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Massawyrm thoroughly enjoys George Romero's SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD!!
Hola all. Massawyrm here.
The first thing that you have to understand about this review is that it is coming from someone who has now enjoyed ALL SIX of Romero’s Dead series, this one included. Yes, that means I really like LAND OF THE DEAD and DIARY OF THE DEAD. So if you’re the type to throw your hands in the air, silently scream to yourself in muffled frustration then move immediately to the talkback section to type something resembling “well if this guy liked THAT movie than his opinion is worthless, so seriously fuck that guy,” then please do so now; this review will only cause you more personal angst. I get why people have issues with each of Romero’s previous modern efforts; conceits that have played itself out in the collective unconscious of zombie fiction.
You see, the undead apocalypse – or zombiegeddon – is really just Romero’s world. Everyone else is just playing in it. No one makes a movie that feels like a Romero film. No one. The closest anyone has ever come is Edgar Wright, who lovingly set his film SHAUN OF THE DEAD in Romero’s world. But even then, no one would actually mistake Shaun for a Romero movie. George has a certain style, a healthy mix of camp and horror, that is distinctly his own. More importantly, George does something that few other filmmakers do. He doesn’t make zombie films about zombies and zombie outbreaks. He makes films about people put into very fucked up situations to watch what they do to one another.
Every single one of his films is radically different from each and every other Romero DEAD film. NIGHT was a claustrophobic play about people stuck in the same place during a disaster; DAWN was his horror/adventure film; DAY was about the long haul and dangers of science when corrupted by the military; LAND was his post-apocalyptic nightmare; and DIARY was about the dangers/benefits of self-media and the self-absorbed nature of relating one’s own personal experience at the expense of that experience. Not a one of them is Romero repeating himself. And this is no different. SURVIVAL OF THE DEAD is Romero’s western.
This time around, Romero sets his film on an Island relatively safe from the event. While those that die on the island still rise from the grave, it isn’t overrun with swarms of the faceless undead. Here every death is personal and every zombie is kin. This causes a rift to form between two long feuding families as to whether to do the sensible thing and put the dead down for good or to do the humane thing and keep them sequestered until a cure could be found to bring them back. Yep, once again Romero takes his living dead and uses them merely as the backdrop for human conflict and delivers in his classic, darkly humorous manner.
This film’s closest comparison is his immortal DAY OF THE DEAD, touching on many of the same themes of humanity, while giving it a completely different spin. But for the first time, Romero has done something he has never given us before – an actual connection to his other films. Several of the main characters made a brief appearance in DIARY OF THE DEAD, and Romero said very directly at our screening that it was his intention is to continue this trend, spinning off an entire trilogy of DEAD films with DIARY at its core. Whether the next film will follow characters from this film or from DIARY again remains unclear, but I can say with certainty that I LOVE what he’s doing. The characters in this film were positively detestable last time and Romero goes out of his way to make you feel for them, even if they are still complete and utter assholes.
The film has plenty of action, but maintains the classic DEAD human moments. At its heart it is about the stubborn conflict between two idealisms that refuse to give up an inch of moral ground in hopes of having peace, because they cannot live with the humiliation of having to admit that the other party might be right. Romero crafts it in such a way that once again it is a morality bigger than the small conflict, reminding us, especially at this tenuous moment in history, about the utter worthlessness and dangers of conflict without end.
At the same time the film is engaging, fun, funny and every bit the Romero as seen in his early work. What can I say? Romero is one of those guys who consistently does something that I want to see. While some folks want him to evolve and much more modern, cutting edge horror films, I am very happy seeing him give me a taste of a flavor that most filmmakers have moved on from. Nothing feels like a Romero film except an actual Romero film, and for that I have once again gotten that experience. Some folks have found this better than his last teo, as if he’s improving, and I can’t entirely dispute that. If you weren’t the biggest fans of his previous two DEAD films, there is a good chance you’ll like this one – but you might still feel it falls short of the original trilogy as it still feels more like the modern films than the vintage ones.
