Where the Wild Things Are (2009)

Tags

Catherine Keener, Drama, Fantasy, Max Records, Movie, Where the Wild Things Are

you guys are creepy, but I still love you...

PG

Max Records, Catherine Keener

Max: Let the wild rumpus…START!

Max (Records) tends to lash out with wild behavior when he’s angry or feels ignored.  One night when his mother is paying more attention to her boyfriend than him, Max misbehaves, bites her, and runs off into the woods.  After hopping on a small boat and sailing for a while, Max finds himself on a strange island populated by large, scary creatures who crown Max as their king.

I think I went into this movie with my expectations too high, and I ended up feeling slightly disappointed by it.  Though, when I really consider it, the movie was actually quite good most of the way through.  It just seemed to be missing a real resolution of the story lines at the end.  I don’t need a what-did-we-learn-today, Sesame Street kind of scene, but something a little more explicitly showing Max learn from his experiences would have been nice.  I felt like the set up for a big emotional payoff was there, but then it didn’t deliver very strongly.

Moving on to the things I did like, I really enjoyed the general look and feel of the movie (thanks to director Spike Jonze).  That, combined with the music, reminded me a bit of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.  The acting is good, though the only humans with much screen time are Max and his mom (Keener).  They have some nice scenes together at the beginning, and Max Records is excellent throughout.  It’s not often that kid actors are just as good in the subtle, quiet scenes as they are in the more energetic, emotional ones.

Let me expand upon the music for a moment.  Karen O, of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, was brought in to provide a child like feel to the soundtrack, and she was successful.  By combining her style with children’s voices, I think she added as much emotion to the movie as anything else.  The music was perfect in pretty much every scene.

Even though it lacked an overall emotional punch and a real sense of resolution, I’d still say this is a movie worth seeing.  My heart may not have swelled and broken throughout, but I still found myself smiling most of the time.  Plus, it’ll make you realize that we all want to go a little wild every now and then.

Kids, don’t bite your mom, okay?

10 – 2.1 for lacking a real sense of resolution or emotional impact in the end = 7.9

Into the Wild (2007)

Tags

Catherine Keener, Drama, Emile Hirsch, Into the Wild, Jena Malone, Movie

Into...the kayak...

R

Emile Hirsch, Jena Malone, Catherine Keener

Rainey: Well, my friend, all is not well on the hippie front.

After graduating college, a young man leaves behind all of his money and possessions, as well as his identity, and strikes out across the country.  His ultimate goal is to find adventure and purpose in Alaska.

This is a movie based on true events, though how loosely based I’m not sure.  Either way, the basic story is powerful enough to make a moving film.  It’s also a beautiful movie to look at, as he goes from rivers to deserts to wheat fields and finally to Alaska.

It was an interesting movie to watch because I found that a lot of the thoughts, and issues, I had regarding the main character, Chris (Hirsch), would later be addressed by the movie.  To me that’s a sign of intelligent writing.  For instance, I was surprised at how vilified Chris’ parents were at times, and it seemed like the movie was basically blaming them for his ultimate fate.  However, as the movie goes on, various characters point out to him that he’s being a bit unforgiving of them, he’s running away from the situation, and this journey he’s on – which is really all his doing – might not be a good idea.  The parents can be blamed for creating a rough home life for Chris and his sister, but not for the decision he made to take this journey.

I thought that the way the movie showed Chris affecting everybody he came into contact with in some sort of significant way was a little heavy-handed.  I’m sure he was a nice, charming guy, but he’s portrayed in an almost Jesus-like manner at times.  Though, thankfully, one character does make a joke about this by asking Chris if he is, in fact, Jesus.  Another example of the movie seeming to know what the audience would be thinking.

I have to admit, watching this movie does ignite strong feelings of wanderlust, though the ending might quickly quell most of those feelings.  It serves as a warning not to get in over your head if you do choose to head out on an adventure.  Though, I guess being in over your head makes it all the more adventurous…

10 – 1.5 for overdramatizing Chris’ affect on people’s lives – .4 for the Eddie Vedder songs (sorry, not a fan) – .2 for what I thought was a miscast Vince Vaughn = 7.9