Where the Wild Things Are - in theaters Oct. 16th

[Man Mountain]

The trailers and commercials for this are making me kind of giddy. I'm really looking forward to it.

<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/fDQwLaeyb-I&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/fDQwLaeyb-I&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>

<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/eisFB-FNwqQ&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/eisFB-FNwqQ&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>

<object width="560" height="340"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/H7Cbo7O23ug&hl=en&fs=1&"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/H7Cbo7O23ug&hl=en&fs=1&" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="560" height="340"></embed></object>

 

[Lilithlovesme]

Me too! I can't wait for this one. It looks like they actually brought the story book to life.

 

[Man Mountain]

I haven't seen it yet but apparently the reviews are mostly positive. I'm hoping to catch it this week.

Found the following review of the reviews here:

http://ca.movies.yahoo.com/feature/weekend-roundup-10-16-09.html

Critics Take a Trip to 'Where the Wild Things Are'
by Michael Krumboltz · October 15, 2009

Turning a beloved children's book into a film is not a task to be taken lightly. The discount DVD bin is full of adaptations gone wrong (we're looking at you, "The Cat in the Hat"). Fortunately, if critics are to be believed, the makers of "Where the Wild Things Are" have dodged those problems and are releasing something "profoundly beautiful and affecting."

That's how Entertainment Weekly's Lisa Schwarzbaum sums up her thoughts on the highly anticipated Spike Jonze feature. Ms. Schwarzbaum gives the film an "A" and notes that "whatever the (well-documented) struggles it took to create this gem, the result is worth every monster growl."

EW is hardly the only outlet to shovel on the superlatives. Filmcritic.com, a part of AMC, calls the film "absolutely amazing, as scary and beautiful as being a kid all over again." Awarding the movie 5 out of 5 stars, writer Bill Gibron goes on to state that Spike Jonze's adaptation "is an achievement of true artistic wonder and epic imagination."

Famed film critic Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times was a bit more stingy with the praise, but still awarded the film three out of four stars. Quoth the Pulitzer Prize-winning columnist: "The film will play better for older audiences remembering a much-loved book from childhood, and not as well with kids who have been trained on slam-bam action animation."

Mr. Ebert raises an interesting point: Unlike other adaptations like "Curious George," the makers of "Where the Wild Things Are" didn't go the G-rated route. The film's trailer, for example, features a track from alt-rock heavyweights Arcade Fire. And the official soundtrack is handled, for the most part, by Karen O, lead singer for the equally hip Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Web searches on the film are also dominated by young adults. Less than 7% of the searches are from kids 13 and under.

While the film is garnering mostly positive reviews, not everyone is buying into Spike Jonze's vision. The Hollywood Reporter's Kirk Honeycutt calls the film "uninvolving" and notes that "adults are likely to grow weary of the repetitiveness." Another rough notice came from David Denby of The New Yorker, who complains that the monsters are anything but wild. On the contrary, Denby feels they bicker and seem "defeated."

Among the film's stars, child actor Max Records is getting positive reviews, as is Catherine Keener, who plays his exasperated mom. James Gandolfini, Lauren Ambrose, and Forest Whitaker lent their vocal talents to the "Wild Things." For the creatures, Jonze originally intended for them to be created using only performers in suits. But the mechanics for moving their facial features were too heavy to support, so they were removed and the Wild Things' expressions were enhanced later by digital effects.

Of course, the movie wouldn't exist if not for Maurice Sendak's book. Critics note that the book will continue to stand on its own as an absolute classic, despite the film's likely success.

For more on the creative process that went into translating the book into film, check out this Newsweek interview with Sendak, Jonze, and cowriter Dave Eggers. It wasn't always easy, but the final results look to be well worth the effort. But parents should take note: As one critic puts it, this is a movie about a child, but it's not a children's movie.

 

[bossp1aya]

I just saw it and was really impressed. Not really a kids movie, it would scare younger children in parts. Pretty funny at times, and great special effects on the monsters.

 

[richrad]

This book brings back So Many Memories!!!

I checked it out So Many Times from the Library..hehe

If you were a child with any kind of intense fantasy and vivid imagination...this was a short and sweet book to absorb yourself in!

My first moving moment in a theatre was 'Tales of the Dark Crystal',Jim Henson Production
Heavy Metal the Cartoon comes to mind as well
DUNE...was Long Before its Time!!!
Anything to do with Crystals with powers or in space were my favs!!


Ive been obsessive about Sci-FI Fantasy since I was about 6

I dont care for all the digital animation that they OverUse and OverKill movies with these days..but I have to appreciate some Legendary Creativity out there to bring back childhood stories, also all the Marvel Comic Book Super Heroe Movies to 'Life'!

Mine was treasure island. to this day it still is my favorite.

 

[adriane]

It was my favorite book as a kid. I'm interested in seeing how the story and the movie are going to play out. Sooo excited!
But I loved Real Witches and Encyclopedia Brown. *wondering if they will make EB now that I put it out there. But is Hollywood going to switch over to making more book related movies?

 

[blazejowski]

I must be in the minority because I had never read this one as a kid....

 

[Purrr VertIcal]

Where the Narrowings Are

To this day I've refused to see the movie, "The Wall". Which is the visual interpretation of the timeless classic album by Pink Floyd. For that very reason.
I do not want to sit in a dark room - as with the wonder of the first listening so many years ago - and have a film limit my imagination's ability for open-ended interpretation.

I loved the Lord of the Rings films. Spectacular. But I've no doubt, the next time I read the series, all the charactes in my mind will look like those actors.

I think Hollywood is starved for originality, and is chasing anything they can get their hands on. Did we really need a movie for Cat in the Hat?

I'm still debating Where the Wild Things Are. I hear they did a good job, at least.

 

[blazejowski]

I loved the Lord of the Rings films. Spectacular. But I've no doubt, the next time I read the series, all the characters in my mind will look like those actors.

Fortunately, I saw the movies before I read the books, which helped immensely. LOTR is one boring as fuck series to read. No offense to Tolkien - the man knew his linguistics, but goddamn his pacing sucks...

 

[Purrr VertIcal]

Fortunately, I saw the movies before I read the books, which helped immensely. LOTR is one boring as fuck series to read. No offense to Tolkien - the man knew his linguistics, but goddamn his pacing sucks...

I think, like the mass population, you are unaware you are a 'victim' of modern day media.
Ever try to watch an 'action movie' from the 70's or before? The pacing now seems tediuos. But back then, it was captivating.

We are so used to consuming fast-feed sound bytes telling stories, and special effects at mind-spinning paces, when things get back to "Ben Hurr pace" we get impatient .

 

[blazejowski]

I think, like the mass population, you are unaware you are a 'victim' of modern day media.
Ever try to watch an 'action movie' from the 70's or before? The pacing now seems tediuos. But back then, it was captivating.

We are so used to consuming fast-feed sound bytes telling stories, and special effects at mind-spinning paces, when things get back to "Ben Hurr pace" we get impatient .

I see your point, but I'm not one of those people. I actually enjoy slow-paced books, and movies, if it is written well, and captivates me. With LOTR, between the extremely long-winded histories that did nothing to improve the present story, and the fact that 1/6 of the book is intertwined with songs, it got to be a bit much.... I made it through the series twice, now, and I have to say those first 100-150 pages of FOTR are just painful...

 

[AA_Train]

My fav book when I was 5 was called "Zoom at Sea." It was about this cat who came to this woman's house and with a few turns of a crank could bring the beach to her house. Must of read it a thousand times.