Excellent Dawn Discussion Podcast

[kidgloves]

Good intelligent podcast that should be on your listen list anyway.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/doctorofthedead/2016/05/15/78-the-horror-landmark--dawn-of-the-dead

[Moon Knight]

Thanks, dude!

[Neil]

Wow! That was good :)

Can't wait for the "Day" one :)

[kidgloves]

The podcast is worth listening to anyway guys.
Interesting that they love Z-Nation ��

[Moon Knight]

Loved it. Makes me really understand why I love Dawn of the Dead so much. Definitely want to check out more of their shows.

[MinionZombie]

Some good stuff in there, although it would have been nice if the other guy had chimed in a little more (but the main host had many fascinating points and readings, even if I didn't agree with all of them). It would have been nice if there'd been an opposing voice in there - e.g. them talking about not liking the third act of the film.

I'd counter-argue that it actually works well within the film. For one, you need a payoff to what has come before - you have to go out big - but also, it plays directly into the consumerist themes of the whole movie, plus it says something about the state of the nation. In the beginning of the movie the place is just there for them to take - but there's a solid form of government working - by the end, when the bikers turn up, there is no government. The TV stations have all gone down - now everyone is out there for themselves - there is no police force or national guard to stop that gang doing whatever it is they wanted.

It also speaks to the consumerist theme compared to the zombies. We start out seeing these zombies coming back to the mall - "an important place in their lives" - with this dead-eyed need for stuff, and yet the lull of it still exists in humans despite all that's going on around them. Steven is furious that the gang would come and try and take it from him "it's ours, we took it, it's ours" ... so we see that Steven, after having realised in that 'angry dinner' scene that yes 'what have we done to ourselves' is right (and after having trained Fran to fly the chopper - something of which he's very proud and happy, which additionally shows growth for him as a man and partner to Fran), he falls back on his weakness and it all comes crumbling down. Much like with the bikers - they see this sparkly gem and want to take it. Nobody's going to stop them, or no force worth worrying about at least, and they go tear-assing around taking, taking, taking. It's madness writ large, even the handsome young biker recognises this - yelling at his comrades to stop fucking around when "someone's up there shooting at us!" - but it shows a crumbling of mankind and provides a great big full stop (or, more fittingly, an exclamation point) for the entire movie.

I also whole-heartedly disagree with their assessment of the Dawn remake. Get rid of the name and you only get rid of that one single problem - the use of the name for a cheap bit of MTV-esque flashiness - all the other numerous problems with it remain.

Other than that, there was some fascinating points - the Fran/Steven relationship in regards to women's growing power in society at that time was a really good assessment. Steven's like the old guard in a way, albeit one of the young ones. He'll have known only women in kitchens as he grew up, and while he's worked besides women at WGON, that image will have no doubt persisted in his mind as the default. With Fran he's struggling with issues of emasculation and finding his place in this new world (both in terms of women's lib and the zombies). Peter and Roger are much quicker to pick up on Fran's strengths, even if they prefer to go hooning around blocking doors with trucks (and, likewise, gawp at all the shiny things down in the mall). It's interesting to see Steven change throughout the movie, and the host's comments on Emge's performance are all excellent. It really flagged up and drew attention to what a great job he did in the flick. I also had no idea that Emge had military training (unlike the others), and yet his character is the one who's rubbish with a gun, hehe. :)

[shootemindehead]

You all should take a listen to the podcast for 'Night of the Living Dead' too. Pretty good.

I'm watching it again now, largely because it's sparked my interest again.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/doctorofthedead/2016/01/21/68-the-undying-classic-night-of-the-living-dead

[kidgloves]

They're right about the pie fight.

:mad::elol:

[Moon Knight]

They're right about the pie fight.

:mad::elol:

But.... how memorable is that scene? :elol:

- - - Updated - - -


Some good stuff in there, although it would have been nice if the other guy had chimed in a little more (but the main host had many fascinating points and readings, even if I didn't agree with all of them). It would have been nice if there'd been an opposing voice in there - e.g. them talking about not liking the third act of the film.

