[quote=“blue_lou_boyle”]
the zombie movie has really suffered since day of the dead simply because the zombie isnt a great horror villan - theyre slow and unthrethening. as much as I love Georges old movies, Land and PARTICULARLY Diary of the dead were dreadful movies.
[/quote]
You mean not dreadful? Maybe Night Of The Living dead was dreadful back in the time. But I never felt any fear watching a Romero flick. It’s not an horror film to me, it’s more like action or sci-fi post-apo. With gore.
Even the running zombies movies are more action driven than horror driven. To be horror driven you would need to have only one very clever zombie. Like Alien was horror while Aliens what just action.
I liked Night Of The Living,The Crazies, and I absolutely loved, Dawn Of The Dead, but Romero just doesnt have it anymore. Really, how many times you make a movie with the same theme in mind?
[quote=“Glaurung”]
You mean not dreadful? Maybe Night Of The Living dead was dreadful back in the time. But I never felt any fear watching a Romero flick. It’s not an horror film to me, it’s more like action or sci-fi post-apo. With gore.
[/quote]
Yeah, I like to think of them more as Survival Horror. It’s more about how the characters deal with the situation than actually scaring the audience. Romero’s problem is he doesn’t give his characters enough depth so you really don’t care if they live or not. In fact most of the time you want them not to survive.
[quote=“Dex”]
Yeah, I like to think of them more as Survival Horror. It’s more about how the characters deal with the situation than actually scaring the audience. Romero’s problem is he doesn’t give his characters enough depth so you really don’t care if they live or not. In fact most of the time you want them not to survive.
[/quote]
One thing you said that Romero’s zombie films are serious pictures, that’s not accurate. In Dawn and Day there are a few moments of comic relief, in fact almost all his films have moments where you can breathe easy and laugh at the stuff you’re watching. A more gritty, serious zombie movie would be those of Lucio Fulci - which are very surrealistic. Romero tries to capture the social conflicts and moralistic values of the times, he applies that as a theme in a very liberalistic way. Now here’s the thing, you may not care about it now because you’re living in these times and you hear this stuff on the radio and television and blogs, and it’s just everywhere. Wait ten more years, when these social issues become ancient and other issues arise.
Those who watch films will see this film and pick SOME of the things our society has/was dealing with. Romero’s films have more value for future viewings. Me, I’m more concerned about the future of cinema. It seems many directors are relying too much on directing the lenses, and most of them abandon their actors, and the ill-casting of them, and the one-dimensional portrayal of them. You have all these new fancy methods of filmmaking, and the directors take pride in these CGI creations and dare to call them their own, when they were in fact made by a machine. Did Jack Ford or William Wyler need these things to make a great picture? No. They used their natural talent and relied on their actors and believed in the story they were making. Great filmmakers are great writers, if not on the page, with the camera - and the actors should ALWAYS be major contributors.
In the case of Romero, he is not a man who makes movies for people who don’t like to think. Who are apathetic to the world they live in and care only for themselves. The simplistic man is one that will not render their ears for the truth. They’d rather live blindly in themselves and think not a few years ahead into the future. That is what the media has done to all of us and the art of cinema. Movies used to be smart and they spoke out against the world. Now things blow up very nicely in movies. And that’s all that ever happens.
[quote=“me”]
I liked Night Of The Living,The Crazies, and I absolutely loved, Dawn Of The Dead, but Romero just doesnt have it anymore. Really, how many times you make a movie with the same theme in mind?
[/quote]
He did not. Land Of The Dead was about ignoring the problem, as he’s said so many times. But there was something interesting that the Dennis Hopper character said (Kaufman), to his board members when they are contemplating of fleeing the Green in fear of Cholo’s imminent attack. Kaufman says: “I created all these vices to keep them on the streets and out of this place, it’s my responsibility”. The same way we’re all invested in making money in order to survive. The film is about surviving, to me it is at least. Surviving and still keeping your head together and fight for what is right, and to speak out against despotism. Look at Riley Denbo and what he stands for in the movie, Kaufman’s power has no reign over his being, in contrary Cholo was so invested in being part of this high society that chose to ignore the dangers that awaited them outside those confines of steel. In the end only the willful survived.
Diary Of The Dead was about the confusion and chaos that the media creates. Look at the end, where the girl has the camera and the gun in her hands, and the guy tells her: “Shoot me.” - then the film fades out and the question is only explored but never answered. You see this guy obsessed in capturing every waking moment of this tragedy so he can show it to the world, and in doing so he loses his own awareness - and gets lost. Just look at Twitter people are reporting their lifes every hour - it’s as if the world is becoming this one giant monster hooked to wires and it only keeps growing - that’s the fear, of where will it all be in ten years from now. Romero is from a different generation and he’s a good observer of these changes, I saw recently about a man who stalking this woman by using her twitter posts, some even post where they are, etc. So it’s dangerous stuff that people don’t think about.
