Train to Busan

Sang-ho Yeon, 2016

IMDB

4/5

When we saw how fast the zombies were moving in Danny Boyle's 28 Days Later, we realized that one specific tweak changed the genre drastically. This was a different universe than Romero's where you could quite easily dodge the walking dead. These were frenetic terrors hellbent on attacking you. They jumped through glass. The crowds moved swiftly. So some future films followed suit and these were now placed in the category of fast zombies. Zombies that could run. REC, the remake of Dawn of the Dead, Zombieland. There are zombie purists who discount this change to the genre. They believe that zombies should inherently be slow moving. I am not one of these people.

Jump to 2013's World War Z and we not only have fast zombies but there is another level of intensity to them. Perhaps it's the massive numbers that are moving quickly. Rapid virus transfer. Inhuman biting actions. These things pile on top of each other, go airborne, take down helicopters. Terrifying.

Korean film Train to Busan captures a similar ferocity that World War Z had. The only difference is much of the movie is set inside a train. So the movie itself becomes this hybrid offspring of World War Z meets Snowpiercer. Like Snakes on a Plane, but Zombies on a Train. Complete terror that is unleashed in a tight space.

There are so many memorable moments in this film. The image of when they reanimate and you can hear the bones breaking and they get into these contorted positions, damn its freaky. I don't think i will ever get the image out of my head of the zombie running down the train platform with the broken arm that is sticking straight up the air. Busan is without a doubt one of the best zombie films to come out in the past 10 years. Maybe even the best. Yeon manages to get you invested in the characters with their vastly different personalities. You are really rooting for the couple or so to make it out in one piece. Then there are others that you are begging to receive some comeuppance. One guy in particular, Yeon creates this one character (corporate POS Yong-Suk) that is just so completely selfish that you are eagerly waiting for some karmic balance. The film itself is an interesting concept, the world around you completely falling apart while you are stuck on a high speed train that is also falling apart but on a more micro scale. The special effects are remarkable. These are really rabid-like zombies. There's no 10 minute break from death to reawakening. This virus spreads very rapidly. It's a matter of seconds. Train to Busan is a solid offering to the zombie genre that I believe history will be very kind to. Hopefully now that it's receiving international distribution (currently through streaming services) it will get many more eyes on it.

Stand by Me

Rob Reiner, 1986

IMDB

4/5

Stand by Me is not just a movie about a group of boys searching for a rumored dead body. That's all secondary. It doesn't really even matter if there even is a body at the end of their journey. Stand by Me is just an honest coming-of-age piece that will force any man watching to revisit their youth. The rapport between the four boys is identifiable to any grown man. Their world was a world that existed long before bullying was considered a punishable crime. They were living in a world where spankings were expected, getting picked on was the norm. When cold cuts cost $1 and the older men were slicking back their hair and driving fast cars.

Very much like Gordie recalls his youth after seeing a newspaper article, this film conjures up memories of your own youth. That group of friends that you would spend the summers running through the neighborhood with. Back then, they seemed like they would be life-long companions. Little did you know they were just those people who were there at that particular point in time. Those friends come and go. But for that little blip in time, they are your guides... your mentors, your support.

The film goes down as another one of Stephen King's masterpieces that made the successful transition to the big screen. King has a way of capturing the essence of relationships between people. He has also displayed the ability to see things through the eyes of children as he did in his 1986 novel It. There is a lot more to this movie than a fat Jerry O'Connell "sincerely" drinking game. It's a portal to your own past, when you had your whole life in front of you and the companionship.

Last Passenger

Omid Nooshin, 2014

Can I Stream it?

2/5

Lewis Shaler (Dougray Scott) is on traveling with his son Max (Joshua Kaynama) on a commuter train in London when a hijacker takes control and compromises their trip.

Last Passenger has something going for it for during the first half to three quarters of the film. At the beginning of the story you sit on the train with several strangers. There are the quintessential loud folk, talking and shouting. There is the drunk guy who won't put out his cigarette. There is the silent older guy. Quite typical characters. But things zero in on Lewis, his son Max and pretty woman Sarah (Kara Tointon) early. They strike up conversation with each other, Sarah obviously impressed with the fact that Lewis is a doctor on his way to the hospital. If you are aware of the plot going into the film, as you likely are, you are looking at everyone around them as potential villains. Maybe that silent old guy is going to slip away. Maybe that drunk guy with the cigarette is going to get himself worked up, and make an impulsive decision to take over the train in outrage. Or maybe they are just red herrings. The mystery element is enough to get the story moving and get you engaged. And as Lewis goes on to have the best (if accidental) first date ever with beautiful Sarah, the conflict soon begins.

What transpires is a Speed-like action thriller, but without the charm. To it's credit, the film builds on some characters that you grow to appreciate, but (unable to avoid the obvious pun) it doesn't even go off the tracks at the end. That would involve more action than what you get, and at that point in the film you are hungry for it. Instead, it's an anti-climactic conclusion that leaves you wondering if you missed something. But you didn't.

