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 A Monster Calls 

Rate this film:
A 38%  38%  [ 3 ]
B 50%  50%  [ 4 ]
C 13%  13%  [ 1 ]
D 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
F 0%  0%  [ 0 ]
Total votes : 8

 A Monster Calls 
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Post A Monster Calls
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A Monster Calls is a 2016 fantasy drama film directed by J. A. Bayona and written by Patrick Ness, based on his own eponymous novel. It stars Sigourney Weaver, Felicity Jones, Toby Kebbell, Lewis MacDougall and Liam Neeson.

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Sun Dec 11, 2016 11:48 pm
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Post Re: A Monster Calls
Decent but I honestly expected more. It hints at something much darker and more interesting that it never really expands upon (the best scene in the movie is the 'third tale' the monster tells, which is easily the most violent, and the subsequent aftermath) in favor of being a conventional weepie. That being said, it's really remarkable visually with a storybook like methodology to it and the performances are good for the most part - Felicity Jones is fantastic and the standout, Lewis MacDougal does well, Toby Kebbell is charming but underused and Sigourney Weaver is solid despite a spotty accent. It's worth checking out but doesn't reinvent the wheel and comes off as something akin to Pan's Labyrinth lite. B-


Sun Dec 11, 2016 11:52 pm
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Post Re: A Monster Calls
I thought this was fantastic. A

Loved the story-telling, acting, visuals, and score. The only fault for me is that it's one scene too long.


Fri Jan 06, 2017 8:02 pm
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Post Re: A Monster Calls
This is really pretty spectacular. A fantastical parable about coping with loss & coming to terms with grief, the movie has good company in the neighborhood of Pan's Labyrinth & Where the Wild Things Are. I adored the storytelling segments, and the real life parts were difficult but handled with a plain-spoken grace. Lewis MacDougall did a pretty fantastic job anchoring the movie, channeling some pretty strong emotions for a young one. Felicity Jones was very good especially in a few segments in the latter half, Toby Kebbell was solid, as would have been Sigourney if not for the accent (pet peeve of mine, poorly realized accents).

Mild complaint--- I was not enthralled with the score, which I kept comparing unfavorably to 'what could've been' if M83 had composed it (I believe that's an M83 song used in the trailer). And while I didn't dislike the final scene, I agree with SolC9, the movie could have ended to greater effect (I think) at the 12:07 fadeout.

Still, this is up there with the year's best for me.

A

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Sun Jan 08, 2017 7:13 pm
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Post Re: A Monster Calls
I, too, will co-sign it being one scene too long. The perfect final shot is 12:07 on the bedside clock in the hospital.

Anyway:

As terminal cancer devours his doting mother (Felicity Jones), a creative and isolated adolescent (Lewis MacDougall) is visited every night by an enormous, tree-shaped monster (the magisterial voice of Liam Neeson). The monster, ancient and imposing, tells him fables which help him come to terms with his fear and grief. A Monster Calls is a poignant fantasy drama; the sentimentality with which it conveys its moral is heavy, perhaps overly didactic at points, but the fresh-faced MacDougall delivers a compelling performance free of artifice, and the Tim Burton/Guillermo del Toro-esque visuals are sumptuous, particularly the chiefly watercolor renderings of the monster's stories. Ultimately, the film's craftsmanship and the sincerity of the emotional journey it depicts are hard to deny.

B+

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Sun Jan 08, 2017 8:53 pm
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Post Re: A Monster Calls
It seems KJ made up the whole audience for this film this weekend.


Sun Jan 08, 2017 8:58 pm
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Post Re: A Monster Calls
Spoiler: show
The climactic scene in the graveyard where Conor has to tell the fourth story, and essentially admit to wanting it all to be over, is such a passionate call for empathy for those dealing with the guilt of watching a loved one die. I almost couldn't believe it; I have to applaud a movie for tackling such heavy themes with such compassion. Also, I was literally blubbering like a baby at this point, sitting in the theater trying not to be too obviously sobbing. What a heart-wrenching and honest portrayal. I love this.

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Thu Jan 12, 2017 11:04 pm
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Post Re: A Monster Calls
It's too bad the film is as subtle as a jackhammer...

