FROM MTV.COM: It has been seven years since filmmaker Spike Jonze released a feature, but now he's suddenly flooding the market with content. In addition to the recently released "Where the Wild Things Are," Jonze also just premiered "We Were Once a Fairytale," a short film starring Kanye West and featuring the 808s & Heartbreak track "See You in My Nightmares." The film, which surfaced online on West's official blog last week (only to be taken down), casts the rapper as a troubled, chemical-addled star who goes to the bathroom at a club to exorcise his demons, only to literally pull a small beast out of his chest. It's a graphic, surreal, dreamlike production — one that fits both director and star perfectly.

"We rehearsed the night before we shot, and talked about trying to get to that raw place, that sad, pathetic, drunken, lost place," Jonze told The New York Times. "I told him the more shameless it is, the more pathetic it is, the better. He just went for it."

Continue reading Kanye West 'Just Went For It' In 'We Were Once A Fairytale,' Spike Jonze Says

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

Entertainment, like life, can be pretty confusing. Marketing, whether it be televised commercials, print ads and posters, or viral campaigns, is so pervasive that a movie's basic premise and characters can be overwhelmingly familiar long before you even see the movie in question. Hell, one time I watched thirty minutes of "The Fisher King" thinking it was "Mrs. Doubtfire" before I realized that Robin Williams was playing a crazy drifter, not a cross-dressing divorcee. You can see how that would be an easy mistake to make, right?

This week, we're all excited. "Where the Wild Things Are", the Spike Jonze-directed live-action riff on the beloved children's book by Maurice Sendak, is finally hitting theaters. Finally! Let's not lose our heads though. Let's not let our excitement for "Where the Wild Things Are" lead us into watching other movies that we might easily confuse it with. For example, we must be especially wary of the late '90s mystery/thriller "Wild Things." Here's an easy guide to prevent media-induced dementia from directing you to the wrong movie. Read more...

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.

Today's eBay Prop-Watch pick is really freaking cool. It's prohibitively expensive too, but we'll get to that in a minute.

This Friday, audiences across the nation will finally get a chance to see what director Spike Jonze did with his adaptation of the classic Maurice Sendak children's book, "Where the Wild Things Are." It's one of those classics like "Goodnight Moon," a work that's enduring enough to leave multiple generations with a sense of nostalgia at the very mention of it.

Jonze is perhaps the perfect director to bring Sendak's imagination-fueled, dream-like vision to life. I personally think that audiences are going to divided in the final analysis, but the movie is something special nonetheless. Today's Prop-Watch pick doesn't actually tie to the movie, but it was created by Sendak's hand and is thus worth taking a look at. Read more...

--Yesterday, news broke that Fox had picked up a pitch for a "300"-style retelling of Moses' rescue of the Hebrews from a life of slavery in Egypt. That got the folks over at Cinematical thinking about other ancient epics that are primed and ready for the "300" treatment. Of the five listed, I'd most like to see an "Epic of Gilgamesh" adaptation happen. An odd couple buddy pairing? A globe-trotting road trip? Bring on the green screen! (Cinematical)

--Vampires are so hot right now, and we have "Twilight" to thank for it. Sci Fi Wire has a list up of "16 hot movie and TV vampires who turn us into willing victims." I think you might find some of their choices a bit controversial. Maybe not the selections, but one absence in particular. I'm a little surprised at the exclusion of "Twilight"'s Edward Cullen, Mr. Robert Pattinson. Sure, the headline says "turn us into willing victims," but it's hard to deny the guy's appeal. That said, as a child of the '80s I was pleased to see Kiefer Sutherland's David, from "The Lost Boys," among those listed. Read more...

This Friday, the joy-loving world gets to pass judgment on Spike Jonze' treatment of the classic Maurice Sendak children's book, "Where the Wild Things Are." The story follows a little boy who ends up on an island populated by fearsome-yet-lovable "wild things," talking creatures with a playful, mischievous nature. "Story" is perhaps a strong word to describe the book, but that's the basic setup.

The movie is similarly formless, though don't take that as a negative observation. It reproduces the main beats of the book very well, as you'll see in the clip below. Stay tuned to MTV.com all this week for continuing coverage of "Where the Wild Things Are"!

After last Friday's "cheese stands alone" release of "Couples Retreat," we're back this Friday with a range of options for moviegoers of all shapes and sizes. The big one of course is director Spike Jonze' adaptation of "Where the Wild Things Are." I can't really say that it's a kids movie, but anyone who holds their childhood memories of the book close will feel some strong nostalgia for Jonze' interpretation. It's weird and beautiful and oddly aimless; this is as perfect a pairing of director and source as there's ever been.

Next up is director F. Gary Gray's thriller "Law Abiding Citizen," starring Gerard Butler and Jamie Foxx. Butler plays a family man whose life is torn away from him after his wife and kids are murdered. Ten years after the tragic incident, the widow seeks revenge on the assistant district attorney (Foxx) who allowed the killers to go free. All from the confines of a jail cell. Did I mention that Butler's character is an inventor by trade? Read more...

-- In the Around the Blogosphere post earlier this week, I sent you readers off to the wonderful We Love You So, which is the official blog of "Where the Wild Things Are." Now I'm sending you back there, for a follow-up to the previous post. This time it's only one image, of a very famous movie poster. Click it here and see for yourself. (We Love You So)

-- Natalie Portman was in Toronto earlier this week, plugging her new movie "Love and Other Impossible Pursuits." The good folks from Movieline cornered her for a chat, and they asked the actress to play their little "My Favorite Scene" game. Portman was into it; her pick was "Dirty Dancing." Which moment, you ask? Follow the link to find out! (Movieline) Read more...

-- At last night's 2009 MTV Video Music Awards, hip-hop superstar Kanye West... well... he kinda made an ass out of himself. For those who missed it, Kanye grabbed the mic out of Best Female Video winner Taylor Swift's hands during her acceptance speech and proceeded to laud Beyonce and her video, which he thought should have won. The funny thing is, it's far from the first time Kanye's been a public jerk. Many of his outbursts have been attached to MTV appearance, but not all of them. Check out the video gallery that Movieline put together. (Movieline)

-- I'm a big fan of We Love You So, the official blog portal for Spike Jonze's adaptation of Maurice Sendak's book, "Where The Wild Things Are." This might be my favorite post yet though. A series of Photoshops featuring Wild Things in... unusual locations. Enjoy. (We Love You So) Read more...