Last night I saw A Quiet Place, starring real-life spouses Emily Blunt and John Krasinski. John also directed the film.
Lee (Krasinski) and Eveyln (Blunt) are normal parents—they have strict rules for their children to follow, they work hard to protect and provide for them. But this family has it a bit harder. They live in a time of crises where the earth has been invaded by alien creatures who hunt sound. This means if they make noise, they die.
For adults, maintaining silence isn't too difficult, but for kids, it's a lot harder. Also, their eldest, Regan (Millicent Simmonds), is deaf. On one hand, at least the entire family can communicate by sign language; on the other hand, Regan can't hear danger coming.
You may think an entire film shot mostly in silence could be boring, but this is the absolute opposite of that. The story is at times sweet, terrifying, heartwarming and heart-wrenching. Above all else, it's tense.
Think of living your life in your most adrenaline-fueled, anxious, on-guard state and that's what these folks are forced to do every minute of every day.
They carry on, we assume only for love, because life is pretty difficult. Think about all the activities that make noise—laughing, crying, making love, cooking, making music ... the list goes on.
Of course they have little ways of enjoying sound ... nature, headphones, etc. but to overcome human instinct is a battle that should never have to be fought.
I held my breath throughout most of this film because they were such nice people I wanted them to make it. It should also be noted that the entire cast is phenomenal, acting 90% of their roles through facial expressions.
Also refreshing: what you think might happen doesn't. On more than one occasion.
I can't wait to see what Director Krasinski does next.
~~~
Showing posts with label apocalypse. Show all posts
Showing posts with label apocalypse. Show all posts
Friday, April 06, 2018
Saturday, March 12, 2016
10 Cloverfield Lane
This morning I saw 10 Cloverfield Lane, starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead and John Goodman.
Michelle (Winstead) has decided to move on and sets out on the road with a bag of stuff that doesn't include her engagement ring. It's not clear where she's headed (except that she most likely won't be going back).
After a heart-stopping surprise event, she ends up in an underground bunker with Howard (Goodman), a doomsday conspiracy theorist who claims to be saving her from chemical warfare outside. But is he telling the truth? Or is he telling her what he believes to be true, but has little basis in reality?
Michelle soon learns she's not the only captive of Howard's, as Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.) emerges from the next room. He's a decent guy, if not a bit simple, and soon becomes a strong ally for her.
What's great about this film is that just when you think it's going to get formulaic, the screenwriter turns everything upside down and changes your mind. Over and over again.
Michelle's quest to learn the truth gets her in trouble, but that doesn't slow her pursuit. She's always one step ahead of her captor, though he's bigger and stronger and perhaps psychotic. Not to get too feminist-y, but I found it incredibly refreshing that the girl was the smartest in the room. And she was the youngest of the bunch, too.
I can't tell you what transpires or who survives, but I can tell you that if you go to this movie, you'll be on the edge of your seat for the full 105 minutes. Enjoying the clever, well-acted, well-scripted thrill ride.
~~~
Michelle (Winstead) has decided to move on and sets out on the road with a bag of stuff that doesn't include her engagement ring. It's not clear where she's headed (except that she most likely won't be going back).
After a heart-stopping surprise event, she ends up in an underground bunker with Howard (Goodman), a doomsday conspiracy theorist who claims to be saving her from chemical warfare outside. But is he telling the truth? Or is he telling her what he believes to be true, but has little basis in reality?
Michelle soon learns she's not the only captive of Howard's, as Emmett (John Gallagher Jr.) emerges from the next room. He's a decent guy, if not a bit simple, and soon becomes a strong ally for her.
What's great about this film is that just when you think it's going to get formulaic, the screenwriter turns everything upside down and changes your mind. Over and over again.
Michelle's quest to learn the truth gets her in trouble, but that doesn't slow her pursuit. She's always one step ahead of her captor, though he's bigger and stronger and perhaps psychotic. Not to get too feminist-y, but I found it incredibly refreshing that the girl was the smartest in the room. And she was the youngest of the bunch, too.