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Thu Jan 12, 2017 11:04 pm
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Post Re: A Monster Calls
From the scene in the graveyard on, I was blubbering like a baby. Audibly crying, snot running down my face. The first two thirds though, I wasn't terribly fond of. It was fine but unspectacular. It doesn't really hit it's home run until it's final third, which may be one of the most honest, devastating portrayals of losing a loved one I've ever seen put to screen. Overall, I recommend it but I wish I LOVED this and not just really enjoyed it because that ending is really spectacular.

[b]B[/b

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Sat Jan 14, 2017 10:13 am
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Post Re: A Monster Calls
movies35 wrote:
From the scene in the graveyard on, I was blubbering like a baby. Audibly crying, snot running down my face. The first two thirds though, I wasn't terribly fond of. It was fine but unspectacular. It doesn't really hit it's home run until it's final third, which may be one of the most honest, devastating portrayals of losing a loved one I've ever seen put to screen. Overall, I recommend it but I wish I LOVED this and not just really enjoyed it because that ending is really spectacular.

[b]B[/b


Consider though that you may be underestimating it's first two thirds. It must have done something right for the payoff to work so well.


Sat Jan 14, 2017 11:19 am
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Post Re: A Monster Calls
I think the reason the last third of the film hit me like it did was because I related a lot to the character. A few weeks ago was the four year anniversary of my Granny passing away (who was more of a mom than my own and was really the only mother figure I had until I was 19 or so) and I have been overly emotional over it in general. When my Granny got sick, she was in and out of the hospital for four months until she finally passed with us all in the hospital room. I had the moment he had at the graveyard, I had the moment where her last words were to me and she died in front of me and honestly, I've never seen death handled like this in a movie before. I just got it and it was incredibly well done. I will definitely check the movie out again on Blu-ray and hopefully I do come to really love it because the last bit of it is really top quality stuff. Also, Felicity Jones' big scene was sensational, she deserves an Oscar nomination.

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Top 10 Films of 2016

1. La La Land
2. Other People
3. Nocturnal Animals
4. Swiss Army Man
5. Manchester by the Sea
6. The Edge of Seventeen
7. Sing Street
8. Indignation
9. The Lobster
10. Hell or High Water


Sat Jan 14, 2017 7:31 pm
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Post Re: A Monster Calls
I REALLY loved it. I remember seeing it 4 times last year and cracking up every time in the fourth story. I haven't really seen any major death in my life still but this really hooked me with those scenes. I also loved the Weaver's part as Grandma specially the one when she comes home and sees Connor breaking up the stuff dear to her, its such a brilliant portrayal. The stories don't always connect in the movie but the build-up to the end is so brilliant it will most likely bring tears to almost anyone's eyes. I really want to read the novel now.

8/10


Sun Jan 15, 2017 11:11 pm
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Post Re: A Monster Calls
A Monster Calls would be a very helpful movie for someone having difficulty coping with grief, but as a general viewing experience, I found it to be an unsolicited downer. This would make a great tool to use in therapy and there's no way I could fault it's beautifully rendered monster and even more beautifully made animated sequences for the three stories. Lewis MacDougall as Conor did an excellent job of acting in a tricky role, but unfortunately Sigourney Weaver couldn't keep her accent straight. Toby Kebbell is good (as always) in a small role, and Felicity Jones is okay. I found the bullying segments superfluous and even rather abhorrent, especially when the film is already asking you to open up emotionally. From the trailer, I had thought that the entire subject of the film was going to be bullying, with the monster helping the boy to learn how to overcome that - which is the movie I would have actually preferred to see yesterday. Still, if you happen to be experiencing grief, this is a well made movie to add to your viewing list in the grief genre. *B+*


Tue Jan 17, 2017 4:50 am
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Post Re: A Monster Calls
Steve wrote:
I agree with SolC9, the movie could have ended to greater effect (I think) at the 12:07 fadeout.
Agreed.


Dr. Lecter wrote:
It's too bad the film is as subtle as a jackhammer...
Say wha?


Tue Jan 17, 2017 4:57 am
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Post Re: A Monster Calls
I actually agree about it ending a tad sooner. I thought it was going to end there. Would have been perfect. But regardless this is such a beautiful movie. I definitely sobbed. The animation on display here is beyond gorgeous and the visuals are striking. Great performances all around.

8/10 (A-)


Wed Jan 18, 2017 5:16 pm
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Post Re: A Monster Calls
Jack Sparrow wrote:
The stories don't always connect in the movie but the build-up to the end is so brilliant it will most likely bring tears to almost anyone's eyes.


