maurice sendak - Jezebel

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"It Was Sad. But Also Wild."
Oh.
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Where The Wild Things Are
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tinytm11
10/19/09

In reply to "It Was Sad. But Also Wild."
I brought my five year old daughter as a special mommy and me time Friday night. She had been wanting to see this movie for weeks, almost as much as I was so my husband and I decided she and I would go. We got popcorn, soda and candy so that kept her happy in it's own right, but she really did like the movie a lot. She has the book memorized, so for her, she was watching the movie looking for how it was similar to/different than the book.

As for me, I loved it. I liked it initially but as I've had time to process it over the weekend, I realized just how great it was. I was surprised by how sad it was (not a bad thing by the way! Really right on IMO and so affecting). The theme and tone seemed a bit mature but I didn't feel like that took away from the story or my daughter's ability to enjoy it. It captured the wonder and imagination from the book and I really couldn't have been more pleased. #wherethewildthingsare
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Elizabooth
10/19/09

@tinytm11: my daughter is not quite five and she found a pull-out poster with all the characters' names on it in a magazine and she spent the week before the film opened poring over the poster, matching the characters to the pictures in the book (which she also has memorized). She knew all of the characters names before we even got to the theatre.

Which is something I recommend to those of you who want to take smaller kids -- if they know the book well, take them to the website and introduce them to the characters. Then the movie is easier for them to follow and they can just focus on the story. #wherethewildthingsare
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prettycool
10/19/09

In reply to "It Was Sad. But Also Wild."
The "Worried Shoes" cover distracted me every time, and occasionally Ira and Judith were too cutsey, but other than that my niece I watched with our face in our hands and big silly grins. #wherethewildthingsare
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the zeeba is galápagosing it up!
10/19/09

In reply to "It Was Sad. But Also Wild."
There's nothing I could or would change, and yet something rubbed me the wrong way. I still love this version, but some of it was so much darker than expected. Maybe it's because I'm younger than a lot of jezzes around here, but more likely it's cause i can't handle scary stuff and can't handle change. This book was always one of my favorites and seeing it brought to life with so much more meaning and symbolism was a little frightening. #wherethewildthingsare
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Hooplehead is hamthrax's bitch
10/19/09

In reply to "It Was Sad. But Also Wild."
Sorry for the double-submit!
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Edited by Hooplehead is hamthrax's bitch at 10/19/09 5:40 PM

Hooplehead is hamthrax's bitch
10/19/09

In reply to "It Was Sad. But Also Wild."
It was lovely. Funny and creative and childlike-really childlike, not the saccharine version that passes for it in Disney movies and rom-coms. Max Records was adorable, and carried the movie on his little shoulders and in his wide green eyes. Kid was perfect. And the cast was so lovingly chosen and the story so imaginatively fleshed out. I thought it struck the right notes of whimsy and fear and overly hurt feelings, and how it can change in a minute at that age. There was so much that could have gone wrong with this adaptation, Jonze was walking a very fine line. And aside from a slightly draggy middle section, I thought he did so without a major misstep. I can't think of anyone who could have done it better. #wherethewildthingsare
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VirginiaDentata
10/19/09

In reply to "It Was Sad. But Also Wild."
NPR recently played an interview of Maurice Sendak by Terry Gross from the 1980s, and he was explaining that the Wild Things are based on his childhood views of his aunts and uncles. I feel like the film captured that feel perfectly.
I hated the soundtrack, though, and found it really distracting. #wherethewildthingsare
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piccola
10/19/09

@VirginiaDentata: Really? I haven't seen the movie, but hearing Arcade Fire in the trailers makes my day every time. #wherethewildthingsare
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funnyface
10/20/09

@piccola: Arcade Fire appears in the trailer, not in the film. The film has an entirely original soundtrack by Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, which is absolutely wonderful at times and completely distracting at others, but I still want to buy it for the good stuff. #wherethewildthingsare
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piccola
10/20/09

@funnyface: For once, reading the review makes me wanna see the movie more, if only to judge the soundtrack. #wherethewildthingsare
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laikapants
10/19/09

In reply to "It Was Sad. But Also Wild."
The line "I could eat you up, I love you so" was read as endearment by me, given that it was delivered by KW in the farewell scene. Especially if you read KW as Max's Mom/Sister. The only time they all threaten to eat Max, it has nothing to do with love. They just wanna eat him, well until he convinces them of his mighty viking head a-sploding powers.

