Where The Wild Things Are Archives - The Playlist

Building A Brighter Future In Spike Jonze’s ‘Her’

Julia Teti — Sat, 02 Jun 2018 19:29:38 +0000

When we look at cinema and television narratives set in the future, things don’t look very bright literally or figuratively. The color palette is dark, the land is barren, and the social constructs are totally warped. Sometimes, though, we do get a glimpse where the future appears, dare I say, warm and welcoming. Spike Jonze isn’t a stranger to brighter hues. His films, “Being John Malkovich,” “Adaptation,” and most notably “Where The Wild Things Are,” really capitalize on his ingenuity of color.

Continue reading Building A Brighter Future In Spike Jonze’s ‘Her’ at The Playlist.

The 20 Best Fantasy Films Of The 21st Century So Far

Nikola Grozdanovic — Thu, 09 Jun 2016 17:19:53 +0000

Aside from the brief craze in the 1980s when “Krull” and “Conan” and the like roamed theaters, fantasy had never been a particularly popular genre for filmmakers to tackle —principally because it was too expensive, and also because too few filmmakers took it seriously. But that changed at the start of this century, as the “Harry Potter” and “Lord Of The Rings” films more or less took over Hollywood.

Continue reading The 20 Best Fantasy Films Of The 21st Century So Far at The Playlist.

SXSW Review: Spike Jonze’s ‘I’m Here’ Is Another Bittersweet Swooning Gem; Watch It Online Now

Rodrigo Perez — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:45:00 +0000

Employing a similar emotional aesthetic and texture of the ones evinced in “Where The Wild Things Are,” a fixated Spike Jonze seems to be engrossed in exploring the wounded tendencies of the emotionally fragile in his latest, the 35-minute short, “I’m Here.”

Set in contemporary L.A., where everything is rather normal as it is now, save for the existence of robots around regular human beings, the wistful short film centers on two different robots, Sheldon the bashful, sweet library assistant played by Andrew Garfield (“Boy A,” “The Imaginarium Of Doctor Parnassus”) and the more free spirited and flirtatious Annie played by Sienna Guillory (“Eragon”)

After a few brief interactions at an intersection where Sheldon takes the bus to work, Annie’s friends eventually tease her into inviting the sweater-wearing robot boy for a ride and soon the pair are gallivanting around at a party she invites him to and the tentative and soft courting begins.

Continue reading SXSW Review: Spike Jonze’s ‘I’m Here’ Is Another Bittersweet Swooning Gem; Watch It Online Now at The Playlist.

Exclusive: Spike Jonze & Lance Bangs Talk The Maurice Sendak Doc ‘Tell Them Anything You Want’ & More

Drew — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 20:05:00 +0000

This morning we spoke to Spike Jonze and Lance Bangs, co-authors of the documentary on Maurice Sendak, “Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak,” which is out today via Oscilloscope Laboratories (the new DVD and highly recommended Blu-ray edition of Jonze’s “Where the Wild Things” feature is also complete with that bizarre new short film produced by Jonze and also based on another Sendak work). As we noted last year, when the documentary aired on HBO, “Tell Them Anything You Want” is a perfect companion piece to “Where The Wild Things Are” and much like the author himself, it is an intimate, melancholy and very candid look at his life.

Continue reading Exclusive: Spike Jonze & Lance Bangs Talk The Maurice Sendak Doc ‘Tell Them Anything You Want’ & More at The Playlist.

Review: “Higglety Pigglety Pop!” Is An Unrelentingly Nightmarish Journey Into Madness… For Kids

Drew — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 16:32:00 +0000

There’s a lot of weird shit on the “Where the Wild Things Are” Blu-ray, like a short scene where Spike Jonze is dressed up like a vampire and attacks Max Records (don’t ask), but the weirdest and most intriguing thing has got to be “Higglety Pigglety Pop! Or There Must Be More to Life.” This short film, produced by Spike Jonze and executive produced by Maurice Sendak himself, is based on another Sendak book and features the voice talent of Meryl Streep, Jonze, and Forest Whitaker.

Continue reading Review: “Higglety Pigglety Pop!” Is An Unrelentingly Nightmarish Journey Into Madness… For Kids at The Playlist.

