George A. Romero's "...of the Dead"

[megladon8]

Romero's latest film (currently finishing up production) takes place shortly after his last, Diary of the Dead, and looks at one or more minor characters from that film and where they end up.

Trailer is on this page. (http://voltagepictures.com/NewTitles.php?selected_title=6 4)

Synopsis:


On an island off the coast of North America, local residents simultaneously fight a zombie epidemic while hoping for a cure to return their un-dead relatives back to their human state.

To be released later this year.

[Rowland]

On an island off the coast of North America, local residents simultaneously fight a zombie epidemic while hoping for a cure to return their un-dead relatives back to their human state. Sounds like his original script for Day of the Dead.

Whatever the case, he has a lot to make up for, given how incompetent Diary of the Dead was. Hell, I'll take another Land of the Dead.

[megladon8]

Diary of the Dead > Land of the Dead

Though I really, really wish he'd let someone else write for him. Hand his ideas over to a John Sayles or a David Mamet and he'd be off to a much better start.

Anyway, here's a poster...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v496/megladon8/otd.jpg

[Kurosawa Fan]

Is this really all he has to offer as a filmmaker anymore? He's like the Samuel L. Jackson of directors.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Do not want.

[EvilShoe]

Does the ... mean we can suggest titles?
Daddy Day Camp of the Dead!

[EvilShoe]

That looks terrible.
It doesn't deserve my title.

I withdraw from the contest!

[Ivan Drago]

Schindler's List of the Dead
Weekend of the Dead
Jaws of the Dead

[Dead & Messed Up]

Schindler's List of the Dead
Weekend of the Dead
Jaws of the Dead

Dead of the Dead

It's sequel, Dead of the Dead of the Dead.

[megladon8]

That one line of dialogue in Diary of the Dead was so brilliant, it deserves to be said again...

"It used to be us versus us. Now it's us versus them. Only they...are us."

[Kurosawa Fan]

That looks terrible.
It doesn't deserve my title.

I withdraw from the contest!

Withdrawal of the Dead

[Raiders]

Magic Hour of the Dead

[EvilShoe]

All your ideas suck.
Be grateful I exited the contest.

[bac0n]

I say we go the Anime route. Call it: Super Lets Fighting Love Extra Fantasia of the Dead Yum Yum Birds

[Lasse]

This is getting ridiculous. I lost interest in his films a long time ago.

[number8]

That one line of dialogue in Diary of the Dead was so brilliant, it deserves to be said again...

"It used to be us versus us. Now it's us versus them. Only they...are us."

I would rep this post if I didn't think it was sarcastic.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I would rep this post if I didn't think it was sarcastic.

I'll rep it cause it is sarcastic.

[Ezee E]

Too much of the Dead.

[Boner M]

Ham-Fisted Allegory of the Dead

[chrisnu]

Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's of the Dead

[transmogrifier]

Thanksgiving of the Dead
Lost Remote Control of the Dead
Late Brunch with My Parents of the Dead

[Boner M]

Don't Tell Mom the Babysitter's of the Dead
Winner.

[MadMan]

I will probably see this, considering I actually liked Diary of the Dead. I think if I actually like Land of the Dead I can officially consider myself a Romero fanboy (I'm pretty much there already anyways).

[Dukefrukem]

I can't see the trailer...

[Dukefrukem]

After two very small roles in Diary and Land Alan Van Sprang (http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0888022/) finally gets a bigger part.

[Spun Lepton]

As a humongous, drooling fan of the first three Dead films ... I am begging George to stop now, PLEASE!! Land was a fun little zombie movie with a fair amount of problems, good for nostalgia's sake ... but that was it, really.

Everything I've heard about Diary is making me very wary about watching it.

And the title for this gives me a "jump the shark" sort of vibe.

:sad:

[Dukefrukem]

So this is called Survival of the Dead now? When did that happen?

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/6201/98201052.jpg

http://img40.imageshack.us/img40/6894/90760627.jpg

http://img99.imageshack.us/img99/4788/14471808.jpg

http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/5171/55870211.jpg

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/9448/43743783.jpg

http://img39.imageshack.us/img39/3206/poster2c.jpg

[Wryan]

It's not just Romero's sequel anymore. It's also George's.

[Dukefrukem]

It's not just Romero's sequel anymore. It's also George's.

Yeah just noticed that. Wow.

[Spun Lepton]

It's not just Romero's sequel anymore. It's also George's.

That has to be a fan-made one.

[Wryan]

That has to be a fan-made one.

Sure I suspected as much. Still funny tho. They shoulda gone whole hog: George's A.'s Romero's...

