San Francisco, 9:45 PM
Tue Dec 1
29 posts in the last 24 hours
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Yeah, that's the message you want to send to impressionable kids: run away from home, go past a bunch of dark parking lots in the city, and hop in the first boat you come to. Then you'll leave your worries behind and find a magical new land. That's sure to end well for any kids that try it.
@Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.: Yeah, I don't think it'll be a widespread problem by any means. But given that there have been kids stupid enough to jump off of roofs in emulation of Superman, it won't surprise me if at least one little tyke winds up on a slow boat to white slavery before it's all said and done.
having recently finished Dave Eggers first novel, "A heartbreaking work of staggering genius" SPike JOnze is not the only person you should be excited about for this film. THat Novel is amazing and full of insight. If I could trust anyone to adapt this story in to something larger, it is him.
@phantom_K9: I feel the same way especially after reading this article.
I know my eleven year old doesn't want to see it. When we saw the trailer before a viewing of 9 she found the monsters creepy and scary. She didn't like their noses. This is a kid who has no problem with LoTR, Buffy, 9, Coraline or Alien/s.
@phantom_K9: I think it depends on the kid, really. I was kind of a easy-to-scare kids when it came to monsters, but "normal" violence (swords, gun etc.) did nothing to me.
By the way, phantom, your eleven-year-old likes Buffy?
Aren't the situations shown in this show a little bit old for her to understand/appreciate? Like first sexual relationship, addiction, adulthood, etc...?
Personally I think those relationships etc are handled very well on Buffy. She isn't as big a fan as her older sister but I mentioned it because she has seen the show and the images didn't frighten her.
I watch shows with my kids so if they have any questions about the content I am there to answer them. My kids learned about Lesbians from Buffy and their favourite gay actor is Neil Patrick Harris. If we can use TV as a tool to broaden their world view I'm all for it.
@phantom_K9: After someone saw a screening of it about a year ago, she described it not as a movie for children, but a movie for adults about childhood. I think that pretty much says it all.
The relationships are handled very well in Buffy, I give you that. I'm a fan myself. But I didn't understand all the nuances the first I saw it (I was , what 13+?). When I rewatch them now, I find it even more fun cause I can rely to some of the characters relation.
In fairness to Jonze and Eggers, they needed to impose some sort of larger narrative on the story. The book just doesn't have enough incident to support a two hour movie as is, it's almost more of a vision than a story. The violence/war angle makes sense, it's a pretty natural development from the book. In the book, Max wants to be a wild thing, so he goes off and his this adventure and becomes king of the wild things, only to eventually decide he wants to go home to his normal life. So, if you're making a movie of that, something has to make him decide to leave the island of the wild things. It makes sense that that something would be the realization that total wildness leads to people getting hurt. We all have to learn to control our violent impulses as we're growing up.
@WindowlickinDaywalker: You are correct on both counts. Seems like he's even more of a horrid brat in the movie, and since Sendak didn't mind that, it must have been his idea too.
@Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.: And I think that was one point of the book: to show that people that look like monsters (in this case, grown-ups) aren't necessarily monster, and that you don't have to act like one to prove yourself to them.
I realize that the hype and marketing machine is out in force for this movie, but I really don't understand why everyone is so excited. They took a 200 word book and turned into a two hour movie--what's the likelihood that that worked out? Now we learn that the movie diverges from the core elements of the story. If it's good, then great, I like good movies, and there aren't that many of them. But I'm not holding my breath for this one.
@TheZug: Spike Jonze has a pretty good record and reputation as an independent filmmaker. It not just a movie inspired by a much-loved children's book, it's also a long-delayed new offering from a celebrated director. This is the guy who made Adaptation, which featured a meta-story about adapting an un-adaptable book to screen... So confidence is understandably running pretty high.
The New Yorker published Eggers
short story version "Max at Sea" some time in September. I was astonished reading it... it was like reading the film six weeks early (and if that's the case, the film will be crushingly good).
So they are going to destroy the fantasy, innocence, and whimsy of the original by cutting out the most memorable sequence (the bedroom transformation) and adding a heavy-handed and gloomy parable about war.
@glucious: Well to be fair Jonze was very resistant to putting an interpretation on the film. But the "let's have a war" thing was really kind of intense.
@Charlie Jane Anders: Thats only on the surface. Watch it again and you will see its actually a very subtle study of the United States coming to terms with the complexities and moral quandaries of the Teapot Dome scandal.
@Charlie Jane Anders: Yeah, leave it to Dave Eggers not to follow Jonze's lead and instead try to direct people on how to feel about the story. I love Spike Jonze, and this movie looks amazing, but Eggers is a huge point in the minus column.
