George plans two more films to continue the diary/ survival story

[DubiousComforts]

But on the whole thats still looking at it the wrong way. The right way to look at it is the director makes the film and audience watches it without thinking they know what's best before even sitting their ass in the chair. The film is supposed to tell a story, not pander to a genre. An additional right way to look at it is to seek out films that are the work of actual craftsmen and not Hollywood-pampered pretty boys that are more interested in furthering their careers than creating thoughtful entertainment.

[C5NOTLD]

All I want is for the man to take a step back and breathe a minute. He's been spewing zombies for three straight movies in what....5 years? Now he's quickly working on two back-to-back? I don't want the guy to stop. Let him have his fun and I will definitely give it a shot, but just take it a bit slower. Rushed work is only going to produce sub par results. The ten-ish years between the original trilogy probably did him wonders. Now he's churning em out every two years.... Well he did turn 70 this year. How many directors are making films in today's Hollywood at that age? That's somewhat of a rarity. How many directors in their 80s are working on films? At 70, he couldn't take 10 yrs off. Romero and the rest of us only have a certain amount of time no matter what you do. I always thought it would be great to see him do other types of films but if the financing is coming through for him now with zombie films and If he is still having fun and enjoying making these films - I say let him do whatever he wants to. He's earned the right to have fun with whatever he decides to make. If the films are a financial success or strikes a chord with an audience then that's a plus. But he seems to be very happy whenever you see him interviewed or at the conventions. Apparently he is still attracting investors which is great for him. Based on his track record people will always be interested in seeing what he will do next whether you like the film or not. The man has talent at any age. .

[Andy]

I Just read the thread title and i thought "argh seriously?"... He's made one good trilogy and one shit trilogy, anymore movies will just tip the balance further into shitiness, he needs to stop.

[major jay]

Well he did turn 70 this year. How many directors are making films in today's Hollywood at that age? That's somewhat of a rarity. How many directors in their 80s are working on films? At 70, he couldn't take 10 yrs off. Romero and the rest of us only have a certain amount of time no matter what you do. I always thought it would be great to see him do other types of films but if the financing is coming through for him now with zombie films and If he is still having fun and enjoying making these films - I say let him do whatever he wants to. Well said, dude. This is the reality of his situation. He obviously doesn't want to retire and still is physically able to do this, so if he can get something financed why not go for it? Fuck that legacy bullshit.

[Staredge]

There were two characters I actually did like quite a bit in "DIARY" (and far more than any actor/actress that was in "LAND" save Dennis Hopper) -- the first being the professor, Maxwell (played by Scott Wentworth). With a not-so-great script or production values I think Wentworth really shined in this role and I wanted to see more regarding this man and his fate. I'd be interested in knowing why Wentworth (a Shakespearean stage actor) decided to audition for the role in a Romero flick exactly (perhaps they were drinking buddies or he needed a paycheck?) but I enjoyed his performance. Second, I would seriously like to bang Moynihan (Michelle Morgan). I thought she did a fine job given the limitations of the film -- she was a strong-willed feminine archetype similar to Fran and Sarah at an early stage (the beginning). I found her character interesting and if you watch the "documentary journal" with her she actually fleshes out some interesting tidbits on the character of Moynihan. j.p. This. I could see a story being made of how they get out of the safe room and go from there.....much like a sequel to Dawn could have been made. Am I alone in saying that the fiction section has any number of REALLY GOOD plotlines??? Stop with the social commentary and make a damn story!!!!! The nice thing about Night and Dawn were that the commentary was secondary to the story. You could watch it without . Not so Land and Diary (haven't seen Survival yet). Actually, I think Survival could have made a great story if done right. Sounds like it wasn't. (odd thought: how cool would it have been in Land, instead of Dennis Hopper....we had Michael Douglas as Gordon Gekko????)

[Mike70]

He's made one good trilogy i wouldn't even go that far. he's made one great zombie movie, day of the dead. night and dawn are amateurish exercises that i cannot watch without laughing anymore. neither one has a place in my movie collection. i'm not so enthused by the latest offerings but at least they are reasonably well made, professional looking films.