Snowpiercer

Joon-ho Bong, 2014

Can I Stream it?

4/5

The world is has been forced into a modern-day Ice Age after a global warming solution failed. The remaining inhabitants of Earth now live on a transcontinental train that circles the globe once a year. The lower class inhabitants live in the rear carts of the train while the upper class resides in the front, more lavish end of the train.

Korean director Joon-ho Bong's (The Host, dystopian sci-fi piece runs on an inventive concept that mirrors some of the class warfare of the Hunger Games with some of the offbeat humor on a futuristic backdrop of The Fifth Element. The fast moving train is unforgiving. The back end carts are fed gelatin-like bricks of processed protein that resembles out of the can cranberry sauce (except a really disgusting version of it), while the front end dines on lavish meals consisting of fresh fruits and vegetables and meats. The never-ending tension reaches a boiling point early on the film and the lower class passengers decide to rebel under the leadership of Curtis (Chris Evans) and guidance of Gilliam (John Hurt). As they attempt to push forward to the upper section of the train, you see a brilliant progression of the luxuries (probably the best feature of the film, such a pleasant surprise) awarded to the upper end of the Snowpiercer hierarchy. There are moments when the cart doors open to a barrage of defenders and you witness sequences not seen since Tarantino's Kill Bill.

Because it's Bong's English debut, there is likely some things that got a bit mixed in translation. Some of the humor feels misplaced, a bit awkward at times. But it's completely forgivable. There is enough meat on the bones to the rest of the picture. Snowpiercer is visually appealing and built on an innovatory premise with some good performances, and that's enough to make a good sci-fi film.

The Darjeeling Limited

Wes Anderson, 2007

Can I Stream It?

2/5

Three brothers unite on a train in India a year after they lost their father in an attempt to reconnect and have a bonding experience together.

Like all of Wes Anderson's work, the film is easy on the eyes. But despite it's visual perks, it doesn't have a lot going for it. Ironically even though the colorful train is bound to the steel rails, the picture feels quite aimless and all over the place. Their mission together feels quite detached, as if they are mostly on a train killing time by smoking cigarettes and drinking native concoctions that are delivered to their personal sleeper cart. The attempt at multiple story threads (on-board romance, break up grief, family animosity) doesn't really stick. It feels like Anderson really wanted to make a movie in picturesque India. He was so excited that he quickly boarded the plane with Jason Schwartzman and Bill Murray and forgot half of the script at home. It's understandable, because the best attributes about the film are probably some of the many amazing shots he managed to get. Heads sticking out of the train window as it passes through the night. The group passing through a bustling marketplace. Various angles of the interior cabin with the aging colorful decor sticking to the walls. It's an Anderson piece that requires more gazing than thinking. Even though it feels like a confused film it does seem to make sense that Anderson would want a picture like this in his library. It fits in well in that respect. You can take in the set pieces with the (very underrated classic rock band) Kinks playing in the background, which at the end of the day really isn't the worst thing to endure.

The Station Agent

Thomas McCarthy, 2003

Can I Stream It?

2/5

Fin (Peter Dinklage) is a train enthusiast who was born with dwarfism. When his friend dies and the train shop closes, he decides to relocate to the property he inherited to live a life in isolation.

McCarthy succeeds in drawing the sympathy early. Fin's world in Hoboken is an unforgiving one. He is laughed at by the children in the streets, pointed at by the people in the grocery store. When his friend passes, you can't blame him for wanting to get the hell out of the hell he is living in. The only thing that Hoboken had to offer was a job and a companion. Both of those are gone. He hasn't even seen the small bit of land he inherits but assumes it's an upgrade from the status quo. The backdrop of the run-down rail-yards and miles of power lines doesn't necessarily paint a warm landscape. Fin is a man who has been faced with adversity all of his life but also struggles with geographical limitations. Getting through his days are work, not because of physical limitations but because of the world around him. He appears to be on the edge of complete surrender by the time that he walks to Newfoundland. He's convinced that the one genuine person has died, and there's not another one left in the world. When he arrives in the small town, the ridicule is diminished but still present. When the friendly souls surface, it almost feels as if he is the one who passed and he is in some kind of strange afterlife. The film has a certain mythical quality to it in that sense. Food truck Joe is too friendly, to the point of being disconcerting. This works against his character too, because he truly seems like a person of unlimited patience and persistence. While McCarthy's simple story is earnest, at times it feels like it's dragging. While Dinklage is clearly a talented actor and provides a layered performance, when he finally opens up to Joe and Olivia he doesn't lay a lot out there. That's disappointing because the film  is really a character study, built for Fin. He succeeds in constructing the beaten man, but fails at showing us a man who has truly opened up even though the story forces him to. Not that he needed to make an embellished character arch with a happily-ever-after conclusion, it would have been nice to see Fin truly conquer something within himself, rather than just crack a smile.