Where the Wild Things Are

I had very high expectations for this movie and it surely did meet every single one. I was in love with everything about this film from the start. I will first mention the soundtrack, because it was perfectly done. Karen O from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs did a heck of a job scoring this movie. As far as the acting goes, young Max Records makes the perfect Max for this story. I have seen a lot of movies in my time with a lot of young actors not really cutting it, but not here. Max delivered a winning performance in my book. Just the perfect amount of adorable, vulnerable, courageous, crazy, wild, sincere, and witty. Catherine Keener shined in her scenes as always. The voice acting was top notch as well. Claire Fisher from 'Six Feet Under' (aka Lauren Ambrose) was awesome. Pretty much every voice actor was pretty fantastic. Catherine O'Hara got to be funny and that wins. Visually speaking, this movie outshines many I have seen in a very long time. There is not a wasted camera angle or scene. Every shot is full of beauty or emotion or both. Set designers need to win awards for this movie. Everything felt so real and so fantastical all at once. Spike Jonze might be my new current hero for this work of art. I was really blown away by the way this story was told on film. There could not have been a better adaptation. Beyond the movie, this story is phenomenal. I feel weird talking about how this story made me think and feel, because it is a story that is much bigger than this movie and it doesn't seem like the appropriate forum to discuss the book. All I can say is that the story's heart and feelings and fears and courage is told very very well through this film. It is a very evocative telling and it is an instant favorite of mine.