The House with a Clock in Its Walls

The House with a Clock in Its Walls 2018

• Director: Eli Roth
• Based on the book by John Bellairs
• Cast: Jack Black, Cate Blanchett, Owen Vaccaro, Kyle MacLachlan, Renée Elise Goldsberry, Colleen Camp, Sunny Suljic, Lorenza Izzo
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in:
• Jack Black – Be Kind Rewind, Margot at the Wedding, Holiday, King Kong, School of Rock, High Fidelity, Cradle Will Rock, Mars Attacks!, Dead Man Walking, The X Files, Tenacious D
• Cate Blanchett – Cinderella, The Hobbit etc, Hanna, Robin Hood, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Elizabeth the Golden Age, Elizabeth, I’m Not There, Notes on a Scandal, Babel, Little Fish, The Aviator, The Shipping News, The Gift, The Man Who Cried,
• Kyle MacLachlan – Dune, Hamlet, The Trial, Twin Peaks, The Doors
• Colleen Camp – Joy, Factory Girl, Die Hard
• Why? Black and Blanchett
• Seen: 16 February 2020      

       Young Lewis (Vaccaro) is orphaned and taken in by his uncle Jonathan (Black). Jonathan is eccentric. He lives in a haunted magical mansion and is a warlock himself. His neighbour and friend and insult partner Florence Zimmerman (Blanchett) is a very powerful witch. Geeky Lewis begs his uncle to teach him magic. It turns out that he’s very good at it.

       Harry Potter it’s not and sadly the child actors are not very good at all (oh Radcliffe, Watson and Grint, not to mention all the others – how I miss you!) but Black and Blanchett are enjoyable in their roles and the film seems to grow on me. It’s quite sweet.

3* of 5 (Hal says 4)