Heartbreaking Work: Where the Wild Things Are

Where the Wild Things Are (2009) - Jonze

I really hated Dave Eggers' Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius. While he was hailed as the voice of generation-Xers (I guess mine included), I scoffed at his reflection on the frivolous and empty generation. I was very skeptical about his adaptation of Maurice Sendak's very short classic children's book- part of the reason why I didn't see the film until now.

It is pretty much less dense and much more elegant version of Heartbreaking Work. Spike Jonze and Eggers accomplishes in an hour and a half what that book was meant to say in 500 pages, about growing up orphan (or with a divorced parent) and desire for not wanting to grow up. I loved their decision not to have any narration or voice over. Karen O's intrusive soundtrack was annoying at first but...I don't want to nitpick. Lance Acord's cinematography is just beautiful. It is undoubtedly one of the most beautifully shot films I've seen in recent years. So touching. I have to admit I cried like a baby. I mean, I wailed.

Food for Thought: Food Inc.

Food Inc (2008) - Fenner

Many of the stuff I did know - industrial farming, few big conglomerates running everything, GMFs, patented seeds, corn diet for cows is not natural...
Many of the stuff I didn't know - Ratio of Type B diabetes in minority kids who were born after 2000- 1 out of 2. Morningstar Farms and Kashi and many other so called healthy, organic brands are owned by Kellogg, Coca Cola and Pepsi companies, you can be jailed by badmouthing beef industry in Colorado, Supreme Court Judge Clarence Thomas was an attorney for Monsanto (the largest agricultural company, patent owner of soybeans, policing farmers with their own police force) and many Clinton/Bush FDA/USDA appointees were corporate CEOs... the list goes on and on. Mad mad world we live in.

All I can say is I am going to cut down on eating meat big time and frequent local farmers market more.