a tragic death.
While all of the performances and production values are of high quality, what makes this movie tick is the feeling that you're being let in on something both tangled and secret. Syriana is fascinating, delving into a complex web of variables that influence foreign policy, the rulers of sovereign nations, prices at the pump, politics, and the clandestine practices of the United States. I found it so interesting that I went out and got See No Evil, the book that the movie is based on. More on that when I finish it.
King Kong was equally thrilling. I thought that, for the most part, director Peter Jackson got everything right. First of all, the ape was absolutely amazing. Incredible realism, thanks in large part to Andy Serkis, who helped lend him the kind of physicality that made Gollum come to life in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. (I noticed that Jackson hired many of the technicians he worked with on Lord of the Rings for this film. Good call. The production values were incredibly high.) Secondly, Jackson had the foresight to cast real actors in what basically could have been strictly a special effects movie. Naomi Watts, in particular, was luminescent as Anne Darrow. The sunlight on her wondrous face delivered some of the most moving moments in the entire movie. (And knowing that she was drumming up intense fear, amazement, and heartbreak by probably looking at nothing more than a green screen makes me appreciate her abilities even more.) Jack Black is imminently detestable as movemaker Carl Denham, and Adrien Brody rounds out the cast as playwright Jack Driscoll.
This movie is long, like, three hours long, but you won't notice it. Early scenes are filled with exposition, Denham's madness to complete his film, and Darrow's relationship with Driscoll. Once our crew lands on Skull Island, the plot picks up considerably. The natives (which are not portrayed in a particularly favorable light, I'm afraid) offer Darrow up as a sacrifice to Kong, and the brave crew decides to travel inland to rescue her. This is where the movie slowed down a bit. The scenes with Darrow and Kong were delightful, but the scenes of the following rescue party got a bit tiresome. I mean, how many creepy jungle creatures can we be expected to endure? One after another, after another, after another. Okay, we get it. The jungle is full of creepy crawlies. And then, there is an absolutely crazy scene between Kong and, not one, not two, but THREE Tyrannosaurus Rexes. Please. It got to be a bit too much for me, so I took a bathroom break.
By the time I got back, the story was moving along again. Darrow is rescued, and Kong is drugged into a stupor so that he can be taken back to the mainland. Once there, he is put on display for the entertainment of city-dwellers. However, he escapes his chains, finds Ann once again, and makes his way to the top of the Empire State Building. The final scenes of the movie, between Kong and Ann, are some of the best in the film.
I cannot tell you how important it is to go see this film in the theatre. We sat very close to the screen, with Kong practically breathing down our necks. Thrilling! And of course, I was a total puddle when Kong fell to his demise at the end of the movie. It was all beautifully done, and obviously created by people who have a great affection for the story of King Kong. Don't miss it!
First, Syriana. I thought this was a great film, although I found it very difficult to watch at times (and not just the torture scene - OUCH). The way the movie was written reminded me a little bit of Traffic. Several different characters are introduced, and the viewer watches as their story lines weave together. The story is basically all over the map, but this is the very quality that allows the audience to realize how everything is connected with everything else. For example, Prince Nasir (played by Alexander Siddig) is the heir apparent to an oil-rich middle eastern country. Instead of kowtowing to the United States, he signs natural gas drilling rights away to the Chinese, who offered a more attractive bid than the Americans. Educated at Georgetown, Prince Nasir has forward-thinking ideas about how to advance his country, improve its infrastructure, and help his people. Bryan Woodman (Matt Damon) works for an energy trading company in Europe. Through a tragic event, Woodman and Prince Nasir become confidantes, and Woodman offers Nasir thoughts on how to implement his somewhat revolutionary ideas.
In the meantime, the merger of two major energy companies in the United States prompts a government investigation. Because of Prince Nasir's preference for the Chinese, the company naturally prefers his younger brother to take the throne rather than him, and they exert their considerable resources (including members of a top law firm) to try and make that happen. Shakeups at the company cause workers to be laid off in the Middle East, resulting in alot of young Arab men out of work. Alternative work is nowhere to be found. Two of the young men are subsequently drawn into the world of religious radicalism, and they eventually become terrorists.
Bob Barnes (played by George Clooney) is a battle-hardened CIA agent who has a specialty in the Middle East. Barnes is hired to assassinate Prince Nasir (in order to protect the U.S. oil interests in the region), but the plan goes horribly awry. The end of the film culminates in a tragic death.
While all of the performances and production values are of high quality, what makes this movie tick is the feeling that you're being let in on something both tangled and secret. Syriana is fascinating, delving into a complex web of variables that influence foreign policy, the rulers of sovereign nations, prices at the pump, politics, and the clandestine practices of the United States. I found it so interesting that I went out and got See No Evil, the book that the movie is based on. More on that when I finish it.
King Kong was equally thrilling. I thought that, for the most part, director Peter Jackson got everything right. First of all, the ape was absolutely amazing. Incredible realism, thanks in large part to Andy Serkis, who helped lend him the kind of physicality that made Gollum come to life in the Lord of the Rings trilogy. (I noticed that Jackson hired many of the technicians he worked with on Lord of the Rings for this film. Good call. The production values were incredibly high.) Secondly, Jackson had the foresight to cast real actors in what basically could have been strictly a special effects movie. Naomi Watts, in particular, was luminescent as Anne Darrow. The sunlight on her wondrous face delivered some of the most moving moments in the entire movie. (And knowing that she was drumming up intense fear, amazement, and heartbreak by probably looking at nothing more than a green screen makes me appreciate her abilities even more.) Jack Black is imminently detestable as movemaker Carl Denham, and Adrien Brody rounds out the cast as playwright Jack Driscoll.
This movie is long, like, three hours long, but you won't notice it. Early scenes are filled with exposition, Denham's madness to complete his film, and Darrow's relationship with Driscoll. Once our crew lands on Skull Island, the plot picks up considerably. The natives (which are not portrayed in a particularly favorable light, I'm afraid) offer Darrow up as a sacrifice to Kong, and the brave crew decides to travel inland to rescue her. This is where the movie slowed down a bit. The scenes with Darrow and Kong were delightful, but the scenes of the following rescue party got a bit tiresome. I mean, how many creepy jungle creatures can we be expected to endure? One after another, after another, after another. Okay, we get it. The jungle is full of creepy crawlies. And then, there is an absolutely crazy scene between Kong and, not one, not two, but THREE Tyrannosaurus Rexes. Please. It got to be a bit too much for me, so I took a bathroom break.
By the time I got back, the story was moving along again. Darrow is rescued, and Kong is drugged into a stupor so that he can be taken back to the mainland. Once there, he is put on display for the entertainment of city-dwellers. However, he escapes his chains, finds Ann once again, and makes his way to the top of the Empire State Building. The final scenes of the movie, between Kong and Ann, are some of the best in the film.
I cannot tell you how important it is to go see this film in the theatre. We sat very close to the screen, with Kong practically breathing down our necks. Thrilling! And of course, I was a total puddle when Kong fell to his demise at the end of the movie. It was all beautifully done, and obviously created by people who have a great affection for the story of King Kong. Don't miss it!
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