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Re: The Films of George A. Romero
Dread Central reports that George A. Romero is set to direct Diary of the Dead 2 this September.
The website "learned that George has to attend several meetings about DIARY 2 which have the project significantly hitting the fast track. So significantly that we got the word it's 99.9% a go for the film to start production this September..."
Our heroes, trapped in the mansion where we left them, battle waves of ravenous zombies, barely escaping alive. In search of a safe place to settle, they commandeer an abandoned ferry and sail to a deserted island, only to find that it is already populated by a civilization of the dead. The next episode of the saga is a violent siege set in the middle of nowhere, a desperate struggle for survival, and peace, between two tribes: the living and the living dead.
- BrokenGlassNCigs
- Rep: 25
Re: The Films of George A. Romero
Romero is a horror legend. Gotta watch part one, then I'll check this out.
Re: The Films of George A. Romero
I've been meaning to. For zombie films, Land was okay (most zombie films are shit, even Romero's crap is gold compared to most)... but it left me majorly disappointed. It by no means was Night or Dawn in any universe, it also fell drastically short of Day.
Plus the whole Blair Witch-esque twist to Diary... I wasn't in any hurry to go out and see it. I'll try to check it out now.
Re: The Films of George A. Romero
Saw Diary just recently. A fascinating mix of Blair Witch Project, Cannibal Holocaust, Last House on Dead End Street and, well, [REC], the Spanish zombie movie amusing utilizing the exact same idea.
Romero has always his own secret recipe for the zombie movie dramaturgy, which included the initial scares and scuffles, rounding up a group of people, the midpoint which leads to conflict and separation, and finally the gruesome endings of many because of this. Diary does not alter this concept, and the fact that Romero manages to flesh out his leading characters on the sly is something of a miracle, yet they gradually reveal enough personality to root for. Still, whatever relatable sides the cast offers, there's still plenty of stock character in them, with the main couple (the 'director' and his efficient zombie-killer g/f, who remains aware of the dangers of continuous shooting) have the most believable interaction, which serves to save the film from sinking under its own weight. As for the others, there's the film school tutor (serving as the old sage), the poindexter, the 'other' directing major (who might like to be the alpha male), and some chicks, who have relatively little to do and aren't very memorable to begin with.
Times have changed since the golden era of American Horror as Romero keeps his ghouls fairly on the sidelines, aside the mandatory skirmish. The John Ford/Howard Hawks-ian siege atmosphere, formerly played out by cowboys and redskins/outlaws, never builds up to the hilt the way we've seen it before. There's the sequence in which one one crew member changes, much like David Emge in Dawn of the Dead. Paramilitary outfits (in the vein of Captain Rhodes in Day of the Dead, thereafter popularized in 28 Days Later) are the meek that shall inherit the earth and will move on to pillage whatever is left of it.
This is the main problem in Diary. Sometimes, every other sequence feels like a lift from either Romero's previous films or his main inspirations, or they are simply patched on into the narrative to provide the modern twist. We circle between a siege, a Mad Max-type road trip, abandoned hospital, the militants and finally, wrap the story up in a setting that'd make Bret Easton Ellis chirp. There is no central location as there was the house in Night, the mall in Dawn, and the outpost in Day. Even Fiddler's Green, the city setting of Land of the Dead, provided a unified locale.
The blogging aspect and free-for-all journalism is a good idea, but I counted the characters use the web only once during the films runtime. Also, as Romero presents the infrastructure slowly collapsing under the zombie overrun, the value of MySpace videos and therefore, the main point of the film itself, is undermined somewhat. What's the point in recording everything in case there's no way to upload it anyway? It's never used the other way, the characters never learn of bad/blocked roads or safe havens from Google Earth, their online videos get thousands of hits in minutes yet no-one else is filming - which in the era of IPhones is pretty unbelievable. There's no Skype, no contact made with other groups out there battling what appears to be a pandemy.
It's a pretty dangerous game, opening up the can of worms of free global communication, when budgetary restraints are constantly raising their ugly head. However, Diary works largely due to Romero's uncanny knack for the genre and his far and wide experience and craftsmanship. Even though the film is shot as a faux documentary, the visual style is well within reins and those fearing Blair Witch shakycams may sigh of relief. The presence of another camera is mostly introduced clearly within the existing shot, which makes the visual flow appealing and easy to follow.
The remaining scares and zombie action, while unfortunately more bare-bones than ever, are handled efficiently in their own right, even though there'd be room for surprise. While the zombies still bleed, Diary is also the cleanest of all Dead movies since Night. The few gory moments are done well, but don't expect to see offbeat moments like the rotor-blade opening a zombie skull in Dawn, or the gruesome showdown in Day.
All n' all, Diary offers much of the old rolled into a greatest hits package. While lacking the punch of the old days, Romero still knows how to craft a package entertaining enough for the viewer to forgive the painfully apparent shortcomings in the narrative structure - as well as the occasional stupidity. One can only wonder what direction hiss career had taken if he'd been allowed to do Resident Evil.
It'll be interesting to see Romero going head to head with the new-school again, as Jaume Balaguero's [REC] utilized the very same idea of 'live shooting', yet only in a closed environment with the end result apparently being significantly stronger than whatever Diary managed to muster.
Re: The Films of George A. Romero
Well, you've sold me on [REC]. Been putting that off for ages for some reason. Gonna have to download that. I find it hard to fathom that film being better than Diary, but I'll take your word for it.
Good point on Resident Evil. Great game, shitty film franchise.
I should watch Diary again. I don't remember half the stuff in that review. Quiet a bit of action that I recall, and its easier for a film to gloss over its faults if we are given steady doses of action(or carnage in this case).
- Gunslinger
- Rep: 88
Re: The Films of George A. Romero
I never got around to watching Diary...I will now. Thanks for the info James.
Re: The Films of George A. Romero
I've been meaning to. For zombie films, Land was okay (most zombie films are shit, even Romero's crap is gold compared to most)... but it left me majorly disappointed. It by no means was Night or Dawn in any universe, it also fell drastically short of Day.
Plus the whole Blair Witch-esque twist to Diary... I wasn't in any hurry to go out and see it. I'll try to check it out now.
Curious you should say that. I agree with your opinion of Land and of zombie flicks in general, but Day is my favorite of Romero's Dead cycle. Go figure.
