The Crook Cut: The Movie Podcast

Ep 26: The Annabelle Trilogy: No, Yes, Maybe?

Well it’s official I am a horror movie fan and I couldn’t be happier to finally be one haha! It’s been a journey but genuinely enjoying and appreciating horror films is something I never thought I would see myself claiming so yay In today’s episode I give a review and have a bit of a look into the Annabelle trilogy. Look in all honesty this series is not the most well done or scariest series to ever grace screens but it’s nice that they were able to build out ‘The Conjuring’ universe further and give screen time to one of the scariest dolls ever! I think ‘The Conjuring’ is the scariest movie in the entire universe with the movies in that series overall being much stronger than the ‘Annabelle’ trilogy, however I think these movies are a great place to start if you want to get into the universe before being TOTALLY spooked. I mentioned her in the ep but Talitha Eliana Bateman is the actress from ‘Annabelle: Creation’ and she does a tremendous job as young Janice! Some sources I used to research the real doll, please research as you need as I found conflicting sources and some unclearly answers on things: https://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/annabelle/ https://people.com/is-annabelle-based-on-a-true-story-11773716 Spoilers ahead but I have timestamped the movies in case you only wanted to check out one or two: ‘Annabelle’ (2014) – John R. Leonetti – 5:40 ‘Annabelle: Creation’ (2017) – David F. Sandberg – 15:03 ‘Annabelle Comes Home’ (2019) – Gary Dauberman – 27:09 Hope you enjoy!! Find all my links below :) Threads: https://www.threads.net/@rhys.crook [https://www.threads.net/@rhys.crook] Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Rhysdana/ [https://letterboxd.com/Rhysdana/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhys.crook/ [https://www.instagram.com/rhys.crook/]? Email: thecrookcut@gmail.com See you next episode !! - Rhys :)

Ep 25: My Fave A24 Films

A24 is truly a gift that keeps on giving and having only seen 30-40 films form their library? collection? assortment? I am beyond stoked to deep dive further into what they have produced! Today however, I reflect on a few of the films I have seen that have stood out and been some of my favourite thus far. Having mentioned it about 3,000 times in the episode, ‘X’ is actually my fave but I cannot talk about my girl Maxine without talking about my girl Pearl, so stay tuned for a trilogy review of our fave scream queens. The films below feel very toned down from the  usual chaos and mayhem that is an A24 film but great introductory recommendations to the artistry and care put into all of their productions. Go back to Episode 2 – Horror Movies to Watch – to see a brief review / discussion about ‘Talk to Me’ (2022) - peak A24 horror and lowkey just peak film in general: https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-crook-cut-the-movie-podcast/id1826988520?i=1000717514567 [https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/the-crook-cut-the-movie-podcast/id1826988520?i=1000717514567] Spoilers ahead but I have timestamped the movies in case you only wanted to check out one or two: ‘The Florida Project’ (2017) – Sean Baker – 4:04 ‘The Spectacular Now’ (2013) – James Ponsoldt – 15:29 ‘Bodies Bodies Bodies’ (2022) – Halina Reijn – 26:52 Hope you enjoy!! Find all my links below :) Threads: https://www.threads.net/@rhys.crook [https://www.threads.net/@rhys.crook] Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Rhysdana/ [https://letterboxd.com/Rhysdana/] Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhys.crook/ [https://www.instagram.com/rhys.crook/]? Email: thecrookcut@gmail.com See you next episode !! - Rhys :)

