Indonesian Timo Tjahjanto (“Headshot“) has been on a creative tear for some time now, only slowed down because of the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Between 2018 and now, he’s released four features and one short; “May the Devil Take You” (2018), the critically acclaimed Netflix actioner “The Night Comes for Us” (2018), “Hit and Run” (2019), “Portals “(2019) and “May The Devil Take You Too” (2020).

Continue reading Director Timo Tjahjanto Co-Wrote A New Dystopian Genre Film With ‘Doctor Strange’s Scott Derrickson at The Playlist.

The idea of remaking “Train to Busan” might scare film fans. There’s absolutely nothing wrong with the original film, as it stands as one of the best zombie features of the past decade. The only reason to remake it, by Hollywood standards, is to make it English-language, which is enough to rile up purists that don’t think that’s a good enough cause. Well, James Wan is producing a new “Train to Busan” remake and he may convince you it’s a decent idea when you find out who he hired to direct the film.

Continue reading ‘Night Comes For Us’ Director Timo Tjahjanto Hired To Direct ‘Train To Busan’ Remake at The Playlist.

On March 23, in the year of our pandemic clusterfuck, 9 of our 50 United States issued stay at home advisories for residents as their COVID-19 response: Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Illinois, Louisiana, California, Washington, and Oregon. Since then, most of the remaining states have followed suit. But because Americans can’t ever do what’s right or sensible, anti-quarantine and anti-mask movements have sprung up in defiance of logic, not to mention concern for the wellbeing of their neighbors, family, and friends. 

Continue reading ‘Peninsula’: ‘Train To Busan’ Sequel Expands The Scale & Emotional Stakes Of The Zombie Franchise [Review] at The Playlist.

Obviously, as we’ve seen with the effects of COVID-19 around the world, trying to predict the future of the virus’ spread is damn near impossible. Sure, we know how to slow down the spread and smart folks are taking heed of warnings to wear masks and stay away from public gatherings, but without everyone buying in, those efforts seem destined to fail. And we’re seeing how that is happening in Hong Kong, a city that has now had to shut down cinemas yet again after the third wave of COVID-19 is wreaking havoc in the city.

Continue reading Hong Kong Shuts Down Cinemas Again Right Before Release Of ‘Train To Busan’ Sequel After Third Wave Of COVID-19 at The Playlist.

When it was released four years ago, “Train to Busan” became a fan-favorite in the world of horror due to its unique take on the zombie genre. Due to the massive success of “The Walking Dead,” the zombie genre quickly became oversaturated and it felt like fans had seen everything. But ‘Busan’ was different. And now, the film’s sequel, “Peninsula,” looks to once again expand the zombie genre in a new direction.

Continue reading ‘Peninsula’ Trailer: ‘Train To Busan’ Sequel Dials Up The Action at The Playlist.

When you have filmmakers stuck indoors without the possibility of working on a set, what else are these folks going to do other than watch more films? We’ve seen a number of directors share their watchlists during the COVID-19 pandemic, ranging from some of the more obvious picks to perhaps some underseen gems. For Barry Jenkins, the filmmaker behind “Moonlight” and “If Beale Street Could Talk,” he’s worked with The Atlantic to release a list of 8 films that range from true classics to gems that were just released over the last month.

Continue reading Barry Jenkins’ Quarantine Watchlist Includes Steven Soderbergh’s ‘Solaris,’ Films From Tarkovsky, Altman & More at The Playlist.

In the world of zombie horror films, you have to sift through a bunch of subpar films to find something truly worth your time. So many films in the subgenre just recycle the same ideas and themes, borrowing way too much from the legendary George Romero. But in 2016, the South Korean feature, “Train to Busan,” was released and showed that there’s still some life left in zombie films.

Continue reading ‘Peninsula’ Teaser: ‘Train To Busan’ Sequel Shows What’s Left Of The World After The Zombie Apocalypse at The Playlist.

For many, “Train to Busan” is one of the best modern zombie films. By taking the tried and true premise of a zombie apocalypse and putting it in the harsh confines of a moving train, ‘Busan’ is a truly original film that is able to create tension and truly amazing moments in a way that other zombie films so often fail to do. And now, several years after the first film hit theaters, the sequel, “Peninsula” is prepping for its debut and Screen Daily has provided a first look at the film.

