ScreenCrave.com » Where The Wild Things Are

Roundup: Natalie Portman, Oscar Snubs, Bob Barker

Kara Stanford-Jones — Wed, 06 Jan 2010 22:59:11 +0000

Now it is time for a few random stories that might peak your interest. The stories discuss why we have never seen Natalie Portman in any chick flicks or comedy movies, why Karen O and T-Bone Burnett will not be up for any Oscar nominations for their work this past year, and what Bob Barker is up to now that he isn’t hosting the Price is Right.

Check out the stories below…

Karen O and T Bone Burnett seemed like major contenders for Oscar nominations with their work on Crazy Heart and Where the Wild Things Are, but that is unfortunately not the case since they’ve been given the boot! [BeatCrave]
Although this isn’t necessarily related to movies, it is related to T.V. and that is good enough for us. Bob Barker has donated $5 million dollars to an anti-whaling organization to stop illegal whaling by Antarctica. [Huffington Post]
Natalie Portman discusses with Elle Magazine why she has never done any comedy films, and the other film genre she steers clear of. [Daily Mail]
In more composing related news, Muse is possibly going to be scoring the remake of the 1980’s classic, Clash of the Titans starring Sam Worthington. Seems like an off mix, but maybe it will work? [BeatCrave]

Do you think Karen O or T Bone should be able to get an Oscar Nod? What do you think about Muse scoring Clash of the Titans?

Poll: Did Where the Wild Things Are Live Up to The Hype?

Krystal Clark — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 16:12:35 +0000

Now that the weekend has come and gone, it’s time for the moment of truth. As we noted in our weekend box office post, Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are came in at number one with moviegoers trampling the competition. That’s not bad for a movie based on a book that had like 5 lines in it. Where the Wild Things Are has been a staple in grade schools for decades, so it doesn’t matter if your 40 or 14 you’ve been exposed to this story. With that much of a following, we have to know one thing…did it live up to the hype?

Take our official poll on Where the Wild Things Are…

Note: There is a poll embedded within this post, please visit the site to participate in this post's poll.

In my humble opinion, I thought the film did a great job at stretching out the story. Like I previously stated, there wasn’t a lot of material for Jonze to work with in the first place. He was able to produce a feature length film, without pointless filler scenes. Everything served a purpose, and I thought it was well executed, what about you?

What did you think about Spike Jonze’s live action adaptation of Where the Wild Things Are?

Weekend Box Office: Go Wild Things!

Mali Elfman — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 10:08:14 +0000

Apparently your childhood curiosity is still enough to get you to the movies. Where the Wild Things Are has swooped in at number one and set a new record for the best opening for a live-action PG rated film. Some people are saying that it’s not the film they expected it to be, which may effect its sales in the long run, although in my opinion the film was perfect in it’s ability to follow through with one solid idea well, which few films are able to do. Whether or not people were satisfied will be seen in the weeks to come, but for the moment, lets bow to the Wild Thing King.

Another amazing feet was the little horror that could, Paranormal Activity. Last week it jumped from 33rd to 4th and now with the the power of viral marketing, it’s been able to rise again to number 3. Could it keep coming? It certainly proves that internet buzz works, despite reviews. It’s managed to expanded to 760 theaters in its fourth weekend just by people demanding it and each week has had a 155% increase in profit. Not bad.

Check the numbers below…

Where the Wild Things Are | New | Weekend Gross $32,470,000 | Average per Theater $8,693 | Total Gross $32,470,000 | Production Cost $100 | Week 1
Law Abiding Citizen | New| Weekend Gross $21,250,000| Average per Theater $7,353 | Total Gross $21,250,000 | Production Cost $50 | Week 1
Paranormal Activity | LW 4 | Weekend Gross $20,163,000| Average per Theater $26,530 | Total Gross $33,717,000 | Week 4
Couples Retreat | LW 1 | Weekend Gross $17,949,000| Average per Theater $5,965 | Total Gross $63,339,000 | Production Cost $70 | Week 2
The Stepfather (2009) | New | Weekend Gross $12,300,000 | Average per Theater $4,499 | Total Gross $12,300,000 | Production Cost $20 | Week 1
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs | LW 3 | Weekend Gross $8,100,000 | Average per Theater $2,667 | Total Gross $108,284,000 $100 | Week 5
Zombieland |LW 2 | Weekend Gross $7,800,000 | Average per Theater $2,460 | Total Gross $60,823,000 | Production Cost $23.6 | Week 3
Toy Story / Toy Story 2 (3D) | LW 5 | Weekend Gross $3,011,000 | Average per Theater $2,022 | Total Gross $28,594,000 | Week 3
Surrogates | LW 9 | Weekend Gross $1,922,000 | Average per Theater $826 | Total Gross $36,332,000 | Production Cost $80 | Week 4
The Invention of Lying | LW 7 | Weekend Gross $1,905,000 | Average per Theater $1,173 | Total Gross $15,495,000 | Production Cost $18.5 | Week 3

