Annabelle comes home (2019)
Genre: Horror
Director: Gary Dauberman
Starring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Mckenna Grace
Duration: 106 minutes
Class: 15
KRS Releasing Ltd
The supernatural horror film, based on the legend of the possessed doll named Annabelle is a sequel to the 2014 film Annabelle and 2017’s Annabelle: Creation. It is also the seventh film in The Conjuring franchise.
Paranormal investigators Ed (Patrick Wilson) and Lorraine Warren (Vera Farmiga) have now decided to lock Annabelle in the artefacts room in their house in bid to stop the doll from wreaking more havoc. But when it awakens the room’s evil spirits, the couple’s 10-year-old daughter, her friends and their young babysitter are in for a night of terror.
The film by first-time Gary Dauberman ‒ best known for writing the screenplays of the two previous Annabelle films and other horror movies such as It and The Nun, has received mixed reviews from critics. Jeffrey M. Anderson of Common Sense Media wrote: “It’s not exactly groundbreaking, but this seventh movie in The Conjuring horror franchise is crafty and shrewdly made. It whips up many good scares and has logical, accessible characters.”
Jeannette Catsoulis was less impressed. She described the move as “choking on haunted-house clichs” and said it’s “so short of genuine scares that its most traumatising sight might be the Warren’s hideous wallpaper.”
However, the critics’ consensus on Rotten Tomatoes is more optimistic. It reads: “Fun for fans even if it isn’t as frightening as some of its predecessors, Annabelle Comes Home suggests there’s still some life left in The Conjuring franchise.”
The film, released in the US on June 26, has so far grossed $134.7 million worldwide.
Ratings
IMDB: 6.4/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 66%
Empire: N/A
Sasha Luss shows her weapon skills in Anna.Anna (2019)
Genre: Thriller
Director: Luc Besson
Starring: Sasha Luss, Helen Mirren, Luke Evans, Cillian Murphy, Eric Godon
Duration: 119 minutes
Class: 15
KRS Releasing Ltd
Luc Besson is at it again: churning out yet another thriller.
The French director, famous for such films as Leon, La Femme Nikita and Lucy, has chosen a beautiful female protagonist named Anne (Sasha Luss) for his latest project. The woman has been a victim of domestic abuse who accepts to work as a KGB assassin for five years.
She thus goes undercover as a fashion model and is hired to work in Paris. When she is found out by the CIA, she is recruited to kill the KBG head Vassiliev (Eric Godon).
The film received quite poor reviews.
Peter Debruge of Variety wrote: “It’s nowhere near the embarrassment of Brian De Palma’s Domino, or any number of recent studio tentpoles. Nor is it fresh enough to pretend that audiences had missed out on something special if it had been buried altogether ‒ except perhaps for Luss, who’s bound to get another shot.”
Benjamin Lee of The Guardian commented: “Anna never really feels like the work of someone with anything to say or prove. It’s competent and complacent at times, a million miles from what one would expect from the director of The Fifth Element.”
John DeFore of The Hollywood Reporter panned the movie and does not have high hopes for the lead actress either. He said: “The thrill is long gone in Anna, a lifeless and instantly forgettable spy flick whose lead, Sasha Luss, shows zero promise as a movie star.”
Released in the US on June 21, the film so far grossed $8.1 million in box office receipts worldwide.
Ratings
IMDB: 6.7/10
Rotten Tomatoes: 29%
Empire: N/A
The Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh adore their pooch in The Queen’s Corgi.The Queen’s Corgi (2019)
Genre: Animation
Directors: Vincent Kesteloot, Ben Stassen
Voices of: Jo Wyatt, Mari Devon, Dino Andrade, Joey Camen, Kirk Thornton
Duration: 85 minutes
Class: U
KRS Releasing Ltd
This English-language Belgian animated film is based on Queen Elizabeth II’s friendship with her pet, a corgi named Rex.
The plot sees the dog getting lost. He makes new friends and embarks on new adventures, including a canine fight, in order to find his way back to the palace.
The film was lambasted by critics, with Mike McCahill of The Guardian calling it “a mirthless animated caper”, while Hanna Flint of The Sun said: “There aren’t enough cute dogs to disguise the fact that it’s a pretty unimaginative story”.
Ed Poton of The Times was on the same wavelength. He commented that the starry cast “can’t save this dog’s dinner”.
Despite the criticsm, the film fared quite well in box offices around Europe.
Ratings
IMDB: 4.8/10
Rotten Tomatoes: N/A
Empire: N/A