Wild Thang

I saw it! I saw it! And Jesus, I cried at it (just a little bit)! This is definitely going on my list of movies that invoke emotion in me. You should know, this is a very prestigious list. There are very few films that make it on there:

1. Amelie
2. Where the Wild Things Are
3. What Dreams May Come

See what I mean?

It hit all the right tender spots. All the emotions I felt when I was little and still feel now, like Carol's desire to keep his friends together in one happy haven, his stress when things don't go as planned and he feels his friends are slipping away, and Alexander's feeling ignored and unimportant all the time. You don't know how bad I wanted to give that goat a hug. I found out there's an underlying reason for that too. Alexander's voice actor was Paul Dano, Dwanye from Little Miss Sunshine. That one melt down scene in the car made me love that guy.

But back to the Wild Things, Spike Jonze was the best man for the job. He turned a childhood favorite into a masterpiece and in some ways it almost felt like a more (I hate this word) mature version of the book. It's like the story (I hate these words too) grew up with us. It had so much depth with Max's emotions (Max Records for a first time nine year old actor did an amazing job) along with each of the Wild Things. I loved the way they conversed. It sounded exactly like how I used to talk on the play ground. "I have a shield that'll block all sadness," and such.

The moral of the story was more insinuated than just flat out said, something that most children's movies will do. It gave it a softer sort of feel, I think, and wasn't thrown in your face at all. You just came to realize it for yourself. And speaking of soft, the music! I've been listening to Karen O and the Kids - Hideaway all day. The soundtrack is a lullaby practically, with some rough edginess here and there.

There was maybe one or two scenes that were a little freaky (i.e. Carol gets reaaaallly mad), but nothing to really worry over. The movie is rated PG for a reason, but what I can't stand is people trying to discourage others from watching it. It's not this horribly terrifying thing that'll scare your kids to death. You're not taking them to Saw, for Chirst's sake, and it's not a Disney movie. Yes, there will be lots of roars and rambunctious behavior, but isn't that part of the fun of being a kid?

Anyway, I don't want to focus on the controversy. It was a great movie and I would (and will) gladly see it again soon. By the way, the stomach never looked more cozier.