Clip It: Each day, Jon Davis looks at the world of trailers, featurettes and clips and puts it all in perspective.
I come from a family of criers. My mom used to cry during AT&T commercials. My dad's eyes watered up every time someone said goodbye to someone in a movie or TV show. (I guess he was moved by goodbyes, but ironically, he seemed pretty psyched when I went off to college). I didn't cry watching this A Monster Calls trailer, but it's just delayed. I'm sure I'll be in the car later today and bawl my eyes out. I like that Liam Neeson introduced the trailer. It was like he was saying “It's okay to be sad. I'm here for you. I'm Liam Neeson. I was in Taken. I was Qui-Gon Jinn. I love you.”
A Monster Calls is a beautiful looking film. The adaptation of Patrick Ness and Jim Kay's monster is stunning. Sometimes CGI can look too animated but here the monster is believable, tactile. Liam Neeson imbues the monster with warmth and paternal strength. The last time I felt a performance like this was Vin Diesel in The Iron Giant (Vin's best performances are animated characters, including Dominic Toretto in the Fast movies.) That movie made me cry, so I'm handkerchief ready for this one. Or Kleenex stuffed into my jeans pocket ready, to be more precise.
Are you ready to cry?