I can't tell you what transpires or who survives, but I can tell you that if you go to this movie, you'll be on the edge of your seat for the full 105 minutes. Enjoying the clever, well-acted, well-scripted thrill ride.
~~~
Saturday, May 11, 2013
It's a Disaster
Tonight I saw It's a Disaster, starring Julia Stiles and David Cross.
Tracy (Stiles) and Glen (Cross) are on their third date, attending a "couples' brunch" at the home of Tracy's friends.
Because there are couples there is naturally drama and soon the group learns that one of the pairs are enduring a breakup. This causes an obvious tension among the guests until something more important interrupts them: a neighbor in a Hazmat suit. He's come to ask for spare batteries because the city is apparently under a chemical warfare attack. Everyone is instructed to stay inside and duct tape the airways as they face their own demise. Phones, electricity and Internet are all gone.
And just as in real life, when a crises occurs, everyone reacts in their own way. One friend is obsessed with learning who is doing this to them; another goes catatonic; some drink heavily; others have sex.
The calmest of the bunch is the outcast, Glen, who everyone likes, but no one really knows. The most out of control is Hedy (America Ferrera) who teaches high school chemistry, and realizes the dismal fate they're all facing.
Sounds gloomy, huh?
Not so much—it's more silly than depressing, and if they didn't bring up the "terrorist attack" in every other sentence, we probably would forget that they're all sure to die by nightfall.
The banter is enjoyable, but it does unfortunately feel like dozens of other indie films with unfaithful spouses and betrayals of friendship. The odd thing about this one is that it's a comedy, and the jokes are stronger than the characters.
~~~
Tracy (Stiles) and Glen (Cross) are on their third date, attending a "couples' brunch" at the home of Tracy's friends.
Because there are couples there is naturally drama and soon the group learns that one of the pairs are enduring a breakup. This causes an obvious tension among the guests until something more important interrupts them: a neighbor in a Hazmat suit. He's come to ask for spare batteries because the city is apparently under a chemical warfare attack. Everyone is instructed to stay inside and duct tape the airways as they face their own demise. Phones, electricity and Internet are all gone.
And just as in real life, when a crises occurs, everyone reacts in their own way. One friend is obsessed with learning who is doing this to them; another goes catatonic; some drink heavily; others have sex.
The calmest of the bunch is the outcast, Glen, who everyone likes, but no one really knows. The most out of control is Hedy (America Ferrera) who teaches high school chemistry, and realizes the dismal fate they're all facing.
Sounds gloomy, huh?
Not so much—it's more silly than depressing, and if they didn't bring up the "terrorist attack" in every other sentence, we probably would forget that they're all sure to die by nightfall.
The banter is enjoyable, but it does unfortunately feel like dozens of other indie films with unfaithful spouses and betrayals of friendship. The odd thing about this one is that it's a comedy, and the jokes are stronger than the characters.
~~~
Friday, November 13, 2009
2012
Tonight I saw 2012, starring John Cusack and Chiwetel Ejiofor.
Let me first state: it's completely ridiculous.
John Cusack plays author Jackson Curtis who seems to be late for everything in life: work, picking his kids up for a camping trip, saving his family from apocalyptic catastrophe, etc. When we meet him, he has overslept and is rushing to his ex-wife's house to collect the children for a Yellowstone expedition.
Chiwetel Ejiofor plays a geologist who we first meet in India, where he's visiting his friend, an astrophysicist, and working on a serious government assignment.
Uh-oh. The earth isn't behaving like it's supposed to. The "earth crust displacement" (a real-life theory by a 1950s American scientist) isn't supposed to go down for at least a few more years, but temperatures are heating up so it's time to crash a party in Washington, D.C. and let the head honchos know.
As you can imagine, this doesn't go down well across the globe. And it all falls on the U.S. (though it was the Indian astrophysicist who really cracked the case) to organize the evacuations and sell tickets aboard monster ships built to withstand the disastrous impact.
