Waking Badger

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Like many people, I grew up loving the book, Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak. I have heard for years that a movie was in development based on the book, but I assumed it would never come to pass. However, Spike Jonze came along and actually made the film. Once I saw the teaser and trailer, I was completely hooked and I’ve been waiting for it to come out since.

Well, now it is here and I finally got the chance to see it. First off, I definitely enjoyed it, but it wasn’t perfect by any means. Max is played wonderfully by Max Records who embodies the emotion and confusion of an inquisitive, sensitive young boy. There aren’t many other human characters of note in the film, but Catherine Keener is very believable as Max’s mother. From there, the majority of the actors are voicing the wild things, specifically James Gandolfini, Forest Whitaker and Chris Cooper among others. The voice work is great and only surpassed by the amazing full body costumes Jonze chose to use. The choice was perfect and made the flick more engaging as opposed to if everything had been done in CG. Max’s wolf suit is perfect and looks exactly like it should based on the pictures from the book.

The film feels much like raw emotion to me. Starting with the wild excitement and frustration of young boys and then eventually taking a dark turn as Max meets the wild things. This is the point at which I question whether this film would be suitable for young children. The wild things are well, wild. They are somewhat violent at times, brooding, and frightening. None of this is bad, but it means that the mood would be too dark at times for my son who is three. In the book, while the monsters can seem scary, it is nothing compared to how they would likely come across to the young in the movie. This isn’t bad, but it’s just the way it is. I really am not sure the film was aimed at children nor am I sure it should have been. This movie feels like it is designed for those of us who loved the book and have a few years into life. The translation of a book with only 10 sentences to the screen left way for quite a bit of embellishment, which I think was handled quite well. Nothing feels out of place, but you get little more than feeling with the movie. No grand arching story, no long narrative, just lots of beauty and the raw emotion I spoke of. This worked for me, but just be aware of what you’re going to be seeing.

In short, I loved it and will reevaluate when I think Ben is ready to see it. However, I’m sure I will pick up the eventual Blu-ray and watch it many more times over the years…

Movie poster found via Internet Movie Poster Awards.

For another review, I found a great family focused review at the GeekDad blog titled ‘10 Things Parents Should Know About Where The Wild Things Are‘.

Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

I went to see ‘The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard‘ on Monday and while not a good movie by the conventional definition, it does have some truly hilarious interactions. It didn’t hurt at all that I’m quite fond of many of the actors; Jeremy Piven, Ving Rhames, David Koechner, Ed Helms, Rob Riggle, and Will Ferrell. The humor that was there is enough that I definitely want to see it again, if not own it.

** VERY MINOR SPOILERS **

The basic premise is that Piven and his team (Rhames, Koechner, & Kathryn Hahn) are hired guns who are brought in to sell cars and whip sales teams into shape. James Brolin calls them in to help his dealership. The sales staff is filled with some truly odd, but funny characters and Piven brings in some additional help of his own. The craziness that ensues is a thin plot with some truly bad dialog, but some great one-liners and exchanges. I don’t want to discuss any of the wonderful supporting cast as it could give away some of the fun, but there is fun to be had. Keep an eye out for Piven’s business card. I need something like that for myself, just not about cars

Oh, if you don’t mind seeing the funniest scene in the movie early, check out my previous post.

Oh and just remember…”when they shoot you, poop comes out the butt”.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

As I tweeted earlier, I had to gather my thoughts after seeing District 9. The movie is intense. It’s violent and bloody/gory, but it is ABSOLUTELY fascinating. This is hard-edged sci-fi that is quite unlike anything I have seen before. I went into this film having seen the trailer, but it really doesn’t tell you much at all. Now, this isn’t for the squeamish as it is bloody, very bloody. Also, don’t expect to see any actors you’re familiar with as the movie has to my eye all fresh talent. This isn’t an issue at all as the characters all come to life quite well and you’re quickly engrossed in the story and their lives.

The action occurs entirely in Johannesburg, South Africa which is also where the filming was done. The setting was perfect as I think the use of a non-US city contributed to the appealing look of the film. The videography is a combination of clean footage along with grainy handicam or TV type footage, but it isn’t overly used or distracting. I’ll also say that is modeled after a documentary style film, but that works for it here. If you pay attention, the interviews foreshadow some of what is to come, but the journey and the final realization make the whole ~2 hours completely worthwhile…

I really don’t want to say much else as I think this is a flick that should be watched with little to no knowledge at all. I went back and watched the trailer again and it now seems very revealing to me having seen the film.

So, in short, get out there and go see this flick if the blood & gore won’t bother you and you’d like to see a VERY interesting sci-fi film.