Wild Things

A beautiful film that's as simple and alluring as the 1963 children's book. CGI is shunned to the point where it's difficult to tell where in-camera FX begin and end. The narrative is buoyed by a terrific score that stands on it's own. The boy is perfectly cast but it's the Wild Things themselves who steal the movie with funny banter and complex personalities. The tone is inspiring and melancholy in equal doses making this the fantastic children's adaptation we hoped for.

The film does not pander and addresses real conflicts head on -- those bitter, jealous kinds of wounds that exist in most families. Congrats to Spike Jonze who fought the studio for years against making a dumbed down Cat in the Hat-like adaptation.

It's hard to say what younger children will think of this movie, but my first inclination is to encourage parents to not underestimate their kids. I can't imagine anyone who loves the book (big or small) not finding something emotionally satisfying and meaningful in this movie. Something that is often lacking in children's programming.

First Review

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Calvin Marshall Inside Look EP 02

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Must See Movies

I never went to the movies as a kid but was raised on television; everything from sports to the A-Team, to Bugs Bunny, Monty Python to the Dick Cavett show. I was eight in 1977 and didn't see STAR WARS until it was re-released in 1997. Perhaps my taste would be a little different if I had seen it as a kid, but the first movie I flipped over (aside from Tobe Hooper's TV version of SALEM'S LOT) was RACE WITH THE DEVIL starring Warren Oates and Peter Fonda. The second? HANNAH AND HER SISTERS.

I won't use the word eclectic, but if you called my taste random you would be right.

There are a handful of upcoming movies that I'm excited to see in the theater and two in particular have really got me in a fog of anticipation. The first is the throwback horror film THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL.

This movie seems anachronistic in every way - in all the best ways. It's hard not to think ROSEMARY'S BABY or great 70's horror in general when you watch the trailer. The movie just gets it right - the look, the feel, just enough creepiness in tone, the score, excellent casting, deliberate pacing.

Full disclosure, I've only seen the trailer and a few clips. I've also read some things - but I'm pretty certain this is a slam dunk. THE HOUSE OF THE DEVIL is playing Cucalrous along with CALVIN MARSHALL this November so I'm excited I'll be able to skip Amazon VOD and see it in a packed theater.

The second film is WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE. I know I'm hardly alone on this one but the thought of seeing it is making me giddy. Spike Jonze walks the tonal tightrope perhaps better than anyone, moving effortlessly from the bizarre to the profound to the hilarious and always manages to keep things human and emotionally satisfying. I'm expecting this movie to be wildly successful (no pun intended - both critically and financially) and be loved for years to come. We'll have a better idea after it opens this weekend.

Coming Soon

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