Spike Jonze's Where the Wild Things Are

[Pop Trash]

I'm just hoping Jonze has it in his contract to get a percentage of the gross if the film becomes a surprise hit (which could happen esp. if it gets really great reviews)

[Amnesiac]

A few things:

Spike Jonze apparently gets into a fight (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOu_99yPADs)... with someone.

And Paul Dano on the film (http://theplaylist.blogspot.com/2009/04/paul-dano-dishes-little-on-where-wild.html):


Dano, who plays a frolicking Wild Thing goat named Alexander, talked a little bit about the movie saying that "Spike Jonze is the perfect guy for this movie...he's got a childlike imagination." On the rehearsal process (which was rumored to be awesome), he said the group spent some time working on a soundstage because "that's what acting is and if you just go into a recording studio it's all putting out and there's nothing to take in." Lastly, Dano says that he "feels quite good about how [the film] represents the book. It's a children's film about childhood that's not just for one audience." So there's just a few more reasons to hibernate until October.

[Watashi]

http://www.slashfilm.com/wp/wp-content/images/wtwtaposter2.jpg

[Amnesiac]

Much better than the last poster.

[[ETM]]

A few things:

Spike Jonze aparently gets into a fight (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gOu_99yPADs)... with someone.

April Fool's, staged: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bY0UiHNqWI0

Still awesome, though.

[Spinal]

God damn it. Who let Paul Dano in this?

[Kurosawa Fan]

God damn it. Who let Paul Dano in this?

I personally requested him. Sorry. I forgot.

[Amnesiac]

God damn it. Who let Paul Dano in this?

What's wrong with Dano?

[Kurosawa Fan]

What's wrong with Dano?

Shhh! Don't get him started!

[Spinal]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v696/joel_harmon/dano.jpg

[Grouchy]

I dig the Dano.

[Boner M]

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v696/joel_harmon/dano.jpg
post/av

[Melville]

A featurette featuring Sendak talking about the movie:
http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/wherethewildthingsare/

[Amnesiac]

A featurette featuring Sendak talking about the movie:
http://www.apple.com/trailers/wb/wherethewildthingsare/

Thanks for posting that, it was great and surprisingly moving.

On another note, I recently came across this:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41aOM3z39XL._SS500_.jpg

Looks like the kind of thing I would pick up if I end up really enjoying the movie.

[Watashi]

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808412037/video/14932815

Mind-blowingly awesome new trailer.

[Lasse]

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808412037/video/14932815

Mind-blowingly awesome new trailer.

Doesn't make any difference. I'm watching this in the cinema.

[number8]

http://movies.yahoo.com/movie/1808412037/video/14932815

Mind-blowingly awesome new trailer.

Hmm, I dunno... Cool, sure, but that's pretty much just an extended version of the teaser trailer.

The Comic-Con footage made me want to fucking cry. I kinda wish the trailer would convey that side of it, too, instead of all this wheeee-creatures! Arcade Fire!

[Watashi]

I dunno... there are some pretty powerful images in this trailer.

HD version. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0b-Nh7AYjtE)

[Amnesiac]

Pretty powerful, indeed. Man, I'm so glad something that looks this special is coming out soon.

[Ezee E]

Hmm, I dunno... Cool, sure, but that's pretty much just an extended version of the teaser trailer.

The Comic-Con footage made me want to fucking cry. I kinda wish the trailer would convey that side of it, too, instead of all this wheeee-creatures! Arcade Fire!
I agree with this actually. It sorta turned me off.

[B-side]

I'm excited. Gandolfini > life.

[trotchky]

the trailer is amazing and the arcade fire song, in addition to being a masterpiece, establishes the film's presumed mood extremely well.

[B-side]

I honestly thought it was going to be kinda hard to get excited for another "kid escapes into fantasy world" movie, but the trailers have rocked my socks. I'll likely end up teary-eyed when I watch it.

[MadMan]

Aye, the trailer with the Arcade Fire song gets me very excited, and has blown me away every time. That song also happens to be quite possibly the best one off that album, as well.

[Amnesiac]

http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/imgs/090811/Fall-Movies/Where-the-Wild-Things-Are_l.jpg

[Wryan]

That kid should be in a silent film. Goddamn.

[Spun Lepton]

Yeah, I'm going to see this. I have a feeling I'm going to be bawling my eyes out by the end. Damn it!

[megladon8]

This movie is going to make me cry, isn't it?

[Spun Lepton]

This movie is going to make me cry, isn't it?

Like a god damn sieve.

[Chac Mool]

If we go by trailers alone, this should be the movie of the year.

[ledfloyd]

that times article is great. i especially found it funny that to relax eggers and jonze rode skateboards around his house and shot each other with bb guns.

[Boner M]

There's a lengthy Kent Jones review/article on this in the new Film Comment. It's not on the website, and the issue hasn't hit Aussie newstands, but I imagine he's very positive about it.

[MadMan]

Those posters rock.

[Pop Trash]

There's a lengthy Kent Jones review/article on this in the new Film Comment. It's not on the website, and the issue hasn't hit Aussie newstands, but I imagine he's very positive about it.

Yes he's quite positive about it with a few minor caveats.

Also, it's the new one with Antichrist on the cover, not Basterds.

[NickGlass]

Also, I wouldn't recommend looking for more of these type of pictures as apparently one of them that is out there spoils the ending.

Um, you mean the last page in the book?

[Watashi]

Um, you mean the last page in the book?
Um... Jonze changed the ending to the book.

Max dies in the film

[Fezzik]

Um... Jonze changed the ending to the book.

Max dies in the film

I really hope you're kidding.

[Ezee E]

That's how NickGlass do.

[Derek]

I was in a really bad mood last night.

Nah, that was a pretty reasonable reaction to someone assuming that a film would have the same ending as the book it's adapting. FOAD NickGlass.

;) Hope you're doing better today.

[NickGlass]

I hope you were being facetious or deliberately glib.

This.

Yeesh.

[number8]

Sorry. I was being a little knee-jerky myself, then. Like I said, bad mood. Plus, starting a sentence off with "Um" when trying to correct or deflate someone's statement has always come across to me as being a particularly condescending stroke.

Um, not always.

[NickGlass]

Um, not always.

FOAD number8.

[Sycophant]

The best arguments happen in the UFE.

[megladon8]

Should I read the book before I see the movie?

And, alternately, will this movie be less impactful to me since I didn't grow up reading the book?

[Spun Lepton]

Should I read the book before I see the movie?

Yes, it'll take you all of 15 minutes.

Also, if that's the ending Jonze actually filmed, I'll be very pissed off.

[Mysterious Dude]

Should I read the book before I see the movie?
Couldn't hurt. It's ten sentences long.

[Spun Lepton]

Couldn't hurt. It's ten sentences long.

Oooh, TEN sentences? In that case, Meg, it may take you 20 minutes to read.

(*runs away laughing*)

[Sycophant]

Whenever anyone on this forum says they *run away* or whatever, I imagine them all literally running away, as fast as they can. And I imagine that they've all got goofy-ass runs.

[Spun Lepton]

Whenever anyone on this forum says they *run away* or whatever, I imagine them all literally running away, as fast as they can. And I imagine that they've all got goofy-ass runs.

