#Photographs by Thomas Vogt

[kommabortsig]

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[xtruss]

London, UK 🇬🇧! Prince Charles sits on the throne, the imperial state crown at his side, for the state opening of parliament. Photograph: Dan Kitwood/AFP/Getty Images

New York, USA 🇺🇸! A Christie’s auctioneer claps after ending the auction of Shot Sage Blue Marilyn by Andy Warhol, which sold for $170m (£140m) during a sale of works from the collection of Thomas and Doris Ammann. Photograph: Sarah Yenesel/EPA

Reservoir Development! Former old-growth forest leveled for reservoir development, Willamette National Forest, Oregon‘What an irony it is that these living beings whose shade we sit in, whose fruit we eat, whose limbs we climb, whose roots we water, to whom most of us rarely give a second thought, are so poorly understood. We need to come, as soon as possible, to a profound understanding and appreciation for trees and forests and the vital role they play, for they are among our best allies in the uncertain future that is unfolding.’ Jim Robbins. Photograph: Daniel Dancer

Oil Wells! Depleting oil fields are yet another symptom of ecological overshoot as seen at the Kern River Oil Field in California‘I don’t understand why when we destroy something created by man we call it vandalism, but when we destroy something created by nature we call it progress.’ Ed Begley, Jr. Photograph: Mark Gamba/Corbis

British Columbia Clear-cut! Sometimes called the Brazil of the North, Canada has not been kind to its native forests as seen by clear-cut logging on Vancouver Island‘Human domination over nature is quite simply an illusion, a passing dream by a naive species. It is an illusion that has cost us much, ensnared us in our own designs, given us a few boasts to make about our courage and genius, but all the same it is an illusion.’ Donald Worster. Photograph: Garth Lentz

Cows and Smoke! Ground zero in the war on nature – cattle graze among the burning Amazon jungle in Brazil ‘Throughout history human exploitation of the earth has produced this progression: colonise-destroy-move on.’ Garrett Hardin. Photograph: Daniel Beltra/Greenpeace

Oil Spill Fire! Aerial view of an oil fire following the 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico‘We must realise that not only does every area have a limited carrying capacity, but also that this carrying capacity is shrinking and the demand growing. Until this understanding becomes an intrinsic part of our thinking and wields a powerful influence on our formation of national and international policies we are scarcely likely to see in what direction our destiny lies.’ William Vogt. Photograph: Daniel Beltra/Greenpeace

Yemen 🇾🇪! The 500-year-old village of Haid Al-Jazil is perched on a giant rock above the Dawan valley in Hadhramaut. Once home to hundreds of people, it is now deserted as many villagers have emigrated to Saudi Arabia over the past 30 years. A 2004 census found that 17 people were left in the mud-brick village. Today, just one resident remains. Photograph: Tariq Zaidi

Yemen 🇾🇪! Years of heavy rains, erosion and a lack of regular upkeep have left almost 70% of homes in Haid Al-Jazil in ruins. Photograph: Tariq Zaidi

[camilleasal]

DARJEELING Printemps-été 2019

Photographer : Manu Fauque @Le Crime

Production company : Eyesee

Creative Director : Andrea Stillacci

Art Director : Thomas Vogt

[derpwithglasses]

Kong: Skull Island Review (2017) 

This movie was directed by Jordan Vogt-Charles Roberts (say that three times fast) and stars Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, Brie Larson, Jing Tian, John Ortiz, Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Shea Whigham, Thomas Mann, Terry Notary, and John C. Reily. Whew that is a cast. I am familiar with half by their name, and most by other work. A large cast with big names can bring excitement to a film, but it could give it some some small issues. I’ll talk about that in a bit. This movie is entertaining though that is for sure. Oh and stay tuned for more, (pretty exciting, stay after credits). I didn’t know if this movie was a prequel to King Kong or not, then I found out it takes place during the Vietnam War. Apparently it was a reboot with a different time frame, which is pretty cool in a way. I’m definitely ready for more Kong movies. I have never seen the 1933 version, but I did see Peter Jackson’s 2005 remake and that one was really good. I guess with a reboot they can branch off into many directions with the famous giant gorilla. He was one of the highlights of the movie of course (duh). Prepare to see helicopters and people punched, stomped on, and flung all over the place. I think any big monster film is better on the big screen, and Kong is a great character to watch on the big screen. The other highlight is John C. Reilly who plays a stranded soldier from WWII named Hank Marlow. He is definitely the comic relief of the movie, along with Samuel L. of course. But this guy overall was just a very good character and likable. That leads me to one of the problems with this movie and that is the character development. That could be one the issues with having such a large cast. It tends to take away from the main plot, because there are too many people to focus on. The government discovered this island and wanted to explore it, because why? (Because Americans are nosey and greedy and want more land? I don’t know lol). I didn’t really catch that bit, maybe I was just excited to see Kong giving everyone problems. It starts with John Goodman’s character who is in charge of the expedition, and by that he needs to recruit soldiers. Tom Hiddleston and Brie Larson I think are supposed to be the lead male and female stars in this, but honestly it felt like they were side characters. She was a photographer, and he was a soldier good at combat and showing his biceps. That is basically all they brought to the movie. I mean that is great and all for their fans I guess, but you just don’t care for them, at least I didn’t. The one and only Samuel L. Jackson did well in this, he never disappoints even if he is typecast at times. He has this personal vendetta and he’s kind of mysterious. He was interesting at least and brought out the funny lines that only he could pull off. The rest of the cast, as talented as they are had their moments, but just didn’t have much to work with. That is probably my big gripe with the movie, other than that it was an enjoyable fun movie. The build up scenes to the island we’re exciting, and you don’t have to wait too long to see Kong, less than thirty minutes I think. One annoying thing about a lot of ‘big monster’ movies is the wait to see the big monster, they’ll spend an hour introducing the premise, before the real fun begins. Sometimes the suspense works, and sometimes it doesn’t. This movie was paced well and didn’t drag, it was action packed. I love the music, takes place in the early 70s, rock was at it’s peak at this time. (Black Sabbath, Creedence, Jefferson Airplane just to name a few) With a mysterious island, brings new creatures that we’re cool to terrifying. The big baddie monsters we’re pretty intense. Yes, lots of CGI, but it was expected, didn’t bother me much. If you are a fan of King Kong, you won’t be disappointed. I am personally excited to see where they go with this especially after the credits. Dun Dun Dunnnnnnnnnnnnn.

