The Top Five Movies of July 2016
Welcome to another installment of our monthly feature in which a rotating cast of film critics hold forth on the highs and lows of month of moviegoing.
5. Train To Busan
Yeon Sang-ho’s zombie action film has more stage presence that most American thrillers. Gong Yoo plays a deadbeat dad with enough money to pretend he’s the responsible parent. His mettle, responsibility and love are all put to the test when he takes his daughter (Kim Soo-ahn) to Busan to be with her mother and a zombie outbreak hits the rear car. As the train peels through Korea looking for a safe harbor, the carriages are overrun by zombies and the passengers fall to pieces trying to keep themselves safe, with Yoo stuck in the middle trying to protect a child while learning to be a person again. Yeon’s script could stand to loosen its grip on stock character behavior, but he’s got a way with a setpiece that’ll make you sit up in your chair. Zombie brawls, stealth crawls through dark compartments and various zombie footraces and train chases are this film’s specialty and it dolls them out with just the right frequency. As close to literally 40 miles of bad road as possible.
3. Gleason
2. Homo Sapiens
Best New Old Movie: On The Silver Globe
Dud of the Month: Lights Out