Excellent. My run is especially goofy. Think Ministry of Silly Walks, but faster.

[Grouchy]

Excellent. My run is especially goofy. Think Ministry of Silly Walks, but faster.
Set to Benny Hill music.

[Dukefrukem]

Whenever anyone on this forum says they *run away* or whatever, I imagine them all literally running away, as fast as they can. And I imagine that they've all got goofy-ass runs.

Esp the way Spun posted it... I agree with this.

[MadMan]

The fan art Amnesiac posted flat out rocks, with some of them being completely glorious.

[number8]

I'm calling it. At the end of the year, I see this as my #1.

I haven't been this moved by a movie in a while (yep, not even by The Road this morning). It's not just emotional on an existential, human level like most movies that make me cry, but it digs really really deep into childhood memories and emotions. It was expressive, haunting, beautiful and deeply resonant. This is Spike Jonze's best, most personal movie to date.

And yes, for the record, I was a mess many times throughout the film.

[B-side]

I'm calling it. At the end of the year, I see this as my #1.

I haven't been this moved by a movie in a while (yep, not even by The Road this morning). It's not just emotional on an existential, human level like most movies that make me cry, but it digs really really deep into childhood memories and emotions. It was expressive, haunting, beautiful and deeply resonant. This is Spike Jonze's best, most personal movie to date.

And yes, for the record, I was a mess many times throughout the film.

Damn. Nice. What do you make of the bigger criticisms being tossed about?

[MadMan]

I'd say at this point I trust number8's opinion, so my expecations for this movie are even higher than before.

[number8]

Damn. Nice. What do you make of the bigger criticisms being tossed about?

Sorry, what are those? I'm not that surprised that it's divisive. The publicist told me that they had a lot of walkouts from kids at a previous screening. It really doesn't try to cater to kids at all. It's kind of astonishing that WB let Jonze make a $100 mil art movie.

[Ezee E]

8's thoughts are the first I've seen of this movie. No idea what critics are thinking of it so far.

[B-side]

Sorry, what are those? I'm not that surprised that it's divisive. The publicist told me that they had a lot of walkouts from kids at a previous screening. It really doesn't try to cater to kids at all. It's kind of astonishing that WB let Jonze make a $100 mil art movie.

"The first half hour of Spike Jonze's stunningly emotional adaptation of the Maurice Sendak classic is as fine a cinematic portrayal of childhood as you are likely to see. Too bad there's another hour to the movie."

"Director Spike Jonze's sharp instincts and vibrant visual style can't quite compensate for the lack of narrative eventfulness that increasingly bogs down this bright-minded picture."

"All of the beautifully executed moments of love or anger or joy never come together as any kind of whole."

[Saya]

Can't wait for this film. I've been listening to the soundtrack a lot last couple days and it is amazing. It's very moving.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I know both A.O. Scott and Todd Philips LOVED the film, both saying it was easily the best film they'd seen this year.

[Watashi]

Armond White loves it. He calls it the best family film since Popeye. (http://www.nypress.com/article-20471-kids-stuff.html)


So... Sven.... a lock for best of 2009?

[eternity]

Armond White loves it. He calls it the best family film since Popeye. (http://www.nypress.com/article-20471-kids-stuff.html)


So... Sven.... a lock for best of 2009?Does Armond realize who wrote the script?

[number8]

There's not any narrative.

The bulk of the movie is Max playing with the Wild Things, building things, running around, talking about their feelings. It's an internal, relationship-based, angst-dealing film, not an adventure.

[number8]

Something I wrote up.
(http://www.justpressplay.net/movies/movie-news/6039-all-the-wild-things-of-qwild-thingsq.html)

[ledfloyd]

"The first half hour of Spike Jonze's stunningly emotional adaptation of the Maurice Sendak classic is as fine a cinematic portrayal of childhood as you are likely to see. Too bad there's another hour to the movie."
david edelstein's review more or less said the opposite. the beginning was clunky, after that it was transcendent.

i can't wait to see it, might have to wait til monday though.

[Ivan Drago]

If there's no narrative, there at least better be some conflict. I really hate movies that are 2 hours of nothing but happy.

[Sycophant]

I hope there's a subplot with goofy criminals!! :) :) :)

[eternity]

Sorry, what are those? I'm not that surprised that it's divisive. The publicist told me that they had a lot of walkouts from kids at a previous screening. It really doesn't try to cater to kids at all. It's kind of astonishing that WB let Jonze make a $100 mil art movie.
This is the studio that gave the Wachowski's $150 mil to make an art movie. A $150 mil art movie that had a very small niche audience to start with.

[Silencio]

If there's no narrative, there at least better be some conflict. I really hate movies that are 2 hours of nothing but happy.Happy? Have you seen the trailers for this thing?

[Watashi]

So my theater is having a midnight show of The Stepfather tonight, but not this. What the hell?

[ledfloyd]

glenn kenny more or less panned it. criticizing it for being anti-feminist and too eggersish. i hope he's misreading/overreacting to it.

[[ETM]]

Haven't seen the film, but this negative review by James Verniere is really... stupid:
http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/movies/reviews/view/20091016where_the_wild_things_ are/srvc=home&position=also

So... it's "in essence another American independent film about a dysfunctional family", and it's main problem is that it isn't Wizard of Oz, Coraline, or something from the books by H.C.Andersen, the brothers Grimm or Lewis Carroll?

[Ezee E]

Midnight showings in Colorado of this, but not The Stepfather.

[number8]

And here's my 10/10 review.
(http://www.justpressplay.net/movie-reviews/40-reviews/6043-where-the-wild-things-are.html)

[Watashi]

Beautiful film.

I loved the voicework so much especially Gandolfini's and Dano's.

[Sycophant]

Seeing this in 4.5 hours. Stoked. So stoked.

[Ivan Drago]

2.5 hours until I see it. Can't wait.

[Sycophant]

May it be filled with conflict and charming and likeable characters and satisfying plot resolutions, Ivan! :pritch:

[Sxottlan]

I liked this, but there's something about it keeping me at a bit of a distance. Still trying to figure it out.

[Ivan Drago]

I liked this, but there's something about it keeping me at a bit of a distance. Still trying to figure it out.

Same here. Worth seeing a 2nd time though.

[Derek]

May it be filled with conflict and charming and likeable characters and satisfying plot resolutions, Ivan! :pritch:

Now that's using your head.

http://argentina.usembassy.gov/uploads/fN/SZ/fNSZYY0R763wUAOIf-WePA/mckee.jpg

[EyesWideOpen]

I've never seen more walkouts then I did during this film, there were at least 20 families that left all around the same time about halfway in.

[Derek]

I've never seen more walkouts then I did during this film, there were at least 20 families that left all around the same time about halfway in.

Awesome, I can't wait! Seeing a late show tomorrow.

[number8]

I've never seen more walkouts then I did during this film, there were at least 20 families that left all around the same time about halfway in.

Sadly, this is what the publicist told me happened at the screening the night before mine. She even said that they asked kids their thoughts and they couldn't find one that liked it.

[Philosophe_rouge]

I saw it in a fairly packed crowd this afternoon, a few families, but not a single walkout as far as I could tell.

