Train To Busan: A man (Gong Yoo), his estranged daughter and other passengers become trapped on a speeding train during a zombie outbreak in South Korea.
Rating: ★★★★★ (4.7 out of 5)
Review: Though I'm a huge fan of horror and gory stuffs, somehow zombies never made it to the top of my favs. I do enjoy World War Z (because holy crap the zombies were extremely fast!) and Warm Bodies (Nicholas Hoult is such a cutie), but I'm never amazed by The Walking Dead. The undead caked with dried up blood was not something I like to watch at most times, I guess. But when a friend showed me the trailer of Train To Busan when it was just released in South Korea, I can't help but be wowed by the plot. Plus, most horror movies from South Koreathat I have watched contain something meaningful in them (more often the value of family or friendship) compared to western movies, so I was more than eager to watch Train To Busan.
It didn't occur to me that a month or two after that, I'd be travelling a few hundred miles to watch it at the movies with my girlfriends. But I was glad we did, every penny spent on the movie (and the journey) was definitely worth it! Though I was amazed by the whole production of the movie, I still have some mixed feelings about it. I loved it to bits, but at the same time I'm so mad at the story plot.
Train To Busan started with a busy father, Seok Woo, and his daughter, Soo An, riding a train to visit Soo An's mother in Busan. Everything seemed fine, but small accidents started appearing around the city including a huge fire on a building and Soo An seeing something attacking the train conductor (?) when the train started to move. And then an injured woman managed to escape the attacks of the unknown things and stepped into their train. A female staff tried to help, and that was when all hell broke lose.
The moment the thing, or zombie, started to bite, everything started to look horrifying. The transition from a human towards a zombie was so horrible, I'm pretty sure weak-hearted or blood-phobic watchers wouldn't be able to watch it. The production was a bomb though, everything looked realistic and believable (despite the fact that the scenes were mostly done on a green screen).
Like I've mentioned above, most Korean horror movies that I've watched had values in them, and Train To Busan was no exception. Seok Woo was a selfish man at first, but after the encounter with the zombies and almost losing his daughter, he became a very selfless person. Along with a married couple, Sang Hwa and Sung Kyung, two students, Gi Cheol and Jin Hee, and a homeless man, the seven of them managed to go far. But not everything went as what we rooted, one by one, we lost the heroes.
I have never cried so much after watching a movie, Train To Busan was the first to me. I cried when Sang Hwa sacrificed himself to save the others and his wife had to watch him die; when Jin Hee was bitten and Gi Cheol cradled her, not caring that she turned into a zombie after that and killed him because she meant so much to him; when Seok Woo was bitten in front of his daughter and had to leave her in the care of Sung Kyung, killing himself before he turned into a zombie so as not to hurt his daughter (the scene when he remembered when Soo An was still a baby was so heartbreaking); and when Soo An sang the song that was meant for her father when she walked into the tunnel with Sung Kyung when they arrived in Busan.
Review: Though I'm a huge fan of horror and gory stuffs, somehow zombies never made it to the top of my favs. I do enjoy World War Z (because holy crap the zombies were extremely fast!) and Warm Bodies (Nicholas Hoult is such a cutie), but I'm never amazed by The Walking Dead. The undead caked with dried up blood was not something I like to watch at most times, I guess. But when a friend showed me the trailer of Train To Busan when it was just released in South Korea, I can't help but be wowed by the plot. Plus, most horror movies from South Korea
It didn't occur to me that a month or two after that, I'd be travelling a few hundred miles to watch it at the movies with my girlfriends. But I was glad we did, every penny spent on the movie (and the journey) was definitely worth it! Though I was amazed by the whole production of the movie, I still have some mixed feelings about it. I loved it to bits, but at the same time I'm so mad at the story plot.
Train To Busan started with a busy father, Seok Woo, and his daughter, Soo An, riding a train to visit Soo An's mother in Busan. Everything seemed fine, but small accidents started appearing around the city including a huge fire on a building and Soo An seeing something attacking the train conductor (?) when the train started to move. And then an injured woman managed to escape the attacks of the unknown things and stepped into their train. A female staff tried to help, and that was when all hell broke lose.
The moment the thing, or zombie, started to bite, everything started to look horrifying. The transition from a human towards a zombie was so horrible, I'm pretty sure weak-hearted or blood-phobic watchers wouldn't be able to watch it. The production was a bomb though, everything looked realistic and believable (despite the fact that the scenes were mostly done on a green screen).
Like I've mentioned above, most Korean horror movies that I've watched had values in them, and Train To Busan was no exception. Seok Woo was a selfish man at first, but after the encounter with the zombies and almost losing his daughter, he became a very selfless person. Along with a married couple, Sang Hwa and Sung Kyung, two students, Gi Cheol and Jin Hee, and a homeless man, the seven of them managed to go far. But not everything went as what we rooted, one by one, we lost the heroes.
I have never cried so much after watching a movie, Train To Busan was the first to me. I cried when Sang Hwa sacrificed himself to save the others and his wife had to watch him die; when Jin Hee was bitten and Gi Cheol cradled her, not caring that she turned into a zombie after that and killed him because she meant so much to him; when Seok Woo was bitten in front of his daughter and had to leave her in the care of Sung Kyung, killing himself before he turned into a zombie so as not to hurt his daughter (the scene when he remembered when Soo An was still a baby was so heartbreaking); and when Soo An sang the song that was meant for her father when she walked into the tunnel with Sung Kyung when they arrived in Busan.
