A Quiet Place: Day 1

Time once again to head back to the movie theater to catch one of this weeks’ newest offerings. For me, that meant checking out A Quiet Place: Day 1. This prequel to the popular Quiet Place franchise is a more expansive look at what went down the day the world went quiet. Instead of centering on a backstory of the alien(s), the invasion or any of the things you’d eerily to “get up to speed” with the films, you have a new cast of characters (save for one), new locale, and a new take on how things went down from a metropolitan perspective. Instead of a family, we follow the story of Lupita Nyong'o’s Sam as a seemingly “average day” in New York erupts into fight for survival. 

A Quiet Place: Day 1 has a different feel altogether from the previous films with Michael Sarnoski one of the writers and taking over as director. The larger scope of having events take place in New York, one of the loudest cities in the world and focusing on an urban environment makes an impact. The “sounds”, the crowds, and increased dialogue throughout, undercut the overall tone of the film by comparison. 

The tension, stress, and anxiety are present throughout, but isn’t as concentrated or intense. Not having as much built in silence doesn’t allow for as much of the edge of your seat anxiety. It also draws more attention to the inconsistencies in what noise level draws attention (especially that final climax). That being said, the audience I watched with was still eerily quiet and tense, so much so that when a man a couple of seats away coughed, we all freaked. 

The overall sound design is key and delivers nicely. The CGI is pretty solid, although I will admit I don’t care as much for the redesigned aliens.  There’s a nice tie in with A Quiet Place II which is a nice touch.  Nyong'o and Joseph Quinn’s performances strong and emotional. Plenty of good action even if some of it is a bit silly or springs from "seriously?" moments.

Frodo.

I’m feeling some kind of way about Frodo, not all of it necessarily positive. Though I do admit Schnitzel and Rico killed it with award winning performances.

Not wanting to give too much away, I do feel that A Quiet Place: Day 1 while not as layered or nuanced as the previous films, is still a worthwhile prequel which entertains and keeps you engaged for the runtime of an hour forty minutes.  Questions still remain so a follow-up to this prequel wouldn’t be surprising if the box office numbers deliver. 

A Quiet Place: Day 1 delivers the thrills and is worth seeing on the big screen, however, it’s going to be a toss-up for those who like the simplicity and feel of the first two films. 

For me, I enjoyed it enough to give A Quiet Place: Day 1 a solid 7.

#quietplaceday1

 

Inside Out 2

 

Back in 2015 I fell in love with the charm and heart of Pixar’s Inside Out. Nine years later I’ve been anxiously awaiting the sequel Inside Out 2 to hit the big screen.  Returning voice cast members include Amy Poehler (Joy), Lewis Black (Anger), Phyllis Smith (Sadness), Diane Lane (Mom), and Kyle MacLachlan (Dad).  The story picks up a year after events in the original story as Riley becomes a teenager, hits puberty, and begins the transition from middle to high school. Adding the new emotions of Anxiety (Maya Hawke), Envy (Ayo Edebiri), Ennui (Adèle Exarchopoulos), and Embarrassment (Paul Walter Hauser) into the mix.

Due to unexpected circumstances, by the time I actually sat down to watch this film, I was over the whole movie going experience and wanting to just go home. Not really an attitude conducive for being open to the film experience. Adding to my pissy mindset, the huge crowd filled with screaming kids running around and I was ready to bolt before the previews were over. However, not wanting to brave the 100 degrees plus heat to get back to the car, I opted to power through my growing aggravation.   

I am so glad I did. Inside Out 2 delivers. Even the baby three seats away, crying for a good hour of the hour thirty-six-minute runtime of the film didn’t manage to dampen my enjoyment of this film.

As expected, the animation and visuals are outstanding. The world building/expansion excellent. And the complexity between the old emotions dealing with, integrating, and balancing with the new ones is beautifully executed. 

Yes, you get all the feels. Pun both intended and not intended.  

Inside Out 2 offers plenty of callbacks, references, and homages that delight. Good humor and relatable cringe moments that will make you smile.

While lacking a bit more in charm and heart than the original, and some of the new characters aren’t as well developed, Inside Out 2 is still a solid, enjoyable film and a worthy sequel. The kids in the audience were engaged (sans baby) and the adults were captivated as well. IO2 is another animated film firmly in the category of kids and adults will both enjoy, but hits differently for adults.

And it hits hard.  

Anxiety is a motengator.  

You will feel seen and validated across the board with this one. The poignant line, "Maybe this is what happens when you grow up, you feel less joy”?  Yeah. Wow. Chef’s kiss. Definitely my “damn” moment where I wanted/needed a hug. 

Adulting is hard.

Bravo Pixar. 

You once again came through and delivered a winner. Inside Out 2 is worth a trip to your local movie theater to check out on the big screen.  FYI, there is a bonus scene after the very end of the credits so check it out if you can. 

Inside Out 2 gets a 9 from me.

#InsideOut2