Where The Wild Things Are
I can only say that the irony of going to see Spike Jonze’s “Where The Wild Things Are” ,right after posting my concern about the state of the current movie business, is exquisite. This movie is a fully realized artistic vision on a par with Fellini’s “La Strada” or anything Ingmar Bergman ever made.
When I first started making movies in 1973, there was a phrase of disdain applied to certain low budget films like “Wild Angels”, “Women in Cages” or “Bikini Beach Party” made by Roger Corman or American International Pictures. They were called “Exploitation Films”. The basic idea is that you would choose a sensational, sometimes lurid or violent theme and then advertise the hell out of it. The sad fact was that after “Jaws” (a big budget exploitation film), exploitation became not the purview of the B-Movie makers, but the industry norm. What is the ”X-Men” franchise but a big budget exploitation film?
Into this world enters Max and the beasts of “Where the Wild Things Are”–a magical exploration of the imagination of lonely children everywhere. Those reviewers who have panned the movie either have forgotten their childhood or were too busy beating up other kids to understand the rage and love that Max expresses. Like all allegories, the meaning of the various “wild thing” characters are open to interpretation. In easily accepting Max as King, “who will keep away the sadness”, is Jonze telling a modern day religious tale? Would an understanding of Jungian philosophy be helpful before my second viewing of the film? I’m not sure, but at a time when I long for the touch of the original artist, I knew after this film that I was in the presence of a true Avant-Garde visionary. It is a deeply humanistic portrait of a boy and the complicated negotiation of growing up in contemporary culture that emphasizes the individual at the expense of the community. I have seen nothing like it in ages.
I’m enjoying your posts more and more. I’m sure you’re aware of this but, just in case not, the NY Times have Wild Things a very strong review. Can’t wait to see it.
I’m enjoying your posts more and more. I’m sure you’re aware of this but, just in case not, the NY Times have Wild Things a very strong review. Can’t wait to see it.
Good.
Good.
Good.
I have yet to see this film but have heard so many good things about it – in some ways, I even feel like it’s a film more for adults than for children (but given that I haven’t seen it I’m sure I could be off with that). Either way, I can’t wait to see what all the good praise is about.
I have yet to see this film but have heard so many good things about it – in some ways, I even feel like it’s a film more for adults than for children (but given that I haven’t seen it I’m sure I could be off with that). Either way, I can’t wait to see what all the good praise is about.
So wouldn’t the X-Men “franchise” benefit from elapsing into the public domain?
Their owners sure wouldn’t benefit from that, but wouldn’t the rest of us?
I know that less than a century ago copyright lasted for 21 years. And I think the owner could extend a copyright for another 21 if he actively sought that. Beyond that culture was deemed to belong to all of us.
Wouldn’t a similar system be even greater if applied today? With the readily available technology of today and the accessibility of all these materials we could have a veritable Golden Age of creation.
Imagine all these lonely imaginative children of today. Sitting in front of their computer – this awesome tool for creation – and the internet – this versatile tool for expression. Imagine what they could create if only the law and these Jurassic private corporations would allow them to. To create, tax and penalty free.
Yeah, I know. I’m a sap. An optimistic stupid dreamer *sniff sniff*
So wouldn’t the X-Men “franchise” benefit from elapsing into the public domain?
Their owners sure wouldn’t benefit from that, but wouldn’t the rest of us?
I know that less than a century ago copyright lasted for 21 years. And I think the owner could extend a copyright for another 21 if he actively sought that. Beyond that culture was deemed to belong to all of us.
Wouldn’t a similar system be even greater if applied today? With the readily available technology of today and the accessibility of all these materials we could have a veritable Golden Age of creation.
Imagine all these lonely imaginative children of today. Sitting in front of their computer – this awesome tool for creation – and the internet – this versatile tool for expression. Imagine what they could create if only the law and these Jurassic private corporations would allow them to. To create, tax and penalty free.
Yeah, I know. I’m a sap. An optimistic stupid dreamer *sniff sniff*
So wouldn’t the X-Men “franchise” benefit from elapsing into the public domain?
Their owners sure wouldn’t benefit from that, but wouldn’t the rest of us?
I know that less than a century ago copyright lasted for 21 years. And I think the owner could extend a copyright for another 21 if he actively sought that. Beyond that culture was deemed to belong to all of us.
Wouldn’t a similar system be even greater if applied today? With the readily available technology of today and the accessibility of all these materials we could have a veritable Golden Age of creation.
