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A Quiet Place – 2018, rated PG-13, 90min

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Summary: In a post-apocalyptic world, a family lives in silence while hiding from monsters with ultra-sensitive hearing. Can they all survive scavenging for supplies and growing their own food? Reduced to living without machinery or engines, will this otherwise modern family make it through the years against the unknowable monsters? Could a weapon be built to fight back before it’s too late?

Recommendation: I am in love with both John and Emily! This creation (the whole A Quiet Place franchise) is brilliant and SO well-executed. Maybe we don’t have enough answers yet as to what the critters are or where they came from, but the slow portions, the action scenes, the homesteading preparation, all these sections of their lives are entertaining. Even better is the usage of a deaf actress to teach the hearing ‘family members’ of the cast how she signs (and thus, how they would have learned signing as well – why their characters would speak with the same accent, use the same shortcuts/slang). It’s an amazing movie for so many reasons, I think my most tepid feelings involve the monsters themselves (so scary, so gross). And that works for me.

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Life – 2017, rated R, 104min

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Summary: Life tells the story of the six-member crew of the International Space Station that is on the cutting edge of one of the most important discoveries in human history: the first evidence of extraterrestrial life on Mars. As the crew begins to conduct research, their methods end up having unintended consequences and the life form proves more intelligent than anyone ever expected. Rapidly evolving, the life form that assumed to have caused extinction on Mars now threatens all life on Earth.

Recommendation: Don’t fall in love with anyone. Don’t make bets on the longevity of anyone’s life. The life form that starts growing and learning before anyone else can be ready leaves the humans completely unprepared. Some scenes are grotesque so be ready to hold your drink through your spit-take. Otherwise, this is an emotionally charged movie with great action, fine special effects, and highly believable performances.

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Quarantine – 2008, rated R, 89min

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Summary: News reporting isn’t always an adrenaline-fueled race. This hungry reporter is focused on the local fire department and their tasks as a boring night looms ahead. When a call comes through, this gutsy, willing-to-try-anything reporter and her cameraman follow the department to break the news story open, whatever it might be. The firefighters respond to an apartment building and start piling up the questions before they get trapped inside with its occupants after a mysterious virus outbreak, all while being filmed. But what are they trapped with?

Recommendation: Of several movies that I like to watch but really do get scared by, this is one. I have tried watching it at double speed with the subtitles on just to keep from jumping every few minutes. Less about the camera focus and timing, I’m convinced from the acting that those people on camera were terrified – like Hitchcock-didn’t-tell-his actors-what-was-about-to-happen terrified. The different ethical debates amid the trapped investigators are fascinating to ponder. Never would I hope a person be in a situation such as this, but it’s an excellent story for a boring evening.

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Smithton Public Library

The Smithton Public Library District is located in southern Illinois, near St. Louis, MO. The library serves nearly 5,000 residents. We hope you visit us soon!