Luckily for audience members, 2012 looks a whole lot like 2009, so it's relatable. The Terminator is still the Governor of California, the President is still black and grocery stores are even stocking the same issues of Rolling Stone (I noticed one on the shelf that featured U2 promoting their album No Line on the Horizon, which came out earlier this year).
It's not hard to imagine how greatly we'd all freak out if confronted with such havoc because like the citizens in the movie, they gave us no time to prepare.
But that's when it gets fun.
After a cameo from Woody Harrelson (as a crazy hippie with all the answers) and a few establishing scenes to let us know Cusack isn't winning any Father of the Year awards, we have liftoff as California falls off into the ocean (literally).
Luckily, Jackson is able to get his family (and his ex's boyfriend) into a rented airplane in the nick of time to escape the destruction. These scenes aren't as suspenseful as they should be (how could they not make it out when the movie's barely begun), but I'll be happy to admit I enjoyed the effects immensely.
After California is gone, we see Vegas go and then other handpicked cities/monuments that are cool to watch explode. I must emphasize: if you like explosions, this is the film for you!
In between massive explosions you'll find cheesy one-liners, awkward 'almost' romances, brave kids, regretful parents, asshole government reps, righteous scientists and repeated product placement (Bentley™ and Pull-Ups® must've spent a fortune).
I spent more time laughing than I did recoiling in horror or gasping in surprise. But that's okay—I still had a good time at the end of the world.
~~~
Let me first state: it's completely ridiculous.
John Cusack plays author Jackson Curtis who seems to be late for everything in life: work, picking his kids up for a camping trip, saving his family from apocalyptic catastrophe, etc. When we meet him, he has overslept and is rushing to his ex-wife's house to collect the children for a Yellowstone expedition.
Chiwetel Ejiofor plays a geologist who we first meet in India, where he's visiting his friend, an astrophysicist, and working on a serious government assignment.
Uh-oh. The earth isn't behaving like it's supposed to. The "earth crust displacement" (a real-life theory by a 1950s American scientist) isn't supposed to go down for at least a few more years, but temperatures are heating up so it's time to crash a party in Washington, D.C. and let the head honchos know.
As you can imagine, this doesn't go down well across the globe. And it all falls on the U.S. (though it was the Indian astrophysicist who really cracked the case) to organize the evacuations and sell tickets aboard monster ships built to withstand the disastrous impact.
Luckily for audience members, 2012 looks a whole lot like 2009, so it's relatable. The Terminator is still the Governor of California, the President is still black and grocery stores are even stocking the same issues of Rolling Stone (I noticed one on the shelf that featured U2 promoting their album No Line on the Horizon, which came out earlier this year).
It's not hard to imagine how greatly we'd all freak out if confronted with such havoc because like the citizens in the movie, they gave us no time to prepare.
But that's when it gets fun.
After a cameo from Woody Harrelson (as a crazy hippie with all the answers) and a few establishing scenes to let us know Cusack isn't winning any Father of the Year awards, we have liftoff as California falls off into the ocean (literally).
Luckily, Jackson is able to get his family (and his ex's boyfriend) into a rented airplane in the nick of time to escape the destruction. These scenes aren't as suspenseful as they should be (how could they not make it out when the movie's barely begun), but I'll be happy to admit I enjoyed the effects immensely.
After California is gone, we see Vegas go and then other handpicked cities/monuments that are cool to watch explode. I must emphasize: if you like explosions, this is the film for you!
In between massive explosions you'll find cheesy one-liners, awkward 'almost' romances, brave kids, regretful parents, asshole government reps, righteous scientists and repeated product placement (Bentley™ and Pull-Ups® must've spent a fortune).
I spent more time laughing than I did recoiling in horror or gasping in surprise. But that's okay—I still had a good time at the end of the world.
~~~
Sunday, December 16, 2007
I Am Legend
Today I saw I Am Legend, starring Will Smith.
