MOVIE: Various

King Kong (2005):   I really wasn't overwhelmed with "wow" on this film.   Yes, Kong was CGI and interacted with the human actors nicely (in most cases).   Yes, there was a LOT of action in the middle and end of the movie.   And yes, it had a very sad ending.   But really, there were periods of the movie where I kept thinking.. "did anyone onscreen SAY anything in the last 20 minutes?"   Even now, thinking about the end of the movie, I can't recall any dialogue other a coulpe of random blurbs.   Even Kong himself was using sign language (no joke)! This was not an exceptional movie.   I don't even think I'll bother taking the kids to see it.

Memoirs Of A Geisha:   Desite arguing with my daughters about how to say "gay-shah" (with a proper alternative of "gee-shah" -- saying "guy-shuh" is just wrong), I really liked this movie!   It "felt long" by the time it was finally ending (which is odd for me to say, since I like movies that make me feel like I got my money's worth) but overall, it was a nice film.   I would have no problem taking my kids to see this (and will, most likely) even with the vague references to sexual situations (the snake and the cave was rather amusing).

The Producers:   I enjoyed this movie (laughed a LOT) but it was not as "awesome" as I had hoped -- this is more due to my own self-perception based on the commercials, because Matthew Broderick's character was just.. uh, disturbing.   You can't really get too much of Uma Thurman.   The storyline was funny (I've never seen this on stage) and Will Ferrell was great as the lead "Nazi".

If I were to put these in must-see order, it would be Geisha, Producers, then Kong (during a matinee).