The House with a Clock in its Walls (2018)
This delightful story, based on a book by John Bellairs which I have treasured from early childhood, lends itself well to film. I was inclined to like it before I had heard anything about its production, although I had all the usual trepidation when one hears that someone else has picked up your favorite glass figurine and is tossing it around like a beach ball. I loved it. I loved the steampunky vibes. I ADORED the cast's chemistry. The story remains largely true to the book. Lewis Barnavelt, newly orphaned, comes to live with his odd uncle, and discovers that he and his purple-obsessed neighbor practice real magic, and are concerned about a mysterious ticking noise (a clock, obviously) in the walls of the large mansion they inhabit. The story includes a few moral lessons for children and adults. For adults, the clear message is "give children information." Lewis's uncle's determination to hide the worrying truth from Lewis is a direct cause of the near-cata...