where the wild things are

as most of you know (or should know), i'm not a fan of kids. at all. by any means. well, to be totally honest, i'll let christine's daughter veronica hug me -- she's the only one. and i think michelle and will's son danny is about the best-looking child i've ever seen. other that, i'm a fan of no other. not even my own nephew. so i'm a bad aunt. whatever. i don't care.

seeing as this semi-hatred of children is a verity, i'm always tentative about watching any movie directed at, related to, or even involving kids. animation is pretty much out, though i did enjoy "up" and "coraline" most recently. i found "wall-e" stupid (yes, stupid), except for the reference to the world becoming full of fat, lazy people. that was just hilarious in a sick, sad way. and a nice commentary on what the world could become if our relationship with technology were to go completely awry. fascinating. anyways, i digress.

considering that i'm in a reflective period of my life, i thought "where the wild things are" might be appropriate for my mood. i'd never read the book (nor had it read to me) as a child, and i really couldn't tell from the previews what it was actually going to be about. all i'd heard was that spike jonze hadn't wanted to make it more audience-friendly, which, honestly, was enough of a hook. i'm not into gift-wrapped movies unless they're romantic comedies, so i thought this might be perfect. (FYI that karen thought i might like it too, but few really know my movie tastes well enough. yes, i'm complicated.)

judy & i caught the 12:30 show and made it just in time to miss 1/2 the previews and find good seats. there were a ton of kids in there, which, after what little i'd heard about the movie (and what i thought about it afterward), meant that they hadn't really thought about what they were doing. ok, so i don't think much of modern-day parents. so sue me.

considering all my aforementioned confessions, i have to say that (drumroll, please) i thought the movie was actually quite good. before i go into why i thought it was quite good, i'll just say that the shots were a little too indie-grainy for my tastes -- as if there were a layer of dust over them. the colors were fairly muted as well, though i suppose that was appropriate for the mood spike was going for. regardless, the rest of the movie certainly made up for these minor annoyances.

in terms of plot, don't expect one. this isn't a plot-driven movie, folks, which is why i didn't think it was child-appropriate. children generally need things to HAPPEN, so unless your kid is some freak precocious thing that can sit still and appreciate the *tone* of a film, you should pass and move on to something involving a dated wrestle mania retiree. seriously.

for the *rest* of you, i'd say that this is a must-see if you're a fan of great character, cinematography, and mood in your movies.

first of all, there *is* only one real character -- max. now i must say that i found him tramping around in the same outfit the entire movie a bit gross. but then again, i'm like emma from glee -- i hate dirt. that being said, i think there was something so basic about his character that anyone could connect to it.

and all those monsters? a manifestation of all his inner selves. anxiety, fear, disappointment, anticipation, earnestness, joy. a collection of selves that don't know reality, that know reality, that want to escape it, that want to embrace it. all these big monsters, these big emotions, trapped in one little body, one little mind.

and carol? that's the self that lives in the past, that lives in memories, that won't let those memories go. that turns violent when someone tries to take those memories away. the one that resists moving forward, at the risk of destroying all the other selves.

not only does this single character give you something to think deeply about, but he draws you in, because sometimes, all you want is to be in a perfect pile of your inner selves, in a mystical happy place where they all exist and co-mingle without any thoughts or worries about a world outside. or the need to live in it.

in addition to a singular resonating character, this movie offers some spectacular cinematography. the scenes of max in the ocean are amazing. reminiscent of harry potter and dumbledore standing on a rock as the waves crash all around them. the dark hues are ominous during the rainstorm and the light hues are hopeful with the sunrise. all basic techniques i'm sure, though they coalesce brilliantly here.

the music didn't move me in the same way, though it certainly didn't detract from the film. if anything, it kept the movie going, so that you had no idea that time was passing. things happened, but you were thinking about them more than you were watching them. in fact, you have no idea how long max is gone, except for the tired look on his mother's face. the look that says, you have no idea what you've put me through, but i'm just glad you're home.

a picture of childhood.

http://wherethewildthingsare.warnerbros.com/

p.s. the cameo of mark ruffalo was a nice perk! ;)