@nozer: Ehh... I was asking a question about the movie's themes, and both Jonze and Eggers said the same thing about how you should put your own interpretation on it. And then Eggers just added his thoughts about why Max is so keen on having a war.
@nozer: He told you that the story is about the wish-fulfillment of a nine-year old boy! How is that in any way imposing on you!? Would you really have not figured that out without Dave Eggers' absolutely tyrannical, almost facist statements?
@Charlie Jane Anders: i like the questions you ask in the interviews. you would be asking the stuff i would want to think about asking...
...what is your process of thought, how did you come up with thinking about wanting to put this bit of plot...
... but you know, in a slightly more conversational way.
I remember looking at the pictures of the book when i was a kid. i dont remember the story line.
I know i would like to see this movie. but i want some pure escapism in my media right now... Sage of the Seven Suns would be right up my alley. imagine trying to film that as a movie.
I am so absolutely siked for this film. I downloaded Karen O's soundtrack the other day, and have been listening to it while driving to and from places, and it makes me want to live in the story. This is super, super exciting.
BTW, "the odds are good, but the goods are odd" is not anyone in particular's invention -- it's just one of those phrases that have been around forever.
For some reason, it gets used a lot by fannish women ;) and I first heard it as a girl in engineering school.
I liked the story in "New Space Opera" about the Martian truckers, so more of this looks good.
Also, I want to be a New Celt. Sounds like I'd fit right in. "Beast slavery" FTW -- some animals is tasty, some produce tasty things, and some are cute and fuzzy companions. I'm keeping my wine, my bacon, and my kittehs.
10/01/09
10/01/09
Doubt it'll really be a problem, though.
10/01/09
10/01/09
10/01/09
10/01/09
10/01/09
10/01/09
Is it supposed to be children or adults who read the book as children?
If it is for children what ages is it suitable for?
10/01/09
I know my eleven year old doesn't want to see it. When we saw the trailer before a viewing of 9 she found the monsters creepy and scary. She didn't like their noses. This is a kid who has no problem with LoTR, Buffy, 9, Coraline or Alien/s.
10/01/09
10/01/09
By the way, phantom, your eleven-year-old likes Buffy?
Aren't the situations shown in this show a little bit old for her to understand/appreciate? Like first sexual relationship, addiction, adulthood, etc...?
10/01/09
Personally I think those relationships etc are handled very well on Buffy. She isn't as big a fan as her older sister but I mentioned it because she has seen the show and the images didn't frighten her.
I watch shows with my kids so if they have any questions about the content I am there to answer them. My kids learned about Lesbians from Buffy and their favourite gay actor is Neil Patrick Harris. If we can use TV as a tool to broaden their world view I'm all for it.
10/02/09
10/03/09
The relationships are handled very well in Buffy, I give you that. I'm a fan myself. But I didn't understand all the nuances the first I saw it (I was , what 13+?). When I rewatch them now, I find it even more fun cause I can rely to some of the characters relation.
10/01/09
10/01/09
Then again, when I was required to read "Catcher in the Rye" in high school I described Holden as a "whiny bitch."
So, yeah, it's probably me.
10/01/09
10/01/09
10/01/09
10/01/09
10/01/09
10/02/09
10/01/09
short story version "Max at Sea" some time in September. I was astonished reading it... it was like reading the film six weeks early (and if that's the case, the film will be crushingly good).
10/01/09
Way to go, twee indie hipster jerks.
10/01/09
10/01/09
10/01/09
I just pray that it won't make The Cat In The Hat look reverentially faithful to its source material in comparison.
10/01/09
10/01/09
10/01/09
Am I the only person who wasn't all that affected by this book as a child?
10/01/09
10/01/09
10/02/09
...what is your process of thought, how did you come up with thinking about wanting to put this bit of plot...
... but you know, in a slightly more conversational way.
I remember looking at the pictures of the book when i was a kid. i dont remember the story line.
I know i would like to see this movie. but i want some pure escapism in my media right now... Sage of the Seven Suns would be right up my alley. imagine trying to film that as a movie.
10/01/09
05/13/09
For some reason, it gets used a lot by fannish women ;) and I first heard it as a girl in engineering school.
05/14/09
05/13/09
oh and those two pictures in the middle are very very ugly book covers...
05/13/09
The. Larch.
The. Larch.
05/13/09
05/13/09
Also, I want to be a New Celt. Sounds like I'd fit right in. "Beast slavery" FTW -- some animals is tasty, some produce tasty things, and some are cute and fuzzy companions. I'm keeping my wine, my bacon, and my kittehs.
05/13/09
05/13/09