Where’s Charlton Heston when you need him?

So the second movie I saw over the holidays was with my brother. As it turned out this was the first theater I have been to that charges over $8 for a ticket, in Spartanburg no less. I did manage to make a matinee, which reduced the price to $7.50. I will say however, that the theatre was exceptionally nice. The entrance and lobby were both rather impressively done. The building had an actual brick façade. The concessions area was well done with colors and shapes that made it obvious where each line was, and what was available. I even got an ICEE, for an exorbitant price. The seats were excellent in the stadium layout, and the sound was very nice. Of course you want something like that when you go to see King Kong. I’ll probably ramble on about the movie now.

King Kong is looong, and I’m not talking about his appendages. The thing is three hours long, but it doesn’t feel that long. I looked at my watch once and realized we were an hour into the movie already. I’ve sat through much shorter films that just seemed to drag on. This one has you enjoying the ride so much that you don’t notice the time as much.

This film is in color, but it’s based on a lot of the old black and white films. The style seems to pay homage to that. Some of the old B&Ws had better grain control than colors of the day, plus better contrast. I don’t know if it’s just me, but they seem to have rediscovered some of that lost ability in this film. Many of the shots of the main characters, especially Naomi Watts, seemed extra sharp on the face and eyes. They managed to get the glistening shimmer of the eyes, like in the old B&Ws, perfectly.

The visuals are really what did it for me. The characters, costumes, sets, and views off into the distance were outstanding. Many times I just found myself thinking, “Damn that’s gorgeous.”

The plot is King Kong. If you don’t know what the main plot of that story is then stay under your rock, and how did you get an internet connection anyway? I’m not going to go into detail about the plot, but I will say it was well written. The most amazing thing I realized is that I didn’t come away from this movie thinking that any one character was a bad guy. They are just people who either delude themselves into believing something, plunge headlong after a dream without looking, or they are just trying to get by during a hard time. This does take place during the depression after all.

Given that I got to see a three hour, well focused, movie with outstanding visuals and sound in an excellent theater, I didn’t feel so bad about the ticket price. Plus I don’t think I saw any of those stupid commercials at the theater either. The trailers actually started on time as well. Weird.

Anyway, if you like good writing, acting, and stunning visuals, then see this in the theater with the best screen, projector, sound, and seats (It is 3 hours afterall), even if you have to pay full price. However, matinee showings are really nice. This is probably going on the HD DVD purchase list.