Either way, it’s a Romero film, and if you have any interest in his work at all, this should be seen. I liked it considerably and will definitely be kicking back to watch it again. RECOMMENDED.
Until next time friends, smoke ‘em if ya got ‘em.
Massawyrm
Got something for the Wyrm? Mail it here.
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I'll wait for Blu-Ray. Romero is SO overrated AT TIMES people AT TIMES. He is great and all.
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http://sickpicks.blogspot.com/
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Thanks for the review. Understanding that you love all of the Romero Dead films, would you care to rank them now that you have seen and written about the new installment?
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Don't pull a Woody Harrelson and go crazy at the airport.
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because Romero said that "Land of the Dead" was about his disgust with the U.S. government and it's blind faith in the president. But where does he go with Diary of the Dead and Survival of the Dead? Are these commentaries too, or is he just making a zombie movie to make a zombie movie? I'll see it either way -- I love zombies. I can't OD on them because most zombie movies are fun to watch.
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I agree that no one else makes a film that FEELS like a Romero film. Even I've had enough zombies for one lifetime, and of course, "Zombieland" will make a fortune at the box-office while Romero's film will struggle to find distribution or an audience of any kind. I want to see this in a rundown, second run theater to complete the atmosphere. Where "Diary of the Dead" entertained me, but left me asking "What's the point of this?," I think the Western sub-genre will totally give this one a point.
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for Halloween this year. Movie trend is pracically begging me to do so. My favorite sub-genre & Romero rules it.
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heyoooooooooo
But seriously, and honestly, the least original concept Romero's ever had. I respect if it's a good movie anyway, but the two warring island families? The isolation paradigm? Any island conceit within a decade of lost?
Don't say this is Romero being original. -
being on this site. but then a lot of you liked star trek... and all of that judd apatow/seth rogen bollocks. oh god, bring on the zombie apocalypse.
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Or do you have a review floating around the site? I'm pretty forgiving when it comes to horror and I love the original Dead trilogy. I even really liked Land of the Dead, but I just could NOT get into Diary. Besides the acting being amateurish (which is almost a staple of Romero movies), I just didn't like the whole "this is a video record BUT I'm going to add editing and a soundtrack to make it more palatable" thing. Either make Zombie Cloverfield or make a regular narrative movie. Don't try to give me both. I dunno. Maybe I should try to sit and watch it again, but the first time through was just a chore. If you've got the time, I'm really curious if you could expand upon what you saw in it.
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"Different" does not mean "good". Just because Diary was a different movie than his previous ones doesn't make it any less didactic and poorly made. I mean come on, how many times did we see that one depiction of the zombie outbreak in that movie? He must have reused that shot at least three times, and I seriously doubt it was because "that's the choice amateur film makers would have made". And that fucking British guy? Give me a goddamned break! Still though, looking forward to this one.
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met you at the opening of land of the lost, I like your opinion on the Romero movies
what is your favorite attempt (besides Shaun) at recreating a Romero film of zombies? -
...but the fact that you liked Diary offers little hope for this one. That film was painful.
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you and a few others (his cult like fandom shrinks with each new movie) continually place him on a pedestal which he does not belong on. I mean seriously i know you preempted the whole fuck off i like Diary bit, but my god man there is not one thing to like in that movie and not one thing to like in this but then again you do drink the romero koolaid so theres no point talking to you, your as blind a follower as the god-hates-fag group...
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AND MAKING A HASH OF IT AS USUAL.
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this point. At least Lucas and Spielberg try different things.
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he went out of his way with his little "warning" at the beginning and people are still judging and insulting him. how dare he like a movie you didn't, that rat bastad.
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I'm almost always capable of seeing and understanding why someone would like a movie I didn't and vice versa, but I honestly can't find a single redeemable thing about Diary of the Dead. So I'm somewhat curious as to what people enjoyed about Diary because it certainly couldn't be the writing, acting, directing, or story. What else is there?
