Monday, August 17, 2009

more wild things


The NYT review of 'Zeitoun' is here. As I say above, Dave Eggers has never quite hit the promised mark for me (see this for a particularly striking example of the product not matching the promise - though 'the writing has some humor and charm'). But I admire what he has done with his his renown and was really impressed with him the one time I saw him speak.

And that said, I also continue to have high hopes for 'Where the Wild Things Are'. I love this featurette, in which Maurice Sendak extols the artistic virtues of Spike Jonze (and Eggers makes a brief appearance - there's a longer version at the official website):


And here's the newest trailer:

8 comments:

stephy said...

I know, I really hope I love it since I like Spike Jonze and Eggers and that book so much. Too many chefs? :) Hope not.

jdaviddark said...

I remain simply crazy about thy blog?
Are YOU going to GB this year?

Derek said...

Stephy - I am hoping that the movie will be more than the sum of its very considerable participants (I like Spike Jonze too - especially Adaptation, which got me in all sorts of ways I did not expect). There is a New Yorker short story by DE this week, which I am looking forward to.

David - it means the world to me that you are crazy about the blog (I am having a t-shirt made with your quote as the legend)...
I will not be at GB, I'm afraid. While Greenbelt holds a big place in my heart and affects what I read and listen to throughout the year, I have not been able to attend since moving to North America in the mid nineties - I am hopeful that it will become a more regular, tangible part of my life some time again, though. (Maybe next year..?)

Blessings on your heads...

Richard said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Richard said...

I'm kind of hopeful, but the use of Point Music - "Children, wake up!" - is heavy-handed and a bit of a teeth-itcher for me.

I do love yr blog, sir.

jdaviddark said...

Derek,
i'm guessing you and I were at GB together more than once. i was there for '92, '93, and '94 (stewarding my way into feeling of deep association).
i won't be there this year either, but i'm always comforted to know it's happening.

very glad to be in touch,
jdd

Richard said...

I only went to Greenbelt twice and I miss it every year. It's funny that all through our teens and early twenties you were there a lot and I never got to go with you and then I went twice without you. Ah well. If I could be working all weekend in Artists Reception again, I would be. Good times.

Richard said...

Where the Wild Things Are, new trailer + Yeah Yeah Yeahs single. Disturbingly like Karen O singing for Arcade Fire. The world keeps on refusing to be perfect.
http://www.myspace.com/wherethewildthingsare

And as far as Eggers goes I enjoyed A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, overwrought and overegge(re)d though it surely was, and love what he's doing and how effective he/McSweeney's is at motivating smart outsiders to do something about making the world better. Does he need to have another hand in a non-fiction account of Katrina? Maybe not. Will the screenplay for Where the Wild Things Are be awesome, or just think it's cool and be aggravatingly epic-by-numbers(see also: Coldplay)? Who knows.