So, in addition to the batshit insanity of The Book of Henry, I rented two other movies last week. Both were not as bad as I thought they would be. In the meantime, I watched Happy Death Day and I am currently working on a review of Stranger Things Season 2. Those reviews will be out in the next couple of days. I will also check out Thor: Ragnarok this Friday. So here are my thoughts on The House and Annabelle: Creation:
THE HOUSE
☆☆
What can I say? I love Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler. It was the exact reason why I was curious about The House. But at the same time, I had a bit of trepidation about this movie. Usually with comedies, I don’t listen to critics, because humor is subjective. What one person finds funny, another person wouldn’t. Hell, I gave Baywatch a mild recommendation.
The House is a mess with some genuinely funny moments.
The House tells the story of two suburban parents (Ferrell and Poehler) who would do anything to get their daughter to her dream college after she loses her scholarship. So with the help of a friend (Jason Mantzoukas) who is down on his luck, they open an underground casino.
Let me start by saying Jason Mantzoukas is the other big comedy breakout star this year. No actor made me laugh as hard as he did since Lil’ Rel Howery from Get Out. Any time he was onscreen, he got a genuine laugh out of me. I actually liked this character and I hope to see more of him.
I also loved the fact that an Avenger shows up in a cameo appearance and it totally works. I totally bought him in that role.
However it’s one of those movie that would have benefited from sticking to the script. There’s a genuinely funny premise here bogged down by Will Ferrell and Amy Poehler doing unfunny shtick. I don’t need to see five straight minutes of improv that wouldn’t even pass muster in a beginners improv course. I was legit surprised when I found out this was 88 minutes long, because the rambling improv kills the pace of the movie.
Then there’s the subplot in which this suburb wants to put in a bunch of pools. Now we have a villain for the sake of having a villain.
Overall, when The House sticks to the script, it’s genuinely funny. Case in point, the Vegas scene or Amy Poehler using a cooking torch as a flame thrower. But when it gets into rambling improv tangents, it bogs down the movie. Just wait until it hits streaming.
ANNABELLE: CREATION
☆☆☆
Full disclosure, I have not seen Annabelle. Why the hell would I want to watch a jump scare riddled piece of garbage directed by the guy who did Mortal Kombat: Annihilation?
That being said, I wish Annabelle: Creation was the movie we got instead of Annabelle.
The Conjuring I feel is one of the best horror movies of the 21st century. I own it on Blu-Ray and regularly watch it. The Conjuring 2 was a solid follow up that didn’t grab me the way that the first one did.
Annabelle: Creation tells the story of a couple (Anthony Lapaglia and Miranda Otto) who take in a group of orphans after their orphanage shuts down. They are suffering the loss of their child twelve years prior. However, their house contains a deep secret.
One thing worth talking about with this movie is that when it allows for mood and atmosphere for its scares, it absolutely works. You have these great shots that build up suspense and ramp up tension. Annabelle isn’t used as a crutch, but rather an actual plot device.
Another thing worth praising is the performances in this movie. It’s nice to see Anthony Lapaglia in something again. It’s been awhile since I’ve seen him in anything that wasn’t Without a Trace. He gives a great, subdued performance. I also want to praise the performances of the kids. These were great performances all around.
However, you could tell this was chock full of studio notes, because this just falls into modern horror movie traps.
Innocent song made evil: ✔
Jump scares: ✔
Car won’t start: ✔
Sharp music stabs at said jump scares: ✔
It’s what makes Annabelle: Creation so frustrating, because there is a great movie here. At its surface, it is about a couple looking for redemption after a tragedy. Personally, I felt this couple should have been the main focus of this movie.
But here I was, every 10 minutes saying “jump scare” exactly five seconds before it happens. Then you get into these horror cliches you’ve seen over and over again.
Overall, I wasn’t bored during this movie. I highly recommend it as a rental. When Annabelle: Creation is good, it’s really good. But it’s one of those movies New Line Cinema should have just left alone and let the filmmakers tell it’s story the way they wanted it told. Come in, you guys were The House That Freddy Built. If you want a way better “holy shit, this is genuinely great!” sequel to a shitty movie, then watch Ouija: Origin of Evil.
Ryan Watches 