Imagine all these lonely imaginative children of today. Sitting in front of their computer – this awesome tool for creation – and the internet – this versatile tool for expression. Imagine what they could create if only the law and these Jurassic private corporations would allow them to. To create, tax and penalty free.
Yeah, I know. I’m a sap. An optimistic stupid dreamer *sniff sniff*
check out jonze’s blog on his inspirations for the project
http://weloveyouso.com/
check out jonze’s blog on his inspirations for the project
http://weloveyouso.com/
check out jonze’s blog on his inspirations for the project
http://weloveyouso.com/
We (in the Netherlands) will have to wait till January 14th, 2010 to see this movie. I’m sure I want to see this movie in the cinema, but I’m not sure I can wait that long.
We (in the Netherlands) will have to wait till January 14th, 2010 to see this movie. I’m sure I want to see this movie in the cinema, but I’m not sure I can wait that long.
I can’t wait to see this movie! The mere fact that you call Spike Jonze avant-garde reels me in. I think there is something to be said of someone who create a movie geared toward the child audience, yet an adult leaves the movie feeling rejuvenated. Kudos to Jonze!
Additionally, the fact that it’s low-budget doesn’t stifle the quality of the film in the least-or so I’ve been told. Perhaps, now the fate of the movie business has someone to turn to during their time of turmoil. Perhaps now low-budget films can restore the spark that’s leaving the movie business.
I’m thrilled it took “Where The Wild Things Are”-a timeless classic that I grew up on-to rekindle the love affair between film and viewer. Nice post!
I can’t wait to see this movie! The mere fact that you call Spike Jonze avant-garde reels me in. I think there is something to be said of someone who create a movie geared toward the child audience, yet an adult leaves the movie feeling rejuvenated. Kudos to Jonze!
Additionally, the fact that it’s low-budget doesn’t stifle the quality of the film in the least-or so I’ve been told. Perhaps, now the fate of the movie business has someone to turn to during their time of turmoil. Perhaps now low-budget films can restore the spark that’s leaving the movie business.
I’m thrilled it took “Where The Wild Things Are”-a timeless classic that I grew up on-to rekindle the love affair between film and viewer. Nice post!
The new public domain movement won’t get started until some major figure dies and leaves all their intellectual property to the public domain in their will. Michael Jackson should have done it. Paul McCartney should do it, as should Steven Spielberg and Bill Gates, as should absolutely every artist. What good does it do to keep owning something after you’re dead? All it does is enrich the bloodsuckers.
The new public domain movement won’t get started until some major figure dies and leaves all their intellectual property to the public domain in their will. Michael Jackson should have done it. Paul McCartney should do it, as should Steven Spielberg and Bill Gates, as should absolutely every artist. What good does it do to keep owning something after you’re dead? All it does is enrich the bloodsuckers.
The new public domain movement won’t get started until some major figure dies and leaves all their intellectual property to the public domain in their will. Michael Jackson should have done it. Paul McCartney should do it, as should Steven Spielberg and Bill Gates, as should absolutely every artist. What good does it do to keep owning something after you’re dead? All it does is enrich the bloodsuckers.
Michael, why stop at copyright as property? How about eliminating the right to inherit anything from your parents, grandparents, or anyone? When someone dies, all their property goes to the state… Is that what you want?
What many people fail to see in the “information wants to be free” movement is that intellectual property is property…it is owned. I don’t see any difference between my creating a guitar…which you then steal…from creating a song or a movie…which you then steal. Yes, the distribution media are very different, but it’s a matter of work being ripped off or paid for.
I agree that the current system could use a lot of work, but I don’t think that your solution would be very good for the arts, the artists, and the descendants of artists.
Michael, why stop at copyright as property? How about eliminating the right to inherit anything from your parents, grandparents, or anyone? When someone dies, all their property goes to the state… Is that what you want?
What many people fail to see in the “information wants to be free” movement is that intellectual property is property…it is owned. I don’t see any difference between my creating a guitar…which you then steal…from creating a song or a movie…which you then steal. Yes, the distribution media are very different, but it’s a matter of work being ripped off or paid for.
I agree that the current system could use a lot of work, but I don’t think that your solution would be very good for the arts, the artists, and the descendants of artists.
Michael, why stop at copyright as property? How about eliminating the right to inherit anything from your parents, grandparents, or anyone? When someone dies, all their property goes to the state… Is that what you want?
What many people fail to see in the “information wants to be free” movement is that intellectual property is property…it is owned. I don’t see any difference between my creating a guitar…which you then steal…from creating a song or a movie…which you then steal. Yes, the distribution media are very different, but it’s a matter of work being ripped off or paid for.
