Where The Wild Things Are

Rarely have I found myself so excited over an upcoming movie, let alone one adapted from a picture book I loved when I was young, but after seeing the just-released trailer for "Where the Wild Things Are" and discovering that it was directed by Spike Jonze and co-written by Dave Eggers, I'm almost totally won over.

I'm not sure why - maybe it's recent stress - but the trailer kinda makes me wanna bawl ---


And here's the splendid movie poster ---

Retiring a character

For those of you haven't heard this newsbit ---

CNN, MTV, the Associate Press, and other interested news sources recently reported on a certain website's goal to retire the Joker character from any future Batman productions. In deference to Heath Ledger's now Academy Award winning performance, "The Ultimate Joker" seeks to forever "withdraw" the character, rather ungrammatically stating: "It’s impossible to imagine, impossible to draw or dub much less repeat the performance." As a result, over 30,000 supporters have signed a petition which the site proprietors hope to submit to the production company in control of the Batman franchise.

Though I find the idea mildly amusing - treating Ledger's Joker like Wayne Gretzky's retired #99 jersey - I can't quite get on board with it. Interpretation is a large part of what makes any film, play, or production great. It's what transformed "The Godfather" from a rambling, cliche novel into an epic film about family, power, and the American dream. It gave us Sean Connery and Daniel Craig as James Bond. Finally, interpretation, at the direction of Christopher Nolan, is what rescued us film-lovers from the terribly campy Batman franchise. (It's also worthwhile to recall the initial skepticism Batman fans expressed at the casting of Ledger, particularly following Jack Nicholson's iconic performance in the '89 version helmed by Tim Burton). So while I agree that there may never be a Joker quite like Ledger's, it does a disservice to the author, director, and the story itself to say an actor should be the last incarnation of a character. Besides, who wouldn't be a little curious to see Crispin Glover or Daniel Day Lewis' version of the Joker?

(Heath Ledger as the Joker)

List of the Week: Five Commandments For Hosting a Film Marathon

Last week, my coworker, Eli, and I were chatting over a beer about movie marathons. In the midst of our sheer geekery, we actually began to create a workable set of rules for setting up a movie marathon. Excluding food, environment, time, and other components of a typical movie marathon, the commandments focus solely on film selection.

1. A movie marathon shall consist of at least four films - Besides trilogies (which obviously cannot be extended to four films, no matter how much George Lucas hates the movie-going public) a movie-thon, by its nature, is a way to view a fair cross-section of a particular genre, director, or medium. And watching two films about zombies, on a lark, does not a movie marathon make.

2. Unless the marathon is writer and/or director-centric, no one writer and/or director shall be represented twice - Obviously, having a Woody Allen fest requires four of his films (Hannah and Her Sisters, Crimes and Misdemeanors, Sleeper, and Annie Hall would be my picks, at the very least). But if one is hosting a sci-fi movie marathon, David Cronenberg or John Carpenter cannot appear on the list twice, no matter how much they dominate the genre.

3. Film marathons shall represent a span of at least twenty-five years of cinema - Cinema is hardly long in the tooth, but there is still plenty material to draw from in the hundred or so years since its inception. Twenty-five years is the bare minimum for attaining an adequate cross-section. Again, this stipulation leaves room for writer and/or director marathons when writers and/or directors have not worked in the industry for the "minimum" time frame.

4. A marathon host shall exert sole control over the film picks - Half of the marathon experience is making a list of films that you feel best represent the topic or theme. And much of the joy in compiling this list is knowing that some of your selections will test your friends' patience, endurance, or good nature. If one of your friends can't stomach Burt Reynolds, you should probably choose Deliverance or Stroker Ace (depending on the theme). But be prepared to have the ill favor returned next time that friend picks the flicks.

5. At least one of the films shall have agreed-upon artistic merit - Just as marathon attendees must respect the selections of the host, the host must respect the integrity of the marathon. Even if you are hosting a "bad movie marathon", one of the films must be agreed-upon to represent that theme with some authority, thereby giving it the most basic artistic merit (i.e. On Deadly Ground is a perfect example of exactly how not to make a movie).

A short post on the master of -ics

I just finished re-watching "Hannah and Her Sisters", one of Woody Allen's mid-period, dramatic films. Though I sometimes forget, whenever I revisit his work I find myself asking the same question: Neurotic, romantic, dramatic, comedic, tragic - Is there a better maven of the -ics? No other film-maker has so consistently given us such an enjoyable balance between these states of being. If you haven't watched them recently (or ever), please view the following movies for their dramatic excellence:

"Hannah and Her Sisters"
"Crimes and Misdemeanors"
"Manhattan"

...and these for their comedic timelessness:

"Annie Hall"
"Sleeper"
"Zelig"

(From "Hannah and Her Sisters")


(From "Sleeper")