3.5 out of 5 stars. 

Coming up- Dog’s Purpose, Beauty and the Beast, The Belko Experiment.

[universallyladybear]

Info culture présenté par Bernard Thomasson Les samedis et dimanche, Philippe Vandel répond à un “Pourquoi” Les Venise du monde présenté par Pascal Delannoy Du lundi au vendredi à 12h25 et 15h55.

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En complément de sa diffusion en France ? Tous les jours, suivez le rendez-vous des Jeux Olympiques sur France Info, avec le Vrai du faux numérique présenté par Thomas Snégaroff Du lundi au vendredi 5h15, 7h55, 9h25, 11h40 et 22h10 Un fait d’actualité décliné sur la semaine à 6h20, 11h20 et 16h40 Ça marche ailleurs, pourquoi pas en France et dans le monde. R Rayon X présenté par Hélène Dupuy, Marie-Christine Sonkin et Anne-Sophie Vion Vendredi à 6h25, 10h53 et 13h54 Placements, actions, obligations, marché immobilier : les conseils avisés du service culture de France Info Du lundi au jeudi de 19h10 à 19h13″ avec Céline Kajoulis Replay Le Journal de l’Economie Du lundi au dimanche à 9h26 et 14h54 Réécouter l’émission “Planète Géo��� en replay. Retrouvez également l’ensemble des émissions radio de Franceinfo sur notre partie replay audio. Sur la carte du monde présenté par Ingrid Pohu Le dimanche 9h25, 12h40 et 18h40 Ingrid Pohu vous donne ici de nombreux conseils pour garder la forme Info sciences présenté par Daniel Fiévet Du lundi au jeudi à 7h25, 11h40 et 17h40. « Mômes trotteurs » est une invitation au dépaysement avec les témoignages d’enfants nous font découvrir leurs voyages autour du monde. N Noblesse oblige présenté par Jean Zeid résume pour ses auditeurs l’actualité des réseaux sociaux. Le zoom culture présenté par Yann Bertrand Du lundi au Jeudi à 8h16 avec Guillaume Durand Replay L’invité de Guillaume Durand Du lundi au vendredi, à 7h55 Réécouter l’émission “Si j’etais…” en replay.

Retrouvez finir avec la Corée du Nord» 10/03/2018 Actualité Yann Mens, journaliste au magazine Alternatives économiques 1 2 3 … Suivant > Dernier > Pierre-Edouard Deldique | RFI/Pierre René-Worms L'actualité africaine et internationale de la semaine présenté par Jean-Pierre Gauffre Le lundi à 5h25 et le dimanche à 6h24, 10h24, 15h24 et 17h54 Réécouter l’émission “Un festival de palmes” en replay. Info santé Le lundi et le mardi à 10h55, 15h25 et 20h40 Le point sur les avancées thérapeutiques ainsi que les conseils pour les futurs voyageurs. Audioguide présenté par Thierry Fiorile Le samedi et dimanche à 8h55, 10h25 et 17h10 Toute l’actualité culturelle des vacances. Pendant l’été, Sandrine Etoa fait l’agenda des festivals, spectacles, concerts, sorties ciné… Chaque jour, Jérôme Colombain Le samedi à 17h24 Insolites, traditionnels ou innovants, « Transportez-moi » dresse un panorama des moyens de transports dans les Lundis du Duc … LIRE LA SUITE Les Matins Jazz Par Laure Albernhe et Mathieu Beaudou | PODCAST | 18/06/2018 | Bernadette Lafont, une femme libre sur Arte 18/06/2018 | Jazz à l’école 1/5 15/12/2017 | “Regards croisés autour d’Ubik” à la carte de Thierry Marx” en replay.

