Annabelle Comes Home

My View:  Annabelle Comes Home  (2019)  R  Annabelle, the doll that has an evil spirit inside it has been locked in the basement. While babysitting a teenager and her friend Unknowingly awaken the doll. Annabelle isn’t the only thing that has been unleashed and the evil spirits have set their sights on the Warren’s young daughter. Horror fans will enjoy this film though I think it depends a little too much of the ‘jump out of the dark’ scares. Unlike the past Conjuring films, this one does not focus on the husband and wife team of Ed and Lorraine Warren. Instead, this film is about a night when their daughter, Judy (Mckenna Grace), a psychic like her mom, who is being babysat by Mary (Madison Iseman). When Mary’s friend Daniela (Katie Sarife) visits things go to hell, mostly because Daniela has let Annabelle out of her case. I enjoyed Mckenna Grace’s performance which is deep and nuanced. If you want to have some fun and get a few scares in, this film is for you.    My Rating: Bargain Matinee      Annabelle Comes Home Website

My View:  Yesterday  (2019)  PG-13  A musician, Jack(Himesh Patel) who realizes he’s the only person to remember The Beatles. He then starts performing their songs and becomes a big star. Patel has a fine voice and what I like about this film is Patel puts a new take on some of the Beatles songs. His version of Help near the end of the film is a perfect example of this; it’s full of anger and angst. I loved Lily James, who plays Ellie, Jack’s manager, who at times is the only one that believes that he can succeed as a musician. I enjoyed the music in the film, seventeen songs of The Beatles are sung, showing just how prolific they were. This is a sweet film that doesn’t always work. The film never quite finds its footing and I hated the ending. You get the feeling that screenwriter Richard Curtis didn’t quite know how to get his characters out of the predicament they find themselves at the end of the film.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Yesterday Website

Indiefest:  Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am  (2019)  PG-13  Documentary on the Pulitzer and Nobel prize-winning writer, showcasing her life and her work.  I confess I have only read one of Morrison’s books, ‘Beloved’ and knew very little about her. Through this film, I learned that she has lived a very interesting and is incredibly hard working but also she, as an editor at a major publishing house, fostered a number of great writers. When you read a Morrison book you get to really understand the characters and in this documentary, it does the same thing with Morrison. You get to understand her beliefs about writing and life. I also enjoyed her sense of humor that comes through in this film. Watch this film and you will want to explore the catalog of Morrison’s work.   My Rating: Bargain Matinee    Toni Morrison: The Pieces I Am

Forgotten Film:  Dogfight  (1991)  R  It’s 1963 and Eddie (River Phoenix) are about to be shipped out to Vietnam. They decide to play a game; they put in fifty dollars each and then go about trying to date the ugliest girl they can find. Eddie meets Rose (Lili Taylor) at a restaurant and convinces her to go to a party. When they get to the party, Rose figures out what is going on but by that time Eddie has figured out that he really likes Rose. What makes this movie works is the great chemistry between Phoenix and Taylor, it’s sweet and warm but it’s also deeply moving. Some people don’t like the ending of the film but I think it works perfectly for what the film is trying to accomplish.   My Rating:  Full Price    Dogfight Info

Weird Credits:  From the credits of Annabelle Comes Home:  German Shepherd Puppet Sculptor

Coming Soon to A Theatre Near You:  Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood  (2019)  The story takes place in Hollywood in 1969. The story centers around a faded star (Leonardo DiCaprio) and his stunt double (Brad Pitt) but the part of the story that I am more interested is about Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie) who was about to become a big star when she was murdered by Charlie Manson’s gang.    Once Upon a Time...in Hollywood Website

Until Next Time!