A QUIET PLACE PART II

 Emily Blunt     Millicent Simmonds     Cillian Murphy     Noah Jupe     Djimon Hounsou

            Part II follows along nicely from the first one, although I don’t think the first one really warranted a sequel.  The vignettes from the previous one were helpful.  And certainly the eeriness of the silence punctuated with loud squawking of the monsters is even more effective this time.  It produced a number of jumps and convulsive gasps on my part.  

            Evelyn (Blunt) and her three children are trying to survive after the destruction of their farmhouse.  The oldest, Regan (Simmonds) is deaf, but eminently resourceful and brave.  Poor Marcus (Jupe) gets his foot caught in a trap early on, giving him excruciating pain and risk of infection.  Not only that, he has asthma, which presents an additional challenge.  The baby is still an infant in his mother’s arms, and his cries are a major threat.  It stretches plausibility that their bundling him up in a box with oxygen pumped in could be effective, but…  I went with it.  (The monsters are blind, but their sense of hearing is acute; hence, the need for absolute silence.)

            Mother and children run across an old friend, Emmett (Murphy) who is far from welcoming because of the scarcity of resources.  He is grieving the loss of his family, and Evelyn has to use guilt-inducing strategies even to stay one night.  The story gets more complicated when Regan insists on going to a place she is sure will save them and sneaks off, but Emily insists Emmett go find her and bring her back.  She also needs to go out to get medicine and oxygen for Marcus.  Each of these ventures are harrowing.

            Some relief from the tension is provided when Regan’s speculations pan out, after she and Emmett meet a character played by Djimon Hounsou, but only after a dangerous encounter that almost kills them.

            John Krasinski, who was writer/director and a major actor in the first Quiet Place, and as writer/director here, is a master of timing and sequencing to get the most out of suspense and horror.  However, he like so many other directors and editors now, love frequent cuts back and forth between scenes.  It makes me dizzy, and I resent having to try to figure out over and over again where I am in following the story.  I see absolutely no benefit to this practice.

            The ensemble cast in A Quiet Place Part II is superb, starting with Emily Blunt, who has earned her place as a top-notch star numerous times (The Adjustment Bureau, Edge of Tomorrow, The Devil Wears Prada, A Quiet Place).  Millicent Simmonds as her hearing-impaired daughter is a rising star (Wonderstruck, A Quiet Place), as is Noah Jupe (Honey Boy) playing her son.  Cillian Murphy and Djimon Hounsou as experienced actors in numerous films play their roles here perfectly.  It may be a high point in Murphy’s career.

 

A Quiet Place Part II is successful in producing jumps and gasps during a true horror show.

 

Grade:  B                              By Donna R. Copeland

A QUIET PLACE

Emily Blunt     John Krasinski     Noah Jupe     Millicent Simmonds     Cade Woodward

     This is a very quiet place, necessarily, because acutely hearing monsters might hear and attack wherever human sound is coming from.  It took a while for the audience to settle down, but before long, it was the quietest movie theater I’ve ever been in, which is a measure of just how much tension and apprehension the film elicits in the audience.  It’s clear from the beginning that there has been some kind of holocaust; there are few people around, stores have been wrecked, and the characters we see use sign language.

     The Abbott family (father, mother, daughter, and two sons) is appealing, and they’re able to communicate a great deal with sign language and visual cues. Evelyn (Blunt) is nurturing and fun with her family, doing household chores and home-schooling the kids. And one of your first questions is how she is going to keep a newborn quiet, because she is pregnant. Lee (Krasinski) is intelligent, and he and Emily seem to have thought of everything—well, almost everything—in preparing for eventualities and training their children about what to do. In addition, he spends much time in his workshop trying to get as much information as possible about the monsters and find their vital weakness.  The three children, daughter Regan (Simmonds), Marcus (Jupe), and Beau (Woodward) are typical in their propensity for play and unpredictability, as well as their desire to help.   Regan has a special burden to bear because of something that happens early on in the story.  They are all so appealing, it’s easy to care about what happens to them.

     Krasinski’s directing is something he will be proud of, in its story line (on which he collaborated with Bryan Woods and Scott Beck), the development and pace of the plot, and the selection of the cinematographer Charlotte Bruus and musician Marco Beltrami.   Much of the film is beautiful to watch, with the surreal experience of quietness as the family walks around barefoot, sometimes through the corn fields and woods in full color, punctuated by rushing waters, static in electrical and computer devices (and even in a hearing aid), and the alarming sound of monsters (gorgeously and ghoulishly designed by Industrial Light and Magic) as they groan, trying to find the source of a sound or swoosh in loudly for a kill.  

