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The land the Wild Things inhabit is a land where all your expectations about a children’s movie are turned on their heads. The elements that are usually trite and shallow in most children’s films are fresh and fully-developed but the parts that usually work in children’s movies don’t work here.
Where the Wild Things Are expands upon the classic book (necessary because the book is something like nine sentences long) in some interesting ways. We meet Max in the real world, where he lashes out angrily at his sister and bites his mom. He runs away from home and comes across a boat that takes him to the land of the Wild Things, who now have names and personalities. Max becomes their king and leads them in a variety of pursuits like fort-building and dirt clod fighting.
While the film never explicitly says so, this is all an adventure in Max’s imagination. And it really does play out as if a child made up the story. Staying truthful to a child’s vision is quite interesting intellectually and conceptually, but in a lot of ways it doesn’t really work as a movie. It’s just aimless (kids don’t think in story arcs). Max become king because he says so. The dirt clod war ends with hurt feelings. A fort sounds cool so they build it. The actual plot doesn’t really do anything. It stays remarkably true to the conceit of an adventure a child in a certain mood might imagine but there’s a reason kids don’t write many movies.
The film succeeds in other ways, however. It creates some very well-developed and complex characters in Max and the Wild Things. All the Things are distinct, with their own personalities, flaws, and problems. The way we get to understand these characters is truly remarkable for any movie, let alone a kids’ movie where characterizations are often paper thin.
Director Spike Jonze also succeeds in imbuing the film with intense and earned emotion. This is not a happy kids’ flick that glosses over the negative parts of being a kid. It understands that kids feel the same emotions the rest of us do: anger, sadness, aggression. Like Dorothy in Oz, Max’s real life problems and emotional issues find homes in various Wild Things. (“And you were there,upset-for-being-ignored! And you were there, sister-abandonment-issues!”) And while this is fairly obvious, Jonze does a good job of not beating you over the head with it. Once again, the film’s emotional depth is a wonderful achievement.
But it doesn’t really make for a good movie. It’s technically quite proficient at imparting the emotions it wants but those emotions are all intensely mopey so that the film has an oppressively melancholy quality to it. The breaks for levity are just too few and far between. I’m not necessarily against a melancholy film or an aimless plot for that matter, but together they are a deadly combination, especially since the melancholy itself is aimless. There’s no apparent reason for the Things to be so despondent and there’s no real resolution. With motionless plot and characters the film feels slow.
And so I appreciate the concept of the film intellectually, respect its ambition, and have found some very fascinating and thoughtful discussions about it online, but it makes for a fairly dour and slow viewing experience. Ultimately it didn’t work for me but I appreciate how it’s given me much to think about. I’m curious if a second viewing would be more stimulating now that I’ve had a chance to ponder it a while and maybe I’ll give it another shot on DVD.
Some prognosticators thought it might sneak into the expanded Best Picture list this year but that seems unlikely now. The Things are technological wonders with furry bodies and computer animated heads. I could see a Visual Effects or Costume nod. Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, a band I really like, provides the music for the film, often accompanied by a chorus of children. I’ve listened to the soundtrack and I think the songs mostly work better as little snippets within the film like in the rousing music that marks the beginning to the wild rumpus. Still maybe a Song nomination is possible.
To recap:
Most children’s movies: Happy, fun, and full (often too full) of plot but with thin characterizations and little emotional complexity
Where the Wild Things Are: Aimless, dull plot full of moping but populated with complex characters and emotional sincerity
Sometimes I leave a theater and think, “What was the point of that?” It tends mostly to happen with films that dwell in negativity without any obvious message, like There Will Be Blood. That’s a film I still can’t wrap my mind around as far as what it was trying to say.
But I’m not sure wondering about a film’s point is entirely fair. There are plenty of recent movies I’ve loved whose points – or lack thereof – never gave me pause. I can’t say I bothered with wondering about the points of The Bank Job or Zombieland. For these films a good, well-told story is a point unto itself. Heck, straight entertainment is a pretty good point. Maybe expectations are higher for prestige pics and I demand more, but even for these pictures I try to extend the principle that sometimes a story well-told is good enough. Some movies just eschew messages and themes for story, character, style, and atmosphere.
And that takes me to Inglourious Basterds, a film that really seems to eschew message. And if I can pat myself on the back I think I did a good job enjoying it despite it having no point. It’s a good, very enjoyable film with lots of fun, stylistic flourishes. I think what keeps it from being a great film is that it also doesn’t really have a story. There’s an overarching idea of Jewish American soldiers killing Nazis and a French Jew’s revenge plot to take out important Nazis. But instead of telling the whole tale, the film is divided into several vignettes, like Tarantino decided to just skip to the good parts. It seems to me his only real point is to be awesome, which certainly makes for an entertaining film but I think I need a bit more ambition to really love a movie.
