Red Lights

How did filmmakers get this incredible cast for this so-so 2012 movie? The scientific debunking of mentalists and hucksters is sharp and intriguing. Cillian Murphy captivates as the paranormal debunker with a hidden agenda. The rest of the cast is stellar. But things about this are wacky. Askew. Cattywampus. Off. Well-known actors are sidelined, unnecessary scenes go on way too long, and the conclusion must be explained through voiceover. It aspires to be a modern-day, big budget Scanners meets X-Files. But the pacing feels scattered and directionless. The plot feels unrealized and unmotivated. This is supposed to be my expertise. I’ve put in my 10,000 hours. But I can’t explain it. Something is just… off.

Train to Busan

Zombie retrospective. The zombie movie cream-of-the-crop, to some. Production design is clean and slick, which makes the arrival of the fast zombies and the spraying blood all the more dreadful. It starts with routine domestic issues, and a sympathetic Dad trying to do his best. When the outbreak begins, Dad makes a few selfish moves to save his young daughter, but efforts to dial back hero’s sympathetic qualities ring false. We know he’s a good guy. Don’t bother with a ginned-up arc. There aren’t too many young children in zombie narratives, I suppose for production safety reasons, but having a little girl in this gives the whole spectacle a layer of vulnerability. Filmmakers intend for this to add HEART to the story, which more often than not, works. Sequences are extremely well-choreographed. Lots of glass, and windows being the only thing that stands between the heroes and the zombie hoards. The pace, like a speeding train, doesn’t let up, and the editing is expert. Is this the Citizen Kane of zombie movies? Kinda. Maybe. If you don’t count OPENING NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD.

28 Days Later

Zombie retrospective. I remember reading about this before it came out. Film nerds (like me) were very skeptical that a theatrical feature could be shot on consumer video cameras and not feel cheap and gimmicky. But Danny Boyle proves with his track record that he welcomes risk. It’s scary. Scenes on the abandoned London streets are truly eerie. And Cillian Murphy’s commitment to the bit is unwavering. As usual, zombie parables inevitably chart how quickly people can turn on each other when the undead start lumbering around. There’s an unsavory rapey-ness to the final third of this. Thankfully, revenge is sweet. Interesting, too, to watch the DVD of this, with the alternate endings (I can’t remember the last time I watched a DVD). Filmmakers conclude with a small amount of hope for mankind. But they sill had their doubts.