Thursday Movie Picks: Rivalry
Hello there, good person. You're here because it's Thursday and you love Thursday Movie Picks. Can't blame you for that. After all, I love them, too. I thought long and hard about the topic our wonderful host, Wanderer at Wandering Through the Shelves, has given us: rivalry. Yeah, I thought about that movie. That one, too. Of course, I couldn't use those. Besides, a movie I just saw put me in a rather monstrous mood. No, that movie won't be here, but I will mention it. It reminded me that regardless of how deep I dive into some movies sometimes it's more fun just being a regular old fan. As fans, we occasionally, do silly things like argue over who would win a fight between two fictional characters in unrelated universes, but who share a genre. These debates can lead to endless conversations. The rivalry is really between us idiots who argue over such things. Every now and again, the movie god takes pity on us and our disagreements get settled for us on the big screen. That is, unless the one you picked loses. That just means the movie is total bullshit, and you want a rematch. That said, let's meet our combatants.
King Kong vs. Godzilla
The plot of this movie is the exact same as the point of it: to get these two iconic monsters on the screen at the same time. A television exec has an idea to drum up ratings. He sends some people to a remote island to bring back King Kong so he can use him in what would be the greatest precursor possible to reality TV. They do so successfully. At about the same time, Godzilla awakens from his slumber. As you might imagine, the two giants don't take too kindly to one another. Men in rubber suits, beating the hell out of one another while stomping on miniature cities ensues. Yeah, it's the best. By best, I mean it's so bad it's awesome! Oh, that movie I just watched was Kong: Skull Island. I'll talk more about it in another post. Just know that it's gotten me firmly on board with a rematch between these two.
I quite literally grew up on the Friday the 13th and A Nightmare on Elm Street franchises. There was nothing I looked forward to more than another installment of either one. And yes, I spent many an hour arguing with my friends over who would win a battle between these two titans of horror. Even way back then, there were rumors that the showdown could actually happen. In 2003, it did. Freddy Krueger, everyone's favorite child-killer, has found himself relegated to being powerless since the kids of Springfield no longer fear him. To rejuvenate that fear, he manages to go to Camp Crystal Lake and trick Jason into coming to Freddy's hometown and do the killing for him. Of course, he finds Jason uncontrollable and the two have to duke it out. Lots of teenagers die, and we all win because it's so bad it's awesome!
When my friends and I got tired of arguing about what would happen in a fight between Freddy and Jason, we argued over who was better: Michael Jackson or Prince, Schwarzenegger or Stallone, Magic or Bird, Yankees or Mets, Giants or Jets, Knicks or Nets. Eventually, we swung back around to horror and got into it over the titular characters from the movies Alien and Predator. Our fire was fueled by a comic book that came out in 1989...ahem...1989! Fifteen long years later, we got a movie version. The short of is Lance Henriksen plays a greedy billionaire corporate dude who sends a team, including the much less greedy and more beautiful Sanaa Lathan, to recover something giving heat beneath thousands of feet ice. Of course, it's an Alien Queen. As if that weren't enough of an issue, a Predator ship lands on Earth because it's human season again. Naturally, the Alien and the Predators come across each other and get to fightin'. I'll admit that this one focuses a little bit too much on the homo sapiens in the movie, but it's still so bad it's awesome! By the way, this one actually did have a rematch, 2007's AVP: Requiem, which I somehow haven't seen. Hmmm...I might have something to watch this weekend.
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Labels: Alien vs. Predator, Aliens, AVP, Freddy vs. Jason, Godzilla, Horror, King Kong, King Kong vs. Godzilla, Lance Henriksen, Monsters, Predators, Rivalry, Sanaa Lathan, Thursday Movie Picks
Brittani Burnham April 13, 2017 at 10:14 AM
I love your theme within a theme here. I haven't seen King Kong vs Godzilla but I'm all for the new shared universe they're doing. I liked both Skull Island and the recent Godzilla movie.
Freddy v Jason and AvP are both so fun. My friend and I got in a huge argument over who would win in AVP. I always went with Alien, personally.
Dell April 13, 2017 at 10:44 AM
I wasn't so fond of Godzilla, but I'm all in on the two squaring off again. Freddy vs. Jason and AvP are both loads and loads of fun.
