Netflix Friday - Volume 55

Some Netflix film tips for the weekend! And there is something for everyone, since I picked a movie for all the different genres.
 

Action: Fast & Furious 8 (2017)
When a mysterious woman seduces Dominic Toretto (Vin Diesel) into the world of terrorism and a betrayal of those closest to him, the crew faces trials that will test them as never before.
 

Drama: The Place Beyond the Pines (2012)
A motorcycle stunt rider (Ryan Gosling) turns to robbing banks as a way to provide for his lover (Eva Mendes) and their newborn child, a decision that puts him on a collision course with an ambitious rookie cop (Bradley Cooper) navigating a department ruled by a corrupt detective.
 

Comedy: Liar Liar (1997)
A fast-track lawyer (Jim Carrey) can’t lie for 24 hours due to his son’s birthday wish after he disappoints his son for the last time.
 

Animation: Watership Down (2018)
Fleeing their home doomed warren, a colony of rabbits struggle to find and defend a new home.
 

Romance: Chocolat (2000)
A woman (Juliette Binoche) and her daughter open a chocolate shop in a small French village that shakes up the rigid morality of the community.  
 

Horror: Annabelle Comes Home (2019)
While babysitting the daughter (Mckenna Grace) of Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson, Vera Farmiga), a teenager and her friends unknowingly awaken an evil spirit trapped in a doll.
 

Science Fiction: Oxygene (2021)
A woman (Mélanie Laurent)wakes in a cryogenic chamber with no recollection of how she got there. As she’s running out of oxygen, she must rebuild her memory to find a way out of her nightmare.
 

Crime: The Punisher (2014)
An undercover FBO agent (Thomas Jane) becomes a vigilante and sets out to unleash his wrath upon the corrupt businessman (John Travolta) who slaughtered his entire family at a reunion.
 

Thriller: The Beguiled (2017)
The unexpected arrival of a wounded Union soldier (Colin Farrell) at a girls school in Virginia during the American Civil War leads to jealousy and betrayal.
 

Documentary: They Shall Not Grow Old (2018)
A documentary about World War I with never-before-seen footage to commemorate the centennial of the end of the war.
 

Family: Journey 2: The Mysterious Island (2012)
Sean Anderson (Josh Hutcherson) partners with his mom’s husband (Dwayne Johnson) on a mission to find his grandfather (Michael Caine), who is thought to be missing on a mythical island.
 

10s Movie Review - Annabelle Comes Home

Director: Gary Dauberman
Genre: Horror
Runtime: 106 minutes
Year: 2019
Starring: Vera Farmiga, Patrick Wilson, Mckenna Grace, Madison Iseman, Katie Sarife, Michael Cimino

Description: While babysitting the daughter (Mckenna Grace) of Ed and Lorraine Warren (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga), a teenager (Madison Iseman) and her friend (Kate Sarife) unknowingly awaken an evil spirit trapped in a doll.

Review: The universe around “The Conjuring” has formed well. “Annabelle Comes Home” is the seventh horror film within the franchise and the third film where the scary doll Annabelle has a role. The previous films were set before “The Conjuring”, but the by Gary Dauberman directed film is set right after these events. Demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren retrieve the doll from its traumatized owners. They take the doll home and put it away in a display case, which is secured by a priest so it cannot get out. But the case must never ever be opened, therefore they put a warning sign on the door.
A year later, when Lorraine and Ed leave their home for a day, they leave their daughter Judy with babysitter Mary Ellen, whom they’ve known for a while and loves Judy. Mary Ellen’s best friend Daniela also pays a visit, but she is there for a different reason. Her curiosity gets the better of her and Daniela manages to enter the ‘secret room’ that the Warren’s store their cursed and haunted artifacts in. When she opens the display case with Annabelle in it, all hell breaks loose and the girls have to fight the demonic entities.
That the creepy doll gets a third film has a reason. Even though the other films got mediocre reviews, “Annabelle Comes Home” is a pleasant and entertaining horror movie. There is a pretty good build-up in tension and has some effective scares.
Although there is little innovation, they still manage to create an entertaining film. "Annabelle Comes Home" is made in the same way as "The Conjuring" and, unlike the previous parts, really feels like part of the now popular franchise. The fact that protagonists Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga only play a supporting role is not a negative, because the acting of the young protagonists is convincing.
The film is a bit messy though, because it has way to many ‘ghosts’ and ‘spirits’ that the characters have to deal with. It eventually becomes a bit too much and they try to add to many of it into one film.
Overall “Annabelle Comes Home” is not as bad as you might expect, and it will be a fun film for an entertaining horror movie night.

Rating: 3 / 5