Tag Archive | "Annabelle"

Tags: , , , , , , , ,

FLICKS: Toy Story 4 is fun, Annabelle Comes Home, Spider-Man: Far From Home and Beatles’s Yesterday open this weekend

Posted on 27 June 2019 by LeslieM

By “Cinema” Dave
http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

While waiting for Toy Story 4 to begin, this columnist sat through a series of previews — all films starring computer animation. It has been 24 years since the original Toy Story — what was unique, is now common place. Beyond the special effects and paying big time celebrities a load of money, computerized animation films have now entered the law of diminishing returns.  It is storytelling and respect for the written word, that will redeem the motion picture industry, both live action and computer animation.

Toy Story 4 suffers being the first film since Toy Story 3, the emotional and satisfying cap to the original Toy Story trilogy. Toy Story 4 continues the adventures of Woody (voiced by Tom Hanks), Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) and the ensemble of toys, under new management from a new owner, this time a little girl who is beginning kindergarten.

The little girl is filled with fear, so Woody sneaks in her backpack to assist her first day of school. Through the magic of improvisation, the little girl creates a new friend — Forky, a deformed looking spoon with pipe cleaner arms and mismatched eyes. Being a bit like the Frankenstein monster, Woody is forced to tutor Forky about the importance of being the little girl’s favorite toy.

Toy Story 4 provides entertainment for children of all ages, both young and old.  There are not emotional devastating moments like in Toy Story 3, but Toy Story 4 has a lighter touch with profound theories about personal attachment, maturity and growth.  There are also some Indiana Jones thrills featuring Woody, Buzz and a new character. Toy Story 4 does provide Saturday matinee popcorn eating fun, despite a sinister ventriloquist puppet that stalks Woody, Buzz and Little Bo Peep.

An evil doll returns to the big screen this weekend, when Annabelle Comes Home.  As part of “The Conjuring” series of movies, Annabelle is a demon doll who has made appearances in four movies. Annabelle appears to do nothing but to sit and stare, but this horcrux of evil inspires humans to commit murder of innocence.  

Ironically, the evil Annabelle Comes Home when the heroic Spider-Man: Far from Home opens the same weekend. Fortunately, this Marvel Comics superhero will be first appearing at the Ft. Lauderdale Museum of Discovery and Science IMAX Screen on a limited engagement. This Spider-Man installment looks at the Marvel Comic Universe after the events of the recent Avengers: Endgame, which is still appearing on the big screen this weekend.

Last, but not least, Yesterday opens this weekend. This film is about the world as if the British rock band never existed.

On Sunday, July 7, The School of Rock Pompano will perform at the Seminole Hard Rock in Hollywood at 2 p.m. to prove the existence of the Beatles. This Band is set to perform five Beatles songs. Yours truly is scheduled to sing “Back in the USSR” and celebrate drummer Ringo Starr’s 79th birthday.

Cinema Dave with his School of Rock Pompano bandmates; L-R, Mario, Anthony Valrino (Musical Director) Earl, Mike, Stan, Chi Chi, Kenzie, Faye & Larry.

Comments Off on FLICKS: Toy Story 4 is fun, Annabelle Comes Home, Spider-Man: Far From Home and Beatles’s Yesterday open this weekend

Tags: , , ,

FLICKS: Automatonophobia spreads with Annabelle: Creation

Posted on 17 August 2017 by LeslieM

By “Cinema” Dave

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

Automatonophobia is a morbid fear of ventriloquist dummies, animatronic creatures, wax statues and any inanimate object that simulates a sentient being. Besides having a similar sounding name, the most profitable movie of last weekend, Annabelle: Creation shares this morbid fear of inanimate objects coming alive.

Annabelle: Creation features the formation of the title character in the wood shop of Sam Mullins (Anthony LaPaglia). Sam’s daughter Bee teases her father by playing a game of hide-and- seek. After going to church with his wife, Esther (Miranda Otto), the future looks bright for the Mullins doll maker. Abruptly, Bee dies.

