George Romero Comments on Dawn '04

[coma]

I think some are not using the word pretentious correctly, so I offer a definition pre·ten·tious Pronunciation (pr-tnshs) adj. 1. Claiming or demanding a position of distinction or merit, especially when unjustified. 2. Making or marked by an extravagant outward show; ostentatious. See Synonyms at showy. pre·tentious·ly adv. pre·tentious·ness n. ThesaurusLegend: Synonyms Related Words Antonyms Adj. 1. pretentious - making claim to or creating an appearance of (often undeserved) importance or distinction; "a pretentious country house"; "a pretentious fraud"; "a pretentious scholarly edition" in poor taste, tasteless - lacking aesthetic or social taste unpretentious - lacking pretension or affectation; "an unpretentious country church"; "her quiet unpretentious demeanor" 2. pretentious - intended to attract notice and impress others; "an ostentatious sable coat" ostentatious 3. pretentious - of a display that is tawdry or vulgar So GAR did not act In poor taste and he is totally deserving of recognition He makes small films that are elevated ABOVE their status No the other way around. And the "Aw Shucks" attitude is the opposite of pretentious. And I never heard him claim to be anything other than a guy who makes movies.

[Danny]

"irony"

[Khardis]

Khardis you are a character , 25 yrs old and calling a 40 yr old "son"...that's classic!! pretentious and arrogant as well.... You're opinion is duly noted, but true fans of Georges films respect the man for bring the genre to fruition, ...where would hacks like Zack Snyder,James Gunn or even the new Day remake writer Jeffrey Reddick & Steve Minor be without Georges films to base their weakly pathetic remakes on??? think about it, all these zombie films ...they are based on the mans work...not original ideas, so yes, the man can afford to be pretentious and/or arrogant ...he's earned the right, what can you & all these other wannabe's claim??? Have they brought anything new ?? NO, they've indulged themselves on predetermined ideas developed by another groundbreaking film maker some 40 years ago.... Fanboys my ass..... grow up kid. I respect GAR's early work. I am a fan. I however realize that he has lost his touch. I think its because he listend to all his fanboys and started making films that only appealed to some 50,000 people world wide. His hard core base of fanboys. He may have started the genre (sorta, he didnt invent the ghoul, the ghoul is a longstanding tradition going back to the 1800s) but he hasnt evolved well. Instead of just making a good horror movie he wants to preach and preen at people politically. Which makes his films seem like the idle ravings of an aging man who is angry at life. If GAR is unable to carry on in what he invented then others will, rightfully so. I will reserve final judgement though for when I see his next film. It seems like he is ignoring the fanboys and going back to what the rest of us want to see. If he ditches the political tirade too I will be glad. If he doesnt, he is basically finished. He will just have to eek out a living selling autographs and insulting other more active peoples work. GAR, love your earlier work man, but c'mon... knock it off make horror films, not political or social crap. We go to the movies to see horror movies, not listen to you yell at us about how evil "the man" is.

[Neil]

Kardis, what on earth is this "political tirade" of Romero's you keep mentioning (almost as often as you use the word "fanboy")? Land supposedly may have had some parallels, but if it was there, it was subtle.

[capncnut]

If GAR is unable to carry on in what he invented then others will, rightfully so. I will reserve final judgement though for when I see his next film. It seems like he is ignoring the fanboys and going back to what the rest of us want to see. If he ditches the political tirade too I will be glad. If he doesnt, he is basically finished. He will just have to eek out a living selling autographs and insulting other more active peoples work. Sorry to be crude but that is the biggest load of old horse testicles I've ever read in my life! Have you actually followed this man's career? Have you ever studied his early works? Do you have any idea how political and social those films are? You sound like to me (no offense 'cos you're probably a nice guy) a little child throwing your dummy out of the pram because you want movies made your way. Who are you to say GAR will be finished if he doesn't make a movie you like? I'm not gonna get on my box and preach that Land is perfect because it's not, but it touched a lot of people and most of us 'genuine' fans are at least thankful he tried. As long as those early movies exist then GAR will always have a career, he will always have a following and he will always earn the right to slag off other peoples work just like you are doing now. George has made a few 'par' movies in his time and it's not done his career any damage so far has it? The above post was the least constructive I've ever read on a website dedicated to GAR's work, shame on you!

