‘GODZILLA X KONG: THE NEW EMPIRE’ RATED PG-13

Only three years ago, the Monsterverse’s “Godzilla vs. Kong” pitted the monster ape against the gigantic lizard in a spectacular battle where the fate of humanity hung in the balance.

Even though Kong, along with the orphaned girl Jia, from the Iwi tribe, took a hazardous journey to find his true home, an enraged Godzilla on the warpath across the world was itching for an epic clash between the two titans.

Getting these two fearsome creatures together is like the ultimate cage match. Much like the audience at a UFC fight, fans of the Monsterverse are hoping for a spectacle of a bruising battle.

In what is considered the fifth installment of the ongoing monster saga, “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” takes a different path when the almighty Kong and the terrifying Godzilla need to team up against a colossal threat hidden within the deep recess of Earth.

While Godzilla resides on the surface world, taking a rest inside Rome’s Colosseum, Kong dwells in Hollow Earth, nursing a bad toothache for which the wild adventurer and veterinarian Trapper (Dan Stevens) is intrepid enough to perform oral surgery.

Rebecca Hall’s scientist Ilene Andrews, working for the Monarch group, and her adopted daughter Jia (Kaylee Hottle), are once again in the Kong camp, along with podcaster Bernie (Brian Tyree Henry) for some comic relief.

The villain that brings Kong and Godzilla together is Skar King, the cruel ruler of enslaved simians, who with his sidekick Shimo poses a real threat to Kong until Godzilla shows up and the two join forces, and Mothra makes a cameo appearance.

Unlike the Japanese film “Godzilla Minus One” that won an Academy Award, “Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire” has no pretensions to anything other than being a critic-proof entertainment. The less said the better about this film because the legions of fans won’t care, nor should they.

TCM CLASSIC FILM FESTIVAL UPDATE

The 15th TCM Classic Film Festival is now just around the corner, and the schedule is as firmly settled as might be possible. Time slots marked “TBA” usually turn out to be for popular films that sold out, and that’s why all the TBAs show up on the final day.

The thrill of the festival includes getting reacquainted with old favorites, sometimes newLY restored, or discovering hidden gems. The latter might be the case with 1966’s “Gambit,” a comic caper with exotic locales.

Con artist Michael Caine spots Eurasian nightclub dancer Shirley MacLaine and notes her resemblance to a priceless Chinese bust owned by the world’s richest man (Herbert Lom). MacLaine looking like a stereotypical Chinese girl would at least be cultural appropriation in today’s world.

It’s best to look at cinema, much like history, in the context of the times. Anna May Wong, the first Chinese American film star, would have been perfect for the part, but she was no longer around.

Fortunately, Michael Caine, a nonagenarian, is still with us, and it’s interesting to note that “Gambit” was originally written for Gary Grant, but MacLaine wanted Caine as the leading man, so the script was rewritten to make the British gentleman thief a Cockney upstart.

One of the most memorable cinematic lines is delivered by Clint Eastwood pointing a .44 Magnum at a bank robber and saying, “You’ve got to ask yourself one question: ‘Do I feel lucky?’ Well, do ya punk?”

In “Dirty Harry,” Eastwood’s steely-eyed Harry Callahan, a San Francisco police detective on the trail of a serial killer (Andy Robinson, going full creepy), was perfect, even though the script had been written for an older actor and scheduled with Frank Sinatra, who dropped out.

Watching “Dirty Harry” on the big screen will cement the image of Clint Eastwood making the transition from star to icon. If only Don Siegel, who directed this and four other Eastwood films, were with us to tell stories about his friend.

A special event with the hand-and-footprint ceremony that occurs on Friday, April 19th in front of TCL Chinese Theatre IMAX (still fondly called Grauman’s Chinese by many) will honor Jodie Foster for her illustrious career as actress and filmmaker.

Foster began her career at age three, appearing as “The Coppertone Girl” in television commercials. Of course, she went on to bigger and better things as a regular on several television series, including “My Three Sons” and “Mayberry RFD.”

Widespread attention of the actress came with her powerful portrayal of streetwise Iris in Martin Scorsese’s “Taxi Driver” (1976), wherein Robert De Niro’s disturbed cabbie focused his attentions on rescuing Foster’s 12-year-old hooker.

As a rape survivor in “The Accused” and Special Agent Clarice Starling in the thriller “The Silence of the Lambs,” Foster’s stunning performances earned her two Academy Awards for Best Actress.

Fortunately for film buffs, after the ceremony Foster will be the special guest for the screening of “Silence of the Lambs,” the only horror film according to TCM to be named Best Picture. Others would say the film fits the crime thriller category, but why quibble?

Tim Riley writes film and television reviews for Lake County News.