Tag Archives: A Quiet Place

Box Office Predictions, Lists, Long Reviews (>400 Words)

Summer 2024 Box Office Predictions

April 25, 2024 Alex Brannan

Update (4/27/24): Following publication of this article, Sony announced it would be pushing the release of Kraven the Hunter to December 2024, moving it out of the summer box office conversation. Turns out I, in fact, did mention this film more times than I needed to.

We are about to enter a bleak summer for theatrical cinema. For several reasons – chief among them the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes of last year causing delays – 2024 has less to offer than previous years when it comes to big budget blockbuster tentpoles. Even with first quarter offerings like Dune: Part Two, Ghostbuster: Frozen Empire, and Godzilla x Kong: The New Empire (between the three, Hollywood may be tipping a tad too imperial), the box office is lagging behind 20% compared to the numbers from this time last year. Deadline reports a projected $1 billion drop in box office by year’s end.

The summer will likely be where this deficit is felt the hardest. Whereas most May months of recent years (pandemic year 2020 notwithstanding) have begun with Continue reading Summer 2024 Box Office Predictions →

2019 Academy Awards, Award Ceremonies

2019 Oscar Predictions – Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing

February 5, 2019 Alex Brannan

What is often the operative question with the two sound categories is whether or not they will go to the same film. More often than not, if a film stands out for either editing or mixing, it also stands out in the other.

This year, I think there is a case to be made for both the split and the sweep.

The Nominees – Best Sound Editing:

Continue reading 2019 Oscar Predictions – Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing →

2019 Academy Awards, Award Ceremonies

2019 Oscar Nominations Predictions – Best Sound Editing/Mixing

January 4, 2019 Alex Brannan

There is always some overlap between the two sound categories. Sound Editing is the creation of foley. Sound Mixing is the recording and mixing of the soundtrack. They are two distinct aspects of sound production, but often if a film does one well it does the other similarly well.

That said, a well-mixed film may not require a lot of sound effect production. A musical, perhaps. A film may require a heavy amount of foley, which usually means the mix is harder to master. An action movie, perhaps. A lot goes into the soundtrack, making it hard sometimes to discern whether the Academy will honor films in both categories, one, or none.

The Nominees – Best Sound Editing:

Continue reading 2019 Oscar Nominations Predictions – Best Sound Editing/Mixing →

Action/Thriller, All Movie Reviews, Horror, Like It, Long Reviews (>400 Words)

A Quiet Place (2018) Movie Review

April 7, 2018 Alex Brannan

The first sequence in A Quiet Place is one of the more immediately tense openings to a horror movie in recent memory. Without fully understanding the world, we understand almost from the first shot what sort of situation we have entered into. The film opens in an abandoned pharmacy, where a family is quietly perusing the aisles for supplies. The family speaks only in sign language, even though only the daughter (Millicent Simmonds) is deaf. It is clear that something bad comes with too much noise, so they don’t make a sound.

Until they do.