Monkey Love

I found 3 hours in my busy life so that I could go see "King Kong" last night. Generally, I enjoyed it.

Actor Jack Black was enjoyable as the film director Carl Denham. Naomi Watts is very talented and was fantastic as Ann Darrow (King Kong's love interest). I've enjoyed Adrien Brody's performances in the past but it seemed that this time around his performance wasn't bad but it wasn't memorable either.

Director Peter Jackson of "Lord of the Rings" fame did a great job with the special effects, fight scenes, crowd scenes, and photography. But he really needs someone who can tell him to his face that 3 hours is way too long. At least 30 minutes, minimum, could have been cut out of this movie with no problem at all. I think the 3 hour length is what's keeping people away. Yes, he made millions, if not billions, on the movie "Lord of the Rings" but he still needs a good editor.

"King Kong" works on so many levels: humans are the most cruel and destructive of all animals. Beasts (think men and apes) can be tamed with beauty, but there is a cost of course. And at the end of the day, the message is: leave wild animals in the wild. Don't bring them home.

Unless you have a 70 inch TV at home, "King Kong" is worth a trip to the movie theater to see it on the big screen. Because of the violence, I don't recommend this movie for children.