A QUIET PLACE

The monsters have arrived -- and the best protection against them is silence.  A Quiet Place is an effective, creepy horror movie.

When the movie opens, we see the Abbott family -- father Lee (John Krasinski), mother Evelyn (Emily Blunt), and little kids Regan (Millicent Simmons), Marcus (Noah Jupe), and Beau (Cade Woodward) silently going through a drugstore in an abandoned town for supplies.  They speak only in sign language and avoid any possible noises.  We soon find out why there's such a focus on silence: When Beau sneaks out a toy rocket, given to him by Regan, that makes sounds, we learn why they're so quiet: An insect-like creature appears out of nowhere and kills him.

 A year later, the remaining Abbotts are living on a farm.  Lee is taking care of his family, using a radio to try and find other survivors, and working on an earpiece to help his daughter Regan hear.  Evelyn is pregnant and getting ready for the birth of their newest child.  Regan is dealing with her guilt over the death of Beau, and Marcus is nervous about the ever-present possibility that the creatures will return.  While the family do certain normal things (like playing Monopoly with cloth pieces), they've also soundproofed their house and still live in fear.  And the creatures are still around -- and show up at almost any noise...

A Quiet Place works pretty well.  The movie (directed by star John Krasinski) wisely holds off showing most of the creatures until the end, giving us the knowledge that they're fast, deadly, and alien-appearing.  (We never find out where they came from.)  The cast does very well, showing a family trying to stay together in a world where sounds can lead to death.  And the presence of so much silence creates great tension, as actions we wouldn't normally think twice about can be a signal for the monsters to show up.  A Quiet Place is a solid horror movie.

Overall grade: B+
Reviewed by James Lynch

License To Wed (2007)

License To Wed is one of those slightly offbeat comedies that Robin Williams can add his brand of humor to, and take a decent film and elevate it a notch better. It also stars Mandy Moore and John Krasinski.

We've all heard that the divorce rate in the US is a dismal 50%. Moore plays Sadie Jones, and Krasinski is Ben Murphy. They're two twenty somethings that clearly are in love, and are ready to make a lifelong commitment to each other. The Jones family has a particular Reverend Frank that is to perform the ceremony. The only issue is that Reverend Frank puts his betrothed couples through a series of tests to insure that the marriage will not end up in the divorced half when it is all said and done.

The problem is that these tests are more extreme than any pre-Cana course, and is more akin to a cardiac exercise stress test. The good Reverend takes this to the extreme, and is not above using anything to make sure they are right for each other. He even organizes antagonistic and ridiculous free association games, or takes it a level further and goes so far as to bug the couple's bedroom, and makes an uninvited house call in the middle of the night.

Through all of this, it takes an actor like Robin Williams to keep the totally ridiculous from spinning off into space somewhere, and grounded somewhere on this planet. It's his gift, and although at times I wish he would make more serious films, few can pull off a role like this and make it work as well as he can. With that said, License to Wed held my attention, and was fun in a whimsical and less than realistic way. In other words, decent entertainment which is always a welcome addition.

Overall Grade: B+

Reviewed by Jonas