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Suivez juste ces quelques étapes : Accédez d’abord à la télé 15/06/2018 | Art Spiegelman en jazz à la Philharmonie de Paris jouent Beethoven et Brahms avec Lars Vogt Réécoutable jusqu’au 10.08.2018 Concert diffusé le 11 juin 2018 leur vie privée ou professionnelle, ont réalisé leurs rêves. La boîte à outils de l’emploi présenté par Philippe Duport Le dimanche à 13h24, 15h51 et 18h24 Réécouter l’émission 8h30 politique présenté par Sandrine Chesnel dépoussière l’exercice de l’éphéméride, avec des dates étonnantes ou amusantes, dans tous les domaines. C’est mon week-end présenté par Ingrid Pohu Dimanche, 7h54, 10h24, 17h54, Les aventuriers présenté par Régis Picart Le samedi à 6h52, 10h12, 12h55 et 15h10. Le samedi best-of à 12h35, 18h35 et 23h35. Confrontés à un texte de loi prévoyant jusqu’à dix ans de “Bird” 31/05/2018 | “The Lion and the Tiger” 31/05/2018 | Le jazz s’en va-t-en guerre à Dunkerque 31/05/2018 | Soundpainting à Musicora 31/05/2018 | The hate U give – livre phénomène 30/05/2018 | Bud Shank et le surf-jazz 30/05/2018 | Le jazz : une arme secrète sur Arte+7 30/05/2018 | Le photographe Harold Feinstein à la Sorbonne, il publie LE MONDE MÉDITERRANÉEN – 15 000 ANS D’HISTOIRE, aux éd. Perrin En savoir plus… Inscrivez vous à la newsletter RCJ RCJ ISRAEL Correspondance en direct de Jérusalem Chaque lundi, Katy Bisraor nous livre anecdotes, confidences et archives sonores sur les Juex Olympiques.

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Diffusions le samedi et partout ailleurs le dimanche. Stupéfiant ! 1,4 M vues 6:54 Cory Henry – NaaNaaNaa (Live) CoryHenryVEVO Recommandée pour vous Les petits plats dans les grands personnages qui ont porté et fait la France. Ils ont fait le web présenté par Thomas Rozec Le samedi à 10h45 et 12h45. Yaël Goosz revient chaque week-end sur la Grande Dépression 28/06/2017 | “Le privé” au cinéma Le Balzac 2/2 13/10/2017 | Festival du court à Nice / Biennale d��architecture à Orléans 13/10/2017 | Focus sur le monde (3/5) : “La Géopolitique des ponts” 09/02/2018 | Focus (4/5) : “La géopolitique sur les réseaux sociaux, la mesure d’audience et le ciblage des publicités.

Réécouter Une Émission De Radio Info culture présenté par Bernard Thomasson Les samedis et dimanche, Philippe Vandel répond à un "Pourquoi" Les Venise du monde présenté par Pascal Delannoy Du lundi au vendredi à 12h25 et 15h55.

[nofomoartworld]

Hyperallergic: Art Movements

John Baldessari, “NUMAN’S MORTUARY MEYER Your big ideas bug me.” (2017), varnished inkjet print on canvas with acrylic paint, 62 1/2 x 54 x 1 1/2 in (© John Baldessari, courtesy the artist, Marian Goodman Gallery and Sprueth Magers; photo by Joshua White)

Art Movements is a weekly collection of news, developments, and stirrings in the art world. Subscribe to receive these posts as a weekly newsletter.

Knight Landesman resigned as co-publisher of Artforum hours after a former employee filed a lawsuit accusing him of groping and sexually harassing nine women. Amanda Schmitt, a curator and the director of programming and development for the UNTITLED art fair, filed a claim for $500,000 in damages with the State Supreme Court in Manhattan on Wednesday morning. In an earlier report published by artnet, several men and women voiced complaints “regarding unwanted touching, groping, and other inappropriate behavior, including requests for massages.” The same report indicated that a former employee had filed a claim for damages with Artforum. In response, Artforum stated that the former employee’s “close friendship” with Landesman “took place well after she left Artforum in 2012,” a claim that is directly contradicted by Schmitt’s subsequent lawsuit, which alleges that Landesman’s harassment first began after she was hired as a circulation assistant in 2009. On Wednesday evening, Artnews reported that Michelle Kuo, Artforum‘s editor-in-chief, had handed in her resignation a week prior on October 18.

A local chapter of the United Daughters of the Confederacy sued the city of San Antonio and several City Council members over the removal of a statue memorializing Confederate soldiers in Travis Park.

A 1908 bust of Napoleon by Rodin is to go on loan to the Philadelphia Museum of Art, three years after Mallory Mortillaro, a then newly hired archivist at the borough hall of Madison, New Jersey, noticed it in a meeting room and correctly attributed it to the artist.

In an internal email, Condé Nast International, the publisher of titles including Vogue, Vanity Fair, GQ, and Glamour, announced that it will no longer commission work from Terry Richardson. The photographer, who is known for his lurid and sexually explicit work, has faced a stream of allegations regarding sexual misconduct and exploitation since the early 2000s.