I agree that the story that Conner tells is emotionally powerful and brings out a tear or two.

I am surprised that not many reviewers have discussed how the first three stories that the monster tells fit in the narrative of the film.

Here's what I think:

First story (the prince and the witch stepmother) - Connor's grandmother is the witch, perceived by Connor as the bad guy but who has done nothing wrong. Life can be morally complex and ambiguous. A good person can sometimes do bad things and good things can come out of something morally wrong.

Second story (the pharmacist and the parson) - A successful cure requires belief; a person who betrays their own belief is punishable. Connor's mother seems to have faith in the treatment she is receiving while the people around her including Connor just plays along with her belief. The pharmacist is perceived as the bad guy here. Again, life is morally complex and ambiguous.

Third story (the invisible man) - Being treated as if you're invisible by other people may not be a bad thing. When you force yourself to be seen, you make the already difficult situation even more difficult. Connor is already in pretty bad shape (mother dying, alone at home, being bullied at school). More attention seeking is no good for him.


Sun Jan 22, 2017 6:01 am
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Post Re: A Monster Calls
*** / ***** (C)

It's an OK fantasy movie that borrows a lot from some stuff we've already seen before (El laberinto del fauno especially) which makes it slightly predictable and not really that emotional/devastating as it's trying to be. Sigourney Weaver and Felicity Jones are both very good in this.


Tue Feb 28, 2017 1:32 pm
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Post 
A Monster Calls

A pretty good, quasi-powerful film that reaches for greatness but ultimately and unfortunately is not successful. A little too slow and underdeveloped to be what it hopes to be, though it is emotionally rich in the final hospital scene. It has gorgeous animated sequences, and the acting is solid by all (even Sigourney Weaver sporting an English accent), and all the stories, dialogue and iconography add up perfectly by the end - Neeson is the granddad, the numbers 12:07 in its many forms, the monster being cancer itself, the stories linking to Conor's life etc. Learning to cope with the loss of a loved one is a tough subject matter for what is essentially a children's film, but it does it well enough. I wasn't sure Felicity Jones could pull off the mother. I had similar feelings about Toby Kebbell being the father. But both did a grand job. I thought there was potentially some discrepancy between the age of the Conor (12) and the age of the parents, but it all worked itself out. Neeson as "The Monster" is brilliant, and it goes without saying but the visual effects are superb. Oh, and lastly, Lewis MacDougall does a brilliant job.

B

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Sun May 21, 2017 5:10 am
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Post Re: A Monster Calls
The animated bits are great. The bits with the monster are good. However, the film's main plot feels a bit... obvious? Like I feel in the beginning you can predict every emotional beat of the movie. Though one really powerful scene is when Conor wrecks the apartment and the grandmother is just silent, but her face says everything. Great acting by Weaver. I liked it, but it definitely could have been a more complex look at dealing with the death of your mother from cancer.

B


Wed Jun 07, 2017 11:32 pm
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Post Re: A Monster Calls
zwacks went on a bit of a movie marathon. :thumbsup:

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Thu Jun 08, 2017 5:09 am
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Post Re: A Monster Calls
Algren wrote:
zwacks went on a bit of a movie marathon. :thumbsup:


This is since the weekend before Memorial Day.


Thu Jun 08, 2017 8:11 am
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Post Re: A Monster Calls
Ah ok.

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Thu Jun 08, 2017 8:27 pm
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Post Re: A Monster Calls
The last scene (Conor's new bedroom) is there for a reason. It shows the monster and the characters in the tales as his mother's art creations. It makes the whole thing more logical and believable. And revisiting the monster in drawings brings back the memory of the 2-hour movie journey, kind of making it more memorable.


Sun Jun 18, 2017 9:57 pm
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Post Re: A Monster Calls
I saw the movie a second time. It was great. The kid (Conor) takes his anger out on everyone, his grandmother, his father, and the school bully. The monster helps him confront the source of his anger and frustration. He finally lets out the truth in the graveyard scene. He tells his nightmare (his true feelings) to the monster and it is a relief. He has wanted her terminally ill mother to pass so this suffering will be over. The point of the story is it is okay to wish for an end of pain.

80/100 (A-/B+)


Sun Jun 18, 2017 11:29 pm
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