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FROM MTV.COM: Anyone wanting to turn Maurice Sendak's "Where the Wild Things Are" into a movie must face a steep challenge. The 1963 book — esteemed as a classic for ... I guess "kids of all ages" would be the term — is only 48 pages long, and consists largely of Sendak's cozy-strange illustrations; there's very little text. So to assist in plumping up this story for a 90-minute film, director Spike Jonze brought in writer Dave Eggers, who last lent his alt-lit touch to the languid "Away We Go." The result is a picture whose pleasures are almost entirely visual. The dialogue gets some energetic spin from the actors involved, but — no surprise — there's too much of it, and it wears you down.

The story, for those who may have forgotten, or never known, concerns a little boy named Max. In the movie as in the book, Max (played wonderfully well by newcomer Max Records) is a handful. He's raucous and needy in the usual little-boy manner, and is constantly being fobbed off to go play alone by his single mom (Catherine Keener), who's preoccupied with her job, and by his older sister (Pepita Emerichs), who's preoccupied with being a teenager. After pitching a fit in the kitchen one night, Max runs off into the nearby woods, where he wanders for a while before coming upon a small boat pulled up on a beach. Climbing aboard, he sails away in search of a more agreeable life.

Continue reading 'Where The Wild Things Are': Fretting Zoo, By Kurt Loder

Tags catherine keener, Dave Eggers, Maurice Sendak, Max records, spike jonze, where the wild things are

Some of you die-hards might have seen it last night, but "Where the Wild Things Are" is officially OUT as of today. Reviews have been punctuated by mixed emotions, but now the movie can be weighed where it really matters: in the court of public opinion.

The clip below is the last one in our vault, and I think it's a nice way to cap off MTV's week-long lead-in to the release of "Wild Things." See Max (Max Records) and a few of his Wild pals engage in a friendly game of "bean everyone with dirt clods." The humorous exchange between Max and Judith (Catherine O'Hara) at the end of clip is one of my favorite moments from the movie. Enjoy!

Tags Catherine O'Hara, Max records, Video, where the wild things are

In the "Where the Wild Things Are" clip below, young Max (Max Records) huddles himself into the depths of a Wild Things pile-on for a heart-to-heart with KW (Lauren Ambrose). He reveals that he's not much for eating people, but he's got a proclivity for biting. It might seem unusual, but this is the sort of absurd conversation topic that comes up in the land of the Wild Things.

"Where the Wild Things Are," directed by Spike Jonze, hits theaters tomorrow, October 16.

Tags Lauren Ambrose, Max records, spike jonze, where the wild things are

"Where the Wild Things Are" is out on Friday, so all this week I've been dribbling out brief clips from it here on the blog. In today's clip, embedded below, Carol (James Gandolfini) introduces Max (Max Records) to the gang of Wild Things. Most of 'em anyway. There are a few absences, but you still get to spend some time with Judith (Catherine O'Hara) and Ira (Forest Whitaker), Alexander (Paul Dano), and Douglas (Chris Cooper). Are you ready to unleash your inner wild things this Friday?

Tags Catherine O'Hara, Chris Cooper, forest whitaker, james Gandolfini, Max records, paul dano, Video, where the wild things are

FROM MTV.COM: It's a rite of passage. It's the flexing of one of our most important muscles: imagination. But most importantly, it's pure and simple fun.

It is the reading of Maurice Sendak's classic 1963 book "Where the Wild Things Are." And for five decades, it has been a childhood tradition.

"It was read to me," 48-year-old Oscar winner Forest Whitaker recalled recently, remembering the first time he became aware of the book that he'll help turn into a feature film this weekend. "First, it was read to me as a kid. And then it was one of those books I was able to like when I got old enough to read. ... I've had it around forever. Now, I read it to my kids."

Continue reading 'Where The Wild Things Are' Stars Reveal Their Histories With The Book

Tags catherine keener, forest whitaker, Maurice Sendak, Max records, Video, where the wild things are

In the "Where the Wild Things Are" clip below, Max (Max Records) and Carol (James Gandolfini) stroll through the desert discussing heavy matters, like the dying sun and everything turning to dust. Then a giant, oversized dog shows up on the horizon. Weird things happen in the land of the "Wild Things."

Tags james Gandolfini, Max records, Video, where the wild things are

After numerous delays, horror stories of re-edits, trailers that kick ass and so much more, you could be forgiven if you don’t know what to think about “Where the Wild Things Are” anymore. Now, after all the yanking back and forth, fans will finally get to judge Spike Jonze’s film for themselves on October 16th – and the movie’s young star told us recently that it’s worth the long, confusing wait.

“Spike’s great; his big thing is he takes people and puts them in new situations, like I’ve never done the acting before,” explained 12-year-old Max Records, who plays young adventurer Max in the movie based on Maurice Sendak’s beloved children’s book. “He wants it all to be spontaneous and authentic and real, and not like acting.” Read more...

Tags Max records, spike jonze, where the wild things are

Parents have been reading it for decades. Children have been dreaming about it for generations. We’ve been following the development of the movie for what seems like forever. And now, we finally have our first glimpse at “Where the Wild Things Are.”

Fueled with the distinctive tones of “Wake Up” by Arcade Fire, this first trailer gives us a good look at the October 16th movie directed by “Being John Malkovich” filmmaker Spike Jonze (click here to watch the "Where the Wild Things Are" trailer). Following reports that the movie was too intense for children, being re-edited and re-shot, fans of the 1963 Maurice Sendak children’s book had feared the worst. But judging by this new trailer, we could still be looking at some beautiful “Things” come the fall. Read more...

Tags arcade fire, catherine keener, james Gandolfini, mark ruffalo, Max records, where the wild things are