Sete Minutos Depois da Meia-Noite

"There is not always a good guy. Nor is there always a bad one. Most people are somewhere in between."

Before seeing the movie, I didn't know much about "A Monster Calls". The only information I got from it is that it's based on Patrick Ness novel and the trailer had a "Iron Giant" vibe to it. I also liked the director (Juan Antonio Bayona) previous movies, so I guess that's what peaked my interest in seeing it. And I came out pretty surprised of how good it was. Not just that, but how moving and heartfelt it was.

Juan Antonio Bayona is the type of director that knows how to tell a compelling story in his films. To screw lose the sentiment, until your eyes are filled with water to the point where you can't help but spill out. And in this movie he dose exactly that and how smart he was with it's decisions of the emotional scenes.

There's a lot of great actors in this and none of them are put to waste. Liam Nesson was excellent as The Monster. Sigourney Weaver was great as the Grandma. Felicity Jones and Toby Kebbell were also great as Connor parents. But I think the real stand is Lewis MacDougall as (Connor). Even at the age of 14 this kid literally carries this movie and really dose reflect Connor's inner conflict.

That's what I notice in Bayona movies. All of the kid actors in his movies are pretty solid and I would go as far to say that they better than the adults. This is very rare for me to say that, because most kid actors suck. Yes there are good ones out there, but only some, as most of them don't fully bring their all.

The visual effect's were pretty stunning and impressive of how it interacted with the real environment that it was in. In all honesty, I was pretty surprised. And what I mean by "surprise" is that I was expecting The Monster itself to be the only effect in the movie. Because The Monster tells three stories to Conner and all three are done in a visual dye artwork that's beautiful to look at. It's good to be surprise.

For problems I had with the movie are slim, but if I had to pick, I would probably say that films message can be a little repetitive and oblivious towards the end. I think that may bug some people. But still, it's a great message that's speaks the truth and actually sticks to it. I mean, if the message was terrible or nothing special, then this might be a big complaint. The film doesn't have an happy ending and neither a sad one. There's no Hollywood ending or anything like that. It would say it's mixed.

Overall rating: "A Monster Calls" is entertaining, sad, and unforgettable tale that sticks with you after it's over. The film tells the truth and nothing but the truth of life. You want everything to be alright for this kid, but you're left with a feeling of stillness. Like you can't do anything about it, even with all the magical things that's happening. It just gotta let it happen....

that's life.

Stirring and tragical story based on a notorious novel and competently directed by Juan Antonio Bayona . Including an engaging screenplay by Patrick Ness , based upon the novel written by himself from an original idea by Siobhan Dowd . A devastating event happens in the life of a little boy , twelve-year-old Conor (Lewis MacDougall) , as he seeks the help of a tree monster to cope with his single mother's (Felicity Jones) terminal . Meanwhile , he must face his stiff-upper-lip grandmother (Sigourney Weaver) , his estranged father (Toby Kobbel) and the school bully . This is one family's moving story of sadness and love . As Conor is caught in a chaotic self-destruction , when he then is visited by the tree-like Monster (Lian Neeson) , who tells Conor it has to come to tell him three true stories . However , nothing is more powerful than the human spirit . Stories are wild creatures. Courage conquers all . Will he survive ?

It's a grade A picture , a gem , absorbing , riveting , highly moving , incredibly tense .This is a very touching story about a boy who feels very damaged , unsettling , guilty and mostly angry , as well as his relationship with a benevolent and wise tree-like monster that has points in common with Treebeard the Ent from Lord of the Rings . This is a psychological/exciting/thrilling drama in which a boy becomes involved into a terrible tragedy . It is a smart and sensitive flick filled with intense drama , thrills , emotion , tear-jerker , state-of-art special effects , and pretty entertaining , though overlong . The complex plot deals with a tree-monster who tells three tales and after which Conor must tell the Monster his own story: the truth behind his nightmare, which Conor refuses to do. Interesting and thought-provoking screenplay based on a novel that was originally started by Siobhan Dowd who left it unfinished, at her death. Patrick Ness finished the book with credits to her idea. This stirring pic is a tightly-knit drama centered on the relentless personal fight , as it follows an affected boy suffering extreme bullying , and a seriously wounded mother , as she struggles to survive . The picture makes up for it with an evolving atmosphere of anxiety and fear . Everything in Juan Antonio Bayona 's impressive film looks so real that you might think it's a highly fantastic movie full of imagination and color , thanks to the sensational animated images and cartoon resolution . And a great main and support cast , such as Lewis MacDougall , Sigourney Weaver , Felicity Jones , Toby Kebbell . And Liam Neeson, who provides the voice of the Monster , appears as Conor's grandfather in the photo of Conor's mother as a little girl being carried by her father .