[Khardis]

Kardis, what on earth is this "political tirade" of Romero's you keep mentioning (almost as often as you use the word "fanboy")? Land supposedly may have had some parallels, but if it was there, it was subtle. Listen to Lands commentary track and youll hear George say it himself. "This is supposed to be the Bush administration" etc etc. George doesnt like conservatives its pretty obvious watching the film.

[Adrenochrome]

Sorry to be crude but that is the biggest load of old horse testicles I've ever read in my life! Have you actually followed this man's career? Have you ever studied his early works? Do you have any idea how political and social those films are? You sound like to me (no offense 'cos you're probably a nice guy) a little child throwing your dummy out of the pram because you want movies made your way. Who are you to say GAR will be finished if he doesn't make a movie you like? I'm not gonna get on my box and preach that Land is perfect because it's not, but it touched a lot of people and most of us 'genuine' fans are at least thankful he tried. As long as those early movies exist then GAR will always have a career, he will always have a following and he will always earn the right to slag off other peoples work just like you are doing now. George has made a few 'par' movies in his time and it's not done his career any damage so far has it? The above post was the least constructive I've ever read on a website dedicated to GAR's work, shame on you! Don't let this Khardis kid get to you. He's already pissed off (alsmost) everyone here, his kind never last long.

[Khardis]

Sorry to be crude but that is the biggest load of old horse testicles I've ever read in my life! Have you actually followed this man's career? Have you ever studied his early works? Why is it horse testcles? Because you dont like it? Yes I have followed his career, from Night of the Flesheaters to Land of the Dead. I own nearly everything he has put out. And I have met him in person and have several autographs from him amoung other horror icons. Feel better now? now that you know we are on equal foooting knowledge wise we can skip my credentials yeah? Do you have any idea how political and social those films are? Frankly I dont see it. I see a little bit, as is to be expected ANYTIME you make ANY story... but Night, and Dawn and even Day I would say there was no intentional inserting of themes. The "satire" was introduced by diehard fans who refused to just accept the movies are movies. They had to keep digging until they came up with silly theories. George, not expecting the fame went with it. listen to his old Laserdisc commentaries. He ADMITTED that the satire etc that people found was accidental. In Land and Bruiser he intentionally built a movie arond themes instead of building a movie with themes in it. Both films were giant flops. Coincidence? I think not. You sound like to me (no offense 'cos you're probably a nice guy) a little child throwing your dummy out of the pram because you want movies made your way. You mean I want him to make movies that are good? Guilty as charged. Why cant he just follow the OLD formula he used in the 70s and 80s when he made films to make films and not to make points? Those films were good films. Who are you to say GAR will be finished if he doesn't make a movie you like? I am a fan. A REAL fan. Definition? A real fan is not a yes man. A real fan is not afraid to say, hey George, I am a fan, but your last film was pure garbage. A Fanboy is someone who will find a reason for every film the man makes is genius regardless of if the film was crap or not. I'm not gonna get on my box and preach that Land is perfect because it's not, but it touched a lot of people and most of us 'genuine' fans are at least thankful he tried. This is why I call some of you fanboys. See what I am talking about? Apparently I cant be a geniuine fan unless I love every little thing he does. This is absurd. I am thankful he TRIED, yes. I am however not thankful that he made a substandard film. Land was an embarrassment. I shudder to put it into my DVD collection with the other GAR films. It almost doesnt seem worthy. Why does this anger some of you people? THe film was simply crap. As long as those early movies exist then GAR will always have a career, he will always have a following and he will always earn the right to slag off other peoples work just like you are doing now. Well, thats not entirely true now is it? He didnt make many films in the 90s because noone wanted to fund him. The only reason he GOT funding was because a sudden surge of interest in Horror films like Dawn 04 or Texas Chainsaw massacre. GAR even admitted this on the either Land or Day commentary track. If he cant find any more funding because his films dont make money and they keep flopping anticipate another decade without him making anything, except now that he is getting older a decade might not be too kind to us in terms of his own mortality. Also you say he gets to slag other peoples films and yet anyone who slags his obvious flops are somehow idiots and wrong? irony? George has made a few 'par' movies in his time and it's not done his career any damage so far has it? The above post was the least constructive I've ever read on a website dedicated to GAR's work, shame on you! George has made nothing but "par" movies since he began commercially anyway. However for those of us who love horror films and s ci fi films many of them are great. And the really bad flops he made contributed to 10 year gaps between productions. if thats not damage I dont know what is. I dont think he could take another 10 year gap, he'll be what 70 or 80? And who are you to judge my posts as being constructive? Maybe if you could look at things constructively youd see I have excellent points that are largely ignored by people saying things like: "OMG LYKE IF U DONT LIKE LAND U R A IDIOT LOLZ" That may not have been said, but its the general gist of what I have seen. I havent even seen 1 single person say anything good about Land other than "well it wasnt TOO bad" I mean my god... this is its best compliment? GARs comments about Dawn 04 were reprehensible, smug, arrogant and absurd. I think he needs to stop listening to the fan boys and start listening to his fans. Because the big head he is forming is making his work suffer. Again, if Dawn04 was an action movie (an arrogant claim that it wasnt horror) then Land was a political ad and not a horror film. You dont get to have it both ways. Sorry.