First Look: Spike Jonze Produced ‘Higglety Pigglety Pop’ Featuring The Voices Of Meryl Streep And Forest Whitaker

Simon Dang — Tue, 16 Feb 2010 18:55:00 +0000

Here is your first look at the Spike Jonze produced adaptation of another Maurice Sendak story, “Higglety Pigglety Pop! Or There Must Be More To Life.”

Contributing their vocal talents to the short, which will feature on the DVD and Bluray of Jonze’s “Where The Wild Things Are,” are Meryl Streep and Forest Whitaker with Streep presumably voicing protagonist Jeannie, a Sealyham terrier who leaves a life of luxury at home in search of an acting career only to find out it’s not all she imagined.

Continue reading First Look: Spike Jonze Produced ‘Higglety Pigglety Pop’ Featuring The Voices Of Meryl Streep And Forest Whitaker at The Playlist.

Spike Jonze’s ‘Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait Of Maurice Sendak’ Arrives On DVD Mar. 2

Kevin Jagernauth — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 04:11:00 +0000

If you’re a Spike Jonze fan, better start saving some money or looking through couch cushions for change, because March just might break the bank.

As we reported awhile back, Oscilloscope Laboratories has picked up “Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait Of Maurice Sendak,” the Jonze and Lance Bangs’ documentary that aired on HBO last fall. They will be releasing the forty-minute doc on DVD March 2nd, the same day as the DVD/BluRay release of “Where The Wild Things Are.” “Tell Them Anything”, which we called bracingly “honest and melancholy” in our review, while acting as a tribute to the author and featuring the likes of James Gandolfini, Meryl Streep, Catherine Keener and Tony Kushner, is also a frank and almost brutally naked portrait of Sendak, told by the man himself.

Continue reading Spike Jonze’s ‘Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait Of Maurice Sendak’ Arrives On DVD Mar. 2 at The Playlist.

LOL: The ‘Wild Things’ Vs. ‘The Sopranos’ Mash-Up

Rodrigo Perez — Sat, 30 Jan 2010 01:25:00 +0000

Damn, this is funny and pretty much speaks for itself. Some genius used the theme song to “The Sopranos” and mixed it in with James Gandolfini’s dialogue from the show and moments from “Where The Wild Things Are” (Gandolfini did the voice of the ‘Wild Things’ creature Carol unless you’ve been living under a rock). It’s NSFW, but it’s Friday and shit, it’s a riot. Good stuff.

Continue reading LOL: The ‘Wild Things’ Vs. ‘The Sopranos’ Mash-Up at The Playlist.

The Playlist’s Best Films Of 2009 (*Editor’s Picks Only)

Rodrigo Perez — Wed, 20 Jan 2010 17:45:00 +0000

Getting a definitive top 10 out of the Playlist team is hard.

There’s a lot of differing opinions and some writers, due to their locations (we’ve got people in the U.K., Australia, Canada and U.S. places other than NY/LA), don’t get to see most of the year’s films until January 2010. And yes, we’re deep in January now, but some are still making their way through everything (example, “The Lovely Bones” just hit wide this past weekend).

Continue reading The Playlist’s Best Films Of 2009 (*Editor’s Picks Only) at The Playlist.

UPDATED: Meryl Streep & Forest Whitaker Lend Voices To Spike Jonze’s Short Adaptation Of Maurice Sendak’s ‘Higglety Pigglety Pop’

Simon Dang — Mon, 18 Jan 2010 12:31:00 +0000

The upcoming DVD and Blu-ray release of Spike Jonze’s “Where The Wild Things Are” will reportedly feature a short film adaptation of another Maurice Sendak children book, “Higglety Pigglety Pop! Or There Must Be More To Life.”

Details are scarce for now but it appears that the short will feature the vocal talents of Meryl Streep and Forest Whitaker. Streep will presumably voice protagonist Jeannie, a Sealyham terrier who leaves a life of luxury at home in search of an acting career only to find out it’s not all she imagined (written in 1979, the book was also a tribute to Sendak’s then-dearly departed pooch).

