ALL SCI-FI

Bud Brewster · Posted: Mon Mar 06, 2023 5:49 pm Post subject:

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Today I received my Blue-ray of King Kong, and I was delighted by the fact that it was a vast improvement over my old DVD. The grain in the DVD is a major distraction, but I was delighted by the clarity of the image in this improved version.

This amazing movie is ninety years old, and it's still the greatest adventure ever put on film. It was released in 1933, and the story starts in New York, just four years into the Great Depression (1929–1941). The early scenes show just how people in the greatest city in America were suffering, when Carl Denham rescues the lovely Ann Darrow from starvation.

It boldly addresses the terrible lives that people were living.

From this humble beginning, this awesome movie carries the audience from a bleak reality to an incredible adventure that presents sights like nothing they've ever imagined!

The audience is teased by a scene which shows the adventurers aboard the ship as they debate the possibility that a legendary creature exists on an uncharted island.

No remake could possibly recreate the power of that scene or the one that follows, when Carl Denham and Ann Darrow are on deck making costume tests while Denham describes the terror the girl might feel when she faces the unknown horror of a legend known only as . . . Kong! Shocked

Imagine the breathless anticipation the audience felt in 1933 when they had no idea what this skillful buildup was leading to. Confused

When the ship reaches its mysterious destination and we get our first look at the island, our anticipation is heightened by the sight of the huge wall which protects the natives from a mysterious, legendary creature!

When the natives abduct Ann from the ship and drag her through the open doors in that massive wall, the audience must have stared in amazement at the sight of the poor terrified girl being lashed to the stone columns.

The incredible shot of that massive wall with the natives lined up along the rim and the poor girl down below is almost as stunning as the incredible stop motion scenes yet to come!

Imagine how amazed the audience was in 1933 when Kong came crashing through the trees and paused to look down on the newest sacrifice which the natives had offered him.

_____ King Kong (1933) - The Bride of Kong Scene

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From this point in the movie the action doesn't stop until Kong made his Broadway debute in New York city.

But the action kicks into high gear again the moment Kong breaks the chains which bind him!

When I was a kid in the late 1950s and saw this movie for the first time on an Atlanta TV station, I was amazed by the fact that it was like TWO incredible movies — one which takes place on Skull Island, and the other which is set in New York.

If ever there was a perfect movie that still thrills us after almost 100 years — despite the modern development of CGI — this one is it.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

Bud Brewster · Posted: Fri Mar 10, 2023 6:02 pm Post subject:

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I've seen that video several times, and the improvement is very subtle . . . so subtle in fact that in some scenes I don't see the improvement. It's supposedly "8X smoother", but that's hard to believe.

I guess it's not enough to make me shout, "Wow, I'll buy the Blu-ray version with that enhancement and give away my old one!"
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

Bud Brewster · Posted: Sun Feb 25, 2024 12:18 pm Post subject:

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Enjoy this 10-minute documentary about the special effects for King Kong. It's extremely well done. Very Happy

King Kong: The Practical Effects Wonder - Documentary

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At the 9:00 mark watch for a deleted scene which shows Kong spotting a man in the lower left corner, which appears to be added in with the process that involved a small rear-projection screen.

It's extremely dark, but I brightened and sharped the screen shot I made.

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

Bud Brewster · Posted: Wed Feb 28, 2024 10:46 am Post subject:

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Here's another wonderful documentary about King Kong. Mr. Green

____ Long Live the King | King Kong | Full Documentary

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

WadeVC · Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2024 1:43 pm Post subject:

What can I say about King Kong that hasn't already been said.

For me, this is in my top 5 favorite films of all time, and I think King Kong is one of the most important films paving the way to many horror and Sci-fi films that followed.

How awesome would it have been to actually see this first-run in the theaters.
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"You look like a pooped out pinwheel."
-Robot Monster

Bud Brewster · Posted: Wed Aug 14, 2024 5:39 pm Post subject:

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Wade, your comment is a powerful statement concerning the importance of this film. All true Monster Kids wish they had been in the audience when this movie premeiried.

And yet, each of our own first viewings is a treasured memory. I hope you'll share yours with us.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)