It may be tempting to write “#Alive” off as just another zombie movie. In a way that’s what it is. This South Korean survival thriller from director and co-writer Cho Il-hyung doesn’t bring anything particularly new and it certainly doesn’t reinvent the horror sub-genre. At the same time, it’s hard not to enjoy its nimble pacing, stylish verve, and its tightly focused story that keeps things simple, concise, and always moving forward. Toss in just the right amount of dark humor and a good handling of its characters.

The film wastes no time throwing us into the zombie mayhem. Oh Jun-U (Yoo Ah-in) is a gamer still living with his parents. The opening moments give us a good idea of his everyday routine. He wakes up, splashes some water on his face, grabs a drink, and than immediately logs into his computer where he spends his day playing video games and live streaming them for his online followers. As he cranks up a game of PUBG (or at least something resembling it) he’s told by a follower to check his TV. There he learns that the zombie apocalypse has begun.

“#Alive” doesn’t get bogged down in the hows and whys. Newscasts tell us it’s a highly contagious virus. They let us know it’s happening all over the city. Cho Il-hyung smartly assumes we know all the rules (don’t get bit, shoot them in the head, etc.). This allows him to get right into telling his particular story. The first half is more or less a survival drama. It focuses on Oh Jun-U alone and barricaded in his family’s apartment, the building flooded with hungry undead and his resources slowly running out. It’s an intriguing angle that hones in on both the physical and psychological toll once food and water are gone and you have no contact with your family or any other person for that matter.

Oh Jun-U reaches his breaking point but is saved by a mysterious red laser shining through his window. He traces it to the apartment building across the zombie infested courtyard where a young woman named Kim Yu-Bin (Park Shin-hye) is also holed up – same floor, same situation. And just like that Oh Jun-U realizes he’s not alone. Concluding their chances of survival are better together, the two form a plan to come together. But they quickly learn these zombies have keener senses than your run-of-the-mill movie undead. They’re fast, ferocious, and we get the sense they have the ability to adapt. It adds a slightly fresh layer of danger to the story.

The rest of the movie advances at a feverish pace and highlights Cho Il-hyung knack for building tension. Adding to it is cinematographer Won-ho Son who shoots the zombie action with a ferocious style. You may never get the sense that you’re seeing something new, but fans of the genre will appreciate how well-crafted and choreographed these scenes are. The movie also has fun with current day technology. Social media, virtual reality drones and smartphones are just some of the things that have a part in the story.

I am surprised by how much fun I had with “#Alive”. It won’t win over anyone who already dislikes zombie movies, but it does do some cool and interesting things within the zombie genre which makes this more then some B-movie hack job. The characters have enough meat on their bones (absurdly bad pun intended) for us to care about them, there are some nice touches of humor, and the zombie horror action delivers exactly what you expect. It turns out to be well worth a weekend watch. “#Alive” is now streaming on Netflix.

VERDICT – 3.5 STARS

Last year Netflix visited deep space with the underappreciated “The Midnight Sky”. They’re doing it again in the not-to-distant future with “Stowaway”, a science-fiction thriller co-written and directed by Joe Penna. As a lover of cerebral sci-fi this movie is automatically right up my alley. But an even bigger draw in Penna. This is the follow-up to his terrific feature film debut “Arctic” which starred Mads Mikkelsen. Much like his first movie, survival looks to play a big part in “Stowaway” which only sweetens the pot.

In the film’s first trailer we’re introduced to the small crew of a spaceship that just set out on a two-year mission to Mars. An intriguing cast fills the roles – Toni Collette is the ship’s commanding officer, Anna Kendrick is the team doctor, and Daniel Dae Kim is the mission’s biologist. Only twelve hours into their journey the crew finds a shocked and frantic stowaway (Shamier Anderson). Unable to turn back the crew begins training their new member but soon their survival is threatened by catastrophic life support system failure. With only enough oxygen for three, the crew is forced to make some hard decisions to see who survives. I love the look and sound of this.

“Stowaway” premieres April 22nd on Netflix. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

There have been several good movies lately that have either directly or indirectly dealt with the subject of addiction. The upcoming drama “Four Good Days” from director and co-writer Rodrigo Garcia takes a deep look at the crippling effects prolonged substance abuse has on both individuals and families. The film is based on an 2016 article by Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Eli Saslow and had its premiere at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival.