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"AND THAT GOES FOR THAT LITTLE FUCKER SIMON PEGG AS WELL. IN ONE FELL SWOOP THOSE LIMEY COCKSUCKERS BESTED ME."
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There really aren't any posts insulting Massa, other than the one just taking what he said and reposting it in the TB. Are you saying no one should ever post their opinion of a film if the reviewer's viewpoint differs from your own? No one's being malicious.
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Big fan of Romero, but I have to say I loved Dawn the best. Zack's style at the time just fit so well. Ummm... "At least Lucas and Spielberg try different things." ? Um, Indy 4. Sometimes different things = CRAP
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Add in films like Creepshow and Martin, and there's enough good to overshadow the occasional crapper. I just think Diary was a generational thing - he may have appreciated the POV video thing the same way Paul McCartney might appreciate rap, but neither one should be dabbling in those genres.
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...GIVE ME ASS-TO-MOUTH AFTER WE DID ALL THOSE LINES OF COKE."
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This is a nicely perceptive analysis of the Dead films, Massawyrm. Nobody uses zombies in the same way that Romero does. All the other film-makers (Edgar Wright excepted) seem to go out of their way to make the zombies ‘scary’, whereas Romero emphasizes again and again that the zombies are pathetic, slow-moving remnants of a dead society; scratching at the doors and windows.
That said, Diary was a complete misfire, and even as a lifelong Romero fan I could find very little to like in it.
Looking forward to Survival though. Does anybody know when it is being released? It seems crazy that it is getting reviews galore, most of them favorable, and no-one knows when they’ll be able to see it... -
Let the Halloween movie watching, pumpkin spice candle burning, festivities begin!!!!!!!! http://sickpicks.blogspot.com/
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zombie flick equals people thinking god hates "homer-seckshuls". guess geeks gotta have phasers set to flame regardless of how asinine it sounds
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I cant wait to see it. All movies have a good feel when you watch them. Yeah Zombieland is funny as hell and so is Shaun but romero knows how to make it consistent
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I am a fan of the original Dead trilogy and I did not care for Land of the Dead. I think the zomie pumping gas and the CG blood just really turned me off among other things. Overall I just felt it was not a good movie. Now for some reason, which I can not explain, I actually did enjoy Diary of the Dead. I really and truly have no idea what I liked about it, but I found it enjoyable. That said I am looking forward to seeing this one too.
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While I can't say that I thought Land Of The Dead was really that great I will say it completly blows away almost every single zombie movie this decade. I for one really liked Diary Of The Dead. It was back to basics for Romero. Low budget, unknown cast and I thought it worked well. Of course for some people nothing this man does will ever make them happy because Romero, much like George Lucas created a trilogy of films that they can never top however it doesn't mean everything else they do should automatically be a complete failure because it doesn't resemble 20+ year old movies. I think some fans already will go into Romero's new film hating it. Just like people went into Indy 4 hating it. I would much rather seen those two directors continue on with their franchises than someone remaking them or stealing ideas from their classic work. 28 Days Later is a great example. Completley unoriginal. Stole from Day Of The Dead.
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hells yeah!! easily my favorite season.
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THE COMMENTARY ON SOCIETY IN ROMERO'S FILMS IS SOMETHING THAT'S PRAISED AND LAUDED, BUT REALLY...IT'S ALWAYS BEEN OF THE MOST PEDESTRIAN NATURE POSSIBLE.
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...but I did love Land, so maybe I'll have to see that one and Survival after all... And whatever happened to Diamond Dead, that rock 'n' roll zombie movie Georgy was supposed to be doing?
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So I guess I'll just have to see how I like this one. The trailer almost looks like a prank it's so bad, like a fan-made copy of a Romero film.
