• Frank Rich sees two Americas in “The Social Network” and “True Grit.” [New York Times] • David Poland sits down with the latter’s cinematographer, Roger Deakins. [The Hot Blog] • Meet the executive committee charged with saving esoteric foreign films hopefuls. [The Odds]
1/24 OSCARWEB ROUND-UP: Rich’s two Americas, meet the foreign film exec committee, Jonze interviews Russell
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:28 am · January 24th, 2011
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Oscilloscope nabs Sendak doc
Posted by Guy Lodge · 3:47 pm · February 9th, 2010
One of my smaller disappointments of last week’s Oscar nominations was the failure of Spike Jonze and Lance Bangs’s lovely “Tell Them Anything You Want: A Portrait of Maurice Sendak” to secure a nod in the documentary short category. (You might remembert Kris’s enthusiastic endorsement of the film back in October.) Admittedly, I have not […]
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OFF THE CARPET: Field of adaptations
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:34 am · November 23rd, 2009
As always, the year’s adapted screenplay race is much more competitive than the original screenplay race. But what’s intriguing to note is that of the anticipated “big four” still to be widely screened, three of them are right in the thick of this discussion. In the case of “Nine,” there is a chance for Anthony […]
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10/20 Oscarweb Round-up
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 6:50 am · October 20th, 2009
• Peter Knegt writes up a list of honest-to-God Oscar underdogs, but where’s Tom Hardy? [indieWIRE] • Peter Bart and Michael Fleming go back and forth on the new Oscar paradigm. [BF Deal Memo] • Francis Ford Coppola chimes in with cheery news: “The cinema as we know it is falling apart.” [Bloomberg]
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Spike Jonze’s ‘We Were Once a Fairytale’ with Kanye West
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 8:39 am · October 19th, 2009
Rodrigo Perez at The Playlist, amid reporting concerning a delayed release, notes the short film “We Were Once a Fairytale” from director Spike Jonze “attempts to lampoon Kanye West’s arrogance by evincing more self-conceit and self-deprecation with a bizarre, hallucinatory ending that features a small demon-like furry rodent and a form of seppuku.” This is […]
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10/16 Oscarweb Round-up
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 9:44 am · October 16th, 2009
• Nathaniel Rogers weighs in on Christopher Plummer’s upcoming whirlwind campaigns. [The Film Experience] • John Hiscock sits down with 2009’s “it” girl, Carey Mulligan. [Daily Telegraph] • Enter a contest to design the actual one-sheet for Lars Von Trier’s “Antichrist.” [CHUD]
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Sendak on ‘Wild Things’
Posted by Guy Lodge · 2:47 pm · October 11th, 2009
The best read of the day is Scott Timberg’s substantial LA Times profile of “Where the Wild Things Are” author Maurice Sendak, which traces the vast influence he and the book exerted on children’s literature — as well as a certain young Spike Jonze. As someone who was heavily raised on Sendak’s work — “Wild […]
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Spike Jonze’s next children’s book adaptation
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 2:05 pm · October 8th, 2009
(Courtesy: LandlineTV via Film School Rejects)
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9/4 Web Round-up
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 7:23 am · September 4th, 2009
• Steve Pond talks to AMPAS executive director Bruce Davis about the Oscars’ “crisis point.” [The Odds] • Redefining the cinema alien with “District 9.” [Daily Telegraph] • Spike Jonze and his latest gets close to 7,500 words in the Grey Lady. [New York Times]
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Dave Eggers talks ‘Wild Things’
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 10:07 am · August 24th, 2009
I think it’s pretty safe to say that, with “Avatar” proving to be disappointing in the face of impossible expectations, “Where the Wild Things Are” has moved up as the fanboy Oscar film of choice and a hotly anticipated one at that. The film could perfectly blend fantasy and profundity, as the trailer suggests. Then […]
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‘Where the Wild Things Are’ featurette
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 11:57 am · July 30th, 2009
It originally appeared at Apple and I’m just getting around to posting it. A nice discussion with author Maurice Sendak with added commentary from Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers:
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PAGE TO SCREEN: “Where the Wild Things Are” by Maurice Sendak
Posted by Guy Lodge · 3:11 pm · May 27th, 2009
Of all the literary adaptations reaching our screens this year, none is as seemingly impossible – and yet, simultaneously, rife with possibilities – as Spike Jonze’s long-awaited realization of “Where the Wild Things Are.” A work that occupies multiple positions within the popular culture pantheon – grade-school standard, highbrow literary classic, cult hipster item, fine-arts […]
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Where the wild things come from
Posted by Guy Lodge · 4:53 pm · May 12th, 2009
Here’s pretty much the coolest thing I’ve seen on the internet in a while: We Love You So is a blog from the makers of “Where the Wild Things Are” that details, in pleasantly haphazard fashion, the various films, books, images and other bits and bobs that served as form of influence or inspiration (however […]
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‘Wild Things’ trailer
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 12:12 pm · March 25th, 2009
Great call using Arcade Fire in this thing. It looks absolutely AMAZING: See it in HD at Apple.
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Wild thing
Posted by Guy Lodge · 11:04 am · March 23rd, 2009
USA Today recently offered another taste of “Where the Wild Things Are” — Susan Wlosyzczyna’s article (essentially a brief chat with child lead Max Records) doesn’t reveal much, but a bunch of new (and some old) stills sure do. With every glimpse I get of this film, I’m more impressed by how Spike Jonze seems […]
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‘Where the Wild Things Are’ poster
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 1:51 pm · March 17th, 2009
(Courtesy Nick Magazine, via /Film)
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Who almost starred in the season’s Oscar nominated films?
Posted by Kristopher Tapley · 11:37 am · February 17th, 2009
The folks at notstarring.com have put together a list of the year’s Oscar contenders and the stars who turned down opportunities to star in them. There is, of course, Nicolas Cage in “The Wrestler” and Russell Crowe in “Australia.” Heath Ledger is also mentioned for the latter (somehow I didn’t know that). “The Curious Case […]
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Back on the radar
Posted by Guy Lodge · 4:35 am · September 6th, 2008
Here’s some happy news. After being put so far on the back burner as to be almost invisible, Spike Jonze’s intriguing adaptation of Maurice Sendak’s “Where the Wild Things Are” has been assigned a release date by Warner Bros. The film will apparently open on October 16, 2009, which should allow Jonze plenty of time […]
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