Posted on 10/26/2005 9:24:47 PM PDT by SteveMcKing
LOS ANGELES, Oct. 26 - In hiring Peter Jackson, the Oscar-winning director of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, to remake the monster classic "King Kong," Universal Pictures took a daring leap, paying him $20 million to direct, produce and be the co-writer of the film.
With seven weeks to go before the movie's release, the risks are becoming clearer. After seeing a version of the film in late September at Mr. Jackson's studio in New Zealand, Universal executives agreed to release "King Kong" at a length of three hours.
The film is substantially longer than Universal had anticipated and presents dual obstacles: the extra length has helped increase the budget by a third, to $207 million, while requiring the studio, owned by General Electric, to reach for the kind of long-term audience interest that made hits out of three-hour movies like "Titanic" and the films in Mr. Jackson's "Rings" trilogy.
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(Excerpt) Read more at nytimes.com ...
Hey...2 outa 3, Michael Moore & Bush's fault... :D
..maybe KK can do the same to MM?..
It was remade a third time in the mid 90s. Good allegories never die ...
Its not as though they took $207mm, put it in a pile, and burned it.
How many computer technicians were gainfully employed doing FX work because the studio spent that $207mm?
How many grips brought home a salary because the studio spent that $207mm?
How many movie house ticket takers/popcorn sellers/etc. will have jobs because the studio spent that $207mm?
How many truck drivers delivering goods for the production got paid because the studio spent that $207mm?
How many goods and services were consumed by all of the above in a secondary market, and how many additional jobs did these produce because the studio spent that $207mm?
Leftist thoughts indeed. The number one misunderstanding most people have about a capitalist economic model is the concept that economics is not a zero sum game. Seemingly hedonistic expenditures usually provide ancillary benefits which are often unseen. The multiplier effect of this money is what drives economic activity.
It's not unreasonable for them to think this is a good bet to take.
"Decadent" it surely is, though that goes for pretty much everything released by Hollywood.
They're out there you just have to search for them. The problem is the good stuff doesn't play outside of the big cities a lot of time.
At least watching this movie flop is going to be amusing.
See "Mulholland Drive". It's a typically bizarre David Lynch film, but Naomi Watts's performance is just stunning. She should have gotten the Best Actress Oscar that year.
Peter Jackson deserves a success after the diligence he put into the LOTR movies. Why do you wish ill on this venture?
You forgot the most important one:
"How many VOTES would $207 million buy me?" ;)
You should try Netflix, PAR35. I've used their service for three years now and just love it. You can get excellent foreign films, things off of HBO if you're inclined, BBC serials, etc. and they come to you in the mail and pay postage both ways. You order from your computer. (I think Wal-Mart may offer this, too?)
Freepmail me if you want details. No, I don't shill for them; just promoting a company that gives quality service for the dollar; a rarity these days. :)
Amen. This zero sum crap has GOT to die. It is the lynch pin for the entire "entitlement"/"victim mentality" movement that the Left is trying to capitalize on.
Drive a stake through its heart.
"How many homes for the homeless Ward 9 Katrina victims would $207 million buy?
How many body armor kits for the soldiers would $207 million buy?
How many flu shots for the elderly and infirmed would $207 million buy?
How many college scholarships for impoverished inner city school kids would $207 million buy?"
But if the movie raises awareness to the plight of giant gorillas everywhere it would be worth every penny! /end PETA mode
Yes, for 20 bucks a week.
This will be a movie to see in the theatre, as best I can tell from the trailers.
The only two movies I'll see in a theatre soon are Goblet of Fire and King Kong.
"You will have the tallest, darkest leading man in Hollywood." -- Merian C. Cooper to Fay Wray
(What book used this as a chapter epigraph?)
Gravity's Rainbow?
A screaming comes across the sky...
Damn! Absolutely right! You win the Tyrone Slothrop European Tour package!
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