I Was Monty's Double
Dir: John Guillermin
1958
****
I Was Monty's Double tells the true story of M.E. Clifton-James who actually stars as himself as well as General Montgomery as he did in real life. It seems a bit odd to say he played the role well, when in fact he is playing himself but he did. He is such a likable character, he makes the very likable story even more watchable. He is joined by some giant talent, John Mills and Cecil Parker being on fine form and there are loads of great cameos, Sid James, John Le Mesurier and Leslie Phillips among the best. With a cast like that and with such a great true WII story you can't go wrong. Saturday afternoon viewing at it's very best.

King Kong
Dir: John Guillermin
1976
****
John Guillermin's 1976 remake of the classic King Kong story was a cinematic project of epic proportions. It's fair to say that John Guillermin's vision and enthusiastic approach was not shared by all. It wasn't popular on release and is regarded as a major flop. However, decades of subsequent film fans have sought out the film and have adopted it as a bit of a cult classic. It is a great film! Okay, so not great in the classical sense, there is a strong element of so bad it's good about it but it isn't without its credit. The modern reworking of the story is actually pretty good, already dated but an influence to a few monster movies I can think of that have come since. King Kong 1976 is a mix of great ambition, creativity on a small budget and the wonder that is the 70's disaster film. Throw in a great cast and giant charismatic monkey and you're in business. Carlo Rambaldi's special effects are still impressive today, it's worth watching just for his legendary work. The last scene of Kong climbing New York's World Trade Center has become quite poignant now, it certainly reminds the viewer of what seemed like simpler times, and from a cinephiles view, certainly happier times. I love the 70s.

King Kong Lives
Dir: John Guillermin
1986
****
Not to be taken seriously but much like its predecessor, it's seriously entertaining. Okay, the original wasn't great in the classic sense but got by on 'So bad it's good' credentials although not without it's own credit. King Kong Lives is all out B-Movie 'So bad it's fantastic'. Yes, it's badly written, has a terrible story and poor performances but the scenes in which King Kong flirts with his newly found mate are hilarious and make the film worth watching alone. You also have the 'King Kong escapes' scene, the 'King Kong' steps on suburbia' scene, 'King Kong has a heart transplant' scene and my favorite, 'King Kong bites a group of camping red-necks in half' scene. It's B-Movie gold and quite frankly, what is King Kong if not the ultimate B-Movie? People say that producer Dino De Laurentiis was a mad man with unrealistic visions but I totally disagree. All good B-Movies should be played straight and all should give the people what they want. If you want to watch a serious film then a movie about a 100 foot Ape probably isn't for you anyway!