[Philosophe_rouge]

Also, a young kid was sitting right behind me (he was maybe 3 or 4) he seemed pretty involved in the film, maybe a bit too vocal for my liking... though I frankly don't mind all that much when it's a children's film. He was consistently interested and questioning the happenings going on in the film and wasn't scared as far as I could tell. He understand that Max was very angry and sad, and I think that upset him a bit, but he liked the Wild Things and walked out of the film fairly happy as far as I could tell.

[number8]

Thank you.

[Watashi]

Wow. My second viewing was so weird. My theaters was full of hipsters. They would not shit up and laughed at every fucking thing. EVERY FUCKING THING. Even the emotional scenes.

I rather have a group of fidgity kids.

[Spaceman Spiff]

Wow. My second viewing was so weird. My theaters was full of hipsters. They would not shit up and laughed at every fucking thing. EVERY FUCKING THING. Even the emotional scenes.

I rather have a group of fidgity kids.

Pretty much exactly my experience as well. Fuckin' Toronto.

Good movie though.

[Spun Lepton]

Wow. My second viewing was so weird. My theaters was full of hipsters. They would not shit up and laughed at every fucking thing. EVERY FUCKING THING. Even the emotional scenes.

I rather have a group of fidgity kids.

This is why I don't like seeing movies on the opening weekend. All the douchebags go on the opening weekend.

[Raiders]

Family emergency while we're in line ready to enter the theater last night. Will have to wait until next weekend now.

:sad:

[Ivan Drago]

Wow. My second viewing was so weird. My theaters was full of hipsters. They would not shit up and laughed at every fucking thing. EVERY FUCKING THING. Even the emotional scenes.

Here we go again....

[Sycophant]

Here we go again....

Speak for yourself!!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oKTiwCez6Zs

Yeah!

[Watashi]

What did you think of it, syco?

[Sycophant]

I thought it was one of the most beautiful, achingly potent, greatest films I have seen in a long time.

[Pop Trash]

This is definitely something special.

[chrisnu]

Fantastic. The best movie I've seen all year, period. Need to see this again as soon as possible.

[Wryan]

I loved it. My room was mostly empty except for a few, and one kid laughed weirdly a few times and caused other people to laugh at emotional moments.

But really, this is a great movie. Amazing design and cgi and voicework and photography and set design and music and writing and acting and directing...holy shit, I didn't expect to keep typing that sentence, but it illustrates the point.

Max Records, you have something to be proud of. Gandolfini earned this. God there was some stuff in here that tore me up.

The secret room and the rock war. Gogo Catherine O'Hara/Keener. Rock war wound. Hiding in momma's stomach (!) while she and almost-abusive dad Carol (who is also an angry avatar of Max's) have a fight. Gah!

Elemental stuff, by turns tender and terrifying. This just floored me, more upon reflection than upon impact, but I want to see it again posthaste. I wanna see It Might Get Loud this week too, though.

[Wryan]

Oh and this movie isn't for kids. It's for those who were kids. And for those who know kids. And for those who don't understand kids.

[[ETM]]

Wow. Haven't seen the film yet but I'm intrigued by the negative reviews by "top critics"... many gems to be found in there. I particularly like this one from the New York Post:


I really wonder how kids will respond to a talky, neurosis-driven movie that’s this light on action.

That would seem to leave an ideal audience of Williamsburg hipsters trying to get in touch with their inner childhoods.

Maybe they will like the insipid indie-rock soundtrack.

Really? Really?!:confused:

[number8]

Is that by Lou Lumenick? Because he's a giant idiot who's more fit to review stool samples.

[[ETM]]

Is that by Lou Lumenick? Because he's a giant idiot who's more fit to review stool samples.

Yes. I guessed as much from the review.

[number8]

In addition to his terrible reviews, you might also know Lumenick as the asshole who hit Roger Ebert at a screening back when he couldn't talk for tapping him in the shoulder.

[number8]

Back when he couldn't talk? Can he talk now?

Kind of. He uses a computer voice like Hawking.

[[ETM]]

In addition to his terrible reviews, you might also know Lumenick as the asshole who hit Roger Ebert at a screening back when he couldn't talk for tapping him in the shoulder.

I see he also managed to piss off his professor, James Toback. I loved this quote from Toback:


"Every one of his papers was terrible. So I gave him a D, as in dog," the director said. "Now, to get revenge, since then he goes after me with a horrible review every time one of my movies comes out."

Toback added: "I should have given him an F and advised him right then and there to just become a kosher hot-sauce vendor on Convent Ave. in the Bronx."

[Henry Gale]

This movie is completely stunning.

Can't really think of too much to say that hasn't already been said here, and anything else I feel is just floating around in my head amongst extremely positive but emotionally overwhelmed thoughts. It's hard to think of where I'd start in terms of specific points of dissection.

But I do plan on watching it many more times for as long as I can imagine myself being even half as in awe of it as I am now, because in an extremely great year for film it's quite easily my new #1. It's a completely gorgeous and elegantly surreal film that allows you to live in it and love it for its entire running time.

[Qrazy]

I liked it quite a bit, didn't love it. I would have preferred if the soundtrack didn't have as many vocals. I went to see it with a bunch of people. Half of them hated, half liked. This made me sad.

[B-side]

So it seems EyesWideOpen and I are the only ones who weren't terribly thrilled with this. I know Derek didn't adore it, but he's more fond of it than I am.

[Qrazy]

So it seems EyesWideOpen and I are the only ones who weren't terribly thrilled with this. I know Derek didn't adore it, but he's more fond of it than I am.

Your rating says you liked it quite a bit.

[EyesWideOpen]

So it seems EyesWideOpen and I are the only ones who weren't terribly thrilled with this. I know Derek didn't adore it, but he's more fond of it than I am.

Me and my wife both didn't care for it and we were both highly anticipating it.
It's hard to describe why I didn't like it either, I don't think it's a bad movie at all it just didn't connect with me. I loved the monster designs but didn't like the characterizations of the monsters.

[Watashi]

Derek loved it.

[B-side]

Your rating says you liked it quite a bit.

I liked it enough, yes, but you won't hear any enthusiasm from me about it. It's a mixed bag.


Me and my wife both didn't care for it and we were both highly anticipating it. It's hard to describe why I didn't like it either, I don't think it's a bad movie at all it just didn't connect with me. I loved the monster designs but didn't like the characterizations of the monsters.

I'm with you. It's hard to articulate what about it didn't work, but it just... didn't. I will, however, praise the matching of theme with style, namely the bestial feel of the film. Max very much felt like an animal, further relating him to Carol, and to a lesser extent the other Wild Things. The interactions felt very much motivated by base emotional responses.

[number8]

That's what I loved most about it. Max's time with the Wild Things isn't an adventure, but a psychotherapy session.

[B-side]

That's what I loved most about it. Max's time with the Wild Things isn't an adventure, but a psychotherapy session.

I guess I can see that. One thing I can point out that I didn't particularly care for was how the film stopped dead in its tracks to choke the sentiment out of every emotional moment. The indifferent sister opting for her friends instead of consoling her brother was an early example. Some of the moments with the Wild Things were equally as flat and contrived.