On the the ‘fail boat’ front we have, Surrogates which I’m guessing that with an $80 million budget and Bruce Willis in an action film, they were hoping for a bit more. Seeing as in it’s third week and it’s almost off the charts and not even half way back to making what it spent, I think someones pounding their head against a wall as we speak. We also have Couples Retreat, which has dipped 48% since last week, although they’ve already made so much opening weekend due to their marketing campaign, that I doubt anyone is hurting. At this point it looks like all signs all point to sequel.

Although it’s not big news, Cloudy and Zombieland did take a bit of a hit due to the newcomers, although they’ve still managed to hold tight and put in solid numbers (rightfully so) for their 3rd and 5th week in theaters.

What do you think about this weeks numbers? What did you pay to see? Was Where the Wild Things Are all you hoped for?

Where the Wild Things Are: Movie Review

Mali Elfman — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 00:30:43 +0000

It’s time to become a Wild Thing with Director Spike Jonze‘s adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s children’s book Where the Wild Things Are. In typical Jonze fashion, Where the Wild Things Are is both a visual treat for the eyes, and an exploration for the mind. From the sets and the the costumes, to the raw and honest performance by Max Records, Spike will be sure to have you howling for more.

Check out the review below…

The Players:

Director: Spike Jonze (interview)
Cast: James Gandolfini, Max Records (interview), Catherine Keener, Forest Whitaker, Lauren Ambrose, Catherine O’ Hara, Chris Cooper
Director of Photography: Lance Accord (interview)
Costume Designer: Casey Storm (interview)
Production Designer: K.K. Barrett (interview)
Art Director: Sonny Gerasimowicz (interview)

The Plot:

Jonze brings us a dark and imaginative adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s classic children’s story, where Max, a disobedient little boy who feels rejected by everyone, gets in a fight with his mother when she brings a man home for dinner. Max, stands on the tables and growls until his mother has finally had it and demands him to stop. In a moment of rage he bites his mother and then takes off and creates his own world in a forest inhabited by ferocious wild creatures that crown Max as their ruler.

The Good:

The Set Up/Honesty: From the very beginning we realize that although there are some parallels to the book the film extends from its source material and becomes something all its own. The set up is honest to both real life and the book. Certain things happen to us and although they’re not the worst things in the world, as a child (and sometimes an adult) these tiny things hurt more than anything else. The rest of the film is not necessarily filled with the wonder of being a child, but rather the honest pains one goes through growing up. Prepare yourself for something deeply beautiful that at times will delve into emotions that you might not expect.
The Costumes: The way that the characters move, their facial expression, their reactions, all bring about a realistic and yet imaginative feeling to the film. The texture of their costumes makes the film feel so much more personal. The eyes specifically add a sweetness and honesty to these otherwise violent and at times threatening animals.
Max Records as ‘Max’: Normally hiring an actor who has never acted before to lead a mainstream movie is not the best choice, but for this film, it is what makes it what it is. As opposed to many newbie actors, he doesn’t push, he doesn’t try, he simply allows the inner Wild Thing from within him to run around. Thanks to Spike’s ability to reign in his strong character, Max was the perfect child for the role.
Raw Emotion/ Personality: Not only from the actors and characters in the film, but from the film itself. Everything about it from the colors to the shoots coincide with the message within the film: deep and gritty.
Violence: Some people are commenting on how violent and crazy the character “Max” behaves in the film, but the point of them film is that everything occurs in your imagination, including the violence. If violence only took place in your imagination and you couldn’t get hurt by it, wouldn’t you push it as far as it could go? Think about all the action films you see, war films, hell the scary or kick-ass dreams you’ve probably had at night. Yes, you still get scared and feel the rush from the threatening moment, but when it’s fantasy, why not push it too the limit? You do it all the time. And therefore in the film, why not make the fantasy as real as possible so that you can experience it as well without harm?
Knowing What it Is: So many films fall victim to the mixed genre disease in which they never really know what they are and audience members never knows what exactly is going on (cough…Vampire’s Assistant…excuse me…). This film is imaginative, it is child-like, it is aggressive, and it is a serious emotional film that will make you feel something about it/for it. There’s nothing half ass-ed about this film and for that reason alone, it’s one of the first pieces of work I could enjoy in a long time because I was never confused by what I was watching.
The Music: At times the use of songs instead of a score added to the raw emotion that helped to embody the ‘out of control’ tone that went with the film. But….

