A very bad wizard

Where the Wild Things Are

Crit

Wow. One-word review? "Sad." When I first came out of the theater, I was thinking (and actually called two people and told them--well, told their voicemails) that the brilliance of this film is that the Spike Jonze-Dave Eggers screenplay is true to 9-year-old logic, without regard for adult expectations regarding narrative and flow. And that's true, mostly. Except that in 9-year-old logic, the imaginative world is where "only things happen that you want to happen." In this sad-monsterd universe, you don't even get that kind of slack in the imaginative world. The sadness you carry with you can't be shaken. Which is just sad.

A gorgeous film, a brave film, and the conveniently named Max Records couldn't be better as Max--I have nothing but good things to say about the film, except don't take any children to it who don't already have a 6-month supply of Prozac on hand.

Trailers

• A Christmas Carol--Another motion-capture animation from Disney; but come on: do we really need another Scrooge?
• The Blind Side--I read the Michael Lewis Times Magazine story excerpted from the book that is the source for this, but Sandra Bullock didn't play the foster mother in that. Still, wouldn't rule it out--certainly a great story.