Where The Wild Things Are

Who wouldn't want to watch this movie?

Wild Things is the swing and the miss. I attempted to watch this movie four times. Each time I got a little bit farther in… and fell asleep. Now, work had been stressful and I was exhausted, but I made it through the next cinematic adventure just fine, so what happened?

Where The Wild Things Are is one of my favorite children’s books. I’ve always loved the imaginative creatures that Max encounters and Maurice Sendak‘s breath-taking art work. So it was great to see these creatures come to life on screen… eventually.

They added a lot of angst to Max. From the book, I gathered that he was a brat. From the movie, he’s lashing out because his dad is … missing? And Mom has a new boyfriend that looks like kind of a sleeze. I get it, where are the Wild Things? Max imagines himself getting on a boat and landing in the land of the Wild Things. Finally!

The Wild Things start off promising. Smashing trees, throwing each other around… But then it’s as if Spike Jonze, the director, remembered that he’s an independent film director, so all the creatures started talking… and talking… … and talking.

I think the creatures are supposed to be personifications of Max’s psyche. They are an outward manifestation of all the issues of a child living in a broken home. It’s all very cathartic for him, but the audience languishes. When does the wild rumpus start? That’s what I’m here to see!

Breath-taking imagery just couldn't get me to sit through this one.

I enjoy great independent films. A lot of my favorites feature people sitting around talking. And, I don’t feel like you could carry a full-length feature with just smashing trees and flying around. I guess I just didn’t get who the targeted demographic should be, and that bugged me. Is this a kids’ movie? Or is it for young twenty-something independent film lovers with storytime nostalgia? I just don’t know who this movie is for!

My kid was bored and my wife and I are  just beyond being twenty-something (we’re now thirty-something), so the movie didn’t hit home for any of us. Swing-and-a-miss.

It got returned to the Redbox about half-watched after four attempts…

Fantastic Mr. Fox

Mr. Fox lacks the wonderful illustrations, but has the power of Roald Dahl's imagination behind it.

Fantastic Mr. Fox, however, sent it out of the park. Now, this film is rated PG and features characters that smoke, and, get this, ‘slang humor’. Honestly, I don’t want to spoil the fun of discovering the slang humor just by watching the film, but trust me, these animated animals are not going to say slang your kids shouldn’t hear.

I remember watching Mouse and the Motorcycle as a kid. I remember loving how the fur moved oddly (due to the animators no doubt inadvertently bumping it as they moved the characters around). It was the same wonder I would feel watching Claymation, and really watching the figures for fingerprints in the clay. It told me that someone made this! By hand!

My eyes popped out of my head watching this...

Fantastic Mr. Fox’s puppet-style stop-motion animation is a lot more cleaner and refined, but there is still that awe of knowing that these puppets were really made by someone! And they’re doing amazing things!

Add to that the direction perfection of Wes Anderson(Life Aquatic, Darjeeling Limited) and a stellar cast (George Clooney, Merryl Streep, Jason Schwartzman, Bill Murray, Willem Defoe, Owen Wilson, to name a few); and this has the makings of a great film!

Also independent, also based on a children’s book (this one written by Roald Dahl, author of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, James and the Giant Peach and Matilda), this one succeeds where Wild Things fell on it’s big monster face: it appeals to ALL audiences.

Lately I cringe when a movie claims to be ‘great for the whole family!’ because that generally means it’s intended for kids, made by folks who may or may not ‘get’ kids. I’ve said it before, but kids’ movies shouldn’t talk down to kids. You should be able to watch films with your kids without feeling like stabbing sharpened pencils in to your ears and gouging your eyes out with spoons. Just sayin’.

Mr. Fox is truly a film the entire family will love. I laughed at stuff my kid didn’t get, she laughed at stuff I didn’t think was all that funny. The smoking thing? It was old school Disney: only the bad guys smoke. And those bad guys are gross. No worries of the kid coming out of the movie thinking that smoking is cool.

AND something that’s been missing in a lot of movies: it’s quotable. I’ve been driving my family crazy quoting and referencing since we saw the movie. But it feels good. I don’t have to keep pulling up original Star Wars trilogy quotes, I have something new!

Any thoughts?

Since everyone saw these two before me, care to weigh in? Did I break your heart by not being able to sit through Wild Things? Was Mr. Fox the biggest turd you’ve ever seen? Let me know below…

Mine! Mine!

Good Luck! Make sure to stop by JollyMom.com to see how you can get up to eight entries in this giveaway!

I personally have had a few movie moments like that. Some of those were in animated films. But I don’t think any of them affected me quite like Disney/Pixar’s ‘Up‘.

