By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)
Waiting 10 years for a Zombieland sequel is hardly anyone’s cup of tea. The groans is more or less with false starts than in the news of the team–Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson, Emma Stone and Abigail Breslin (now much older)–are back.
The reason for the delay, as reported by Digital Spy, lays more in writers Rhett Reese. Paul Wernick, Dave Callaham coming up with the right idea and having more experience under their belt before moving forward.
By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)
South Korea certainly has a handle on the zombie epidemic. Whether that’s with a period movie with Rampant (see review here) or the crowd-pleasing Train to Busan, the latest titled The Odd Family: Zombie on Sale (기묘한 가족) is a zom-com that’s basically a Looney Tunes style cartoon with Shaun of the Dead as the hook. Director Lee Min-jae makes his debut and I feel this movie has cult-favourite written all over it! He knows which films from zombie culture to take inspiration from and crank it up a notch.
The action takes place in Poongsan, a remote South Korean village, where the folks there do not even know what a zombie is. Man-Deok (Park In-hwan) is simply wanting to take a vacation. His son Joon-Gul (Jung Jae-young, Castaway on the Moon) and his pregnant daughter-in-law, Nam-Joo (Uhm Ji-won) are a handful. When middle-son Min-Gul (Kim Nam-gil) comes home because he has nowhere else to stay (he lost his job), life is a touch more problematic. Nobody realizes a straggler into town (Jung Ga-ram) is a member of the walking dead and the bites Man-Deok!
Continue reading “[Fantasia 2019] The Odd Family: Zombie on Sale. When Bites Are Not Free!”
Rampant is now out on home video by Well GO USA Entertainment and it shows how Ancient Korea has a problem.
Rampant is now out on home video by Well GO USA Entertainment and it shows how Ancient Korea has a problem. Night Demons are everywhere, and there’s a plot to overthrow the Young dynasty (Josen period, 1392–1897). To say which is worse, fans of Asian horror will have to see.
The bonus materials are light. It consists of a making-of and behind the scenes piece, discussing production elements. With this work, attention is more with the story! The set design is spot on to bring this feudal period to life.
When these creatures hold the country in the palm of their hands and the empire is falling apart, just who will reign supreme kept me glued. Curiously, these monsters exhibit vampire-like behaviour too. Ultimately, it’s a martial arts and zombie genre mashup which is rarely done. Korean made Train to Bosun is tough to beat. This film is set in a different time period where no real comparisons can be made narrative-wise. Both are beautiful cinematically, and the terrors….
Not every trope needs to be explored in The House With A Clock in Its Walls. It’s essentially a movie about a haunted house.
Horror maestro Eli Roth proves he can make a family-friendly film and still remain loyal to his humble beginnings. When considering certain production elements gave the cast the creeps, I had to chuckle. This admission can be found in the bevy of extras (5 to 7-minute clips) included in The House With A Clock in Its Walls home video release. It’s already available on digital and can be bought online or purchased at media outlets come December 18th.
Fans of the 1973 novel by John Bellair and newcomers to his works can hear about how his book was adapted. Included are alternate opening and ending sequences which would have entirely changed the tone of the film. Though I have not read the book in years, I do know filmmakers record a collection of ideas, and work with editors to fashion the best narrative possible. Full details of deleted scenes and the creation of can be found listed at the end of this article.
Roth imbues this work with a lingering sense of dread. Screenwriter Eric Kripke is best known for creating Supernatural and to see him writing screenplays with that jovial camaraderie as the series makes this tale shine. The film even slimes it up Nickelodeon style! The terror is soft enough to give goosebumps and when I share the same sentiment as Uncle Jonathan (Jack Black) for rustic looking porcelain dolls, I had to bite my lip. His goal is to find where that clock is and he gives this work the comic relief to make it just as fun as Robin Williams Jumanji. He is aided by Blanchett as Florence Zimmerman (Cate Blanchett). Isaac Izard (Kyle MacLachlan) is the villain, and he makes no bones about it; he wants to turn back time.
Continue reading “TIck Tock, The House With A Clock In Its Walls Chimes in Tues, Dec 18th!”
By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)
Fans of Zombie shooters in the virtual reality front will find Zombie Gunship by Limbic Software very satisfying. It’s ported into a 3D battle royale for the Oculus Go and Gear VR. It became available June 1st in the Oculus Store and I have been enjoying it far too much in the past several weeks. I had to see how far I could get in about a month before writing this review.
I toyed with pretending to be Cyclops from the X-men by using the buttons on the side of the Gear VR (which I played in). With a proper controller, the experience is much better. In the vehicle, you are safe from these undead hordes, and blasting away with gleeful abandon! Precision aiming is required than to let the bullets spray all over. In the later stages, players might have to be careful about where they are aiming, lest they destroy the wrong thing!
By Ed Sum
(The Vintage Tempest)
The production team behind the first Zombie Cats from Mars movie wants to make a sequel. They are hoping the faithful will support the crowdfunding effort, and the curious to check out the film currently available on Amazon Prime Video.
This work is a tongue-in-cheek budget film that’s clearly a labour of love, as they learn for themselves in what makes a B-Movie memorable. With such a name like Zombie Cats, my curiosity was immediately peaked! In the past, works like Lesbian Vampire Killers, The Lost Skeleton of Cadavra and Amazon Women on the Moon also tickled my fancy. They had bigger budgets and looked good. ZCfM has the production budget of a student film and it shows. This detail is not a bad thing as any new up-and-coming talents need to start somewhere. Who knows, one of them might become the next Sam Raimi. For instance, director Montetré certainly has an impressive filmography on the IMDB which is worth investigating.
Continue reading “From Kitty to Zombie Cats From Mars & A Sequel Seeking Crowdfunding Help”