Continue reading UPDATED: Meryl Streep & Forest Whitaker Lend Voices To Spike Jonze’s Short Adaptation Of Maurice Sendak’s ‘Higglety Pigglety Pop’ at The Playlist.

Will Karen O & The Kids Hit The Road?

Kevin Jagernauth — Mon, 11 Jan 2010 15:38:00 +0000

Karen O had quite a 2009. Last spring her band, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, made a strong return with their third album, It’s Blitz which is now up for a Grammy award for Best Alternative Album. She worked with celebrated composer Carter Burwell on the soundtrack for a little film you might have heard about called “Where The Wild Things Are” which earned its own fair share of acclaim. While Burwell’s contribution has been disqualified for consideration for a Best Score Oscar, despite what some sites have been reporting, Karen O’s songs, “All Is Love” and “Hideaway” are still eligible for Best Original Song nominations (and let’s be clear, though they are co-credited, Burwell wrote the bulk of the score).

Continue reading Will Karen O & The Kids Hit The Road? at The Playlist.

Carter Burwell’s “Where The Wild Things Are” & “The Blind Side” Scores Disqualified For Oscar

Kevin Jagernauth — Tue, 05 Jan 2010 12:26:00 +0000

Well, you win some and you lose some. We had previously celebrated when Karen O’s “All Is Love” got an 11th hour addition to the Oscar shortlist for Best Song when Miley Cyrus’ “The Climb” was – depending on who you ask – disqualified or retracted for consideration as it was not written specifically for “Hannah Montana: The Movie.”

Unfortunately, Carter Burwell won’t get his shot at Oscar this year, as the Academy has ruled that the overall soundtrack for “Where The Wild Things Are” is too heavily blended with Karen O’s pop tunes.

Continue reading Carter Burwell’s “Where The Wild Things Are” & “The Blind Side” Scores Disqualified For Oscar at The Playlist.

Adam Yauch’s Oscillioscope Pictures To Release Spike Jonze’s Maurice Sendak Doc On DVD Next Year

Rodrigo Perez — Wed, 16 Dec 2009 20:21:00 +0000

OK, it didn’t make our Best Documentaries of the Decade — though we probably should have made an honorable mention for it — but Spike Jonze and Lance Bangs co-directed’ film about “Where The Wild Things Are” creator, Maurice Sendak, titled, “Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak,” is a beautiful, spare and raw piece of work. We called it a melancholy and perfect companion piece to Jonze’s “Where The Wild Things Are” live-action adaptation just before it aired on HBO earlier this fall.

Continue reading Adam Yauch’s Oscillioscope Pictures To Release Spike Jonze’s Maurice Sendak Doc On DVD Next Year at The Playlist.

6 Children’s Books We’d Like to See On The Big Screen

Stephen — Wed, 25 Nov 2009 16:48:00 +0000

The past decade has been something of a renaissance in the children’s film genre. While the ‘70s and ‘80s brought us classic children’s films both animated and live action (“Watership Down,” “E.T.,” “The Black Stallion”), with a few exceptions (“The Iron Giant”), the ‘90s seemed to be devoted to pandering “Home Alone” rip-offs and movies about pets that wear sunglasses and play sports. This year alone we’ve seen another blockbuster ‘Harry Potter’ film (which, like them or not, helped spur this movement by hiring a visionary like Alfonso Cuaron), and possibly Pixar’s best movie yet (“Up”).

Continue reading 6 Children’s Books We’d Like to See On The Big Screen at The Playlist.

New French ‘Wild Things’ Trailer Features First Listen Of Charlotte Gainsbourg Track, “In The End”

Rodrigo Perez — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 16:12:00 +0000

Interesting. Want a completely tonally different take on Spike Jonze’s “Where The Wild Things Are”?

Last week we reported that singer/actress Charlotte Gainsbourg had been cast for the French version of the film voicing the character of KW (Lauren Ambrose in the original version). Now thanks to a head’s up at our friends at Allocine, we’ve discovered that the French trailer for “Where The Wild Things Are” doesn’t feature the Arcade Fire, but instead, a brand new, and previously unheard track from Charlotte Gainsbourg’s forthcoming new record IRM called, “In The End.”