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Massa kind of already stated it, but it's about how we have come to place great importance on chronicling our experiences. Somehow, as the Internet and digital media became more and more commonly used, we have fallen towards capturing all our personal moments. That way we'll be able to email them to dozens of our friends and family, throw them on Facebook/Myspace, and upload them to youtube. We feel this is actually making a mark on the world. Hell we do this so much, that news channels now will air pretty much any amateur footage, just because that person was there. This doesn't seem that bad at first, but the natural progression of this idea is that we end up ruining the actual experience for ourselves or someone else. You are too busy raising your arm in the air to snap a pic of your favorite band in concert to register that they just played a few arrangements differently FOR YOU. You are too busy trying to keep your kid in focus during his play to realize that he briefly scanned the audience looking for you, but couldn't see you because you had a CAMERA BLOCKING YOUR FACE. You are so concerned with trying to get a shot old the old woman being beaten by a group of teenagers that YOU DON'T EVEN HELP HER. However sloppy you may think the film was, the message was loud and clear. It rang true for me. It needed to be said. Remember that scene in The Sixth Sense during the play? As soon as it started, we see in the audience about fifty dads firing up their camcorders at the same time. Fifty different red lights appear from the darkness. It was kind of a joke in that film, but this is our reality now. It's fucking pathetic.
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Zombie movies really freak me out. I've got my shotgun and a couple cases of shells under the bed just in case.
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so when might we get to see this one?
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then it does slant review. liking a movie most hated does not endear you to much respect as far as your opinions goes.
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well if this guy liked THAT movie than his opinion is worthless, so seriously fuck that guy.
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Hehehe. I got m' trusty sawn-off under the piller in case them pesky zombies come callin' Like it. You should write NRA literature, Philvis.
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than his opinion is worthless, so seriously fuck that guy!
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Survival of the Dead? Really? Wasn't the working title "Island of the Dead" or something like that? I think he's just trying to avoid a title that could possibly have helped at the box-office. Yep.
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...and there was only one paragraph here that can be considered a review:"The film has plenty of action, but maintains the classic DEAD human moments. At its heart it is about the stubborn conflict between two idealisms that refuse to give up an inch of moral ground in hopes of having peace, because they cannot live with the humiliation of having to admit that the other party might be right. Romero crafts it in such a way that once again it is a morality bigger than the small conflict, reminding us, especially at this tenuous moment in history, about the utter worthlessness and dangers of conflict without end."The rest is essentially a response to the Romero critics you've read here and elsewhere.Pacing? Cinematography? Effects? Score? Anything? Bueller?
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Romero is back and it sounds like he's in fine shape. I hated Diary, but Land was a lot of fun and the three before that - classics all. So if he's gone back to that well in terms of quality, I'm right there witchoo Wyrm. Long Live Romero!
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The oringal DAY OF THE DEAD should be remade with top actors. The DOOM AND GLOOM of that film was real. The B movie actors desrtoyed that film because a lot of the military guys looked like they were missed cast to have a low. budget Rasta man was one of the best actors after BUD. A RASTA MAN, BUD film would be funny as hell.
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Oct 01, 2009 8:44:15 PM CDT
The only thing "dead" is this concept...........................
by crackerfarmboy
Enough with fucking zombies already.
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it was strange to watch "DAY". It had a quietness about it, which i liked. It was very retrospective film with bursts of action. Whereas i found dawn (which i also love) the other way around. Over the years "day" has really grown on me.
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.. is my fave of the Romero arc. Great looking zombies and fx and a nice take on the military industrial complex.
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not affiliated
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They gave it 7/10 stars and called it one of the best zombie movies made. We shall see.
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the best zombie movie ever made was Dawn.
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Why does a movie's "message" make it good? If a sucks, like Diary, it just sucks. Who gives a fuck what the message was... it still sucked at relaying that message. Sheesh.
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was not so bad. It was a little bit different, and I even liked the 'blair witch' or 'cloverfield' style, or whatever. What do you call that anyway?
