A Quiet Place

The Krasinski clan Quietly knocks it out of the park with this pulse-pounding sub-sonic thriller. Starts strong with a masterclass in horror movie world-building with swift establishment of stakes and then consistently ups the ante and serves up the inevitable. Sneezes, rumbly stomachs, and sleep-talking aside, a thoroughly breathtaking vision.

13 Hours

Well-paced action thriller feels far shorter than its title implies. Brilliant performances and well executed action keep critics and insurgents at Bay and make for relatable characters in high stakes true story. Cleverly touches on larger political implications without being too heavy-handed. Suffers from occasionally confused lighting, cinematography, and government.

The Wind Rises

Miyazaki rises down to Earth in his exceptionally realist rendition of Grave of the Fighter Jets.  Dream sequences justify animated medium, and stunning visuals keep an otherwise slow story from crashing and burning.  Lacks magic of previous ghiblets but presents colorful alternative perspective on oft generalized black and white history.

Away We Go

Mendes’ attempt at indie feels like Wes Anderson turned Sideways. Krasinski and Rudolph evolve beyond TV comedy roots but drown in a sea of scrambled Eggers supporting characters. Overall an amusing but dissatisfying quasi-comedy that chokes itself with too much quirk. Gyllenhaal, Janney, and Gaffigan are uncharacteristically unimpressive. Indie music!

Brief Interviews with Hideous Men

Krasinski directs scatter-brained male perspective on female perspective on minds of men. Equal parts disorienting and unsatisfying randomness and ingeniously edited intercut conversation montages. Performances are all-around satisfactory but not impressive with exception of MacGruber’s strange serious turn and Dominic Cooper’s brilliantly dark argument. Excellent monologues galore tied together poorly.