K-Kz Movies

K-PAX (2001)  Prot is a patient at a mental hospital who claims to be from a far away Planet. His psychiatrist tries to help him, only to begin to doubt his own explanations.

You might doubt your own explanations too.

Keeping Mum (2005)  Walter Goodfellow, the vicar for the small English country parish of Little Wallop, has allowed his marriage to Gloria go stale and he is so detached from his family that he has not taken notice that his 17-year-old daughter Holly is going through a succession of inappropriate relationships with unsuitable boyfriends and his son Petey fears going to school due to being bullied. Out of desperation for affection, Gloria begins to fall for the advances of Lance, the American golf pro that is giving her "private" lessons. The problems upsetting the family start to fade away after Grace Hawkins, the new housekeeper, arrives and starts tending to matters as an older, and rather darkly mysterious version of Mary Poppins.

Outstanding British humor.

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The production company tried to cheat Charles Chaplin by paying him for this six-reel film what they would ordinarily pay him for two-reel film, about half a million dollars. Chaplin took the unassembled film out of state until they agreed to the one-and-a-half million he deserved, plus half the surplus profits on rentals, plus reversion of the film to him after five years on the rental market.

For the scene in which the Kid is taken from the Tramp and nearly carted away to a workhouse, Charles Chaplin stated in his autobiography that the young Jackie Coogan was made to cry by his father, who told him that if he would not cry in the scene, he would be sent to an actual workhouse.

The Kid (2000)  Russ Duritz is a wealthy L.A. image consultant, but as he nears 40, he's cynical, dogless, chickless, estranged from his father, and he has no memories of his childhood. One night he surprises an intruder, who turns out to be a kid, almost 8 years old. There's something oddly familiar about the chubby lad, whose name is Rusty. The boy's identity sparks a journey into Russ's past that the two of them take - to find the key moment that has defined who Russ is. Two long-suffering women look on with disbelief: Russ's secretary, Janet, and his assistant, the lovely Amy, to whom Rusty takes a shine. What, and who, is at the end of this journey?

I really liked this movie and when talking to people I often ask them if they could go back in time what advice would they give their 20 year old self?

The King and I (1956)  Mrs. Anna Leonowens and her son Louis arrive in Bangkok, where she has contracted to teach English to the children of the royal household. She threatens to leave when the house she had been promised is not available, but falls in love with the children. A new slave, a gift of a vassal king, translates "Uncle Tom's Cabin" into a Siamese ballet, expressing her unhappiness at being with the King. She attempts to escape with her lover. Anna and the King fall in love, but her British upbringing inhibits her from joining his harem. She is just about to leave Siam when she hears of the King's imminent death, and returns to help his son, her favorite pupil, rule his people.

My sixth grade music teacher was enamored with the play and we would sing the music from it.

King Creole (1958)  Having flunked graduation for a second time and needing cash to support his crabby (and thus unemployed) father, Danny Fisher takes a job as a singer in the King Creole nightclub - about the only joint around not run by smarmy crook Maxie Fields who wants him for his own place. He gets on pretty well with Fields' floozy though, and all this plus his involvement with Fields' hoods and with innocent five-and-dime store assistant Nellie means Danny finds his world closing in on him all ways round.

Another film I enjoyed as a boy.

Co-star of the film Walter Matthau said after death of Elvis Presley this about him: "[Elvis Presley] was an instinctive actor...He was quite bright...he was very intelligent...He was not a punk. He was very elegant, sedate, and refined, and sophisticated."

King Kong (1933)  Carl Denham needs to finish his movie and has the perfect location; Skull Island. But he still needs to find a leading lady. This 'soon-to-be-unfortunate' soul is Ann Darrow. No one knows what they will encounter on this island and why it is so mysterious, but once they reach it, they will soon find out. Living on this hidden island is a giant gorilla and this beast now has Ann is it's grasps. Carl and Ann's new love, Jack Driscoll must travel through the jungle looking for Kong and Ann, whilst avoiding all sorts of creatures and beasts.

