A Quiet Place Part II (2020)

Day 1

Lee Abbot (John Krasinski) drives down the street and walks into a local market in his small town.  The owner is staring at the TV, watching something smoking.  When Lee asks about it, the man says there was an explosion.  Continuing about his day, Lee grabs some fruit and then makes his way to a baseball field where his son, Marcus, is playing.  Among the spectators is Emmett (Cillian Murphy) with his son.  There is also Evelyn Abbot (Emily Blunt), Regan Abbot (Millicent Simmonds), and Beau Abbot.  During the game, a fireball is seen coming down from the sky in the distance.  The game breaks up and everyone leaves.  And then the first monster descends on the town.

Day 474

With her newborn in her arms, Emily gets Regan and Marcus to collect what they can from the farm before setting out.  Regan uses her father's map to find another survivor.  Perhaps they can find shelter with someone else.  To their surprise, they find Emmett.  He is alone, his wife and son both having died.  He'd rather Emily move on but circumstances are dire.  Regan is determined to make use of the newly-discovered feedback sound that practically disables the monsters.

The movie is an amazingly good prequel/sequel.  The story is tight and well-told.  Events are setup so that the audience can enjoy the eventual payoff.  The tension is kept high.  Very impressive.  If you liked the first one, you will definitely like this one.

My big qualm about this movie and its predecessor is the fact that these things were able win so easily.  I'll accept that their hide is thick and might protect against shotguns or small arms but a .50 caliber gun would cut them in half.  And now it turns out they can't swim.  The Navy should be sitting just off the coast making a racket to attract them and wipe them out.

Nobody (2021)

"Who are you?!"

"I'm nobody."

Hutch Mansell (Bob Odenkirk) is an ordinary guy with an ordinary life.  His marriage has lost its spark, his job is a drag, and he keeps forgetting to get the trash cans out to the curb before the trash truck drives away.  One night, a couple break into his house.  Hutch proves to have some impressive tactical awareness as he follows them through the house.  Then his teenaged son tackles one of the burglars.  Hutch immediately surrenders and gives the pair what money he has.  His son is clearly disappointed in his father.  Even the police look at him as a loser when they arrive.  The next day, his brother in law - with whom he works - sees him as a loser and gives him a gun to protect his sister.  When he gets home, his daughter is looking for a worthless keepsake which was in the change cup, the very cup the burglars had emptied.  And something clicks.

Hutch stops at an old folks' home to see his father (Christopher Lloyd).  He borrows a gun and FBI badge then goes on the hunt.  Eventually, he tracks down the burglars and proves to be the most dangerous man in the room, clearly capable of dispatching the two of them during the robbery.  However, their situation is sufficiently dire that he leaves even more depressed.  And then he encounters some drunken bozos.  In a fight reminiscent of John Wick, he takes down four goons.  Unfortunately, one of them is the nephew of a Russian gangster; the uncle wants revenge.

At this point, the real fun begins.  The movie is a combo of Homer Simpson meets James Bond.  The action is intense and plentiful.  Lots of fun.

Influence

Robert Cialdini, Psychology Professor of Arizona State University, explored the tools of 'compliance professionals.'  Compliance professionals are people who try to get us to do or buy things that we might not otherwise do or buy.  What tools do they use?  Cialdini has discovered six.  Of note, these six principles of influence are handy shortcuts that allow us to make good decisions while using minimal mental energy.  However, compliance professionals have discovered the shortcuts and make use of them, often tricking people into decisions they would not have made.

Reciprocation: If someone does you a favor, you are obligated to return a favor.  A practiced influencer might make a wild request.  When you decline, he makes a more reasonable request.  As such, he had 'given' a bit on his request, which often creates an instinctual need to reciprocate.  It's a trick but it works.

Commitment & Consistency: People want to be consistent with their past statements or actions.  If an influencer asks if you consider yourself helpful and you say 'yes,' the influencer can then request help in some way.  To be consistent, you are obligated to help.  People who were not first asked if they considered themselves helpful were far less likely to offer help than those who were first asked.

Social Proof: If people similar to oneself are doing something, then it's probably the right thing.  Influencers will use this shortcut by saying 'most popular' brand or making commercials that show people doing or buying something.

