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Enjoy the Silence in 'A Quiet Place'

The renaissance of modern horror remains tenacious after films like Jordan Peele’s  Get Out and Robert Egger’s  The Witch shaked things up. Adding another serious cinematic effort to the genre is  A Quiet Place . Director, star, and co-writer  John Krasinski 's near-silent horror thriller  is an extraordinary film  achievement with its use of  silence to demand the audience’s attention. Producing  a quiet but powerful tension that’s continuously nerve-racking, Krasinski doesn’t rely on traditional horror genre tropes like the jump scare or cheap thrills.  A Quiet Place is set only two years in the future when something has happened to Earth and the streets are desolate, grocery stores empty, and not a soul is in sight. Well, except for the Abbotts ( Emily Blunt and real-life husband John Krasinski ), who are living their lives in silence, while being responsible for keeping their two young sons, deaf daughter, and newborn-on-the-way safe and sound (without ever making a peep)
Recent posts

'Roseanne' Revival Wins America Upon Arrival

This Tuesday the  Roseanne  revival had a double episode premiere on ABC .   23 million viewers tuned in for the beloved sitcom's return .   21 years later, it is fresher than ever and   back in the  top spot! 30 years ago  Roseanne changed television with its realistic portrayal of an unapologetic working-class family with the matriarch as its star. It was feminist, body-positive, outspoken about gay rights, domestic abuse, and much more.  Roseanne  originally ran for 9 seasons on ABC from 1988-1997 and was l ed by stand-up comedian Roseanne Barr , who became an advocate for pushing the boundaries of television censorship.   A great sitcom can make you feel right at home, and by episode 2 of the Roseanne revival the cast already feels lived-in. One thing that hasn't changed all this time: the struggle is still real. Darlene has lost her job and is forced to move back in.  Becky wants to become a surrogate to make ends meet,  which brings up discussions abou

The Force Is Not With Rian Johnson: The Last Jedi Review

I felt a great disturbance in the Force, which brought me out of my movie critic retirement home in Tatooine to say: don't try to repair the formula of the most culturally impactful and epic franchise in movie history!  Star Wars: The Last Jedi  follows Rey on a mission to receive Jedi training from Luke Skywalker to aid the Resistance in the fight against the First Order. Where we are now is Episode 8 and the second film of the sequel trilogy. Prior to this installment, J.J. Abrams' The Force Awakens had the audience in the palm of his hands with that final pivotal scene of Rey presenting Luke with his father Anakin Skywalker's old lightsaber which Obi-Wan Kenobi bestowed upon Luke in the original trilogy. Sounds like a great starting point for a fulfilling narrative. So many possibilities. How could it go wrong? New to the Star Wars universe is writer/director Rian Johnson  ( Looper , Brothers Bloom ), who was given the "go ahead" from Lucasfilm pres

Trainwreck: The Reinvention of the Rom-Com

Forget Jurassic World .   People should be lining up to see director/producer  Judd Apatow and Screenwriter Amy Schumer 's  Trainwreck , as I'm sure millions  will be once word spreads that it is a near-perfect film.  New York native Amy Schumer writes her first starring role about a lovably candid New York floozy/magazine writer named Amy, who along with her sister Brie Larson , was taught by her outspoken alcoholic father ( Colin Quinn ) at a young age that monogamy is unrealistic. In opposition to her sister's married-with-children approach, Amy follows her father's thought-to-be wise words and hooks up with a slew of guys (each a brief encounter and then she bounces), including a surprisingly funny John Cena , who dated Amy because seeing her from behind he thought she was a guy. It's not until Amy is unexpectedly assigned by her emotionally devoid boss Tilda Swinton to interview the genuinely likable sports doctor Aaron Conners ( Bill Hader ), that she

Welcome.....To Jurassic World!

Jurassic Park was one of the possibly 6 movies we had on VHS at my house growing up. Did we watch it at least once a week for a few years straight? Sure, we didn't have Netflix, OnDemand, Hulu, Vudu - we also didn't have voodoo, or money. Our cinematic minds weren't tainted then by Computer Generated Imagery and motion-capture. We were thrilled to be breathing amongst the T-Rex's like never before. Precisely why for the much-anticipated next installment of the franchise executive produced by its own Steven Spielberg, I wanted Velociraptors not Veloci craptors .  Getting the director of the sci-fi indie Safety Not Guaranteed  ( Colin Trevorrow ) was a clever choice. One could hope for a big budget with an indie heart.  Jurassic World returns us to Isla Nublar, where the new owner of the dino park has asked his scientists to create a bigger & better experience for its declining attendees, unaware that some of his staff have become Dr. Frankenstein's. In an eff