Kong's hand rising of the chloroform-filled pit the moment his face goes from grimacing to a look of real hurt during the snake battle when he sees Dwan on the ridge with Jack (this happens again when he sees her looking down from the grate above the tanker hold) the feeling of dread when she's fallen into the hold that gives way to resignation when he morbidly sets her down when he holds up the broken bars during his escape as if to proclaim 'Here's your cage!' him gently urging Dwan back from the line of fire with a look conveying 'Don't worry- I can take them.'- these are the nice touches that are rarely picked up on in reviews. For all the shoddy moments like the arthritic-looking robot, the silly snake, and the dolls passing for people, there are moments where the illusion does succeed. That's the curious thing about this remake: while the expensive and supposedly showstopping moments founder, it's the more simple character actions that ultimately end up standing out. And his final glance at Dwan as his heart slows to nothingness does pack a punch. That look of shock he gets on his face and how he clutches at his shoulder when the first bullets strike is painful to watch. It's the most violent death, but the pathos element isn't overrided by all the grue.

You know, call me crazy but I actually find Kong's death in the 76 KONG to be genuinley moving. The moon, the moonlight/ Casts no shadow for me to hide/ The stars, or maybe they're satellites/ But neither can grant my wish tonight It can only be described as the epicenter where greed, hubris, inanity, folly, and career suicidal mania meet. It probably should've been made and marketed as an all-out spoof, but it's not as if there was any real demand for such a thing. With the mechanical claw, the supportive human couple, and the gooey ape emoting, it conjurs up vague shades of King Kong Escapes. As a camp travesty full of miniatures and men in suits, it's hard not to think of Toho. There may not be an increment of time small enough to measure how fast she hung up.

I wonder if there was ever a call from Dino's reps to Jessica Lange regarding a return appearance as she sat at home buffing her Oscar.

on a Friday night with enough alcohol-induced tolerance, I can find it enjoyable on some bizarre level. It's like something born out of an extreme head injury or the bender of all benders. I'm guessing Dino must've believed he could still score some revenue from the Kong rights. I can remember being in first grade when the ads for this showed up on TV and even at that age I thought 'Huh?'.

King kong lives