Gigantic head-eating insectile penis-fish

King Kong is pretty much the most thrilling spectacle I've seen in a theater since Indiana Jones. I would have paid at least $20 to see it. The fact that Drudge is currently trumpeting its supposed box-office failure makes my inner conspiracy theorist wonder whether the Internet's premier Developing... gay Republican isn't in Hollywood's pocket. I know if I was a studio head I wouldn't be particularly enthusiastic about the fact that Peter Jackson has has developed his own blockbuster-production apparatus that exists entirely outside the major studios.

Kliegman and I were discussing what Jackson might do in the future over 2 AM latkes at Veselka (actual quote: "He's not going to be stopping") and concluded that a political move is not in the offing because political movies don't generally involve zombies, orcs, or gigantic head-eating insectile penis-fish. Jackson likes making audiences twitch a little too much to ever pull a Spielberg. Luckily his squirmy spectacles are so good that they still win him Oscars, so he won't be forced to posture as a do-gooder in order to get some gilt.

(Speaking of Spielberg: the only things that make me even slightly excited about Munich are Tony Kushner and Eric Bana. The idea that someone as obviously biased as Spielberg has the temerity to make a film on this topic and then grandstand in national newsmagazines to the effect that his work might be powerful enough to influence the Israeli-Palestinian "dialogue" makes me sincerely uncomfortable. Let's face it folks, moral ambiguity is not exactly Steven's bag - the dude can't even let aliens kill off Tom Cruise's kid.)

Anyway, I didn't realize that I was afraid of insects, or of heights, quite as viscerally as King Kong taught me that I am. It's so beautiful to look at and so undeniable that even its missteps - Jack Black, questionable racial politics, strange and widespread use of slow-motion - can't hamper it. Everyone should see it immediately.