The Bad:

The Music: As I JUST said and I did enjoy the music at certain posts, but other times it was a bit jarring and took away from the excitement already taking place in the scene. Karen-O’s score worked for the most part, but there were a few emotional moments that could have been a but more underplayed in order to let the scene speak for itself.
Needed more wonder: As much as I LOVE the honesty and the overall feel of the movie, the trailer, posters, and everything else promises wonder and this film doesn’t go there. This isn’t a fantasy land where things come true, this is a realistic place where a young boy comes when everything has gone wrong. Maybe this has more to do with expectations than actual delivery?
The Ending: Although the film may have been a touch long, they needed to spend more time developing the ending. It felt like something got cut that could have added to the ending. The entire last act was a touch rushed and his feelings could have been indulged a bit more.

Overall:

Go see this film and experience it for yourself. From what I’ve heard so far, no two people will feel the same about it… so go figure out what it means to you!

Rating: 8.5/10

Where the Wild Things Are will be released in theaters nationwide on October 16, 2009.

Interview: Spike Jonze and Max Records

Mali Elfman — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 21:21:00 +0000

Ready to become a “Wild Thing” with Director Spike Jonze and newly found child actor Max Records? Although the first thing you may notice about Where the Wild Things Are is that it is a feast for the eyes (and we have the creative team to thank for that), the heart of the film that keeps us intrigued comes from the raw and honest performance by Max and the subtle and yet adventurous eye of Spike.

This was not an easy interview to do because the answers to all your questions were in the film. When a director does his job right he should be able to shut his mouth, press play, and let his film do the talking, which is exactly the case for this movie. You will leave with questions, but those are for you to answer, not the director.

Luckily, the two “boys” where both able to add a bit of insight to the film, talk about the more challenging parts of filming the movie and answer a few questions that you might be wondering about before bringing your kids to the film. Check out what the two “Wild Things” had to say below…

What do you want parents to take from this film, and what do you want kids to take from this film?

Spike: I didn’t have any thoughts about it. I don’t know what you should take away from it. I think anybody can take away whatever they feel connected to or not connected to in the movie. The one thing I hope is that there would be some conversations, and that a parent might actually be able to talk to their kid in a different way and ask their kid what they think, and not worry about how they’re going to turn out, but be curious as to who they are.

Do you think kids should not see a film that’s this dark?

Max: No, not at all. Of course, they should see it. It depends on the kid, and it depends on the age. When I was 7 or 8, I could not have seen this movie. But, my brother, who is 7 or 8, totally could have.

Spike: We were just trying to make a movie that feels true to what it feels like, at times, to be 9 years old. I think, as you’re growing up, your emotions are just as deep as they are when you’re an adult. You’re ability to feel lonely, longing, confused or angry are just as deep. We don’t feel things more as we get older. We just have a better understanding of how to navigate those feelings, and a better sense of how to navigate our relationships and separate our emotions from them. I also don’t think of this as a dark movie. It has moments that are intense, for sure.

How did you go about expanding the basic story of this book? Did any of this come from personal experiences?

Spike: I’m not sure if I could explain it any more than the movie.

Max: The movie and the book are just pretty much the visual way to show anger and sweetness together.

Did you feel like it was a movie about childhood?

Max: Yes. The kid gets pissed off, the mom gets pissed off, he runs away, and then there’s a lot more pissed off and a lot more happiness.

Spike, as a writer/director, how much did you struggle with constructing the beginning of the film and getting all that information in, prior to the trip to the ‘Land of the Wild Things’?