The Weinsteins are gearing up for a Best Picture nomination campaign for it. I can’t say I really could get behind the nomination on its merits, but it would be an interesting, outside-the-box type nomination and those are always welcome. With ten nominations it’s hard to imagine a Basterds nod will squeeze out a personal favorite. I’ve also never been a huge Tarantino fan – I like him fine but his films are never a must-watch for me – but he’s undeniably an important and influential modern director with a dearth of Oscar recognition beyond Pulp Fiction (for which he won the Original Screenplay award). I can imagine forty years from now later generations of Oscar watchers wondering how the Academy managed to ignore him so often.
Beyond Best Picture and Tarantino as writer and director, Christoph Waltz seems to be a lock for a Supporting Actor nod for his role as an evil SS commander. That will certainly be well-deserved as Waltz is the primary image that remains in my mind from this film. He’s so deliciously evil, scheming, ad creepy. I’m not sure what else the Weinsteins are aiming for. Melanie Laurent for sure, though who knows whether in Supporting or Lead. Maybe Diane Kruger too? Or Brad Pitt? None would be a bad choice. And along with the film’s intense kick-assery could come some technical recognition (Editing? Score? Art Direction? Costume?).
Anyway, Inglourious Basterds is certainly one of the most distinctive films of the year and an enjoyable and entertaining one at that. I think it’s a testament to Tarantino’s cultural importance (and the Weinsteins’ PR prowess) that it’s even in the discussion for top prizes. But, even if I don’t think it’s in that top echelon of films, it’s hard to argue when something a bit different sneaks into the Academy’s exclusive club.
It’s not quite the end of the month but I’m headed out on safari for a few weeks and I know no one will sleep until they hear my latest top 5.
1. Up. Still no change.
2. Zombieland. What a delightful surprise. This is a clever, funny, deliciously gory film. It sticks to its premise and takes it in a fun direction. Absolutely terrific characters with some excellent surprises. This is the multiplex movie to see at the moment.
3. The Informant!. Zany, hilarious, twisty.
4. I Love You, Man. Funny! If it’s on the plane I think I’ll watch it again.
5. Moon. Will the fledgling movement to get Sam Rockwell a nomination pay off? Probably not. But that would be sweet.
As time goes on we see more films it’s tougher to move the top five, so occasionally I’d like to highlight a film that probably would have made the top five had I seen it earlier.
9. By no means a perfect movie but I enjoyed its unique visual style and surprisingly dark themes. The second half is significantly better than the first – probably because by then you accept the relatively thin plot and characters – and the climax is quite effective.
…cannot be found on this site. But our unexpected and inexplicable hit gravy train of being the #1 Google Image Search result for Leelee Sobieski suddenly and devastatingly left the station. We need new ways to trick traffic into visiting our site, looking for a split second, then hitting “back” when they realize this isn’t what they want.
But seriously I’m pretty much done with Megan Fox for a while. Talk about overexposure. First the hype around Transformers 2, then the absurd feud with Michael Bay, and then the panned and flopped Jennifer’s Body. After the awful, awful Saturday Night Live she helmed on Saturday, can she please just disappear for a while? She’s not a good actress and no one who meets her has anything nice to say about her.
Also, she’s not that hot. That’s right, I said it. With Hollywood full of attractive people this is the peak of womanhood?
So go away for a while, please. I’d take a new Christian Bale movie every week instead.
Ooh, but it’s just one year, eight months, and thirty days til Transformers 3 is here…!
The Creative Arts Emmys (aka the Emmys no one cares about) were awarded last week. The Oscar telecast was nominated for ten Emmys and since no one else gives a hoot about those categories nine those awards were handed out on Saturday. Outstanding Music and Lyrics will be handed out at the Primetime telecast on Sunday, presumably so Justin Timberlake and Andy Samberg can take the prize for “Motherlover.”
The Academy Awards won three!
- Choreography for that lame “Musicals Are Back” number starring Beyonce
- Short Form Picture Editing
- Sound Mixing for a Variety or Music Series or Special (take that, Dancing with the Stars!)
They lost the big category, Outstanding Special Class Program, to the Beijing Opening Ceremonies. In fact, the Olympics pretty much kicked the Oscars’ ass all over the place. They also lost out on:
- Art Direction For Variety, Music Or Nonfiction Programming to the MTV Video Music Awards and American Idol
- Directing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Special to the Beijing Opening Ceremonies
- Lighting Direction (Electronic, Multi-Camera) For Variety, Music Or Comedy Programming to American Idol (that one’s gotta hurt, amirite?)
- Technical Direction, Camerawork, Video Control For A Miniseries, Movie Or A Special to the Beijing Opening Ceremonies
- Writing For A Variety, Music Or Comedy Special to Chris Rock: Kill the Messenger
So congratulations are in order for what was a pretty decent Oscars telecast.
Previous Grouches coverage here.
