THIS GUY GETS IT!!!

I had the pleasure of seeing "Where the Wild Things Are" last night at a very public screening with two of my friends, for the low fee of eleven dollars.

From the first title card - complete with illustrations from Max, the boy who would be king of the wild things - I was enthralled. Start to finish the movie had me, hook, line and sinker. If you're interested in seeing a film that is really good, I suggest you go and see WTWTA.

What made it so special? It all comes down to the man himself, director Spike Jonze. His vision was unique and utterly complete. I could tell that everything had been thought of, from costumes to the inner working's of all the character's minds (I'm sure my boy Dave Eggers - who co-wrote the script with Jonze - had something to do with this), and was considered in terms of the movie as a whole. HOWEVER, I don't think Spike's vision made it to the screen entirely. That's right, I suspect the muckety mucks made him cut the film down so that it would run shorter and faster, thus ensuring a quicker, more audience friendly flick.

Which isn't all that bad. The real drawback was that I wanted to see more. The movie makes sense as is; though I can't help but feel that it was a tad rushed. It needed a little more time to marinate; let the monsters develop more of their character; let Max develop.

The acting was superb. Max Records, who plays Max, was phenomenal - and it's really tough for a kid to win me over on screen. All of the wild things were beautifully constructed: that mix of live action and CGI really was tasty as a motherfucker. The actors providing the voices were all dynamite, adding so much humanity - and humor - to monsters!

By the film's end I was moved to tears. The relationship between Carol (head Thing) and Max, from its start to its finish, is life in a nuteshell. The way you interact with others, the frustration and the love - and the times you can't distinguish between the two - is in that relationship. It's not tangible, but how could it be? We're talking about WILD THINGS! It all comes down to the ahOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!

AhOOO, indeed. I was proud of this movie for living up to my high expectations - and in the way the film dealt with the resolutions between its characters. Rarely does a movie say so much by saying nothing at all.

AhOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!