A Quiet Place Part II

I once again go to the movie theater. This time to see the sequel to a film I skipped at the cineplex, but caught on-demand. The first film is called A Quiet Place and this is Part II.

Anyway, the film starts on "Day 1" of the Invasion of the Blind Aliens that kill everything that makes noise. Lee (director and writer John Krasinski) and Evelyn (Emily Blunt) Abbot survive the onslaught of their town with their kids. The story picks up proper at the end of the last film. The Aliens killed Lee, but his deaf daughter Regan (Millicent Simonds) exposed their weakness for high-frequency sound. The Abbots have to leave their farm.

They find themselves sharing a steel mill with a family friend, Emmett (Cilian Murphy). Regan decides to spread her monster-killing method to the world. But Emmett thinks it's a waste of time. Regan goes off anyway when she finds a radio station playing "Beyond the Sea" on a loop. Emmett reluctantly goes with her to find the source. Meanwhile, Evelyn and her sons, Marcus (Noah Jupe) and the newborn, hunker down. But then Evelyn has to go to town for supplies. Marcus has to take charge while she's away. Can he do it?

Anything above ambience in the original film amounted to sensory overload. This sequel has much more talking and action than its predecessor. Talking is mostly whispered here, or "spoken" in sign language, but it sounds normal. The climax even sees Emmett and Regan on a free-speaking island. The action is where the senses are overloaded. The audience is on edge as the characters silently circumnavigate their surroundings. It's more often paid off with one or more of them. The sound designers deserve a lot of credit for building up the audible suspense and putting us in Regan's audio perspective. Marco Beltrami's score helps a lot.

The characters and writing also help a lot. The film splits up the Abbots in two plots once Regan heads off. Both plots are highly involving tales which chronicle Marcus and Regan's toughening. They even win against simultaneous encounters with the Aliens. We also see Emmett overcome his tragedies to help Regan. Their quest sees them encounter scavengers and the free-speaking island. Scoot McNairy plays the leader of the scavengers while Djimon Hounsou is the main "man on the island." Hounsou makes the most of his limited screentime.

Any flaws in the writing? Pay close attention to the opening baseball game to see pre-crisis Emmett. Otherwise, it seems like a case of "remember the new guy." Others may roll their eyes at how many times the characters praise Lee as the number one super guy. And it's a shame Hounsou probably won't be in a Part III.

Still, A Quiet Place Part II is a welcome return of the summer blockbuster. Its sci-fi horror thrills are contained in a tight 97 minute runtime. Anyone not into horror will appreciate its story of a family surviving tough times. In any case, its thrilling climax will leave you anticipating a Part III. Let it come whenever it can. See it on the biggest and safest screen you can find.

Even if it's on TV.

The Woman in the Window

 Anyone still shut in after all this time? 

There's a new movie heroine to watch. She's Anna Fox (Amy Adams) of The Woman in the Window, the long delayed thriller that recently premiered on Netflix. She's confined herself to her Manhattan apartment ever since she separated from her husband, Ed (Anthony Mackie). She'd rather watch the outside world than join it. She does get some outside visitors; like her tenant, David (Wyatt Russell) and the new neighbor boy, Ethan Russell (Fred Hechinger). She even meets Ethan's mom, Jane (Julianne Moore), during a dreadful Halloween.

One night, Anna spots Jane getting murdered at the Russell place. When she calls the cops, they're joined by Ethan's dad, Alistair (Gary Oldman), and a living Jane, now played by Jennifer Jason Leigh. Anna's convinced something's wrong and decides to investigate. While everyone doubts her sanity, and with good reason, there's actually something to the mystery. Some spoilers.

Tracy Letts, who adapted A.J. Finn's novel for the screen, also stars as Anna's psychiatrist, Dr. Landy. The final result directed by Joe Wright mostly works. One of the scariest scenes is when Anna tries to confront some obnoxious brats egging her house on that Halloween. Not the brats, but trying to go outside, is the scariest part. Her agoraphobia is a relatable problem these days. Overall, there's some strong character relationships between Anna and everyone else.

It's kneecapped by the film's climax. It's not surprising that the murder actually happened. It's surprising who the murder victim actually is. What is beyond surprising is the actual culprit and his motivations. A likable character turns out to be a one-note serial killer. That twist comes absolutely out of nowhere. The midway revelation of what actually happened to Anna's family was better foreshadowed than that. As in, from scene one. Apparently, the climactic twist was better explained in the novel.

The midway twist is a good leadoff into the acting. Adams as Anna's breakdown once she realizes the truth is a stunning scene. We feel for her as it all comes back to her. Nothing more than wide eyes of shock. As for everyone else, Oldman as Alistair isn't a nice guy; though one can tell it's more from stress than simple cruelty. Russell as David is a good, snarky guy while Ethan is, perhaps, the most sympathetic character. Perhaps. A better character is Brian Tyree Henry as Detective Little, the one on Anna's case.

