Dollhouse: The Eradication of Female Subjectivity from American Popular Culture might be the most grotesque and nauseating films you see this year. It might also be one of the most relevant and important. Following the story of (fictional) teen pop music sensation Junie Spoons, Dollhouse is a mockumentary in the style of a tabloid news…
The third entry in the “Annabelle” series, a part of the extended “Conjuring” Universe, is Gary Dauberman’s directorial debut, Annabelle Comes Home. The scribe is close to the source, though, as he was responsible for scripts on 2014’s “Annabelle” and 2017’s “Annabelle: Creation,” as well as 2018’s “The Nun.” Luckily, Dauberman’s transition behind the camera…
Goodbyes are at the forefront of Pixar’s tacked-on Toy Story 4, the studio’s fourth sequel in as many years and its flagship franchise’s first installment in almost a decade. There are parting glances throughout, the movie is book-ended by sendoffs, and one new character’s entire existence hinges on a gag in which he tries to…
There’s a conundrum going into David Romero’s Making Fun: The Story of Funko, at least from a critical aspect. The issue is perspective. Documentaries like this work better when there’s a sense of objectivity and recollection. If this were made say, 10-20 years from now, we’d probably have a better sense as to where Funko…
Annabelle: Creation begins sometime in the mid-twentieth century where, isolated in a beautiful old farmhouse, dollmaker Samuel Mullins (Anthony LaPaglia, “A Good Marriage”) lives with his wife, Esther (Miranda Otto, “The Homesman”), and his happy, fun-loving daughter Bee (Samara Lee, “Concussion”). As he puts the final touches on a familiar limited edition doll, a folded…
There are very few horror movie theater going trips that stick with me as incredible experiences. “Paranormal Activity” floored me with its outstanding ability to silence a packed theater, bringing to reality the idiom, “You could cut the tension with a knife.” The surprise ending of “Saw” thrilled me so much, I went to see…
Last summer, director James Wan gave us a terrifying dramatization of a true haunting in Burrillville, Rhode Island in “The Conjuring” and scared the pants off summer moviegoers. Yet again, his quality horror moviemaking transformed into huge box office payouts and introduced the world at-large to paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. Renowned in the…