I loved it through and through. The first bit was rather sad and there was a dip in the happy meter towards the end, but I think it ends rather happy. In his inner dialogue/12 months of therapy sessions crammed into one night/visit to the Wild Things' Island he comes to grip with his life no longer being able to be a constant Wild Rumpus and they can't all sleep in a big pile anymore, no matter how hard he tries. But in the end he realizes the people he loves, still love him and I can't imagine a better ending (bonus points for not dripping in more saccharine than a Kinkade painting.) #wherethewildthingsare
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TransFat
10/19/09

In reply to "It Was Sad. But Also Wild."
Not totally unrelated but since WTWTA was number one this weekend I hope we get more films with puppets and less CGI fests. If we can get another fantasy era going at the Henson company (where IS that Dark Crystal sequel anyways?) I would be one happy nerd. #wherethewildthingsare
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Lizard in the Wires now with even MORE metal in the face!
10/19/09

@TransFat: I liked the puppets as well but I HATE they switched over to CGI (or CGI "enhanced") where it counts, the faces! #wherethewildthingsare
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TransFat
10/19/09

@Lizard in the Wires now with even MORE metal in the face!: I think in this case and in a lot of recent hand drawn animation I've seen, it can be used to enhance the artistry of what is actually there. The first thing that comes to mind being Innocence:Ghost in the Shell 2. OD on CG and you lose all the heart, but it can be used for good as well as evil. #wherethewildthingsare
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TransFat
10/19/09

In reply to "It Was Sad. But Also Wild."
I spent a good chunk of my weekend defending my position on WTWTA (that's the last time I say that a movie is in my Top Ten without clarifying what the ten refers to --of this year and of the films that make me happy just by watching. fyi).

The main complaints I heard? Why is Carol (Gandolfini) from Jersey? And that the vocal talent should have made their voices more "monsterry", whatever that means. It's such a personal book for a lot of people so I understand we all had a different interpretation of how they sounded. But I think it should matter what they actually said. And for me, they talked exactly how a kid would talk to himself so I had no problem getting past any familiarity. #wherethewildthingsare
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Sarah Dove
10/19/09

@TransFat: Why WOULDN'T he be from Jersey? Can't monsters be from anywhere? They're an international community. #wherethewildthingsare
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Lizard in the Wires now with even MORE metal in the face!
10/19/09

@TransFat: I kind of loved that the character playing his id was from Jersey. I thought that was sort of perfect.

Although I did end up comparing Carol and Tony Soprano in my head during the movie, and they're really not all that dissimilar. #wherethewildthingsare
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lermanzo
10/19/09

@TransFat: monsterry voices would have been too muppet-y for me. too sesame street. and they were plenty monster-y in their behavior... the kind of monsters that people can become. #wherethewildthingsare
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TransFat
10/19/09

@Sarah Dove: I know, right? #wherethewildthingsare
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Sarah Dove
10/21/09

@TransFat: Hearted, just for that! #wherethewildthingsare
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ImDatNinja (loves her Red Sox)
10/19/09

In reply to "It Was Sad. But Also Wild."
In a long line of things that make me feel old I kind of became sick when seeing the movie. Dont get me wrong, I loved it, but the hand held camera/shaky during intense moments made me actually a bit "yaky" and I had to step out of the theater at one moment to breathe.

Now all I need is to start getting up at 430am and agreeing with Andy Rooney and I will be set. #wherethewildthingsare
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prismatism
10/19/09

In reply to "It Was Sad. But Also Wild."
Why do people think Karen O = hipster? It's weird. The most hipster thing she's done is be involved with this movie, which isn't hipster at all. Maybe I don't know what hipster means. But I kind of hate writing things off as pretentious when they're sincere. Actually pretentious things that are hollow and masturbatory are different, but being ambitious and earnest is good...

I loved Where The Wild Things Are. I thought it really captured exactly what it feels like to be a kid. You're never sure whether everything is ok or not, why everyone acts the way they do, or if you are being good or bad. You want so badly to be loved and protected by these big, intimidating creatures (adults) who you don't understand, but would do anything for.

Even when KW eats Max to protect him, there's the danger that he won't be able to get out. And it's hard for him to breathe. But she pulls him back out, and it's ok again.