[EyesWideOpen]

That's what I loved most about it. Max's time with the Wild Things isn't an adventure, but a psychotherapy session.

I guess that sums up my disconnect with it, I wanted Max's time with the Wild Things to be an adventure and not One Flew Over The Cuckoo's Nest.

[Qrazy]

I liked most of the stuff with the wild things. The imagery, the world building and the dynamic of the group was great, but I found the film's bookends and therefore the context for the imaginative narrative to be fairly rote and cliche. Jonze did his best to inject a sense of specificity into those scenes, but it's just been done so many times before.

[B-side]

I liked most of the stuff with the wild things. The imagery, the world building and the dynamic of the group was great, but I found the film's bookends and therefore the context for the imaginative narrative to be fairly rote and cliche. Jonze did his best to inject a sense of specificity into those scenes, but it's just been done so many times before.

Yup. The bookends were definitely low points.

[ledfloyd]

my problem with the film is how it is more or less a cover of 'everybody hurts'. i did find it very enchanting though. i loved running through the woods, building a fort, and having a dirt clod war. the bookends were perhaps a bit blah, but i did love the igloo scene. the shot, you know which one i'm talking about, devastating. it's a very very good film. maybe even great, but it's lacking something to take it to that otherworldy level, and it was so close to getting there.

[Duncan]

I was a little mixed. Still collecting thoughts. Kind of reminded me of The Spirit of the Beehive except not nearly as good.

[Mysterious Dude]

This is the first movie I've seen based on a picture book where what was added to a very short story didn't seem frivolous. (Didn't you always want to know about the Grinch's troubled childhood?) Everything felt very organic, but it's not Maurice Sendak's story. It's all Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers. I think they realize that childhood is an endless series of humiliations.

The book doesn't really have much of a moral, but I think Max does learn a few lessons in the film, particularly that the land of the wild things is really not that different from the real world - he has friends and enemies. He can still be hurt and he can still hurt others.

I also like Jonze's approach to fantasy. I wonder if he was influenced by Miyazaki in the way Max's journey to the fantasy world was never explained. One thing I missed from the book, though, was the part where trees grow in Max's room and it turns into a forest.

[Qrazy]

This is the first movie I've seen based on a picture book where what was added to a very short story didn't seem frivolous. (Didn't you always want to know about the Grinch's troubled childhood?) Everything felt very organic, but it's not Maurice Sendak's story. It's all Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers. I think they realize that childhood is an endless series of humiliations.

The book doesn't really have much of a moral, but I think Max does learn a few lessons in the film, particularly that the land of the wild things is really not that different from the real world - he has friends and enemies. He can still be hurt and he can still hurt others.

I also like Jonze's approach to fantasy. I wonder if he was influenced by Miyazaki in the way Max's journey to the fantasy world was never explained. One thing I missed from the book, though, was the part where trees grow in Max's room and it turns into a forest.

Yeah I didn't really find the transition to fantasy all that fluid... there's no traveling through a rabbithole or a tornado into another land, etc. All that's here is a couple of close-up dissolves and then finding the boat near the sea. I agree that it shouldn't have been explained, but I felt the transition could have been more fluid via the growth of the trees in his room or running away from home and falling somewhere or perhaps he could have been actually living by an ocean and that part was real and only finding the island was the fantasy. Going out in a boat alone would also cement his mother's worry for him.

Also I agree with you about the bolded bit. Not many films about childhood focus upon the dynamics between kids (I interpret the wild things as just big kids essentially) in relation to playing favorites, hurt feelings, etc. Other coming of age films perhaps touch upon these things, but they don't focus on them.

[MadMan]

I just saw this today, and I am still digesting my thoughts. Needless to say it lived up to expecations, but I realize now that going in the fact that the movie so expertly tackled childhood in an honest, unfliniching manner. As much as it seems to be a kids movie to a degree, the maturity level of the movie suggests that those teenage and up were not only assured of getting the movie's themes better, but also because this is not really a kids movie. That much I did gleem from the trailer and the reviews, yes, but I really had to see it for myself.

[Dillard]

I'm trying to get a read on why this didn't work for me. How do you guys see the neurotic and dysfunctional Wild Things fitting into nine-year-old Max's imagination? And why is it that Max envisions these particularly conflicted Wild Things when he wants to escape? In the book, he has the wild rumpus with the Wild Things eager to join in - things are much, much simpler. It's a positive, escapist portrayal that makes sense for a kid who just wants to get away from the confusion of being a kid in the real world. I have a harder time seeing Jonze's Wild Things coming organically from a nine-year-old's head when he's trying to escape from the conflicts represented by the Wild Things' relationships to each other. It would only make sense to me if this is a dream that is outside of Max's control; if he's fallen asleep, for example.

But, someone explain it to me, I'd love to hear why it works for you.

[Ezee E]

I'm trying to get a read on why this didn't work for me. How do you guys see the neurotic and dysfunctional Wild Things fitting into nine-year-old Max's imagination? And why is it that Max envisions these particularly conflicted Wild Things when he wants to escape? In the book, he has the wild rumpus with the Wild Things eager to join in - things are much, much simpler. It's a positive, escapist portrayal that makes sense for a kid who just wants to get away from the confusion of being a kid in the real world. I have a harder time seeing Jonze's Wild Things coming organically from a nine-year-old's head when he's trying to escape from the conflicts represented by the Wild Things' relationships to each other. It would only make sense to me if this is a dream that is outside of Max's control; if he's fallen asleep, for example.

But, someone explain it to me, I'd love to hear why it works for you.
I like this. My date said, "That kid is going to kill himself in five years with that type of fantasyworld."

Can't say I disagree.

Liked the music a lot though.

[Dillard]

I like this. My date said, "That kid is going to kill himself in five years with that type of fantasyworld."

Can't say I disagree.

Liked the music a lot though.Haha. Yeah, sad but true. And I agree that the music was fantastic. Whenever I did pay attention to the music (and it's a good thing that it complemented the world so well that I wasn't always aware of it), it hit the tone Jonze was going for almost exactly.

[MadMan]

Not sure if anyone else in the thread has said this already, but to me the monsters represent Max's feelings and responses to his parents' divorce. Which, when you think about it, would explain a great deal of the pain, frustration, and anger him and the monsters both shared. Max's attempts to try and build a "Perfect world where only the things you want to happen, happen" only to see it fall apart and fail is simply a manifestation of his desire to rebuild the broken home he currently has. Which is why I like the ending quite a bit: sure the movie probably should have closed on him leaving the Wild Things, but the scene with his mom where they both stare at each, having fashioned a sort of temporary peace, is quite loving and tender. Its almost beautiful, really.

