They say there are only three stories: a stranger comes to town, a man goes on a journey, and a giant anthropomorphic A-frame attacks children in a tranquil, CGI suburb. While the Scorseses and Fords of the world go for the easy ones, few directors tackle the latter; it took a kid fresh out of UCLA film school to bring us Monster House, Amblin's first CGI effort.
For a first shot at this plot, Monster House isn't bad - it feels a little formulaic, but they got the formula down well enough to earn an Oscar nomination. You get the kid from Hannah Montana (the Disney Channel staple - DISH channel 172) for the lead, throw in an assortment of Hollywood staples (Steve Buscemi, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Jason Lee, even Jon Heder), and mix it together with Kathleen Turner in her star turn as a rage-fueled house (Fox Movie Channel is screening Romancing the Stone on DISH channel 133 this week, reminding us of a time when playing a house wasn't a logical step in her career). It's pleasant enough, with some cute dialogue and an inside joke or two, clowning the film's EPs, Steven Spielburg and Robert Zemeckis.
While the film's lead characters manage to escape the annoying little-kiddie-ness of most efforts in this genre, watching Monster House does feel like listening to a little kid tell a joke: it's a bit too long, dotted with internal inconsistencies, and leaves you feeling like you're missing something but you're not quite sure what. It might be a little too scary for afternoon time with the little ones, but early teens could get a kick out of the premise and the slickness of the animation. It's certainly something to watch until next time Encore Westerns plays The Searchers (all this week on DISH channel 342).