Spike: I wrote with Dave Eggers, who is a writer I love and a person that I got to know. We basically approached it, at the beginning, not over-thinking it too much. We tried to write it really intuitively, at the beginning, and just write scenes, and we overwrote. We just wrote from our gut. Later, it became a little more laborious, in terms of editing and shaping it more. But, we tried to just approach it the way a kid’s intuition approaches things. We tried to do a lot of things like that. The music was written in that sense, of not analytically, but just intuitively. We just tried to keep that spirit of not over-thinking it too much. My other movies are much more analytical or cerebral films. With this one, because the main character was 9, I wanted to turn that part of my brain off and not approach it so cerebrally.

Why did you decide not to make the world of the Wild Things as wondrous as people might expect it to be?

Spike: It stemmed a little bit from taking Max seriously. If he’s going to imagine that he’s going to a place, it’s not going to be some fantasy version of it. For me, it just connected more to really being there with these wild animals, in this forest and on these beaches, with sand and dirt and leaves in their hair, and have that level of reality to it. It makes it more dangerous and, in a way, more exciting because you’re really there. The whole movie is shot from Max’s point of view, where you’re discovering it with him. Every scene in the movie is from Max’s point of view. We also tried to give it its wonder, where it was relevant to the story, like when Max wakes up in Carol’s arms, and he’s carrying him through this beautiful forest with leaves falling everywhere. Those moments have their place, where it’s hopefully more wondrous or spectacular.

Did you intentionally want to make it so intimate?

Spike: The idea is mixing intimate with epic, at the same time, and being able to have those dynamics. The best songs are the ones that have that kind of dynamic. Arcade Fire has such intimacy and epic-ness, as the same time, and that’s really inspiring.

Did you decide to approach this completely like a child, and follow that all the way through?

Spike: Yeah. We just approached it intuitively. It wasn’t necessarily an easy shoot. It was very complicated. We made a series of decisions, early on, by shooting the creatures real live-action on location, with a boy in the middle of it all. That was a very challenging way to shoot it. Once we made those decisions, we just agreed to take whatever weather, lightening and wildness of that way of shooting that came with it. We tried to keep the whole film in the spirit of a kid, and tried not to put our adult stuff into that. That being said, we had some tantrums, along the way, because the shoot was so stressful and difficult. I’ve worked with (cinematographer) Lance [Acord] and (production designer) K.K. [Barrett] for so long, and we did this whole movie as an adventure. The whole group of us moved to Australia and all lived in neighborhoods near each other. It was just a very group experience, where we went off into these woods and deserts, and made this film. We lived the movie, in a lot of ways.

Maurice Sendak said that he found you to be very old-school. Do you consider yourself that way?

Spike: I don’t know. I do, definitely, think of artists, like The Beatles, Maurice Sendak, who wrote this book in the ‘60′s, Shel Silverstein or David Bowie. I think of artists, that were of that period, that are really inspiring and exciting. There is probably a similar sensibility when I think about artists now, like Arcade Fire or Karen O. (from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs). There is something similar, in terms of the singularity of those voices, and not living and working in the mainstream. Their motivation is coming from within them, as opposed to from outside in the marketplace. It’s always coming from, “What am I going to make that is going to inspire and excite me?” Maybe that’s something I’m inspired by.

Max, how gross was it for you to do that scene where you come out of KW?

Max: You don’t want to know. They put some sort of gross gel stuff on me.

Spike: He was covered and goopy. He hated it. We shot it once, and then we had to shoot another piece of it again, and he just did not want to get in it. He said, “I will only do it if, afterwards, you let me cover you in it.” And so, afterwards, we went back to his room and he just covered me in it. He was so happy and I was miserable, so it was a good retribution.

Spike, can you talk about the Maurice Sendak documentary you did?

Spike: We did it to give good context. It’s basically a video portrait of him. It’s about 40 minutes long, and it comes out on HBO, a couple days before the movie is released.

Do you know what you’re doing next?

Spike: No, not yet.

Are you going down the indie path?

Spike: I don’t know. I’m just going to make whatever. I don’t look at it with a label. That’s weird. I just want to make whatever is exciting.

Where the Wild Things Are will be in theaters October 16th!

