2009 |
2008 |
2004 |
2003 |
2002
14 articles from 2009
Spike Jonze: Master of the Wild Things
7 December 2009 1:28 AM, PST
| The Guardian - Film News
| See recent The Guardian - Film News news
»
Once the hippest name in music videos, the 40-year-old director will this week terrify children with his adaption of Maurice Sendak's adored tale
A large rubber-band ball sits on the bedside table of the wilful young Max, hero of the new Spike Jonze film, while overhead, on a shelf, sits a bird's nest. Early shots of these odd objects cleverly prelude the virtuoso visual style of this audacious adaptation of a children's classic: the 1963 picture book Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak.
In the hands of the Oscar-nominated Jonze the island of fearful monsters that Max discovers one night when he has been sent to bed without supper becomes a perilous wasteland dotted with spherical wickerwork huts, nest-like forts and rounded boulders. Although Max, along with his ugly, untamed group of new friends, is clearly recognisable from Sendak's book, any parent who returns to their nursery copy
…
- Vanessa Thorpe
Permalink | Report a problem
Spike Jonze: 'I'm never going to compromise'
4 December 2009 4:15 PM, PST
| The Guardian - Film News
| See recent The Guardian - Film News news
»
The well-connected director is very good at getting his own way, hence his family unfriendly take on kids' classic, Where The Wild Things Are
Ten years after Being John Malkovich, there are still few people's heads you'd pay to spend 15 minutes inside as much as Spike Jonze's. It would be easy to imagine life from his perspective as a continual flow of way-cool experiences: "Here I am dashing off another era-defining music video. Here I am hanging out with Karen O/Kanye/Mia/the Coppolas. Oh look, I've got another bunch of Oscar nominations. I think I'll pop into Vice magazine and do some cool shit. Now I'm just scrolling through the contacts on my iPhone and thinking how phenomenally well-connected I am." That's the movie version, but real life hasn't been quite so straightforward for Jonze of late. Over the past five years, a random visit to Jonze's
…
- Steve Rose
Permalink | Report a problem
Weekly Poll Results: Best Nicolas Cage Movie
26 November 2009 6:16 AM, PST
| FilmJunk
| See recent FilmJunk news
»
Plenty of votes were cast in last week's poll, but in the end, The Coen Brothers' Raising Arizona was chosen as Nicolas Cage's finest film to date, followed closely by Spike Jonze's Adaptation. A ways behind those two films, Face/Off was a bit of a surprise at #3, while Leaving Las Vegas and Lord of War rounded out the top 5. All in all, the votes were spread around quite a bit, and various suggestions of additional films like Wild at Heart, Vampire's Kiss and Bringing Out the Dead make it clear that, contrary to popular belief, the man actually has a decent array of respected flicks under his belt. Do you agree with these results? Where would Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans rank in the list?
1. Raising Arizona -- 24%
2. Adaptation -- 21.4%
3. Face/Off -- 10.1%
4. Leaving Las Vegas -- 9.4%
5. Lord of War -- 8.3%
6. The Rock -- 8.1%
7. Matchstick Men
…
- Sean
Permalink | Report a problem
Where are the wild things - Fraggle Rock?
23 November 2009 9:07 AM, PST
| t5m.com
| See recent t5m.com news
»
After a gestation period longer than several female whales, we're finally closing in on the UK release of Where the Wild Things Are.
Based on the 'children's' book by Maurice Sendak, the film has been a labour of love for director Spike Jonze. Telling the story of one boy's adventure and an imaginary world of wild monsters, the story has sold nearly 20 million copies worldwide. Despite having Sendak's own illustrations as a guide, there is always a danger in creating a film that so many people picture in different ways.
From the look of the trailer, Jonze has worked wonders. The beautifully realised creatures look funny and a little bit scary but most of all empathetic. They remind me - and this is being said as a massive compliment - of the Gorgs - the wonderful creatures who lived above ground in Fraggle Rock. Jim Henson was always the master of humanising his creations.
…
- Michael Shelton
Permalink | Report a problem
[Movie Review] Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans
20 November 2009 1:38 AM, PST
| JustPressPlay.net
| See recent JustPressPlay news
»
To call Port of Call New Orleans a remake or a re-imagining of Bad Lieutenant would be a mistake; at least beyond an attempt to drum up publicity, which it definitely received when the original Bad Lieutenant’s director, Abel Ferrara, publicly wished for the deaths of everyone involved in this film. Especially that of its new helmer, the fearless Werner Herzog.