[lovejuice]

how do i get cast as an extra zombi in a film like this? should be fun walking like that.

[Spun Lepton]

how do i get cast as an extra zombi in a film like this? should be fun walking like that.

Move to Pittsburgh and keep an eye open for cattle-calls.

[lovejuice]

one of my dream jobs is playing important historical characters in documentaries. surely, you don't need to go through acting school for that?

ok. that should be in random thought.

[Grouchy]

If he keeps doing zombie movies at this pace I might be tempted to go to Pittsburgh myself.

I mean, that's something to tell the grandchildren about.

[ledfloyd]

Move to Pittsburgh and keep an eye open for cattle-calls.
he doesn't shoot here anymore. land and diary were both shot in canada and this one is too. he doesn't have a ton of money and there are more tax incentives up there, is his reasoning.

the bunker they used in day of the dead is about 10 minutes from my house. if only i wasn't months old when they were shooting that.

[Morris Schæffer]

Anyone like Diary of the Dead? It started out all right, the hospital scenes were a little scary, but that entire third act in the mansion was stupendously drab, ugly, nothing.

[Dukefrukem]

Anyone like Diary of the Dead? It started out all right, the hospital scenes were a little scary, but that entire third act in the mansion was stupendously drab, ugly, nothing.

The mansion scene is the worst part of the movie. Unfortunately it's also the ending.

[Dukefrukem]

26 new images (http://www.bloody-disgusting.com/news/17067)

[Spun Lepton]

Survival of the Dead has a timecoded trailer available. No release date set, apparently. Actually ... it doesn't look half-bad.

http://io9.com/5395592/does-the-latest-survival-of-the-dead-trailer-make-for-a-romero-comeback

[Dukefrukem]

Survival of the Dead has a timecoded trailer available. No release date set, apparently. Actually ... it doesn't look half-bad.

http://io9.com/5395592/does-the-latest-survival-of-the-dead-trailer-make-for-a-romero-comeback

It's hard for me to accept slow moving zombies in the days after 28 Days Later.

[megladon8]

It's hard for me to accept slow moving zombies in the days after 28 Days Later.


Sucks to be you.

Slow zombies > fast zombies

[number8]

It's hard for me to accept slow moving zombies in the days after 28 Days Later.

You'd think that would be a great supporting argument for slow moving zombies.

[Raiders]

I don't see the connection. There are no zombies in 28 Days Later.

[jenniferofthejungle]

I thinks looks bad.

I hope I am wrong and I'll probably end up seeing it at my local theater, but I have low expectations.

[megladon8]

I'll see it because I still love Romero.

But he seems to be edging closer and closer to DTV quality.

And what is with him writing these HORRIBLE lines lately?

In Diary of the Dead it was that "I used to think it was us versus us. Now it's us versus them. Only they...are us."

And in this one, there's that "It'd become an us versus them world. All we were looking for was a place where there was no us."

[Dead & Messed Up]

I don't see the connection. There are no zombies in 28 Days Later.

Matt Soller Zeitz had a pretty great zombie analysis (http://www.thehousenextdooronline.com/2009/10/zombie-101-guide-to-cinemas-most.html) recently where he explained what I figure about this whole silly debate: they're zombies-by-proxy.

[number8]

No proxy needed. It's a zombie movie. They're zombies. You can't make the definition from how they behave or came to be, because that falls under reinventing rules. When you start doing that, you can argue that even Night of the Living Dead isn't a zombie movie, because there were no witch doctors involved.

[Dead & Messed Up]

No proxy needed. It's a zombie movie. They're zombies. You can't make the definition from how they behave or came to be, because that falls under reinventing rules. When you start doing that, you can argue that even Night of the Living Dead isn't a zombie movie, because there were no witch doctors involved.

Sounds good to me. I'd love to call them zombies.

[Spun Lepton]

:frustrated:




:P

[MadMan]

I used to care a lot about whether or not there were zombies in 28 Days Later. All I know is that its a great horror movie. The debate is kind of silly, really, as its all about sematics.

[jenniferofthejungle]

:frustrated:




:P

They're not zombies.

The lepers in The Fog weren't pirates.

Just thought I'd clear that up.

Spun, this made me think of the awesome banner you did for the second or third version of the axis site. Do you still have that? :lol:

Back on topic I'll say that I looked at the trailer again and I think it looks horrible. I hope like hell I'm wrong, but damn it, I don't think I am.

[Spun Lepton]

Spun, this made me think of the awesome banner you did for the second or third version of the axis site. Do you still have that? :lol:

I don't even remember what it was ...