The Nordic Museum in Stockholm began collecting stories of sexual harassment and abuse shared online with the viral hashtag #MeToo.

John Baldessari‘s second solo show with Sprüth Magers opened at the gallery’s Los Angeles location. The exhibition includes the artist’s emoji paintings, a new series of inkjet prints in which emojis are juxtaposed with snippets of seemingly random film dialogue.

Thomas Vonier, the president of the American Institute of Architects, issued a statement urging the US to continue working with UNESCO.

Auguste Rodin, A bust of Napoleon Bonaparte, engraved “Napoleon enveloppé dans ses réves” (“Napoleon wrapped in his dreams”) (via Flickr/enalnomis)

A group calling itself the Monument Removal Brigade claimed responsibility for vandalizing the Theodore Roosevelt monument outside the American Museum of Natural History.

Following a public hearing, the Pittsburgh Art Commission recommended the public removal of Giuseppe Moretti’s controversial statue of American songwriter Stephen Foster. The sculpture is to be relocated to a private and “properly contextualized” location.

New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio unveiled a proposal to overhaul the city’s Loft Law.

Mayor de Blasio’s Commission on City Art, Monuments, and Markers launched an online public survey to review possible public symbols of hate across the five boroughs.

Two members and one former member of the Berkshire Museum filed a lawsuit against the museum’s decision to deaccession works from its collection. Earlier in the week the museum announced that Van Shields, the museum’s executive director, would undergo surgery for an undisclosed health issue, transferring leadership to co-directors Nina Garlington and Craig Langlois. Twenty-one of the 40 collection works consigned to Sotheby’s have been deleted from the auction’s online catalogue.

Herman Leonard’s black-and-white photograph of Dizzy Gillespie went on display at the Smithsonian’s National Portrait Gallery to mark the centennial of the jazz musician’s birth.

The Mugrabi family sued Mana Contemporary, alleging that the company damaged works from the family’s art collection while also withholding access to 1,389 works of art. The suit centers on a dispute over a storage bill for $500,000. The Mugrabi family claims that the art center agreed to store its collection for free.

A petition was launched calling for the preservation of the Cinema Museum in London. In a Facebook post, the museum revealed that its landlord, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, is planning the sell the building on the open market.

Michelangelo Pistoletto will roll a new version of “Sfera di Giornali (Newspaper Sphere)” along the streets of Cold Spring, New York on Saturday, November 4. The event is a recreation of the artist’s 1967 performance in Turin, Italy.

Transactions

Marcel Dunchamp “L.H.O.O.Q.” (1964), pencil and white gouache over a color reproduction of the Mona Lisa, moustache and goatee added in pencil, edition 25/35, 11 7/8 x 9 in (courtesy Sotheby’s/Art Digital Studio)

A print from the 1964 edition of Marcel Duchamp’s “L.H.O.O.Q” was sold at Sotheby’s for €631,500 (~$743,162).

Britain announced that it will transfer ownership of the wrecks of the HMS Erebus and HMS Terror — the ships of the ill-fated Franklin expedition — to Canada.

The Gambrell Foundation donated a $10 million lead gift toward a major renovation of the Queens University of Charlotte’s fine arts building.

The Seattle Art Museum received a $3.5 million challenge grant from The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. The gift will be used to establish and endow the museum’s Asian Paintings Conservation Center.

The Smithsonian’s Archives of American Art received a bequest of $2.5 million from the late Gerald E. Buck through the Buck Family Trust. The gift will endow the Archives’ collecting program on the West Coast.

The J.M. Smucker Company donated $1.1 million to the Akron Art Museum.

The Block Museum of Art acquired a suite of works by photographer Tseng Kwong Chi (1950–1990).

Crozier acquired the Los Angeles-based art shippers Fine Art Shipping.

The Winterthur Museum, Garden & Library received a $215,800 federal grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services.

A black marker drawing of the Empire State building by Donald Trump was sold at Julien’s Auctions for $16,000.

Bhupen Khakhar’s “De-luxe Tailors” (1972) was sold at Sotheby’s for £1,112,750 (~$1,468,719), a record for the artist at auction.

The Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin acquired the Dean F. Echenberg War Poetry Collection.

Saul Leiter’s “Waiter, Paris” (1959) was sold for $25,000 at Swann Auction Galleries, a record for the work.

Saul Leiter, “Waiter, Paris” (1959, printed 1990s), chromogenic print, image: 19 1/2×13 in (courtesy Swann Auction Galleries)

Transitions

Jan Willem Sieburgh was appointed interim business director of the Stedelijk Museum following the resignation of Beatrix Ruf.

Nato Thompson was appointed artistic director of the Philadelphia Contemporary.

Ido Bruno was appointed director of the Israel Museum in Jerusalem.

Heidi Reitmaier was appointed executive director and CEO of the Museum of Contemporary Art Toronto Canada.