     Both Emily Blunt and her real-life husband John Krasinski show their talents in acting that conveys so much information nonverbally.  Millicent Simmonds (Wonderstruck) is admirably expressive, and in this role brilliantly shows Regan’s complexities in her hearing impairment (which is real for Simmonds), her unequivocal love for her brothers, her ambivalence toward her parents, and her feelings of guilt, suspicion, and rage toward her father.  

     All the different special effects and production design (Jeffrey Beecroft) in A Quiet Place are noteworthy, especially for a horror film, which knows to reveal the physical appearance of the monsters only gradually.  For much of the first part of the film, they’re only heard, not visible, which heightens the fear factor.  But then, when they’re fully seen, they are fascinating and disgusting at the same time.

     As one who is not an aficionado of horror movies, I found this one to be thoroughly engaging, parsing out the horror in believable—not too fantastic—premises and scenes.  I could have done without the ill-conceived pregnancy and birth of a baby (although this amazing couple even planned that out very carefully.)  

A Quiet Place is deceptive in its title, as an unspeakable horror where sounds can destroy you and your family.

Grade:  A-                                    By Donna R. Copeland

BORN IN CHINA

     Come take a leisurely stroll over the scenic Chinese countryside in the greatest of comfort—unlike that for the filming crew which lugged their equipment, trudging up and down mountains in all kinds of weather to allow us this indulgence.  Disneynature’s Born in China, expertly directed by Chuan Lu and grandly photographed by six artists (Irmin Kerck, Justin Maguire, Shane Moore, Rolf Steinman, and Paul Stewart), is narrated by John Krasinski.  The story by a group of writers (David Fowler, Brian Leith, Phil Chapman and Lu) is fascinating in its portrayal of family life—mostly between mothers and newborns—among monkeys, pandas, and snow leopards, with references made to cranes, antelopes, hawks, and yaks. 

     The endearing parts track the birth of a baby through its first year in three families, showing the instinctive quality of the mother-child bond and the struggles to survive and protect the young in the wild.  Mother Panda Ya Ya focuses all her attention on daughter Mei Mei while she feeds on bamboo (40 lbs/day!) and nurses her infant with breast milk.  After about six months, we see Mei Mei start the separation process by attempting to climb trees, initially rolling all the way down the hill after which her mother scoops her up and takes her home.  When Mei Mei is able to climb the tree high up without falling, the two will separate.

     Mother Dawa, an agile and quick snow leopard, lives at 14,000 feet above sea level on the rocky mountains, having her two cubs in a cave, where they will remain until they’re old enough to attempt navigating the rocks and cliffs.  Dawa has to defend her territory from predators and then be one herself to get food.  She may be challenged by a neighboring leopard whose food supply has become scarce in her own territory and will try to take over Dawa’s.

     The third story focuses on Tau Tau, a monkey who was the center of attention in his family—which consists of multiple doting mothers—until his sister is born.  He feels he has to resort to joining a tribe of “lost boys” who hang out together with their leader Rooster and get into all sorts of mischief—or just playing the game of jumping on branches and falling to the ground.  The drama here is Tau Tau’s evolving relationship with his family, an acceptance/rejection tale that most closely resembles that of a human family.

     Filmmakers should be congratulated for incorporating educational material into the script (e.g., Chinese myths associated with cranes and pandas), frankly portraying life and death and linking both to the Circle of Life, and showing the values in appreciating and becoming knowledgeable about the natural world, which includes the humorous aspects of it.  Compared to other films, this one is relatively short at 75 minutes, which is exactly right for the kind of film it is.  It is idyllic, in a way.  When I saw the crystal clear waters, clean air, and fertile earth, I was reminded of the compromises we humans have made in an industrial age.

Revel in the refreshing, natural world of Born in China for relief from contemporary cares and concerns.

