Annabelle: Creation

Dinner and a Movie

By Steve Herte

Annabelle: Creation (New Line Cinema, 2017) – Director: David F. Sandberg. Writer: Gary Doberman (s/p & characters). Stars: Anthony LaPaglia, Samara Lee, Miranda Otto, Brad Greenquist, Lulu Wilson, Tabitha Bateman, Stephanie Sigman, Mark Bramhall, Grace Fulton, Philippa Coulthard, Tayler Buck, Lou Lou Safran, Joseph Bishara, Alicia Vela-Bailey, Lotta Losten. Color, Rated R, 109 minutes.

Sometimes you get lucky and see a prequel before the sequel. But have you ever seen a prequel to a prequel?

Annabelle: Creation ends pretty much where Annabelle (2014) begins and that sets the scene for The Conjuring (2013) and The Conjuring 2 (2016). The Conjuring series is based on the real life cases of paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren. And, if you missed any of these movies, there are two spinoffs in the works. Hopefully they don’t involve the creepy doll.

This film starts with the creation of said creepy doll by master dollmaker Samuel Mullins (LaPaglia) whose dolls are much in demand. In fact he’s just finished an order of 100 dolls (hopefully not the same as the star of this movie). It’s 1943 and Sam, his wife Esther (Otto) and daughter Annabelle “Bee” (Lee) get stuck on the way home from church by a flat tire. One of the lug nuts rolls into the road, Bee goes after it and is run over by a speeding pickup truck.

It’s said love can make one do stupid things. Apparently grief can perform the same function. Sam and Esther make a chance acquaintance with a demon spirit they think is their lost daughter. It convinces them to let it inhabit a creepy doll with a porcelain face and over-sized staring eyes. When they finally realize that it’s not their sweet “Bee” they lock it in a closet under the stairs wallpapered with pages from the bible.

But the stupidity doesn’t end there. Twelve years later (1955) they think it’s safe enough to allow Father Massey (Bramhall) to bring Sister Charlotte (Sigman) and six orphaned girls: Linda (Wilson), Janice (Bateman), Carol (Fulton), Nancy (Coulthard), Kate (Buck), and Tierney (Safran) to live in their home. This is exactly what the demon wants and he selects poor Janice, who has been crippled by polio. Linda is Janice’s best friend and hopes to get adopted with her someday. The rest of the girls are just there for the ride and the screaming.

If some of the special effects in this movie seem familiar it’s not surprising. We’ve seen levitations, bodies being thrown into mirrors, victims being dragged by their ankles while they claw at the floor, victims being shot straight up in the air and faces changing from innocent and cute to evil, charred black and fanged with a turn of the head.

I was pleasantly surprised that I was not able to predict the outcome of one climactic scene toward the end of the movie. Rather than a spectacular special effect, Janice/Annabelle disappears and is adopted by Pete and Sharon Higgins. The film advances another 12 years and the direct link to Annabelle.

Most of the film is silly (a couple of times I thought, “Don’t go in there!”) but I did get chills up my spine in several places. Anthony LaPaglia and Talitha Bateman are tied for the best acting jobs, followed closely by Lulu Wilson. The rest were only so-so. For a horror thriller, the gore factor was amazingly low and the gross-out factor almost non-existent. I applaud that. Though it will never become a classic, it was entertaining.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Martini glasses.

Scarlatto

250 West 47^th Street, New York

www.scarlattonyc.com

Scarlatti is marked by bright red banners and white lettering on the entrance. Though a little bit obscured by New York’s proliferation of scaffolding, the red was still visible.

Inside are open brick walls, white tablecloths over the blue checked ones and peaked napkins. Traditional carafes of oil and vinegar stand ready on each table. As restaurants go, Scarlatto is quite large (about 30 tables) and the theater crowd occupied most of them when I arrived.

I was seated at a table in the back near a charming fireplace, from which I could see the 2012 five-star Diamond Award plaque for hospitality on one supporting column and a black and white framed poster of Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday on the adjacent wall.

I ordered my favorite martini from my server, Ricardo. Though not served in the traditional stemmed glass, it was close to perfect. Another server brought the bread basket with an herbal, basil-flavored tapenade on the side.

For an appetizer, Ricardo recommended the Burata (fresh Italian cheese served with tomato slices), but I went for the Caesar Salad instead. It’s been a while since I had one, and the menu didn’t mention anchovies,  which ruin it for me. It was fresh-tasting and crisp but it severely needed the main ingredient, garlic. Ricardo solved the problem by bringing a small dish of freshly sliced garlic cloves to mix in.

Many of the wines on Scarlatto’s list were reasonably priced and I was delighted to find two of my favorites. I chose the 2012 Franco Amoroso Barolo. Made from nebbiolo grapes, it has a full-bodied flavor, excellent deep red color and aromatic nose. This is a wine that can stand up to Roman Italian flavors.

Ricardo told me that they don’t do half-orders of pasta, making the gnocchi too heavy to order. Instead, I chose the Tagliolini all’ Agnello: a fettuccini-like pasta with lamb ragout. It was al dente and savory and Ricardo made sure to sprinkle some freshly grated cheese on top. The portion size was exactly what I wanted.

Even though the lamb Osso Buco was calling my name, I decided to go with another favorite entrée, the Vitello Saltimbocca – veal loin, Prosciutto, sage fontina, and sautéed spinach. This dish is different every time I have it. The cheese completely obscured the pounded, tender veal and prosciutto beneath it and the spinach peaked out when I cut slices to eat it. A very good dish; the Barolo made all the flavors bounce.

Ricardo came around when I had finished everything and announced, “Now it’s time for the best part.” I thought everything was pretty good already, but then I was served Scarlatto’s tiramisu. Almost three inches high, it was undeniably homemade and fresh. The double espresso was an afterthought in comparison. Very good coffee, but just a side-kick to the dessert.

Over its 12-year history, Scarlatto has received raves and jibes to both ends of the scale. I was fortunate to be there on the cusp of the theater crowd attendance and learned how the service improved when they were not being harried. Even the second martini improved. I had good food, great conversations with Ricardo, a wonderful wine and a laugh with the two ladies at the next table. What more could I ask for?

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