I’ve been a Pixar fan since practically the beginning of the studio, when I saw their short ‘Luxo, Jr.‘ in a presentation called ‘Beyond the Mind’s Eye‘ on PBS. My first post on this blog was ‘Wall-E Restored My Faith In Pixar‘. Needless to say I was excited about ‘Up’, I just didn’t realize how excited I should be.

‘Up’ is a film presented in 3D. I was not fortunate enough to see the 3D version, but I was amazed at the fact that the 3D bit almost seemed like an after thought. What the creators were concerned with here was, I’m not kidding, story. In my review of ‘Wall-E’ I marveled at how much story Pixar could convey with no dialogue. ‘Up’ has many moments where it is the faces of the characters, a clever camera angle, the music, that moves the story. And the story is very adult.

Stop right there!

Let me clarify something that has bothered me my entire life: the definition of ‘adult’ in animation. Here in the U.S., animation is seen as kid’s stuff. People that enjoy animation act like it’s because they’re still carefree. Like they’re more in tune with their inner child. But animated films can and should be for adults as well. This is something that I believe Pixar has flirted with and finally mastered with ‘Up’.

The film deals with a widower who, through life’s many complications, was not able to fulfill his beloved wife’s greatest dream. After her death he decides it’s time to honor her memory and her dream.

As heavy as that sounds, this film is hilarious. It has just the right mix of humor and seriousness, action and moments of serenity, to make you feel that you are living this life along with the characters.

This movie changed my life. It opened my eyes to parts of my life I’m not necessarily proud of. It made me realize that some of the day-to-day tasks pale in importance to those around us, especially those close to us.

Carl wasn't afraid to achieve a dream, Now, neither am I.

I feel like it’s New Year’s all over again. I’m redesigning some of those resolutions. Chief among them to make every effort I can to be a central part of my family’s lives. I will cherish them every moment I have them. I will do everything in my power to make sure that they do not take a back seat to blogging, or career, or any other interest that will crop up.

I’ve had a re-awakening. And a silly ‘kids’ movie’ is responsible.

I highly recommend ‘Up’. Even if it doesn’t give you a great spiritual renewal, I’ll dare you to find something not to like!

We like to occasionally visit our local thrift store in order to maybe snatch some nifty schwag at a bargain. My wife generally migrates toward the clothing and I head for the media: books, CDs, movies…

Today’s visit to the thrift store resulted in my finding an album I had no idea existed, but I’m so glad I scooped it up!

‘Stay Awake: Various Interpretations of Music From Vintage Disney Films‘ is just that: a compilation of various artists adding their own spin on Disney film music. The artists on this album are unlike anything I’ve ever seen with Disney music.

When I was younger, I enjoyed ‘Simply Mad About the Mouse‘, which featured pop artists covering Disney tunes (LL Cool J’s ‘Who’s Afraid of the Big Bad Wolf?’ is still a guilty pleasure of mine). But as I get older, I just don’t enjoy ‘Simply Mad’ as much as I used to.

‘Stay Awake’ is something entirely different, featuring Jazz and Blues artists, many of the songs are almost indistinguishable from their original counterparts. Tom Waits’ ‘Heigh Ho’ is a definite highlight, as well as Aaron Neville’s ‘Mickey Mouse March’. Other artists include Bonnie Raitt, Natalie Merchant, Michael Stipe, Sinead O’Connor, James Taylor, Ringo Starr, and a lot more.

This album is over twenty years old, having been released in 1988, but it’s definitely worth a listen. (Hint: it’s still available at amazon.com!)

** A note about the thrift store we frequently visit: We go to The Thrifty Shoppe, which is run by an organization called Vail Valley Cares. Vail Valley Cares is a multi-denominational Christian charity that assists people in need in our local community. So along with discovering new music and getting cool stuff, the money goes to a good cause. Precisely what I’d call a win-win!

Beauty and the Beast

Cover of Beauty and the Beast

There’s no getting around Disney‘s classic, so we might as well get it out of the way. I remember when Beauty and the Beast was first released, TV Guide ran an article that said something like, “A Sexy Disney Cartoon?!” While this one probably won’t get your blood pumping in that way, it’s hard not to get that flutter in your chest and a tear in your eye during the ballroom scene.

Somewhere In Time

Cover via Amazon

The reason this one makes the cut is because it’s a fun romantic tale with a sci-fi twist. There’s not as much swashbuckling action as the kids might like, but it’s a good romantic film without overblown sex or horrible language. Christopher Reeve plays a playwright who uses self-hypnosis to go back in time and find the woman he’s only ever seen in a vintage portrait that hangs in a hotel.

Don’t want to go out to rent it? You can stream it online for free at hulu.com.

The Little Mermaid

Cover via Amazon

I know, there are a lot of Disney flicks that could make this list. Honorable mentions could go to Lady and the Tramp, Hercules, and Aladdin. But not the Princess flicks where she just waits around for her stiff Prince to come around. (Sorry, Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty. You’re out!) I digress.