I'd counter-argue that it actually works well within the film. For one, you need a payoff to what has come before - you have to go out big - but also, it plays directly into the consumerist themes of the whole movie, plus it says something about the state of the nation. In the beginning of the movie the place is just there for them to take - but there's a solid form of government working - by the end, when the bikers turn up, there is no government. The TV stations have all gone down - now everyone is out there for themselves - there is no police force or national guard to stop that gang doing whatever it is they wanted.

It also speaks to the consumerist theme compared to the zombies. We start out seeing these zombies coming back to the mall - "an important place in their lives" - with this dead-eyed need for stuff, and yet the lull of it still exists in humans despite all that's going on around them. Steven is furious that the gang would come and try and take it from him "it's ours, we took it, it's ours" ... so we see that Steven, after having realised in that 'angry dinner' scene that yes 'what have we done to ourselves' is right (and after having trained Fran to fly the chopper - something of which he's very proud and happy, which additionally shows growth for him as a man and partner to Fran), he falls back on his weakness and it all comes crumbling down. Much like with the bikers - they see this sparkly gem and want to take it. Nobody's going to stop them, or no force worth worrying about at least, and they go tear-assing around taking, taking, taking. It's madness writ large, even the handsome young biker recognises this - yelling at his comrades to stop fucking around when "someone's up there shooting at us!" - but it shows a crumbling of mankind and provides a great big full stop (or, more fittingly, an exclamation point) for the entire movie.

I also whole-heartedly disagree with their assessment of the Dawn remake. Get rid of the name and you only get rid of that one single problem - the use of the name for a cheap bit of MTV-esque flashiness - all the other numerous problems with it remain.

Other than that, there was some fascinating points - the Fran/Steven relationship in regards to women's growing power in society at that time was a really good assessment. Steven's like the old guard in a way, albeit one of the young ones. He'll have known only women in kitchens as he grew up, and while he's worked besides women at WGON, that image will have no doubt persisted in his mind as the default. With Fran he's struggling with issues of emasculation and finding his place in this new world (both in terms of women's lib and the zombies). Peter and Roger are much quicker to pick up on Fran's strengths, even if they prefer to go hooning around blocking doors with trucks (and, likewise, gawp at all the shiny things down in the mall). It's interesting to see Steven change throughout the movie, and the host's comments on Emge's performance are all excellent. It really flagged up and drew attention to what a great job he did in the flick. I also had no idea that Emge had military training (unlike the others), and yet his character is the one who's rubbish with a gun, hehe. :)

Emge's performance was spectacular lol. I didn't know about the training myself. Makes his character that much more interesting to me.

I must admit, the Dawn remake is such a guilty pleasure of mine. :D

As far as the the third act, I wouldn't change it for the world.

[kidgloves]

Unfortunately the episodes are pretty infrequent unless TWD is on. They're not even bothering with Fear.

[Neil]

They're not even bothering with Fear.

I'm beginning to feel the same!

[kidgloves]

I'm beginning to feel the same!

Ditto

[kidgloves]

New episode "Zombie Flesh Eaters" to us Brits

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/doctorofthedead/2016/07/11/80-the-macabre-milestone--zombie.mp3

[MinionZombie]

New episode "Zombie Flesh Eaters" to us Brits

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/doctorofthedead/2016/07/11/80-the-macabre-milestone--zombie.mp3

Nifty. I have fond memories of first seeing "Zombie Flesh Eaters" on Channel 4 when Mark Kermode hosted a 'Censored' weekend ... or maybe it was called 'Extreme' ... he did two such weekends IIRC, and ZFE was shown during one of them along with Bad Lieutenant. That gave us plenty to talk about at school on Monday! :D

I don't suppose these chaps have done one for Day of the Dead yet, have they?

[kidgloves]

Nifty. I have fond memories of first seeing "Zombie Flesh Eaters" on Channel 4 when Mark Kermode hosted a 'Censored' weekend ... or maybe it was called 'Extreme' ... he did two such weekends IIRC, and ZFE was shown during one of them along with Bad Lieutenant. That gave us plenty to talk about at school on Monday! :D

I don't suppose these chaps have done one for Day of the Dead yet, have they?

