2012 and Wild Things Bring Havoc in March
Never before has a date in history been so significant to so many cultures, so many religions, scientists, and governments.
2012 is an epic adventure about a global cataclysm that brings an end to the world and tells of the heroic struggle of the survivors. Starring John Cusack, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Amanda Peet, Oliver Platt, Thandie Newton, Danny Glover, Woody Harrelson, and directed by Roland Emmerich, 2012 attempts to offer suspense, drama, fear and tries to peeks into the human condition when faced with adversity, amidst overplayed special effects and an overused green screen.
Many critics have called it an Independence Day knock off of the already “been there, done that” realm of cataclysms and apocalypses, yet a guilty pleasure you can’t miss. Don Kois from the Washington Post says: “If a film critic awards four stars to a movie directed by Roland Emmerich -- Hollywood's reigning king of catastrophe, the critically scorned director of Independence Day and Godzilla -- will the world come to an end? That's a question the ancient Mayans never asked, but it's the one facing me after the enormously satisfying, astonishingly accomplished, reprehensible-yet-irresistible 2012, the crowning achievement in Emmerich's long, profitable career as a destroyer of worlds.” 2012 arrives March 2.
Innovative director Spike Jonze collaborates with celebrated author Maurice Sendak to bring one of the most beloved books of all time to the big screen in Where the Wild Things Are, a classic story about childhood and the places we go to figure out the world we live in. The film tells the story of Max, a rambunctious and sensitive boy who feels misunderstood at home and escapes to where the Wild Things are. Max lands on an island where he meets mysterious and strange creatures whose emotions are as wild and unpredictable as their actions. The Wild Things desperately long for a leader to guide them, just as Max longs for a kingdom to rule. When Max is crowned king, he promises to create a place where everyone will be happy. Max soon finds, though, that ruling his kingdom is not so easy and his relationships there prove to be more complicated than he originally thought. The film was originally knocked by conservative mothers who thought the film was “too scary” for the audience it was made to appeal, yet, Wild Things still managed to captivate the hearts of many who grew up with Max and the rest of the “Things.”
The NY Times’ Manohla Dargis said: “After years in the news, the project and its improbability — a live-action movie based on a slender, illustrated children’s book that runs fewer than 40 pages, some without any words at all — are no longer a surprise. Even so, it startles and charms and delights largely because Mr. Jonze’s filmmaking exceeds anything he’s done in either of his inventive previous features.”