Liking: People are more likely to do what they are asked by people they like.  There are lots of ways to be instantly more likeable.  Simply being attractive is a great way to be likeable.  Offering compliments make you likeable.  Mirroring body language can make you likeable.  Using these techniques, an influencer can quickly become likeable and greatly increase the odds of getting compliance.

Authority: In general, people will comply with an authority figure.  By merely assuming the attributes of an authority figure - whether or not one has any authority - will increase compliance.  A man in a suit has more authority than a man in a t-shirt and jeans.

Scarcity: If the supplies are limited, people want them more.  By convincing the target that something is scarce, an influencer can increase the chances that the target will buy.

The book offers extensive examples of all of these principals in action.  Cialdini also offers ways to counter these influence techniques.  Really great book and highly recommended.

The Mirror Crack'd (1980)

It is 1953 and American film star Marina Rudd (Elizabeth Taylor) has come to England to star as Mary, Queen of Scots, in her comeback movie.  During a reception at the manor where she and her husband, Jason Rudd (Rock Hudson) are staying, a village local, Heather Babcock, dies from poison.  As chance would have it, Cherry was working as a server that day; Cherry is the housekeeper for Miss Jane Marple (Angela Lansbury).  Miss Marple quizzes Cherry in detail about the events prior to Heather's death and concludes that Marina was the intended target.  As luck would have it, Inspector Craddock (Edward Fox) of Scotland Yard is dispatched to investigate; he happens to be Miss Marple's favorite nephew and also something of a film buff.  He interviews all the principals and then discusses it with his aunt, serving as an Archie Goodwin to Miss Marple's Nero Wolfe.  Among the suspects are Rudd's personal secretary Ella Ziellinsky (Geraldine Chaplin), movie producer Martin N. Fenn (Tony Curtis), and Marina's arch rival, actress Lola Brewster (Kim Novak).

The most interesting aspect of the movie is trivial.  Pierce Brosnan had a non-speaking role where he played Jamie, husband to Mary Queen of Scots.  The director, Guy Hamilton, rose to fame as director of Goldfinger (1964).  As such, Hamilton directed 3 Bond actors: Connery (Goldfinger & Diamonds are Forever), Moore (Live and Let Die, The Man with the Golden Gun), and Brosnan.

By the movie's conclusion, the solution is irrelevant.  Marple's deductions explain the plot but at no point change the events.  That she was always one link away from the action made the movie slow and a little boring.  Strangely enough, where Marina Rudd was trying to stage a comeback from a several year hiatus from movies, Elizabeth Taylor hadn't had a leading role in several years prior to this movie; good casting.

Only for the diehard Agatha Christie fan.

Running Scared (1986)

Det. Ray Hughes (Gregory Hines) and Det. Danny Costanzo (Billy Crystal) are on the streets of Chicago when they spot a Mercedes in a sketchy neighborhood.  "In this neighborhood, a Mercedes is probable cause."  Snake (Joe Pantoliano) and a recently paroled drug dealer, Julio Gonzales (Jimmy Smits) step out of the car.  Though Gonzales gets away, they manage to catch Snake and find he has a suitcase filled with cash.  They force Snake to assist them in tracking down the bigger fish, Gonzales.  Though they arrest Gonzales, it proved to be a fiasco that nearly cost them their lives.  Captain Logan (Dan Hedaya) sends them on a mandatory vacation.  The pair go to Key West and are soon seduced by the sunsets and pretty women.  They buy a bar and plan to retire to Florida.  Back in Chicago, they turn in their 30 day notice for retirement.  However, Gonzales is back on the streets!  The duo are determined to put him back in prison before they leave for Key West.

A comedic take on the buddy cop movie, Hines and Crystal have great chemistry.  When there is action, it follows the standard 80s playbook of Uzis, hole-blowing shotguns, crazy car chases, and macho bravado.  But when it switches to comedy, it gets zany.  The police lineup where 4 officers in uniform stand next to the suspect was outlandishly funny.  Or when the detectives, neither wearing pants, chase after a suspect.  "We lost the suspect, our keys, our car, OUR PANTS!"  The shifts in tone work amazingly well and it is unfortunate that the sequel never materialized.

A really fun 80s movie.  Highly recommended.