They will when they get to episode 85 to reflect the year it was released

[JDP]

Nifty. I have fond memories of first seeing "Zombie Flesh Eaters" on Channel 4 when Mark Kermode hosted a 'Censored' weekend ... or maybe it was called 'Extreme' ... he did two such weekends IIRC, and ZFE was shown during one of them along with Bad Lieutenant. That gave us plenty to talk about at school on Monday! :D

I always liked Fulci's Zombie, one of the better non-Romero zombie flicks (even Romero himself admits that he enjoyed this movie.) One thing that bugged me about it, though, was how inconsistent it was with the amount of time the "zombification" process took place after a human character is killed by the zombies:

1- It takes at least several hours for the coast guard officer who gets killed by the bloated boat zombie to come back as a zombie (he gets killed in the boat, and does not come back until he is about ready for an autopsy at the Medical Examiner's)

2- Anne's father does not come back soon after he dies, it takes some time for this to happen, enough to be able to wrap his body in sheets and keep an eye on him with the loaded revolver ready at hand to dispose of him when he does come back

3- Mrs. Menard gets killed at night, yet the next day late in the afternoon the visitors find some zombies still munching on her corpse and she still has not come back as a zombie (and no, a splinter through your eye would not damage your brain so she should have come back)

4- Susan gets killed by one of the old conquistador graveyard zombies, and she does not come back in a couple of minutes or so after death

5- The two "patients" who die shortly before the zombie assault on the church/hospital take some time to come back as zombies, they don't come back in just a couple of minutes

6- Dr. Menard gets killed by his "zombified" friend (who must have died at some point during the zombie assault on the church/hospital), yet he does not come back any time during the entire final battle with the zombies (when the last 3 survivors escape through Dr. Menard's office, where he was killed, they encounter four zombies, none of whom is Dr. Menard)

7- Lucas gets killed by one of the "zombified" patients, yet it takes only a couple of minutes for him to come back as a zombie

8- The nurse gets killed by "zombified" Lucas, yet she does not come back as a zombie in a matter of minutes either (the entire battle with the zombies invading the church/hospital happens and she still has not come back when the survivors escape the burning building)

9- Brian dies from "zombified" Susan's bite, but he does not come back in a few minutes, there's enough time for Anne to calmly give the news to Peter and for him to decide what to do with him

[MinionZombie]

Yes, the reanimation is all over the place, but at the same time a virus affects people differently. Symptoms, duration of illness, and so on are all different in different patients - so, likewise, reanimation times would vary a lot.

The Conquistadors are the most 'out there' aspect of the film's varied reanimation timescale.

Initially I really enjoyed it, then I had a period of time where I kind of rejected it when I found out it so blatantly cashed-in on Dawn's Italian title by calling itself "Zombi 2", but then I was a reactionary teen at that time and subsequently calmed the fudge down :lol: and came to view it far more favourably again, and saw that, despite the element of cash-in that its title engenders, the movie itself also does its own thing and returns to the roots of the genre in Voodoo.

[JDP]

Yes, the reanimation is all over the place, but at the same time a virus affects people differently. Symptoms, duration of illness, and so on are all different in different patients - so, likewise, reanimation times would vary a lot.

The Conquistadors are the most 'out there' aspect of the film's varied reanimation timescale.

A virus (and we are never 100% sure that it is actually a virus or bacteria that is causing the zombies in this movie, as Dr. Menard confesses all his failures in figuring out what the hell is going on after doing virology and bacteriology tests) might affect people differently when they are alive, but I did not get how come there are such huge discrepancies in how long it takes for people to come back as zombies after death. One should expect some degree of consistency here, like in the Romero trilogy, where people invariably come back in "a matter of minutes" after they die (the only strange exception being Dr. Logan, who mysteriously never seems to come back.)

The rising of the conquistador zombies I explain simply by the fact that whatever is causing the zombie plague has just arrived to "the other other side of the island". Remember that Dr. Menard tells his wife that all the zombie cases discovered so far are coming from "the other side of the island". Roaming zombies had still not been seen on their side of the island, which is where the old conquistador graveyard is. When the visitors arrive, the zombie plague is also recently arriving to that same side of the island. What I have no explanation whatsoever for is how come 300-400 year old corpses can still have enough rotting flesh and tendons to be mobile! They should be down to their bare bones and thus never have come back as zombies.

