Nov 21: Where the wild things are hiding in your id

So first off, I've gotten whatever Paul and Tobo had this week, so if you see me, beware.

Secondly, in an effort to not be crawled over for a few hours as I desended into sickness, I went to go see Where the Wild Things Are. I remember this book, though I do not remember it word for word.

Here's a little background I came across about the influence of the original story (wiki): "Francis Spufford suggests that the book is "one of the very few picture books to make an entirely deliberate, and beautiful, use of the psychoanalytic story of anger"...In Selma G. Lanes's book The Art of Maurice Sendak, Sendak discusses Where the Wild Things Are along with his other books In the Night Kitchen and Outside Over There as a sort of trilogy centered on children's growth, survival, change and fury.[8][9] He indicated that the three books are "all variations on the same theme: how children master various feelings…"[8]"

The movie, I felt kind of took this aspect of the book and just ran with it. The most frequent criticism of the film that I read was that it was inappropriate for children. After seeing it, my response is if your kid understands about the id the ego and the super ego, he/she's probably not be scarred by this rendition. Younger than that and it's you that will be dealing with the fallout about how the sun is going to die.

There was also a lot of discussion about how Max is a horrible/misunderstood/delinquent, etc as well on the web. Which I personally think misses the point. I feel like this movie was made for adults about being a child. And not in a happy-clappy sing-a-long way. It really does capture what it is like to be out of control and small in a world that is confusing and big.To some extent I feel it panders to the tendency of our society to foster 25 year old teenagers, i.e. "modern adult[s]...reverting to childish habits en masse". I say that as one of them. This movie is a way to relive being 10 again. But beyond that, it's a good movie, beautiful to watch. I teared up at least a couple of times and laughed out loud at least as much. The monsters are all entertaining and "real" in their characterization.

About the only other thing I can say is that Max is so out of control in this movie, I couldn't help but think what his story would have looked like if he knew he was loved by more than his mother, but by God as well. But, then again, that also wasn't in the original.