Kong: Skull Island (2017)

After watching Awakening the Zodiac, it was time to change genres. Having felt such a connection to Caesar, I decided to grab another flick with some Simian heritage. That movie was the 2017 blockbuster Kong: Skull Island.  

Plot/ A team of scientists explore an uncharted island in the Pacific, venturing into the domain of the mighty Kong, and must fight to escape a primal Eden.

I am sure that this is going to be a polarizing film split between the love or hate communities. Personally, I loved this one and think that this is one of the better blockbuster creature features to come out in some time. I will admit that there were a ton of plot holes and the characters were not only flat, but their decision making was unfathomable, but I was able to look past those elements. All of the creatures were amazing, with this representation of Kong being one of my favorites. The fight scenes were fierce and at times gory, and the performances were solid. Overall, this was exactly as advertised a blockbuster creature feature that brought one of the all-time greats back from the dead. In the end, the film will likely disappoint some hardcore Kong fans. Yes, it has some flaws, but if you are in the mood for a mindless creature feature with some tremendous fight scenes this one is for you.

Kong Island (1968)

As I lay here relaxing after spending some time in the hot tub here in Columbus, I figured it was time to jump into the blog. My next selection for review is a movie that I believe no one else should ever suffer through, the 1968 creature feature Kong Island (AKA King of Kong Island).

Plot/ A group of mad scientists travel to Kong Island where they implant receptors into the brains of gorillas planning to create a gorilla war for world domination. Out to break a few heads is a descendant of King Kong.

I decided to go back to the no-budget creature feature collection I picked up, but I definitely picked the wrong movie. There is really nothing I can say about this film that could make me feel better about watching it. Yes, it is THAT bad. There is no coherent storyline, there is no Kong (or island), the effects are beyond bad, and the performances are not even uneven (terrible comes to mind). Yes, there are some good-looking women sprinkled throughout the film, but even that cannot do anything to stop the train wreck. While I understand that there were tremendous budget constraints, but even that cannot be used as an excuse for this miserable piece of cinema. In the end, if this wasn’t part of this set, I doubt I would have ever heard about it. Unfortunately, I sat through it, now I hope to stop you from suffering the same fate. Stay away!

The Adventures of Edgar the Eyeball - Diary Entry - Chapter 1

On my trip home from Orlando and my graduation, I discovered a strange stowaway tagging along as we hung out in the Mardi Gras Arcade in our short stop in Daytona Beach. While this strange one-eyed mutant is cute, he seems to be caught up in some ridiculous situations. Hell, I even had to save him from King Kong at South of the Border. Now, I am his protector, as we will work together to find his destiny. That is if he can stay out of trouble. 

It is strange though. As I tried to communicate with this critter I have named Edgar, he could never answer my questions. You know the ones, where are you from? How did you get here? Did you come in peace? However, Edgar did provide me with a crinkled sheet of paper from his diary. What is said was truly horrifying. 

Edgars’ Diary 

My life felt so empty. I could not face another day; my thoughts longed for another time, another place. I wanted to explore so much, and in turn feel a love banished centuries ago inside my unforgiving world. I could no longer hide my feelings; the pain was too much to take. So, I had to escape from my realm in search of freedom and happiness. 

That is how I arrived on your province, this hollow world called Earth. Unfortunately, I was trapped by the watchmen, the greedy malcontents that long ago infiltrated your world masquerading as humans. Yes, they do hide their reptilian blood well, but the eyes; those eyes will always give them away. 

I must survive this Hell, Deep inside; I know I am here for a reason, although the reason remains hidden. Strange, this destiny was prophesied by my birth by the sacred oracle within the volcanic shrine of Zarare. I thought it was a joke; I could not fathom such a destiny. Now, I am here, trapped inside this glass void waiting for a savior. Help me. 

Stay tuned for more adventures of Edgar the Eyeball as he tries to find his true destiny and save the world.

Islands of Adventure - August 2016 - 1

Last week was incredible. Not only did I get to enjoy a great family vacation at Universal Studios, but I finally graduated with my Bachelor Degree of Fine Arts in Creative Writing for Entertainment from Full Sail University. This was a major accomplishment for me, and to discover that I was the program Valedictorian made it even more special. Of course, I could not do this alone and my wife Brenda and my daughters gave me enough support to keep me going when I ran into some rough patches. With my degree completed, it is time to buckle down and figure out a project to focus on. Until then, here are some more great pictures from my days at Islands of Adventure. 

King Kong (1976)

Last night, I was finally able to finish my children’s writing assignment, as well as, American Horror Story Asylum. Needing some type of mindless horror to help pass the afternoon, I decided to watch something from my childhood. Plus, seeing Jessica Lange in a more relaxed role was cool. My selection for the evening was the 1976 creature feature, King Kong.

Plot/ A petroleum exploration expedition comes to an isolated island and encounters a colossal giant gorilla.

It had been a long time since I had visited this edition of King Kong. For me, it was my introduction into the mythos when I was young, but looking at it now, I can see that the hype with the marketing was much better than the movie itself. While not a terrible movie by any means, it definitely suffers from many flaws once Kong arrives and the effects take over. Over all, the movie has some solid performances, some comedic moments, and an outstanding cast. Unfortunately, between the rough effects, some head scratching dialog, and uneven chemistry, the movie never quite reaches its potential. In the end, it was a nice change of pace to sit back and revisit something from my youth. While it may not have held up as well as some movies, it is also better than most of the creature features being pushed out today. If you are in the mood for a creature feature, give it a shot. 

Jillian's Second Model

It was so nice to have my 7-year old join daughter Jillian complete her second model King Kong and continue her affinity for monster related models. Jillian's first model was Rodan, built last July right after Blobfest.