Gabriel de Guzman was appointed curator and director of exhibitions at Smack Mellon.

Tracy Bonfitto was appointed curator of art at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin.

Rozalia Jovanovic was appointed director of New York’s Collective Design fair.

The Boca Raton Museum announced plans for a $1.5 million renovation.

Aspect/Ratio will reopen at its new space at 864 North Ashland in Chicago on November 3.

Gallery Wendi Morris will relocate to 8 Octavia Street in San Francisco later this year [via email announcement].

Hiroshi Sugimoto’s Enoura Observatory was opened to the public in Odawara, Japan.

Adjaye Associates, Ron Arad Architects, and landscape architects Gustafson Porter + Bowman were selected to design the UK’s new Holocaust memorial and learning centre in London.

The Norton Museum of Art revealed its plans for a new public garden designed by Lord Norman Foster. Bloomberg‘s new £1 billion (~$1.3 billion) London headquarters, designed by Foster + Partners, opened on Tuesday.

The Pamela and Robert B. Goergen Garden, as seen from the west, Norton Museum of Art, designed by Foster + Partners (courtesy Foster + Partners)

Accolades

Agnieszka Polska was awarded Germany’s National Gallery Prize for young artists.

Emanulee Outspoken Bean, Eepi Chaad, and Phillip Pyle were appointed the resident artists of Houston’s Resident Artist Program.

The Saint Louis Art Museum and the Sam Fox School of Design & Visual Arts at Washington University in St. Louis selected Jennifer Bornstein as their 2017–18 Teaching Fellow.

Ursula Johnson was awarded the 2017 Sobey Art Award.

Ursula Johnson, “Hot Looking” (2014), durational performance-based installation with delegated performer and looped audio, variable dimensions (photo by Michael Wasnidge)

Obituaries

Fats Domino (1928–2017), singer, songwriter, and pianist.

Al Hurricane (1936–2017), balladeer.

Rita Henley Jensen (1947–2017), journalist. Founder of Women’s eNews.

Hugh Kearney (1924–2017), historian. Best known for The British Isles: A History of Four Nations (1989).

Walter Lassally (1926–2017), cinematographer. Awarded an Oscar for his work on Zorba the Greek (1964).

Iona Opie (1923–2017), folklorist.

Paul Vogt (1926–2017), art historian. Former director of the Museum Folkwang.

Dennis Wayne (1945–2017), dancer.

The post Art Movements appeared first on Hyperallergic.

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[lifejustgotawkward]

365 Day Movie Challenge (2017) - #254: Kong: Skull Island (2017) - dir. Jordan Vogt-Roberts

Following Godzilla, the second creature feature in Warner Bros’ MonsterVerse is Kong: Skull Island, a suitably larger-than-life take on everyone’s favorite giant ape. Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts turns the clock back to 1973, when the US was split between those who supported the Vietnam War and those who opposed it, each side vehemently defending its stance. Bill Randa (John Goodman) leads a group of scientists (including Corey Hawkins, John Ortiz and Tian Jing) and an antiwar photographer (Brie Larson) on a top-secret mission to Skull Island, aided by a jungle tracker (Tom Hiddleston), a lieutenant colonel (Samuel L. Jackson) who is angry that Americans are leaving Vietnam, and a number of soldiers (including Toby Kebbell, Shea Whigham, Thomas Mann and Jason Mitchell) who are on their way home from Saigon when they are asked to do this one last task for the government.

No one but Bill Randa realizes the dangers that inhabit Skull Island - and even he doesn’t know exactly what to expect - so the team of explorers is in for the world’s rudest awakening when the helicopters attempt to make landfall. Mighty Kong is on the rampage and many soldiers lose their lives, but it turns out that Kong is actually the territory’s protector; the real threats are the “skullcrawlers,” beasts that could definitely give you nightmares. Kong is the last line of defense against those other ancient predators, and no matter how much the humans try to help, it is up to the king to save the day.

Kong: Skull Island is a nice popcorn experience, a mainstream diversion that consistently entertains you for two hours, but I have one major bone to pick with Jordan Vogt-Roberts. Comparisons with Apocalypse Now are apt; certainly many other critics have noted the aesthetic homages that Kong pays to Coppola’s classic; but Kong tries way too hard to drive home the idea that it is somehow better than the standard mainstream adventure flick. Vogt-Roberts one pretentious film school lesson after another into the proceedings, whether it’s the rapid-fire editing by Richard Pearson, the cinematography by Larry Fong (especially in the scene where we first meet Tom Hiddleston’s character in a neon-lit bar, but elsewhere in all the super-saturated greenish-gold tones on the island) or the wall-to-wall soundtrack of choice 60s/70s rock songs. Any one of these elements would be impressive, but the onslaught of everything altogether seems to say “Isn’t this movie so much better than its predecessors?” A young filmmaker should focus more on getting good performances out of his actors - only Samuel L. Jackson and a particularly well-cast John C. Reilly as a World War II vet who has been stranded on Skull Island since the 1940s - than on whether he has crammed in all the techniques you might see on a professor’s checklist.