Continue reading ‘Peninsula’: Director Talks ‘Train To Busan’ Sequel & Shares First Look Photos at The Playlist.

The 2010s felt like a banner decade for the horror genre. It’s difficult to say that definitively as time is the only thing that can really make that distinction, but as the decade comes to a close, it feels like one that is going to be held up as a “golden era.”

READ MORE: The 25 Best Foreign Language Horror Movies Of All Time

It’s easy to understand why. After a decade filled with remakes, cheap, careless gunk from the likes of Dark Castle and Platinum Dunes, and the “torture porn” movement that metastasized from taking the extreme violence out of the “French New Extremity” (at least in mainstream horror), audiences were yearning for something more adventurous, and filmmakers were more than happy to oblige.

Continue reading The Best Horror Movies Of The Decade [2010s] at The Playlist.

When film fans learn that an international hit film is getting an “American remake,” most will just shake their head and ask, “Why?” That’s exactly what happened when it was announced that James Wan, of “Conjuring” and “Aquaman” fame, was signed on to produce an English-language remake of the South Korean zombie film, “Train to Busan.” But according to the remake’s writer, the American version isn’t just being made to do it.

Continue reading Apparently, James Wan & The ‘It’ Writer Have Found A “Reason” For A ‘Train To Busan’ American Remake That Won’t “Ruin” The Original at The Playlist.

Here’s a little trick for you: want to know what the next high-profile Hollywood genre film will be? Look no further than the South Korean film market. Over the past few years, South Korea has become a breeding ground for Hollywood remakes and adaptations, with 2016’s “Train to Busan” serving as a perfect case study. Moving carefully between horror, action, and drama, Yeon Sang-ho‘s tale of a father who will stop at nothing to protect his daughter in the midst of a zombie apocalypse was an instant smash hit, setting the all-time box office record in Hong Kong and ending the year on countless horror Top 10 lists (ours included!). 

Continue reading ‘Train To Busan’ Director Yeon Sang-Ho Kicks Off Production On His Black Comedy ‘Psychokinesis’ at The Playlist.

Maybe it was just because it provided a respite from the year’s most terrifying drama, “American Horror Story: The 2016 Presidential Election,” but the past 12 months have been unusually good for the horror movie. In a year where franchise after franchise underperformed, horror films remained a consistent draw in multiplexes, and for the most part with new original movies rather than the umpteenth sequel or reboot of “Friday The 13th,” “Saw” or “Paranormal Activity.”

Away from mainstream theaters, there was great stuff too, whether it was Netflix getting into the scary game with a pair of excellent low-key chillers, A24 having their biggest hit ever with a Sundance fave, a couple of inventive Korean pics, or arthouse crossovers drawing on fears from Iran and Portugal.

Continue reading The 15 Best Horror Films Of 2016 at The Playlist.

A few weeks into our annual year-end binge of the Best and Worst of the movies in 2016, and we’ve looked at the finest trailers and posters, the best movies and TV shows, the breakthrough directors and actors, the best scores and soundtracks, the worst films, and the most anticipated films and television series. There’s plenty more to come, but with the weekend here, and a weekend where a new “Star Wars” movie is opening, no less, we wanted to loosen up a bit and talk about the Best Action Sequences of 2016.

Continue reading The 25 Best Action Sequences Of 2016 at The Playlist.

We’ve been having a bit of a horror-fest at The Playlist this month (terrifying Halloween party costumes of choice at Playlist Towers include: Mike Pence, the ghost of the never-made second season of “Vinyl” and Vin Diesel in the high-frame-rate sequences from “Billy Lynn’s Long Half Time Walk”), with the last few weeks serving as something of a potted history of the last half-century or so.

Continue reading The 50 Best Horror Movies Of The 21st Century So Far at The Playlist.

MONTREAL — In what will undoubtedly be called “Snowpiercer”-with-zombies in countless reviews (well, including this one), director Sang-ho Yeon’s “Train To Busan,” making its North American premiere at Fantasia Film Festival, has a hook that sells the sizzle in a few short words: On a train hurtling across South Korea, passengers must fight to survive against horde of zombies. What that description won’t tell you is that Yeon, making his live-action debut, has neither the thematic depth or visceral chops of Bong Joon-ho and his post-apocalyptic picture.

Continue reading Korean Zombie Thriller ‘Train To Busan’ Needs More Brains [Review] at The Playlist.