Hooray for Hollywood- Mikaela Gatewood

Spike Jonze is one of today's most prominent directors. His most recent film, Her, earned several oscar nominations and world wide praise. His work has a wide range of styles and subjects, creating a diverse portfolio. Two movies that not only show case his talent, but his ability at variation, are his first feature length film, Being John Malkovich, and his film adaptation of the classic children's book, Where The Wild Things Are. Both films have a similar sci-fi story line, Being John Malkovich exploring the story of a lonely man who finds a tunnel that leads into the eyes of actor John Malkovich, as well as Where The Wild Things Are, recounting the tale of a young boy becoming the king of monsters. The two also explore a feeling of isolation within the main characters, both seeking various forms of validation throughout the films. However, despite the similar themes, the two stories have fairly different cinematography qualities. Where The Wild Things Are is distinctively more stylized, focusing more on various tones and color themes, giving a uniform look to the film. The frequent wide, long shots, combined with the stylization give the film a more whimsical feel than Being John Malkovich. All in all, both films are fantastic stories that have provided new and dynamic material within the cinematic world.