Zombie flicks are simultaneously over- and under-rated. On one hand they can be this interesting and masterfully done film that takes you by surprise and pound you over the head with spot-on acting, dialogue, set-piece, and world-building. On the other hand, they can be the same old schlock that you’ve seen a thousand times before, that you keep coming back to, because it’s just that damn good.

Train to Busan

This is the zombie movie we have been waiting for since the release of World War Z. Train to Busan and WWZ have one very important thing in common, and it's what makes them the cream of the crop when it comes to zombie films - they feel real. They feel like they exist in a real world, rather than just a few sets made for the movie. Other films do an excellent job of telling the story of the survivors in whatever small environment they're in, but that's the extent to what we see; the immediate vicinity. The zombie outbreak is given no real weight or consequence outside of the small confines of the compound or mall or house or wherever the story is actually set. Few zombie films do what Yeon Sang-ho has done with Train to Busan. They add weight and depth. Real consequence. They give more than just a vague sense that the whole world is overrun by zombies - these types of films actually show the world reacting to these creatures in realtime, giving them weight in the minds of the audience that could never be achieved by just talking about it.

Gushing about world-building aside, the acting, pacing, cast, dialogue, choreography, and effects, were all top notch. Very few films come by and astonish the way that Train to Busan does. World War Z did it, 300 did it, now Train to Busan has done it.

4.5/5

Blade 2

Blade 2 takes everything great about Blade and turns it up a notch, while dispensing with what brought the first movie down. Gone is the over-serious tone and campy 90s feel, and in comes more vampire lore, a new breed, a surprise new antagonist, kicked-up action and choreography, new characters to bounce off of, new weaponry, everything you'd expect. This wasn't some rushed sequel. They used the four years between the movies and they delivered something great.

Being a blade sequel, you know what to expect, which is respectable. It's an action flick in which Wesley Snipes kicks some real vampire ass with a bunch of cool catchphrases in the trunk. What else is there to say?

3/5

The House

We here at Stoski Co. are no strangers to a good turn-your-brain-off comedy. There are times for intricate and highly developed, high-concept sci-fi, and there are times for switching off and enjoying funny people engage in their craft. The House is the latter; not much to think, not much to anticipate, not much to say. Watch a comedy and feel the problems of the world melt away for a few hours. What could be better than that?

3/5

All movies added this month

The House (2017) 3/5
Blue Streak (1999) 3/5
Blade (1998) 2.5/5
Blade 2 (2002) 3/5
Doctor Sleep (2019) 3.5/5
Project Power (2020) 4/5
Paul (2011) 3/5
Bruce Almighty (2003) 3/5
Swordfish (2001) 2.5/5
Train to Busan (2016) 4.5/5