[jenniferofthejungle]

I don't even remember what it was ...

The tunnel scene from 28 Days Later when Jim is getting in the car and looking back at the infected. Your caption had Jim saying "You're not zombies." We had great laughs over that one.

[Stay Puft]

Back on topic I'll say that I looked at the trailer again and I think it looks horrible. I hope like hell I'm wrong, but damn it, I don't think I am.

You're not. It's a fairly weak film, and Romero seems to be doing little more than cater to an established audience at this point. It's a clunky, clumsy effort, and while parts of it are entertaining, it ultimately amounts to nothing. The "twist" he adds to the mythos this time around is hilarious (and makes for a painfully bad ending).

[number8]

I think I know how to settle this.

They're stupid zombies.

[MadMan]

They're not zombies.

The lepers in The Fog weren't pirates.

Just thought I'd clear that up.

Spun, this made me think of the awesome banner you did for the second or third version of the axis site. Do you still have that? :lol:

Back on topic I'll say that I looked at the trailer again and I think it looks horrible. I hope like hell I'm wrong, but damn it, I don't think I am.The Fog featured awesome pirates. They flat out ruled. *RUNS LIKE HELL*

[Dukefrukem]

Matt Soller Zeitz had a pretty great zombie analysis (http://www.thehousenextdooronline.com/2009/10/zombie-101-guide-to-cinemas-most.html) recently where he explained what I figure about this whole silly debate: they're zombies-by-proxy.

Thank you D&MU


You'd think that would be a great supporting argument for slow moving zombies.

It worked in the 60s, 70s, 80s and early 90s. I'm finding it really hard to believe that 2 dozen (SLOW) zombies can overtake an entire city in 10 minutes... (Land of the Dead)

Diary of the Dead didn't work.

This movie won't work.

[Raiders]

RE: 28 Days Later

Infected with a virus and NOT DEAD /= zombie

Yes, zombie-by-proxy makes some sense in that they function in the plot just like zombies. But if we're going to get into a "running zombie" vs. "walking zombie" argument, then we're getting technical and technically these ain't zombies. They don't eat humans. They aren't dead.

[Dukefrukem]

RE: 28 Days Later

Infected with a virus and NOT DEAD /= zombie

Yes, zombie-by-proxy makes some sense in that they function in the plot just like zombies. But if we're going to get into a "running zombie" vs. "walking zombie" argument, then we're getting technical and technically these ain't zombies. They don't eat humans. They aren't dead.

Okay well replace my first post with Dawn of the Dead (2004) then. (C'mon they're all essentially zombies)

[MadMan]

Duke, as showcased throughout Romero's "Dead" films, the zombies don't need to be fast moving to overpower you. They just simply do it by sheer force of numbers, and cut off all escape routes. Plus relying on their prey freaking out and failing to escape sure helps.

Look just because the creatures in 28 Days Later didn't eat humans doesn't mean they're not zombies. The zombies in "I Walked With a Zombie" surely didn't. The idea of zombies eating humans was created by Romero, Fuci, and others from the 1960s-onward.

[Dukefrukem]

Duke, as showcased throughout Romero's "Dead" films, the zombies don't need to be fast moving to overpower you. They just simply do it by sheer force of numbers, and cut off all escape routes. Plus relying on their prey freaking out and failing to escape sure helps.

Look just because the creatures in 28 Days Later didn't eat humans doesn't mean they're not zombies. The zombies in "I Walked With a Zombie" surely didn't. The idea of zombies eating humans was created by Romero, Fuci, and others from the 1960s-onward.

I think what I was trying to get at was; I'm not scared by slow moving zombies anymore. I grew up on them, and the zombie has 'evolved' in a sense... What once scared me in Day of the Dead when a horde of zombies rips someone limb from limb, doesn't do it for me anymore. But Land and Diary did nothing for me. The stories weren't that gripping, and if I'm not scared for the characters, what's left? And to add to that... there weren't even that many zombies in Land of the Dead!! I still want to know how a dozen or so zombies took over a whole city just by walking through the river??? It's not like there weren't soldiers at every corner of the city. Diary's story was a bit different since the crew was constantly on the movie and zombies could be anywhere, but I still wasn't feeling it compared to Romero's earlier stories. I need to revisit it though, I've only watched it once.

[Raiders]

The idea of zombies eating humans was created by Romero, Fuci, and others from the 1960s-onward.

... or by Lovecraft in 1922.