Interview: Creative Team Behind Where The Wild Things Are

Mali Elfman — Tue, 13 Oct 2009 19:00:52 +0000

One should be warned, this is not a children’s movie, it’s a movie about a child, and is dealt with as such. Spike Jonze‘s Where the Wild Things Are, is a spectacle to behold thanks to the many creative minds that came together to re-invent Maurice Sendak’s classic book.

The film evokes feelings from childhood that many of us try to hide or explain away. With deep brooding emotions and honest responses, this movie connects with it’s audience in a way we’re not used to seeing or rather feeling in a mainstream movie. It’s filled with childlike wonder, fear, and anger that reminds us of a time when we didn’t always “act like adults” but preferred to howl at the moon. Children’s emotions are not simple, nor are their imaginations, which is why the creative team behind the film had to tap into their unabashed creativity and inner child in order to fully capture the tone necessary for this film.

It is clear when watching the film, that Spike Jonze had a vision and hired a team that could follow it through full force. Director of Photography, Lance Accord (not featured above); Costume Designer, Casey Storm; Production Designer, K.K. Barrett; and Art Director, Sonny Gerasimowicz all worked together to create a world for the Wild Things to play.

From Sonny’s choice to build suits for people to walk around in, to Lance’s decision to shoot it like a wild life documentary, the film’s look mirrors the subject matter within. From the get go, we see DP Lance at work portraying a rather wild and possibly even dangerous side Max.

His first goal, let Max tell the story…

Lance: The film’s point of view of the world was Max’s point of view, so the film maintained a subjective view of the world… There’s a certain amount that you need to set place for basic story telling. Aside from the shots that would establish where you are, once you got to the scene of the dialogue between the creatures, or between Max with the people he relates to his world. In the beginning before he even gets to the Island, the camera would be with Max as much as possible.

The shots in the film are often just as wild as the character we’re watching. At times it felt like you really were running with the pack.

Lance: We tried to stay away from those big crane shots or really complicated steady cam shots or dolly moves. For the most part the storytelling and the basic photographic technique of the film is very, very simple. Our reference is there in terms of designing how we were going to shoot the film. Dolly shots versus locked off versus handheld — those were based on things like Wild Life documentaries. The camera work itself is really simple in the film…. That was something we really wanted to have in the movie because it relates to the book. That’s what the whole 23-pages of the book is. It’s a series of images that have become icons: the drawing style, the table-frame of it. We’re trying to have both of those things.

The lack of CG not only reinforces the real-ness of Max’s imagination and also allows the audience to use their imaginations themselves. More often than not, filmmakers seem to think that they have to do all the thinking for us, but not with Spike…

Lance: Even Max’s voyage in the boat, we were always very overly sensitive about allowing it to step into the world of wonder and awe. The line where he steps into the fantasy world from the real world hopefully is obscure as much as possible. It’s all grounded and based in reality. When he first sees the creatures, the photography is very much like a wild life documentary. You’re observing their habits, night time habits or something. We try to really shoot that like a documentary — pan zooms, seeing them through the trees. A lot of times too the camera work, when Max would be with them in dialogue scenes, purposely the camera would get jostled or moved by one of the creatures. The first thing Spike Jonze said to us is, “Were not making an effects movie even though there are a lot of effects in the film.” It predetermines the sensibility of how you’re going to shoot it.

To add to Lance’s talent, came Casey Storm, K.K. Barrett, and Sonny Gerasimowicz creativity. One of the images people are talking about the most are the “men in suits” being used as opposed to CGI. Once you see the film you couldn’t imagine it any other way because it yet again adds another layer of texture to the already beautifully painted palate and again allows you to view the creatures with your own imagination.

Check out what Casey (with the spoon), K.K. (with the knife), and Sonny (with the fork) had to say about creating Spike’s world below (note to self: Keep utensils away from interviewees)…

And as for that personal experience I was talking about before, this is a tricky film. Without giving anything away, it’s much deeper and possibly even darker than what some people are expecting, but that comes from the material and staying honest to the character. Here’s what out creative three-some had to say about the matter…

The film is exceptional, and the creative team behind it is what makes it so amazing. I will say, that I can’t help but notice how they all seem to be in their own world’s (some more than others) and giving them things to play with is not necessarily the best idea, but all of them seem dedicated to the project and for good reason.

