Annabelle Comes Home (Rated R)
Ed and Lorraine Warren are paranormal investigators whose cases are dramatized by the “Conjuring Universe” film franchise. In this third installment, the Warrens (Patrick Wilson and Vera Farmiga) secure the demonic Annabelle doll behind sacred glass in a locked room. Despite their warnings, the Warrens’ 10-year-old daughter, Judy (Mckenna Grace), and her babysitters (Madison Iseman and Katie Sarife) release Annabelle. Directed and written by Gary Dauberman, who penned the other “Annabelles,” the story tracks Judy and her babysitters’ efforts to evade the demonic entities attracted. Box office memo: 2017’s Annabelle: Creation brought in over $300 million on a $15 million budget.
The Last Black Man in San Francisco (Rated R)
A young black girl stares up at a sanitation worker picking up trash in a HazMat suit. The street preacher mounts his podium and rails against the toxic environment, warning, “They got plans for us!” So another morning begins for Jimmie and his best friend Mont, magnetically drawn from their outlying ghetto to a Victorian house near the Golden Gate. They tend to the place like they own it—it was once owned by Jimmie’s grandfather and the loss is painful. Director Joe Talbot tells an elliptical story packed with references to San Francisco’s glorious past of segregation, gentrification, limited economic opportunities, fractured families and miscommunication between white and black. Wistful, funny and visually surreal, The Last Black Man wonders about the stories we tell ourselves in order to survive.
Yesterday (Rated PG-13)
After being knocked unconscious, struggling British singer-songwriter Jack Malik (Himesh Patel) awakens in an alternate timeline where The Beatles never existed. Realizing he can exploit their songs to achieve fame and fortune, Jack becomes hugely successful co-opting Beatles’ songs. However, having confessed the truth to his best friend Ellie (Lily James), she begins pulling away, causing Jack to realize he has always loved her. Though director Danny Boyle’s film attempts to position itself as a romantic comedy, will the story maintain momentum as Jack methodically cranks out Beatles’ hits?
