I’m miffed at the producers of So You Think You Can Dance. Mighty miffed. First, they changed the set, and suddenly what felt like an intimate performance now feels like the telecast for the academy awards. And they also changed the judging. And it just doesn’t feel like my familiar fave show anymore. Sadness.

Can we take a minute to talk about the judging? Because this, really, is what I think has ruined the show. In season 6, instead of two permanent judges (Nigel Lythgoe and Mary Murphy) plus an additional guest judge from amongst the ranks of the choreographers, we have three permanent judges: Nigel, Mary and Adam Shankman. And no guest judges. Which sucks. Now, it’s not that I don’t like Adam. In fact, I think he is one of the better judges. It’s just that I really appreciate the variety of opinions and styles that you get with a rotating third guest judge. And I’m not even going to mention the “Paula Abdul chair” gag. BARF.

There are a few positive changes this season, though: the first being the “Meet the Top 20″ episode, where dancers performed in groups, all in their own styles. The hip hop number was beyond good, and of course Wade Robson group numbers never disappoint.

I thought it was a great way to really showcase what the dancers can do in their own areas of strength and – let’s face it – don’t we all prefer to see people do well?

The second great positive change this year is the addition of two new choreographers from SYTYCD Canada! Last season contemporary choreographer Stacey Tookey (originally from Edmonton) joined the SYTYCD team from the Canadian show and has choreographed a number of excellent routines.

Stacey Tookey

And this year Sean Cheesman (Calgary-born Jazz, Contemporary, Theatre and Afro-Jazz choreographer) created an amazing Afro-Jazz number (was it really the first time Afro-Jazz has been featured on the US version of SYTYCD?) for Russell and Noelle. It rocked.

Sean Cheesman

Also joining Stacey and Sean was Gustavo Vargas (who, although not a Canadian by birth first choreographed for SYTYCD on the Canadian show). Gustavo choreographed Mollee and Nathan’s salsa number which, unfortunately, sucked. So sad for fan favourites Nathan and Mollee.

Gustavo Vargas

So, there are a few good things in this newer, shinier, glitzier version of SYTYCD, but it just doesn’t seem like the same old show. It’s like having an old friend move away and make it in the big city – you’re happy, and all, but it’s just never going to be the same.

It was a wild rumpus, indeed!

But apart from organizing ten excited children, sorting out their popcorn, candy and beverage orders and coping with the post-movie party-room madness for an hour, it was a moving and memorable afternoon. And that’s because the film was, simply put, outstanding. A work of genius.

But: buyer beware. A friend of mine posted this as her facebook status on Saturday evening: “don’t waste your money people. The book is way better.” If you’re expecting a kids’ movie like any I’ve seen in the last ten years, you’ll be shocked. This is not a scrubbed-til-it-shines Disney-fied Pollyanna story with a few adult-oriented jokes that will sail right over the kids’ heads. No. Where the Wild Things Are is much more in the spirit of children’s movies I remember from being a child; slightly menacing, and accurately reflecting the child’s inner world, which is dominated by seemingly magical and larger-than-life forces they do not fully understand. Think the Wizard of Oz, or the Gene Wilder version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Or even the earlier Disney animated children’s movies – the ones we deem “too scary” for kids today, like Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. Those movies reflected the reality of traditional children’s literature, where the outside world is a scary place full of danger and risk.

And that’s what you’re going to get in Spike Jonze’s Where the Wild Things Are. But if you go back and carefully read the Maurice Sendak classic storybook, you will find that undertone of menace there, too: “…we’ll eat you up, we love you so!” Not exactly a warm and cuddly sentiment, is it? And while we’re on the topic, go read one of his other children’s books, Outside Over There – not very warm and fuzzy, either. It’s actually quite scary, frankly, in the tradition of the Brothers Grimm.

But enough about what children’s literature (and by extension, children’s movies) should or shouldn’t be; this film is remarkable. The visual effects are stunning – and very true to the original artwork. The Wild Things themselves are incredibly lifelike – they were filmed with live actors in costumes, and the facial expressions were added in post-production using computer animation. The result is seamless and entirely believable. The actors who voice the Wild Things too are captivating. Big names like James Gandolfini, Catherine O’Hara and Forest Whitaker bring the brilliantly realized visuals to life with shades of vulnerability, fun, affection and abandon. If for no other reason than to admire the Wild Things, you should see this film.