The movie stars Glenn Close and Mila Kunis as an estranged mother and daughter working through the younger’s recovery from drug addiction. The daughter Molly (Kunis) has been in and out of rehab 14 times and this latest attempt at getting clean drives her to the doorstep of her mother (Close). By the look of the trailer it won’t be an easy journey as the two struggle with Molly’s withdrawal and with past tensions that quickly boil to the surface. Movies like this are by necessity heavy and they can end up going either way. Kunis and Close look extremely committed and if the material is good I can see this being a tough but worthwhile watch.

“Four Good Days” is set for a limited theatrical release April 30th followed by its VOD premiere May 21st. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

Following the enormous success of “Hamilton” what better time for Warner Brothers to release “In the Heights”. This musical drama is an adaptation of a Tony-winning stage play by Quiara Alegría Hudes and “Hamilton” mastermind Lin-Manuel Miranda. Jon M. Chu of “Crazy Rich Asians” fame directs the film from a screenplay written by Hudes with music and lyrics by Miranda. I’ve never seen the Broadway musical, but both it and this film have already generated a ton of buzz.

The movie features Anthony Ramos playing a bodega owner reflecting on life in the energetic tight-knit New York City neighborhood of Washington Heights. The first trailer is filled with enthusiasm, big dance numbers, and plenty of songs. The story is about overcoming and making dreams come true, but like “Hamilton” I can see the music being what people talk about most and hold onto the longest. For picky musical viewers like me this is a ‘wait and see’. But for many others this will be one of the summer’s most anticipated films.

“In the Heights” premieres June 18th in theaters and on HBO Max. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

First announced in 2012 with Rob Reiner attached to direct, “Every Breath You Take” has taken a few detours over the last 9-ish years. Now it’s set for an early April release with Vaughn Stein directing from a screenplay by David Murray. The psychological thriller sports an interesting cast including Casey Affleck, Michelle Monaghan, Sam Claflin, and India Eisley. The first trailer dropped recently and while some elements look pretty familiar, there could be more going on than we may think.

Affleck plays a psychiatrist who loses a young female patient to suicide. Soon he and his family are caught in a terrifying game of cat-and-mouse with the girl’s brother (Claflin). It’s a safe bet that things aren’t quite as they appear and I’m sure we can expect several twists and turns along the way. I like the tense and foreboding tone and if Stein can avoid many of the usual genre pot holes and trappings this could be an entertaining little thriller.

“Every Breath You Take” is set to release April 2nd. Check out the trailer below and let me know if you’ll be seeing it or taking a pass.

I think it’s safe to say 2020 was a year none of us will forget. Like everything else, the craziness of the year was reflected in the movie industry. So many movies were postponed, pushed to streaming, or halted altogether. But 2020 still gave us some great flicks and Oscar time is here to celebrate them. Quite a bit later than normal but hey, it has been a crazy time. This morning the Academy announced this year’s batch of nominations. One thing that hasn’t changed, they have given us things to applaud, things to gripe about, and some things that leave us scratching our heads. Here are a few random thoughts.