[Dillard]

That's an interesting perspective, but where it doesn't work for me is expressed by ReverseShot's Benjamin Mercer in his review (http://reverseshot.com/article/where_wild_things_are):


The sadness of the wild things—various in their appearance but uniformly beleaguered—becomes most problematic not in and of itself, or as the most obvious of Jonze and Eggers’s infidelities to the text, but when considering the melancholy’s ultimate source. The grounded real-world prologue of the film establishes its young protagonist, Max (Max Records), as a devoted fabulist, at nine old enough to express and explore his emotions in his imaginative stories. Max’s mother (Catherine Keener) requests a yarn from him so she can for a moment forget her own frustrations; Max, feeling generally starved for attention, tells a downbeat story about a vampire’s exiling from his community after the loss of his teeth. There is little doubt, then, about where the wild things really are (his imagination). The depressive fantasy that takes up most of the film feels like the creation of a resolutely disappointed adult, though, not an energetic little boy, and the film’s consistent kid’s-eye-view aesthetic only calls further attention to this fundamental dissonance. That the shadowy and complex, but nonetheless coherent, emotional lives of the wild things spring from the imagination of this tantrum-prone child remains unconvincing throughout.

It just doesn't make sense that these particular expressive, neurotic, and adult-like Wild Things would spring from the boy's imagination.

[Henry Gale]

But to both the world of the film and to Max as a character, isn't there little difference between what he had experienced being real or imagined? In the end I take what we see in the film as showing us that everything he learned from the land of the Wild Things was everything he would ever have to face and accept about his own life at that point or down the road. Whether or now what we see lasted over the course of one night, one month, or for thirty seconds in his head as he ran in the street, all that doesn't really matter so much as that there was enough of a realization and experience for him in enough of a way that he learned from it, even if it was his own mind or something outside of him.

It's like when I was a kid and I watched The Wizard of Oz, I obviously never thought that maybe Dorothy had fallen asleep and subconsciously created that world. Because to her, and to me as a young viewer, it was real. Even if it didn't resemble anything she had ever seen or dreamed of in Kansas, she saw it, related to it, learned from it and felt it in such a way that as a movie, it's emphasizes possibly the greatest experience of her otherwise simple, run-of-the-mill life.

[Dillard]

These are good points to consider, HenryGale, but I'm not sure you're addressing my main point. Yes, Max experiences the world of the Wild Things as real, but we understand them not to be real. They are figments of Max's imagination, and the point of contention is that they are not believable as coming from Max's brain, whether or not Max is consciously conjuring them up.

[Henry Gale]

True, but I guess what I mean to say is that I personally don't want to overly rationalize it when in the end it's fantasy. If it were truly something akin to what may bounce around in a 9-year-old's head, then we'd get something far less powerful and layered.

So as it is, I almost want to say it works better if we were told it was Max as a slightly older kid or even an adult looking back on a time he struggled to make sense of what he was feeling towards everything and everyone he loved, and how in retrospect he whimsically sees that point in which he closed that chapter of his adolescence and himself.

[Dillard]

Ah, ok, I see what you're saying. And it works since we're not really given any transition into the Wild Things world and so it's open to interpretation.

I would have preferred if we would have gotten the nine-year-old's imagination, as it would've been more fun. The Wild Things and their world might be more layered emotionally as depicted, but unfortunately, I also found these characters hard to listen to and "be around." The Wild Things world tilts towards chaos and negativity, and I didn't really enjoy the experience of it.

[MadMan]

True, but I guess what I mean to say is that I personally don't want to overly rationalize it when in the end it's fantasy. If it were truly something akin to what may bounce around in a 9-year-old's head, then we'd get something far less powerful and layered.

So as it is, I almost want to say it works better if we were told it was Max as a slightly older kid or even an adult looking back on a time he struggled to make sense of what he was feeling towards everything and everyone he loved, and how in retrospect he whimsically sees that point in which he closed that chapter of his adolescence and himself.This entire reading actually makes far more sense than what I previously thought. Especially considering that much of what the Wild Things were going through also struck me as more teenage/older feelings. Still, some of what happened also corresponds to childhood, so therefore this being Max looking back at his childhood would make the most sense.
Regardless, I also admire this movie for fashioning a great movie out of what is really a rather short book. And while I recognized Chris Cooper, I was surprised at who else was listed as being in the movie, as some of the voices didn't sound familiar, aside from Carol and Douglas.

[Qrazy]

I found the psychologies, dynamics, emotions and speech patterns of the Wild Things perfectly child like. However, they are of course not children themselves. They are shadows (but not direct correlates) of his real life associations as well as reflections of elements of his psyche (although only loosely as they are also genuine characters, not mere archetypes). Carol is more or less a stand in for Max, or at least his wild side, his anger. KW is his sister. However, the relationship between Carol and KW is also a reflection on Max's mother. The Bull is his shyness and sadness. Alexander is his sense of insignificance and loneliness. Douglas, Judith and Ira fit less specifically into this schematization but they broadly function as reflections on friendship, love and jealousy.

[Sven]

Never has a film been so undone by its score. Should've dropped Karen and beefed up the Burwell. Eggers's screenplay is obvious and plodding, but the performances and direction and design are all sterling. It's pretty good, but I think I would've preferred a short film adaptation. The way that it literalizes what is suggested so well in the book is tacky.

[Mysterious Dude]

I love the music. It was the only time this year that I left the theater intending to nominate the score for a Matchie.

[Derek]

Should've dropped Karen and beefed up the Burwell.

No, they really shouldn't have.

[Ezee E]

The score is my favorite thing about the movie.

[Bosco B Thug]

My opinions: score was meh. Bookends were meh. Now the stuff on the island was really good, and I mean the screenplay and the allegorical angles they were creating with the Monster's little society and group dynamic. Now, I was underwhelmed by Jonze's work, I'd say. I don't know, it was solid. The island stuff. The directing of the bookends often felt really rote. And that transitional ship voyage to the island was a real, indistinct sludge of a trudge.

[BuffaloWilder]

rote

I'm beginning to hate this word.

[Mysterious Dude]

And that transitional ship voyage to the island was a real, indistinct sludge of a trudge.

I wish they had kept the sea monster.

http://i42.tinypic.com/2612etg.jpg

[Qrazy]

Yeah both the forest in the room and the sea monster would have been great additions.

[Kurosawa Fan]

I forgot to post my thoughts on this film, and don't really have time now, but I wanted to mention that I took my 8-year-old and 4-year-old to see it with me. Both liked it, but surprisingly my 4-year-old, who only talked once during the entire film, bawled his eyes out at the end. He was crying for ten minutes after the credits rolled.

[number8]

:sad:

[Kurosawa Fan]

:sad:

I know. My wife was crying right along with him, but for her it had little to do with the film, which she liked, and more because of his tears. He just kept saying, "Carol didn't get to give Max a hug" between his sobs. It really affected him. He was still talking about it when we were putting him to bed that night.

[MadMan]

Wow. I was actually wondering how the movie affected kids, especially since I went to a screening where none were present. My sister, who's 10, thought the monsters looked too freaky and thus had no interest.

[Wryan]

Well, I teared up quite a bit too.

[[ETM]]

Wow. It exceeded all my expectations. I think this is one of those films you can't explain to people that don't "get" it - they can understand it rationally but if there's no feeling, it's hopeless. I like how Qrazy described the elements of Max's psyche and experience that the Wild Things embody, although I'd venture deeper into it myself. I'll throw this out there - Douglas is Carol's "imaginary" friend.

[megladon8]

OK I have to know - is there some kind of character change/redemption for Max throughout the film?

Because last night I watched to the point where he sails away, and I have to say, I fucking hate that little brat.

[number8]

No. That's the whole point.