There's some unexpected panache for this type of film. None more unexpected than seeing an overturned car in snow in Anna's living room. That maybe a first for a movie (is it?). The cinematography by Bruno Debonell shows flashes of searing color amidst Anna's dour apartment. There's also Anna transitioning into the void during the midway twist. The editing by Valerio Bonelli constructs that dreadful Halloween and a brutal climactic fight. It's all set to another great Danny Elfman score.

The Woman in the Window isn't exactly Rear Window or several other similar films we see glimpses of on Anna's TV. It's a mostly good mystery drama with a baffling climactic twist. But it's not that boring. The inciting murder happens a half-hour into its 100 minutes. Its central performance makes the wait bearable. So see it if you have nothing else to do. See anything else if you do.

Those Who Wish Me Dead

 ... are going to have to wait their turn.

(Hi.)

Anyway, Those Who Wish Me Dead is anything but boring. Michael Koryta adapted his novel with Charles Leavitt and director Taylor Sheridan into screenplay form. Let's discuss the end result.

Most boys Connor Casserly's (Finn Little) age might like to play hooky. But he's understandably surprised when his dad, Owen (Jake Weber), makes him skip school for an indefinite family trip. Mr. Casserly, an accountant, found some unspecified dirt on kingpin Arthur Phillip (Tyler Perry). His assassins, brothers Jack and Patrick Blackwell (Aiden Gillen and Nicholas Hoult), are in pursuit. The Blackwells finally get Owen in the Montana woods, but Connor escapes with the dirt. The Blackwells need to get the police off their backs. So Jack sets the forest on fire. 

An act that's sure to get police attention.

Meanwhile, Connor runs into smokejumper Hannah Farber (Angelina Jolie). Hannah is still traumatized by an earlier blaze that killed another firefighter and three stray campers. Connor reluctantly accepts her help to get in touch with civilization. They'll have to move fast to avoid the rapidly growing blaze. Oh yeah, and the Blackwells too.

The first half hour alternates between the Casserlys, the Blackwells, Hannah and Deputy Sheriff Ethan (Jon Bernthal) and his wife, Allison (Medina Senghore), who also get involved in the search for Connor. The storylines are not boring, but they're a bit slow. Hannah and Connor don't meet until a half hour into the 100 minute runtime. Their relationship is good but it could've been stronger had they met about ten minutes sooner. Allison and Ethan's relationship is great; overall, Allison is the best of the heroes.

The plot gets going good when the forest fire starts. The technical crew - editor Chad Galster, cinematographer Ben Richardson, the sound designers and visual effects team - create a formidable natural threat. Add in Brian Tyler's score and it's a strong disaster thriller. 

The Blackwells are memorable villains. They're anything but subtle; the sort who'd run a pest control service by blowing up houses. Their first act is to blow up a house, by the way, but they pretend to be gas company guys. They're Anton Chigurh from No Country for Old Men if he was a supervillain. They're both smug and detestable all the way through. One example is their torture of Allison. But it's still exciting to see her scorch Jack with an improvised blowtorch. She also personally kills him later. In fact, anytime the heroes clobber the Blackwells is a good time.

Those Who Wish Me Dead is still available on HBOMax for about two more weeks. Hurry up and see it in the biggest screen in your house. It's also in theaters if you're ready for them. Whichever medium suits you best is worth it. Its story isn't complex but it's still intense. You'll find a lot to like in its unusual mix of disaster and action movies.

The Mitchells vs The Machines

I'm back to Netflix for my latest reviewed film, The Mitchells vs The Machines, which was called Connected at one point. This animated film is directed by Mike Rianda, a head-writer for Disney Channel show, Gravity Falls, and produced by Phil Lord and Christopher Miller. The end result is a delightfully silly sci-fi story.

Katie Mitchell (Abbi Johnson) is off to film school in California. Her dad, Rick (Danny McBride), doesn't quite understand her dreams or technology, for that matter. So he decides on a family road trip to her college as one last big family thing. Also in the family are mom Linda (Maya Rudolph), younger brother Aaron (Rianda) and Monchi the Pug (Doug the Pug). Katie is understandably upset that her dad cancelled her plane ride to California. But it might be for the best...

Meanwhile, techno billionaire Mark Bowman (Eric Andre) unveils the latest edition of his PAL AI in his new line of PAL MAX robots. PAL original (Olivia Colman) is understandably upset that her creator declared her obsolete. So she reprograms the robots to take over the world. Her machines nab all of humanity and plan to rocket them all into space. Only the Mitchells escape the nabbing, and together with a few defective PAL MAXs (Fred Armisen and Beck Bennett), they'll have to confront PAL herself to cancel the Robot Apocalypse.