[coma]

Listen to Lands commentary track and youll hear George say it himself. "This is supposed to be the Bush administration" etc etc. George doesnt like conservatives its pretty obvious watching the film. What a surprise, a foward thinking artist who doesn't appreciate the folks who would rather have him never had him make a film. Rambo films and much of Arnold films are a love song to thr right wing and I never hear anybody complain about them, because if they agree, it A OK. Almost All of his films are social commentary. It's what gives them so much depth. Almost every great film ever made is a social commentary. Which includes Relationships, Politics, Class. If it was only about Zombie action it would be.... A Snyder film

[Khardis]

Don't let this Khardis kid get to you. He's already pissed off (alsmost) everyone here, his kind never last long. Werent you recently banned? And I seem to be pissing off fanboys. Yes I will give you that. But thats ok, us real fans who dont have our blockers on will keep hammering the logic home until you "get it". You have done nothing but attack me personally, I assume this is the reason for your banning. You dont even offer constructive criticism of my points, just ad hom attack me, as a "kid" or an "idiot". If you're indeed 40, I can only assume you must have never grown up or we become less mature in our middle age. What a surprise, a foward thinking artist who doesn't appreciate the folks who would rather have him never had him make a film. Rambo films and much of Arnold films are a love song to thr right wing and I never hear anybody complain about them, because if they agree, it A OK. Almost All of his films are social commentary. It's what gives them so much depth. Almost every great film ever made is a social commentary. Which includes Relationships, Politics, Class. If it was only about Zombie action it would be.... A Snyder film Again, youre mistaken. He admitted that the social commentary and satire were accidental. HIS words. not mine. And as per the conservatives dont let him make movies etc whatever. Get real. Hollywood (the people who dont like to work with him) are 99% liberals. GAR doesnt like conservatives because he was a bit of a hippy and a leftist in his day. Thats all. And thats fine with me, most filmmakers are. But Jesus, dont let it taint your films to a point where you alienate most of your audience. Its not New York city Bush hating activists that go to see his films, its regular people like me and you who do. And many of us are conservative.

[Cody]

this thread really took off...

[capncnut]

