Annabelle: Creation (Rated R)
This fourth film in The Conjuring universe is the franchise’s second prequel. Set in the 1950s, Anthony LaPaglia and Miranda Otto portray doll maker Samuel Mullins and his wife, Esther; 12 years on, they still grieve their daughter’s death. Occupying a sprawling home, Esther is confined to bed while Samuel creates his dolls. Then, a young nun (Stephanie Sigman) with six orphan girls in her care becomes homeless when the local orphanage is shuttered. The bereaved Mullins take them in, instructing the new residents never to enter deceased Annabelle’s bedroom. Naturally, there’s no stifling the girls’ curiosity—although, among Annabelle’s locked-away toys is a large doll now possessed by an evil presence. Director David F. Sandberg milks each scene for maximum suspense, creatively framing the film’s scares to devastating effect.
The Glass Castle (Rated PG-13)
Gossip columnist Jeannette Walls reveals her unusual biography in this somewhat fictionalized account based upon her book. We meet Jeannette (Brie Larson) as a young college grad working to advance her career while engaged to a conventional young man. Her normalcy is achieved despite growing up in a nomadic, dysfunctional family. The film tells Jeannette’s story in flashback, after she learns her father is terminally ill and grapples with reconnecting to her estranged parents (Woody Harrelson and Naomi Watts).
Nut Job 2: Nutty by Nature (Rated PG)
This sequel to the critically panned The Nut Job proves three things: 1. Annoying small rodents (Alvin and the Chipmunks) are popular with children; 2. Parents will suffer most any indignity to entertain the little ones; and 3. Movie studios happily produce any film that makes them money (consider Alvin and the Chipmunks again). The Nut Job was made for $42 million, bringing in about $100 million worldwide. In the sequel, Will Arnett, Katherine Heigl, Maya Rudolph and Jackie Chan voice squirrels, a snarky pug dog and a Kung Fu master mouse. They and their animal friends band together to save their beloved park from being turned into an amusement park. Along the way, there are violent altercations and equally violent bodily functions gags.
