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Annabelle Comes Home Review

6/29/2019

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By Christopher K House

Annabelle Comes Home is the latest film in "The Conjuring" franchise started by James Wan in James Wan in 2013.
Annabelle is the possessed doll seen in the opening scenes of The Conjuring taken by Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) to be kept safely in their occult museum. Annabelle Comes Home picks up directly following that scene with Ed and Lorraine driving to their home with Annabelle in the backseat. The film, based very loosely on the real life exploits of Ed and Lorraine Warren, paranormal investigators and demonologists. By no means is this story based on real events. nor does it claim to be it's a competent horror film in it's own right.

Ed and Lorraine however are only briefly seen in the film having to leave on a trip and entrusting the care of daughter Judy (Mckenna Grace) to babysitter Mary Ellen (Madison Iseman) and friend Daniela (Katie Sarife). Daniela, becoming interested in the items in the museum unwittingly unleashes the demonic Annabelle and the horror tropes begin. Annabelle and some of the other items then torment the trio as the night goes on. There is a suit of Japanese armor, haunted coins, a TV that shows the future and a few other spooky things that want to possess the girl's spirits. 

Directed by Gary Dauberman in his directorial debut, Dauberman has written some very well received horror films in recent years like IT and the previous Annabelle offerings. He shows a lot of horror chops and it will be interesting to see where he goes next. Annabelle Comes Home wasn't a great horror film but it was a very competent one. What it did, it did very well. Overall, I do recommend checking it out but maybe wait for a DVD or digital stream. It's not a film you really need to rush out and see unless of course, you are a huge fan of Wan's Conjuring universe.

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Spider-Man Far From Home Review

6/27/2019

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By Christopher K House

​I'll just get this out of the way first and foremost, I did not really like Spider-Man: Homecoming all that much. Mostly, I just found it "meh" and not really interesting. But now that Peter Parker has found his footing in the MCU and his character fleshed out, did director Jon Watts find the right spider formula? In a word, yes.

Spider-Man Far From Home continues Peter's story after the "decimation" from Thanos' snap that left half the planet missing. We see how the world is adjusting to both that and, a world without The Avengers. Reminders of Tony Stark are everywhere for Peter as we watch him try and find his place as both a teenage boy and a super hero. Far From Home picks up right after Endgame and it caps off Phase 3 wrapping up the whole storyline that has been played out over the past decade. Peter (Tom Holland) has fallen hard form MJ (Zendaya) and is looking forward to spending time with her on the big class trip overseas. While his best friend Ned (Jacob Batalan) has other plans, being two eligable bachelors in Europe. Ned gets more screen time this go around and had some of the funnier moments in the film. But, with growing threats and The Avengers all scattered, Nick Fury turns to Peter Parker aka Spider-Man for help. Creatures called The Elementals are destroying cities across the globe. Fury tries contacting Peter but, all Peter wants is a vacation from both life and, Spider-Man. But, Fury usually gets what he wants and convinces Peter to join the fight. A new hero, Quentin Beck (Jake Gyllenhaal) shows up to fight them with Spider-Man's help.

With the media dubbing him "Mysterio", Beck gains the trust of both Fury and Peter. But, anyone that reads the comics knows, Beck isn't exactly what he appears to be, or is he?
This is Director Jon Watts' second outing in the MCU after the first Spider-Man film. He had previously directed some amazing indie films like "Cop Car" and, the amazing "Clown".
I think he really shines here, Far From Home was funny and charming and, just the right mix of the two. It's amazing that Kevin Feige gives indie directors chances at these
huge budget films like Far From Home. We see some of the best films from directors like Watts, Taika Waititi, Scott Derrickson, Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck. You don't need to be a big
marquee director to make an amazing film.

Some of the MCU's biggest moments happen in their post credit scenes and, with no more MCU films on the horizon anytime soon is there a post credit scene in Far From Home?
Yes, yes there is and it's a biggie you won't want to miss. All in all, Far From Home was a super fun comic book film and I do recommend you check it out on the big screen the way it was meant to be seen, I had a blast with it.

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Does Godzilla: King of the Monsters Earn It's Crown?

6/3/2019

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By Ron Purtee​
  3 out of 5I’m conflicted about the review for this one because going in I wanted to love it so much, but at the end of the day, I was left wanting so much more.

The movie starts with a segment that takes place during the events of the last Legendary outing and features Dr’s Mark and Emma Russell looking for their son either during or directly after a battle between Godzilla and the MUTOs. and sets the stage for all of the events to take place during the course of the film.

I know it’s just a monster movie but I don’t wanna spoil too much of it for the reader because i feel that folks are entitled to their own opinion on things like this, regardless of it being an Oscar-worthy film, or a movie about monsters destroying each other and us in the process. But here are some takeaways:

    1 .The film has just about the same amount of human drama as the last film. Everyone seems to be saying that this          film has nothing but Godzilla and in actuality, we get about as much (if not more or it) as we do in the first one.              Every time some cool fight between the “titans” was about to commence, they would find a way to block it so we          don’t see it. Much like the last movie but on a much grander scale.

    2. You see more in the way of monster battles and what you see is awesome but at the same
        time is kind of a letdown. Almost like we’d seen it before. When I go to see a film called
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        KING OF THE MONSTERS, I kind of expect a giant battle royal between the beasts that just tears the fabric of the           planet into turmoil.

    3. The nostalgia was a nice touch. The twins, the original themes, they all played very well in
        the heart of the old Godzilla inside of me.

In the end, though, KING OF THE MONSTERS doesn’t earn it’s crown. It’s definitely a movie that you need to see on the big screen because watching this on a laptop isn’t going to the amazing visuals justice. Those alone are worth the price of admission. So that’s why I am giving GODZILLA: KING OF THE MONSTERS   3 out of 5
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    About Chris

    A film fan from an early age, Chris is a true cinephile. Starting with his first big screen experience, Star Wars to the current indie films, it's obvious he is obsessed with film. Chris has been writing about film and television since the early days of the internet. Chris is also a member of OFTA, the Online Film and Television Critic's Association.
    Follow on Twitter @TheFilmBully
    ​​

    About Steve

    A lover of all movies. Steve will watch anything from classic silent films to modern horror films.  Obsessed with the Oscars and Film festivals. Steve prides himself on watching every movie on the AFI 100 Greatest Movies and every Oscar winner. 
    Follow on Twitter @MovieRPH

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