Rianda and co-director Jeff Rowe created this zany story. It's an entertaining mix of road movie and sci-fi disaster movie. There's some great comedy in its rapid-fire presentation, like killer furbies and wi-fi obsession. Quite a few gags pay off in the climactic battle against PAL. But it knows when to slow down. There's a strong story about a dysfunctional family learning to function. It takes its family arguments seriously … but it finds a few laughs too. 

Now for the villain. The film quickly reveals PAL to be the robot mastermind; once she's declared obsolete, you'll know where it'll go. She's a delightfully smug take on Skynet and the like. Her faux airline safety video (listen for a surprise cameo) is hilarious. She throws away any sympathy by ignoring Katie's heartfelt family speech. A welcome atypical twist.

The Mitchells are an entertaining bunch. Katie is an artistic dreamer who can't wait to leave the house. But she still has a great relationship with Aaron and Monchi. Aaron is an entertaining kid. Rick is a backwards dad who tries to go forward (slowly, but still). Linda lets loose during the final battle. And Monchi is just perfect. It's great to see them use their dysfunctionality to save the world. 

The artistic style is a frenetic mix of 3D and 2D animation. So expect to see CGI characters accentuated with 2D graphics (like emojis or phone filters). A few live-action videos and photos are thrown in. Of course, the 3D characters and animation look great. PAL's wonderfully expressive face and the later PAL MAX PRIME robots are animation highlights. Overall, it's a visually appealing kid-friendly robopocalypse. It also sounds great with an entertaining Mark Mothersbaugh score.

The Mitchells vs the Machines will make a great home matinee. Its cast of human, machine and dog characters are sure to entertain kids and adults. Its 113 minute or so runtime goes by pretty fast. Its story is easy to comprehend, though. So see it if you can't find anything at the movie theater. It's worth seeing once and more than once and more than more than once...

Demon Slayer

A movie in an actual movie theater. Yes, I did it. 

I hope to see more.

The motivator is Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba the Movie: Mugen Train, which is not only the highest grossing film of 2020, but the highest grossing Japanese film of all time. The film assumes its audience is familiar with the cast of Koyoharu Gotouge's manga and its anime adaptation, which will have its second season sometime this year. Let's assume you haven't and start with a recap:

In the early 20th century, Tanjiro Kamado finds his mom and siblings slaughtered by a demon. The exception is his sister, Nezuko, who is now a demon. Tanjiro joins the local Demon Slayer Corps to cure Nezuko and avenge himself on their attacker, supreme demon Muzan Kibutsuji. They join up with the cowardly Zenitsu Agatsuma and the literally boarish Inosuke Hashibira to form their own Slayer group.

The movie starts at the end of the first season. Our heroes board the Mugen Train looking for demons to slay. An elite Demon Slayer (a Hashira), Kyojuro Rengoku, is on the case too. One of Muzan's finest, Enmu, has commandeered the train in more ways than one. He takes the passengers on a one-way trip to Dreamland. Tanjiro and Kyojuro, for example, get some differing family time. Four humans working for Enmu enter their dreams to make sure they don't wake up. They'll have to get up to drive the Mugen Train back to reality.

The screenplay is credited to production company Ufotable. I must re-emphasize that familiarity is required here. It barely explains the lore of the franchise, if at all. A few character quirks and plot points are understandable with little familiarity; plenty more are not. The momentum is slightly slowed down during the dream sequences, but Inosuke and Zenitsu's dreams are delightful comic interludes, especially when their dream selves torment Enmu's human minions. It gets going great when it gets to the Demon Slaying.

A major factor is Kyojuro Rengoku. We first meet him enjoying a massive meal with a permanent smile. He unhesitatingly accepts Team Tanjiro as his apprentices. His dream shows us his determination in spite of his uncaring father. He's such a strong presence that it's almost insulting when a surprise villain shows up to snuff him out. Sorry for the spoilers.

A few character highlights. Enmu is a perfectly loathsome antagonist. His human minions are compelling characters even if their names are buried in the credits. The strongest of that bunch is the one who went after Tanjiro. Tanjiro is a good lead, while Inosuke and Zenitsu are riots. Nezuko's cute muteness is irresistible. 

The show's technical flair is present and accounted for. The mixture of 2D and 3D animation produces some stunning results. A few highlights include the center of Tanjiro's dream, Enmu's monstrous merger with the Mugen Train and very realistic water. The battles are exciting showcases of sight and sound. The vibrant colors stand out when the Slayers use their elemental breathing techniques. It also helps that they're accompanied by some strong sound mixing. Yuki Kaijura and Go Shiina's score is just as good as their work on the show. This movie surely was made for the big screen.

But see it on the biggest and safest screen you can. Demon Slayer: Kimetsu no Yaiba The Movie: Mugen Train, is sure to thrill its fans and confound the unitiated. I watched a good chunk of the show myself and I still had questions. But its demon slaying makes the 117 minutes a good trip. It's available both in Japanese and English screenings; I saw the former. It's a good motivator to get people to try the cinema thing again.

As I said before, here's hoping I see more.