[MinionZombie]

Resurrection is just part of the whole process. Some might succumb to the virus quickly, so in-turn it would make sense for them to resurrect quickly, others are slower to die from it, so they might resurrect slower - but even then there are inconsistencies here ... but I don't think anyone involved with the film was thinking that hard about virology.

[Moon Knight]

The death of the poor bastard....

[MinionZombie]

Interesting episode of the podcast. This is only the second one I've heard, but there's some interesting things being talked about - the issue of the closed eyes, about being driven by some other force so that they don't even really need to look, made the zombies even creepier.

I will say, though, that it took far too long to get going. It wasn't a long episode, so to be almost 1/3 of the way through and you've still not got onto the subject at hand, is a bit silly - too much stuff littering up the start before it gets underway.

I loved the stuff when they talked about the iconography of the movie - of seeing that VHS cover in the rental store. That whole bit of discussion reminded me of good times in my formative years sneaking glances at the horror section (which was opposite the Sega Mega Drive games section). There was a porno section in its own little enclave, but I was barely aware of what that was, with its beaded curtain thing covering the entrance - I was all about those gruesome and intriguing horror movie VHS covers! I looked at them with wonder and thought of what sights they'd show me when I was eventually able to see them, hehe.

[JDP]

Interesting episode of the podcast. This is only the second one I've heard, but there's some interesting things being talked about - the issue of the closed eyes, about being driven by some other force so that they don't even really need to look, made the zombies even creepier.

I will say, though, that it took far too long to get going. It wasn't a long episode, so to be almost 1/3 of the way through and you've still not got onto the subject at hand, is a bit silly - too much stuff littering up the start before it gets underway.

I loved the stuff when they talked about the iconography of the movie - of seeing that VHS cover in the rental store. That whole bit of discussion reminded me of good times in my formative years sneaking glances at the horror section (which was opposite the Sega Mega Drive games section). There was a porno section in its own little enclave, but I was barely aware of what that was, with its beaded curtain thing covering the entrance - I was all about those gruesome and intriguing horror movie VHS covers! I looked at them with wonder and thought of what sights they'd show me when I was eventually able to see them, hehe.

Sega Mega Drive did not even exist when I was going through the same experiences. Try more like the Atari/Colecovision/Intellivision games section.

- - - Updated - - -


The death of the poor bastard....

Yes, very technical lingo, as used by all Medical Examiners worth their salt.

- - - Updated - - -


Interesting episode of the podcast. This is only the second one I've heard, but there's some interesting things being talked about - the issue of the closed eyes, about being driven by some other force so that they don't even really need to look, made the zombies even creepier.

Not all the zombies in the movie had their eyes closed, though. I thought this was a bit of an inconsistency too.

And also: the underwater zombie moved way too fast for a zombie. He was too agile compared to the on-land zombies, which I thought was weird. Water slows down motion since it is a denser medium than air, yet the zombies moved at a turtle's pace on land while the underwater zombie was fast enough to be able to put up a fight with a shark!

[MinionZombie]

And also: the underwater zombie moved way too fast for a zombie. He was too agile compared to the on-land zombies, which I thought was weird. Water slows down motion since it is a denser medium than air, yet the zombies moved at a turtle's pace on land while the underwater zombie was fast enough to be able to put up a fight with a shark!

Considering the stunt actor was facing off with a shark and having to hold his breath, it's plenty fair to let his agility slide. :p

[Moon Knight]

Sega Mega Drive did not even exist when I was going through the same experiences. Try more like the Atari/Colecovision/Intellivision games section.

- - - Updated - - -



Yes, very technical lingo, as used by all Medical Examiners worth their salt.

- - - Updated - - -



Not all the zombies in the movie had their eyes closed, though. I thought this was a bit of an inconsistency too.

