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Blu-Ray Review: ‘Where the Wild Things Are’
Now on Blu-ray everywhere from Warner Home Video is Spike Jonze’s live-action adaptation of the children’s book Where the Wild Things Are, which follows nine-year-old Max who runs away from home and sails across the sea to become king of the land Where the Wild Things Are. Mike Pereira chimes in with his thoughts on the Blu-ray release below.
The Film
Maurice Sendak’s classic 1963 children’s book, Where The Wild Things Are has made a big impression on countless readers, young and old alike. All in just 9 sentences. Co-writer/director, Spike Jonze wisely sticks to the book’s beautiful simplicity in this highly anticipated (very long in the making) film adaptation. The narrative is as sparse as they come; frustrated with the complex, unsympathetic world he inhabits, 9 year old loner, Max escapes into an imaginary world filled with fantastical creatures. What makes this cinematic translation a work of genius is how it unflinchingly evokes one’s memories of childhood. On one end, one can be completely memorized by the seemingly aimless adventures of Max and the “Wild Things” as they parade through one random, fun-filled activity to another. But in a blink of an eye, the lovable “Wild Things” can turn into an emotional, terrifying rage that quickly reminds you that they are in fact monsters who can eat up Max at any given moment. Their unpredictable emotional state is not unlike a child’s.
Spike Jonze has constructed an 80 million dollar studio picture like no other. A children’s film that’s not quite for children. An adult’s personal reflection of what life is through a child’s point of view. Where The Wild Things Are is a magical, emotional and frightening journey. Childhood in a nutshell.
9 out of 10
Video
Where The Wild Things Are arrives with an impressive VC-1/1080p transfer. While more and modern titles have grain-free, sharp, slick visuals, Jonze’s vision sticks to a rougher but beautiful film look. As expected, there is a thin layer of grain is present throughout and a softer picture. Still, there is some pleasant detail. Contrast is strong and colors are a bit muted but during some daytime sequences, it pops up quite nicely.
8 out of 10
Audio
The DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix really comes out of nowhere. The sound design is alive on all channels throughout. The bass channel is quite intense especially whenever the Wild Things wreck havoc. The bass in their voices feel all the more real during some of the more dramatic moments. Dialogue is crystal clear and the fantastic soundtrack really shines. All in all, an unexpectedly riveting audio experience.
9 out of 10
Supplements
Higglety Pigglety Pop! or There Must Be More To Life (HD, 23:30) live action/animated short is about as bizarre as the title suggests. Still, it manages to be a charming little gem featuring great voice work by Meryl Streep.
HBO First Look (HD, 13:02) is a fine “making of” featurette. The majority of the footage is recycled from the series of featurettes which makes it a rather pointless addition to this disc.
The collection of eight specifically-titled featurettes (HD, 36:00) by Lance Bangs is a charming and entertaining glimpse into the production. Some may seem mundane but totally keeping within the spirit of the film. It captures Jonze’s unorthodox directorial style for the picture. The appropriately titled; The Absurd Difficulty of Filming a Dog featurette is a standout.
Unfortunately, there’s nothing on the creation of the brilliant visual effects especially about how the “Wild Things” were brought to life. A big minus in my opinion.
7 out of 10
Final Thoughts
Where The Wild Things Are on Blu-Ray is a must-own. The A/V presentation only helps to enhance this unique experience. The special features seem less telegraphed than what usually litters most home video releases. The real prize of this release is obviously the film itself. Where The Wild Things Are is the kind of film that grows richer with repeat viewings. It’s an honest portrait of the world wind of emotions a child faces in life. An attribute never as effectively presented by any film before it.
8 out of 10
Scream Factory brought Frank LaLoggia’s 1988 Halloween movie Lady in White to Blu-ray several years back, and now Vinegar Syndrome gives the film a 4K Ultra HD upgrade.
Vinegar Syndrome’s Lady in White 4K release is available now and shipping now!
Watch the trailer below and grab your copy from Vinegar Syndrome today.
This limited edition 4-disc 4K UHD/Blu-ray x 3 set comes with a spot gloss hard slipcase + slipcover combo (designed by Dylan Haley), includes a 40-page perfect bound book and is limited to 8,000 units. It is only available on their website and at select indie retailers.