The Little Mermaid, however, does make the cut because it’s Ariel that wins Eric. Not too much of that going on in the animated world! Plus, it’s good to have that reminder as a parent that these kids are really just on loan. You can’t keep them forever, so you’ve got to treasure them while you can!

Enchanted

Cover via Amazon

I swear, last Disney entry! Guys, stick with me. This one surprised me. I can’t put my finger on it, but I like this one. Maybe it was the music by Alan Menken. (Note the other Disney flicks on the list: Yep, Menken music MAKES the film.) Maybe it was the irreverence without being too derogatory. Maybe I just miss the classic hand-drawn style that much. At any rate, Enchanted is a charming little flick that you can watch with your little princesses and not feel like jumping out of the window.

The Princess Bride

Can anyone really argue with me on this one? Really, who doesn’t like this swashbuckling tale of true love? Bet you already have this one memorized. It’s never too late to clog your kids’ brains with this stuff as well. “Anybody want a peanut?”

Wall-E

Cover via Amazon

I covered this one in a previous post, ‘Wall-E Fully Restored My Faith In Pixar’. I got so caught up with the history of Pixar in that post, that I failed to mention the love story between Wall-E and Eve. That romance is the driving force of the movie. The fact that you are sucked in to that romance with little dialogue between two robots is fantastic. Highest possible recommendation!

Note: Even though it is owned and operated by Disney, I don’t consider Pixar movies to be in the same league as typical Disney films, seeing how Pixar pushed the envelope and broke the mold of how animation is done. Not just technically, but story-wise. Pixar did away with the notion that anything animated had to be a musical. With very few exceptios, this wasn’t seen in American animation. My blog. My prerogative.

Ever After

Looks like the fairy tales are winning in the romance department! Ever After is a fun reinvention of the different incarnations of the Cinderella stories. The damsel doesn’t find herself in so much distress in this one, however! (Can you tell I enjoy a strong female character? I guess with two daughters I want them to know they can take care of themselves!) Definitely worth a look or reviewing. Whichever the case may be!

Shrek

Cover via Amazon

An animated film that’s not in any way connected to Disney! (On the business side anyway. Well, at least for now. See ‘Disney Inks Distribution Deal With DreamWorks’) There’s no denying the heart contained within the original Shrek film. With a cast consisting of Mike Myers, Eddie Murphy, Cameron Diaz, and John Lithgow, is there really any room for argument?

Ladyhawke

Cover of Ladyhawke

Despite the silly Andrew Powell score, this film is a classic that will have you measuring the depths of your love! Rutger Hauer and Michelle Pfeiffer are two star-crossed lovers who are cursed to spend an eternity next to each other, yet far away. She turns in to a hawk during the day. He is a wolf at night. During the agonizing moments as the sun sets and rises, they glimpse each other as they transform, but can never be truly together until the curse is broken.

Pride and Prejudice (2005)

You won’t have to send the kids out of the room for this one, but they may or may not sit through it. (Oddly enough, my two year old will!) It’s my wife’s favorite version of this story, so I’m including it for her. (Happy Valentine’s Day, Babe!) She’s read the novel and sat through countless variations on film, so I’ll trust her to be an expert. Coming from a guy that finds something else to do when she puts on the BBC productions of Jane Austen’s novels, I can tell you that I did enjoy this movie. It’s a close second to Ang Lee’s Sense and Sensability as far as film versions of Jane Austen novels go.

Whew! There you have it: my two cents on what romantic films the entire family can enjoy. I’m about to burn my popcorn, so I better run. See you in cyberspace!

‘Wanted’ has all the cool looking CGI action we’ve come to expect in this post-Matrix cinematic world. The plot isn’t terribly unique. James McAvoy’s character is a meek mild-mannered accountant who discovers that he’s inherited extraordinary gifts from the father he never knew. Pretty typical.

Where this movie excels, however is in the telling of the story. We find out that the main character is a nobody when he Google‘s himself and sees ‘no results found.’ That really gave me a giggle, and is just one example of how this unoriginal story is told in a creative way.

It’s getting increasingly difficult to find substance in films like this, but ‘Wanted’ delivers!

Make it a point to see ‘Wanted’. It’s well worth your time!

I will be using this blog as well as howefitz.com to explore ideas and concepts that are important to me and I hope you as well.

These topics will include: sustainable liveing, lifestyle design, making money with the internet, music, movies, comic books, yak shaving, the list goes on and on.

I will not only be babbling myself, but I will share links when others say it so much better. I’ll also feature guest bloggers and possibly drag my lovely wife and daughters into the mess as well.

I hope you enjoy my little experiment and look forward to hearing your thoughts!

Thanks,

Justin Howe

creator and currently sole operator of howefitz.com