And also: the underwater zombie moved way too fast for a zombie. He was too agile compared to the on-land zombies, which I thought was weird. Water slows down motion since it is a denser medium than air, yet the zombies moved at a turtle's pace on land while the underwater zombie was fast enough to be able to put up a fight with a shark!

Haha classic scene! The shark even changed sizes mid fight!

[kidgloves]

Day of the Dead :D - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/doctorofthedead/2016/10/30/85-the-apocalyptic-conclusion--day-of-the-dead-plus-year-of-the-zombie-films
Return as well as Reanimator.

Direct link to mp3 - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/doctorofthedead/2016/10/30/85-the-apocalyptic-conclusion--day-of-the-dead-plus-year-of-the-zombie-films.mp3

[EvilNed]

Re: the reanimation in ZFE;

If it is a virus or bacterii then these do not die. The host dies in the way we think of death, but the malign disease does not. That could account for some of the variation in reanimation.

[JDP]

Re: the reanimation in ZFE;

If it is a virus or bacterii then these do not die. The host dies in the way we think of death, but the malign disease does not. That could account for some of the variation in reanimation.

The assumption of the cause being a virus or bacteria still does not explain why it takes such a huge lapse of time for some dead people to become zombies, while for others the reanimation just takes minutes.

[Neil]

Day :D
Return as well as Reanimator.

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/doctorofthedead/2016/10/30/85-the-apocalyptic-conclusion--day-of-the-dead-plus-year-of-the-zombie-films.mp3

Seems Day didn't get much discussion/time really :(

And have to say, I completely disagree with his comments on the score. I looooooooooove the music to Day!

[MinionZombie]

Seems Day didn't get much discussion/time really :(

And have to say, I completely disagree with his comments on the score. I looooooooooove the music to Day!

I've not listened to this podcast yet, but I'm with you - the Day of the Dead score is one of the best scores of the 1980s, even of all time. It has so much identity to it, it doesn't fade into the background at all, and yet feels totally appropriate to the film. I listen to it frequently.

[kidgloves]

Seems Day didn't get much discussion/time really :(

And have to say, I completely disagree with his comments on the score. I looooooooooove the music to Day!

Agreed. He sounded like he's lost his enthusiasm for the podcast.

[Neil]

Agreed. He sounded like he's lost his enthusiasm for the podcast.

I'm certain a load more time could have been dedicated to it, ala Night and Dawn... And did I miss mention of the original script (http://www.homepageofthedead.com/films/day/script.html), the lost funding, and the film we therefore ended up with?

[kidgloves]

I'm certain a load more time could have been dedicated to it, ala Night and Dawn... And did I miss mention of the original script (http://www.homepageofthedead.com/films/day/script.html), the lost funding, and the film we therefore ended up with?

He did mention it when referencing Land of the Dead but only a sentence

[JDP]

I've not listened to this podcast yet, but I'm with you - the Day of the Dead score is one of the best scores of the 1980s, even of all time. It has so much identity to it, it doesn't fade into the background at all, and yet feels totally appropriate to the film. I listen to it frequently.

The style of the musicians who provided the soundtrack is very distinctive. I remember when I watched Tales from the Darkside episodes for the first time back in the day, you could easily tell when an episode's music was composed by the same musicians as Day. The style is unmistakable.

[Moon Knight]

Day's soundtrack is very excellent. Classic. Quite timeless. Only part I hate is near the end of the movie when Rhodes is getting chased down the corridor, some electric guitar licks come out of nowhere. I was always happy the guitar didn't last long as rock music is such a pet peeve of mine when it comes to movie scores for Horror flicks; with the only exception being RotLD.

[kidgloves]

The latest podcast is about The Omega Man/I am Legend.
Most here will love the analysis.

Enjoy - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/doctorofthedead/2017/03/03/89-we-take-aim-at-a-post-apocalyptic-classic--the-omega-man


NUkU18MrBzU

[Neil]

The latest podcast is about The Omega Man/I am Legend.
Most here will love the analysis.
Enjoy - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/doctorofthedead/2017/03/03/89-we-take-aim-at-a-post-apocalyptic-classic--the-omega-man

I LOVE that film... Thanks for the heads-up!

