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So, I was all set to review 21, the movie about a bunch of MIT kids that learn how to count cards and rip off casinos but I didn’t watch yet.  Instead I got sucked in last night by MONSTER HOUSE!

Hey, I just realized I grabbed the French version of the poster. Ah, C’est la vie.  Hey, for a CG animated movie, this thing was really suspenseful.

SHORT PLOT SYNOPSIS: Scary old guy in scary old house tells kids to get off his lawn (insert Grady Niblo voice here) and 2 kids are determined to retrieve toys that keep disappearing inside a house that appears to be alive.

OVERALL: Steven Speilberg and Robert Zemeckis executive produce this animated movie that uses performance capture to render out the characters movements and facial expressions. Remember The Polar Express and how vacant and hollow the eyes of the characters were? Well, they did a much better job this time.  And the “acting” is amazing.  In fact, this movie  is almost in Pixar territory with its animation and camera angles and plot pacing, etc.  Steve Buscimi is the voice of the old guy and I even recognized Napolean Dynamite as another character. Gosh!

RENT IT?:If your kids haven’t seen it and you are looking for “scary” movie for October, then yes. It was on the Cartoon Network this past Sunday so it should probably appear again in 2 or 3 weeks.

UPDATE: The director of Monster House, Gil Kenan, has directed another movie that is coming out on October 10 called The City of Ember.  The trailer looks okay and hey, is that Bill Murray as the mayor?

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