MTV Movies Blog › king kong

"Rise of the Planet of the Apes" is one of those movies that, unless you've been oblivious to major nerd pop culture over the past 40 years, you walk into the theaters with a good idea of what to expect. Spoiler alert: the apes rise, and they do so in glorious fashion. Though as we're sitting in the cinema cheering on what has got to be some of the most epic troop-rallying that we've seen in recent years, there's a certain level of unease that is attached to it. After all, by cheering on the apes, we're cheering on the demise of mankind.

It seems to be an interesting moral question that has been popping up in films a lot more frequently -- one that Tom Felton wants to you to think about -- and it isn't the first time a movie has put us in this predicament. After the jump, we look at some other movies that make you choose between your species and the other guys.

Read more...

Tags avatar, district 9, king kong, rise of the planet of the apes

Last week, we told you that the gruesome sequel to Tom Six's "Human Centipede" – about a surgeon who stitches together a gory human chain for his own amusement – was waiting to receive approval by UK censors before a release date was announced. History has taught us that the BBFC (British Board of Film Classification) doesn't look too kindly on films with extreme, graphic violence and sexuality, so it came as no surprise, really, when news surfaced that "The Human Centipede II (Full Sequence)" has been officially banned in the UK. This means that the board has refused to give the film a classification, making it illegal to distribute.

Six has a few weeks to appeal the ban, but BBFC director David Cooke has stated that cutting the film still wouldn't make it acceptable for viewing. What prompted the British censors to inflict such an extreme ruling? The answer to that question and much more is in this week's Horror Bites.

Read more...

Tags king kong, poltergeist, The Human Centipede, The Human Centipede II Full Sequence, Tucker & Dale vs Evil, Werewolf

Let's go over the preliminaries: We're ridiculously excited that after what seems like the longest process ever there is finally (sort of) some forward momentum on "The Hobbit." But an article posted by New Zealand Herald News said the films, which are being shot back-to-back and are still awaiting an official green light, are expected to cost in the $500 million price range.

That would make it the most expensive movie production of all time, beating out even "Avatar" and the two "Pirates of the Caribbean" sequels (which hold the record with a combined price tag of $450 mil) for the title. Will all that money make for better flicks, though? Or will Peter Jackson's insane budget garner the same result his monetary freedom on "King Kong" did? To make a quick comparison, "King Kong" cost $207 million to make and grossed $550 million worldwide, while all three "Lord of the Rings" films cost $285 million cumulatively and made $2.9 billion worldwide. Chew on that. Read more...

Tags avatar, james cameron, king kong, peter jackson, the lord of the rings, the-hobbit

Over at MTV Movies main, we posted an article exploring whether the Oscar nominations for “District 9” and “Avatar” could finally snap the Academy’s long-held sci-fi stigma. While writing it, I took a look at the list of the greatest sci-fi films of all time on IMDb -- ranked by hundreds of thousands of votes from moviegoers -– and was floored by some of the titles that earned little or no Oscar recognition.

Below are some particularly egregious crimes against the genre – with the actual Best Picture winner listed in parenthesis. You tell me – all these years later, which film is better remembered? Read more...

Tags 2001: a space odyssey, avatar, blade runner, district 9, fight club, king kong, star wars, terminator, the matrix

- Harrison Ford teases / threatens fans, says George Lucas is in "think-mode" for "Indy 5." (LA Times)

- Jeff Bridges compares "Tr2n" to Peter Jackson's "King Kong," briefly talks sci-fi sequel. (Guardian)

- Brandon Routh, Carrie-Anne Moss, and Gil Bellows join Sam Jackson and Michael Sheen in terrorist thriller "Unthinkable." (THR)

- Posters from "The Wolfman" pop up at Universal City's Halloween Horror Nights. (Shock Till You Drop)

- "Say hi to your mother for me!" Andy Samberg's dead on impression highlights hilarious SNL skit, "Mark Wahlberg Talks To Animals." (Hulu)

Tags george lucas, indiana jones, king kong, Mark Wahlberg Talks To Animals, tr2, unthinkable, Wolfman