[balmakboor]

This is one of those that I plan to watch again on DVD. In the theater, I was totally bored and found the whole thing loud, ugly, obnoxious, and pointless. With so many fans, it can't really be all of those things. Or is it?

[Watashi]

This film has lots of fans? Maybe with critics...

The general public absolutely loathe this movie. It's really unbelievable the hatred this movie gets when talking about it with general audiences.

[balmakboor]

This film has lots of fans? Maybe with critics...

The general public absolutely loathe this movie. It's really unbelievable the hatred this movie gets when talking about it with general audiences.

I guess I meant fans around here. As you say, I don't know anyone in the real world who liked it. My wife wanted to leave about halfway through, but I said I had to stay because I needed to write a review.

[Pop Trash]

This film has lots of fans? Maybe with critics...

The general public absolutely loathe this movie. It's really unbelievable the hatred this movie gets when talking about it with general audiences.

I've known several people who loved it; my parents being two of them. I had a half hour long discussion with my mom re: who or what emotion each Wild Thing represents.

[Sycophant]

Seemingly almost everyone I know IRL likes to loves this movie.

[[ETM]]

This is one of those that I plan to watch again on DVD. In the theater, I was totally bored and found the whole thing loud, ugly, obnoxious, and pointless. With so many fans, it can't really be all of those things. Or is it?

Let's see... I wasn't bored, but that's highly subjective. It was loud, but how could it not be? Ugly... check your eyes, or aesthetic values. Obnoxious... er, no. Pointless? Least of all. I kept thinking about it for days, and it resonated with me. So yeah. I think it boils down to one's experiences as a child, and how far away from them you are.

[Watashi]

Working at a movie theater really helps you grasp a better outlook on the public's tastes. Where the Wild Things Are had tons of walkouts from parents who thought it would be a fun action/adventure kids movie and not some "depressing movie with no plot". Sometimes you can learn a lot just by waiting outside when a movie exits and just listen. It's sometimes hilarious and frightening.

[Pop Trash]

Working at a movie theater really helps you grasp a better outlook on the public's tastes. Where the Wild Things Are had tons of walkouts from parents who thought it would be a fun action/adventure kids movie and not some "depressing movie with no plot". Sometimes you can learn a lot just by waiting outside when a movie exits and just listen. It's sometimes hilarious and frightening.

The Blind Side dude...The Blind Side.

[Mysterious Dude]

I have decided that my favorite moment is when Max and Judith try to out-laugh each other.

[Wryan]

A lot of people are stupid.

No use in doing a Mexican hat dance around that.

[Adam]

OK I have to know - is there some kind of character change/redemption for Max throughout the film?

Because last night I watched to the point where he sails away, and I have to say, I fucking hate that little brat.

He's just a kid, though

But yes, when the situation on the island starts falling apart, the idea is he finally sees things from his mother's perspective and feels guilty

[[ETM]]

But yes, when the situation on the island starts falling apart, the idea is he finally sees things from his mother's perspective and feels guilty

One of the things I liked the most is how his mother is represented in the traits and actions of several of the Wild Things, and is not a straight forward metaphor. He comes to grips with what they're about and thus relate to his mother's actions better, even if it's on some subconscious level of an angry and confused child.

[megladon8]

He's just a kid, though


A kid who needs a good beating.

Seriously, "he's young" or "he's lonely" are not excuses for his behaviour. He's a little shit disturber. The standing on the counter and stomping, yelling "feed me woman!", followed by running amok through the house then BITING HIS MOTHER were inexcusable. He was being a little brat.

That's not "boys will be boys" stuff. Neither me or my brother ever did crap like that.

[Derek]

A kid who needs a good beating.

Seriously, "he's young" or "he's lonely" are not excuses for his behaviour. He's a little shit disturber. The standing on the counter and stomping, yelling "feed me woman!", followed by running amok through the house then BITING HIS MOTHER were inexcusable. He was being a little brat.

That's not "boys will be boys" stuff. Neither me or my brother ever did crap like that.

This is true. I don't think the film ever tries to suggest his behavior is acceptable.

[megladon8]

This is true. I don't think the film ever tries to suggest his behavior is acceptable.


This is what I was wondering.

I had to turn the movie off last night because I really needed to get to sleep, but I just felt that if there's no change in his character or redemption of some kind, I'm going to have a hard time feeling that anything good that happens to him is justified.

[[ETM]]

A kid who needs a good beating.


I'm going to have a hard time feeling that anything good that happens to him is justified.

:confused:

[megladon8]

;247380']:confused:


What?

Little demon children deserve nice things happening to them?

[[ETM]]

What?

Little demon children deserve nice things happening to them?

Have you ever even been around small children?

[balmakboor]

;247389']Have you ever even been around small children?

Yeah. I raised two of them. I've coached plenty in soccer.

Keep in mind that I want to like this movie and plan to give it another shot. But I didn't find much of value -- such as insight into childhood -- the first go around.

[megladon8]

;247389']Have you ever even been around small children?


Yes.

None that acted like that.

And he's not a small child. He's supposed to be 9. That's old enough to be out of that kind of behaviour.

[[ETM]]

Well, yeah, so let's just beat his ass up and hope that he learns the "lesson".

[megladon8]

;247395']Well, yeah, so let's just beat his ass up and hope that he learns the "lesson".


You obviously couldn't detect the sarcasm in my statement that he deserves a beating.

I didn't think it was that hard to decipher the fact that I don't seriously think he needs to be beaten. ;)

[number8]

That was my favorite thing about this movie. It didn't excuse his behavior, but it didn't teach him a valuable Disney lesson, either. After all, Max's problems at home are insolvable (sister growing up, mom starting a romance). Rather than have Max learn that being a "wild thing" is harmful, the movie encourages it, but contrasts him with other "wild things" that affects him, so he can see both the taking and the giving. It's a much more mature story than any lesson in manners could hope to achieve.

[Derek]

And he's not a small child. He's supposed to be 9. That's old enough to be out of that kind of behaviour.

Do you have a similar problem with films that depict criminal behavior? Maybe I just don't understand the complaint, but I don't know why whether or not his behavior is "acceptable" would bother you if the film never justifies it.

[Henry Gale]

That was my favorite thing about this movie. It didn't excuse his behavior, but it didn't teach him a valuable Disney lesson, either. After all, Max's problems at home are insolvable (sister growing up, mom starting a romance). Rather than have Max learn that being a "wild thing" is harmful, the movie encourages it, but contrasts him with other "wild things" that affects him, so he can see both the taking and the giving. It's a much more mature story than any lesson in manners could hope to achieve.

Perfectly put. I've also had a couple of friends say they turned it off early on because they "couldn't stand the kid", and all I could tell them was that they may have to be in the right mood for the movie and that by the end they would at least understand Max even if they didn't necessarily come around to liking him.


Also, has anyone watched the Higglety Pigglety Pop! short on the disc for the movie? It's pretty awesome.