Just last week we also revealed the album cover and tracklist of IRM and “In The End” is the fourth cut that goes right before the first single, “Heaven Can Wait” which you also heard a few weeks ago.

Continue reading New French ‘Wild Things’ Trailer Features First Listen Of Charlotte Gainsbourg Track, “In The End” at The Playlist.

Exclusive: Charlotte Gainsbourg Voicing KW In French Version Of ‘Wild Things’

Rodrigo Perez — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 21:05:00 +0000

Animated films in the U.S. that are big enough for international releases (most of them really) means international stars voicing the parts original done by American stars. We just revealed that Mathieu Amalric and Isabelle Huppert are doing George Clooney and Meryl Streep’s parts in Wes Anderson’s upcoming animated film, “Fantastic Mr. Fox.”

Now we’ve learned of more French casting, this time for France’s version of Spike Jonze’s “Where The Wild Things Are.” We don’t have the entire cast list yet, but we’ve learned that Charlotte Gainsbourg will be voicing the part of KW, which is done by Lauren Ambrose in the original (who actually replaced Michelle Williams).

Continue reading Exclusive: Charlotte Gainsbourg Voicing KW In French Version Of ‘Wild Things’ at The Playlist.

First Listen: The Score To ‘Where The Wild Things Are’ At WB’s For Your Consideration Site

Rodrigo Perez — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 20:41:00 +0000

Yes, the soundtrack to Spike Jonze’s”Where The Wild Things Are” featured Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs with all her indie-rock pals, but you know what was just as good — arguably better and did the heavy lifting for all the emotionally affecting scenes in the movie — Carter Burwell’s imaginative and magical score.

Until now we haven’t been able to hear any of it outside the movie (ok, the soundtrack disc has one song).

Continue reading First Listen: The Score To ‘Where The Wild Things Are’ At WB’s For Your Consideration Site at The Playlist.

Weekend Box Office- No One Gives A Shit About ‘A Christmas Carol’ In November

Gabe Toro — Sun, 08 Nov 2009 18:21:00 +0000

Well, ok, that’s quite the misleading headline, no? Some people cared. More than ten. Less than twenty. Needless to say, “A Christmas Carol” was not the knockout punch Disney was expecting, its numbers coming in way below the $40 million predictions, but this is still Robert Zemeckis‘ biggest mo-cap opener to date. His other holiday bonanza “The Polar Express” did $23 million in its opening frame and went on to do $180 by playing throughout the holiday season, so can “Christmas Carol,” with its soul-defeating ugliness and ludicrous pratfalls, do the same?

Continue reading Weekend Box Office- No One Gives A Shit About ‘A Christmas Carol’ In November at The Playlist.

Weekend Box Office- ‘This Is It?’ Asks Sony

Gabe Toro — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 18:00:00 +0000

Gather around, children, for a VERY spooky story…

Let this be a scaaaary lesson for all you boys and girls this Halloween season. Do not DARE to offend the dead by exploiting them for your own gaaaaaain! Sony forked over $60 million for the rights to Michael Jackson rehearsal footage, knowing this ghoulish video would be in demand online and on DVD, realizing they could instead charge top dollar for strutting out the decayed near-corpse of the King of Pop for a couple of weeks before ancillaries.

Continue reading Weekend Box Office- ‘This Is It?’ Asks Sony at The Playlist.

First Err….Real Listen: Arcade Fire’s ‘Wild Things’ Version Of “Wake Up”

Rodrigo Perez — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 19:17:00 +0000

When the “Where The Wild Things Are” soundtrack details and tracklist were announced many bemoaned the fact that the Arcade Fire’s version of “Wake Up” – exclusively re-recorded for the trailer (an “acoustic” version if you will, though only the first half is actually rendered that way) – wasn’t on the soundtrack disc or on any digital platforms.

Well, it’s leaked. Sort of. We Love You So (Spike Jonze’s arts & Culture blog), in tandem with the World’s Best Ever, released a ‘Wild Things’ inspired mp3 mixtape (all one mp3 though, tracks not separated) and the Arcade Fire version is on it.

Continue reading First Err….Real Listen: Arcade Fire’s ‘Wild Things’ Version Of “Wake Up” at The Playlist.