Classic Greek tragedy.  Awesome special effects for 1933.  King Kong has played somewhere in the world everyday since it opened.

The Kingdom of Heaven (2005)  It is the time of the Crusades during the Middle Ages - the world shaping 200-year collision between Europe and the East. A blacksmith named Balian has lost his family and nearly his faith. The religious wars raging in the far-off Holy Land seem remote to him, yet he is pulled into that immense drama. Amid the pageantry and intrigues of medieval Jerusalem he falls in love, grows into a leader, and ultimately uses all his courage and skill to defend the city against staggering odds. Destiny comes seeking Balian in the form of a great knight, Godfrey of Ibelin, a Crusader briefly home to France from fighting in the East. Revealing himself as Balian's father, Godfrey shows him the true meaning of knighthood and takes him on a journey across continents to the fabled Holy City. In Jerusalem at that moment--between the Second and Third Crusades--a fragile peace prevails, through the efforts of its enlightened Christian king, Baldwin IV, aided by his advisor Tiberias, and the military restraint of the legendary Muslim leader Saladin. But Baldwin's days are numbered, and strains of fanaticism, greed, and jealousy among the Crusaders threaten to shatter the truce. King Baldwin's vision of peace--a kingdom of heaven--is shared by a handful of knights, including Godfrey of Ibelin, who swear to uphold it with their lives and honor. As Godfrey passes his sword to his son, he also passes on that sacred oath: to protect the helpless, safeguard the peace, and work toward harmony between religions and cultures, so that a kingdom of heaven can flourish on earth. Balian takes the sword and steps into history.

During the last day of the siege if you look closely you can see a burning siege tower, during production one of the siege towers caught fire and was subsequently burned down. One of the charges for the firebombs hadn't been put out properly and was left smoldering over night, until it eventually caught the tower and lit up. Both director/producer Ridley Scott and production designer Arthur Max liked the aesthetic of the burnt tower, and decided to use it in the film.

After the team arrived in Morocco, an article appeared in the Daily Telegraph on January 20th, 2004 claiming that the film "panders to Osama bin Laden". However, the writer of the article was quickly exposed as not having seen the screenplay. Subsequently however, a copy of the screenplay was leaked to the world's press, and provoked a strong reaction in terms of its depiction of Muslims. In an article on August 12, 2004 Professor Khaled Abu el-Fadl wrote, "I believe this movie teaches people to hate Muslims. There is a stereotype of the Muslim as constantly stupid, retarded, backward, unable to think in complex forms". This new sway in criticism greatly concerned King Mohamed VI, who came to fear for director Ridley Scott's safety, and as such, Mohammad provided Scott with four bodyguards.

At any given time during production there were seven different departments working separately as offshoots of the props department: the smalls department (kept all the small props together), the drapes department (made anything involving fabrics), the dying department (aged props as needed), the paint department (painted the props), the model-making department (made anything that could not be built to scale), the leather department (made anything of leather), the woodwork department (made all the furniture and wooden props), and the metal work department (made all metal props).

The King's Speech (2010)  In the mid 1930s, King George V is concerned about the immediate future of the British monarchy. His eldest son David, first in line for the throne, is in a relationship with American divorcée Wallis Simpson. Marriage to a divorcée and being King of England (and thus head of the Church of England) is incompatible. And King George V's second son, Albert (or Bertie as he is called by family), second in line for the throne, speaks with a stammer, something he's had since he was a child. Although a bright and temperamental man, Bertie, because of his stammer, does not capture the confidence of the public, which is paramount if Britain does enter into war against Hitler's regime. As King George V states about living in a communications age, a king can no longer get by in life solely by looking good in a regal uniform and knowing how to battle riding a horse. Elizabeth, Bertie's loving wife, wants to help her husband gain confidence solely in his increasing need to speak at public functions, regardless of if he becomes king or not. She finds an unconventional Australian raised speech therapist named Lionel Logue to help assist in curing Bertie's stammer, with no one, even Lionel's family, knowing he has this job with the royal highness. Lionel and Bertie's relationship is often an antagonistic one as Lionel feels the need for the two to be equals during their sessions, with Lionel even calling him Bertie instead of your royal highness, which doesn't sit well with him, as he is not used to such dealings with a commoner. Lionel does in time become Bertie's confidante and friend, especially from Lionel's side as he tries to determine the psychological issues behind the speech impediment. An issue with Lionel, which he does not hide but also does not fully disclose, may threaten their relationship altogether, which may be especially problematic as a still stammering Bertie ultimately becomes King George VI and as Britain enters into war with Germany.