Twelve years later, a small orphanage moves into the Mullins house in the country. Sam is a bit gruff with Sister Charlotte (Stephanie Sigman) and the girls. The grieving man is generous enough to let the orphans loose in his home. However, Sam warns the orphans to not visit Bee’s old bedroom.

Being curious, Janice (Talitha Bateman), a polio survivor, sneaks into Bee’s room. Seeing a sealed closet door, Janice opens the door to find the Annabelle doll. Afterward, things go bump in the night and Janice gets involved with a supernatural game of hide-and- seek.

Winning strong mass critical acclaim with a good box office, Annabelle: Creation will be remembered as a classic scary movie. With links to the original Annabelle and the two Conjuring movies, this film features a dark standalone story.

Directed by David F. Sandberg, this film takes full advantage of rural stillness. Given that the title character is an immovable object, tension builds to a terrorizing level.  A crescendo is achieved with a soft, but disturbing denouement. Stay past the closing credits for a teaser featuring The Nun, the next movie of this original horror series created by James Wan. 

If you haven’t gotten enough of puppets, The Cult of Chuckie is penciled for a Halloween release, featuring the serial-killer possessed doll.

Comments Off on FLICKS: Automatonophobia spreads with Annabelle: Creation

Tags: , , , ,

FLICKS: Sinister Simon, Annabelle & Automatonophobia

Posted on 30 October 2014 by LeslieM

Sinister Simon Grindhouse Picture

Photo by Sid Graves from Cemetery Prints. (Sinister Simon compares himself to Bela Lugosi’s Dracula)

By Dave Montalbano

http://cinemadave.livejournal.com

It was Thanksgiving break 31 years ago when Simon “walked into” Palm Aire at Coral Key. This ventriloquist dummy was a gift from my brother and Simon was a “hint” that the first grandchildren were on the way for my parents. Immediately, I saw Simon’s potential as a Sinister horror movie star.

When I was a communications major at Florida State, I had scripted a short subject silent movie about Simon stalking a sorority sister. The film was never shot. Simon laid dormant for many years until I decided to clean out my apartment. In the current digital age, Simon came alive and created his own YouTube Channel. His most watched episode features local Scream Queen Linnea Quigley, which fulfilled Sinister Simon’s dreams of becoming a horror icon.

Automatonophobia is a morbid fear of ventriloquist dummies, animatronic creatures, wax statues and any inanimate object that simulates a sentient being. Besides having a similar sounding name, the most profitable movie of October, Annabelle shares this morbid fear of inanimate objects coming alive.

Annabelle, the doll, was introduced as a peripheral prop in last year’s sleeper hit, The Conjuring. Both movies rely on stillness and routine domestic situations, similar to successful motion pictures like What Lies Beneath, The Exorcist and The Sixth Sense. Yet, one thing all five of these movies have in common is the audience recognition that the characters on the big screen are living in a dangerous situation.

Before Hannibal Lechter became his public alter ego, Sir Anthony Hopkins starred in Magic, costarring Burgess Meredith and Ann Margaret. Hopkins portrayed a night club ventriloquist who has a fear of success. As Hopkins loses his nerve, his alter ego – “Fats the Dummy” – decides to aggressively pursue success. This 107 minute movie feels like an extension of three Twilight Zone episodes that starred Telly Savalas, Cliff Robertson and pesky dolls that seek to dominate the protagonist’s soul.

Eight years ago, vampires were in the forefront of popular horror culture, only to be replaced by zombies. After zombies, what is next? Perhaps, it will be puppets and dolls that will spread automatonophobia to the masses. The Curse of Chucky returned to the serial-killer possessed doll to big screen box office success, after a two decade hiatus.

Tomorrow night, Fright Asylum converts Cinema Paradiso into Cinema Inferno. Sinister Simon will NOT be in attendance, because Fright Asylum hosts Woody & Manny find Simon too frightening. BOO! HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Info: www.fliff.com.

CinemaDaveLinneaQuigley2012

Cinema Dave rescues actress Linnea Quigley from the clutches of Sinister Simon.

Comments Off on FLICKS: Sinister Simon, Annabelle & Automatonophobia

Advertise Here
Advertise Here