Movie News

A Quiet Place Part 2 – Review

Published

2 years ago

June 6, 2021

A Quiet Place Part 2 just snuck into theatres, being one of the first widely theatre-going experiences since the Pandemic. And just like its predecessor, it relied heavily on the audience feeling the need to hold their breath. But which is better? The sequel or the original? Here’s our review of A Quiet Place Part 2.

Don’t make a sound.

SPOILERS: If you’re reading this we assume you’ve seen the movie but there are major spoilers coming up. You have been warned.

A loud opening

A Quiet Place opens in silence, with little explanation about why this little family is being careful to muffle themselves. It’s not until the death of the youngest son that the movie begins to get loud. The sequel does the exact opposite, opening with an emphasis on noise. Now that we know what the deal is, that the monsters are coming and that they rely on noise to hunt, director John Krasinski is banking on the suspense that noise can build. Unlike in the first movie, where the suspense was constructed through the unusual silence. The first sequence in the sequel follows our principal family on the first day of the invasion, watching the monsters attack for the first time. And it is brilliant. Viewing what the town once was and the quick and total devastation of it pulled audiences right into the movie. It also immediately showcased the capability of the main family. It is also the only set-piece to feature Krasinski, as he is absent from the rest of the film after his death at the end of the first. While his performance in both films is fantastic, he is felt in his absence throughout this film. Furthermore, allowing Krasinski to sit out in this film and purely direct allowed for some more interesting directing choices.

Terror vs Plot?

One criticism from the first film is that it seemed to rely on suspense and jump scares. The plot was mainly in that Evelyn (Emily Blunt) was giving birth, which caused some complications to say the least. But the most suspenseful moments of A Quiet Place featured Blunt hurting herself or giving birth. It might also be the children being in danger. While the core of the film was the relationship between the daughter, Regen (Millicent Simmonds) and Lee (John Krasinski), it seemed to focus more on whatever would make the audience either cringe or jump. Furthermore, the characters seemed to make dumb decisions. Like why wouldn’t they build their shelter next to the waterfall, which provided noise cover? Or why get Emily Blunt pregnant in the first place?

But, the second film had a much more streamlined plot. When the monsters were there, it made sense for them to be there in terms of the story. Not just to scare the audience. Characters made clearer decisions, and the set pieces served the plot. It felt more like a story, and less like a haunted house.

A slice of life or a journey into the unknown?

Speaking of plot, the second film focused less on the family and more on Simmonds and new character Emmet (Cillian Murphy). After learning that her hearing aid produces a sound that incapacitates the monsters, Simmonds and Murphy go looking for a possible camp with the capability of longwave broadcasting. Regan hopes to broadcast the sound to give everyone in the area the ability to kill the monsters. Along the way, they encounter feral people and monsters. Meanwhile, Evelyn and her son, Marcus (Noah Jupe) deal with Marcus’ injury after stepping on a bear trap and the newborn baby. Regan and Emmet find a thriving, loud society, and learn that the monsters can’t swim. Safe on the island, they fight a stray monster and broadcast the sound. Just like the first one, it ends on a cliffhanger, but we can assume that the family moves to the island and lives peacefully. This plot was easy to follow and built out the world. It also gave some closure at the end that the first movie did not.

One thing that both films have in common is that they are fun to watch. A perfect popcorn movie (or anti-popcorn movie, as you definitely don’t want to make a sound during this film). It’s also meant to be seen in a theatre, and the decision from Krasinski to wait until theatres opened to release the movie was absolutely the right decision. A Quiet Place Part II is a fun thrill movie and is worth a trip to the theatre.

CULTURE CROSSING SCORE 8/10

What did you think of A Quiet Place Part 2, did you agree with our review? Let us know in the comments below.

Check out our review of Disney’s Cruella HERE.

Read IMDb information on A Quiet Place Part 2 HERE.

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Movie News

9 Bands You Forgot Played Themselves In Movies

Published

2 years ago

January 4, 2022

Aaron Phillips

Wayne's World image — _{Paramount Pictures}

There are more bands than you think that played themselves on the big screen. Here are nine bands you might’ve forgotten appeared in movies.