If I hadn't yet seen No Country For Old Men, I may have claimed this was the most nervewracking film of 2007, but even it can't match the Coen brothers gift for tension.
At the core of this science-laden story is heart. Will Smith, always great, plays Robert Neville—a successful scientist convinced he can reverse a terrible virus that has wiped out New York City (and apparently most of the United States as well). We learn the virus had initial good intentions as a cure for cancer (a cameo by Emma Thompson delivers this revelation), but went terribly wrong as it mutated.
As you can imagine, what ensues forces you to abandon all rational thought and play the suspension-of-disbelief game with a non-thinking head.
Instead of the infected just withering away (as one may expect, after an incurable virus attacks the immune system), these victims exhibit "rabies-like" behavior (who knew rabies enabled you to scale walls and pull apart houses with superhuman strength?) and terrorize all who cross their path. They're not vampires in the traditional sense of the word, but they do have an aversion to light and a tendency to chomp at flesh.
Amidst all of this silliness, Neville somehow manages to make us feel sorry for him and bask in his lonely existence (though if I were him, I wouldn't be 'borrowing' one DVD at a time from the now desolate video store—I'd borrow a whole shelf). His dog Samantha brings him a fair amount of companionship, as dogs generally do, and familiar sounds such as Bob Marley on the stereo and Ann Curry on an obviously taped vintage Today Show would undoubtedly help keep one's sanity in tact if they were the last human roaming the city (after all, deer, lions, etc. seem to have no trouble avoiding the virus).
In the visual sense, this movie is arguably great. When things jump out at the characters, you feel they're jumping into your lap; the sounds are just as unnerving.
But as a "I'm the last person left in the world, what am I going to do with myself?" sci-fi romp, I'm disappointed the character chooses to stay at "ground zero" to pursue his mission.
The movie, brief in length, does manage to keep the viewer engaged until the ultimate predictable ending commences. For that, all of the stolen ideas from 28 Days Later can be forgiven.
If I hadn't yet seen No Country For Old Men, I may have claimed this was the most nervewracking film of 2007, but even it can't match the Coen brothers gift for tension.
At the core of this science-laden story is heart. Will Smith, always great, plays Robert Neville—a successful scientist convinced he can reverse a terrible virus that has wiped out New York City (and apparently most of the United States as well). We learn the virus had initial good intentions as a cure for cancer (a cameo by Emma Thompson delivers this revelation), but went terribly wrong as it mutated.
As you can imagine, what ensues forces you to abandon all rational thought and play the suspension-of-disbelief game with a non-thinking head.
Instead of the infected just withering away (as one may expect, after an incurable virus attacks the immune system), these victims exhibit "rabies-like" behavior (who knew rabies enabled you to scale walls and pull apart houses with superhuman strength?) and terrorize all who cross their path. They're not vampires in the traditional sense of the word, but they do have an aversion to light and a tendency to chomp at flesh.
Amidst all of this silliness, Neville somehow manages to make us feel sorry for him and bask in his lonely existence (though if I were him, I wouldn't be 'borrowing' one DVD at a time from the now desolate video store—I'd borrow a whole shelf). His dog Samantha brings him a fair amount of companionship, as dogs generally do, and familiar sounds such as Bob Marley on the stereo and Ann Curry on an obviously taped vintage Today Show would undoubtedly help keep one's sanity in tact if they were the last human roaming the city (after all, deer, lions, etc. seem to have no trouble avoiding the virus).
In the visual sense, this movie is arguably great. When things jump out at the characters, you feel they're jumping into your lap; the sounds are just as unnerving.
But as a "I'm the last person left in the world, what am I going to do with myself?" sci-fi romp, I'm disappointed the character chooses to stay at "ground zero" to pursue his mission.
The movie, brief in length, does manage to keep the viewer engaged until the ultimate predictable ending commences. For that, all of the stolen ideas from 28 Days Later can be forgiven.
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