davidlmarks

'A Ghost Story' is a powerful film with very little dialog and a man with a sheet over his head. That being said, it's amazing and heartbreaking.

I wasn't sure what I was in for when I started watching the movie. I've watched it three times now, and I still haven't seen the end credits through the tears in my eyes.

A true masterpiece.

Wow.

Where do I even begin? This movie shows that Hollywood does not own the monopoly on quality film making. But checking out the quality of the entertainment of late coming from Hollywood, that's not really a stretch.

All young Su-an (played by Soo-an Kim) wants for her birthday is to spend it with her mother. So her separated and unengaged father Seok Woo (played by Yoo Gong) attempts to fulfill her wish. Her mother lives in Busan. That's a relatively unconventional short train ride, and with some coaxing, off they go.

But, of course, the train ride is anything but unconventional.

News filters into passengers on the train that something horrible is affecting people, turning them into crazed rabid flash eaters. Little do they know that this is about to infect the people on the train as well.

Along with Seok Woo and Su-an, there are a whole host of great secondary characters that round out the cast. Like cheerleader Ahn So-hee, reluctant boyfriend and amateur baseball player Young Gook (and the rest of the team), Sang Hwa, a linebacker or sumo wrestler or just a plain bad-ass, and his expectant wife Sung Gyeong. Do NOT mess with this man's wife and child! The train is a perfect setting for a zombie apocalypse showdown. The train can not stop at stations because they are all over-run by the hordes, and the living passengers are continually being squeezed into tighter and tighter quarters by the increasing number of swarming undead that move like World War Z zombies-on-meth.

Train to Busan is one of the best zombie action flicks I've seen in a long time. Director Sang-ho Yeon does an amazing job with pacing, the acting is top notch, and the screenplay (also written by Sang-ho Yeon) is visceral and touching.

Highly highly recommend!

"Wer" is a modern take on werewolf mythology. Taking place in France, this horror flick brings the concept of the full-moon, flesh eating creature into the 21st century, and boy does it deliver!

A family is ravaged by what the lone survivor calls a hairy creature that stood on two legs and had huge hands. The mother described how the creature proceeded to eat her young son.

Almost immediately, the local police detective Pistori has a suspect in custody-- Talan, a huge man with hair that covers his body. He belonged to a family with history in past land disputes and mysterious deaths.

His defense team gathers to dispute what appears to be a miscarriage of justice. The team is made up of attorney Kate Moore (A.J. Moore from "Criminal Minds"), her assistant Eric Sarin (Vik Sahay from "Chuck") and animal specialist Gavin Flemyng (Simon Quarterman from "The Devil Inside").

While researching, Gavin discovers a rare condition which could explain Talan's appearance. Should they be able to prove that Talan has this condition, it would pretty much exonerate Talan, as symptoms include elongated, weak bones that cause the sufferer to have no strength, and move slowly.

This leads to an awesome scene in the hospital, where Talan is to be tested.

The movie is break-neck-paced. There are a few subtitles, but most of the movie is in English. There are outstanding visual effects, especially of the practical kind. There are even some crackly, snapping standard werewolf turning scenes. There is a handful of POV/Found footage used, but not over-used, which is refreshing. They are used only for maximum impact (for example, weapon cams). The acting is first rate, and the directing (by William Brent Bell, who also co-wrote Wer) is top notch. William Brent Bell brought us such creepy fair as "The Devil Inside" and more recently "The Boy."

And of course, there are a few "oh-- you KNOW this is going to get bad" moments, that are pretty much inevitable in a movie like this. It's easily the best werewolf film I have seen since "American Werewolf in London," which came out over 35 years ago. While AWIL was considered a comedy/horror mashup, Wer is all horror.

In my opinion, Wer would have garnered a score of 10/10 if not for a blatantly Hollywood ending.

Regardless, the film is outstanding!