• “Mank” led the way this morning with 10 nominations yet it kinda feels like it could be one of those “The Color Purple” scenarios. I loved “Mank” and hope it wins some statues. But the stars don’t feel aligned.
• On the other hand “Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom” didn’t fair quite as well. It did grab major awards for Viola Davis and Chadwick Boseman. But nothing for Best Picture. I’m not upset. “Ma Rainey” is a good movie but not a great one.
• Speaking of Boseman, he’s a shoo-in to win Best Actor. He’s good in “Ma Rainey” and gets a couple of huge attention-getting scenes. And of course there is the sad factor of his passing. I so wish Anthony Hopkins would win. He gives not only the best performance of 2020, but one of the best of the decade.
• The Best Picture category is pretty solid. I could do without “Judas and the Black Messiah” and “The Trial of the Chicago 7”, but happy for everything else.
• Let me go ahead and get this out of the way. “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”? Really? It getting a screenplay nomination is baffling. It’s a considerably lesser movie than its predecessor. So is the Academy awarding Sasha Baron Cohen’s outspoken political takes instead?
• And Maria Bakalova. Very good in “Borat”, but an Oscar nominee? Is this simply a sentimental favorite or another sign that 2020 was one surreal and wacky year?
• As for that Supporting Actress category, lots of gnashing of teeth over Glenn Close’s nomination for “Hillbilly Elegy”. Look I agree, the movie wasn’t great but Close was. And she’s also nominated for a Razzie? Sure, okay.
• I was happy for Youn Yuh-jung and Amanda Seyfried. Both deserve to be there.
• No Supporting Actor nod for Bill Murray. Not enough people seem to appreciate Sofia Coppola’s delightful “On the Rocks”. What a shame.
• Yet both Daniel Kaluuya and Lakeith Stanfield get Supporting Actor nominations for “Judas and the Black Messiah”, a decent but uneven movie. And shouldn’t Stanfield be in the Lead Actor category?
• Only Visual Effects and Production Design for “Tenet”? I mean I wasn’t expecting Best Picture (even though it belongs there) but not even Best Original Song for “The Plan”?
• No “Dick Johnson is Dead” in the documentary category? Really? It had won numerous awards coming in but gets the cold shoulder from the Academy.
• It was a pretty quiet morning for “Da 5 Bloods”. It makes sense. Pretty good movie but far from Spike Lee’s best work.
• No Mads Mikkelsen for Best Actor. I knew it was a longshot but I was hoping the Academy would do the right thing. But no one else has so I’m not surprised.
• But speaking of “Another Round”, it does get nominated for Best International Film. And with “Minari” competing as an American movie maybe this Danish gem will get a much deserved win.
• And Thomas Vinterberg for Best Director? I love it! But couldn’t they have slipped “Another Round” into the Best Picture race. After all there were only eight nominees.
• I am assuming Vinterberg took Aaron Sorkin’s spot? If so, Bravo! “The Trial of the Chicago 7” was a good movie but hardly great. Or did he take Regina King’s spot? I really liked King’s work but I still prefer Vinterberg.
• Steven Yeun becomes the first Asian American to be nominated for Best Actor. That’s a sad, hard to believe fact. But if anyone deserves it Yeun does. What a great performance in a truly great film (“Minari”).
• Speaking of “Minari”, I love that film so much and hats off to the Academy for handing it six nominations including Best Picture. Well deserved.
• Isn’t it great that “Minari” was nominated for Best Original Score? I was starting to worry it would go largely unnoticed this awards season. It’s soooo good. Well done Academy voters.
• Wonderful to see “The Father” with six nominations. It truly was one of the very best films of 2020. Not only was Hopkins nominated but also the wonderful Olivia Coleman for Supporting Actress. I would love to hear her name announced on Awards night.
• Another big year for Netflix. This morning they broke their own record getting a total of 35 nominations.
• Nothing for Dick Poop?
• Happy to see “The Midnight Sky” nominated for Best Visual Effects. One of the more underrated movies of 2020.
• “Nomadland” is still considered the Best Picture and for good reason. Nominations also for Chloe Zhao for directing and Adapted Screenplay and Frances McDormand for Best Actress.
• As for Best Actress, that’s a pretty stacked category. I actually think McDormand should win but I would smile big for either Mulligan or Kirby.
• Also happy for “Sound of Metal” and its six nominations including Best Picture, Original Screenplay, Best Actor (Riz Ahmed), and Best Supporting Actor (Paul Raci). What a journey it has been for this moving indie.
• What a ride it has been for Emerald Fennell. Her feature film debut “Promising Young Woman” grabs five nominations including Best Picture. She herself is nominated for Best Director and Best Original Screenplay. Gotta be happy for her.
• Quite a showing for “News of the World”. I’d be surprised if it wins anything but it’s a very good movie and worth a few mentions.
• And what a morning for Leslie Odom, Jr. He becomes the third person to be nominated for both acting and songwriting (“One Night in Miami…”). Well done sir.
• About Best Original Song, laugh at me but I’m rooting for “Husavik (My Hometown)”.

Those are a few random thoughts. What did you think of the Academy’s picks? Let me know in the comments section below. And in case you missed it, here is the full list of this year’s nominees.

