Movie Review: A Quiet Place (No Spoilers)

A Quiet Place : In theaters 4/6/2018

Synopsis: A family struggles to survive against brutal and lethal creatures that hunt by sound.

Directed by: John Krasinski
Run Time: 1 hour 35 minutes

The movie stars John Krasinski as the father,  Emily Blunt (who is Krasinski's wife) as the pregnant mother and there 3 children played by Noah Jupe, Cade Woodward & Millicent Simmonds. There is an obvious chemistry between these actors that I found very endearing. What seems to be missed by a surprisingly high number of directors making horror/suspense films is that the protagonist characters must be relatable to the audience. In many cases however, I think it's obvious the care isn't there when making a movie in which the characters are just as crazy or weird as the villain(s). When this happens, you find yourself not caring about any of the characters. Thankfully, it's very obvious there was a lot of care during the making of this movie.

The movie sets things up nicely and establishes each of the characters personalities quickly and effectively as well as their relationships with each other as a family.  It feels effortless to learn about these characters even with the lack of verbal communication with each other because in this movie, silence is survival. From very early on in the film I was invested in their struggle and wanted to see them succeed and survive.

A horror movie is only as good as it's villain. Should your villain be flat, unconvincing or just plain boring the movie will fail. All of your classic horror films have fantastic villains that grab your attention. The creatures in A Quiet Place certainly capture your attention. They are very convincing as a threat which only builds more and more as they are revealed further as the film progresses.

Expressing the importance of the characters needing to stay silent to avoid being hunted by the horrifically brutal creatures could've easily become tedious and repetitious. However, I never felt this once during the film. To me, the threat was ever present hence the silence always felt very important. A Quiet Place effectively embraces the need for silence and uses it masterfully to build a foundation of suspense that is almost palpable.

The world the characters now live in & the remnants of how things used to be are shown effectively throughout the film without feeling repetitious. Nor does it drag the story to a crawl and the pace is this movie moves you right along. There are no flashbacks to show how where the creatures came from or the family's life before things went bad which I was pleased with. The movie is keeps you focused on the present with glimpses of the past through the family's home, pictures and news papers as it gives you enough background story from these sources. I felt the film does a wonderful job of putting you right there with the family and demands that you keep your attention to what is happening. Just like the characters in this movie need to do to survive.

Summary:

A Quiet Place is a well balanced and tight adrenaline ride. It takes you to the depths of despair and fear while showing the strength of the human spirit. From the beginning to the very end it has you on edge of your seat & wondering what will happen next. A thrill ride and a must see.

Review: The Strangers: Prey at Night



RATING:

Directed by Johannes Roberts

Synopsis: A family of 4 travel to a remote trailer park to stay. This is where they encounter the 3 masked killers as the nightmare begins.

The 3 masked killers are back in this more of a standalone that an actual sequel to the 2008 release  The Strangers, directed by Bryan Bertino. Which was effective in building suspense, care for the protagonists and genuinely creepy scenes. While my hopes for this movie weren't exactly high, there was a glimmer of hope in me in that I would be pleasantly surprised. This movie did not deliver for me on any level.



Mike (Martin Henderson) & Cindy (Christina Hendricks)

With a running time of only 1 hour 25 minutes the movie didn't work for me from the very beginning. The introduction of the family immediately I didn't get invested in at all. It was immediately obvious to me that there was no chemistry between these actors at all. The parents Cindy (Christina Hendricks) and Mike (Martin Henderson) weren't believable as parents to their troubled teen Kinsey (Bailee Madison) & son Luke (Lewis Pullman).

Luke (Lewis Pullman)




Kinsey (Bailee Madison)

Besides the obvious chemistry issues between the actors, the recycling of some of the scares the original film did wonderfully just feels forced and was in no way done in any sort of refreshing way. And I swear, if I have to hear the killers' pickup truck rev its engine one more time I'm going to scream.

I found myself not caring about anything this entire movie. The only time the film would get a rise out of me is the bad dialogue, horrible attempts at scaring you and the awful decisions the victims would make. Now I realize that horror movies are known for characters that make bad decisions, but this was just ridiculous and it just felt forced. Almost as if these scenes were written in an attempt to create further tension and scares but it fails miserably.

The killers themselves have no development or intrigue to them at all. With the original release, the killers were mysterious, creepy and had an aura of danger. With this being another installment of these killers, I expected some sort of evolution to them or perhaps just a little more insight into their psychotic way of thinking. I'm all for not explaining too much but with the combination of the poor chemistry between the actors & lack of real originality, the villains just fall flat.

