I’ll Eat You Up!
October 12th – October 18th
Where The Wild Things Are - Spike Jonze has succeeded in making a nearly pitch-perfect film version of the beloved picture book. It is certainly more a movie about children than it is a children’s movie. Jonze delves into the subconscious of nine-year-old Max (Max Records) and gets down into both the dark and light places of childhood. We are complicated creatures–as kids and as adults. We are vain and mean. We are loving and sweet. We are ugly and jealous. And we are beautiful and giving. These are the Wild Things.
The Wild Things are stunning creations of puppetry and CGI that bring Maurice Sendak’s illustrations to brilliant life. They are both cuddly and frightening. Plush stuffed animals with scary teeth. The puppets were nicely voiced, especially Carol (James Gandolfini) and KW (Lauren Ambrose). Back in the real world, Catherine Keener is wonderful as Max’s mother, Connie. Max’s new kingdom, on the island with the Wild Things, is the boy’s subconscious itself as captured by cinematographer Lance Acord. Instead of Being John Malkovich, this movie could almost be called Being Max Records or even Being Nine Years Old. I think there would be a lot of rewatchability in catching which parts of Max’s real life seep into his dream world.
It is a sometimes dark world, childhood. Often scary. I happen to love when movies take the occasional trip to the dark side. At the same time, I don’t think it at all makes it unwatchable for small children either. Whether or not it can also be classified as a children’s movie, it succeeds for being a well-crafted film. I can’t wait to see it again. Maybe while wearing my own wolf-suit.
I couldn’t agree more. This movie is exactly what it feels like to be a nine-year-old boy. good review.
I loved, loved, loved this movie. Can’t wait to see it again when there’s not an obnoxious 10-year old girl crawling around in the aisle next to us.