MOVIE MUSINGS - Annabelle

So the good Captain made it out to see Annabelle. I wanted to see this since I first heard of its production. Let's not dilly dally, but jump right into it.
Annabelle is a sort of prequel to last years best horror movie, "The Conjuring." The Conjuring was a haunted house story that I truly enjoyed. It featured fictionalized versions of the demon hunters Ed and Lorraine Warren. Annabelle mentions the Warrens without them appearing, and it is done in a nice manner.
This film is not the most original ever produced, but if you are up for a somewhat formulaic romp through numerous tried and true horror conventions, with many jump scares and some decent atmosphere, then this is for you. It's well acted, has interesting cinematography, and a decent, although familiar, story. The musical score is also well done, and adds a feel of foreboding to many scenes.
Imagine a mix of The Omen, with parts of Rosemary's Baby, and Child's Play, and you have the ingredients that were used for Annabelle. Oh,throw in a pinch of Helter Skelter as well, and let it simmer in the back of your mind.  I'm not complaining, I love all of those movies, and I also don't mind formulaic. If it works, it works. 80's style slasher movies are a personal favorite of the Captain, and let's face it, they mostly follow a pretty similar pattern.
When a movie has a plot involving a Satanic cult named The Disciples of The Ram, you can go ahead and count me in. I don't want to give away spoilers to the story itself, so I will mention a few themes. A new born baby, satanic cult, used bookstore, a caring Priest, a possessed doll, and possibly Satan himself (maybe just a demon and not the head guy from the deep south). Plus a young traumatized new mother with emotional problems who is left on her own with her baby for long periods of time. A sewing machine that runs on its own and a record player that plays on its own. Also, upstairs neighbors that make a lot of noise even though the people live on the top floor. Not even sure if that was suppose to happen or if it was a blooper.
Don't go into this expecting Gone With The Wind. Instead, go into it expecting a cross between The Conjuring and Paranormal Activity as far as scares go. I do recommend seeing this movie in a theatre if possible, as the discomfort of the other movie goers around you adds significantly to the experience. You hear people fidgeting in their seats during certain parts and you also hear the occasional editorial comment along the lines of  "aw HELL NO" as things creep up on the unsuspecting victims.
That is enough info for now. Go see Annabelle. Captain Creepy enjoyed the "Hell" out of it. Bwahahahaha. 5 stars.
Next up in the hopper, Ouija. Can't wait!

MOVIE MUSINGS - Amazing Spiderman 2

Captain America The Winter Soldier is a huge, epic, world changing movie. Amazing Spiderman 2 is more local, staying in New York. As with most Spidey stories, this is chocked full of the teenage angst of Peter Parker and all of the problems he has to deal with. Peter can never quite seem to get over the hump. It's a personal story of the tragedies and triumphs of your friendly neighborhood 30 year old high school senior.
 Andrew Garfield is fine as Spiderman. I'm just glad they finally had him graduate high school since Garfield is 30 years old, and looks it. It is quite a reach to see him as a high school kid. My suspension of disbelief can only take me so far. Spiderman looks Amazing in costume, and the effects of him swinging through the city are tremendous.
A great thing about sequels of this type is that normally during the first film in a series the majority of the time is spent on the origin of the character, and at this point, who really needs to spend 3/4 of a movie seeing the origin that we all have known our entire lives. At the start of this movie, our protagonist is already a seasoned and confident hero, and this is how I prefer to watch him. A confident and competent Spidey is fun.
Dane DeHaan plays Harry Osborn and he is a super actor that dominates most of the scenes in which he appears. Emma Stone as Gwen Stacy is also good. Sally Field is cast as Aunt May and I didn't care for her in this role. Hard to define exactly why, she is a fine actress, but just isn't Aunt May to me.
One of my favorite things in the entire show is during the climactic scene as an incredible event happens, the face of a giant clock is shown and the time displayed is 1:22.  When this event happened in the comic book back in the 1970's, it was in Amazing Spiderman number 122. Nice little Easter egg for those paying attention.
There were a few things that bother me pretty bad about this movie. Jamie Foxx character is absolutely ridiculous. Not Electro, but the scientist he portrays before becoming a super villain. His hair is just dumb, and his motivation for hating Spidey borders on embarrassing. The fact that Gwen shows up in the big final scene is also silly and doesn't feel right. Finally, the transformation by Harry Osborn into the Goblin happens so fast and nonsensically that it is hard to overlook.  "I need Spiderman's blood. No! You can't have it! I hate you, you are Peter Parker, you aren't my friend, you suck and I'm gonna kill you." That is about how quick all that happened. Immediately transforms into Goblin and is a master on his flying jet ski.  Not good.
Overall, I have to overlook some big holes in the script and some serious pacing problems and accept the film for what it is. A fun, action packed popcorn movie with heart and good acting.
Captain Creepy rates Amazing Spiderman 2 a low 4 out of 5 radioactive spiders.
Oh, and Rhino is pretty stupid in that dumb suit.