Grade:  A                                    By Donna R. Copeland

THE HOLLARS

Margo Martingale   Richard Jenkins   John Krasinski   Anna Kendrick   Sharito Copley   Josh Groban   Charlie Day

          In his debut as director of a feature length film, John Krasinski has done a creditable job in steering a fine group of actors through a comedic drama that has its highs and lows.  The uneven script by James C. Strouse deals with weighty emotional issues in a sometimes ridiculous dysfunctional family, but goes over the top in the absurd and misses chances for substantive insights—something like what many family sitcoms do, pulling for easy laughs without spending time to be genuine and serious.

         John (Krasinski) is called away suddenly to his mother’s (Martindale) bedside when it is determined that she has a brain tumor.  Her husband Don (Jenkins), an ineffectual man, is despite a good heart, child-like and tearful.  John’s brother Ron (Copley), who is just about as inept, lives at home and is without a job since his father fired him from their failing plumbing business.  John has soaked up a bit of this low self-confidence from his family, and even though he is in a happy relationship with his wife Rebecca (Kendrick) and is expecting a baby, he is intimidated by her family’s wealth.

        The family’s pathology emerges in full force upon the central figure’s serious illness, especially son Ron, who spies on his ex-wife (with binoculars outside her house!), has inappropriate interactions with his kids, and seems to have zero problem-solving abilities.  (As an aside, Josh Groban as a youth minister now married to Ron’s former wife, comes across as a most appealing and patient character who puts religion in a good light.)  Don does a bit better in getting a job in a liquor store as a last-ditch effort to save his company.  John doesn’t seem to have the foggiest notion of how to support Rebecca emotionally, but fortunately she knows enough to guide him gradually in the right direction.  All of these issues comprise the bulk of the comedy of the film, and I realize many people do appreciate this kind of humor.  It borders too much on the absurd for me.

        Martindale continues to be a star in whichever role she is in on TV or in the movies.  Jenkins is a good pairing for her; their timing and obvious emotional connection constitutes much of what is best in the film.  Krasinski and Kendrick as a younger duo are not quite so well connected, but she is very convincing as a hugely pregnant wife with a stable personality and ability to express her emotions.  Copley and Day do well with the comedic, ridiculous lines they are given, but much of that material is over the top.

A light-weight comedy with some heavy emotional situations.

Grade:  C                                    By Donna R. Copeland

13 HOURS: THE SECRET SOLDIERS OF BENGHAZI

John Krasinski   Max Martini   Pablo Schreiber   Dominic Fumusa   David Constabile   James Badge Dale

          13 Hours is based on the accounts of five members of a special operations force [Global Response Staff (GSR)] that was contracted by the CIA to provide back-up security in Benghazi, Libya, written up in a book by Mitchell Zuckoff.  The team is sent to a “temporary diplomatic outpost” which they find woefully inadequate in security measures and they question the competence of the local guards.  According to the book and the film, the chief officer (played by David Constabile) is dismissive of them, questions their judgment, and is critically slow in making emergency decisions.  This is alarming when we learn of the experience and judgment previously shown by the individuals in the GSR.  The film is not meant to be a political statement or exploration of cultural elements of the September 11, 2012, attack; it’s a reflection of what the team experienced in the operation, their doubts, their pain, and love for one another; and, finally, reveals a certain amount of resentment that the country did not fully acknowledge their heroism.

          For the average viewer, the film is difficult to watch, in that it’s like reading a warrior’s diary that only talks about battles, the tediousness of waiting for the next round—whatever that may be—and the frustration of bureaucracy and an incompetent leader.  Yes, we see a number of sieges taking place, the infrared views of terrorists sneaking up to the compound, and endless exchanges of barrages of bullets and mortars, but through the lens of a jumpy camera in the dark, which reveals little about who the figures are. 

        I find that the biggest fault of this film is that it offers little about the political/social context in which the action takes place.  It seems like the GSR team is so much more capable than the CIA and the U.S. government powers that be—and that may very well be true.  However, the film does not provide the viewer with any validation of the premise and does not go into any of the complexities involved in personal, cultural, or international terms. 

Direction by Michael Bay, cinematography of Dion Beebe, and the portrayals by actors John Krasinski, Max Martini, and David Constabile are OK, especially the brother-to-brother talks about what everything meant in the end; I just wanted more.  I am glad to have heard the account of this trying time, however.  Maybe I’m expecting too much.  Wouldn’t it have been great if the film could have explained more than what the government-appointed review board and Senate/House Committees uncovered?

Battle scenes galore without much elucidation.

Grade:  C                         By Donna R. Copeland