[Neil]

Well, that reminded me why I enjoyed The Omega Man so much as a kid! Must rewatch it now...

It also reminded me I even did a small homage to it in my fiction contribution "The Midas Touch" - http://fiction.homepageofthedead.com/forum.pl?readfiction=89H

This news reporter's dialogue for example:-


The reporter sat squarely at his desk reading a sheet of paper. Meaningless text scrolled at the bottom of the screen. The man’s eyes looked tired. He took a deep breath and put the sheet down. "Reports are now coming in from all parts of the country and nowhere seems safe from their ever increasing numbers. Already hospitals are collapsing under the immense strain and the Civil Defence Forces can seem to do nothing to halt this nightmare. My fellow citizens, the question is now simply one of survival. Is this the end? We have all heard or been told of our judgement, dooms day, the end of the world... Well here it is, right here, right now! What can w-" The child was brought back to reality by his younger sister complaining of the cold.



BTW - Here's the video they mention (zoom to 4m10s):-
vyb3nwc6Kfs

[kidgloves]

Night 90 remake

Direct mp3 link - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/doctorofthedead/2017/03/30/90-resurrection-of-a-legend--the-1990-remake-of-night-of-the-living-dead.mp3

Full link - http://www.blogtalkradio.com/doctorofthedead/2017/03/30/90-resurrection-of-a-legend--the-1990-remake-of-night-of-the-living-dead

[MinionZombie]

Just listened to the Omega Man one yesterday. Lots of good and interesting points of discussion made there, although it would be good if they could greatly improve the audio for the guy who does the most talking (I assume he was Skyping in?) because it sounds too processed/crushed/tinny while the other voices (who don't get enough of a look-in) have good audio quality. It made for an uncomfortable listen - has anyone else found that? Or is it just me? Another thing that irritates me a bit is their tendency to go off on regular (but brief) tangents that have no real bearing on the main thing being discussed.

I'll give this one a listen shortly.

[shootemindehead]

No, it's not just you. The skype call is fine, but the fake out is a bit annoying. They try to make it seem like a studio effort. In any case, it doesn't bother me after a while. It's just a bit eh at the beginning.

They're ok, these podcasts, but I got a little irritated by the Night 90 one TBH. There's a lot of guff about Patricia Tallman's Barbara being tough and sassy and all that tripe, while simultaneously dumping on Judith O'Dea's Barbara. While I like Tallman's go, I also like O'Dea's turn as well. Plus, I think O'Dea had the much harder job. Turning on the mentally wrecked, near catatonic act for the duration of a movie shoot would be enormously draining. I also find her Babs to be a realistic portrayal of how some people would react to the experience she's just had. Tallman's Babs has a much easier ride. That kind of Sigorney Weaveresque role is easy.

[MinionZombie]

I see what you mean about the two versions of Barbara. Romero was right to totally change her character up for the remake, reflecting social change, but also as an opportunity to do something different with the tale. In Night 90 she's the voice of the reasonable, pragmatic middle ground as all around her lose their heads and bicker. The one character I absolutely cannot stand in Night 90, though, is Judy Rose ... a shrieking ball of oblivious snot one minute ("You shot Mr McGruder!") and then a wannabe Rambo the next, only to flip flop back and forth constantly until we're mercifully relieved of that character's presence. :elol:

O'Dea and Tallman both nailed their respective versions of Barbara and I like both portrayals, although all things considered the original wins out (of course it does!) ... and it's a damn shame we'll never get an uncut version of Night 90 (I'd imagine the original film elements of trimmed footage don't exist now).

...

Speaking of horror movie podcasts, Mick Garris has started one up: http://podcastone.com/post-mortem-with-mick-garris

He did a series of video interviews a while back under the "Post Mortem" brand, but these podcasts are brand new interviews. Interviewees so far have included Rob Zombie, Joe Dante, and John Landis. A new episode every two weeks. Just got going, but I'm thoroughly enjoying it.

[Neil]

O'Dea and Tallman both nailed their respective versions of Barbara and I like both portrayals, although all things considered the original wins out (of course it does!) ... and it's a damn shame we'll never get an uncut version of Night 90 (I'd imagine the original film elements of trimmed footage don't exist now).

