A Quiet Place: Day One

The third film in the franchise, A Quiet Place: Day One is a prequel to the first two installments depicting the start of the alien invasion. Unlike its predecessors, this entry focuses on entirely different characters, though Djimon Hounsou does briefly reprise his role from the second film. Lupita Nyong'o leads as Samira, a dying cancer patient who must traverse an invaded Manhattan alongside her cat and an English law student she befriended to escape the island and the aliens without making too much noise. Taking over from John Krasinski as writer and director, though sharing story credit, Michael Sarnoski manages to keep the essence of the other two films while still making this his own. By setting it in the middle of Manhattan, it not only gives this entry a new location but makes the tension more intense and the characters' actions a lot harder compared to that of a forest or the woods as the previous entries were set. Sarnoski's direction has a lot more movement and more unique camera choices that take advantage of its bigger locations. What helps heighten the tension is the incredible sound design that these films always take advantage of, the cinematography from Pat Scola never making it easy to discern what could be appearing in the background, and the editing by Gregory Plotkin and Andrew Mondshein being very smooth and well paced. Of course, without the cast giving strong performances audiences wouldn't be as taken to the film if they hadn't. Nyong'o makes the feeling of being scared by aliens while also feeling hopeless from her cancer seem so easy. And her chemistry with Joseph Quinn, who plays the student Samira befriends, is incredibly strong and is the absolute heart of the movie. As either a prequel or on its own, A Quiet Place: Day One is magnificent, terrifying, and an absolute blast from start to finish. Over all: 100%

2024 top list so far:

1. Dune: Part 2

2. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

3. A Quiet Place: Day One

4. Inside Out 2

5. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

6. The Fall Guy

7. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

8. Abigail

9. Monkey Man

10. Late Night with the Devil

11. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

12. The Book of Clarence

13. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

14. Drive-Away Dolls

15. Kung Fu Panda 4

16. Lisa Frankenstein

17. Argylle

18. Mean Girls 2024

Inside Out 2

Nine years after the original film, Inside Out 2 sees the original five emotions being joined by newly developing ones just as Riley enters her teens and developing puberty. Joy Sadness, Anger, Fear, and Disgust must now learn to work with Anxiety, Envy, Embarrassment, and Ennui as Riley attends a hockey camp, learns her friends are attending a different high school, and tries to impress one of the players so she can join her team when school starts. This Pixar sequel manages to hit some of the same strides as its predecessor but while still keeping itself fresh and expand upon the ins and outs of Riley's mind. The animation is, of course considering the studio involved, stunning and very imaginative when it comes to things regarding memories and deep secrets. Meg LeFauve and Dave Holstein's script is strong, giving the movie a worthy story to follow off from the first movie. The way Riley's actions and the day-to-day happenings of her inner mind intersect are quite beautiful and striking. How the two manage to balance the emotional drama and the quick comedy shows how Pixar, while they falter at times, have never lost their touch. The biggest praise to the writing should of course go to how Anxiety's attempt to take over causes Riley to doubt herself and have a panic attack all the while Anxiety has a meltdown over not being able to undo it. Anxiety works not just because of the writing but also being perfectly casted and performed by Maya Hawke whose voice is exactly what you expect the personification of a teenager's anxiety would sound like. Hawke, alongside both the returning actors like Amy Poehler, Phyllis Smith, and Lewis Black and the new cast such as Tony Hale, Liza Lapira, and Ayo Edebiri, all give astounding, thoughtful, and hilarious performances that are hard to ever forget. It doesn't matter if Inside Out 2 is a better film than the first one, what does matter is that on its own it's powerful. Over all: 100%

2024 top list so far:

1. Dune: Part 2

2. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga

3. Inside Out 2

4. Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes

5. The Fall Guy

6. The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare

7. Abigail

8. Monkey Man

9. Late Night with the Devil

10. Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire

11. The Book of Clarence

12. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire

13. Drive-Away Dolls

14. Kung Fu Panda 4

15. Lisa Frankenstein

16. Argylle

17. Mean Girls 2024