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Kevin’s Movie Review: King Kong, Deluxe Extended Edition

I just finished watching Peter Jackson’s King Kong, the Deluxe Extended Edition. Kim bought it for me last month for my birthday, but I haven’t made time to see it until tonight. Actually, I saw half of it LAST weekend, and the other half tonight. The original theatrical version was over 3 hours itself, and the extended version adds another 38 minutes of deleted scenes, so it really is a large undertaking to watch it in one sitting. (Which, I should note, I fully intend to do… just as soon as I recover from watching it THIS time…)

So what’d I think of it? Well, let’s get one thing straight: I love the story of King Kong. There are so many alluring elements for me. Huge monkey on a remote island, monster creatures to fight, a short time frame of events. It’s perfect is so many ways. But Peter Jackson has taken the original storyline and enhanced it beyond anything I had ever imagined. Despite all the various plot holes, insane character motivations and laughable timing transitions, I still consider this movie to be a modern masterpiece.

Why? Because as much as I love the action and the gigantic fun of it all, what really gets me in this movie is the dynamic between Ann Darrow and Kong. She felt so alone in the beginning of the story. Abandoned and afraid, she had been let down by those around her throughout her life. But in Kong she found someone who would not only stand by her, but would fight to the death to defend her as well.

I’m not ashamed to say I cried while I watched this movie, even more so here at home than I did in the theaters, which surprised me. It’s just so wrenching, seeing them united and separated like they were, at peace and then thrust into turmoil once again. And what’s worse, my tears stung, so it wasn’t a cleansing cry. It was downright painful.

So, yeah, it’s going to be a while before I watch King Kong again. But I’ll be anticipating it for months to come, I can tell you that. And Kim? If you’re reading this, I Thank You. Thank you for such a wonderful birthday gift. This almost makes up for that time you gave me luggage. Almost.

Kevin

Protected: Kevin & Kyler, Two Good-lookin’ Guys.

Book Review: An Ordinary Box Of Life, By Tim Olney.

One of the many benefits of editing papers at PaperPolisher.com has been meeting a variety of interesting people. When I initially launched the site, I envisioned editing a few college papers here and there just to make some extra eBay spending money. Within a few months, however, I was being contacted for jobs ranging from Christian philosophy to personal poetry to a full-fledged romance novel. (Yes, Kevin edited a romance novel… And it wasn’t half bad, either!)

Without a doubt, however, my most enjoyable editing project was Tim Olney’s “An Ordinary Box of Life.” As soon as Tim contacted me and I browsed his website to get an idea of what he was like, I knew we were going to hit it off.

Down-to-earth, conversational and easy to read, Tim’s book is just plain fun. Ranging from Seinfeld-like observations on life to dishing the family dirt, “An Ordinary Box of Life” is the kind of book you can read before unwinding for bed OR on a cross-country flight.

Although I’m officially retiring PaperPolisher.com to spend more time focusing on
The Kids and my other personal projects (TeleSpank, etc.), I can say I look forward to editing anything Tim sends my way in the future.