| Reference Type |
web
|
| Title |
At the Movies: Where the Wild Things Are |
| Author(s) | Margaret Pomeranz |
| State |
Unknown |
| Country |
Australia |
| Publication Date |
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| Citation Date |
25-11-2009 |
| Comments |
This particular website was one of the first places I began researching the film Where the Wild Things Are. It contains very useful information and the opinions of two of the most acclaimed film critics in Australia. The website provides a brief synopsis of the film, as seen below, and general information about the film such as production details, cast and release dates.
The website provides a transcript of the film's review by Margaret Pomeranz and the following discussion with David Stratton. The conversation ends with how many stars they are giving the film, in this case 4 and 3.5 stars respectively. The website also contains a comment section where viewers can post their own opinion on the film and stars. This section is a great means of discovering what other people are thinking about the film.
The website is written in easy to understand English and provides the basic, need to know information about the film. It does not seek to overcomplicate the issue. This could be attributed to the 25 years of experience of Margaret and David. I really like the site as it doesnât just say all films, whether Australian or International, are good. If Margaret and David donât like it, they say so.
Anyone would be able to access this site and gain a full understanding of what is being said about the film.
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| Synopsis |
It was quite an ambitious project for Spike Jonze to take on an adaptation of MAURICE SENDAKâS best-selling childrenâs book WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE. For you millions of adults and children who have read it you know it is a beautifully illustrated but spare book about a child, Max, played in the film by MAX RECORDS, having a wildly imaginative rebellion about being sent to bed without any supper.
The film establishes Maxâs home background in a bit more detail, with single mother â CATHERINE KEENER - dealing with her teen daughter and the rambunctious 9 year old Max as best she can. But when Max goes over the top and bites her after he sees her with a new boyfriend â MARK RUFFALO is glimpsed in this role â he runs away in his wolf suit, over the sea to where the wild things are.
Max befriends all these strange creatures when he becomes their king â bickering married couple Judith â CATHERINE OâHARA â and Ira â FOREST WHITAKER, Alexander â PAUL DANO, Douglas â CHRIS COOPER - but itâs with Carol â JAMES GANDOLFINI â who is a bit of a tearaway and with KW â LAUREN AMBROSE â whom Carol fancies, that Max forms a special bond.
JONZE and co-screenwriter DAVE EGGERS have had to embellish Maxâs adventure considerably to fill out a feature film and theyâve maintained the spirit of SENDAKâS book in that Maxâs experiences are a projection of his childâs single focus ego.
Bad behaviour, like his own, is condoned, the squabbling couple, IRA and JUDITH are possibly a manifestation of his own separated parents, the world that CAROL creates in the cave is beautiful but so easily and wantonly destroyed out of sheer frustration and anger, just like Max destroyed things of his sister.
Itâs a strange thing that this story has had such a hold over generations of children, itâs quite a dark tale. And that darkness is in the film. It looks terrific and young Max Records is perfect as a wild creature himself.
Further comments
MARGARET: David?
DAVID: Well, I'm not familiar with the book, but I was interested to hear you say that it's so short, because the film struck me as being a little bit long. I love Spike Jonze's films. I think he's a really imaginative filmmaker.
MARGARET: Yeah.
DAVID: Perhaps the most imaginative working in America these days and so I was fascinated to see what he did with this. I thought the early scenes at home were amazingly good. The kid is great, Max Records.
MARGARET: Yes.
DAVID: And the relationship with his mother, his sister and so on, his friend - or not friends because he doesn't have too many friends - beautifully, beautifully done and then when he gets to the woods to begin with and meets these wild things, these creatures - terrific. But then it just seemed to go into a bit of trough and drag for a while. I just felt that it wasn't really getting anywhere.
MARGARET: Well, except that I loved the way they have validated this child's bad behaviour.
DAVID: Yes.
MARGARET: You know, and it's what a kid does and he justifies everything to himself. I just think it's been really, really nicely done and I'm giving it four stars.
DAVID: I'm giving it three and a half.
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tags: Adaptation At the Movies Maurice Sendak
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