It’s the weekend again, and that means Film Focus. Here’s Mike Laidman with what’s new in local theaters.




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Opposites attract, so they say. And they’re right, this week. From a drama tinged with mystery and romance to the outright origin of evil, this weekend’s new movies do indeed run the gamut of emotions.

Annabelle: Creation is the latest in the Conjuring universe - a setting that has now seen multiple entries, all strong.

And once you’ve managed to regain your composure, it’s time to settle in for The Sense of an Ending, a British mystery drama about a man haunted by his past.

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Mike Laidman

Welcome to another edition of Film Focus. I'm Mike Laidman.

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Annabelle: Creation (2017, David F. Sandberg)
A couple welcomes in orphans, later to be terrorized by a doll.

It’s several years after a couple, a dollmaker and his wife, loses their little girl in a tragic accident. Now, still grieving, they welcome a nun and several children from a local orphanage into their home. But it doesn’t take long for the children to become the target of the dollmaker’s possessed creation, Annabelle.

They say that it’s easier to make an audience laugh than it is to make it scream. Annabelle: Creation, then, is testament to the skill of the filmmakers involved. The Conjuring franchise has always relied on smaller budgets, the limited use of CGI, and good acting, directing, and world-building in order to get its scares across. And it works. Oh, does it ever work.

Of course, if you go into the movie already jaded and not willing to be scared, then that’s your own choice. But should you be looking for some thrills, then Creation easily tops 2014’s Annabelle in all the right ways.


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The Sense of an Ending (2017, Ritesh Batra)
A man is haunted by his past and is presented with a legacy.

Taking a complete 180 degree spin from the horrors we’ve just been through, let’s settle into a more relaxed vibe with The Sense of an Ending.

Tony Webster leads a reclusive and quiet existence until long buried secrets from his past force him to face the flawed recollections of his younger self, the truth about his first love, and the devastating consequences of decisions made a lifetime ago.

Jim Broadbent, so often a supporting character, is great in the starring role here. This is a mature film in that it asks a lot of the audience. Our full attention is required in order to follow the trials of Tony as he navigates the first real difficult truths he’s had to face, despite being well on in years.

The movie is soft, mournful even, as it lingers on the loves of the past and contrasts these with the realities of the present and the unknowns of the future. The Sense of an Ending is about character dynamics, and when the credits finally roll, we realise just how much noise this quiet film has really been making in our heads and in our hearts.