I agree that the current system could use a lot of work, but I don’t think that your solution would be very good for the arts, the artists, and the descendants of artists.
I remember readin this book as a kid!!!!
It was without out a doubt one of my all time favorites.
I was not a lonely child but I was an only child at the time, and I remember thinking how great it would be to have adventures like the ones in the book, especially because I had no siblings.
I have not seen this movie, but from what I hear it has done the story justice and I am definitely interested in watching the film
I remember readin this book as a kid!!!!
It was without out a doubt one of my all time favorites.
I was not a lonely child but I was an only child at the time, and I remember thinking how great it would be to have adventures like the ones in the book, especially because I had no siblings.
I have not seen this movie, but from what I hear it has done the story justice and I am definitely interested in watching the film
There is nothing natural about intellectual property. The opposite used to be the norm up until the advent of recorded media at the end of the 19th century (and we may be reverting to a comparable state with the advent of global networked society).
The state gives you temporal (at least, it used to be temporal) monopoly to exploit your own work in the hopes that such will stimulate you to produce more work and thus create a public benefit. With the addition of large money and large organisations to this mix that original goal has become greatly diluted.
Just to name some problems:
- the attrition of fair use
- the orphan works problem
- the continuous extension of the copyright term
Now that bandwidth is increasing and our online culture is becoming more and more based on sharing and sociality this puts even more pressure on the traditional copyright model. In effect you would need to instate a police state either real or virtual to maintain the old notions of copyright and reimbursement.
There is nothing natural about intellectual property. The opposite used to be the norm up until the advent of recorded media at the end of the 19th century (and we may be reverting to a comparable state with the advent of global networked society).
The state gives you temporal (at least, it used to be temporal) monopoly to exploit your own work in the hopes that such will stimulate you to produce more work and thus create a public benefit. With the addition of large money and large organisations to this mix that original goal has become greatly diluted.
Just to name some problems:
- the attrition of fair use
- the orphan works problem
- the continuous extension of the copyright term
Now that bandwidth is increasing and our online culture is becoming more and more based on sharing and sociality this puts even more pressure on the traditional copyright model. In effect you would need to instate a police state either real or virtual to maintain the old notions of copyright and reimbursement.
There is nothing natural about intellectual property. The opposite used to be the norm up until the advent of recorded media at the end of the 19th century (and we may be reverting to a comparable state with the advent of global networked society).
The state gives you temporal (at least, it used to be temporal) monopoly to exploit your own work in the hopes that such will stimulate you to produce more work and thus create a public benefit. With the addition of large money and large organisations to this mix that original goal has become greatly diluted.
Just to name some problems:
- the attrition of fair use
- the orphan works problem
- the continuous extension of the copyright term
Now that bandwidth is increasing and our online culture is becoming more and more based on sharing and sociality this puts even more pressure on the traditional copyright model. In effect you would need to instate a police state either real or virtual to maintain the old notions of copyright and reimbursement.
Professor Taplin, you and I are on the same wavelength. I totally agree with your blog about Were the Wild Things Are. Just last week in my paper for your class on the subject of “Can the American avant-garde survive in today’s technological age,” I wrote the following in the last paragraph of my paper.
It is always good to end on a positive note, especially when the dominant tone of a paper is confusion or outright pessimism. My positive figure is filmmaker, Spike Jonze, certainly one of the most avant-garde artists working in American film today. Spike made his mark directing far-out skateboard films and music videos. They defined the term avant-garde. He was then able to bring that same sensibility to feature films with Being John Malkovich (1999), and Adaptation (2002), both of which found an audience. His next film, Where the Wild Things Are (2009), is about to be released. From the pre-release press and my own observations as a post-production intern on it, I can assume it will be as avant-garde as his other films, except that this one cost over one hundred million dollars to make (Knafo 2009). So let’s hope that Spike, unlike George Lucas in the seventies, has found a way to be a mainstream world filmmaker, who is also a committed avant-gardist. If Spike and Where the Wild Things Are achieve a worldwide audience, then we will have at least one great example of the avant-garde going global.
A. Roos
addenda Monday October 19, 2009
Where the Wild Things Are seems to be on its way to becoming a hit, $32.5 mil over the weekend.
I am so pleased, but I am not surprised. Here are some factors that the movie business press may not have been aware of:
First, My generation was weaned on Where the Wild Things Are, Good Night Moon and Runaway Bunny. We come from old school parents that read to their kids. Second, for many of us, Spike has been our metaphorical big brother telling us what is cool. For years, we rode our Girl skateboards, traded up to Chocolate skateboards, wore Four Star clothes and Lakai shoes– All Spike’s companies.