Ep 24: The Conjuring: Scared, Impressed, Underwhelmed

Hello and welcome back to The Crook Cut! Wowza I truly never thought I would watch and enjoy the film in ‘The Conjuring’ universe but here I am and dare I say, I am officially a fan! A bit of a different episode as I explore my thoughts and feelings across ‘The Conjuring’ entries where we see faith, love and family bonds being the backbone of each movie (as well as a demon or three :0). It is important to acknowledge that each of the films make reference to real life cases and real experiences however my comments and critics are purely on the filmmaking and the stories presented on screen. I have linked a few sources below where I gathered my information. Spoilers ahead but I have timestamped the movies in case you only wanted to check out one or two: ‘The Conjuring’ (2013) – James Wan – 9:47 ‘The Conjuring 2’ (2016) – James Wan – 17:29 ‘The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It’ (2021) – Michael Chaves – 28:45 ‘The Conjuring: Last Rites’ (2025) – Michael Chaves – 39:04 Linked sources below: * ‘The True Story Behind The Conjuring: Where Is the Perron Family Now?’ https://people.com/the-conjuring-true-story-8645388 [https://people.com/the-conjuring-true-story-8645388] (The Conjuring) * The Morbid Podcast episode ‘The Enfield Poltergeist’ https://music.amazon.com.au/podcasts/30381209-4d12-4c82-ba16-5bde361156c9/episodes/76373508-5664-4c58-88ea-24ef10c4143f/morbid-the-enfield-poltergeist [https://music.amazon.com.au/podcasts/30381209-4d12-4c82-ba16-5bde361156c9/episodes/76373508-5664-4c58-88ea-24ef10c4143f/morbid-the-enfield-poltergeist] (Conjuring 2) * The Enfield Poltergeist: Inside the Real Story that Inspired The Conjuring 2 https://people.com/movies/inside-the-real-story-that-inspired-the-conjuring-2/ [https://people.com/movies/inside-the-real-story-that-inspired-the-conjuring-2/] (Conjuring 2) * The Conjuring 3: How true is it to real events and where's Arne Johnson now? https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a36529802/conjuring-3-true-story-arne-johnson-now/ [https://www.digitalspy.com/movies/a36529802/conjuring-3-true-story-arne-johnson-now/] (The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It) * The Conjuring: Last Rites: True Story: Inside the Real Demonic Haunting That Inspired the Franchise’s Final Movie -              https://people.com/is-the-conjuring-last-rites-a-true-story-11803693 [https://people.com/is-the-conjuring-last-rites-a-true-story-11803693] (The Conjuring: Last Rites) Hope you enjoy!!  See you next episode !! - Rhys :)

Ep 23: …it was all yellow…

Hello and welcome back to The Crook Cut! Today I discuss three movies with three completely different stories, but one thing in common…the colour yellow! I’ve always loved movie posters and the way they begin telling a story before you even press play. While each film I discuss explores heavier themes and the tougher parts of life, I like to think the colour in each poster reinforces the hope they ultimately leave us with. *trigger warnings for the movie discussed, please research them if needed before listening* Spoilers ahead but I have timestamped the movies in case you only wanted to check out one or two: ’Chef’ (2014) – Jon Favreau – 3:43 ‘What’s Eating Gilbert Grape’ (1993) – Lasse Hallström – 12:33 ‘My Life as a Zucchini’ (‘Ma vie de courgette’) (2016) – Claude Barras - 21:12 Hope you enjoy!! Find all my links below :) Threads: https://www.threads.net/@rhys.crook Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Rhysdana/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhys.crook/? Email: thecrookcut@gmail.com See you next episode !! - Rhys :)

Ep 22: oh the horrrror…

Ep 22 – oh the horrrror… My horror movie journey continues!! The more I watch the more I am so excited to get into this genre and the more I want to see. Don’t get me wrong, I am still a MASSIVE scaredy cat but in good time I’m sure I’ll be calling myself a horror fan through and through! Today’s episode I just talk about a few of my most recent watches. Not of all of these movies were my most favourite ever but all very different and I would still recommend them one way or another! Spoilers ahead but I have timestamped the movies in case you only wanted to check out one or two: '10 Cloverfield Lane' (2016) – Dan Trachtenberg – 2:46 ‘The Ugly Stepsister’ (2025) – Emilie Blichfeldt – 9:54‘ Opus’ (2025) – Mark Anthony Green -  20:07 Hope you enjoy!! Find all my links below :) Threads: https://www.threads.net/@rhys.crook Letterboxd: https://letterboxd.com/Rhysdana/ Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/rhys.crook/? Email: thecrookcut@gmail.com See you next episode !! - Rhys :)