[quote=“Lt. BioBasterd”]
You have all these new fancy methods of filmmaking, and the directors take pride in these CGI creations and dare to call them their own, when they were in fact made by a machine.[/quote]
That’s far from a fact. CGI is just drawing. It’s not made by a machine, it’s made by a drawer. That’s like saying a movie is made by a machine cause it use a camera.
A drawing is something you put on a paper. An old Mickey Mouse cartoon is comprised of many drawings. CGI are Computer GENERATED images. They go from lab to lab with tech nerds who make the whole process work. Just look at George Lucas and the race sequence in Phantom Menace. The people who created it saw the Ben Hur race and based the sequence on that.
[quote=“Lt. BioBasterd”]
One thing you said that Romero’s zombie films are serious pictures, that’s not accurate. In Dawn and Day there are a few moments of comic relief, in fact almost all his films have moments where you can breathe easy and laugh at the stuff you’re watching. A more gritty, serious zombie movie would be those of Lucio Fulci - which are very surrealistic. Romero tries to capture the social conflicts and moralistic values of the times, he applies that as a theme in a very liberalistic way. Now here’s the thing, you may not care about it now because you’re living in these times and you hear this stuff on the radio and television and blogs, and it’s just everywhere. Wait ten more years, when these social issues become ancient and other issues arise. [/quote]
I didn’t mean to say Romero movies have absolutely no humor. Even the darkest of movies have their lighter moments. On the whole Romero’s movies are anything but comedy. Like you said he’s going for social commentary. I’ve never really been a big fan of his social commentary not because I’m desensitized by all the stuff I see, hear, and read but because Romero spoon feeds it to the audience like we’re retarded 8 year olds. The man lacks subtlety is all.
[quote=“Lt. BioBasterd”]
In the case of Romero, he is not a man who makes movies for people who don’t like to think.
[/quote]
I think he’s exactly that kind of director. His movies are only smart, deep and insightful when compared to other Zombie movies.
[quote=“Lt. BioBasterd”]
A drawing is something you put on a paper. An old Mickey Mouse cartoon is comprised of many drawings. CGI are Computer GENERATED images. They go from lab to lab with tech nerds who make the whole process work. Just look at George Lucas and the race sequence in Phantom Menace. The people who created it saw the Ben Hur race and based the sequence on that.
[/quote]
Yeah, but it still requires a PERSON with significant artistic skills. Creating a CGI anything is about the same as building it for real you’re just using different tools on different material. It’s not like the director types in “make me a really cool space ship race” and the computer just does it for him.
What the hell. Are you f-ing 90 years old? Next time you will tell us computers works on EVIL WITCHCRAFT ENERGY?
What the hell is your point? You would have a director do everything by himself? Like do the costumes, do the acting, build the sets. Then he wouldn’t be called a director, cause he would have nobody to direct.
Maybe you think all the Disney movies were drew by Disney himself and only him?
My point is directors rely too much on the fancy to make a movie that isn’t even good. Back in the days they relied on good writing and acting, and a director who can elicit great performances. That’s gone.
Nah, that stuff is still out there, it just doesn’t get the same attention.
And those directors that rely on heavy CGI and still churn out crap movies probably wouldn’t be making movies any better without the CGI. Avoiding CGI doesn’t make a crap film good, and it doesn’t make a director suddenly more talented.
You haven’t seen real talent that’s why. Just make a little time and watch the films of Lubitsch, Wyler, and Mankiewicz. Everything else will seem like crap. I honestly have trouble getting into most of the films made today, there was something in the way the actors invested themselves in the films. The dialogue of Mankiewicz is mesmerizing - you’ll never hear anything like it in your life.
There’s a few Mankiewicz films on netflix’s watch instantly deal so I’ll probly give him a shot.
My options are as follows: “Cleopatra” “Suddenly, Last Summer”, “Julius Caesar”, “People Will Talk”, “A Letter to Three Wives”, “House of Strangers”, and “The Ghosts of Mrs. Muir”. Any suggestion as to what I should start with?
My point remains though. A shitty movie full of CGI doesn’t get better if you get rid of the CGI. Wes Anderson using stop motion for his new movie doesn’t make him a better director than John Lasseter just because Toy Story was CG.
Cool. You’ll have to let us know what you think. I’ve been hearing decent reviews for it lately but I think that might just be because people have lowered their standards when it comes to Romero.
will do. seeing it on the third of November. I actually skipped (and never seen to this day) Diary of the Dead, because I was so terribly disappointed with Land of the dead.
