Return of the director

ready -- by SJPeter Jackson was showered with Oscars for his astounding screen version of “The Lord of the Rings.”

He has now tackled the remake of the venerable “King Kong” story with the same energy and excess that epitomize the best and worst of his previous efforts. In the process, he creates an epic adventure, in which roller coaster action and heartfelt emotions occupy the same screen.

He pays homage to the original Kong and many other movies along the way. The opening sequence of New York in the 1930s is a period piece reminiscent of many films of the Great Depression era.

The near shipwreck of a tramp steamer recalls the thrills of “Titanic.”

The natives of Skull Island are so deformed and evil they look like Orcs from Mordor.

The eye-popping special effects full of dinosaurs and heart pounding exploits remind us of “Indiana Jones” in “Jurassic Park” on a “Mission Impossible.”

However, Naomi Watts as unemployed actress Ann Darrow is the saving grace of this film. She is stunning and sensitive. And her outstanding acting creates a truly sympathetic bond with both the audience and the giant ape.

But her relentless action scenes are so prolonged they may leave you exhausted just watching them. The overuse and overkill of these computer effects may delight teenagers but wear down their parents.

In the end this is a giant movie, with subtle overtones, that has a lot going for it. But at more than three hours long, watching it is part marvel and part endurance contest.

* JOHN DEPKO is a Costa Mesa resident and a senior investigator for the Orange County public defender’s office.

Ledger shines in taboobreaking ‘Brokeback’

The film “Brokeback Mountain” is an intimate, poignant love story set against the sweeping grandeur of the Calgary Mountains (subbing for Wyoming) and whose lovers happen to be men.

Director Ang Lee and screenwriters Larry McMurtry and Diana Ossana have taken E. Annie Proulx’s short story about longing and loss and turned it into a gem, with a career-defining performance by Heath Ledger.

Two wandering cowboys, assigned to watch over a herd of sheep up on Brokeback Mountain, unexpectedly form a lifelong connection one summer in 1963.

Taciturn Ennis Del Mar (Ledger) never finished high school but dreams of owning his own ranch some day after he marries his girl. Jack Twist (Jake Gyllenhaal) is a carefree rodeo cowboy who’s always broke.

Each goes his separate way, marries and raises families, but when they reunite four years later, they realize how strong their feelings are for each other.

This being the 1960s and small town Wyoming, two men could never be together without raising eyebrows -- and risking their lives as well. So they meet for “fishing trips” on Brokeback Mountain until fate intervenes.

Their secret liaison colors their relationships with wives, girlfriends, friends and family. Their dream of success and happiness on their own terms fades away as the years pass, and a lonely and frustrated future seems to be their only destiny.

Gyllenhaal is very good, and Michelle Williams will break your heart as Alma, Ennis’ long-suffering wife. But the film is nothing without Heath Ledger.

Ledger is amazing, his native Australian accent turned here into a twangy low growl. He seems to be channeling James Dean from “Giant,” or a character from McMurtry’s epic “Lonesome Dove.” He internalizes most of his thoughts and feelings, only occasionally giving in to sudden bursts of vulnerability and anger. Ennis’ strong sense of duty to his family and fear of discovery prevent him from having what he really wants, and it is eating him up inside.

A simple movie with not-so-simple themes, “Brokeback” is a memorable piece of filmmaking.

* SUSANNE PEREZ lives in Costa Mesa and is an executive assistant for a financial services company.

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