[Wyldwraith]

Many are missing the point, One previous poster went so far as to say something like (pardon the paraphrasing) "The director decides on the story, and its for the fans to find something they like in that story." I could not POSSIBLY disagree more with such sentiments. As I have said on numerous prior occasions: "The first and most important duty of a director is to deliver a film that the viewer(s) will enjoy." Simple enough to understand, whether you agree with the sentiment or not, right? All right, so this sentiment is the lead-in to my fundamental problem with Romero's more recent work. The man has all the feedback that he could want available for the asking, so he KNOWS his "new innovations", or "new style" is NOT being well-received by the majority of viewers. How does Romero respond? He seems to ignore the majority perception that his last three films have fallen far short of the benchmark he himself set decades ago. Instead he rushes forward, continuing to ever-more-tightly grasp hold of these new elements that collectively embody the finished results of his last three films. What's that truism often spouted at addicts? "The first step towards recovery is admitting you have a problem." Does he? No. Instead Romero pushes forward in the same vein. It's as if he's thinking "If I just beat it into the viewers' heads blatantly and repeatedly, somehow my doing this will change what the fans want, and bring them all in line with my Vision." Honestly, I believe that Romero has never been the type of man or director interested in what anyone other than himself thinks about his work. It's simply a case of Right Time, Right Place, Right Content with the original trilogy. An argument can be well-made that for a man like Romero to experience such success from that kind of mindset confirmed (in his mind) that he could go on creating whatever he wanted, however he wanted and damn what anyone else thought and everything would work out just fine. Maybe it isn't a matter of Romero having changed. Maybe he's exactly the same as he's always been, and it's simply a matter of his inability to recognize (or even care) that he does NOT in point of fact have a license to put whatever he wants on film with no regard to how the fans have received very similar recent offerings of his. I hope most sincerely that is not the case. However, it's very difficult to relate to Romero's thought processes, since on the surface his decision-making is incomprehensible (as regards why he would continue making the same sort of movie that's already failed 2, possibly 3 times). It isn't a problem of classic Ghouls no longer being viable, and it certainly isn't a problem of lack of market share. It's a problem of potential viewers expecting characters they can give a damn about and find themselves interested in. It's a problem of viewers wanting a frightening movie atmosphere instead of an absurd one. It's a problem of a director being either unwilling or unable to manufacture and assemble the various pieces of the film into an appealing, compelling, and chilling configuration. If you disagree with this interpretation that's fine. All I ask is you explain your reasoning in depth.

[DjfunkmasterG]

I do. People are unable to leave their egos at the door. The chances of Romero ever making another DAWN of the DEAD at 0%. He's said as much himself over and over and over. Come to terms with it. Then he should stop making movies. If you can't strive to give fans who supported you what they love and continue to turn out crap film after crap film (although i like Diary) then he should hang up his scarf and move on. I know I had the fan base he does and they kept wanting another Day, Night or Dawn I would be striving to do just that because they are the ones who made me the success that I am today. I will continue to watch his films, even as they decline in quality with each entry, but at some point he does need to stop, look, and go back to see how he can recapture the magic, if his statement is that it will never happen then everything he does not looks like just a cheap cash-in and that is why movies and the studios are getting such a bad rap today. You as a person and as a filmmaker should be striving to do better and better each time.

[darth los]

Why you fail, this is. Wouldn't that be better? But that would mean he'd actally be wrong about something.

[bassman]

You as a person and as a filmmaker should be striving to do better and better each time. The real question is.....does he believe that he is actually accomplishing this? He may be looking at his past three and thinking they're classics like the originals.

[Andy]

The real question is.....does he believe that he is actually accomplishing this? He may be looking at his past three and thinking they're classics like the originals. Like ive been saying all along, he's gone senile!

[darth los]

Fuck that legacy bullshit. Yu mean the stuff that everyone will remember you by and ultimately define you? Yeah, fuck that shit.

[Danny]

Yu mean the stuff that everyone will remember you by and ultimately define you? Yeah, fuck that shit. YES. FUCK THAT SHIT. you make movies to tell a story, not craft a tombstone epitaph.

[darth los]

YES. FUCK THAT SHIT. you make movies to tell a story, not craft a tombstone epitaph. Which is why his career never reached half of the potential that it could have.

[Mike70]

Then he should stop making movies. If you can't strive to give fans who supported you what they love and continue to turn out crap film after crap film (although i like Diary) then he should hang up his scarf and move on. or maybe it is the fans who are completely wrong. artists are not anybody's dancing monkey. if they are happy with what they are doing, what the fark should it matter to them if anyone else likes it or not? i don't criticize romero's work because i don't think that it is or isn't living up to my own notions of what romero should be doing. i criticize it for its artistic and storytelling failings. as for another dawn? no way. the first one is already one of the most overrated movies in the history of western film. i don't want to see another.