Posted on 10/13/2009 2:39:28 AM PDT by Daffynition
Edited on 10/13/2009 2:50:44 AM PDT by Admin Moderator. [history]
This Friday, October 16, the movie adaptation of Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are opens in theaters.
The poignant 10-sentence book about an angry boy who is sent to bed without supper and sails to a magical land overrun by wild creatures has been made into a full-length feature film with a script by director Spike Jonze (recently interviewed by the Chronicle) and local boy Dave Eggers.
(Excerpt) Read more at sfgate.com ...
Personally, I like his attitude.
Facing fears is a good thing. Even for a child.
Actually, that’s sort of rude. I think he should do like when he accidently crashed his plane into his friend, the Duchess’s house.
You say, “I’m sorry”.
We need warriors, male and female, our culture is under attack, and we are losing the battle.
You do not do your children a favor by leaving them weak and helpless, they will need to survive long after you are dust.
You nailed it ‘Sniper!
We’re even disallowing Boy Scouts to carry pocket knives.
Dang! I never thought I’d live to see a general demise of the American spirit.
Makes my resolve to see my grand kids grow as confident self-starters more urgent.
>>This concentration on kids being scared, as though we as adults can’t be scared. Of course we’re scared. I’m scared of watching a TV show about vampires. I can’t fall asleep. It never stops. We’re grown-ups; we know better, but we’re afraid.”
What a fricken Idiot!!!!!!!!!!!!!
This is a movie. It’s optional. There is enough for kids to be afraid of in this world. Hellsbells, Obama is in the WH. We all need to be afraid.
But taking your kid to a movie to “be afraid” is idiotic. WHY? Because these idiots want to make a buck?
I wouldn’t give these Doofuses one flat dime of my money. In fact, when this flick comes out, I’m going to watch it free on the internet and not buy the DVD. I will choose how to raise my child and what is too scary for my young children.
I don’t have to see your movie Mr. Sendak. YOU need to sell it.
“You say, “I’m sorry”.
Whatever happened to that book, nobody ever mentions it anymore.
It’s do for a revival.
“What do you say, dear?”
Altho’ our pres may have taken the message a little too far lately!
Facing real fears is a good thing.
This is a movie. It’s optional.
Want kids to face fears? Take them hunting, take them camping, skydiving, DO something. But to think it’s a good thing to drop 10.00 a ticket to have fake fear, is not productive.
This author is an idiot. He has a product to sell and just blew it.
I agree. Controlled exposure to fear is a good thing.
I agree. Controlled exposure to fear is a good thing.
So how did kids learn “controlled fear” before Movies?
Because that’s what we are talking about here. Fake fear.
Printed literature, mostly. Andersen and the Grimms wrote some pretty scary stuff. The oral tradition (campfire ghost stories, f’rinstance), likewise. Some parts of the Bible.
I could go on.
>>Printed literature, mostly. Andersen and the Grimms wrote some pretty scary stuff. The oral tradition (campfire ghost stories, f’rinstance), likewise. Some parts of the Bible.
I could go on.<<
Okay, but all of it is optional (Bible excluded). The scary stories in the Bible can be left for age appropriate times.
This is a MOVIE. The author is telling parents that they should possibly subject their three year olds to nightmare inducing visuals, so he can make a buck.
As a parent, I would NEVER walk into a movie without some background information. Most parents I know, won’t Sendak is doing nothing but screwing himself with blowing off his target audience. I hope it comes back to bite him in the butt.
Conservatives on this site would have a hairy conniption fit if any other author told them to “Go to hell” about his/her movie. But this guy is cool? No thanks. IF my kids were still young, I would skip it. Knowing this guy’s attitude, my 9&11 year olds (who did want to see it) will not be attending either.
I got better things to do with my 40.00 than line the pockets of this smarmy author.
Even so, I had much rather children be taught to face and deal with fear safely seated on the sofa (or theater eats, if you will) than, as you suggested above, tramping through the woods with guns or falling out of airplanes. In the former instance, the worst thing that can happen with an equipment malfunction is an interruption of the experience.
I note with some chagrin the instances of sibilant alliteration in this post. It wasn't deliberate.
"...theater seats..."
I think his attitude is 100% spot on.
Also:
The movie is rated PG. That means “Parental Guidance” - for those here from Rio Linda.
Do your jobs, parents, or STHU.
>>In the former instance, the worst thing that can happen with an equipment malfunction is an interruption of the experience.<<
Does it really teach them anything? Except that if you are afraid of something, it will all be happy in the end?