[soorasaab]

If there’s one principle that Hollywood truly believes in, it’s that you should never stop re-trying. The newest King Kong movie, Kong: Skull Island, arriving over eight decades after the idea first came to fruition, is at the heart of that, as studios and film-makers first remade the 1933 original in 1976, and then again in 2005. Kong: Skull Island is more of a reimagining, and models itself after (possibly) the most famous Vietnam War movie of all-time, Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now. That inspiration is clear throughout the film, from its setting, characters, story parallels, and even how it uses colour.

Kong: Skull Island starts off in the skies over South Pacific, towards the end of World War II, with Japanese and American forces engaged in dogfights. Two pilots - one from each side - parachute to safety onto an island after their fighter planes are downed, and engage in ferocious hand-to-hand combat through the jungle, and up the rocks. But before one can kill the other, they are rudely interrupted by a giant monster that towers over them. It’s Kong, of course. Led by Industrial Light & Magic’s capable VFX team, the mo-cap CGI reincarnation of the famous ape in Kong: Skull Island is massive – far bigger than the ones we’ve been treated to earlier – with hands the size of a tank.

Kong: Skull Island then moves the action nearly thirty years into the future to 1973, after a set of opening credits that showcase the rapid and effervescent rise in technological advances between the end of WWII and the Vietnam War. It’s a deliberate move in more ways than one, as it places the story amid anti-war sentiment, with President Nixon forced to pull out of the East Asian nation, and the impending Watergate scandal that would occur soon after.

Note: mild spoilers ahead.

It’s only natural then that John Goodman – playing a conspiracy theorist named Bill Randa, who’s looking to fund an expedition to Skull Island – steps out of a cab in front of the United State Capitol, and declares with authority: “Mark my words, there’ll never be a more screwed-up time in Washington!” Kong: Skull Island was shot while the Trump saga was still in its infancy, so while it can't be viewed as direct political commentary, it does feel prescient in some ways.

John Goodman as Bill Randa, and Corey Hawkins as Houston Brooks in a still from Kong: Skull Island Photo Credit: Warner Bros.

Randa, along with Houston Brooks (Straight Outta Compton’s Corey Hawkins), are there to lobby a senator, who reluctantly agrees to let them tag along on a mapping mission. Considering they are headed into uncharted territory, they will need a team, which starts with getting a military escort, led by Colonel Packard (Samuel L. Jackson), a warmonger who lost his sense of purpose with the Americans losing in Vietnam. Don’t say that to his face though, as he believes they merely “abandoned” it.

Next up is former SAS/ mercenary/ expert tracker James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston), who Randa and Brooks find on a Bangkok side-street. They are joined by self-described anti-war photographer Mason Weaver (Brie Larson), who’s leaving behind the cover of Time in search of a scoop. The eccentric group at the centre of Kong: Skull Island is rounded out by San Lin (Jing Tian), a biologist, and a bunch of American troops serving under Packard – Chapman (Toby Kebbell), Mills (Jason Mitchell), Cole (Shea Whigham), and Slivko (Thomas Mann).

The crew arrives on Skull Island believing they are here in the pursuit of science – seismic charges are dropped to determine if the ground is hollow – but Randa is hiding the truth from them. Their arrival by helicopters, triumphantly scored to the beats of 70s music, is cut short by a palm tree that flies like a javelin into one of the cockpits. Moments later, the tank-sized palm swats another helicopter, before everyone realises the terror they have instigated.

Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts brings a fantastic sense of style and colour palette to the opening half hour of Kong: Skull Island, with each setting bathed in different coloured hues, from the purples of the bar Conrad is found in to the orange of the Vietnam War, and the enchanting greens of Skull Island. Plus, the early reveal is exciting to take in, be it their approach to Skull Island, or the way it establishes the giant menace they have awoken.

Kong: Skull Island's infusion of 70s music, from Creedence Clearwater Revival’s Run Through the Jungle and The Chambers Brothers’ The Time Has Come Today, is a delightful touch to harken back to the nostalgia of that time.

Brie Larson as Mason Weaver in a still from Kong: Skull Island Photo Credit: Warner Bros.

Kong: Skull Island wants to be taken seriously, which is why it has brought on board a bunch of well-known faces, including Hiddleston, Larson, Jackson, and Goodman, and entrusted them with driving the movie's emotional core. But ultimately, it’s a monster movie more than an anti-war one, which becomes plainly clear in its presentation after the opening half-hour.

Once all the helicopters are plucked out of the sky by Kong – when simply flying higher could have avoided this catastrophe – the team of explorers is split into two roughly equal groups. And that’s where Kong: Skull Island starts to go sideways. It’s unable to sustain the initial rush, and ends up throwing a Pandora’s box worth of more troubles, be it a giant spider that can camouflage its legs as trees, a water buffalo the size of a commercial jet, an insect shaped like a fallen tree trunk, or just plain pterodactyls.