Summary:

The Strangers: Prey at Night is a poorly written & poorly executed movie. It offers nothing new and even fails to deliver on the rehashed scares from the first & far more superior movie. No matter how many times you have seen 2008's The Strangers, watch it again instead of this movie.





Review: IT (2017)

 

2017 Theatrical Release Poster

Review Rating: 4.8 out of 5

 

IT was released September 8, 2017 and is directed by Andy Muschietti. To say that the buzz about this movie was high is a massive understatement as it previously held the record of the most watched trailer on the internet. The question loomed large, would it live up to the hype?

1990 TV Mini-Series Release Poster

 IT was originally released in 1986 as a novel written by legendary horror writer Stephen King in 1986. It was then released as a made-for-TV mini series in 1990 on ABC. Besides the great performance from the legendary actor Tim Curry as Pennywise the Dancing Clown, the TV adaptation falls rather flat and is disappointing.

Like the book and the 1990 made-for-TV version, this 2017 theatrical release is a story takes place in a fictional town called Derry in Maine. It follows a group of kids in their early teens known as The Losers Club. They are the outsiders in Derry that are dealing with their own issues and end up finding validation, acceptance and a great camaraderie. This ends up being exactly what they need to fight the terrifying antagonist known as Pennywise the Dancing Clown. An entity from another dimension that has existed for billions of years. This being is able to present itself in any form it wishes, it knows what it's target fears. Worse yet, it's favorite target is children as they are the most vulnerable and easy to scare. It's favorite form is the twisted clown, Pennywise.

The cast is so strong in this movie it's incredible. Especially the children that make up The Losers Club. I found each character to be well written and performed perfectly. Even more impressive, the movie does a great job in properly showing you each character's personality traits and fears. I found myself caring about each character as they weren't simply "meat" to be killed off. As the movie moves along your care for each Losers Club member grows. In order for a horror movie to be effective, the audience needs to care about the protagonists and this movie gives you that. They bring such "heart" to this film. To say that about a cast in a horror is beyond rare. An honorable mention for me goes to the young actress Sophia Lillis, who plays Beverly. Her performance is full of nuance & shows a true maturity far beyond her years.

Pennywise The Dancing Down (played by Bill Skarsgard)

 One of the many questions that were "floating" around the internet about this movie before it was released was, "Who is playing Pennywise?" "What is he going to look like?" Immediately after we finally got the news and pictures of the shape shifting clown, reactions were strong. My reaction was strong. I was thrilled. I thought the look of him was perfect. I believed the worst thing that could've been done was to rehash the look of Tim Curry's version of the evil entity. I felt that Curry's version is untouchable and should remain that way. I found people (which was bound to happen) comparing everything about this new Pennywise to the mini-series version ridiculous. Nothing will take away from what Curry was able to do with the character, so leave it alone.
Bill Skarsgard's portrayal of Pennywise is haunting, humorous at times & downright horrifying. He's able to show the complexity of the character & puts his all in this performance. Like the rest of the cast, you see a character development even with Pennywise. He's not a one dimensional villain and Skarsgard creates a monster truly worthy of your attention and fright.


Summary:
After such a long wait for a theatrical release this movie is truly worth it and more. A classic to be sure.  It delivers on so many fronts. To have a horror movie that offers so many different things is something to behold and will have folks "floating" for years to come.

Review: Black Mass (2015)

Black Mass is a movie directed by Scott Cooper that is based on actual events involving the Winter Hill Gang. A tough Irish gang that controlled South Boston, MA in the late 70's into the mid 90's. The leader of this gang was James "Whitey" Bulger (played by Johnny Depp) who is the brother of the State Senator Billy Bulger (played by Benedict Cumberbatch). FBI agent and childhood friend, John Connolly (played by Joel Edgerton) approaches him to form an "alliance" of sorts. John Connolly is eager to wipe out the Italian mob in Boston to further his career and wants to have Whitey help him. In return, he'll feed Bulger information and protect him from being charged for crimes as he'll do what he can to protect Whitey. Connolly's boss, FBI Agent Charles McGuire (played by Kevin Bacon) is suspicious and confrontational about the arrangement with Bulger the entire time.

This movie often feels more like a series of re-enactments than a cohesive film. There's character interaction of course, but it felt to me like it was done just to finish that particular scene and not for the overall story and character relationships as the movie progresses. However, maybe this was intentional. Maybe director Scott Cooper wants you to be submerged in a world of criminals, corruption, lies and deceit. A world where people were actually emotionally distant and kept up their guard. Maybe he wants the film to reflect this world that you are in for 2 hours and 3 minutes.