We laughed at his music videos and worshiped Jackass and yes, you can see elements of Jackass in Wild Things. Unlike any other filmmaker, he comes with a devoted group of followers– who are now just becoming young adults.
Spike is not only a great artist, he is also a forward thinking entrepreneur. He became a king in the skateboard culture, then in the music video world and even in television with Jackass. He formed successful businesses that stemmed from these creative works. All of this gave him the freedom to make very personal films and to be the master of his own world in a very avant-garde way. There was a core audience ready for Wild Things but there was an equally big core audience wanting to see whatever Spike did next. Between the two, a perfect storm was created.
A. Roos
Professor Taplin, you and I are on the same wavelength. I totally agree with your blog about Were the Wild Things Are. Just last week in my paper for your class on the subject of “Can the American avant-garde survive in today’s technological age,” I wrote the following in the last paragraph of my paper.
It is always good to end on a positive note, especially when the dominant tone of a paper is confusion or outright pessimism. My positive figure is filmmaker, Spike Jonze, certainly one of the most avant-garde artists working in American film today. Spike made his mark directing far-out skateboard films and music videos. They defined the term avant-garde. He was then able to bring that same sensibility to feature films with Being John Malkovich (1999), and Adaptation (2002), both of which found an audience. His next film, Where the Wild Things Are (2009), is about to be released. From the pre-release press and my own observations as a post-production intern on it, I can assume it will be as avant-garde as his other films, except that this one cost over one hundred million dollars to make (Knafo 2009). So let’s hope that Spike, unlike George Lucas in the seventies, has found a way to be a mainstream world filmmaker, who is also a committed avant-gardist. If Spike and Where the Wild Things Are achieve a worldwide audience, then we will have at least one great example of the avant-garde going global.
A. Roos
addenda Monday October 19, 2009
Where the Wild Things Are seems to be on its way to becoming a hit, $32.5 mil over the weekend.
I am so pleased, but I am not surprised. Here are some factors that the movie business press may not have been aware of:
First, My generation was weaned on Where the Wild Things Are, Good Night Moon and Runaway Bunny. We come from old school parents that read to their kids. Second, for many of us, Spike has been our metaphorical big brother telling us what is cool. For years, we rode our Girl skateboards, traded up to Chocolate skateboards, wore Four Star clothes and Lakai shoes– All Spike’s companies.
We laughed at his music videos and worshiped Jackass and yes, you can see elements of Jackass in Wild Things. Unlike any other filmmaker, he comes with a devoted group of followers– who are now just becoming young adults.
Spike is not only a great artist, he is also a forward thinking entrepreneur. He became a king in the skateboard culture, then in the music video world and even in television with Jackass. He formed successful businesses that stemmed from these creative works. All of this gave him the freedom to make very personal films and to be the master of his own world in a very avant-garde way. There was a core audience ready for Wild Things but there was an equally big core audience wanting to see whatever Spike did next. Between the two, a perfect storm was created.
A. Roos
Professor Taplin, you and I are on the same wavelength. I totally agree with your blog about Were the Wild Things Are. Just last week in my paper for your class on the subject of “Can the American avant-garde survive in today’s technological age,” I wrote the following in the last paragraph of my paper.
It is always good to end on a positive note, especially when the dominant tone of a paper is confusion or outright pessimism. My positive figure is filmmaker, Spike Jonze, certainly one of the most avant-garde artists working in American film today. Spike made his mark directing far-out skateboard films and music videos. They defined the term avant-garde. He was then able to bring that same sensibility to feature films with Being John Malkovich (1999), and Adaptation (2002), both of which found an audience. His next film, Where the Wild Things Are (2009), is about to be released. From the pre-release press and my own observations as a post-production intern on it, I can assume it will be as avant-garde as his other films, except that this one cost over one hundred million dollars to make (Knafo 2009). So let’s hope that Spike, unlike George Lucas in the seventies, has found a way to be a mainstream world filmmaker, who is also a committed avant-gardist. If Spike and Where the Wild Things Are achieve a worldwide audience, then we will have at least one great example of the avant-garde going global.
A. Roos
addenda Monday October 19, 2009
Where the Wild Things Are seems to be on its way to becoming a hit, $32.5 mil over the weekend.