After watching the movie, it would be foolish to overlook the fact that it bears almost no resemblance to Ferrara’s film. It doesn’t even have the same titular character. Despite sharing the same moniker and the same appetite for moral compromise, Nicolas Cage’s goofy Detective McDonagh has a vastly different personality than that of Harvey Keitel’s nameless cult figure.
We first meet Cage’s drug-fueled, money-skimming maniac cop when he’s raiding a precinct’s flooded locker room in the days following Hurricane Katrina,
…
- Arya Ponto
Permalink | Report a problem
Where the Wild Things Are: A Monstrously Mediocre Children's Movie
13 November 2009 8:46 PM, PST
| Huffington Post
| See recent Huffington Post news
»
Spike Jonze had a pretty impeccable record, from directing Christopher Walken's triumphal dance in the video for Fatboy Slim's "Weapon of Choice," to producing MTV's transcendently stupid pain-porn Jackass, to his magnificent collaborations with Charlie Kaufman on Being John Malkovich and Adaptation. Nothing about that remotely suggests that he should adapt a children's book, though. He does a great job of evoking the weird and making it normal, but he's never quite pulled off believable emotion. Ultimately, that's what sinks Where the Wild Things Are.
It's not just Jonze, though. The entire creative team is bizarre. Karen O of the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, best known for fellating her mic at live shows, composed the soundtrack; Dave Eggers, best known for a fictionalized memoir (A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius) and a fictionalized biography (What is the What), adapted the 10 sentences
…
- Alex Remington
Permalink | Report a problem
Nicolas Cage: Does he wear his hair, or does it wear him?
12 November 2009 3:29 PM, PST
| EW.com - The Movie Critics
| See recent EW.com - The Movie Critics news
»
I miss the days when actors had bad hair days. When their coifs weren't so coiffed, when their heads were allowed to look scruffy, greasy, crazy, unkempt. Not Robert Pattinson mousse-mussed, but genuinely dishabille. I miss the days when they could even be -- maybe we should whisper this -- bald. I admit that I have something of a personal stake in this. I'm a follically challenged male, and perhaps I speak for others who are losing their hair when I say that it wouldn't be such a terrible thing if we were represented a little more often on screen,
…
- Owen Gleiberman
Permalink | Report a problem
'Where the Wild Things Are' Star Compares Book's Bad Buzz to His 'Really, Really Amazing' Film
9 September 2009 7:00 AM, PDT
| MTV Movies Blog
| See recent MTV Movies Blog news
»
After numerous delays, horror stories of re-edits, trailers that kick ass and so much more, you could be forgiven if you don’t know what to think about “Where the Wild Things Are” anymore. Now, after all the yanking back and forth, fans will finally get to judge Spike Jonze’s film for themselves on October 16th – and the movie’s young star told us recently that it’s worth the long, confusing wait.
“Spike’s great; his big thing is he takes people and puts them in new situations, like I’ve never done the acting before,” explained 12-year-old Max Records, who plays young adventurer Max in the movie based on Maurice Sendak’s beloved children’s book. “He wants it all to be spontaneous and authentic and real, and not like acting.”
The method sure has worked so far in Jonze’s few-and-far-between instant classics, “Being John Malkovich
…
- Larry Carroll
Permalink | Report a problem
Celebrating 80(?!) Years Of Spike Jonze At New York's Museum Of Modern Art
28 August 2009 2:30 PM, PDT
| MTV Movies Blog
| See recent MTV Movies Blog news
»
Filmmaker Spike Jonze has always flirted around at the outskirts of the mainstream. Ehhhh... maybe more like the mainstream's suburbs. He made an effortless transition from music videos -- including Beastie Boys' "Sabotage" and Weezer's "Buddy Holly" -- to Hollywood features like "Being John Malkovich" and "Adaptation." He was also a writer and producer on the "Jackass" TV series and subsequent movies. For all of that, Jonze has never quite breached into "household name" territory.
This fall's re-envisioning of Maurice Sendak's classic children's book "Where the Wild Things Are" could very well change all of that. That's probably why Jonze will be honored by New York City's Museum of Modern Art in a 10 day career retrospective, ending just two days after "Wild Things" hits theaters. The exhibit will showcase "Malkovich," "Adaptation," "Jackass: The Movie," the documentary "Heavy Metal in Baghdad" and a range of music videos and short films.