There is a scene however, which is wonderful and speaks to what I felt is missing in the rest of the film. The dinner scene with Bulger, Connolly, Agent John Morris (played by the awesome David Harbour, who also plays Hopper in the amazing Stranger Things series on Netflix) and Steve Flemmi, Bulger's right hand man (played by Rory Cochrane). In this awesome well shot, well timed scene you understand what the rest of this film could've been. You feel the chemistry, the connection & the tension of the characters as they talk over dinner. It is the gem of the film.

What carries this movie through are the individual performances. There isn't a single character in this movie that I felt wasn't played to perfection. Johnny Depp truly delivers as Whitey Bulger. His menacing stare and creepy intimidation tactics make your skin crawl. With Depp being arguably one the best character actors of our time, it's especially nice to see him in a more subdued role to really show again that he has the chops.

Actor Joel Edgerton's portrayal of Agent Connolly is another standout performance. He truly is a character I loved to hate. Even more than Bulger because at least with Whitey, you know he's a criminal and expect as much. With Connolly being an FBI Agent, his manipulation and lies just made me disgusted with him and I enjoyed it very much. With his portrayal of this corrupt FBI Agent, it was Edgerton's subtle mannerisms and well placed inflections in his voice that delivered for me.

Summary: I can't help but feel this movie somehow falls short from its full potential. With the strong performances and the great cinematography, I never get a sense of true character relationships or meaningful interactions (with the exception of the dinner scene). I walk away with a nagging feeling that there was so much more to give but it just didn't happen, leaving a sort of hollow feeling. With that being said, the movie is certainly not a waste of time and is an overall enjoyable watch.

Insidious: The Last Key (2018) Lets hope it's the last

Insidious: The Last Key is the 4th installment in the series. This film is a prequel that tells the background story of the Elise Rainier (played by Lin Shaye), as she has played a crucial role in the previous films in helping families that are plagued by dangerous paranormal activity. We are shown Elise's childhood, growing up during the 1950's in New Mexico & the struggles of her coming to terms with her abilities. As the movie progresses, you gain more insight into her past in flashbacks while she winds up investigating the very home in which she grew up. Discoveries are made which connects what is currently happening to Elise's past.

While the series has never been anything historic in the annals of horror, I felt it was fairly solid as a series. By far the first film is the best of them all, as is common with most movie series. This has not changed after watching this latest (and hopefully final) film. This latest installment simply doesn't have much going for it.

Lets cover the positive first, it won't take long.....

By far, the only positive of this film is Lin Shaye's performance. As she has done in the previous films, her performance as the brave and kind psychic Elise Rainier is great. What was loved about her before is still very much present in this movie. Unfortunately that's the only thing Insidious: The Last Key has going for it. See? I told you that wouldn't take long.

When you have a movie in which the official trailer https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=acQyrwQyCOk is more interesting than the actual film, there is an obvious issue. Besides this, there is plenty in the trailer that IS NOT in the film. While I understand this isn't an uncommon thing to happen, this one seems to be particularly excessive and downright misleading.

The run time is 1 hour 43 minutes for this movie and I felt every second of it. It feels so much longer. The pacing of the movie just dragged for me and any of the reveals in the movie weren't worth the wait. Nothing felt original to this film as it's nothing you haven't seen before in the previous films. Everything just fell flat.

Elise's paranormal partners, Tucker (played by Angus Sampson) and Specs (played by Leigh Whannel) are back and I just found them annoying. More in this film than any of the other movies. Maybe that's because I just found the overall story weak in it's attempt to scare, shock or generate any real character development. Even the reveal of the main antagonist in the film fails to generate any scares or creep factor.

The rest of the characters in the movie are forgettable. While I didn't find the acting horrible nothing stood out to me with their performances. Since the overall story failed to intrigue me from the beginning, I think I simply gave up on taking the characters seriously.

To add to the tortuously slow pace, lack of originality and draining almost 2 hours from my life, there are things in the film that do not make sense. Like a head wound showing up on a character that has no reason to be there. The investigators looking for a bible that was obviously placed in a particular spot that has no reason not to still be there and it actually had no relevance to what was happening. Ugh, enough of this!


Summary: Even if you are a fan of the previous films, don't waste your time this movie. It is more or less a rehash of what you've seen before, just poorly done. I only hope it is truly The Last Key, and that key is lost forever.