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I totally agree with you on Romero. It's not the zombies, but the story and the message he's trying to get across. I feel that the new films are better looking and have some of his best cinematography in them, but I don't consider them any different than the rest, in terms of what he's trying to get across to the audience. I really love Diary of the Dead, and like it better than Land of the Dead. I feel this new film will be good, but I hope someday he makes Road of the Dead and gives us some kind of ending. It doesn't have to be happy, because "I am Legend", the book, he based his series on wasn't either.
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So amateurish. Hopper was slumming, which is saying something if you think about the turds he's appeared in over the years. Land was a total waste of money. If you like Romero's zombie movies then face it: you're the kind of person who likes watching shitty movies. Doesn't make you a bad person; you just like pissing your money away on cheaply-made shit shows.
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...was a already a film title... as was "Diary of the Dead" - so someone who obviously WATCHES films (ie. not Romero), probably had a word in his ear - CHOOSE AN ORIGINAL TITLE!
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Oct 02, 2009 12:20:23 AM CDT
Has a filmmaker ever had LESS growth over a 40 year period than
by mfoul2422
I mean, seriously, as someone on this board said, try something new. I know he's done other films besides zombie films, but none of them are worth a damn. He's really a C Level filmmaker at best and only fanboys elevate him to some legendary status. He's a Roger Corman level director at best. Incapable of making an actual decent film since 1978. Night of the Living Dead was a good independent film and Dawn of the Dead, which I feel is a good film in theme and maybe on paper, but has major flaws from a production standpoint and mostly just looks cheap, are his only good films. Day of the Dead is so laughable that my friends and I in college invented drinking games about it and pulled monthly mystery science theater 3000 sessions while watching it. I don't understand why so many directors get crucified on this site and yet Romero seems to get a pass from most of you. I'd really like an explanation if possible.
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Yeah I'm one of those guys. I loved Land but Diary..eh...I dunno..I really got to watch it again.
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Pretty sad, isn't it, that we wait 20 years for a new zombie movie from George A. Romero and he FINALLY unleashes Land of the Dead in 2005…..which turned out to be a dud. Then he rushes out Diary of the Dead, for 2008 and NOTLD’s 40th anniversary, and it’s an appallingly bad piece of fucking shit. Now Romero seems determined to destroy any goodwill that his fans had left towards him, myself included, by making and releasing Survival of the Dead which looks fucking awful and, from what I hear, actually IS mind numbingly bad. Time to hang it up George, you’ve got nothing left.
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But everything else you said was kinda true. The fact is that Night of the Living Dead is probably the most important Horror film is history which is why most people keep giving Romero a pass. But the truth is that over 40 years he hasn't gotten better and is now just trying to relive past glories by churning out fucking terrible zombie movies that don't hold a candle to NOTLD and Dawn of the Dead.
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thats like asking why dont cult members just leave the church of buckasgoat when they find out what needs to be performed come harvest day.. they cant, they see stuff in Romeros films that the rest of us laugh off, they give them depth when theres isnt any and look for social commentary in every aspect of it, half of which im pretty sure is fucking unintentional on Romeros part.. he aint that smart, he made a few good films back in the day and like you said this seems to give him a golden pass from people like wyrm who for some unknown reason seem to like movies made in this day and age that look worse than films shot in the 70's populated with lothesome actors who couldnt act there way out of a saturday morning kids show, his films are a fucking joke and his fans with each passing movie are becoming more and more a joke for liking his shit
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I'm not trying to change anybody's mind about the film. The question was asked a couple times about what is good about Diary. I answered it. That's all.
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and I'll say it again: Diary's "It used to be us versus them, and then it was us versus us, but they are us" is one of the shittest lines in movie history. Defend THAT Massa!
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ANYONE that admits to "really" liking LAND and DIARY just goes to highlight the perception that you are simply a Romero-Fan-Boy. If the one-trick pony, aging left-wing hippy pulled down his pants and took a dump, you'd be calling it the world's smoothest chocolate ice-creme. SURVIVAL *might* be worth it afterall. But after your earlier admission, you simply can't be trusted at this point.
