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The Preview Reel

The Preview Reel: A Quiet Place and Blockers

Scott Davis
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Welcome to the “Preview Reel” column, where we look at the week’s upcoming wide-release movies. Steven Spielberg returned to blockbuster filmmaking with moderate success in the form of Ready Player One’s $53 million opening weekend. This week, it will battle with two well-received movies, A Quiet Place and Blockers, for first place at the box office. Let’s see if either the horror thriller or raunchy comedy are worth the price of admission.

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A Quiet Place

A Quiet Place posterWhat we are excited about: The first trailer sold this film for us right away. The first half of the trailer really conveys the quiet aspect of the film to terrifying effect, while the second half promises that the film will deliver the horror goods. It’s a unique concept and one that is sorely needed given the modern-day horror landscape. It’s also interesting that the film was written, directed, and stars John Krasinski, along with his wife Emily Blunt. Krasinski has directed a couple of low-budget indie comedies, but nothing in the same ballpark as A Quiet Place. We’re excited to see what he brings to the project and if he’s a director to keep an eye out for in the future.

What we are worried about: The trailers have been vague on the details, which is fine, but we hope there is more beneath the surface of this film. We’re wondering if this is a film that uses its premise just for scares or if there is a deeper metaphor or meaning to it all. If it’s just an entertaining horror movie, that’s fine, but the special ones can entertain while having a deeper meaning.

The Buzz: The buzz for this movie has been growing over the last few weeks since it debuted at SXSW at the beginning of March. As of this writing, the film boasts a 100% RottenTomatoes rating and a 79 on MetaCritic. This is the first horror release since Insidious: The Last Key back in January and we think that will mean a big $30 million opening.

Final Thoughts: This movie looks incredibly scary and with all the good buzz surrounding it, we think it will deliver the goods at the box office too.

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Blockers

Blockers posterWhat we are excited about: The cast is loaded with the likes of John Cena, Leslie Mann, and Ike Barinholtz. The film has a humorous premise that we hope doesn’t get too old too quick. If we’re lucky, this could be something like Game Night and use its talented cast to great effect.

What we are worried about: The trailers seem to be a little too raunchy, which is a little concerning. There is nothing wrong with raunchy humor, if it’s funny and not merely gross just to be gross. Movies like Superbad (2007), Knocked Up (2007), and The 40-Year-Old Virgin (2005) all used their raunchiness to prime comedic effect, which we hope is the case with Blockers. Director Kay Cannon isn’t an established comedy director, which makes us a little wary about this one.

The Buzz: The buzz has been surprisingly good for Blockers since it debuted at SXSW. It currently sits at 90% on RottenTomatoes and 75 on MetaCritic, both of which are great for a comedy. Game Night surprised many with its box-office results, and we think the same will happen with Blockers. Look for a modest $15 million opening, but good legs could help it become a small-sized hit over the coming weeks.

Final Thoughts: If horror thrillers aren’t your thing, then Blockers looks like a fine alternative.

Scott Davis

Scott Davis

Scott Davis is a recent graduate of Oakland University where he earned a degree in journalism. He worked for the student newspaper on campus, The Oakland Post, where he became the paper's managing editor. He also earned a minor in Cinema Studies at OU. Scott enjoys all things film and TV related, especially the blockbuster kind. He might be the biggest Christopher Nolan fan you know.