The well-intentioned A Monster Calls is a horribly-flawed Oscar wanna-be. Review by Matt Cummings For those of us who have witnessed the premature death of a parent, the story behind A Monster Calls should be a cathartic experience. Instead, its dark themes feel way too much for young people to handle and its "seen that before" experience will fall on older deaf ears. A Monster Calls tells the story of 12 year-old Conor (a thoroughly entertaining Lewis MacDougall) who is befriended by an ancient living tree (voiced by Liam Neeson). The only reason why this incredible event is happening is that Connor is witnessing the slow death of his mother (a merely adequate Felicity Jones), while his separated father (a completely misused Tony Kebbell) visits from far-away LA. Conor is tormented by a terrible dream of losing his mother, which sets the tree off to teach the boy a lesson about letting go. Through a series of three beautifully-rendered watercolor-styled st