Blog of the Disappointed Dead: New George Romero Film Not Playing in Worcester
George Romero latest film, Diary of the Dead, is playing. It sounds terrific. He's gone back to relatively low-budget, "guerilla" film-making, apparently. The review in the San Francisco Chronicle has some very good things to say about it, certainly. The little man in the chair is applauding for this one. I don't generally trust film critics when it comes to horror movies, but I find myself in agreement with Peter Hartlaub more often than most. Of course, I've been a huge fan of Romero's zombie flicks almost since birth. With the possible exception of the more-shaky-than-most Day of the Dead, every one of the Living Dead movies is a classic in my list of horror greats.
Now, here's a little bit of what Hartlaub has to say about Diary of the Dead:
Others try to imitate George A. Romero, but only the original master of zombie horror would think this one up: On the run from the latest zombie takeover, and in serious need of some firepower, the young film students at the center of "Diary of the Dead" find refuge on a farm ... belonging to an old bearded Amish dude. Want to guess how long it takes before his principles of nonviolence go out the window?What more could a horror-hound want out of a George Romero undead flick? Zombies eating the Amish, a revenant birthday clown and social commentary about internet-based instant celebrity? Ohmigod, where can I see this flick right now?!
..."Diary of the Dead" begins with a handful of filmmaking students in the woods, shooting a bad mummy picture. They're crabby and cold and entirely too serious about their work. When the dead start walking the earth and their lives become a real monster movie, group leader Jason (Josh Close) follows the approach of any modern-day hack filmmaker - he tries to become a YouTube star by documenting the carnage...
...this is still a thinking man's exploitation film. Romero has something to say about media consumption in the 21st century, and the priority that some people will put into their second life - even while the first one is about to become an appetizer...
The birthday party zombie clown scene is a classic...
When there's no more room in hell, this film will contain profanity, gunplay, relentless gore, scythe-related violence and a homicidal face-eating clown.
Oh, look... it's not playing in Worcester! I'd have to go to Boston. Why isn't it playing in Worcester, dammit? This isn't fair. This is a tease. Where are the zombies in Worcester that aren't enrolled in my lab section (want to make instant zombies? Start talking about the biochemistry of photosynthesis to a bunch of freshmen.)?
I've worked hard all week. I spent four hours grading yesterday. I wrote a seven-page exam. I deserve undead, face-eating birthday clowns. Apparently, when there's no more room in Hell, the dead will stalk the cinema — but not in Central Massachusetts. Grrrr.
