Monday, April 6, 2009

where the wild things are



This post isn't exactly all about music. But, yes there is a but. The trailer for the film I'm want to tell you about is backed by one of my favorite bands,
Arcade Fire. So, since I'm the boss on this here blog then I say it qualifies. At least a little. And that's all I have on the music end for today. I hope you are satisfied. I think you will be if you'll just watch the trailer.

As for the rest of the post, my most memorable childhood book is
Where the Wild Things Are, written by Maurice Sendak.
Did you ever have a favorite book as a kid? Was it the Cat in the Hat or maybe Curious George? What about Beatrix Potter? I remember my mom reading The Tale of Peter Rabbit and Squirrel Nutkin to me over and over again too. In fact, she read all of Beatrix Potter's books to me. While each are wonderful and I'll probably read them to my own children at some point when the time comes, I want to tell you what I love most from Maurice Sendak's, Where the While Things Are. It's the illustrations, hands down. They bring the book to life. Part friendly, part scary, these illustrations give a typical story of a boy meeting up with imaginary monsters an edge. When the book was written in 1963 the illustrations were somewhat scandalous. Some parents felt the monsters portrayed were too grotesque for children.


Fast forward more than 45 years and the film, adapted by Spike Jonze's and Dave Egger's has similar issues. It took some time to get fully through production. Something about financial issues and the monsters made kids cry at a pre-screening. I liken the crying during the film to this generation's equivalent to the book. Kids these days probably wouldn't think twice about reading the book and seeing those monsters. Is this film completely kid appropriate? Not sure. I'll leave that up to each parent to decide. Am I excited to see the film? Yes, but it will have to wait until October 16, 2009. Until then, the trailer will have to hold me over.

Image: from Where the Wild Things Are

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