I am so pleased, but I am not surprised. Here are some factors that the movie business press may not have been aware of:
First, My generation was weaned on Where the Wild Things Are, Good Night Moon and Runaway Bunny. We come from old school parents that read to their kids. Second, for many of us, Spike has been our metaphorical big brother telling us what is cool. For years, we rode our Girl skateboards, traded up to Chocolate skateboards, wore Four Star clothes and Lakai shoes– All Spike’s companies.
We laughed at his music videos and worshiped Jackass and yes, you can see elements of Jackass in Wild Things. Unlike any other filmmaker, he comes with a devoted group of followers– who are now just becoming young adults.
Spike is not only a great artist, he is also a forward thinking entrepreneur. He became a king in the skateboard culture, then in the music video world and even in television with Jackass. He formed successful businesses that stemmed from these creative works. All of this gave him the freedom to make very personal films and to be the master of his own world in a very avant-garde way. There was a core audience ready for Wild Things but there was an equally big core audience wanting to see whatever Spike did next. Between the two, a perfect storm was created.
A. Roos
Jon, Need to apply the old Twain quote to the industry: The news of the death of the movies has been greatly exaggerated. Accept it, all human efforts throughout time are full of mediocrity and moments of great inspiration.
December is coming up, which will be, what?, two years you have been doing this blog, and I assure you, you have covered many variations on the crappieness of various forms of current media vs. “…when I was a kid.”
Remember the thread on music that wouldn’t die? I was tempted to tweek you for forgetting past ground when you did your Creative Destruction post, but thought better of it.
Jon, Need to apply the old Twain quote to the industry: The news of the death of the movies has been greatly exaggerated. Accept it, all human efforts throughout time are full of mediocrity and moments of great inspiration.
December is coming up, which will be, what?, two years you have been doing this blog, and I assure you, you have covered many variations on the crappieness of various forms of current media vs. “…when I was a kid.”
Remember the thread on music that wouldn’t die? I was tempted to tweek you for forgetting past ground when you did your Creative Destruction post, but thought better of it.
Jon, Need to apply the old Twain quote to the industry: The news of the death of the movies has been greatly exaggerated. Accept it, all human efforts throughout time are full of mediocrity and moments of great inspiration.
December is coming up, which will be, what?, two years you have been doing this blog, and I assure you, you have covered many variations on the crappieness of various forms of current media vs. “…when I was a kid.”
Remember the thread on music that wouldn’t die? I was tempted to tweek you for forgetting past ground when you did your Creative Destruction post, but thought better of it.
I am thrilled by your view of the film and also from the NY Times article. To know that an avant garde artist (a truly American one at that) is once again inspiring audiences and creating art that is innovative and different is inspiring.
I can only hope that the big movies studios share this feeling and begin to allow directors to make movies that are meaningful and aesthetically creative, and stray away from all of the big budget action-packed, special-effects, plotless, and substance-less movies (sequels, rather), that are produced solely for the large revenues they will bring in return.
Wow, just went to Rotton Tomatoes to see what the critical reaction was and only it has only gotten 68%. Reading reactions, it’s really a love distain thing, no slack from the haters…
Oh well, “Movies, ruining the book since 1930″ as one of my favorite tongue in cheek T-shirts says. Myself I love the fact that adaptions have to pretty much be another work of art, and reading Ebert’s review, can see that that is what Jonze has done.
Wow, just went to Rotton Tomatoes to see what the critical reaction was and only it has only gotten 68%. Reading reactions, it’s really a love distain thing, no slack from the haters…
Oh well, “Movies, ruining the book since 1930″ as one of my favorite tongue in cheek T-shirts says. Myself I love the fact that adaptions have to pretty much be another work of art, and reading Ebert’s review, can see that that is what Jonze has done.
The behind the scenes special on HBO is absolutely amazing. When u see the off-the-grid directing style used on this movie by Spike Jonze, Avant-garde is clearly the only word that comes to mind. The behind the camera innovations that this movie brought on alone is worth the price of admission.
So,
Just a data point, but …
I took my 8-YO daughter to WTWTA movie last night and she cried 75% of the time. It’s *very* heavy/angry/sad for a kids movie and I personally didn’t enjoy it’s darker edge as an adult.
Your milage may vary.
Cheers,
Eric
I feel like I may be starting trouble here, but I feel the need to put this out there:
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfmoms/detail?entry_id=49362#ixzz0TlZqt2Hh
it’s interesting how polarizing this movie is, some people say WTWTA is the best movie of the year while others say it’s the worst; i tend to lean toward the latter opinion just because it didn’t really have a plot