Update: The Academy Awards took home Outstanding Music and Lyrics last night at the Primetime Emmys for the cute Hugh Jackman opening number. The winners noted that the award was presumably moved to primetime due to the unusual appeal of this year’s nominees (aka two noms for Justin Timberlake) just to have the least telegenic group win. This ups the Oscars’ Emmy haul to four!
For once our opinions are relevant and timely instead of only thoughtful and brilliant! Three of the Grouches got to take in a preview screening of Steven Soderbergh’s newest film, The Informant!. Matt Damon stars as Mark Whitacre, a manager at agri-conglomerate ADM in the early 90s. He tips the FBI off to his firm’s schemes to fix prices for corn derivatives. But rather than a corporate or crime thriller – this is no Michael Clayton or The Firm – The Informant! is a zany journey through Whitacre’s twisted motivations and off-kilter personality.
The film opens this Friday. Here are our quick thoughts:
Brian
Speaking as someone who knew next to nothing about the ins and outs of the Mark Whitacre story, I loved watching the plot unfold and seeing the case for/against ADM unfold. Damon was hilarious and transformative, and Marvin Hamlisch’s score reminded me of one of my favorite movies, The Sting. Even before the big reveals towards the end, I enjoyed playing the “crazy like a fox?” or “just plain crazy?” game with Damon. Highly recommended.
Jared
Frustratingly obvious and consistently flat, The Informant! knows where the jokes should be, but fails to deliver on any of the punchlines. Perhaps because I knew the story ahead of time, the barely-there plot isn’t as twisty as it thinks it is. But maybe most disappointing is the criminally underused supporting cast. What’s the point in having people like Scott Bakula, Tony Hale, Tom Wilson, and the Smothers Brothers in a comedy if they are all going to play straight?
John
The highest praise I can give The Informant! is that it is spot-on tonally. Rather than playing the plot straight, Soderbergh turns the story into a madcap adventure into one businessman’s twisted mind. The plot is interesting enough but the true strength comes in all the clever little touches and humorous absurdities. I wouldn’t call it laugh-out-loud funny for the most part but it’s always amusing and intensely fun. Damon should get some Best Actor consideration. In short: see this because not only is it terrific but I fear it will need every dollar it can scrounge up. The Oscar season is truly off and running.
It’s starting to get a little cooler here in DC and with the change of seasons a young man’s thoughts naturally turn to late-year movies. And all the news coming out of the festivals in Telluride and Toronto have me excited!
Here are some movies that I’m looking forward to:
Up in the Air. As an unabashed Juno lover I’m excited for Reitman’s latest and at this point I don’t think Clooney can do wrong. Plus I like airplanes.
The Men Who Stare at Goats. Goofy military stories with more Clooney!
A Serious Man. I’m loving what I hear about the Coens’ latest. Sounds like a heavy drama with a lot of laughs; comparisons to Fargo are a great sign.
Precious. The incest-rape-pregnancy feel-good story of the year.
The Road. Viggo Mortensen? Yes. Post-apocalyptic hellscape? Hell yeah!
Sherlock Holmes. As a martial arts badass we always knew he was.
The Fantastic Mr Fox. Maybe not an Oscar film but I loved the book as a kid and Wes Anderson is usually pretty terrific.
Agora. I’ll take a stylized Roman epic.
And the Grouches are seeing The Informant! tonight, which I have high hopes for.
Even Oscar bait like An Education and Bright Star seem mildly interesting. Compared to the long slog we were looking forward to last year at this time you can see why I’m psyched.
What is everyone else looking forward to?
Didn’t seem like that great of a summer, huh?
1. Up. No change.
2. I Love You, Man. Check it out on DVD, jobin.
3. Moon. An entertaining, thoughful, compelling sci-fi flick starring Sam Rockwell and only Sam Rockwell. Should be out on DVD in a few months and it’s definitely worth watching.
4. The Hangover. Do you know if this blog is pager friendly?
5. (500) Days of Summer. Clever and amusing romantic comedy that makes some fun twists in the genre. Even though I wish it was a little funnier I enjoyed its stylistic flourishes.
Now let’s get to the late-year good stuff. Whiteout sure looks great, huh?
In an ideal world there would be people out there whose moviegoing decisions were influenced by our well-honed opinions. In the real world our “readers” mostly stumble upon us when searching for nude Leelee Sobieski pics.
Well we don’t have those but if you all can just put aside the search for masturbatory fuel for just a moment I would like to remind you that I Love You, Man is out on DVD this week. This is important because I Love You, Man is freakin sweet. Uproariously funny with the touches of sweetness and insight we come to expect from the Apatow Players. I love seeing Paul Rudd getting lead roles because he kills it.
And if you like Rush there is lots of Rush in this film.
So instead of seeing The Hangover for the third time go buy or rent I Love You, Man. It’s great, jobin.
Now back to your regularly scheduled Leelee
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