The full Special Features package includes…
- 4-disc Set: 1x 4K Ultra HD (High Bitrate BD100) / 3x Region A Blu-ray
- 4K UHD presented in Dolby Vision High-Dynamic-Range
- Newly scanned & restored in 4K from its 35mm original camera negative
- Presented in three versions: 126-min Pre-Release Director’s Cut (UHD+BD), the 118-min Extended Home Video Cut (BD), and the 113-min Theatrical Cut (BD)
- New group commentary track with writer/director Frank LaLoggia, alongside actors Lukas Haas, Joelle Jacobi, and Len Cariou for the Pre-Release Director’s Cut
- New commentary track with Frank LaLoggia, moderated by Scott Neumyer for the Extended Home Video Cut
- New commentary track with authors Emma Westwood and Stephen A. Russell for the Extended Home Video Cut
- Archival commentary track with Frank LaLoggia for the Extended Home Video Cut
- “Learning How to Fly” (10 min) – an interview with actress Karen Powell
- “A Snapshot in Time” (9 min) – an interview with actress Lisa Taylor
- “Human Touches” (6 min) – an interview with actress Lucy Lee Flippin
- “Still Relevant” (16 min) – an interview with actress Rose Weaver
- “75% Listening, 25% Editing” (9 min) – an interview with editor Steve Mann
- “Welcome to Willowpoint Falls” (6 min) – a location featurette hosted by Benjamin Scrivens, founder of Fright-Rags
- “Dream Talking: Looking Back” – a visual group commentary for the Pre-Release Director’s Cut with Frank LaLoggia, and actors Lukas Haas, Joelle Jacobi, and Len Cariou (103 min)
- Deleted Scenes with introduction and optional commentary by writer/director Frank LaLoggia (36 min)
- Behind-the-scenes footage with introduction and optional commentary by writer/director Frank LaLoggia (16 min)
- Extended behind-the-scenes footage (73 min)
- Introduction from the 20th anniversary dvd release
- Promotional ‘industry sales’ trailer (7 min)
- 40-page perfect bound book with essays by film historians Molly Henery, Mark H. Harris, and Heidi Honeycutt (limited edition only)
- Multiple radio spots
- Theatrical trailer
- Multiple TV spots
- Workprint trailers (7 min)
- Still gallery
- Reversible sleeve artwork
- English SDH subtitles
1962. Nine-year-old Frankie Scarlatti enjoys a homespun childhood in a rustic Western New York town. The entire community gets into the spirit of Halloween, but then two bullies prank Frankie by locking him in his school cloakroom, leaving him trapped for the night. Alone and afraid, his slumber is interrupted when the ghost of a little girl appears, and Frankie witnesses the specter of her murder by an unseen assailant. Later, while recovering at home, the girl’s ghost appears to him again. With help from his older brother, Frankie begins investigating the circumstances of her death. He soon discovers that her murder was one of several unsolved crimes connected to a local child-killer. As the town’s bucolic veneer fades and long-buried secrets and tensions bubble to the surface, all of the clues to the mystery seem to point towards a huge mansion inhabited by a reclusive woman known as “The Lady in White.”
A nostalgia-driven ghost story wrapped within an intricate murder mystery and coming-of-age drama, writer-director-composer Frank LaLoggia’s passion project Lady in White remains one of the most beautiful and original American horror films of the 1980s. Featuring acclaimed actors Alex Rocco (The Godfather), Len Cariou (Executive Decision), and Sydney Lassick (Carrie, The Unseen), it boasts the first starring role by Lukas Haas (Mars Attacks, Inception) as well as breathtaking photography by Academy Award® winner Russell Carpenter (True Lies, The Lawnmower Man). Vinegar Syndrome is honored to bring this genre masterpiece to 4K UHD, newly restored from its original 35mm camera negative and presented in three versions: its pre-release director’s cut, its extended home-video version, and its original theatrical version, along with an abundance of both new and archival extras.
Paul Lê wrote here on Bloody Disgusting back in 2023, “Over the years, fans have described this film as gateway horror, but they liken it more to The Watcher in the Woods than, say, Hocus Pocus or Casper. There are chilling moments that warrant its PG-13 rating.”
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