“Let the Wild Rumpus Start!”
On Saturday afternoon, I sat in a packed theater with my nephew and his friend and had my mind blown by
“Where the Wild Things Are,” the screen version of author
Maurice Sendak’s award-winning children’s book.
Spike Jonze’s adaptation of the 10-sentence classic is a beautiful piece of art; delicate and fierce, funny and sad.
Everything from the film’s palette of muted colors to the haunting music to the wild settings, create a mood of beautiful melancholy.
I recognized that feeling from my own childhood. Those moments when I didn’t understand my parents and they couldn’t relate to me. Almost like we started speaking different languages.
There were times when I felt like I was so alone in the world. I hid a lot of my troubles at home from my friends, and my school and social fears from everybody.
Jonze tapped into that loneliness. That realization that your parents aren’t perfect; they don’t have all the answers, they can’t solve all the problems, and sometimes they even cause the problems.
The movie was also enhanced by casting, which was perfection.
Max Records plays the King of Wild Things “Max,” a boy who’s confused and lonely, angry and fragile.
Catherine Keener plays his overworked single mom, a stressed, but loving woman trying to support her family and find a little happiness of her own.
Pepita Emmerichs plays Max’s withdrawn, self-involved teen-age sister.
The Wild Things, amazing 12-foot puppets, are voiced by
James Gandolfini, Catherine O’Hara, Forest Whitaker, Lauren Ambrose, Paul Dano and
Chris Cooper. They set the perfect tone as the wonderfully flawed monsters in Max’s vivid imaginings. Similar to another movie classic, “The Wizard of Oz,” the Wild Things represent the people in Max’s reality, including different aspects of his own psyche.
Jonze has taken the core emotions of Sendak’s book and encapsulated it into a 101-minute trip back to a time when we were vulnerable and hopeful, creative and playful. In other words, that confusing, frightening, exhilarating place called childhood.
This summer I played kickball with my nephews. It was the first time I’d played in 20 years, easily.
It was exhausting. And fun!
It made me feel youthful ... At least until the next day.
“Where the Wild Things Are,” the film, is a lovely homage to Maurice Sendak’s book. It’s sure to become a classic in its own right, touching on the melancholic sadness and wild abandon that adolescence brings.
The flick, although dark in nature, is a great watch for both children and adults who enjoy a multi-layered, complex story.
Here are some other ways to let your “wild thing” out -* You can start a wild rumpus of your own when the
Elmira Jackals take on Johnstown at 7:35 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23 at the First Arena in downtown Elmira. A hockey game is definitely the place to shout at the top of your lungs and cheer a stick to the groin or a body slam.
* There will be plenty of wild things at the
Erie Bell football game when Elmira Free Academy tries to keep the Erie Bell from their Southside High School rivals
at 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24 at Southside High School, South Main Street in Elmira.
* Get into the Halloween spirit at one of the best haunted attractions in the Southern Tier,
Kingsbury Cemetery in Corning. Every year the founder comes up with a scary tale to go along with the elaborate frightful features this spook house possesses. Get your fear on
7 to 10 p.m. Saturdays Oct. 24 and 31 at 180 Kingsbury Ave. in Corning. Admission is donation of a nonperishable food item that will benefit the Corning Community Food Pantry.
* You don’t have to leave the house to get ghoulish.
AMC’s Fear Fest ‘09 kicks off
Friday, Oct. 23 and runs through Halloween with such creeptastic classics as Stanley Kubrick’s version of Stephen King’s
“The Shining” at 6:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25; the original
“Halloween” at 10 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26;
“Young Frankenstein” at 8 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, and
“Night of the Living Dead” at 6 p.m. on Halloween.
Note: For tamer fare, check out
ABC Family’s 13 Nights of Halloween which features flicks perfect for the kid set, including
“The Addams Family,” “Corpse Bride,” “Beetlejuice,” “The Goonies” and
“Edward Scissorhands.” Check the Web site for a schedule.
* The
Rockwell Museum of Western Art in Corning will host a
“Day of the Dead Celebration” from 1 to 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 1. The event features the creation of a traditional altar by two folk artists, traditional Mexican dances and singing, and an art activity for attendees. The program is free, but reservations are required.