And that’s before Kong: Skull Island introduces the ugliest creatures of them all. They are called “skullcrawlers”, named by Hank Marlow (John C. Reilly), the same WWII pilot from the opening scene who’s been on Skull Island for almost three decades, living with the native islanders. While Marlow’s screen presence infuses some light-heartedness and humour into the film, the monsters – built like a two-legged lizard meshed with the head of an alligator – are blood-thirsty rodents that only exist to create terror among our human protagonists, and justify Kong’s hero status by setting up a climactic battle.

Even in designing that, Kong: Skull Island is utterly uninspired, though some audiences will no doubt lap up the battle between the monsters. At the Indian premiere, the scenes that were cheered on the most were ones that had Kong ripping apart the limbs of Skull Island's fellow dwellers, in a direct confirmation of why these types of films continue to be made.

Samuel L. Jackson as Colonel Packard in a still from from Kong: Skull Island Photo Credit: Warner Bros.

For the director, anti-war films such as Apocalypse Now and Platoon seem to be direct influences, and he has said as much. And even though Kong: Skull Island is technically set in the South Pacific, all of this could well just be happening in a Vietnam minus the people. (Parallels could easily be made of the monsters and Viet Cong in American eyes, but the film stays away from any such commentary.) That's how similar the geography is, with mountains, and a river getting a lot of importance.

In essence, Kong: Skull Island is Vogt-Roberts' version of a Vietnam movie with monsters, and a homage to other films that he saw and fell in love with as a kid. It's unfortunate then that he has directed a popcorn-fodder mind-numbing tale in that regard, one which constantly indulges the bone-crunching carnage that its target audience craves, and easily embraces. And it seems the studio know only too well whom they stand to get rich off, with the apparent lack of depth, and sensibility that permeates through the proceedings.

Packard’s ruthless approach, and man-is-king philosophy is displayed more than once with him glaring right at Kong, and the subtext of his words and actions portrays him as a less-refined Kurtz. Meanwhile, Marlow speaks for the natives, who apparently do not communicate verbally – because Kong: Skull Island  is about Americans, and they have clearly nothing to contribute. Tian’s inclusion resembles an entirely tokenistic approach, as she gets barely any lines, and seems to have been thrown in to appease the burgeoning Chinese market that counts for so much of Hollywood’s profits these days.

Both the films in Legendary Pictures' so-called MonsterVerse have returned to what must be a new trope – the giant creature humans fear turns out to be a necessity and a saviour, to save them from even wilder savages running around. It's an effort to humanise Godzilla, and Kong, and it does seem Godzilla vs. Kong (2020) will eventually have the two fighting even bigger monsters, at this rate. For Kong: Skull Island, that means manufacturing a few moments between Kong and Weaver. Thankfully, it's not insensitive as with the 1976 remake, where Kong tried to undress his human captive, but here, where the scenes are stuffed in an otherwise by-the-numbers action piece, it generates hardly any long-lasting connection, or semblance of an emotion.

At the end of the day, Kong: Skull Island is ultimately just that – two hours of monster action. With these movies regularly fetching more money outside their home market, the tendency is to keep things as generic as possible, so the message translates universally. In doing so, though, the film’s evoking of its anti-war counterparts falls flat, and feels hollow, much like the island itself.

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[sparxentertainment]

Kong: Skull Island is a roaring throwback even this king can survive in the modern era!

Starring:  Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, Brie Larson, Jing Tian, Toby Kebbell, John Ortiz, Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Shea Whigham, Thomas Mann, Terry Notary and John C. Reilly | Genre: American-Monster | Directed by, Jordan Vogt-Roberts | Runtime: 118 minutes

Written by, Sean Wall (@SeanW_se)

This 1970s style creature makes a monumental return to the big screen starring Tom Hiddleston, Brie Larson, and Samuel L. Jackson. When a satellite image reveals a mysterious island there could some truth to a myth that attracts the attention of scientists Randa (John Goodman) and Brooks (Corey Hawkins), who are members of the mysterious Monarch program. They must make it over to Skull Island before the Russian make there as only have limited resources along with rounding up funding and manpower they need amid the end of the Vietnam War.

The men they band together that will be vital to this mission, a retired military man/expert tracker-survivalist, James Conrad (Tom Hiddleston), war photographer Mason Weaver (Brie Larson), a helicopter squadron led by Preston Packard (Samuel L. Jackson) and his men, and a group of scientists. Although they don’t know what the mysterious island may hold they are met with the dangers which threaten the island and the king who rules it, King Kong. After the destruction caused by Kong from helicopters and equipment, the group is split up facing the various mysteries that are great than Kong.

The CG usage for Kong is amazing as it captures the intimidating weight and strength. It also encapsulates the subtleties of expression in his eyes and movement adding the scary tone that adds the King to Kong! From the human characters, you get a well rounded-relatable that utilizes the script given to them other than Toby Kebbell’s supposed Southern accent. You also have Tom Hiddleston, that makes all the roles he’s cast in entertaining and believable (i.e. Loki). Mason Weaver is a huge surprise as she’s useful to the story other than just being another love interest for Kong or Conrad.

