Sunday, August 9, 2009

Where The Wild Things Are

Yes, the last line of my first blog post is a variation of a quote from "Where the Wild Things Are", my latest obsession.

I mean, who DIDN'T grow up reading Maurice Sendak's child classic? First confession: I was never very taken with the book. Probably because I was unable to identify with Max, the little trouble-maker who retreats to the jungle of his imagination. 

One of my unique qualities is that I have very little imagination at all. I was an obedient kid growing up, the kind who emphasized more with the adults' POV than with the other kids', and though I cherished books very dearly, never created my own Wonderland, or Neverland, or whatever. It's probably because of my genes; as my dad says, we were never the creative type. I hail from a family of professionals, most of whom have never read a book that didn't contain useful information on electrolytes or quantum physics, you get what I mean. 

But again, I am just completely taken with Spike Jonze's upcoming adaptation. It looks a little creepy and dark, yet quirky and touching. The trailer's just so energetic. I soar when I watch it. 

First trailer: 

Second Trailer: 

The movie went through some notorious post-production hell. Apparently the executives didn't like it - it was too scary, too weird, etc. I hope the end result is worth the struggle, like The Godfather was. I love the fact that it's a little darker than most children's movies, because I can hardly list a movie adaptation of a child's book that wasn't just cheesy and the spirit of the book dumbed-down. This movie doesn't seem to be condescending or too cutesy, and maybe that's the reason why I've found that so many adults and teenagers alike are interested in this movie. Man, October just can't come soon enough!

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