A Monster Calls (film)

A Monster Calls

Theatrical release poster
Directed by J. A. Bayona
Produced by
  • Belén Atienza
  • Mitch Horwits
  • Jonathan King
Screenplay by Patrick Ness
Based on A Monster Calls
by Patrick Ness
Starring
Music by Fernando Velázquez
Cinematography Óscar Faura
Edited by
  • Bernat Vilaplana
  • Jaume Martí
Production
companies
Distributed by Focus Features
Release dates
  • September 10, 2016 (2016-09-10) (TIFF)
  • October 7, 2016 (2016-10-07) (Spain)
  • December 23, 2016 (2016-12-23) (United States)
  • January 1, 2017 (2017-01-01) (United Kingdom; New Year's Day)
Running time
 108 minutes[1]
Country
  • United Kingdom
  • United States
  • Spain
Language English
Budget $43 million[2]
Box office $27.5 million[3][4]

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.

The film premiered on September 10, 2016 at the 2016 Toronto International Film Festival. The film was then released in Spain on October 7, 2016 and will be released in the United States on December 23, 2016, by Focus Features, and in the United Kingdom on New Year's Day by Entertainment One.

Plot

Conor O'Malley (Lewis MacDougall) is a young boy who tries to deal with the terminal illness of his mother (Felicity Jones) and the attacks by local school bully Harry (James Melville). One night, Conor encounters a "monster" (Liam Neeson) in the form of a giant humanoid yew tree who has come to tell him stories and soon begins to help Conor fix his unhappy life.

Cast

Production

Focus Features bought the rights to book in March 2014 [6] Patrick Ness, the book's author served as the screenwriter with J. A. Bayona was hired as director.[7] On April 23, 2014 Felicity Jones joined the film to play the boy's mother.[8] On May 8, Liam Neeson joined the film to voice the Monster.[9] On August 18, Sigourney Weaver joined to play the boy's grandmother.[10] On August 19, Toby Kebbell also joined the film.[11] On September 3, author Ness tweeted that Lewis MacDougall had been set for the lead role in the film.[12] On September 30, Geraldine Chaplin joined the cast.[13]

Filming

Principal photography began on September 30, 2014,[14] in Spain and England.[13][15] On October 9, the filming began on location in Preston, Lancashire, and Manchester.[16]

Release

Originally scheduled for an October 2016 release,[17][18] the film was later delayed in order to avoid competition from Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, Boo! A Madea Halloween, Ouija: Origin of Evil and Keeping Up with the Joneses and is now scheduled for a limited roll out on December 23, 2016, followed by a wide release on January 6, 2017. [19] The film will be released in the United Kingdom on January 1, 2017, by Entertainment One.[20]

Reception

Critical response

The aggregate site Rotten Tomatoes reports an approval rating of 84%, based on 49 reviews, with an average rating of 7.4/10, with the near-consensus saying "A Monster Calls deftly balances dark themes and fantastical elements to deliver an engrossing and uncommonly moving entry in the crowded coming-of-age genre".[21] At Metacritic, the film has an average score of 76 out of 100, based on 10 critics, indicating "generally favourable reviews".[22]

Accolades

List of awards and nominations
Award Date of ceremony Category Recipient(s) Result Ref(s)
Camerimage November 19, 2016 Golden Frog Award for Best Cinematography Óscar Faura Nominated [23]
Critics' Choice Awards December 11, 2016 Best Young Performer Lewis MacDougall Pending [24]
Best Visual Effects A Monster Calls Pending
Evening Standard British Film Awards December 8, 2016 Breakthrough of the Year Lewis MacDougall Pending [25]
Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association December 5, 2016 Best Youth Performance Lewis MacDougall Pending [26]
Best Adapted Screenplay Patrick Ness Pending
Best Voice Performance Liam Neeson Pending
Best Motion Capture Performance Pending

References

  1. ↑ "A Monster Calls (12A)". British Board of Film Classification. September 23, 2016. Retrieved September 23, 2016.
  2. ↑ Browne, Kit Simpson (September 15, 2016). "Patrick Ness Explains Why 'A Monster Calls' Is Going To Make You Cry". Retrieved October 13, 2016.
  3. ↑ "A Monster Calls (2016)". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved October 17, 2016.
  4. ↑ "A Monster Calls". The Numbers. Retrieved 7 November 2016.
  5. ↑ Schwerdtfeger, Conner (September 24, 2016). "The Strange Role Spider-Man Star Tom Holland Plays in 'A Monster Calls'". Cinemablend. Retrieved September 24, 2016.
  6. ↑ Fleming, Mike. "Focus Features Makes $20 Million Deal For 'A Monster Calls' Movie". Deadline.com. Retrieved 2014-04-09.
  7. ↑ "Focus Dates 'A Monster Calls' For October 2016". Deadline.com. 1970-01-01. Retrieved 2014-04-09.
  8. ↑ "Felicity Jones To Star In Juan Antonio Bayona's 'A Monster Calls'". deadline.com. 23 April 2014. Retrieved 24 April 2014.
  9. ↑ McClintock, Pamela (8 May 2014). "Cannes: Liam Neeson Joins 'A Monster Calls'". hollywoodreporter.com. Retrieved 10 May 2014.
  10. ↑ "Sigourney Weaver Joins High-Profile 'A Monster Calls'". hollywoodreporter.com.
  11. ↑ "'Fantastic Four' Actor Toby Kebbell in Talks to Join 'A Monster Calls'". variety.com.
  12. ↑ Espina, Alfonso (September 4, 2014). "Lewis MacDougall to Lead Adaptation of Patrick Ness' 'A Monster Calls'". upandcomers.net. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
  13. 1 2 "Three Join 'A Monster Calls'". deadline.com. September 30, 2014. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
  14. ↑ "'A Monster Calls' Begins Production". participantmedia.com. September 30, 2014. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
  15. ↑ "Production Begins on A Monster Calls, Starring Liam Neeson". comingsoon.net. September 30, 2014. Retrieved October 1, 2014.
  16. ↑ "Hollywood film begins filming in Preston". lep.co.uk. October 9, 2014. Retrieved October 10, 2014.
  17. ↑ "Focus Features Sets A Monster Calls for October 14, 2016". ComingSoon.net. Retrieved 2014-04-09.
  18. ↑ Anthony D'Alessandro (June 1, 2016). "'A Monster Calls' A Week Later In October". Deadline.com. Retrieved June 2, 2016.
  19. ↑ D'Alessandro, Anthony (August 29, 2016). "Focus Features' 'A Monster Calls' Dials Up Christmas Weekend Release". Deadline.com. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  20. ↑ Lloyd, Kenji (June 19, 2016). "A Monster Calls UK Release Date Set for January, The Tree Awakens on First Poster". Final Reel. Retrieved August 30, 2016.
  21. ↑ "A Monster Calls (2016)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved November 14, 2016.
  22. ↑ "A Monster Calls reviews". Metacritic. Retrieved October 6, 2016.
  23. ↑ "Camerimage 2016 Main Competition Line-up!". Camerimage. October 24, 2016. Retrieved November 11, 2016.
  24. ↑ "La La Land Leads with 12 Nominations for the 22nd Annual Critics' Choice Awards". Critics' Choice. December 1, 2016. Retrieved December 1, 2016.
  25. ↑ Moore, William (November 17, 2016). "Evening Standard British Film Awards - The Longlist". London Evening Standard. Retrieved November 29, 2016.
  26. ↑ "The 2016 WAFCA Awards Nominations". December 3, 2016. Retrieved December 4, 2016.

External links

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