movies

What a throwback in time—literally as one of filmdom’s most awesome monsters is resurrected for what is a fresh take on a timeworn genre. King Kong, or just Kong here, has been around since the silent films, but just when you think you’ve seen it all, the fog bank enshrouding Skull Island parts and the fun begins.

Classic Movie Night continues Friday, Feb. 24, with the Academy Award winning 1997 drama Good Will Hunting at the historic Jefferson Theatre in downtown Beaumont. Directed by Gus Van Zant and written by Matt Damon and Ben Affleck, the movie follows Will Hunting (Damon), a 20-year-old janitor at MIT who has a gift of mathematics. He meets Dr. Sean Maguire, played by the late Robin Williams, who helps him find his direction of life. The movie is 2 hours, 6 minutes long and Rated R. For more information, view beaumontcityevents.com or call (409) 838-3435. Doors open at 6 p.m.

Oscar nominations were announced last week, and like most years, there were surprises, snubs and foregone winners in some categories. Or maybe not. The Screen Actors Guild Awards were held last weekend and there were some game-changing surprises. Because the SAG awards start with actors nominating and then voting for other actors, it can be a better predictor of what is to come at the Oscar ceremony a few weeks from now.

This movie has already had the misfortune of serious bout of trailer fatigue. I can’t recall sitting through movie previews in the last three months and not seeing this one. And, no surprise, the two-hour version isn’t any better than the two-minute version. I leave my opinion about trailers on the cutting room floor for now, so let’s get back to the Joneses, which begs another question: Why do the couple in question always have to be named Jones?