In any case, the argument against "running zombies" has always been scientific really, that corpses post-rigor mortis and decomposition and reanimated would lack the functionality to run and it would look silly for the Romero-esque zombies to be running with their mangled bodies. My point is Boyle's film clearly shows normal humans now infected with an irreversible virus which essentially makes their brain functions into one mindless rage. They are of a zombie-like mind but they are not reanimated corpses.

Ultimately, this is a moot point as filmmakers have long made a "zombie" pretty much what they wanted, from voodoo victims to victims of aerial-released toxins and so forth. It's just a minor grievance of mine I like to pick on when it is brought up.

[Grouchy]

... or by Lovecraft in 1922.
Are you talking about Herbert West or The Rats in the Walls?

[megladon8]

I imagine the idea of a corpse coming to life and killing and/or eating others is something that was around before the 20th century.

[Dead & Messed Up]

Since modern zombies are technically a subset of vampires (the prototype of the zombie film being The Last Man on Earth, itself a "vampire" film only partially), their species has been around for just shy of fifty years, and their genus has been around for thousands of years.

[number8]

In any case, the argument against "running zombies" has always been scientific really, that corpses post-rigor mortis and decomposition and reanimated would lack the functionality to run and it would look silly for the Romero-esque zombies to be running with their mangled bodies. My point is Boyle's film clearly shows normal humans now infected with an irreversible virus which essentially makes their brain functions into one mindless rage. They are of a zombie-like mind but they are not reanimated corpses.

I find it hard to believe that Garland didn't intend 28 Days Later to be a reinvention of the Romero zombie movie when he wrote it (especially when it owes so much to Day of the Dead). That's what it comes down to for me. The concept of zombies as a reanimated corpse is not set in stone, either, since the voodoo role of a witch doctor controlling the bodies applied to the living, as well, and can be reversed.

I'll concede that I blame Snyder for the running zombie concept more than Boyle.

[Dead & Messed Up]

I find it hard to believe that Garland didn't intend 28 Days Later to be a reinvention of the Romero zombie movie when he wrote it (especially when it owes so much to Day of the Dead).

Hell, you'd almost think Boyle wanted to make a horror/zombie movie, considering the quote in my sig.

And I blame no one for the "fast zombie." I'm glad it started. Made zombies threatening in a way they hadn't been in a while.

[megladon8]

Yes, I have to say that the insurgence of fast zombies has made slow zombies look like, well, kind of a FUN end of the world.

If fast zombies ever came to be, I'd probably kill myself.

[number8]

The best use of fast zombies so far was in Dead Set.

[Dukefrukem]

Red Band Trailer (http://www.aintitcool.com/node/44450)

[Grouchy]

Now that I really think about it, Survival of the Dead is the stupidest title I've ever heard of.

[Dukefrukem]

This is bad.... bad bad bad.

[MadMan]

It was quite funny, really. A zombie comedy is something that Romero hasn't done since Dawn of the Dead. The characters were way too sketchy (quite possibly the worst out of all his zombie movies,) but I enjoyed the movie regardless. It was decent, although somewhat disappointing after the rather good Diary of the Dead.

[Dukefrukem]

It was quite funny, really. A zombie comedy is something that Romero hasn't done since Dawn of the Dead. The characters were way too sketchy (quite possibly the worst out of all his zombie movies,) but I enjoyed the movie regardless. It was decent, although somewhat disappointing after the rather good Diary of the Dead.

After thinking about it over the weekend, what irks me the most is it says right on the back; "picks up where Diary left off"... the only thing linking the two movies together is a 5 second clip when the kids get stopped by the supposed army. THATS IT. And George has 2 more stories to tell of these characters?? ZZZzzzzzz.

[balmakboor]

I pretty near loved this. One has to buy into the whole O'Flynns/Muldoons thing (I did quite easily) and the characters aren't as interesting as they could've been (though much more interesting than they've been given credit) and it wears its low budget on its sleeve. But it may end up being my favorite out of the six visually (he crafted images start to finish that almost startled me with their beauty, they almost aren't horror movie images at all), it has some great zombies and zombie kills, its funny, and the whole chaining zombies up hoping for a cure really worked for me. Romero's still as heavy-handed as always, but I've come to consider that to be one of his charms.

By the way, I'm writing a zombie novel right now and there are a few elements here that had me worried. Did Romero beat me to it? But then he'd either go in some other direction or stop short of where I'm going.

This isn't the masterpiece it could have been, but I enjoyed the heck out of it nonetheless.

[megladon8]

balmakboor, that's really exciting to hear that some are enjoying this so much.

Jen and I are going to try to include it in our annual October of Horror, so I/we will post in here what we thought of it!