"The film of tomorrow appears to me as even more personal than an individual and autobiographical novel, like a confession, or a diary. The young filmmakers will express themselves in the first person and will relate what has happened to them. It may be the story of their first love or their most recent; of their political awakening; the story of a trip, a sickness, their military service, their marriage, their last vacation...and it will be enjoyable because it will be true, and new...The film of tomorrow will not be directed by civil servants of the camera, but by artists for whom shooting a film constitutes a wonderful and thrilling adventure. The film of tomorrow will resemble the person who made it, and the number of spectators will be proportional to the number of friends the director has. The film of tomorrow will be an act of love."

Photo Courtesy © Warner Bros. Pictures

Where the Wild Things Are (2009)

Directed by: Spike Jonze

I never owned a copy of Maurice Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are as a kid, but I remember reading it in the library. So when it was announced that Spike Jonze, one of the quirkiest of the newest guard of filmmakers would be directing the movie, I was as intrigued and excited as any other film geek. I had a movie pass recently and was debating: An Education or Wild Things? I decided it would be better to see Wild Things on the big screen and went for it. The screenplay was written by Jonze and author Dave Eggers (who has also written a novelization) and you get the sense of both of them from the very beginning of the movie as young Max (played by Max Records) runs around with his dog, builds an igloo and starts a snowball fight with a group of his older sisters friends. Then the film loses that energy as we learn that Max is having a difficult time as his divorced mom (Catherine Keener) is dating (Mark Ruffalo, with one line in the film) and he feels neglected. After an argument, he runs away and discovers a boat, which he sails across the ocean to an island populated by monsters. He befriends a big shaggy monster called Carol (voiced by James Gandolfini), the wildest monster of the bunch. The monsters believe that Max is their king and they have great times together, until rivalries begin and Judith (Catherine O’Hara) feels that Carol is the king’s favorite.

The movie is very, very cool: weird, but in the best way. However, it also seems unbalanced. The frenetic opening scene and the scene where Max and monsters become friends are highlights before long periods of quiet and melancholy. I left the theatre wishing I had chosen An Education instead, thinking it would have been more fulfilling. It isn’t that Where the Wild Things Are was a bad movie. It was just quite different from what I had expected. Max Records gives an astonishing performance, one of the truest child performances ever. Keener is just as perfect as always, in her few scenes you can see that she’s a loving mother struggling to do her best. She truly breaks your heart. The wild things are all fun, not just to watch, but to listen to. Lauren Ambrose as KW projects warmth and manages to bring something incredibly special to what is essentially a giant puppet. My favorite Wild Thing was misunderstood Alexander, voiced by Paul Dano. Visually, the movie astounds with the creatures and their strange, handcrafted world. I know that when I see it again, I’ll be able to appreciate it more. That’s usually been the case with Spike Jonzes’s films: They are never quite what you expect, but always worth watching.

Rick@picturesandframesmagazine.com