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Romero is a nice guy and the first two films were iconic but the guy needs to hang up the gloves. Day of the dead was 75% unwatchable and really slow. The next two were crimes against humanity, especially that last one. In the first one I rooted for the people, in Dawn, the zombies in Diary, the credits. What's next, zombies try to get health insurance? The "social" commentary has become juvenile, more cranky than cynical. He still cannot get a decent performance from an actor either.
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Period.
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DOTD (original) had the perfect dark tone to it. It was more intense and claustrophobic. The acting was a bit unhinged at time and over the top, but overall, it set a great atmosphere--probably the best-- of the Zombie movies. Land of the dead tried but epic failed.
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Finally some good Romero news!!
This sounds great since I like both the last installments and love the org trilogy, and I fuckin hate all the bullshit about the last two films! Yes the first 3 are superior but they are still better then most of the crap Hollywood makes these days!!! -
...was a piece of shit. The only good thing in the film was the Amish guy. Everything else was worthless.
Liking Diary of the Dead is akin to saying that you hate movies. -
Who the fuck can even remember any of them?
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I agree just like Piltorp75...finally some good news concerning Romero's latest Zombie/Zombiegeddon film!
I really liked what you wrote in your review..about how the Zombiegeddon 'Verse is Romero's and everyone else just plays in it! Well said my friend, well said!
And when you think about it? How many good Zombie Movies have been made in the past (Some of my favs? And I am sure I am going to catch hell for saying this..."Return of The Living Dead" and the "Dawn of the Dead" remake) Vs really gawd-awful shitty Zombie rip-offs (Way to fucking many to even begin to list here!!)?
As an all things Zombie-fan, I loved Romeros original Trilogy...thought "Land of The Dead" was ok, "Diary of the Dead"? Didn't get why thre were so many haters, it was..eh, alright I guess...so I am looking forward to seeing the newest "Dead" movie too.
Remember, as Massawrym stated..."Zombiegeddon" is Romeros World that he has gifted to us his fans...everyone else just plays in it. I can only hope that the people who are responsible for bringing to oft talked about "World War Z" to the big screen will do something to make Romero and all us Zombie Fans happy. -
I loved the original Night, and the original Dawn. Was disappointed by Day, though I still liked it. But after that, it was downhill so fast it was like falling off a cliff. Land of the Dead was so bad I felt like I was watching somone parody Romero's earlier work. The Dawn remake was better, and it wasn't even a horror film- it was an action/survival movie. And I couldn't watch Diary, it was so painfully bad. After about 5 minutes, I was ejecting it from the machine, wishing I could get my rental money back. And I think it's funny that so many people here are bitching that Zombieland is going to make money while Survival doesn't. That might be because Zombieland has a professional looking trailer and advertising campaign, while Romero has knocked together a totally crap trailer for this one, and it looks every bit as awful as Diary.
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...might be great in baseball but is pretty bad as your iconic filmic contributions go. As for my subject's arithmatic assessment, _Diary_ really wasn't half-bad. OK, it was EXACTLY half-bad, but I could play ball for some of its better re-booted aspects -- the media-saturated conceits (again, about .500 worth), and I think I'm the only one who sort-of dug the professor character, at least for Romero's obvious affection for him.
Ah, but. Yes. Let me double/quadruple-down on all those suggesting it's freaking time for George to MOVE ON. Frankly, the old boy doesn't have much more time -- or eyesight? Right? You've seen those grandpa glasses he wears which he stole from Swifty Lazar's corpse? -- and he needs to show the world what a truly great talent he is without resorting to one more one-off on the all-too-tired subject of them rotters. _Turn of the Screw_, anyone? It's either that, or feeling like someone's doing precisely that right into your cerebral cortex while watching GAR pop out another _Meh of the Dead_...
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