Lavishly produced by Enrique López Lavigne , Belen Atienza , Patrick Ness , Bill Pohlad , Jeff Skoll , Patrick Wachsberger , among others.There is the urgent hand-held camera-work, a trademark refined and perfected by cameraman Oscar Faura , which lends an air of pseudo-authenticity to carefully staged reconstructions, putting us right there in the huddle of the action . Shot in various locations as Castlefield, Manchester, Greater Manchester, England, Cabrils, Barcelona, Catalonia, Delph, Greater Manchester, England, UK , the school scenes were shot at Colne Valley High School in Linthwaite, Huddersfield, England. Furthermore , an emotive as well as enjoyable musical score by Fernando Velazquez .The motion picture was compellingly directed by Juan Antonio Bayona who proved his usual aesthetics and nail-biting filmmaking as well as he formerly made in ¨the orphanage¨and ¨The imposible¨or ¨Lo imposible¨ . Bayona has directed 1 actress to an Academy Award-nominated performance: Naomi Watts (Best Actress, Lo imposible or the impossible (2012) and Sigourney Weaver in this ¨A monster call¨. Rating : This excellent film results to be above average , a really magnificent movie . Essential and indispensable seeing . The picture will appeal to J.A. Bayona fans .

A Monster Calls is the rare movie geared toward a younger demographic which refuses to pull an emotional punch. The movie explicitly states that the protagonist, Connor O'Malley, is "too old to be a kid and too young to be a man". The introductory tagline is the perfect way to relay the film's tone to the audience. From the brutally honest acting to the gorgeously animated "stories", A Monster Calls allows raw emotion to emanate from the experience. Magic on the screen happens due to the unique specificity of our hurt hero. The fantastical elements found in a typical family movie organically merge with the painful reality of adulthood. For example, a fight will begin building up in Connor and the anger will call out the monster. The monster is never a simple vicarious outlet for the young adult. Instead, the monster is a well-executed manifestation of perceived guilt towards a deeper truth. Liam Neeson's monster revels in the humanity of the moment while also holding a magnifying glass up to it. Life continues to get worse for Connor and each appearance leads to a gradual slip of harsh reality. Refreshingly, A Monster Calls never hides that uncovering important personal insight is a painful process. The climax makes up for one of the most touching revelatory moments in modern cinema. The value of the film is revealed in how both children and adults in the audience gain a better understanding of the inherently personal nature of grief. The way we deal with a loss can come across as something else entirely for ourselves. A wide release of the film will hopefully begin to kindle in an audience a desire for introspective cinema. In a sense, specific scenarios are able to paradoxically tap into a universally human truth. Movies like A Monster Calls show a better alternative to the next soulless generic blockbuster movie.

I don't know who you would market this movie to. It's not a kid's movie, tho it tries very hard to look like one. It's not an adult movie (a boy and a talking tree), tho its themes certainly are mature. Both child and adult will squirm under the relentless emotional requirement with only a faint wisp of humor to lighten things up. Melancholy overload anyone? No?

But if you make it to the end, you'll have received an unexpected cathartic cleansing and a life lesson in your pocket that is hard, but beautiful in its truth.

Once you stop blubbering, that is.

As someone who had read the book and really liked it, I found the movie as compelling and it excels at additions that are not in the novel such as the last scene which happened after the ending of the book. However, they also removed some good parts from the book, but were offset by visuals and score and the spot on performances of the characters especially Lewis MacDougall (Conor) who nailed his role in the movie. He sure knows how to cry. And that needs pointing out as a lot of kids in movies are sometimes annoying and difficult to watch. Felicity Jones (The Theory of Everything) and Sigourney Weaver (Aliens) who were both Academy Award Best Actress nominees were as good as anyone would expect them to be. And Liam Neeson's voice was the perfect choice for the monster's. Haunting, cold, deep, and soothing. Also, the other thing I found striking was how the book played out as a movie. Aside from a few differences (the adds and minuses), almost everything else is as what the book is. Impactful scenes as how they were narrated and readers imagine them to be and dialogue and life lessons as how they were said in the book were same as in the movie. If you have read and liked the book, then watch this. If you have not, watch it still, as long as you have a heart and know what you're getting into, chances are you'll like this gem of a movie.