Matinee Rider The King Kong Edition

Forecast for today, 100% chance of snow and 100% chance of entertainment. Nor wind, nor rain, nor three inches of snow stopped me from making the twenty mile drive to school and the extra fifteen across town to the movie theater showing Peter Jackson’s King Kong and let me tell you it was well worth it.

The effects were dazzling, the story was genuine, and the action was breathtaking. You should be well aware of the story by now as there have been a few renditions already. Like the 1933 and 1976 versions Carl Denham sets out to make a movie taking his crew to the uncharted Skull Island. When his hopes of finishing his movie are dashed he captures the giant ape, King Kong to bring him back to New York and make millions. Of course it wouldn’t be a movie without a love story with both Jack Driscoll and King Kong Falling in love with Ann Darrow, the leading lady of both fictional movies, the one inside the other.

This is Jackson’s imagination at its best. You would think that the Lord of the Rings would be a hard act to follow, but not for Jackson, especially since he has wanted to make this film from age eight. From the Tyrannosaurus and Kong trapeze act to Kong batting airplanes out of the air like flies this film was not stop action from the point the crew reaches Skull Island.

I knew this movie is three hours and seven minutes long when I went into it so I tried to keep some record of time. The first time I check my clock was when they first encountered Kong, this was an hour into the film. All I could think was, really, that did not seam like and hour. An hour and twenty minutes later they were back in New York. That gives you an hour to build up the premise, meet the characters, then another hour and twenty to visit Skull Island, and forty minutes to terrorize New York City.

So if you haven’t figured it out I highly recommend this flick. You won’t be disappointed.

The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe

On Friday I again set out to the movie theater to yet another fantasy, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It was everything I expected it to be, a well told rendition of one of my favorite childhood books, a movie filled with computer animation, bigatures, enough costumes to last one through a hundred lifetimes of Halloweens, and a movie that resembled the Lord of the Rings through the use of the same toolbox. Yes I was aware that Peter Jackson’s WETA workshop was on the case, the majority movie was filmed in New Zealand, and the use of the Rings pioneered program massive was used in many of the battle scenes.

Though it did have some other elements as Industrial Light and Magic also worked on it along side WETA and Rhythm & Hues, being the first film that all collaborated on. It also had a different director Andrew Adamson of Shrek fame and Co-produced by Douglas Gresham the stepson of C.S. Lewis

Being a fantasy fan especially of J.R.R and company it was nice to see one of his best friends get his due respect during this era of revamping. It is a lighter story than the Rings of course but still a very imaginative one. The kids acting the parts of Lucy, Peter, Edmund, and Susan did a wonderful job. It was very believable, as far as a fantasy can be with talking animals and Santa Clause.

Rearranging

Not that there is much there, but I completely rebuilt my website to showcase some of my creative writing. One morning last week I woke up and looked at my old site with such distaste that I had to recreate it from scratch, kind of like rearranging your furniture to make your apartment feel like new. I also had been neglecting my web presence and being in school learning a bunch of new tricks gave me some guilt to be creative with. I still have some work to do like make it more accessible and through in some more content but the basics are there.

hope y'all enjoy it,
http://artifishall.net

matinee rider The Harry Potter Edition

As I walk down the hallway I step into a theater. With my choice of seats I take the dead center seat halfway up. I expect that any minute a busload of kids is going to run in though they don’t, instead an elderly couple, an older couple, and a couple about my age walks in. The previews play, cell phones are silenced, and the feature comes on. Yes I spoke once of this character on this blog as a twenty-eight year old kid taking lessons from a great fantasy writer.

Yes I am speaking of Harry Potter and the latest movie - Goblet of Fire. It stood up well next to the book and had been just long enough for me to forget most of the story so it came as a new surprise. Though I disliked at least one of the scenes, they had some crappy pop punkish band play at the school dance. It just pulled me away from the fantasy world of Hogwarts and dropped me on the floor of MTV. The rest of the time I flew on broomsticks, swam under the sea with a set of gills, and battled the death eaters with my wand. I know they were trying to get in touch with the younger crowd by playing some fly hip cool music, it didn’t work for me and by the looks of Harry and Ron it didn’t work on them either.

Let’s hope they have better taste than that next time.

All in all I thought it was a really good movie and lives up to expectations of the franchise. I had to be a critic especially while I’m considering a career in the industry. Though it is probably a good thing, so I will be selective and tasteful in the movies I intend to make.

It was the perfect setting, as I was one of the youngest people in the theater and the matinee rider that I am, always gives me the choice seats. It has also given me some much needed inspiration.

Another day in the life of a college student

Another day in the life of a college student, yes you heard me right I am a college student, a 28 year old one at that. Most seem to jump right into higher education directly after high school but I opted to travel around des Êtats-Unis and tried to make a living as a musician. I made it, barely but I made it and after the egos exploded the gravity dismantled and the band ceased to exist.

Nowadays I study computer programming and how to parle français, which has recently led my writing a computer program to help me study français. Maybe if yáll are lucky I’ll share it with ya when I’m done. ;-)