Oxygen (Netflix, 2021)

 Le film français "Oxygen" est, de loin, le thriller de science-fiction le plus agréable que j'ai vu depuis des années. (Sous-titres et tout.)

Those Who Wish Me Dead (HBO Max, 2021)

After watching the flick, count me in that group.

A Quiet Place Part II (2021)

 John Krasinski's A Quiet Place (2018) was nearly a cinematic masterpiece. 

It took the sci-fi and horror genres into unusual and uncharted territories: the movie was scarier because it was nearly silent, and effective as a morality play about self-sacrifice. After all, it was about what one is willing to do to keep one's family safe.  

The flick made nearly $350 million dollars world-wide. Not because it had a huge special effects budget. It made bank because it didn't.  

I was skeptical when I first heard a sequel was being planned. The quiet gimmick had been done already, so the audience will be prepared for that. And Krasinski's lead character, Lee Abbot, sacrificed himself to save his children at the end of the first movie. 

How could a sequel of any real quality be made?

It was done by adding rich texture in a variety of ways: there was more -- but not overdone -- dialogue; the audience got a peek into the day normal stopped; it was  louder when louder was necessary; and  the theme of self-sacrifice was broadened from being focused on saving a single family to being focused on saving a larger community.  

A Quiet Place Part II may be the best sequel of the past 25 years. 

Must-Read Comic: The Nice House On The Lake (DC Comics, 2021)

 James Tynion IV is re-vitalizing comic books. He’s not alone, of course; others, like Joe Hill, Gail Simone, and Brian Michael Bendis are telling compelling stories. 

But at age 33, Tynion IV is special. 

He’s breathed new life into the Batman legend, and his “Something Is Killing The Children,” was nominated for an Eisner Award as Best New Series in 2020.

Admittedly, it’s too early to declare his newest title, “The Nice House On The Lake,” a success. But, based on reader anticipation (it had over 100,000 pre-orders) the quality of issue #1 (just released), and the art of Alvaro Martinez’s Bueno, the potential for this horror series is tremendous. 

Perhaps — sooner than later, maybe — we’ll be discussing the work of Tynion IV with the same enthusiasm we have for Moore, Byrne, Miller, and Kirby.