Sonia Cerca April 13, 2017 at 11:04 AM
I also love your theme within a theme. I didn't find Freddy vs. Jason that fun. If anything it was laughable. I haven't seen the other two, but I kinda want to see King Kong vs. Godzilla now.
Oh, FvJ was definitely laughable. That's why I love it.
joel65913 April 13, 2017 at 8:13 PM
You skunked me Dell! As much as I do love a theme within a theme this one goes into a genre I generally stay away from. I would never ever watch the second two but would be tempted to let the hilarity of King Kong vs. Godzilla wash over me.
SO, so, so many choices to pick from this week I didn't have to reach back very far to come up with a trio.
The Count of Monte Cristo (2002)-Lavish version of the Dumas story of rivalry over a woman, one friend's betrayal of another leading to an island imprisonment and the revenge extracted upon escape by the Count of Monte Cristo. Excitingly directed with beautiful production design and two robust lead performances by Jim Caviezel and Guy Pearce. A just starting out Henry Cavill has a prominent role in the latter half of the film.
Happy Gilmore (1996)-Temperamental and frustrated hockey player Happy Gilmore (Adam Sandler) discovers he needs to find some way to save his grandmother's house. As he's mocking someone for liking golf he finds he has a powerful swing and on a lark enters the PGA tour where he quickly incurs the enmity of a star of the circuit, Shooter McGavin (Christopher MacDonald). They become rivals for the prize with Shooter resorting to ever more drastic measures. Not a classic but from the period when Sandler was at least trying to make an effort to turn out entertaining films.
The War of the Roses (1989)-Oliver and Barbara Rose (Michael Douglas & Kathleen Turner) were once a happily married couple and through the years have acquired a couple of kids, a comfortable life and a beautiful home. But those days are over and while the two freely admit they want out of their commitment to each other what neither wants is out of their house. So begins a fierce combative rivalry for sole ownership with the lengths each will go to escalating to fearsome heights to emerge the victor as their divorce attorney D'Amato (Danny DeVito) takes it all in from the sidelines.
Dell April 13, 2017 at 9:08 PM
There is certainly lots of hilarity in King Kong Vs. Godzilla. Of your picks, surprisingly, I have only seen War of the Roses. Excellent movie that has kinda become forgotten. I've seen bits and pieces of Happy Gilmore, but never gave it a proper viewing. I just never bothered with your other pick.
joel65913 April 14, 2017 at 11:29 AM
Have you never seen any version of The Count of Monte Cristo or just this one? If you haven't this is the best one I've seen, the 30's take with Robert Donat is good as well.
I don't know how that's possible if you haven't seen a single one, there are so many! It's the type that has fostered every conceivable off shoot as well...you know Son of Monte Cristo, Wife of Monte Cristo, Sword of Monte Cristo, Treasure of Monte Cristo, Dog of Monte Cristo (okay the last one is fake but you get the idea!)
Sadly, I've not seen any version.
thevoid99 April 13, 2017 at 8:30 PM
Oh, inspiring choices. I was rooting for Freddy and the Alien in those films as I thought those films were alright. I haven't seen King Kong vs. Godzilla as that's tough to call.
No shame in liking those movies. They're rather fun. Same goes for King Kong Vs. Godzilla.
Birgit April 14, 2017 at 1:10 AM
The predator looks like a ninja turtle to me actually. The last 2 flicks ...I have no desire to see either of those but I have seen Godzilla vs King Kong and I love it! It's so bad but so good.
Dell April 14, 2017 at 6:37 AM
Yeah, he kinda does with that face-mask on. So bad but so good is exactly why I like all three.
s. April 14, 2017 at 8:39 AM
Saw the latter two and yes, so bad it's awesome thing applies there :) These films are so impossibly ridiculous it makes them entertaining. And it was so much fun to watch legends clash
Daniel April 14, 2017 at 6:58 PM
I can only bow down to you on these picks.
Why, thank you. I accept all bows.
Wanderer April 20, 2017 at 3:33 PM
I haven't seen any of these...haha not that I want to.
Can't blame you, but that just leaves more for me.
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