1. Alice Cooper – Wayne’s World (1992)

Being a teenager in the nineties was great for many reasons. Two of those being the release of the Wayne’s World movies. The genius that is Mike Myers created one of the best music-based films of all time. Plus, he convinced one of the greatest rock musicians of all time to be in it. If you’re not a geek like me, you may have forgotten that Alice Cooper was featured in the film. It had the iconic scene of Wayne and Garth meeting, Alice, backstage on bent knees. We’re not worthy, indeed. Alice himself pulls off the diva Rockstar brilliantly, even though he’s a genuine, down-to-earth guy who plays a lot of golf.

2. Primus – Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey (1991)

Let’s try and erase the recent Bill & Ted movie from our memory and head back to 1991 for their bogus journey. They come from the future to kill the non-robot versions of themselves and ruin their performance at a Battle of the Bands competition. What’s cool is the band who are playing before them. Californian alt-metal kings Primus. Although the clip is only short, they play themselves and sound as you would expect. Epic.

3. Fall Out Boy – Sex Drive (2008)

You’d be forgiven for forgetting about this one. The teen sex comedy from 2008 is forgettable and won’t really appeal to anyone apart from its teen target audience. If you can sit through all the cringe-inducing moments, you will spot pop-rockers Fall Out Boy. They are performing in a barn in front of some drunk Amish teenagers. There’s a reason for that, but I won’t bore you with it here. What is good, is the soundtrack of the film. As well as Fall Out Boy, it features Airbourne, AC/DC and weirdly, Kenny Loggins.

4. Twisted Sister – Pee Wee’s Big Adventure (1985)

Paul Reuben’s character Pee Wee Herman made his big-screen outing in 1985. The children’s show star had a scene where he is being chased through a studio parking lot. Unbeknown to him, glam rockers Twisted Sister are recording a music video on a car. Lead singer Dee Snider is always up for a laugh, so it’s no surprise they’re featured. The clip is brilliant. Pee Wee’s prop-laden bike is just about to crash into Twisted Sister and the look on Dee’s face is genius. Go check out the clip.

5. David Bowie – Zoolander (2001)

Who can forget the brilliant Zoolander? Starring Ben Stiller as the dippy model, it’s one of the funniest comedies ever made. One of the best scenes of the film is the walk-off. This involved Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson’s characters doing a catwalk-off. Of sorts. Can you remember who refereed it? The legend himself, David Bowie. It’s not the first time Bowie was in a movie – remember Labyrinth? But this time, he plays himself. And does it with all the cool swagger you would expect.

6. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones – Clueless (1995)

I can’t say that I was a massive fan of this teen comedy at the time. The plot revolves around Alicia Silverstone’s character giving her friend a makeover. The premise doesn’t sound like it lends itself to a cool band cameo. You’d be wrong, though. There’s a scene where the lead characters go watch a gig. The band that are playing are The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. The Boston ska-punk legends are only on stage for a moment, but it’s a slick clip. It certainly brings the film up a level on the cool stakes.

7. Daft Punk – Tron: Legacy (2010)

This sequel to the original sci-fi classic is a cracking movie. The visuals and effects are stunning, as is the atmosphere of the film. The music to the film is also rather special. A futuristic and dystopian movie could only have one act doing the score, and that’s Daft Punk. It works a treat. The music is intertwined into the movie and becomes a part of it. The delicious electronica is the perfect complement to the visuals. The French electronic masters also have a cameo at the end of the movie. They’re spinning the decks in a blink-and-you-miss-it scene.

8. Aerosmith – Wayne’s World (1993)

We’ve already had an appearance from the first film further up our list, and the second doesn’t disappoint either. The plot revolves around Wayne and Garth putting on their own music festival. Book them and they will come, is the advice given. And they certainly did. The headline band for the festival were none other than Aerosmith themselves. They do a sterling effort on stage as performers. And Steven Tyler also shows that he can handle his own on the acting front too.

9. Reel Big Fish – BASEketball (1998)

Trey Parker and Matt Stone star in this bizarre and hilarious sports comedy. Written by the king of spoof David Zucker, it’s become a cult classic. The soundtrack heavily features ska-punkers Reel Big Fish. They do a brilliant rendition of A-HA’s Take on Me, which they also perform in the movie. The band are the entertainment at the stadium where Parker and Stone are competing. You can tell by the footage that the band are clearly enjoying themselves. They add a touch more fun to an already hugely funny film.

That’s our list of nine bands who played themselves in movies. Did we miss any of your favourites? Let us know in the comments below.

Check out our list of actors in bands HERE.