But there’s so much more to it than just great effects and voices. The screenplay (written by Spike Jonze and Dave Eggers, in consultation with Maurice Sendak) takes us deep into the psyche of our troubled protagonist, Max. Max is a lonely little boy with a hugely imaginative and creative bent (he makes remarkable artwork and loves to make up stories) who spends a lot of time alone. His parents are divorced, his mom works a lot and his older sister is embarking on adolescence and has little time left for him. A little lost and a lot afraid, Max bubbles over with anger and ultimately retreats within, to where the Wild Things really are…inside himself. The soundtrack is also beautiful. Using children’s voices and whimsical melodies, the music transports us to another place: a world that is both alien and familiar at the same time.

True, the action does slow down somewhat mid-picture, but that didn’t affect me or the kids at the birthday party, although I did notice some of the very young children in the theatre getting antsy. (On the topic of very young children – why do parents do that? The film is very clearly rated: “PG some material may not be suitable for children”. Pay attention, people!)

Overall, I loved this film, and I strongly recommend it to anyone, adults and children alike, with one exception: I would suggest that children under 7 may become bored partway through, and parts of it may be frightening. But you know your own children. Girl2 is 6 and she did just fine. All ten kids I had there loved this movie. And that, for me, is endorsement enough.

I only know this because I was forwarded this awesome segment by comedian Sarah Haskins:

How funny is Sarah Haskins? I know!

And check out her other Target Women segments on current.com. I promise you…it’s internet well worth watching!

So, who do I think you should keep an eye on this time? Well, definitely contemporary dancing sisters Megan and Caitlyn Kinney – Megan auditioned in Miami and won a ticket straight to Vegas, and her sister Caitlyn hoped to join her following her audition in Memphis.

Here she is:

And happily she earned herself a ticket to join her sister in Vegas. Yeah!

In keeping with the dancing siblings, theme, check out brothers Evan and Ryan Kasprzak:

And I was touched by Anna Dunn’s moving story. Happy to see her moving on to Vegas, too:

Yes, that’s right: the show that will make you feel like you can actually dance (and, not incidentally fills adult classes at dance studios across North America) is back. Season Five of So You Think You Can Dance has begun (yay!) and although I have the PVR set to capture the entire season in glorious HD, there is still something magical about watching it in real broadcast, commercials and all. For that reason, I rushed like mad last night to get my gals to bed in time to join Cat, Nigel, Mary, Tabitha & Napoleon and Sonya as they sat in judgement while some very-, somewhat- and completely un-talented dancers auditioned for their ticket to Vegas in the first big step in this most fabulous of reality shows.

Today I’m double-posting: almost the exact same content here and over on my other blog Losing It! on urbanmoms.ca. I won’t normally be posting about SYTYCD on my urbanmoms blog – I’ll stick to my usual eclecta there, and I’ll focus on SYTYCD opinion here on thisiskat (and heck, I’ll probably throw in some Canada’s Next Top Model dish, too seeing as it starts on Tuesday).

So: the first round of auditions are over, and who do I think you should keep an eye on in Season Five of SYTYCD?

From Day One New York, for sure keep your eye on Tokyo native Nobuya Nagahama, who is waaaay too cute!

In Denver, day one started off with a bang, as the first dancer, 18-year old Kayla, earned the first ticket to Vegas. In the clip below, she’s the first dancer. Now, Kayla was the first female dancer to wow Sonya, but not the last. If
you continue watching the clip above, you’ll see a montage of some of
the best female dance talent Denver has to offer. At the 5:00 mark,
you’ll meet the hilarious duo Misha and Mitch; same-sex ballroom
dancers. And no, you’re not the only one to think you’re watching a
repeat of Blades of Glory – Nigel makes the same crack himself. They suffered a catastrophic tumble midway, but made it through to choreography anyway. Unfortunately they didn’t have what it took to get through to Vegas, though.

Day two Denver did not start as well as day one. And just as the judges were starting to become discouraged (Nigel ranted a bit about the “stupidity” of the auditions), we were treated to two amazing, thrilling comeback stories. Check it out:

Remember Katie’s (of Season 4 Katie & Joshua fame) pal Natalie? Natalie made it all the way through the Season 4 Auditions in Vegas and in the end it was between her and Katie…remember? Nigel asked “Whoever doesn’t make it through now, will you come back next year?” And Katie said, “no”? And Natalie stood up for her, saying, “…she says that now, but she doesn’t really mean it…” And then the judges re-voted? In the end, Katie made it through, but this year it’s Natalie’s turn. Here’s her audition in Denver:

And in more almost-made-it-through-last-season action, Brandon Bryant, who lost out to Gev in the final, final pick for top 20 guys in Vegas…Brandon brought Mary (yes screaming Mary) to tears. You must watch this audition. Scroll ahead to 6:47, though, because Natalie’s audition is first on this clip. Or you can watch it again (I did):