Is anyone else underwhelmed by Diary?

[DubiousComforts]

What we did see in the final scenes are ghouls in roughly the same numbers that were shown in NIGHT 68, which, given the timeline, is completely understandable. Keep in mind that in the original NIGHT, the living dead don't really kill anyone en masse. In most cases, that human characters cause their own deaths, and the ghouls are simply around to feast on the leftovers. Irony always makes for interesting cinema.

[Griff]

I can assure you that I "get" Romero. He's not Sir Isaac Newton. I meant 'get' as in understand his sense of humour, his point of view, what it is he's trying to convey... just like someone might 'get' Stanley Kubrick or 'get' Eli Roth. Its not so much an intellectual thing as it is a sensibility thing. Kinda like reading sarcasm - you don't have to be smart, you just have to be on that particular wavelength. Folk are always complaining that about various Romero stuff being unrealistic. "Wah! Why would they need money in Fiddler's Green? Wah!" etc... I don't believe its ever been Romero's intent to depict what he thinks would 100% realistically happen in the event of a zombie apocalypse. Rather, he's commentating on the here and now through parable. I've lost count of the amount of times that some interviewer has asked Romero the same ol' question: "What would you do if the dead returned to life"? Everytime the poor guy almost goes red, shrugs at what he obviously considers to be a very pointless and silly question. Sometimes he gives a humorous answer but usually he declines to comment (once, after a pause, he even said "What, are you serious?"). Its important to understand that he always starts with the concept rather than the catalyst. Its based on observation, not meaningless supposition. He doesn't daydream about zombies taking over the world. Rather he looks what's happening outside his window and then uses zombies to illustrate his thoughts and feelings on that. And if you think the guy has made some sorta logical blunder then its likely that you really don't 'get' where he's coming from because, as far as I can tell, he's sensibilities, his philosophies, his world view, his sense of humour and his priorities as a storyteller all seem pretty consistant to me. Most filmmakers are content just to have a voice but for Romero is about having HIS voice and putting HIS point of view across. At the end of the day, he couldn't give a **** whether zombies could really walk under water or not.

[Yojimbo]

I meant 'get' as in understand his sense of humour, his point of view, what it is he's trying to convey... just like someone might 'get' Stanley Kubrick or 'get' Eli Roth. Its not so much an intellectual thing as it is a sensibility thing. Folk are always complaining that about various Romero stuff being unrealistic. "Wah, why would they need money in Fiddler's Green? Wah!" etc... I don't believe its ever been Romero's intent to depict what he thinks would 100% realistically happen in the event of a zombie apocalypse. Rather, he's commentating on the here and now through parable. I've lost count of the amount of times that I've seen an interviewer ask Romero the same ol' question: "What would you do if the dead returned to life"? Everytime the poor guy almost goes red, shrugs at what he obviously considers to be a very pointless and silly question. Sometimes he gives a humorous answer but usually he declines to comment. Its obvious he doesn't take the threat of zombies nearly as serious as some of his fans do. Its important to understand that he always starts with the concept rather than the catalyst. Its based on observation, not meaningless supposition. And if you think the guy has made some sorta logical blunder then its likely that you really don't 'get' where he's coming from because, as far as I can tell, he's sensibilities, his philosophies, his world view, his sense of humour and his priorities as a storyteller seem pretty consistant to me. Well said, Griff!

[Mike70]

Well... Since you're only 19 and weren't even born when Day (my personal favorite) was released, and this (and maybe Land) is the only Romero movie you've got to see at the theater, I think I will wait for a more seasoned Romero fan to respond. I'm not saying your opinion doesn't matter or anything, it just doesn't matter to me. Eventhough, i'm "new and all", I will put my posts anywhere I damned well want to. Thanks for the concern though, dad. ok first off. i'm 38 is that old enough for you? i really enjoyed diary and wasn't in the least bit underwhelmed by it. were there things i didn't care for? hell yes- those damned annoying voice overs pop to mind immediately. but that didn't ruin the movie for me at all. . for more than that you can see the reviews section. 2d off - why are you such a f**king keyboard warrior (phrase courtesy of slickwilly)? i think we have found our latest troll of the month. 3rd - there's no board dominance here. dude that is all in your mind. there is no need to come in here and get sh*tty with people just because you are afraid of being pushed around. because that isn't going to happen. that sort of behavior is simply not tolerated here. i have been coming here for almost 10 years and believe me i know bassman, griff, and yojimbo (and all the other people in this thread) a lot better than you do and not a single one of them is trying to be a dickhead.

[Skippy911sc]

I have read through this post and although I have not seen diary I am a little scared...I found the acting in Land to be ...er...not so good. I see all to often a movie that has a great idea/concept but just drops the ball weather there are a few stupid side stories or bad acting. One scene that sticks out for me is the Zed walking up to the electric fence in Land and the guy tells the women "takes his head off", she raises her m16/m4 and lets off a string of rounds destroying the Z...the woman couldn't hold the gun??? Let alone aim it...these little things ruin a movie for me. Don't get me started on terror planet...blah! Lets all sit back though and realize these are just movies...

