Countdown to: Where the Wild Things Are

Alright, this one is no big secret. For the past year there has been excitement surrounding Spike Jonze's latest film, an adaption of the best children's book of all time, WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE!!!! At the moment it is scheduled for an October 16, 2009 release date and sweet jesus I hope that turns out to be true because if it gets pushed back I, along with the half of the world that matters enough to care, will cry myself to death. There is already so much to be said for this film. From the first seconds of the trailer with the signature Wild Things scratchy, bitten, askewed font and logo you know that whatever follows will officially be the tits. And it is. First off, it marks Spike Jonze' first "real" writing credit for a film which may seem scary, especially because his co-writer is another newcomer, Dave Eggers, but reports have said that he has been in close contact with Maurice Sendack (writer of the original book) throughout and he has given his 100% approval of the screenplay. Thank god.

Secondly, costuming. Sweet. Despite heavy CGI in the film I fully expect awards for the incredible likeness maintained, Max's costume in the film looks just like the homemade version from the book brought to life. Come to mention the CGI, I AM SO FUCKING AMAZED! I showed the trailer to my mom and aunt and it took those two about half an hour to realize the animated Wild Things weren't puppets. They were so stuck on The Dark Crystal it was insane. As of now I'm not sure if the amount of live-action (if any) warrants any sort of Best Animated Picture nominations but hell I pick it for Best Picture period at this point! The characters look so realistic I forget when watching the trailer that a computer could possibly create something so real. I cannot give enough kudos to the team behind this film for bringing to such realistic, perfect life to these unforgettable drawings and images. I am just in awe. Then there is the music. The trailer already gives a peek of what is in store with a re-recording of the Arcade Fire's song "Wake Up" from Funeral. Other names reported to be involved are The Yeah Yeah Yeah's Karen O, Deerhunter's Bradford Cox and uber-composer of film scores Carter Burwell who has done work for movies from A Goofy Movie to No Country To Old Men to recent soundtrack chart topper Twilight. Regardless of who took the lead on this one--cough, Burwell, cough--the music is going to be phenomenal. Then there is the cinematography. Judging from thus released sneak peeks and trailers and images this movie is going to be a beautiful, enchanting spectacle. It is lent such an otherworldy feel by the lighting and camera movement that is exactly what it needs to evoke the book. The atmosphere is this unreal mixture of sunny and overcast, like a world where there is no daytime but instead you have dawn, dusk and night. Gorgeous.

Lastly, the cast. The lead is played by real-life Max [Records] who is in his second notable role (the first is this year's The Brother's Bloom) and he is going to be such a household name after this, and what a name I mean Max Records? His parents named him for show business. The rest of the cast is also stacked with Forest Whittaker, Catherine O'Hara, Mark Ruffalo, Catherine Keener, Paul Dano and many others. This movie is definitely something not to miss and I don't think people will. The book which came out in 1963 immediately became a hit with it's generation and all that followed so when this film comes out the audience is sure to be a combination of the four decades that grew up on it and then children who are soon to grow up on it, assuming the parents aren't completely worthless and have any intention of their kids being decent human beings. It is exciting and relieving to know that an attempt at recreating something so everlasting and so great has actually been pulled off. Literally counting the days to this. 163 to go. Told you. Check out the trailer below (any bigger and it would have cut of the edges of the sheer awesomeness) as well as the just released second poster.

By the way, press HD, it really does make it better. Or go to http://www.traileraddict.com/trailer/where-the-wild-things-are/trailer for a larger version. Enjoy!