…
- Adam Rosenberg
Permalink | Report a problem
Sdcc 2009: 'Where The Wild Things Are' wows Hall H
24 July 2009 4:15 PM, PDT
| Hitfix
| See recent Hitfix news
»
I'm sure by now you've seen the trailer. It's one of my personal favorite trailers in recent memory, because it does what I feel like a great trailer should do... it teases. It gives you a taste, but it doesn't really give anything away. Spike Jonze has taken a long and undeniably difficult road to get to this morning and, to be fair, so has Warner Bros. This is an $80 million film from the director of "Being John Malkovich" and "Adaptation." Not exactly a track record that makes a studio think "giant box-office guarantee." Spike's film, which I saw in
…
Permalink | Report a problem
Top 50 Hottest Young Actresses - Top 20
5 July 2009 4:22 AM, PDT
| The Movie Fanatic
| See recent The Movie Fanatic news
»
Not only are they capable of lighting up the silver screen, they are also some of today's most talented young actresses, commanding huge fees - in some cases, in the millions. Many have won multiple awards, while others have starred in some of today's biggest box office hits. In short, we're listing down the cream of the crop!
Just like our recent Top 50 hottest young actors, we've narrowed down our list from 88 to 50, and set an age limit. If you miss seeing some of your favorites, so do we - including Maggie Gyllenhaal (31 years old) and Amy Adams (34 years old). Definitely some of the names you'll see on the list are emerging talents - the ones you will see getting the big roles in the near future - and some of them already have, with awards and nominations to boot.
# 20 - Emma Roberts - Acting runs in the family. While
…
Permalink | Report a problem
Review: Synecdoche, New York
11 June 2009 3:45 PM, PDT
| The Cinema Post
| See recent The Cinema Post news
»
/ 5
Synopsis: A theater director struggles with his work, and the women in his life, as he attempts to create a life-size replica of New York inside a warehouse as part of his new play.
Written and Directed by Charlie Kaufman. Starring Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Tom Noonan, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Michelle Williams, Samantha Morton, Hope Davis and Emily Watson.
Review:
Charlie Kaufman is a genius.
Many people shared this view long before they would or will have watched “Synecdoche, New York” but the deeply layered, emotional and sometimes frustrating storytelling behind his work can only fairly be described as genius at this point. Never before has Kaufman delved so deeply into the human psyche, than in this film. That may sound like a grand statement about the man who has made such exploratory films as “Eternal Sunshine of The Spotless Mind” and “Adaptation”, but I feel it is true.
…
- Paul Larn
Permalink | Report a problem
Culture Warrior: The Book Was Better…
18 May 2009 7:00 AM, PDT
| FilmSchoolRejects.com
| See recent FilmSchoolRejects news
»
When it comes to adapting popular novels to film, it seems there’s no winning strategy that successfully balances the demands specific to the film medium with a simultaneous loyalty to the source material—in most cases, especially when the novel is reputable and beloved, one or the other must be compromised. I personally prefer movies that treat their source material as a jumping-off point rather than a holy and unchangeable text, movies that acknowledge the filmed image and the written word as two very different forms of expression with their own unique utilities and strengths, and that modes of expression deriving from one form cannot always be successfully translated to another. Sometimes it’s better when a film acknowledges the fact that it won’t be able to fit the scope of a novel in its form (which is why short stories often make for more “successful” adaptations) and instead focuses on making the best film
…
- Landon Palmer
Permalink | Report a problem
Meryl Streep Wins SAG Award for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
25 January 2009 9:55 PM, PST
| BroadwayWorld.com
| See recent BroadwayWorld.com news
»
Meryl Streep, who stars in the film Doubt as the stern Sister Aloysius , has won the 2008 SAG Award Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role for playing the part. Streep was up for an Academy Award for her performance in The Devil Wears Prada. She is a two-time Oscar winner for Kramer vs. Kramer and Sophie's Choice, and has been nominated for an additional 11 Oscars. Other film credits include The Deer Hunter, Silkwood, Out of Africa, Postcards from the Edge, Heartburn, The Bridges of Madison Countyand Adaptation. She was last seen on screen as Donna in the film version of the Broadway hit Mamma Mia!. Her many theatre credits include Trelawney of the 'Wells,' The Taming of the Shrew, Happy End, The Cherry Orchard, The Seagull and Mother Courage (she starred in the latter two at the Delacorte Theatre). Doubt opened on Broadway on March 9th,
…
Permalink | Report a problem
2009 |
2008 |
2004 |
2003 |
2002
14 articles from 2009
See all NewsDesk partners
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the
above news articles. News articles are published for the entertainment of our
users only. The news items do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we
guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the
site responsible for the article in question to report any concerns you may
have.
