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An intense 'Quiet Place' and some 'Zen Diaries”

| April 13, 2018 1:00 AM

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Bob Saget and Garry Shandling in "The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling." (via imdb.com)

After several fits and starts in his post “Office” career, John Krasinski finally has a breakout with “A Quiet Place,” a tense and emotive horror thriller that ignited the box office last weekend.

Just his third directorial effort (with the other two being small indies), “A Quiet Place” announces Krasinski as a filmmaker capable of delivering complicated spectacle and nuanced character work inside a clear and economic narrative.

At just under 90 minutes, the film builds an entire world out of the struggle of one nuclear family. Blind extra-terrestrial monsters have ravaged Earth using their incredible hearing ability as a means of killing almost every person on the planet. Krasinski and wife-in-real-life Emily Blunt play husband and wife Lee and Evelyn, who survive alongside their deaf daughter and two sons, thanks to some clever survival skills and the family’s mastery of sign language for communication.

Nearly all the dialogue in “A Quiet Place” consists of subtitled sign language, an impressive feat especially when the film’s action-packed second half relies on the absence of sound to deliver some truly scary chase sequences.

This still being a horror film, tragedy strikes the family, and Lee and Evelyn make preparations for the impending birth of a new baby. Babies cry uncontrollably, which is exactly the opposite of what you want to do around these monsters. Meanwhile, daughter Regan (Millicent Simmonds), continues to feel crippling guilt about the tragedy in the opening act, and her relationship with her father seems especially distant.

Though many will come (and be satisfied) by the scares, “A Quiet Place” tells a resonant story of how families face tragedy. The young actors are all strong, and Emily Blunt remains one of Hollywood’s most underrated actors — her warmth and agency as Evelyn anchors several thrilling sequences. And oddly enough, Krasinski’s “Office” tenure serves him well as the stalwart patriarch; his warm-hearted, camera-mugging “Jim Halpert” persona reappears in some pivotal emotional sequences. He’s a believable hero with the gooey soft side fans of “The Office” loved across nine seasons.

With some cool creatures and a dynamic sound design that plays every noise or voice as a matter of life or death, “A Quiet Place” delivers thrills without being overly reliant on gore or pandering jump scares. The last 15 minutes deliver an exhilarating mix of both devastation and hope. It’s a satisfying experience, but it also makes you eager to see what Krasinski does next.

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Known for writing and directing comedies like “Knocked Up” and “The 40-Year-Old Virgin,” Judd Apatow turns his attention to his comedy mentor with HBO’s two-part documentary, “The Zen Diaries of Garry Shandling.” In its detailed-but-stirring four hours, Apatow manages to seal the legacy of one of comedy’s great (and inexplicably underappreciated) legends.

Of course, those who know “The Larry Sanders Show” understand what Shandling brought to comedy, and the documentary spends quite a bit of time on the acclaimed HBO series from the ’90s about a fictional late-night talk show and the egos populating that world.

“Zen Dairies” reveals much more about Shandling, who died in 2016 at age 66. Apatow’s film shines when focusing on the personal turmoil Shandling faced after he decided to end “Larry Sanders.” Through the revelation of personal diaries, as well as incisive interviews with friends and colleagues, Apatow explores the artistic craft of comedy and how Shandling eventually chose to measure success and happiness in that world. Apatow himself appears often on-camera, and his affection for Shandling becomes an important emotional anchor to the movie.

While probably best suited for fans of Shandling, “Zen Diaries” still reveals some incredible aspects of his life, eventually showing how a man most known for playing a miserable egotist found happiness in giving to others. It’s a time commitment to watch “Zen Diaries of Gary Shandling” but ultimately worth every minute.

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Tyler Wilson can be reached at twilson@cdapress.com