I had enormous, elaborate dreams, and plans for ways to make everything magical and perfect, just like Max and Carol. I loved the scene where they're walking together and Max explains that the sun is going to die. "But look at me! I'm Big! And you're a king! Why should guys like us worry about something as tiny as the sun?" It's like how Max says he is a king, and he acts like a king, so he becomes a king, and he has a certain kind of power. There's a lot of power in belief. It can make everything better and keep the sadness away. But then there are moments when you stop believing. I know my life is still made up of that kind of back and forth. Maybe as we grow up, most people get better at choosing what they believe and sticking to it, but it's not easy.

I don't think this is a film you take a kid to see because it will entertain them. I think kids should see it because it says something very true, and leaves you with a real appreciation for that truth. We're all scared. We're all wild. But we have to keep loving each other. #wherethewildthingsare
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DinaRonson : Elizabeth Cady Stanton
10/19/09

In reply to "It Was Sad. But Also Wild."
Nice breakdown.
As a lover of this book as a child, I was very happy to see Spike's interpretation of it was, as I felt it, so close to the book.
Lauren Ambrose as KW, wonderful.
Sure, the ending is a bit sacharine sweet. Overall, a lovely film, and I truly felt the musical score, and Karen O's voice added to it.
(If you are in NY - go to the Morgan Library for the exhibit of Sendak notes & drawings of the book). #wherethewildthingsare
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Cam/ron
10/19/09

In reply to "It Was Sad. But Also Wild."
I didn't think much of the book when I was a kid (hardcore Shel Silverstein fan here), but Jonze performed an admirable experiment with a movie about childhood. It's very much like his other movies that are full of wacky imagery and otherwise glum characters. I sorta wish that Jonze's pal Charlie Kaufman co-wrote the script instead of Dave Eggers but the scene where Max's mum writes down his vampire story was a nice Eggers touch. I saw the Coen Bros flick, "A Serious Man" on the same day as Wild and I kept thinking of my favorite Serious scenes during Wild's slow, dull parts. #wherethewildthingsare
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Elizabooth
10/19/09

In reply to "It Was Sad. But Also Wild."
I took my four and a half year old yesterday and she loved it. Had to ask a lot of questions (is still asking a looooot of questions), but she was neither bored or scared (it's really not scary in the least). We loved it.

As for the voices, I actually loved James Gandolfini and loved the CGI on the wild things faces (tasteful, felt like I was watching real animals, not cartoons). The voice that almost ruined it for me was Catherine O'Hara. Usually I like her, but it was too much. #wherethewildthingsare
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MijaMia
10/19/09

In reply to "It Was Sad. But Also Wild."
The biggest impression I had after seeing it last night was that I really didn't feel like it was a kids' movie. I know this won't be the popular response, but I didn't like it. In my opinion, it was slow, sad, and kind of boring. Not the book I remember growing up with. #wherethewildthingsare
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LindsayC: doctoral hilarity ensues
10/19/09

@MijaMia: Ah, see, I thought it was sad too. But I loved it so much. I found it to be incredibly soulful and full of so much yearning. I thought it was exactly what the world would be like if we all acted like we were 8. Plus it was so incredibly beautiful.

My husband agrees with you though- he fell asleep. #wherethewildthingsare
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Alexis
10/19/09

@MijaMia: Ditto. This movie missed the mark. Big time.

The message really dire and depressing, not something I'd recommend to a ten year old. It was all about childhood dying, something, I feel, doesn't have place in a kids movie. This movie is a prime example of throwing the source material aside for the sake of appealing to an older crowd. The messages weren't really for children so much as young adults who romanticize and lament their lost childhood because of mommy and daddy's divorce.

Also, the monsters came off more as annoying adults than actual 'wild things'. And the heavy handed 'are some of us better than others?' dialogue was so misplaced. #wherethewildthingsare
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judgingamy
10/19/09

@MijaMia: Agreed. I can't say I hated it. It's hard to hate something that visually beautiful. But the monsters infighting drove me nuts. And it felt so melancholy. I guess that's the book, but the trailer said 'Inside all of us, there is HOPE' and this movie didnt make me feel hopeful. #wherethewildthingsare
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MijaMia
10/19/09

@judgingnora: Melancholy was the exact word I kept using in my post movie discussion with the bff. I also agree that it was visually beautiful, although in a way that helped underscore my feelings that it wasn't a kids movie. I realized that I have completely bought into the notion that children's aesthetic= bright vivid colors...
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Edited by MijaMia at 10/19/09 4:43 PM MijaMia was starred MijaMia was unstarred

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