Check out all of their work in action in Where the Wild Things Are in theaters October 16th!

More Where the Wild Things Are Photos

Krystal Clark — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:34:16 +0000

A huge batch of photos from Spike Jonze‘s Where the Wild Things Are have popped up online. The film is based on the Maurice Sendak children’s book of the same name, and centers on the adventures of a little boy and a group of wild yet friendly creatures. The film stars Max Records as the main character, and features the voice talents of James Gandolfini, Forest Whitaker, Catherine O’Hara, and Lauren Ambrose.

Take a look at some of the wild photos…

To browse our gallery, select any photo and it will enlarge and then allow you to scroll through the photos…

For more on Where the Wild Things Are, check out some character banners, photos, and posters.

The more I look at these photos the more I realize that Jonze did an amazing job with the casting of this film. Max looks just as I imagined he would when I was a child. The outfit, the hair, even the attitude seems to shine through with Records’ portrayal.

Where the Wild Things Are hits theaters nationwide on October 16th

What do you think of the latest photos from Where the Wild Things Are?

Photos courtesy of Collider

Weekend Roundup: Emmys, Where the Wild Things Are, Stoners

Craig Sternberg — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 17:25:25 +0000

The weekend of the Emmys has come and gone and reactions from the movie and TV world are running rampant. The end of summer is drawing near but the news is still plentiful. Here’s some of the latest movie news and Emmy news:

If you are one of the many who are early awaiting the release of Where the Wild Things Are here is something to tide you over. Spike Jonze took to his blog recently and started a fan art contest called “Where The Wild Things Ought to Be.” Visit for a few good laughs and a chance to win a Where the Wild Things Are skatedeck. [/Film]
Are you sick of what is billed as the typical cliché for a stoner nowadays? Unreality Magazine tells us the 5 worst stoner portrayals in movies.
In case you missed the Emmys last night here is a run down from Defamer of what the Emmys taught us.

And below is one of the funnier moments last night as Neil Patrick Harris turned in a gem as the host of the Emmys…

Did you enjoy the Emmys last night? What did you think of Neil Patrick Harris as the host? Who won that was undeserving? Who lost that deserved to win?

More Where the Wild Things Are Banners!

Mali Elfman — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 15:09:38 +0000

We just received more beautiful character posters for Spike Jonze‘s upcoming masterpieces Where the Wild Things Are. We were just discussing Jonze’s choice to use men in suits rather than CGI and how that choice helped in creating the magic and beauty behind the film, and these posters are a perfect example of that. When you look at the close up of The Bull above, you can see how tactile the hair feels and how piercing the eyes are. The whole thing could be a painting.

Below are five new posts including, Paul Dano as “Alexander,” Chris Cooper as “Douglas,” Forest Whitaker as “Ira,” Michael Berry Jr. as “The Bull,” and another shot of James Gandolfini as “Carol.”

Check them out now in our gallery…

To see the photos in full size, simply click any of them and then use the arrows to navigate…

Check out the posters of Carol, Max, KW, and Judith OR photos from the film!

Where the Wild Things Are will be released in theaters nationwide on October 16, 2009. The film stars James Gandolfini, Max Records, Catherine Keener, and Forest Whitaker and trust me, if the 20 minutes we saw at Comic-Con told us anything, it’s that this will be a visual and creative feast!

What do you think of the latest posters for the film?

Spike Jonze on Creating the Characters for Where the Wild Things Are

Mali Elfman — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 17:17:19 +0000

Out of all the sneak peeks and clips shown at Comic-Con, Spike Jonze‘ upcoming masterpiece Where the Wild Things Are was by far my favorite. Maurice Sendak’s book holds such a strong place in my memory that at first, the idea of anyone trying to adapt something that could only be seen in the minds and hearts of children seemed impossible… until I saw what Jonze had created. It’s no wonder Sendak has come out saying that Jonze not only does justice to the book for expands on it.

I and the male journalist sitting next me (read his response) both unexpectedly teared up when watching the footage. It was beautiful to see those intelligent childlike moments be dealt with honestly and simply. When people ask me what film I’m most excited for, I say Where the Wild Things Are. The first thing they say is “the poster looks like a bunch of guys in suits.” And to that I say, absolutely yes and no. Recently Jonze spoke to the LATimes about creating the costumes for the characters and I think it helps to understand the creative process behind making the choice to have men in suits.