While preparing the film, the production knew that having some key cast would help the movie get made. They convinced someone who lived near actor Geoffrey Rush to put the script in his letterbox, against industry practice. It included a note apologizing for the unsolicited delivery, and explained that they were desperate for him to know the script existed. Rush read the script and agreed to do the film.

After the abdication, both the Duke and Duchess of Windsor were genuinely surprised and dismayed that they were to be banned from the United Kingdom, never to return. It's generally believed that was primarily due to the demands of Elizabeth, the queen mother, who absolutely detested the former Wallis Warfield Simpson. Elizabeth held Wallis personally responsible and accountable for initially throwing "Bertie" into a job he wasn't prepared to handle and, later, contributed to his early death due to the stress and responsibility of being king. Queen Mary, Edward's mother, never reconciled with her son and refused to attended his marriage to Wallis in France. Edward was allowed to return to England to attend the funerals of his mother and his brother, Bertie. Both he and Wallis were allowed to be buried on a Royal Estate by special permission of Queen Elizabeth II.

A Knight's Tale (2001)  When a knight dies during the recession of a fight, one of his squires, William Thatcher, disguises himself as his master in order to win the prize money of the tournament. He wins the fight and decides to, together with his fellow squires Wat and Roland, take on a new false identity as a knight and make a living winning tournaments. On their way to a tournament, they meet Geoffrey Chaucer, a poor writer who joins the group. The quartet then keep traveling through England, fighting in tournaments.

When Chaucer first introduces "Sir Ulrich" in his speech, the crowd doesn't react at first because the Czech extras didn't understand the speech. Mark Addy's loud prompt was what tipped them off to start cheering. The awkward moment was left in because it made the scene funnier.

The phrase that Chaucer tells Will when they get to the first tournament, "I've got to go see a man about a dog," is an archaic reference for going to the bathroom. Although unlikely to have seen use in Chaucer's day, it was in use in the early-1900s.   My grandfather in the 40s & 50s would always use this expression.  The film contains many modern subtext that add to the comedy. 

Knights of the Round Table (1953)  Sir Lancelot travels from France to pledge his allegiance to Arthur Pendragon, whose fame has spread far and wide. Arthur is named king after he draws the sword Excalibur from the stone in which his father had placed it. Arther isn't the only claimant to rule as Mordred also has his eye on the throne. Sir Lancelot is immediately attracted to a beautiful woman not realizing she is Guinevere and promised to Arthur. He is loyal and true to his King. Mordred takes advantage of the situation but his treachery is uncovered in the end. It does not lead to a happy ending however.

The Kung Fu Hustle (2004)  It is 1940's China, and gangs rule the city. The most notorious of them all is the axe gang, lead by the insane Brother Sum. A slum called Pig Sty Alley is the only area safe from the Axes because the people there are so poor. Soon, wannabe gangster Sing and his pal Bone attempt to extort money out of a barber and fail, drawing the real Axe Gang to Pig Sty. However, it turns out that there are several kung fu masters living in the slum, and soon the two sides are enemies. As the plot thickens, Sing must decide: should he become a mobster, or save the day?

Lots of cartoon violence.  Very funny.  Good epic hero story too.