Spike Jonze

Dir: Spike Jonze Cast: Max Records, Catherine Keener, James Gandolfini, Lauren Ambrose, Chris Cooper, Paul Dano, Forest Whitaker Maurice Sendak’s 1965 children’s classic ‘Where The Wild Things Are’ is one of those primal, infallible texts that have been around for long enough to inform the world-view of parents and children alike. Like Lewis Carroll’s poems and Aesop’s fables, it is a brutally simple tale reminding us of the Dionysian chaos and fury that lurks beneath the surface of our manicured lives. So who better to bring this warped and wonderful story to the big screen than the ‘realiseur’ of Charlie Kaufman’s most famous scripts, ... Read Full Story

The Wild Things and Max (Max Records) in Where the Wild Things Are Photo: Warner Bros. Only a few minutes into Where the Wild Things Are , a young girl seated behind me whispered to her father, "Dad, when will we see the monsters?" This was about ten minutes into this 94 minute film and it wasn't until about 25 minutes those monsters showed up. With everything I have read regarding Maurice Sendak's book that inspired this adaptation, I haven't seen anyone admitting what draws kids into the story is Max's wild rumpus with a group of sharp-toothed monsters that eventually come to love ... Read Full Story

(Warner Brothers) Where the Wild Things Are should have worked. Based on the classic children's book by Maurice Sendak and shepherded onto the screen by Spike Jonze and screenwriter Dave Eggers , it certainly had the pedigree for greatness. And indeed, there are a lot of things that work, and work very well, including a fantastic lead performance, stunning VFX that manage to create monsters that feel at once sewn-together and utterly alive, and beautifully shot landscapes in Melbourne, Australia. And yet for all of that, it simply doesn't hold up as a movie.  The film is the story of Max, played with equal ... Read Full Story

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Turning a classic children's book into a Hollywood movie takes courage. When that book is Maurice Sendak's dark but beloved "Where the Wild Things Are" and the illustrated original consists of just nine simple sentences, it also helps to have the author's blessing. Director Spike Jonze had both when he set out to bring the award-winning 1963 book to the big screen in a version that is both a departure and an homage designed to appeal to adults as well as children. Five years in the making, Jonze's part live-action, part puppetry, part computer-animated version of "Where The Wild Things ... Read Full Story

After a gestation period longer than several female whales, we're finally closing in on the UK release of Where the Wild Things Are. Based on the 'children's' book by Maurice Sendak, the film has been a labour of love for director Spike Jonze. Telling the story of one boy's adventure and an imaginary world of wild monsters, the story has sold nearly 20 million copies worldwide. Despite having Sendak's own illustrations as a guide, there is always a danger in creating a film that so many people picture in different ways. From the look of the trailer, Jonze has worked wonders. The beautifully realised ... Read Full Story