Annabelle: Creation (2017)

With the weekend winding down and the days of NaNoWriMo piling up, it is hard to find time to watch and review movies that will not in any way influence my Man of the Cloth project. After some searching earlier at Family Video, I decided on the 2017 entry Annabelle: Creation.

Plot/ 12 years after the tragic death of their little girl, a dollmaker and his wife welcome a nun and several girls from a shuttered orphanage into their home, where they soon become the target of the dollmaker’s possessed creation, Annabelle.

This is one movie where I am so happy to have waited until it came to DVD to watch and luckily, for me, we have a Family Video so I didn’t have to even pay full price. This one was a tough watch, as the amount of jump scares and clichéd moments worked to fracture what came across as something extremely disjointed, to begin with. The doll was creepy, and that may be the only real positive that came across from this movie. The storyline was uneven, the actions in the performances were laughable (although Anthony LaPaglia was not bad), and the cinematography, pacing and the overall feel was extremely predictable and nonsensical. It is really that bad. In the end, this movie is one that I believe we could have done without. There is really nothing new inside and it clearly came across as a money grab and rushed production.

This is Not Always What It Seems

I can’t believe that it has been two days since the Phoenix Arts Center's Ten Minute Play Fest came to an end and Not Always What It Seems received such a great reception. Honestly, I am still humbled by the experience and have a newfound confidence that is driving me to focus on creativity. In fact, the ideas are already churning around in my head and I just have to put everything together and decide what I want to focus on.  

Today, I was surprised as Brenda finished the upload of the video recording of the play. So, for those of you who missed seeing it in person, give it a look and let me know what you think.

Curtain Call and a Thank You!

As today winds down and I am finally able to sit back and digest the events of the past two days with the first annual Phoenix Arts Center 10 Minute Playfest. I am extremely humbled by the response and am still in a little shock after watching Not Always What It Seems win the First Watson Award. This is a tremendous honor and an award I will forever cherish. In looking at the history of the State Theatre, just to have my play come to life in the same footsteps as legends such as Johnny Cash was enough. 

Although my name will be on this award, I know that it would have never had a chance against the competition if it weren’t for the amazing performances from the cast. Anna, Carrie, Dolores, Michael, and especially Luke were brought everything to life in ways I could never have imagined. I wish you could have all received this award because you all deserve it more than anyone. 

When I walked into the State Theatre this morning, I wondered what the day would have in store. Last night, I was blown away by the intensity of all of the performances, and most of all, the depth of all of the scripts. As a writer, I love the emotional turns that words can create and the stories were all remarkable. To all of the writers, Mina, Tabbitha, Marci, Steven, Aimee, and Jessica, I grew so much from your words and stories and I want to thank you. 

Finally, I want to thank Carrie for seeing this playfest through to fruition, and Brenda for all of the incredible behind the scenes stuff that it takes to make this type of show happen. I for one hope that this is the first of what will become an amazing journey into the stage. 

Hollows Grove (2014)

Winter Storm Jonas appears to have come and went with a bang, leaving behind roughly two feet of snow behind for us to deal with. Fortunately, it was not worse, and I was able to maneuver around town a couple times today. Now, it is time to curl up and spend the night watching some horror. First up for review tonight is the 2014 found footage flick, Hollows Grove.

Plot/ A young filmmaker documents his ghost-hunting, reality show friends as their routine investigation of an abandoned orphanage turns into a nightmare from which they can't escape.

What could be better than watching low budget horror featuring Lance Henrikson during a blizzard? OK, I can think of a bunch of things that could be better, but those are not readily available tonight as we recover from Winter Storm Jonas. Actually, Hollows Grove was not a bad consolation. While this found footage flick is not perfect with some uneven performances (Maybe even subpar performances) and predictable moments, there was a lot to like. This movie featured a solid storyline that was actually rather layered for the found footage genre, the atmosphere was rather creepy at times, and for a found footage flick it is actually somewhat entertaining. In the end, this is a decent example of how found footage could work. Is it perfect, no, but it is also one of the better low budget examples to come out in some time. I would not run out and buy it, but if you have some time on a winters afternoon, give it a shot.

House of Voices (2004)

I would like to wish a Happy Halloween to all of my readers, friends and family out there in the world. It is hard to imagine that three years ago, I went through my retirement ceremony from the Navy. Today, I went through another fun evening of Trick or Treating with three of my daughters. 

Markie, Jillian, and Jolene

While that was fun, it was another dreary Halloween, the second one in a row. To finish my viewing list from the past week, I decided to write-up House of Voices from 2004, although I should likely pass. 

Plot/ A young servant, Anna, arrives in Saint Ange Orphanage to work with Helena while the orphans moved to new families. Anna, who is secretly pregnant, meets the last orphan, Judith, left behind because of her mental problems; together they investigate trying to disclose the secret about the invisible children.

I guess I get what I deserve when I try to find an alternative to mainstream paranormal themed movies. This one was definitely the wrong choice for me. House of Voices (AKA Saint Ange) could have been something interesting, unfortunately, it went awry. Filled with cliché, uneven acting, miserable scripting and a lack of atmosphere, there was not much to enjoy. Sure it has a decent soundtrack, but even that did nothing to add scares or creepiness. In the end, I was extremely disappointed in this flick and should have gone a different direction. Unless you are absolutely out of options, stay away!