Best Picture

“The Father”

“Judas and the Black Messiah”

“Mank”

“Minari”

“Nomadland”

“Promising Young Woman”

“Sound of Metal”

“The Trial of the Chicago 7”

Best Director

Thomas Vinterberg (“Another Round”)

David Fincher (“Mank”) 

Lee Isaac Chung (“Minari”) 

Emerald Fennell (“Promising Young Woman”) 

Chloé Zhao (“Nomadland”) 

Best Actor in a Leading Role

Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”) 

Chadwick Boseman (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”) 

Anthony Hopkins (“The Father”) 

Gary Oldman (“Mank”) 

Steven Yeun (“Minari”) 

Best Actress in a Leading Role

Viola Davis (“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”) 

Andra Day (“The United States v. Billie Holiday”) 

Vanessa Kirby (“Pieces of a Woman”) 

Frances McDormand (“Nomadland”) 

Carey Mulligan (“Promising Young Woman”) 

Best Actor in a Supporting Role

Sacha Baron Cohen (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”) 

Daniel Kaluuya (“Judas and the Black Messiah”) 

Leslie Odom Jr. (“One Night in Miami…”) 

Paul Raci (“Sound of Metal”) 

Lakeith Stanfield (“Judas and the Black Messiah”)

Best Actress in a Supporting Role

Maria Bakalova (“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm”) 

Glenn Close (“Hillbilly Elegy”) 

Olivia Colman (“The Father”) 

Amanda Seyfried (“Mank”) 

Yuh-jung Youn (“Minari”) 

Best Animated Feature Film

“Onward” 

“Over the Moon” 

“A Shaun the Sheep Movie: Farmageddon”

“Soul” 

“Wolfwalkers” 

Best Adapted Screenplay

“Borat Subsequent Moviefilm” 

“The Father”

“Nomadland”

“One Night in Miami…”

“The White Tiger”

Best Original Screenplay

“Judas and the Black Messiah”

“Minari”

“Promising Young Woman”

“Sound of Metal”

“The Trial of the Chicago”

Best Original Song

“Fight for You” (“Judas and the Black Messiah”)

“Hear My Voice” (“The Trial of the Chicago 7”)

“Húsavík” (“Eurovision Song Contest”)

“Io Si (Seen)” (“The Life Ahead”)

“Speak Now” (“One Night in Miami…”)

Best Original Score

“Da 5 Bloods” 

“Mank”

“Minari”

“News of the World”

“Soul” 

Best Sound

“Greyhound”

“Mank”

“News of the World”

“Soul”

“Sound of Metal”

Best Costume Design

“Emma” 

“Mank”

“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”

“Mulan”

“Pinocchio”

Best Animated Short Film

“Burrow” 

“Genius Loci” 

“If Anything Happens I Love You”

“Opera” 

“Yes-People”

Best Live-Action Short Film

“Feeling Through” 

“The Letter Room” 

“The Present” 

“Two Distant Strangers” 

“White Eye” 

Best Cinematography

“Judas and the Black Messiah”

“Mank”

“News of the World”

“Nomadland”

“The Trial of the Chicago 7”

Best Documentary Feature

“Collective”

“Crip Camp”

“The Mole Agent”

“My Octopus Teacher”

“Time”

Best Documentary Short Subject

“Colette”

“A Concerto Is a Conversation”

“Do Not Split”

“Hunger Ward”

“A Love Song for Latasha”

Best Film Editing

“The Father”

“Nomadland” 

“Promising Young Woman”

“Sound of Metal”

“The Trial of the Chicago 7”

Best International Feature Film

“Another Round” (Denmark) 

“Better Days” (Hong Kong)

“Collective” (Romania) 

“The Man Who Sold His Skin” (Tunisia)

“Quo Vadis, Aida?”(Bosnia and Herzegovina) 

Best Makeup and Hairstyling

“Emma” 

“Hillbilly Elegy”

“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”

“Mank”

“Pinocchio”

Best Production Design

“The Father”

“Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom”

“Mank”

“News of the World” 

“Tenet”

Best Visual Effects

“Love and Monsters”  

“The Midnight Sky”

“Mulan”

“The One and Only Ivan”

“Tenet”