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(Burke, we’re informed, is unavailable after dying off screen after asking for a raise. R.I.P.)

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Keith's entertaining review of The Nun II has me somewhat conflicted. On one hand, I have proven to myself that I am a sap for the Conjuring-verse's "bread and butter" and this makes it sound like a solid edition. On the other, I would have nailed the first The Nun as the series' worst until earlier this week, when I crossed La Llorona off the list and it slotted far and away into the bottom spot. Could go either way for me!

I hope the newspaper sequence hasn't been spoiled by the tv spots and trailers, its featured heavily there but the description here seems to insist there's more to it.

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I've been 0/2 on Chaves so far - I thought La Llorena was the most anonymous of the Conjuring movies, even more so than the first Annabelle, and Conjuring 3 had moments but is pretty creaky - but I'm optimistic about this as I think he's been saddled with leftover-ish scripts to date.

I remember not liking The Nun when I first saw it but upon revisit, I was able to admire what's different about it than a lot of the other Conjuring movies, with a bit of the ol' Italian-late 70's/early-80's vibe going. Ready for more of that!

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SIDEBAR: I love these Conjuring-verse movies and while I understand that people hate the Warrens, that doesn't really take anything away from the movies IMO. They're pretty dang consistent with the best ones (first two Conjuring movies and Annabelle Comes Home) being really great.

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It's always been a stumbling block for me. It wouldn't be as grating if the movie didn't go so far out of its way to portray them as The Best, Kindest, Loveliest, Nicest People Ever Whose Love and Decency Is A Superpower! at every turn. It's like trying to watch a lighthearted car chase movie where Richard Nixon shows up and everyone stops to tell him how great he is, how his moral character sustains us all, best president ever. It's also hard to pretend that it's just a movie and it doesn't matter when you look at how real world exorcisms increased following The Exorcist.

If you don't want to spend an hour listening to the excellent episode of You're Wrong About about how terrible/unethical the Warrens are, youtube the 5 min scene from My Amityville Horror with an elderly Lorraine Warren being a total con artist nutbar.

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I listened to this at your prompting. I knew some of these details but it's really something. Going to turn this into this week's open question.

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I've only seen one film set in the Conjuring Universe and that was ANNABELLE COMES HOME and *that* was because it had a werewolf in it for half a minute. Wake me when they get around to telling the full story of "The Black Shuck." Until then, I'll stay out.

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