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Customer Reviews of Monster House (Widescreen Edition)

"Oh my god! You're a dork!" <
>"Oh my god! You're a dork!"
DJ (Mitchel Musso) has been studying a rickety old house that used to be owned by reclusive cranky-pants Nebbercracker (Steve Buscemi). His buddy Chowder (Sam Lerner) is even pulled in to study the house. One day, after Nebbercracker died, the house wound up trying to eat one of DJ's friends, Jenny (Spencer Locke), which further raised the kid's suspicions to code red. With no one to believe him, not even his parents (Catherine O'Hara and Fred Willard), his babysitter (Maggie Gyllenhall), or the local cops (Nick Channon, Kevin James), it's up to DJ, Chowder, and Jenny to find a way to stop the house before it grows to powerful to stop. <
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>In 2004, Robert Zemeckis and Tom Hanks teamed up for the holiday blockbuster "The Polar Express." What made this sleeper so successful was that it was the first to feature motion-captured animation. Now, Zemeckis teams up with Steven Spielberg to executive produce the Gil Kennan-directed horror comedy "Monster House." While it kind of loses steam at the end, this clever mix of campy thrills and family comedy staples make this one of the most clever movies you'll see in years. <
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>The opener of the movie, featuring a young girl riding on the bicycle singing loudly, may fool you into thinking that this is a children's only film. But when the old man Nebbercracker comes up and destroys her bike, it firmly establishes the tone that this isn't a cutesy Disney flick. Sure, adults are rarely featured (a shame, because Willard and O'Hara can be funny), but the children have rich character detail that make them less than annoying and more rootable. <
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>The film pushes its PG rating to the limits: topics about death, teens about to get it on, an authentic feel of suspense, teenagers with frightening names (Bones and Skull), child's playthings getting ripped to shreds, a video game with characters getting cut apart... the list goes on. It works a lot like "The Incredibles," as the movie has a lighthearted enough feel with enough comic relief from the cast of characters. <
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>What's also different about this movie from "The Polar Express" is the ensemble cast in this film. The child actors are really good, but you've got some good talent elsewhere: Jon Heder sneaks in a bit of Napoleon Dynamite as a video game clerk, Jason Lee as Zee's boyfriend, and Nick Cannon authentically garners laughs as a rookie officer. Even if some of these side characters don't get the respected screen time, the actors make good use of whatever time they have to deliver witty lines and good screen presence. <
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>"Monster House" also suffers from a bloated final act. Much like in "Lucky Number Slevin," the screenwriters feel like they should explain the whole plot. This comes as a cop-out when the movie delighted in the hijinks of DJ and Chowder. Then more genres pile up on this movie: the chase movie, the bittersweet love story, and the action thriller. While the comedy is still there, the screenwriters must've been sweating bullets trying to keep it funny and exciting at the same time. <
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>Regardless, "Monster House," like "Ice Age 2," breaks the mold by dodging family movie clichýs to make one of the most endearing films of the year. Sure, there are some touching moments, but they're not shoved down the audience's throat like some other movies that delight in too much fun before the morals pop up ("Chicken Little," "Doogal," and "Hoodwinked"). For a movie with Zemeckis and Spielberg involved, this is a wacky romp that offers summer audiences with some escapism that movies of this kind don't really bother trying to do. But will it rock the Academy Awards like Roger Ebert said? Wait and see.

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Such a hoot, it's almost not suitable for children...
I never thought to hear the term "prude" crop up in a supposed children's film, but this is simply a sign of the times. There are a few children's movies I can think of when it comes to crossing the line between safe and scary, movies like "Wizard of Oz." But "Monster House" is one of the few animated films geared towards children that may succeed in frightening them. This is a fresh breath of air after the puerile "Cars," an innocuous diversion unsuitable for those who appreciate a worthwhile movie, especially one for their children. Nevertheless, with this movie parents are taking somewhat of a chance, which is saying your children are tough cookies. There are a few "edgy" moments, and plenty of scary ones, too. However, this is such a satisfying movie that I think both kids and adults will have a ball with it. <
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>Because of the screenwriters I'm sure, "Monster House" is unlike a Pixar movie inasmuch as teenagers are one of the major audience grabbers. The film isn't rated PG to fool you. In fact, it strays into the uncharted territories of "PG-13" animation. Lewd references are common, and there is nary a talking car or squirrel here. Don't think I'm trying to scare you off from giving it a look, because it's the best animated movie so far this year. However, don't watch the film and guess that you know what it is going to be like, because it is indeed a huge surprise.

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MITCHEL MUSSO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
THIS IS KL'S REVEIW <
> THIS WAS A VERY GOOD MOVIE BUT THE PLOT WAS A LITTLE ON THE STRANGE SIDE. MITCHEL MUSSO DID A GREAT JOB, WELL WE ALL KNOW HE ALWAYS DOES A GREAT JOB.OKAY I'LL STOP DROOLING OVER HIM AND GET BACK TO THE MOVIE. <
> THIS MOVIE IS ABOUT A CRANKY OLD MAN THAT DOSN'T LIKE PEOPLE TO SET ONE FOOT ON HIS LAWN,AND A TEENAGE BOY THAT LIVES ACROSS THE STREET THAT DOCUMENTS EVERY TOY THE OLD MAN TAKES BECAUSE IT TOUCHED HIS LAWN,WHAT TIME IT WAS WHEN IT ACCURED, AND TAKES PICTURES.BUT THEN WHEN A TRAGIC INCIDENT HAPPENS TO THE OLD MAN AND EVERY ONE ASUMES HIM DEAD WELL AT LEAST THE BOYS DO. THE TEENAGER DJ AND HIS FRIEND CHOUDER DISCOVER THAT THE HOUSE IS EVEN STRANGER THAN THE OLD MAN AND THAT THE HOUSE SEEMS TO BE POSSESSED BY THE OLD MAN, WELL THATS WHAT THE BOYS THINK. THEN WHEN A AROGANT GIRL NAMED JENNY SELLING HOLLOWEEN CANDY GOES UP TO THE HOUSE DJ AND CHOUDER COME TO HER RESCUE AND SHE ENDS UP HELPING THEM FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE HOUSE. THEIR PLAN IS TO PUT OUT THE FIRE OR THE HEART OF THE HOUSE. BUT WHEN THAY FINALLY GET INSIDE OF THE HOUSE THEY DISCOVER A VERY STRANGE THING WHICH I'M NOT GOING TO SAY BECAUSE YOUR GOING TO HAVE TO JUST WATCH IT FOR YOUR SELF.BUT BEFORE THEY GET TO THE HEART, THEY GET UP CHUCKED, LOL.AND THEN A HORRABLE THING COMES TO THEIR MINDS ITS HOLLOWEEN AND EVERY KID THAT GOES TO THAT HOUSE IS GOING TO GET EATEN! BUT I'M GETING TOO CLOSE TO THE ENDING OR AM I? WELL IF YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT YOU WOULDN'T KNOW SO YOU'LL JUST HAVE TO WATCH IT BECAUSE I'M NOT GIVING ANY MORE OF THE MOVIE AWAY!HOPE YOU LIKE IT AND BY THE WAY MITCHEL MUSSO'S MINE!!!!!