Aside from it having people like Meryl Streep and Forest Whitaker in it (which the sticker on the package told me), I didn't know a thing about it. Then the opening title showed the National Film Board of Canada logo and everything that follwed took me back to when I would see those NFB shorts in school or on TV as time-fillers back in the day that would leave me completely mesmerized and often more satisified than the shows between it. Higglety Pigglety Pop! as another adaptation of a Sendak story is way more out there and dark-edged than even Jonze's feature and plays like a great music video him or Gondry would make... but by pulling together elements from several Jim Henson's Storyteller episodes into one.

[megladon8]

Do you have a similar problem with films that depict criminal behavior? Maybe I just don't understand the complaint, but I don't know why whether or not his behavior is "acceptable" would bother you if the film never justifies it.


It's more the overall character than the behaviour.

There has been an argument on MatchCut many times regarding whether or not it is a legitimate criticism of a film - "I didn't like the character(s)". I still feel that it is, and I'll explain.

Even with films detailing the most hardened criminals, psychotic killers or misogynist assholes, the characters have something there that attracts us to them. I'll use the example of American Psycho - Patrick Bateman is in absolutely no way, no stretch of the imagination, a good, likable person. He is a sexist, misogynist, racist, psychotic, arrogant, yuppie, rapist murdering asshole. However, as he is depicted in the film, he is charismatic, and the tone of the film lends him a certain humor. Yes, he's raping and murdering women...but the movie makes it, well, dare I say, darkly hilarious when looking at how incredibly ignorant everyone around him is of his obvious mental instability.

Hannibal Lector is a similar situation. He's a fucking cannibal. But he's charming, he's seductive, he's almost sexy in a way. He's evil incarnate and there's really nothing about him that, if he was a real person, would make me think "you know what? I actually kind of like this guy" But I enjoy WATCHING him in The Silence of the Lambs, because he has been written in a way that he is interesting and appealing to watch.

I do not like these PEOPLE, but I like the characters. Does that make sense?

With Max, I'm just finding him incredibly unlikable as both a person AND a character. His mom seems like a sweet person. She's a single mother trying to make ends meet by working hard, and trying to find some semblance of a partner for her life - and what could potentially be a father figure to Max. While I understand the fact that Max is young enough that he does not, himself, fully understand the sacrifices that his mom is making just to keep a roof over his head, I still find his behaviour sickening in its selfishness and total disregard for anyone else's thoughts, feelings or lives.

Perhaps I am an exception as I have always erred on the side of being far too empathetic and sensitive, but even at the age of 9, I could never do these things. I would feel terrible. And I would have the foresight to know that I would feel terrible if I did these things. I've never in my life raised a hand (or in Max's case, teeth) to my mother or father. Not even out of fear of punishment, but out of the aforementioned foresight that the guilt would tear me apart.

Bear in mind, as I said earlier, I have yet to finish the film (which I am planning on doing tonight - that is, just starting it from scratch because I hate watching a movie in parts). But seeing him do these things (bite his mother, throw snowballs at his sister's friends for NO REASON then crying when they retaliate) really made me just hate both the character and child that Max is. There is no cathartic sense of humor accompanying these scenes, or any internal logic like "well his mother and sister have been abusive so he's acting out". He's just being a jerk, and I have yet to encounter any reasons to like his character or feel that he has earned happiness.

I'm really hoping that this time tomorrow, I'll be writing about how I was totally wrong and the movie's fantastic :)

[Sven]

Meg, I think you just melted Derek's poor brain.

[megladon8]

Meg, I think you just melted Derek's poor brain.


:lol:

Yeah, I apologize. I just drank a full bottle of wine and am feeling a little buzzed. Got a little carried away in my tangent there.

[Adam]

I don't agree with the idea you have to empathize or relate with the protagonist to enjoy a movie, but I'm even more hung up on your absolute and hilariously over-the-top hatred of Max in this movie. You sound like those bits in Louis CK's standup where he calls his kids assholes and horrible little people, except you're serious. That's fine if you were a perfect child, but this character has a lot of anger and he has his mood swings and whatnot and that's who he is. Most children are at least a little selfish and they blow things out of proportion and have fits; I mean that's just kids, fella

[megladon8]

I don't agree with the idea you have to empathize or relate with the protagonist to enjoy a movie, but I'm even more hung up on your absolute and hilariously over-the-top hatred of Max in this movie. You sound like those bits in Louis CK's standup where he calls his kids assholes and horrible little people, except you're serious. That's fine if you were a perfect child, but this character has a lot of anger and he has his mood swings and whatnot and that's who he is. Most children are at least a little selfish and they blow things out of proportion and have fits; I mean that's just kids, fella


Did I mention I'm a tad drunk?

[Derek]

Meg, I think you just melted Derek's poor brain.

Yeah, it's simply a complaint I cannot wrap my head around. If a film is clearly attempting to present a likable or sympathetic character and fails, that's one thing. But if you simply don't like a character and then whine about how the film didn't create a character that you personally like and then hold it against the film for not doing so, I check out. It's a far too solipsistic approach to art for me.

As for this:


throw snowballs at his sister's friends for NO REASON then crying when they retaliate

I thought it was very clear that he started playfully throwing snowballs at his sisters friends because he wanted live companions as opposed to, ya know, talking to a wooden fence. He was trying to get them involved so they'd play with him and when one jumped on top him, crushed his fort and got him soaking wet with frozen water, he began to cry. Perhaps we have vastly different understandings of the psyche of 9 year olds, but all that seems extremely typical.

[Derek]

:lol:

Yeah, I apologize. I just drank a full bottle of wine and am feeling a little buzzed. Got a little carried away in my tangent there.

Tiz okay, I've heard the character-likability argument many times before. Not that it doesn't hurt my brain every time I come across it... :)

[megladon8]

Tiz okay, I've heard the character-likability argument many times before. Not that it doesn't hurt my brain every time I come across it... :)


Eh, I thought I explained my reasoning pretty solidly...

Maybe I'll come on tomorrow and find a drunken mess of nonsensical stupidness.

[Derek]

Eh, I thought I explained my reasoning pretty solidly...

You did, but it's not a matter of you stating your reasoning but a matter of me completely disagreeing with that reasoning on principle. You could right a book about why you think a character has to be likable and it would simply result in my head exploding.

[balmakboor]

I plucked two paragraphs out of the middle of my review. They express pretty well my initial reaction:

"A bigger sign of trouble though is that the magical world of the wild things is far from magical. Wild Things belongs to the same genre as troubled child fantasies like The Wizard of Oz and The Chronicles of Narnia. But, while those transported their young heroes to lands sprung colorfully from fertile imaginations, Wild Things drops Max in the midst of indistinguishable beasts throwing one long tantrum.

"You know something’s amiss in a fantasy movie when you find yourself longing for the characters to return home, because home had been so much more interesting and evocative. Wild Things is like leaving the wonderful world of Oz behind after 15 minutes to spend the rest of the movie wallowing with the pigs in the dreary land of Kansas."

I think the key problem I had was "indistinguishable beasts." It may turn this thing around if I watch it again and start seeing them as representing various emotions that Max is experiencing.

Btw, nobody has accused me of doing so, but I don't dislike Max. I recognize a certain unruly, troubled sort of kid in him. I just don't identify with him very strongly. I wasn't that sort of kid in spite of having divorced parents and a sister who was little miss perfect. And my own kids were wonderful as kids. They're both making up for lost time now though as teenagers.

