Apparently it's just high time for zombies (and why not!) After yesterday's news about "28 Weeks Later" comes word from the O.Z. himself, George Romero, that he's getting back in the game.
Unconditionally good news, right? Not so fast. The movie, which will be titled "Georgia A. Romero's Diary of the Dead," will follow a group of college students shooting a horror movie in the woods who stumble upon a real zombie uprising. Rather than, say, run for their lives, our intrepid filmmakers-to-be instead try to catch all the action on camera and, of course, mayhem and carnage ensue.
Now, before I say anything about this rather ludicrous premise, let me just say that I flat-out hated "The Blair Witch Project." In the circle I rolled with back then in D.C., the buzz surrounding "Blair Witch" had reached "SoaP" proportions, building up my expectations sky high. When I finally got around to seeing it, it was just one big gimmick that fell way flat, and wasn't remotely scary or entertaining.
That a schlockmeister as great as Romero would look to this crapfest for inspiration is only depressing news to me. I'm sure whatever he comes up with will be way better than "Blair Witch," and may somehow even turn out to be great. Shooting begins Oct. 11 in Toronto, so here's hoping beyond hope.
Michael Moore ready to raise hell?
Even more interesting, though possibly even worse, news this morning was a little nugget about the possible return of Michael Moore. I thought he had been toiling away on "Sicko," his long-percolating expose about our fantastic health care system, but he's apparently been cooking up something else on the side.
Variety reports this morning that he will be showing portions of a work titled "The Great '04 Slacker Uprising" at the upcoming Toronto Film Festival.
Don't get me wrong - I love Michael Moore. I thought "Fahrenheit 9/11" was a perfectly entertaining little piece of agitprop, but it's impact on the 2004 election was negative at best. Did Michael Moore lose the election? Of course not, but he certainly didn't help the Democrats with his bomb-throwing.
If he's indeed getting in the fray again, he'll have company this time. Though details are very sketchy at this point, I believe a movie is being made of "Against All Enemies," Richard Clarke's expose about how unprepared the Bush administration was to combat terrorism (I believe Paul "Hack" Haggis was going to direct this at one point, but now can't find any confirmation .. if anyone knows more, please let me know.)
Looks like it will be a crowded field of movies that hopefully inspire the people who agree with them but will probably just serve to provoke anger in everyone else. Oh well .. God bless America, I guess. At least it won't be boring.
Friday, August 25, 2006
Romero returns!
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7 comments:
I actually liked Blair Witch. I haven't been camping since. No joke. It may also have something to do with the fact that I was 16 or something when it came out and I avoided any information about whether it "true" or not - which happened to be the big gimmick. It's not something I would ever buy but it did scare me at the time. I may have to watch it again, just to see if it still has the same effect.
That may be the difference, Marina ... I knew going in that it was a hoax, so that definitely ruined it for me!
Four words: Shaun of the Dead
Shaun of the Dead is indeed my favorite zombie movie, Lorna, though there are many great ones to choose from
I don't think Blair Witch was the horror classic so many said it was and therefore not the greatest thing to steal from...I thought it was moody and creepy in parts, that's about it. But I'd certainly give the zombie king George Romero a chance to prove that he can take that flimsy premise and make something fun out of it.
BTW...I'm a big 28 Days Later & Shaun fan myself! Those flicks rock!
Like you I hated The Blair Witch Project. I remember going to see it after all the hype and actually being angry about it. It's one of the few times I've thought of demanding my money back from a theatre. The premise of Diary of the Dead seems a bit too much like The Blair Witch Project for my comfort. Part of me thinks that Romero has the talent to actually pull something like this off. Another part of me thinks that regardless of who makes a film like this, it'll be really bad.
Sicko will be a goodie!
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