Dear Diary (of the Dead)
So, the release date is still floating around in the ether, but they've been shooting Diary of the Dead in Toronto for a while now, and it should be a corker.
Here's the pitch: Students shooting a film encounter the undead on the same night as Night of the Living Dead took place.
The idea, I reckon is to broaden and expand on the universe as it exists between Night and Dawn of, but I reckon the technology angle doesn't quite gel with the chronological setting I place the movies in in my head, but I reckon it's the series' creator (George Romero, perhaps you've heard of him) in charge, so it will be totally perfect.
Did you know, there are folks who didn't like Land of the Dead? What's wrong with those people? It was sort of "teh awesome" was it not?
We'll keep our ears to the grindstone looking out for the release date and totally report it to you. Totally!
I chose "zombies" as the category for this post, but if there were a "fanboy gush" category I would have added it too!
Ears to the grindstone is my rave fave mixed metaphor of the week!
Sorry Todd, but I thought "Land of the Dead" was a bit boring and silly. Then again, a major studio in Universal was largely to blame for that.
But, Good old GAR is going back to his independent roots to make "Diary of the Dead", so hopefully it will erase the painful memory of "Land".
Even though I was bummed out by "Land of the Dead" I still think George A. Romero is the best horror director of all-time. Well, right behind James Whale that is. Now that man was a true horror legend.
Weirdly, and you might want to put down anything you are drinking, so there's no furious spit-take on the monitor (I didn't have such a warning, and my screen's a mess), one of the main criticisms of the original Dawn of the Dead is that it's boring.
"Nothing happens," say the teens. I sort of couldn't believe that when I heard it/read it, but it's kind of the prevailing view, like they say they can't sit through it at their slumber parties.
What I like about Dawn, and the whole series is the thought behind it. Beyond the spectacle of zombies, I like how class issues are dealt with in Land, and I like that super-liberal Dennis Hopper is cast as the uber-conservative. It's just cool casting and cool commentary.
What were some of the studio choices that you thought messed it up? Not casting. You got your Argento and your Leguizamo.
I think people hated Day when it first came out also (I like it except for the part where the zombie salutes. hate that). What do you think of Day?
James Whale rules, of course. Did you see that Gods and Monsters flick?
i have to disagree with monsterfest land of the dead was not that good. i want to see another one like night of the living dead.
I got a good chuckle from your comment about some younger people claiming the original "Dawn" was a bore. I took my girlfriend (who is 6-years younger than myself) to see the remake and she loved that. I told her that if she liked the remake that she would adore the original. Didn't happen. She left the room about 30-45 minutes in because she claimed it was... 'Boring'. Hahaha. What do people like her know about good movies anyways, eh?
As to what I didn't like about Romero's "Land"? Well, you're right about the cast, they're great. It was the look of the film and the overall feel to it. It didn't seem like a complete Romero film. It felt as though Romero wanted to go this way. but Universal wanted to go that way. I love Universal, but to me personally, I think they destroyed a possible classic. It sort of felt like a cheap way to piggyback on the success of the "Dawn" remake. Then again, maybe I'm wrong.
As for "Day"? Pure genius. You're right, a lot of people thought it was trash when it first came out, but I have always loved it. I mean c'mon, its Romero and Savini at their best. Great characters and a lot of tension between scientists and military men. I sure do love the special edition 2-disc set that Anchor Bay put out.
And absolutely I have seen the DocuDrama "Gods and Monsters" based on the life of James Whale. Sir Ian McKellen did an amazing job as the one and only, James Whale. What did you think of the film?
I had a hard time with the first twenty minutes of Land of the Dead and turned it off. Maybe I should re-think.
I loved it, Malice, though I am a sucker for any Golden Age Hollywood biopic. The ones on horror personalities are too rare. That's why this and Ed Wood are so dear to me. (they are very different styles, of course).
I think you'll get your wish, Joe, Diary seems like a return to the glory days. Thanks for the comment. You can call me Monsterfest, but my opinions are way different from Tummy Tumpkins' or the Gold Standard's. I think I saw them sneaking out of the theater around the time the fireworks started hypnotizing the zombies.