Movie Monday: A Quiet Place 2 vs. Conjuring 3, Plan B, and The Postman

This weekend I soaked up some AC at the movie theater, seeing A Quiet Place Part II and The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It. I’m not one who usually sees horror movies in theaters. I think the last one I saw was Us, which thoroughly freaked me out to the point it was a pretty uncomfortable viewing experience. But it was really hot this weekend, and I wanted to give my air conditioner a long break on Sunday. So I paid $6.45 to see The Devil Made Me Do It and snuck on over to see A Quiet Place 2 immediately after.

One I Saw in Theaters: The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It

I was legitimately intrigued by the trailer for The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It because it was based on a true story. I’m a sucker for books and movies based on history, yet I’m not all that into the true crime genre of television and podcasts. This film attempts to take advantage of the genre’s popularity, but at least it does so on the back of an interesting true story.

Basically, a man named Arne Johnson pleaded not guilty to the slaying of his neighbor by reason of “demonic possession.” The film focuses on the work of Ed and Lorraine Warren, a married pair of paranormal investigators who discover a totem under the Johnsons’ home, leading them to believe the Johnsons were cursed, but by whom?

The movie is engaging, but I expected it to be a lot scarier given its basis in reality. I thought I’d often be jumping out of my seat because it is based on actual events. That wasn’t the case at all. If not for my interest in the actual outcome of the case against Arne Johnson, I might not have bought a ticket to this one. The best parts of the movie are when Lorraine Warren, portrayed by Vera Farmiga, crosses over to connect with the past of the deceased, and even the present of the person pulling the cursed strings. Young Julian Hilliard is the star of the show, delivering a dramatic performance as a little boy named David who is (spoiler alert) the first person possessed by this demon.

I give The Devil Made Me Do It five-and-a-half stars out of 10, which is in line with the 59 percent “Tomatometer” score on Rotten Tomatoes. Audiences, of course, enjoyed it more than critics. The 84 percent score for this Conjuring movie is higher than the 83 percent audience score of the original, but the original has an 86 percent critics’ score. This film was made for fans of The Conjuring franchise. I certainly wasn’t satisfied, or I wouldn’t have walked down the hall hoping to get my money’s worth from A Quiet Place Part II.

One Worth Seeing in Theaters: A Quiet Place Part II

I haven’t seen the first A Quiet Place, so I was entering the theater blind, mostly. I had been told by a friend whose taste in films I respect say A Quiet Place was worth seeing in theaters because of how quiet the film is and how important it is to “hear” the sound of silence on the best stereo and speaker system possible. It was the first time anyone told me to go to the theater for the silence, so I didn’t. Maybe I should have.

I thoroughly enjoyed A Quiet Place Part II. I think the premise works: extraterrestrial invaders who can only “see” what they hear chase and kill loud ass Earthlings screaming their heads off in terror. I especially appreciate the focus the filmmaker, John Krasinski, puts on the importance of knowing sign language, which might be the best second language you could learn. I felt the same way about Sound of Metal, which I thought should have won the Academy Award for Best Picture, although I’m not disappointed Nomadland did. Almost everyone who isn’t a star in that movie is an actual nomad.

Millicent Simmonds steals the screen in this one. She plays one of the strong, female leads that always get me to watch movies these days. She’s deaf, and (spoiler alert) discovers a way to help the people left in the world to kill these ETs. Her and Cillian Murphy, of Dark Knight fame, have great chemistry, and the film’s editors utilize parallel editing really effectively. I was often on the edge of my seat with a grin on my face. An audience member in front of me even screamed aloud once.

I give A Quiet Place Part II eight-and-a-half stars out of 10. It made my trip to the theater worth taking and my $6.45 worth spending. It’s a bit lower than the Rotten Tomatoes ratings, probably due to my bias towards the genre. I would have otherwise been disappointed had I only seen The Conjuring: The Devil Made Me Do It, so see this one and skip that one.

One Worth Streaming: Plan B

I saw a touching and ever-relevant dramedy on Hulu called Plan B about two 17-year-old girls taking a roadtrip to Planned Parenthood to get the Plan B pill. Besides puberty, abstinence, and teenage pregnancy, this film touches on issues of religion and premarital sex, sexual identity, the growing lack of social services, especially in Red States, and the (spoiler alert) ridiculous reality that health professionals in some states can refuse service based on their own beliefs.

Not only is this movie hilarious but insightful. Kuhoo Verma and Victoria Moroles have the “best friends” chemistry necessary for these buddy comedies to work, and both give extraordinary performances. It’s been well-reviewed by critics and audiences alike. I highly recommend it.

One Not Worth Streaming: John Dies at the End (2012)

John Dies at the End got its hooks in me with the trailer. I added it to my watchlist on Prime and regret having sat through it. I’m not one to trust Rotten Tomatoes ratings completely, but generally, when critics and audiences alike are unenthused by a movie, I will feel similarly. I wish I would have checked the ratings before I started streaming this one. It’s not worth your time.

An Oldie but a Goodie in My Book: The Postman (1997)

The Postman is the perfect example of why I don’t take Rotten Tomatoes ratings as gospel (or anything else for that matter). It has an eight percent critics’ score and 50 percent audience score, but I have an odd love for the film. It’s a movie about a man (Kevin Costner) trying to survive a post-war America by impersonating a postman and creating a myth about a “Restored United States” government that emboldens people to fight an asshole and his army.

The moment above, where Costner, on horseback, snatches a letter out of a young boy’s hand, makes me cry tears of joy every time I see it. No movie romanticizes mail carriers better than The Postman. In the end, (spoiler alert) an entire nation is built on a myth that inspires others to grow the myth to the point it’s no longer a myth. My love for communication and any piece of art expressing its importance is an obvious bias of mine, but this film also has so many laugh-out-loud moments.

1. Kevin Costner performs Shakespeare with his donkey, Bill. Afterwords, a lady tells Costner, “The children have never seen Shakespeare before,” to which he responds, laughing, “They still haven’t.”
2. Actually, all of Costner’s dialogue with his donkey, Bill, is hilarious. I spend the first 20 minutes of the movie laughing hysterically.
3. Costner is propositioned by a married woman to impregnate her. “It’s got to be the uniform,” he says to himself.
4. After the myth of The Postman has grown to the point there’s a literal army of letter carriers, postal carrier No. 2, Ford Lincoln Mercury, tells Costner to “say a few words so they know it’s really you.” His response: “It’s me.” Everyone cheers.
5. Tom Petty makes an appearance. “I know you. You’re famous,” Costner tells him when they meet. “I was. Sorta,” he responds. When Petty discovers Costner is The Postman, he says, “I heard of you. You’re famous.”

Don’t take Rotten Tomatoes‘ word for it. See for yourself. The Postman is worth watching. I even watched it with commercials. It’s three hours long, so the commercials provide time for bathroom breaks. If you don’t like The Postman, jog on. I shall do as The Postman does and, “Ride on!”