Spike Jonze Brings Wild Things to Life

He's 'wrong, of course,' counters Dave Eggers in Vanity Fair

(NEWSER) - Maurice Sendak may be 83, but he’s not slowing down—in fact, he may be picking up speed. Sendak has a new book coming out, the first in 30 years that he’s both written and illustrated, writes Dave Eggers in Vanity Fair . Bumble-Ardy, about a pig whose family never celebrates his birthday, is dark in tone; but then, so is Sendak. “People from New York have been calling, to see if I’m still alive. When I answer the phone, you can hear the disappointment in their voice,” he says with his typical "pitch-black" humor. More»

Clip, briefly on rapper's site, includes projectile vomiting, cutting himself open

(NEWSER) - A glimpse into the inner workings of Kanye West, or just fantasy? We're sure getting a look at something in a new short film directed by Spike Jonze (of Where The Wild Things Are) and starring West, who—after an(other) obnoxious club outing—projectile vomits pink flower petals in a bathroom, then slices himself open and confronts a small furry creature that emerges from his innards. We Were Once A Fairytale was pulled from West’s official site after a brief appearance but can still be viewed elsewhere online (see below—or a brief clip at left). More»

Law Abiding Citizen also enjoys strong opening weekend

(NEWSER) - Where the Wild Things Are ran wild at the weekend box office, exceeding expectations by doing $32.5 million worth of business. Spike Jonze's first foray into children's cinema earned the director his strongest opening weekend ever. "I can't imagine too many people who could do what Spike did," an exec with distributor Warner Bros. tells USA Today. The live-action adaptation of Maurice Sendak's classic book topped Law Abiding Citizen, which also beat forecasts. The top five: More»

Spike Jonze's melancholy fantasy gorgeous, heartfelt, uneventful

(NEWSER) - Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are takes a 10-sentence children’s book and turns it into a full-length movie that’s not really for kids at all. But most critics liked it anyway. Here’s what they’re saying:

• “Parents and tykes expecting the next Shrek will be sorely disappointed if not a little freaked out,” writes Ty Burr of the Boston Globe. “The movie is a wild thing,” and at times “feels genuinely dangerous, wired to explode.”

Dave Eggers, Philip Roth, Jon Krakauer have new titles out

(NEWSER) - Hoping to salvage a miserable year, publishers are flooding the fall season with more hot tickets than normal. Some samples, from the Wall Street Journal:

• Dan Brown, The Lost Symbol, Sept. 1: The next in a series from the Da Vinci Code writer.
• Nicholson Baker, The Anthologist, Sept. 8: A heartbroken poet reflects.
• Nick Hornby, Juliet, Naked, Sept. 29: Pop figures loom large as usual.
• Dave Eggers, The Wild Things, Oct. 1: The author's novelization of Maurice Sendak's children's book.