Lisa and I went to see this movie tonight. It’s hard for us to agree on a motion picture these days. She doesn’t like the 3 S’s.

Sequels, Superheroes, Spaceships.

And the more a movie is hyped, the more skeptical we both become. That rules out about half of what’s in theaters.

I’ll see just about anything if RottenTomatoes.com gives it a respectable score. They give you two numbers to consider. Critics and audience reviews.

If critics hate it, but audiences love it (which happens often), and it’s not one of the three S’s, we’ll go. If critics like it, but audiences don’t, it’s a pass. Critics are often wrong, but people vote with their wallets. These days no one wants to waste time. When critics say don’t go, and audiences flock to the theater anyway, they are enjoying themselves and telling friends.

Browsing through the movie app, I glanced at the score for “A Quiet Place.”
Critics give it 95%, Audiences 85%. It must be great. Let’s go.

Oh, and by the way: I’ve stopped reading the reviews. If anything negative is said, it tends to color the experience. Even positive reviews must tell you why. Which means you won’t discover it for yourself. And I prefer not to see a movie trailer. I’ve always despised them.

Glancing at the title, “A Quiet Place” sounded like a romantic flick. So we hopped in the car, drove to the theater, walked in, sat down, and had no idea what the movie was about.

Boy were we in for a shock.

Having a story unfold before you with no preconceived notions about the plot is terrific. We experienced it in real time!

And that is all I can say.

Try it.

Bob

Photo by Jonny Cournoyer / Paramount Pictures