"Yeon Sang-ho’s South Korean zombie film “Train to Busan” opened in U.S. theaters in July, and those who have gotten around to seeing it can probably tell why the film has become a box office phenomenon in its home country. Combining elements of “Snowpiercer” and “World War Z,” the energized horror flick follows a group of passengers who must survive a zombie outbreak while on a speeding train and features the kind of virtuoso camerawork and adrenaline-fueled set pieces that make you stand up and cheer. - IndiewireOh yes, the whole cinema definitely cheered (and cursed) aloud along the movie. Train To Busan portrayed so much emotions within it, making it one of the best movies ever produced (in my opinion, of course). It shows that being selfish will only bring you down and what you give, you will get back. It shows that family and friends matter the most, and every sacrifice you made for the loved ones are worth it. It also shows that being kind is something that should be done not only to the people that we know and care about, but we should be kind to everyone who deserves it. If I'm given another opportunity to re-watch this movie, I'd definitely do it. I'm just hoping none of this zombie and virus infection thing happens in real life though.
There have been talks about a sequel for Train To Busan, which I don't really think is necessary, but I still would watch it anyway. Rumours about Lee Min Ho starring in the sequel had been circulating around, and hey, if Lee Min Ho is starring in an action thriller zombie movie, that's definitely my call ─=≡Σ((( V๑◉∀◉)つ
Till next time ♡ Love, Aera
Warning: Contains a teeny tiny bit of spoiler, maybe? Okay kidding, there's a LOT of spoilers.
Title: After YouSeries: Me Before You #2Author: Jojo MoyesGenre: Contemporary RomancePublisher: Penguin BooksPublish Date: 2015Pages: 410Goodreads link: http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/25041504-after-youAuthor link: http://www.jojomoyes.com/Book blurb: How do you move on after losing the person you loved? How do you build a life worth living?
Louisa Clark is no longer just an ordinary girl living an ordinary life. After the transformative six months spent with Will Traynor, she is struggling without him. When an extraordinary accident forces Lou to return home to her family, she can’t help but feel she’s right back where she started.
Her body heals, but Lou herself knows that she needs to be kick-started back to life. Which is how she ends up in a church basement with the members of the Moving On support group, who share insights, laughter, frustrations, and terrible cookies. They will also lead her to the strong, capable Sam Fielding—the paramedic, whose business is life and death, and the one man who might be able to understand her. Then a figure from Will’s past appears and hijacks all her plans, propelling her into a very different future...
For Lou Clark, life after Will Traynor means learning to fall in love again, with all the risks that brings. But here Jojo Moyes gives us two families, as real as our own, whose joys and sorrows will touch you deeply, and where both changes and surprises await.
Overall rate: ★★★☆☆
Favourite excerpt from the book: 'Life is short, right? We both know that. Well, what if you're my chance? What if you are the thing that's actually going to make me happiest?'
Me Before You had been a good reading experience to me, and I was hoping for the same thing with After You. Sadly to say, I pretty much had a hard time finishing this one. I felt forced to complete the book, and at some point I just to hurl the book away and scream at the fiction people in the story. But I was desperate to know the ending, I wanted to see Lou get her real happiness. I mean, yes she was happy, but then Will decided to end his life. I'll never forgive him for dying. Oh yes who cares if he's just a fictional character I'm still pissed
I had absolutely no expectation for After You. I didn't read even the synopsis or any reviews for the book. All I know is that Lou must have some kind of an end to the grief that Will had left behind. The ending of Me Before You seemed to say that Lou was leading a good life after Will, she even went to Paris for goodness sake! But no, after several months (was it?) the grief started eating her again and there she went, back down to a sad depressed state. I admit that I've never had an experience of losing a person that I loved, possibly only the experience of dying cats and an old friend dying at a very young age. Other than that, I have absolutely no experience of handling grief. I know this makes me a person who shouldn't judge, but I can't help but be judgmental whenever I read books related to people who can't move on.
Life goes on. People come and go. People... die. I know it will be hard to move on, yes, I can't imagine losing someone important in life, suddenly the world is missing from their voices and actions. Of course it's going to be hard for everyone. But ruining your own life and becoming a walking ball of sadness is not something worth to do. I'm not sure what I'm trying to say, but After You is filled too much with Lou thinking about Will (Will this, Will that) that it started to get maddening. Don't let me start of how Lily ended up crashing into Lou's life.
Lily, the long-lost-suddenly-emerging daughter of Will Traynor. Who would have thought we would be fed with yet another maddening person? She has her own charms of course, I would give that, but almost eighty percent of her existence just boiled me. Like Treena said (and what I will absolutely agree upon), Lily was not Lou's responsibility. But hey, Lou always thought about fixing and helping others, just not on herself. I mean, I do feel sorry for what Lily had to experience, what she went through with all her broken family and shits, but was it necessary for her to be rude? I'm not the nicest person on earth, sure, but I don't think I could ever tolerate that level of rudeness. Not even in books.
Other than Lily's unexpected appearance, it's good that Lou was welcomed back into her family. After falling off from the rooftop of her flat, though. At least it lead her to be with Sam. Sam was like one of the reasons I kept reading After You. Even Lou pissed me off (with her rejecting to get the job at New York at first because she "needed" to take care of Lily), but Sam was just a real nice man that I wanted to know what will happen to him. This might sound weird, but thank goodness he was shot and thank goodness Lou was there even when it meant violating the rules. Sam was shot, but they both found that they need each other then. And Lily was happy with her newly found family. And Lou decided to go to New York for the job. Bam, everyone's happy!
Thank you, Jojo Moyes. Thank you for the torturing experience. Me Before You would have been good as a stand alone novel, but After You was a great closure for Lou. She got to move on, finally, and properly.
Till next time ♡ Love, Aishah Humaira'
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