You make it sound like I’m saying, “Here little Johnny, for your fourth birthday, have a gun. Go shoot something.”
I would think that safety is taught by the parents as well.
The “fear” to be found in a theater seat is make believe.
Subjecting young children to it, teaches nothing except movies are scary.
“Grown-ups are afraid for children. It’s not children who are afraid.”
That said, I’m taking my kids to see this movie. I loved the book when I was a kid ... maybe cause I could relate to Max.
Me too and for the same reason I think.
I wonder what crowd they are expecting at the movie. Judging by my facebook newsfeed, the 18-25 age group will be well represented.
Let me tell you a story.
I took my three year old to see Toy Story 2 at a theater. I did the research, I knew what to expect.
As the previews started, some darling little dinosaurs, hatching out of eggs were shown on the screen. The were playing and cooing while sweet music played. Suddenly, a T-Rex crashed through the bushes behind them. It was an trailer for the movie “Dinosaurs”. My daughter, along with about 50 other kids literally screamed and started crying. We walked out as did many of the other families.
Oh yeah, scaring the hell out of preschoolers is a hoot.
By that logic, flight simulators are useless in pilot training.
Have a nice day.
>>flight simulators are useless in pilot training.<<
How many preschoolers do you know that are Pilot training?
For heaven’s sake, if you are training to be a pilot, you need to learn. You understand that parents have the right to drop their money on what they want. They asked for information and the author told them to go to hell.
We’re talking about a MOVIE. It’s entertainment.
By your reasoning, nothing should be age restricted.
Saw IV and Sex and the City can be great learning tools too.
I totally agree, most of the people I know in that age group are extremely excited for that movie - maybe it’s nostalgia for their childhood. I actually wonder if the movie isn’t targeted towards them more than it is for actual children. That said, I’ve seen endless previews and TV spots, and it doesn’t look scary at all. I think the only kids it might scare are the ones who are at an age where they’re terrified of completely random and puzzling things like people in crayon costumes or baby lambs even though they’re not scared of ‘scary’ things like spiders or the dark.
I think there has been some definite marketing to older people as well.
I had to laugh at James Gandolfini’s response to the question about if kids would be scared, “How am I supposed to know? I’m not 9 years old.”
Supposedly the climax is somewhat scary, but I don’t think it will be anything too bad. It probably isn’t appropriate for some very young kids, but I can’t imagine those around 9 or so would have problems with it.
All my kids loved that book.
My parents got into reading to me stories of Thorton Burguess (?) Mother west wind stories....Loved them they were all about animals and I can still remember some of the names of them 65 years later...Johnny Woodchuck, Old Mother West Wind, Readdy the Fox.....
Most stories set out to explain why certain animals act the way they do in story form...(hope this doesn't sound too complicated). Sometimes animals could or couldn't do certain things because they behaved badly and had certain things taken away....
They were in fact moral stories of good and bad, action and resulting reaction...Been out of print for decades.
As many as are hunting or skydiving.
Very interesting article. I am a student of my family history and my sister is a “progressive” social worker; we have had discussions about what role genetics actually has in the American being. She of course, is much oriented in behavioralism and the role of environment.
However, when I trace the family tree back hundreds of years and see we were always adventurous, independent thinkers involved in the military and religion, with a strong intellectual bent; well, I’ve formed my own opinions.
My mother left her dustbowl KS farm at 17 to work in NYC, very analagous to my pilgrim and puritan forbears. We have always been responsible risktakers - is that a conundrum? Yet I see it in the American psyche.
I had this book memorized at one time. Just guessing but if your kid is scared of a vacuum cleaner don’t take them to the movies.
>>As many as are hunting or skydiving.<<
How about addressing the rest of the post besides the rhetoric?
That post appeared to be 100% rhetoric. Perhaps I missed something. If so, upon reveiew, I’m still missing it. Sorry.
Seems Sendak touched some cords. That’s a role of art and lit. Heck, he’s calling out the helicopter parents and expressing an opinion, and observing that kids like “Max” can pretty much figure out their own fears and how to overcome them. Bravo.
I thought it was a great article. Glad you liked it. I never thought the American spirit in that light, but it sure seems to fit.
It’s okay.
Apparently it’s over your head.
I had a friend in high school who had a fear for leaves (gum leaves if you will, what’s the world for fear of plants or leaves, is it plantophobia?) and I scared the hell out of him with a leaf. To this day, I bet he’s still scared of leaves.
If parents have nothing better to do than complain about Maurice Sendak ... well, then, they can go to hell.
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