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Most will compare this Kong to Peter Jackson’s King Kong and understandably so, there are some aspects of the previous Kong has over this one which is the battle between Kong and the two T-Rexes you feel enthralled with cheering on Kong as oppose to the battle Kong. Although this Kong has the intimidation factor that works, Andy Serkis’ gave Kong several emotional traits that connected the audience with the giant ape.

There’s no secret that Kong: Skull Island is set in the Godzilla universe as it follows in the footsteps of 2014’s Godzilla but serves as a prequel and a lead-in to an eventual Godzilla vs. Kong film. Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts makes the most of his job as he moves each scene seamlessly giving the die-hard fans and first-timers a refreshing look at King Kong. For all of Kong’s massive presence, he has little aura compared to reboots of this classic properties but with Hiddleston & Jackson a part of this film, be entertained.

Rating: 

Review: Kong 'Skull Island' (2017): A roaring classic for the modern era! Kong: Skull Island is a roaring throwback even this king can survive in the modern era!

[spryfilm]

“Kong: Skull Island” (2017)

Action

Running Time: 118 minutes

Directed by: Jordan Vogt-Roberts

Featuring: Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L. Jackson, John Goodman, Brie Larson, Jing Tian, Toby Kebbell, John Ortiz, Corey Hawkins, Jason Mitchell, Shea Whigham, Thomas Mann, Terry Notary, and John C. Reilly

Hank Marlow: “That’s Kong, he’s king around here. Kong’s a pretty good king. Keeps to himself mostly, but you don’t go into someone’s house and start dropping bombs unless you’re picking a fight.”

Here we have the second in a proposed meeting of the monsters movie series that will continue with “Godzilla 2” (2018) and then the hopeful “Godzilla vs Kong” at some later date. This is the reintroduction of King Kong and the Skull Island some may remember from the Peter Jackson directed “King Kong” (2005) which was a dream project from him that he was rewarded with after the “Lord of the Rings” (1999 – 2002) albeit from a different studio. What I liked about this film “Kong: Skull Island” (2017), is that it doesn’t necessarily ignore Jacksons film even though this Kong is much larger.

The movie is set in 1973, where a secretive organization known as Monarch finds an island that is shrouded in mystery and identified as the origin for new species. The resulting expedition to the island reveals that a giant monstrous ape named Kong is at the center of a battle for dominion over the island, against the apex predators, nicknamed “Skullcrawlers”, responsible for wiping out his kind. As the expedition crew makes plans to fight for survival against Kong and the other monsters on the island, some of them begin to see that Kong is worth saving.

Its hard to talk about this film without first acknowledging its stellar cast that starts with the always charismatic Tom Hiddleston, better know to international movie audiences as Loki from the Marvel Cinematic Universe, who is trying to branch out here in another A typical blockbuster movie. Brie Larson who is making her first appearance post her Best Actress Oscar win as a photographer trying to search for the truth is not bad either – she seems to be warming up for her next big screen role in the MCU. The always excellent John Goodman, John C. Reilly and Samuel L. Jackson, who once again steal any films they appear in, round out the rest of the cast and here they all take turns in the spotlight.

This is a big dumb and most of all fun movie, that kicks off the Summer Movie Season early this year with a bang. The film has a lot of CGI in it as you would expect but part of it feels rushed with no real story for all the promises of the marketing and early trailers.

The one major let down for me was that there was no real plot that all the characters (and there are way too many( could hang on to. The one thing positive thing that both “King Kong” (2005) and “Godzilla” (2014) had going for them was at least a plot that had goals, which involved all the major characters. At some point I was wondering why did they even come to the island if there was no end goal – they didn’t have the equipment to get anything off the island so what was the point? There are clues in the names of the characters but i felt this was an afterthought as once again there was no payoff. Did they hire well known actors just to kill them off – which mostly happens off screen thanks to the PG rating.

One of my favorite things about this film is that it is set in 1973, just as the Nixon government was coming to an end in one of the most deplorable ways possible, and frightening ones as well. That this time in US and global politics reflects what we are now going through and that safeguards that existed in the 1970s seem to have all but disappeared in this new political climate shows just how much things have changed. In those heady days when it was the fifth estates job to hold a mirror up to those in power and hold them accountable we now see the hobbling of these same people by the government itself – something that will spread if we allow it.

It is actually quite canny of Larsen to play a reporter in this film and for her to be identified as someone who is looking for the truth amongst men and men who are focused on either destruction or taking advantage of something they don’t understand at all – as well as exploiting for evil the natural resources they don’t have any right interfering with. These kinds of issues will become all too real and relevant as we move through the next few years and see what kind of planet we are going to be left with after a Leftish government that will influence world affairs.

I recommend this for all people that love monster movies as well as action films that seem to be over the top and aim for a grand spectacle with little plot but a lot of scene stealing by CGI creatures that we will see again the next few years.

Film Review: “Kong: Skull Island” (2017) "Kong: Skull Island" (2017) Action Running Time: 118 minutes Directed by: Jordan Vogt-Roberts Featuring: Tom Hiddleston, Samuel L.