Connect with us

News

TADFF Review: ‘The Odd Family: Zombie on Sale’ is a Delightful Departure

Published

on

The Odd Family: Zombie on Sale

South Korea has proven to be a goldmine of genre film offerings. Between films like Train to Busan and I Saw the Devil, they’ve consistently delivered intense, dramatic, heavy-hitting films that just rip your heart from your chest. If that’s what you’re looking for, you’re not going to find it in The Odd Family: Zombie on Sale

What you will find is a quirky zombie film laced with off-kilter characters, hilarious comedy, and a new shift in direction for the ever-cinematically-present zombie virus. Directed by Lee Min-jae, The Odd Family: Zombie on Sale follows a rather dysfunctional yet productive — if not dishonest — family who runs a gas station/garage on the outskirts of Poongsan. Thanks to an experimental insulin that — when tested on human subjects — has rather adverse effects, the family finds a fresh new zombie on their doorstep and discover that its bite actually has restorative de-aging side effects. Soon, the men in town catch wind of this unconventional boost in virility and line up to “cash in” on this rare opportunity. 

The zombified human test subject (Jung Ga-ram) and Hye-gul (Lee Soo-kyung), the daughter of the family, strike up a sweet little love story that is perfectly woven in with the humor of the film. Every encounter is softened with a comedic flush to show that the film doesn’t take itself too seriously. It has all the signs of puppy love without being suffocatingly heavy-handed. 

The Odd Family: Zombie on Sale is positively charming. Each of the characters have a wealth of personality; Ji-won Uhm in particular plays her strong-willed and very pregnant role with deadpan delivery, and it’s an absolute delight to watch.

There are several sight gags throughout the film that have a great payoff (including one of my personal favorites — the flying side kick — and a perfect little reference to Train to Busan), and the comedic timing is perfection. The situational absurdity combined with the family’s antics make the film — overall — gloriously fun and wildly entertaining. 

While there is plenty of zombie violence, there’s never too much carnage. It makes for a really easy watch for even the most hesitant horror viewer. It’s also a nice light meal of a movie; while the zombie genre has deep roots in sociological and cultural commentary, The Odd Family: Zombie on Sale makes its points about class and societal divisions without getting too bogged down in the minutiae. It never feels like it’s preaching a message, it just wants to have fun. 

Not only is The Odd Family: Zombie on Sale a wildly charming and deliciously entertaining film, but it’s beautifully shot. Thanks to Lee Min-jae’s excellent direction and the stellar cinematography by Cho Hyoung-rae, the film is blessed with some gorgeously framed, perfectly lit, occasionally-in-slow-motion shots that breathe fresh air into what many consider to be a tired subgenre. There are moments that soar across the screen with beautiful dramatic flair, while others line up a shot in just the right way to land a hit of humor. 

At 1hr 52min, the run time can feel a little long. That said, that’s not an outrageous amount of time — especially for Korean cinema — and it does pass with ease. The pacing is so consistent throughout that nothing feels like it’s dragging. A dramatic turn in the third act keeps the action moving along and helps to ensure the story is fresh while indulging in some classic zombie tropes. 

The Odd Family: Zombie on Sale is a lighthearted and cheeky addition to the oeuvre of zombie films, and one that definitely deserves attention. It throws fresh meat to the lore of the undead that’s light enough to be easily digestible, but keeps enough focus to make a damn fine film. It may be Lee Min-jae’s first feature, but I’m definitely buying what he’s selling.  

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Click to comment

You must be logged in to post a comment Login

Leave a Reply

Movies

‘Evil Dead’ Film Franchise Getting TWO New Installments

Published

on

It was a risk for Fede Alvarez to reboot Sam Raimi’s horror classic The Evil Dead in 2013, but that risk paid off and so did its spiritual sequel Evil Dead Rise in 2023. Now Deadline is reporting that the series is getting, not one, but two fresh entries.

We already knew about the Sébastien Vaniček upcoming film that delves into the Deadite universe and should be a proper sequel to the latest film, but we are broadsided that Francis Galluppi and Ghost House Pictures are doing a one-off project set in Raimi’s universe based off of an idea that Galluppi pitched to Raimi himself. That concept is being kept under wraps.

Evil Dead Rise

“Francis Galluppi is a storyteller who knows when to keep us waiting in simmering tension and when to hit us with explosive violence,” Raimi told Deadline. “He is a director that shows uncommon control in his feature debut.”

That feature is titled The Last Stop In Yuma County which will release theatrically in the United States on May 4. It follows a traveling salesman, “stranded at a rural Arizona rest stop,” and “is thrust into a dire hostage situation by the arrival of two bank robbers with no qualms about using cruelty-or cold, hard steel-to protect their bloodstained fortune.”

Galluppi is an award-winning sci-fi/horror shorts director whose acclaimed works include High Desert Hell and The Gemini Project. You can view the full edit of High Desert Hell and the teaser for Gemini below:

High Desert Hell
The Gemini Project

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Continue Reading

Movies

‘Invisible Man 2’ Is “Closer Than Its Ever Been” to Happening

Published

on

Elisabeth Moss in a very well-thought-out statement said in an interview for Happy Sad Confused that even though there have been some logistical issues for doing Invisible Man 2 there is hope on the horizon.

Podcast host Josh Horowitz asked about the follow-up and if Moss and director Leigh Whannell were any closer to cracking a solution to getting it made. “We are closer than we have ever been to cracking it,” said Moss with a huge grin. You can see her reaction at the 35:52 mark in the below video.

Happy Sad Confused

Whannell is currently in New Zealand filming another monster movie for Universal, Wolf Man, which might be the spark that ignites Universal’s troubled Dark Universe concept which hasn’t gained any momentum since Tom Cruise’s failed attempt at resurrecting The Mummy.

Also, in the podcast video, Moss says she is not in the Wolf Man film so any speculation that it’s a crossover project is left in the air.

Meanwhile, Universal Studios is in the middle of constructing a year-round haunt house in Las Vegas which will showcase some of their classic cinematic monsters. Depending on attendance, this could be the boost the studio needs to get audiences interested in their creature IPs once more and to get more films made based on them.

The Las Vegas project is set to open in 2025, coinciding with their new proper theme park in Orlando called Epic Universe.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Continue Reading

News

Jake Gyllenhaal’s Thriller ‘Presumed Innocent’ Series Gets Early Release Date

Published

on

Jake gyllenhaal presumed innocent

Jake Gyllenhaal’s limited series Presumed Innocent is dropping on AppleTV+ on June 12 instead of June 14 as originally planned. The star, whose Road House reboot has brought mixed reviews on Amazon Prime, is embracing the small screen for the first time since his appearance on Homicide: Life on the Street in 1994.

Jake Gyllenhaal’s in ‘Presumed Innocent’

Presumed Innocent is being produced by David E. Kelley, J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot, and Warner Bros. It is an adaptation of Scott Turow’s 1990 film in which Harrison Ford plays a lawyer doing double duty as an investigator looking for the murderer of his colleague.

These types of sexy thrillers were popular in the ’90s and usually contained twist endings. Here’s the trailer for the original:

According to Deadline, Presumed Innocent doesn’t stray far from the source material: “…the Presumed Innocent series will explore obsession, sex, politics and the power and limits of love as the accused fights to hold his family and marriage together.”

Up next for Gyllenhaal is the Guy Ritchie action movie titled In the Grey scheduled for release in January 2025.

Presumed Innocent is an eight-episode limited series set to stream on AppleTV+ starting June 12.

'Civil War' Review: Is It Worth Watching?

Continue Reading