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I haven't seen it, but a friend of mine was so dismayed that I planned to wait for King Kong to come out on DVD, he offered to drive two hours to my house to babysit my kids so I could see it in a theater. I didn't take him up on his offer, but still -- I'm guessing that KK is a bit more of a "movie theater experience" than, say, Capote.

I haven't seen all those films, (wish I had a kid free weekend), but of the two I have seen, there is no choice...

DO NOT SEE KING KONG!!!

for me it was like torture, honestly, the first 45 minutes were pretty good, with something called character development, but then there's like two hours of gorilla screams and machine gun fire that will simultainiously put you to sleep and give you the worst headache of your life. and, SPOILER ALERT, the monkey climbs a big building and dies at the end. You will feel sad for the monkey, but more sad for yourself wasting three hours and $12 (how much is a movie in NY these days). I'm sure the video game is more interesting.

on the other hand

SEE SYRIANA TWICE!!

I really though this was a fantastic film. I came out totally freaked out and feeling I had actually learned something about the middle east. Make sure you go to the bathroom before it starts because you will not want to miss a single second! No spoilers alerts here except that some of the plots are not quite as well done as others, yet still, you will be very happy to give your money to these film makers. And yes, it is worth seeing on the big screen (though you will be buying the DVD too, to try to figure out everything you missed). For me the movie of the year (though I have not seen the following; good night and good luck, walk the line, brokeback mtn, capote, or Muncih, all of which are on my list-- though I love Terance Mallick, I've heard generally negative things about the new world)

my 2 $

I enjoyed both "King Kong" and "Syriana" -- depends what you're in the mood for. I mean, you know what you're getting into with "Kong": big-budget Hollywood action with a giant monkey and a fetchingly imperiled Naomi Watts, and I don't see how someone wouldn't enjoy it if that's what they were in the mood for.

"Syriana" is very good, but it's dense in a Robert Altman way, so it took me a while to feel like I had any sense of who the characters were and what was going on. An excellent movie, but look deep into your heart and ask yourself if you want something escapist, because if the answer is yes, you should put off "Syriana" until later. (Also, I don't know that seeing it on the big screen would make much of a difference. I wouldn't have minded having the ability to rewind in a couple spots when I saw it.)

Of the other movies, we've also seen "Match Point" (good, very very very very dark, would probably be unhurt on a small screen) and "Walk the Line" (not bad; takes some liberties and has some very hacky dialogue; probably becomes more annoying the more you already know about Johnny Cash).

I don't care how you spell fuchsia, but before THIS conversation goes any further, King Kong is an ape, not a monkey. Do you see a fucking tail? Thank you.

Definitely depends on your mood. If you need a good punch in the gut, see Capote. For a punch in the head, Syriana. And if you feel like punching a dinosaur in the head but you're not quite tall enough, Kong's the one for you.

I'm not afraid to admit that I loved Kong the most out of those three, because he really is the most lovable.

P.S. hi from a fellow Stuy alum!

I have to agree with Jake regarding KONG -- the single biggest movie-induced headache of the last five years. Simply unbearable.

And, yes, KK's technically an ape, but it is generically a "monkey movie," so cut Jake some slack, Dan.

I haven't seen NEW WORLD yet (and ain't much of a Malick fan) but I think that is the one on your list that would lose the most oomph from seeing it on a small screen. (KONG would probably actually benefit from the DVD experience -- you could skip past all the atrocious dialog, shoddy non-Kong cgi, and incompetently edited non-action scenes; you could also take a nap.)

you'll be the monkey if you see that movie

Only one on your list we saw was Match Point - and that should not be your big-screen choice. Had it been 30 minutes shorter, with extended Johansson Gratuity, and fewer randomly tossed-off philosophical references, this would fit snugly on a twinbill with an early-Nick Cassavetes Skineplex feature.

OK, so Kong is sliding down the list a bit. Any thoughts on Munich?

My husband saw Munich and loved it. Talked about it for days afterwards and told me I had to go see it, but still waiting for the weekend without kids.

I read the Baer book and definitely want to see Syriana as well.

If you're wanting to feel grown-upish to fully take advantage of the childlessness, I'd go for one of those. You and Gina will have tons to 'discuss' afterwards.

YOU ARE A DAD????????????

GOD HELP US!

Please tell me you have boys.

Lauren

You mean so I can pass on my enlightened attitude towards women?

Ah...you and your boys at Huck concerts, keeping up with the Prussian Blue blogs...forget fishing. This presents a far sweeter tableau.

Btw, good choice on Brokeback. As for Munich - it wasn't all that. I wrote about it on my blog if you want to check out what I thought. In a nutshell, my husband preferred the TV movie version. That is not a good sign.

Match Point might be worth it for you because apparently, there's a closeup of Scarlet's butt in a pair of Seven jeans. You don't get the full effect of THAT on DVD, now, do you?

Lauren

Go see Memoirs of a Geisha,you know u want to ;D jkjk (it was a good movie, but an ape like you wouldn't enjoy it... Psssh)

Well, yeah, Kong sucked. And holy shit, at the end Watts isn't wearing a bra o.o It's so creepy! (FYI, my guy friend pointed that out to me x.x) Hahahaha, so don't see that. Waste of money.

I'm too young to see the other movies so sorry,can't help you there! WHEEEEEEEE!!!

Match Point, Syriana, Capote were all really good and totally different. I've gotta say, though.... I'm in the same boat in terms of not getting to see many big theater flix these days b/c of the kiddie. All three of the above movies would do fine on DVD. Kong, however...

Plus if my wife made me go to Brokeback I'd make her go to Kong.

"Munich"--too damn long but with moments of greatness.

"Kong"--Too damn long, but entertaining. Jackson needs to learn that just because you can shoot in slo-mo doesn't mean you should.

"Syriana"--Needed either a bunch of plots cut out or a stronger director.

"Walk The Line"--Two very good lead performances in a bland "Behind The Music" biopic.

"Match Point"--Excellent, but will play well on small screen. Also, could have made like 10M more at the box office with some ScarlettBoobies.

If you haven't seen "Good Night, And Good Luck," I'd suggest that.

And "Why We Fight" might also be worth checking out. Allegedly, not as shrilling and annoying as a Michael Moore flick, but still raising interesting questions.

Hey... wait. I thought Kong was great. Sure, the script is lame, and the first half hour is awkward, and... but it's a giant ape movie ferkrissakes. And in this case the giant ape is completely amazing -- a great performance -- and won't be nearly so on the small screen.

I know it's all hollywoody and shit, but darn if I didn't cry at the end.

well we got out tonight and saw Brokeback Mtn, which I really wasn't excited to see and... it was pretty damn good. A real movie, you know, with no fancy special effects and some good acting and though it's long and slow, you will never be bored. It wouldn't be my choice for the oscar, but it wouldn't surprise me if it won and I wouldn't be upset.

I must say I was a bit disappointed by Kong myself. It was good and Naomi Watts just glows somehow, but it was just too much...too big, too unbelieveable, too long. Yes, I know it's a giant ape and one should suspend disbelief when walking in the door, but the running with dinos scene was just too fake.

Brokeback, Syriana, and Munich are on my list but, even kidless, too much $ to go to theater.

Good luck with choice and enjoy the night!

Please don't see Kong. I spent the whole movie making up execrable Gene Shalit-style puns (winner: "Mo' monkey, mo' problems; Yes, ape, I know. Cram it, Jane Goodall).
I'm firmly in the Syriana camp--smarter about geopolitics than Munich, more important than Capote, not offering false hopes of nudity like Match Point.
I'm sure The New World is great; but then, I loved Gerry.