[bassman]

Yeah, your Harvey Dent signature doesn't look homemade or anything. I first saw this an hour ago and....yeah....I still don't get it. Well said, Griff. Well said, mah friend.

[Yojimbo]

I first saw this an hour ago and....yeah....I still don't get it. Sure it was meant as a diss, but, yeah I don't really get it either.

[DubiousComforts]

I first saw this an hour ago and....yeah....I still don't get it. My signature is cooler than your homemade signature!

[Yojimbo]

Keep in mind that in the original NIGHT, the living dead don't really kill anyone en masse. In most cases, that human characters cause their own deaths, and the ghouls are simply around to feast on the leftovers. Irony always makes for interesting cinema. Agree with Dubious as usual. The ghouls could be replaced by an earthquake, or a flu epidemic, or a tornado as they only represent the threat outside which has caused society to unravel. The real danger -- and the real story -- is always about the people who you are trying to survive with, or in spite of.

[Mike70]

The real danger -- and the real story -- is always about the people who you are trying to survive with, or in spite of. yeah when you think about it in the first 4 movies dawn is the only one where the main characters don't end up destroying (or facilitating the destruction) what they are trying build, protect, utilize. night68 has the ben and harry show. day is just a complete and total strifefest between two widely opposing viewpoints, not only of the situation they find themselves in but of life in general. land has the "well off" people ensconsed in the green. with masses of the underclass swirling around them. it is cholo's frustration with that and his inability to ever be "good enough" that lead him to steal dead reckoning - which facilitates the break in of big daddy and his merry band of traveling companions. in dawn the destruction comes from the outside. the main characters have worked together to secure the mall and make a home. granted their is tension between fran and steven but i wonder if that is due to fran being freaked out the prospect of giving birth in a place where there aren't any doctors and if the slightest thing goes wrong both she and the baby could die. granted you could argue that steven's firing on the bikers, due to his, shall we say, masculine defense respone (the this is mine muthafooker and you can't have it response) that leads to the ultimate destruction of their home in dawn. but then the bikers had gained entry and had forced a large number of the store gates up. the zombies were everywhere. would peter, steven, and a very pregnant fran been able to recapture the mall and resecure it? i don't think so. that would've been a tall, tall order given their situation. diary -i am going to hold my opinion. i have only seen it once and that was when i was in movie enjoyment mode.

[kidgloves]

I noticed since people started discussing the movie the op hasn't responded. Mmmmmm Anyway, at least we are discussing it. I loved it and thought it was an incredibly informed piece of work from a guy who is now 68 years old but still has something to say. The whole atmosphere was very sombre and dark and the narration did drag it down a bit but as for the comments about the acting, believability etc, i don't get it. Its a movie. A zombie movie and a pretty good one at that.

[Danny]

Agree with Dubious as usual. The ghouls could be replaced by an earthquake, or a flu epidemic, or a tornado as they only represent the threat outside which has caused society to unravel. The real danger -- and the real story -- is always about the people who you are trying to survive with, or in spite of. i agree, for some reason ,and i think this is why, games like disaster zone, were your in a city in japan that undergoes fires and earthquakes ect. are piled in with survival horror games.

[Yojimbo]

I noticed since people started discussing the movie the op hasn't responded. Mmmmmm Hoping that homeboy is reevaluating his manner of communication. Certainly, he seems like a GAR fan, and therefore is welcome to stay around provided that he not lash out at folks when it isn't warranted. i agree, for some reason ,and i think this is why, games like disaster zone, were your in a city in japan that undergoes fires and earthquakes ect. are piled in with survival horror games. Choice! First I heard of that game, and now must seek it out. Zombies, earthquakes, or fires, the post-apocalyptic genre rocks!

[clanglee]

As we all know. . .I'm in the "Meh" category about the movie. I didn't hate it, just didn't fall in love with it on first viewing. There was too much silliness for me in the movie. Of course I will have to hold final judgement until I am able to see it by myself in the comfort of my own home. Aside from my general disagreement with everyone else on the topic of this movie I have to say this in agreement with them. Dude, no reason to be a dick. Not the way to win friends and influence people man.

[Yojimbo]

As we all know. . .I'm in the "Meh" category about the movie. I didn't hate it, just didn't fall in love with it on first viewing. There was too much silliness for me in the movie. Of course I will have to hold final judgement until I am able to see it by myself in the comfort of my own home. Aside from my general disagreement with everyone else on the topic of this movie I have to say this in agreement with them. Dude, no reason to be a dick. Not the way to win friends and influence people man. Clang, you stand as a model of how dissenting views can be presented in a civil manner and how we can all agree to disagree and still be cool about it all without the posturing.