There's Savini's rough directors cut with an alternative sound track too if I recall... The extra footage in that isn't that much if I recall. It's literally short 1-2 second "end of violence" shots if I recall...

[shootemindehead]

As far as I know, Savini deliberately went easy on the gore so not to upset the MPAA. Even so he upset the MPAA. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

The 90's was one of the absolute worst times to be a horror fan. Everything was cut, either at theatrical level or later on video. I've gone on about this shit in length on this site, so I'll not rehash it here.

I remember being delighted when I heard that Savini was going to helm a colour remake of 'Night of the Living Dead' and then when I saw it, I was unsure how to feel. It was as tame as a pussycat, had bontempi music and some of the characters were..."off". But, I was happy to actually get to see a zombi film in the cinema and over the years the picture has really grown on me and I think the only cuts were a head shot and a few extra squibs here and there.

On Judy - or Judy Rose as she is here - sure, she is a shrill and supremely irritating character, but I've actually known people like her. So in that respect she's, at least, a realistic character. That goes for Judith O'Dea's Barbara too, who I absolutely hated when I was a kid. But, as an adult (who's seen more things shall we say), I've come to see her as quite indicative of many, many, people who would break down during a crisis they cannot understand. Patricia Tallman's Barbara (who essentially goes from strangely prudish to Rambo over the course of the film), I'm not sure would exist anywhere outside of a movie.

[MinionZombie]

Listened to the podcast this afternoon.

Some good points raised - they're quite right about how many of the other characters suffer when compared to their original counterparts. Cooper in the original is a bit of an asshole, but he has a good point or two to make - he's just terrible at getting them across, whereas Cooper in the remake is a waaaay over-the-top as a pretty one-note dickhead. Likewise, Ben is so overly emotional in the remake that it's a bit of a shame when Ben in the original was much more rounded - he was capable of flipping out with rage as well as thinking things through calmly.

I see absolutely no connection with Evil Dead, though. What? Because of a shot of the moon and the effects? Really? Beyond a vague element with the 'sunken eyes', the odd pair being white, there's no connection at all. I don't recall Savini or anyone involved referencing Evil Dead. Their aim was to go for a 'realistic' look to the corpses - e.g. the eyes, the ears, the suit cut up the back etc - which is very effective.

The theory about Barbara in '90 having been a victim of some kind of sexual assault is an intriguing one, but I'm not sure it has much grounding to be honest. One piece of evidence the guy uses was - as he said himself - an ad lib by Bill Moseley (so therefore not in the script). And considering how blunt Romero & Co are with some of the film's prevailing themes (the "they're us and we're them" line is thunderously on-the-nose), I don't really buy that as an intended bit of backstory to Barbara 1990. It could be, who knows, and it is an interesting one, but I'm not particularly convinced it was intended - it seems way too subtle compared to the rest of the movie. What does everyone else think about that theory?

[shootemindehead]

I think your man pulled that one out of his arse really. Never in a million years would I have thought that barbara was a rape victim. The "whatever I lost..." line is an intriguing one though, but it's hardly something that one could draw from to form a conclusion. I just thought that it was a signifier that she was Rambo now and not Edna Birch anymore.

[LivingDeadGuy]

I think your man pulled that one out of his arse really. Never in a million years would I have thought that barbara was a rape victim. The "whatever I lost..." line is an intriguing one though, but it's hardly something that one could draw from to form a conclusion. I just thought that it was a signifier that she was Rambo now and not Edna Birch anymore.
I always figured she meant that she lost many years of her life by choosing to stay sheltered from the world and that she wasnt prepared to die. Also I wouldnt exactly call her a rambo just because she picked up a gun and started shooting zombies she was just fighting to stay alive like the rest of the characters. She did seem to know how to use a gun too easily but for all we know about her past she could have grown up in a family that owned guns.

[kidgloves]

edit 100 Zombie movies you must see

Should be interesting his knowledge is impressive

http://www.atbpublishing.com/g2vpodcast/category/doctor-of-the-dead/