Weekend Box-Office: ‘Activity’ For Paramount Horror Is Abnormally Good

Rodrigo Perez — Sun, 25 Oct 2009 21:01:00 +0000

Promotions will undoubtedly be handed out all over Paramount’s marketing department on Monday after the no-budget, no-stars horror flick “Paranormal Activity” vaulted from the 5th spot to #1 this weekend. Earning an astonishing $22 million dollars, on just under 2000 screens, the film has taken in a whopping $62 million at the box office so far. Clearly, the viral marketing is working and word-of-mouth on this is strong as audiences are lining up in droves to get their Halloween fix.

Continue reading Weekend Box-Office: ‘Activity’ For Paramount Horror Is Abnormally Good at The Playlist.

Debut: Spike Jonze’s Short Film With Kanye West, ‘We Were Once A Fairytale’

Rodrigo Perez — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 23:12:00 +0000

Spike Jonze and Kanye West’s “We Were Once A Fairytale,” the long-discussed short film collaboration that Jonze directed was supposed to debut on iTunes, September 8, but for whatever reason, that didn’t happen. You can’t blame the infamous Kanye West/Taylor Swift incident either, the 2009 MTV VMAs aired afterwards Sunday, September 13 , but one can understand how that ugly episode didn’t hurry up its release.

So, was the short film — that attempts to lampoon Kanye West’s arrogance by evincing more self-conceit and self-deprecation with a bizarre, hallucinatory ending that features a small demon-like furry rodent and a form of seppuku — meant to be released today?

Continue reading Debut: Spike Jonze’s Short Film With Kanye West, ‘We Were Once A Fairytale’ at The Playlist.

Weekend Box-Office: The ‘Wild Things’ Rumpus Bests The Competition, ‘Paranormal Activity’ Roll-Out Plan Works

Rodrigo Perez — Sun, 18 Oct 2009 16:47:00 +0000

With an almost $12 million dollar haul on Friday night, Spike Jonze’s divisive adaptation of “Where The Wild Things Are” (critics either seemed to looove it or sneer in disdain at its lack of narrative and drive) the film seem poised to outdo its forecasted $25 million dollar weekend and it did taking in an impressive $32.7 million this weekend. The picture, with reshoot costs north of $80 million (estimates are around $100 million noting included promotions and advertising), so it has a long, long way to go before it becomes profitable, let alone break even.

Continue reading Weekend Box-Office: The ‘Wild Things’ Rumpus Bests The Competition, ‘Paranormal Activity’ Roll-Out Plan Works at The Playlist.

In Theaters: ‘Where The Wild Things Are,’ ‘Law Abiding Citizen,’ ‘New York, I Love You’

Hunter McClamrock — Fri, 16 Oct 2009 15:55:00 +0000

In Wide Release: It’s all about the kids this week as Spike Jonze’s long-delayed, feverishly anticipated “Where The Wild Things Are” finally hits cinemas.

Though the $80 million plus (some estimates put the production with reshoots around $100 million) picture that’s not necessarily for kids has been pegged to open at a modest $25 million.

Jonze brings the beloved Maurice Sendak book to the screen with the help of McSweeney guru Dave Eggers, who co-wrote the screenplay.

Continue reading In Theaters: ‘Where The Wild Things Are,’ ‘Law Abiding Citizen,’ ‘New York, I Love You’ at The Playlist.

Karen O Talks ‘Wild Things’ Soundtrack Influences Reveals Love For Awesome Langley Schools Music Project

Rodrigo Perez — Thu, 15 Oct 2009 19:56:00 +0000

Speaks for itself and kinda interesting if you like the scores to these films (which you should).

I wanted to pay homage to some of my favorite movie music, like Simon and Garfunkel in The Graduate or Cat Stevens in Harold and Maude — I’d say especially Cat Stevens: organic melodies, really simple performances, a lot of emotion. One of the influences that Spike brought to me initially was the Langley Schools Music Project [a children’s choir covering pop songs].

Continue reading Karen O Talks ‘Wild Things’ Soundtrack Influences Reveals Love For Awesome Langley Schools Music Project at The Playlist.