[Ezee E]

Yeah, it's not so much about the kid being likable or unlikable as it is him being incredibly annoying and unrealistic in those first twenty minutes or so.

I like the discussion about what he learns in the Wild, but it's not really a film that I want to revisit anytime soon.

[number8]

I'll link my review from October. My feeling hasn't changed.

http://www.justpressplay.net/movie-reviews/40-reviews/6043-where-the-wild-things-are.html

[Rowland]

Eh, this was okay. As far as quasi-Wizard-of-Oz tales are concerned, I'm partial to the same year's Coraline, as well as the underrated Mirrormask. Both are more conventional, but both also feature far lower quotas of Gandolfini-sobbing, just for starters.

[MadMan]

My sister gave me this movie as a birthday present, so I will be revisiting it soon. Then perhaps I can write a proper review.

[Boner M]

Gandolfini-sobbing
Usually I'd cite this as a rather petty beef to have with a film, but boy am I with you on this one.

[Qrazy]

Ahh k, so you guys need your children's films to be more manly. Fair enough.

[megladon8]

Ahh k, so you guys need your children's films to be more manly. Fair enough.


That's ridiculous, dude.

[Boner M]

That's ridiculous, dude.
When Qrazy posts begin with 'Ahh k', it's a sign.

[Raiders]

When Qrazy posts... it's a sign.

Sage wisdom.

[Qrazy]

When Qrazy posts... it's a sign... that a Godly presence has descended in our midst and graced us with his insight.
Sage wisdom.

Agreed.

[number8]

What's wrong with Gandolfini sobbing?

[Wryan]

What's wrong with Gandolfini sobbing?

Because it leads to their own sobbing, and as we've established, "you guys need your children's films to be more manly."

[MadMan]

Um, okay.....I'm not even sure what's being discussed or debated here. So I'm just going to end with "Wild Things=awesome" and leave.

[Rowland]

What's wrong with Gandolfini sobbing?
Nothing inherently wrong, but how its presented here and the sheer extent of his sobtitude had me wincing. That was one sad fucking boy to imagine that shit.

[Sycophant]

<3 Gandolfini-sobbing only slightly more than Rowland coining "sobtitude."

[Henry Gale]

Nothing inherently wrong, but how its presented here and the sheer extent of his sobtitude had me wincing. That was one sad fucking boy to imagine that shit.

I still don't fully understand why it's almost become a criticism that everything in the Wild Things' world could not have realistically stemmed from Max's imagination like that idea is something that works against the story. I take his experiences as something just a step outside of himself that has a lot of his own life on display to relate to, whether it's by coincidence or truly from his own mind in the same way that Dorothy experienced Oz, Alice explores Wonderland, or any other journeys in fantasy fables.

But in the end, whether the events of the film take place in one night as a short dream, as a quick fantasy game he played in a forest, or as a lengthy, self-imposed vision quest of sorts; all that should matter is whether or not it's effective to you as a viewer. It's the sort of film that I can't deconstruct rationally as I watch it because all I want is to let it absorb me and make me feel exactly what I feel it does so well.

[megladon8]

I think it's absolutely ridiculous that this movie wasn't nominated for Best Costume Design, and/or Best Art Direction.

[MadMan]

Nothing inherently wrong, but how its presented here and the sheer extent of his sobtitude had me wincing. That was one sad fucking boy to imagine that shit.Well suffering from his parents' painful divorce is probably enough to do that to him, really.

[Fezzik]

I think it's absolutely ridiculous that this movie wasn't nominated for Best Costume Design, and/or Best Art Direction.

Thank you!

. I usually don't harp on these particular awards, but I can't see how this was overlooked in either category.

Seriously, it just makes me shake my head in disbelief every time I think about it.

[Spinal]

Where the Wild Things Are had tons of walkouts from parents who thought it would be a fun action/adventure kids movie and not some "depressing movie with no plot".

Well, it is kind of a bait-and-switch, isn't it? That reaction is to be expected. But it's also what makes the film a brave undertaking.

[Spinal]

I think it's absolutely ridiculous that this movie wasn't nominated for Best Costume Design, and/or Best Art Direction.

I don't think they're costumes so much as they are puppets. Which is probably why they didn't get nominated for Costume Design.

[Spinal]

Those of you who spoke disparagingly about Karen O's contribution to this film are going on a list. And that list is titled People Who Are Silly.

[Watashi]

Those of you who spoke disparagingly about Karen O's contribution to this film are going on a list. And that list is titled People Who Are Silly.
The Burwell is good too.

I think if you take one out from the other, it doesn't work.

[NickGlass]

I think it's absolutely ridiculous that this movie wasn't nominated for Best Costume Design, and/or Best Art Direction.

I think it's snub in Cinematography is more egregious. Lance Acord just can't catch a break. How could he have been so overlooked for the Sofia Coppola films, too? Poor fellow.

[Mysterious Dude]

I don't think they're costumes so much as they are puppets.
That's what I said (http://www.match-cut.org/showthread.php?p=245290#post24 5290)! But Match-Cut disagreed.

[Qrazy]

That's what I said (http://www.match-cut.org/showthread.php?p=245290#post24 5290)! But Match-Cut disagreed.

Well there are people inside of them walking around... so costumes, no?

[number8]

Yoda was a puppet. R2-D2 a costume.

I hope this clears things up.

(And let's not make CGI jokes.)

[DavidSeven]

Found the film mostly irritating; the melodramatic ending laughably unearned, and the project itself a little self-indulgent. Seems narrowly tailored for an audience of Jonze, Eggers, and 20-somethings who share their perspective. Not much there for anyone else (like the kids who it's marketing toward). Can appreciate that this worked for a sect of people out there, but this wasn't for me.

[Sven]

Found the film mostly irritating; the melodramatic ending laughably unearned, and the project itself a little self-indulgent. Seems narrowly tailored for an audience of Jonze, Eggers, and 20-somethings who share their perspective. Not much there for anyone else (like the kids who it's marketing toward). Can appreciate that this worked for a sect of people out there, but this wasn't for me.

This was largely my response, though I think I liked it more than you did. It very much does not feel universal, the way the book does. I think it already has shown signs of popular decline.

[Derek]

(like the kids who it's marketing toward)

Kids into wordless sequences set to Arcade Fire (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r--oMLtql7Q)?

[[ETM]]

does not feel universal, the way the book does.

Does it? It feels more like "one of those things people seem to talk about a lot" than a genuinely universal piece of work. I know I wouldn't have thought much of it as a child in any way whatsoever.

But the film speaks to me, quite a lot actually.

[number8]

Watched this again last night. It still feels so special. I honestly consider this one of the absolute best movies of the last decade.

[MadMan]

Those of you who spoke disparagingly about Karen O's contribution to this film are going on a list. And that list is titled People Who Are Silly.Who are these people? Cause I've listened to the soundtrack and its really amazing-it was one of my favorite discs from 2010 (yeah it took me a year to track it down).

This thread makes me want to pull out my copy and watch the film again, but it will have to be when I'm in the mood to experience a great but emotional rollercoaster ride.

[EyesWideOpen]

I kind of hated this film but I will never disparage Karen O. She's awesome.