Best of the Blogs: Wild Things, Close-Ups, Cronenberg

Vulture has seen Dave Eggers's and Spike Jonez's script for Maurice Sendak's Where the Wild Things Are, and "it's really, really good:" "the screenplay for this live-action film simply becomes a longer and more moving version of what Maurice Sendak's book has always been at heart: a book about a lonely boy leaving the emotional terrain of boyhood behind." (via Maud Newton and Karina Longworth)

The Klaus Kinski Files celebrates the great German actor's 81st birthday and mourns that he's been gone for nearly 16 years. As a great time as any to dig into their Online Guide to Klaus Kinksi or pick up his shameless autobiography, Uncut.

Cronenberg’s Violent Reversals: Kristin Thompson takes a close look at the similarities between A History of Violence and Eastern Promises. We recently had the chance to talk to Cronenberg recently, and he said that while he knew the films were comparable, it wasn't on his mind when he made them. Could they be part of a gangster trilogy featuring Viggo Mortensen? "Possibly."

Cinema's 100 Greatest Numbers is a YouTube clip counting down through some of our favorite movies.

We've always considered George Lucas an independent filmmaker, so it's worth mentioning here that he has begun work on a live-action Star Wars TV series to be set between the original and prequel trilogies. TheForce.net lists some exciting rumors courtesy of Ain't It Cool.

At Matt Zoller Seitz's House Next Door, the massive Close-Up Blog-a-thon is in full swing. Jürgen couldn't resist and joined the fun with a little piece on Robert Rodriguez's Planet Terror, out this week on DVD.

Speaking of DVDs: Filmmaker has news that Eleanor Coppola's Hearts of Darkness is finally getting a release. Chronicling the (literally) heart-stopping excesses and hair-raising catastrophes during the shoot of Apocalypse Now, it's the most incredible making-of documentary you'll ever see.