my very brief thoughts on.... 'Where the Wild Things Are'

this may get me some serious hate mail.... but i have to speak my mind.

'Where the Wild Things Are' was one of my favorite books as a child.... it sparked my interest in writing.... and it was the first script i ever wrote.... as i transposed it for the stage and it was put on at the local library.... i was a child at the time.... so you can see that i loved this story and was curious to see how Spike Jonze would bring it to the screen.... i got excited when i started seeing the stills.... and the reviews were all good.... so i got even more excited.... tonight i saw the movie.

this movie was depressing.... dark.... the soundtrack was done by Karen O and she was the wrong choice, the WRONG choice.... this was not a movie for kids.... not a movie for adults.... it was a big waste of money.... the boy who played Max was unlikeable and i hated the fact that he took such a beloved character and made him into a terrible brat with little to no redeeming qualities.... sure the wild things looked amazing.... but if you don't care about the main character and the way the movie was put together just makes me not care how good they looked.... i just kept hoping the movie would get better.... and the joy that i had with the book as a child would somehow leap off the screen, it never happened.... as a matter of fact, i just kept wanting it to end.... i'm sorry to all of you who felt this was a wonderful movie.... i just think that Spike Jonze missed the mark by a mile.... and turned the book into a sour tasting hateful lemon....
1 out of 5 stars.... and i don't recommend this to anyone.... i feel the loss of a wonderful childhood memory thanks to Mr. Jonze and his whiny, bratty, hateful, ADHD Max.... his dark and depressing storytelling.... and the artsy fartsy un-childlike background music by Miss Karen O.... oh and my kids didn't like it either.

don't watch this movie.... just read the book and leave it at that

my brief thoughts on.... 'Aeon Flux'

i remember watching this cartoon on MTV and thinking WTF half the time.... granted, i enjoyed it.... but it was just so different from anything else out there.... so that when i heard that they were making a live action movie, i was skeptical.... some of the stuff that Aeon does in the cartoon goes WAY beyond anything a real person could do or be capable of.... therefore a live movie just seemed way to ambitious.... i think that's why i stayed away from this so long.... i figured at some point i'd give it a shot.... and once it hit the OnDemand section of Netflix, i figured now was as good as time as any.... not too mention, i saw Charlize come up on a list of badass action chicks.... and this is the only example of a movie she's been in where she was an ass kicker.... so all the more reason to watch this.... however, my expectations were really low....

its 400+ years in the future and mankind was wiped out.... only a few survived and were walled up in a utopian city where they can live and thrive in safety and peace.... meanwhile, outside the walls, nature has taken over the earth again.... man hasn't laid a finger on it since they were nearly made extinct.... strange things are happening and people are disappearing.... and there is a small renegade group of people aware of this and fighting against the problems with the system.... Aeon Flux is one of those people.... the movie unfolds in such a way that everything is explained slowly over the course of the movie.... intertwined with some sci-fi action and adventure....
overall, i wouldn't say it was a waste of my time.... i enjoyed it for the most part.... but i really think it could have been so much more.... there was such an in depth storyline that it could have been a bit longer and dealt more with all of the sub plots.... but it all seem pre-packaged to meet a certain time frame for the big wigs making the movie.... Charlize does a good job in the role.... and i enjoyed watching her kick some ass.... but again, a little more would have been better.... everything just seemed a little vague.... it's like a recipe that could have been the best food ever, but just wasn't seasoned right.... i gave it 3 out of 5 stars for a strong effort to convert such a difficult cartoon onto the big screen.... i think they managed pretty well overall.... for a straight sci-fi movie, it was worth the effort.... all in all.... a decent movie to spend a Friday night watching....

if you like this, check out: 'Equilibrium', 'The Matrix' and 'The Fifth Element'

my brief thoughts on.... 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo'

here's another example, kids, of when Netflix knows best.... and by now you'd think i'd listen when it points out a film to me.... that i'd just put it in my damn queue and get it over with instead of fighting it.... however, for 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo'.... it took finding out that Hollywood was remaking it for me to finally watch this.... i guess i assumed that it must be pretty darn good if they're bringing it to American audiences.... i mean, look at 'Let The Right One In' and it's soon to be released American counterpart 'Let Me In'.... i rest my case.... anyway, the plot held little interest.... the poster was eye catching.... i just couldn't bring myself to add it.... my point is that i'm glad i finally saw this film.... despite my earlier thoughts about it....

the plot revolves around a decades old murder that was never solved.... or perhaps it's just a missing person.... nothing was ever found out either way.... so Mr. Vanger hires a man who's 6 months from serving a jail sentence, to find out the truth.... Mr. Vanger thinks it might be someone in his family.... but has no clues to go on.... somewhere else in the city a woman is starting her own investigation into the man who's working on the case and gets wrapped up in the mystery by accident.... they soon meet and begin to work together to find the truth.... i don't want to give away too much more as once again, it's better to just watch it unfold on your own....the movie is thankfully subtitled not dubbed.... it's beautifully filmed.... the actors are well chosen and enthralling to watch.... as a matter of fact, they sold the film they were so good.... it took what could have just been another mediocre murder mystery and raised it to another level.... i couldn't take my eyes off of them.... and by the end of the movie i was so wrapped up that i didn't even see what was coming next....

an easy 4 out of 5 stars.... the thing that doesn't elevate it to something mor is the story itself is not entirely original.... not that i've seen this done before, but it didn't feel fresh in a lot of places.... it felt like something i'd seen before.... however, don't let that keep you from watching it.... 'The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo' is pretty darn excellent.

if you like this, watch: more foreign films damn it! there's a lot of good stuff out there.