The monsters themselves are a site to behold and were something that Jonze struggled with throughout the whole shoot, from creation to execution. Should he use modern CGI? At first he turned to Hollywood special-effects companies, but quickly rejected everything they came up with because he said:

“I wanted the monsters to retain the strange design that Maurice had created,” he said. “Weird, cuddly, charming. Looking at each other out of the corner of their eye. They’d be almost, like, conspiring. You don’t know if Max has total control over them.”

Making something as unique as what he wanted, could not come from the usual places. He went searching for someone who could create the “soul” he was looking for and found it in an illustrator who had never worked with Hollywood before, Sonny Gerasimowicz. He was a graffiti writer turned ad agent creative, and he was exactly what Jonze needed. While talking on the phone, Sonny sketched out a few drawings on a pieces of scrap paper…

“When it comes down to something as delicate as tone, it became clear we had to find someone who had the right aesthetic,” Jonze said. “It’s finding people that have the right judgment, even if they’ve never done the specifics.”

As for the suits, you’re not the only one that questioned them. During principal photography, Jonze started panicking that they would only “like they were guys in suits.”

“It was so hard!” Gerasimowicz exclaimed. “They show us a bare-bones suit and it would be the scariest thing in the world because it’s just a big foam thing. Not doing this ever before, it was hard to visualize.”

Despite the 150 pounds costumes in 100 degree weather and the anxiety from the team, the creators were a success, and a perfect blend between old school costumes and pure imagination that NO one else does now-a-days. Just because you can use CGI, doesn’t mean you have to use it for everything and not all costumes are old, they’ve progressed as well, they’re just not used as often. A tiny bit of CGI was used to help enhance the costumes,

“The faces were static when we shot them and we put the faces on in post-production.”

Overall, the lack of over the top special effects ends up not only making the film feel more real and like you could physically reach out and pet Carol, it allows us to use our imagination, which is really what the story is all about.

Like Jonze said, “It’s not like it’s a big secret. But I want to let that come out later. I don’t want the attention to focus on that.”

Check out the film in theaters October 16th!

New Where the Wild Things Are Photos

Krystal Clark — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 18:05:49 +0000

Last week, we brought you several new character posters promoting the upcoming feature, Where the Wild Things Are. The film is directed by Spike Jonze and is a literal adaptation of the Maurice Sendak children’s book of the same name. Over at the NYTimes, they’ve posted a couple of photos from the film, that feature more images of Max and his new found creature family.

Take a walk on the wild side with the following photos…

To browse our gallery, select any photo and it will enlarge and then allow you to scroll through the photos…

For more on Where the Wild Things Are you can view the film’s official posters, its teaser trailer, extended trailer, and a special behind the scenes featurette that includes author Maurice Sendak.

Where the Wild Things Are will be released in theaters nationwide on October 16, 2009. The film stars James Gandolfini, Max Records, Catherine Keener, and Forest Whitaker. In typical Spike Jonze fashion this will be a visual and creative feast for those of us who are serious fans of the book.

What do you think of the latest photos from Where the Wild Things Are?

Where the Wild Things Are Character Posters

Krystal Clark — Fri, 11 Sep 2009 01:30:14 +0000

Four new character posters have debuted over on MySpace for Spike Jonze‘s Where the Wild Things Are. A week ago we brought you a poster featuring Max and Carol standing in the desert, but today’s images are a little more in your face. Besides Carol and Max, we have two solo posters that put a spotlight on Judith and KW. They’re close ups of each character’s face and it makes you realize how lucky we are that Jonze didn’t go all CGI crazy on these creatures.

Take a look at Carol, Max, Judith, and KW…

Out of this bunch, my favorite poster is KW. I think it’s because she has sad, puppy dog eyes. In the film KW is voiced by Six Feet Under alum Lauren Ambrose, Carol is voiced by James Gandolfini, and Judith by Catherine O’Hara. These posters make me so thankful to Spike Jonze for going the puppeteer route with this film. So many people use CGI as a crutch these days and it’s really getting annoying. With a simple story like this, he definitely went in the right creative direction.

Where the Wild Things Are debuts in theaters nationwide on October 16th.

What do you think of the character posters for Where the Wild Things Are?

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