Special: The Addams Family, Ready Or Not, Annabelle Comes Home Mini-Reviews

The Addams Family:

Synopsis: Get ready to snap your fingers! The first family of Halloween, the Addams Family, is back on the big screen in the first animated comedy about the kookiest family on the block. Funny, outlandish, and completely iconic, the Addams Family redefines what it means to be a good neighbor.

My thoughts: The Addams Family was a fine film for both kids and adults alike but at the same time it didn't do anything to wow me unlike other animated films I've seen this year. If anything it made me want to revisit the previous films and television series. The voice acting was top notch, unfortunately the filmmakers decided to use the Addams clan as an excuse to pigeonhole political correctness into the flick, I'm not against it at all but the way it was presented could definitely use some work.

Final verdict: 3.5 severed hands out of 5.

Ready Or Not:

Synopsis: Ready Or Not follows a young bride (Samara Weaving) as she joins her new husband's (Mark O'Brien) rich, eccentric family (Adam Brody, Henry Czerny, Andie MacDowell) in a time-honored tradition that turns into a lethal game with everyone fighting for their survival.

My thoughts: This movie is a great blend of horror and comedy with subtle political notes to the subject of the class system. Ready Or Not takes your favourite horror movie tropes, turns them on their head, makes a joke out of it and yet you still can't get enough. Weaving is excellent and may see herself cast in similar roles given her horror chops. The supporting cast is excellent as well but I can not give enough credit to the directors for building this masterpiece through well timed gags and incredible pacing.

Final verdict: 4.5 dead wait staff out of 5.

Annabelle Comes Home:

Synopsis: Determined to keep Annabelle from wreaking more havoc, demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren bring the possessed doll to the locked artifacts room in their home, placing her "safely" behind sacred glass and enlisting a priest's holy blessing. But an unholy night of horror awaits as Annabelle awakens the evil spirits in the room, who all set their sights on a new target -- the Warrens' ten-year-old daughter, Judy, and her friends.

My thoughts: Probably my favourite of the Annabelle series, though that isn't exactly a ringing endorsement... Despite Creation's stellar reviews I did not like it, I also don't particularly like this film either that is probably the tamest of the Conjuring franchise but at least our actresses give great performances.

Final verdict: 3 dumb babysitters out of 5.

Special: Captain America: Civil War/Finding Dory/The Conjuring 2 Mini-Reviews

Captain America: Civil War

Synopsis: With many people fearing the actions of super heroes, the government decides to push for the Hero Registration Act, a law that limits a hero's actions. This results in a division in The Avengers. Iron Man stands with this Act, claiming that their actions must be kept in check otherwise cities will continue to be destroyed, but Captain America feels that saving the world is daring enough and that they cannot rely on the government to protect the world. This escalates into an all-out war between Team Iron Man (Iron Man, Black Panther, Vision, Black Widow, War Machine, and Spiderman) and Team Captain America (Captain America, Bucky Barnes, Falcon, Sharon Carter, Scarlet Witch, Hawkeye, and Ant Man) while a new villain emerges.

My thoughts: Not nearly the action-thriller The Winter Soldier was, but it provides more no holds barred action than the typical Marvel film (Avengers films excepted) but although this can be construed as Avengers-lite it is anything but, giving us the struggle of humanity we come to expect from the man-out-of-time films of Cap. Not the best Marvel-flick but still worthy of a spot on the mantle.

Final verdict: 5 new Avengers out of 5.

Finding Dory:

Synopsis: Dory is a wide-eyed, blue tang fish who suffers from memory loss every 10 seconds or so. The one thing she can remember is that she somehow became separated from her parents as a child. With help from her friends Nemo and Marlin, Dory embarks on an epic adventure to find them. Her journey brings her to the Marine Life Institute, a conservatory that houses diverse ocean species. Dory now knows that her family reunion will only happen if she can save mom and dad from captivity.

My thoughts: Not Pixar's finest film, though I'm admittedly not as fond of it's predecessor as most others. Dory is colourful and fun but although I wasn't invested emotionally in the characters or their problems as much as I usually am when Pixar makes a film. I feel like it was a step down from Nemo, and certainly a step down from last summer's Inside Out but it proves that Pixar can competently make sequels for films not named Toy Story.

Final verdict: 4 shells out of 5.

The Conjuring 2:

Synopsis: In 1977, paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren travel to London, England, where single mother Peggy Hodgson believes that something evil is in her home. When Peggy's youngest daughter starts showing signs of demonic possession, Ed and Lorraine attempt to help the besieged girl, only to find themselves targeted by the malicious spirits.

My thoughts: Wasn't a huge lover of the first film and expected about the same, but just like director James Wan's Insidious franchise, he made me a believer with the 2nd installment. You usually don't see horror movies running 2 hours but The Conjuring 2 did and it's paced fantastically and had me on the edge of my seat throughout and even had a series of good scares placed perfectly for maximum effect. The acting came off a little campy, though this is a horror film. It's unfortunate Wan didn't stick with his "less is more" style as the budget of $40 million was twice as high as his previous high for a horror flick (The Conjuring and Dead Silence) and seriously dwarfs the combined $16.5 million spent on the 3 Insidious films combined (though he didn't direct the third installment).

Final verdict: 4 supernatural spirits out of 5