Why is it horse testcles? Because you dont like it? Yes I have followed his career, from Night of the Flesheaters to Land of the Dead. I own nearly everything he has put out. And I have met him in person and have several autographs from him amoung other horror icons. Feel better now? now that you know we are on equal foooting knowledge wise we can skip my credentials yeah? Frankly I dont see it. I see a little bit, as is to be expected ANYTIME you make ANY story... but Night, and Dawn and even Day I would say there was no intentional inserting of themes. The "satire" was introduced by diehard fans who refused to just accept the movies are movies. They had to keep digging until they came up with silly theories. George, not expecting the fame went with it. listen to his old Laserdisc commentaries. He ADMITTED that the satire etc that people found was accidental. In Land and Bruiser he intentionally built a movie arond themes instead of building a movie with themes in it. Both films were giant flops. Coincidence? I think not. You mean I want him to make movies that are good? Guilty as charged. Why cant he just follow the OLD formula he used in the 70s and 80s when he made films to make films and not to make points? Those films were good films. I am a fan. A REAL fan. Definition? A real fan is not a yes man. A real fan is not afraid to say, hey George, I am a fan, but your last film was pure garbage. A Fanboy is someone who will find a reason for every film the man makes is genius regardless of if the film was crap or not. This is why I call some of you fanboys. See what I am talking about? Apparently I cant be a geniuine fan unless I love every little thing he does. This is absurd. I am thankful he TRIED, yes. I am however not thankful that he made a substandard film. Land was an embarrassment. I shudder to put it into my DVD collection with the other GAR films. It almost doesnt seem worthy. Why does this anger some of you people? THe film was simply crap. Well, thats not entirely true now is it? He didnt make many films in the 90s because noone wanted to fund him. The only reason he GOT funding was because a sudden surge of interest in Horror films like Dawn 04 or Texas Chainsaw massacre. GAR even admitted this on the either Land or Day commentary track. If he cant find any more funding because his films dont make money and they keep flopping anticipate another decade without him making anything, except now that he is getting older a decade might not be too kind to us in terms of his own mortality. Also you say he gets to slag other peoples films and yet anyone who slags his obvious flops are somehow idiots and wrong? irony? George has made nothing but "par" movies since he began commercially anyway. However for those of us who love horror films and s ci fi films many of them are great. And the really bad flops he made contributed to 10 year gaps between productions. if thats not damage I dont know what is. I dont think he could take another 10 year gap, he'll be what 70 or 80? And who are you to judge my posts as being constructive? Maybe if you could look at things constructively youd see I have excellent points that are largely ignored by people saying things like: "OMG LYKE IF U DONT LIKE LAND U R A IDIOT LOLZ" That may not have been said, but its the general gist of what I have seen. I havent even seen 1 single person say anything good about Land other than "well it wasnt TOO bad" I mean my god... this is its best compliment? GARs comments about Dawn 04 were reprehensible, smug, arrogant and absurd. I think he needs to stop listening to the fan boys and start listening to his fans. Because the big head he is forming is making his work suffer. Again, if Dawn04 was an action movie (an arrogant claim that it wasnt horror) then Land was a political ad and not a horror film. You dont get to have it both ways. Sorry. Thanks for the book man, I'll read it when I have a spare day.

[Khardis]

Thanks for the book man, I'll read it when I have a spare day. Yeah I type a lot... I talk a lot IRL too. But I want to fully address all you points. At least we are having a dialogue though unlike that adronecomesomething guy who keeps calling me a kid and telling me how much noone likes me. I guess in his world that passes as discussion on some level.

[Adrenochrome]

Werent you recently banned? And I seem to be pissing off fanboys. Yes I will give you that. But thats ok, us real fans who dont have our blockers on will keep hammering the logic home until you "get it". You have done nothing but attack me personally, I assume this is the reason for your banning. You dont even offer constructive criticism of my points, just ad hom attack me, as a "kid" or an "idiot". If you're indeed 40, I can only assume you must have never grown up or we become less mature in our middle age. My recent ban is none of your (or anyone elses) business but mine and the mods. (Although, I promise you, it had nothing to do with you....so, give that a rest, Bucky McGripeAlot. ) I have actually never attacked you, I am responding to posts, just like you. Calling you "kid" is not an attack, I respond to childlike adults this way. Learn it. Remember it. Move on. Hell, you're "25"? Alrighty, then. Tell ya what....go out and run off all the "teeny years" you still have pumping through your viens....then get back with me. That is, if you can crawl from your mommy's house (leaping over many cats, I'll bet) and get some fresh air without stopping by McDonalds and the Comic Shop for a quick fix.... I don't owe you any "constructive critisism" as you do nothing but make posts designed to give you attention and a pathway to argument. Nothing to criticize. But, everything to laugh at. Assume all you want, you're still very bratty and childlike. Your kind are very short lived on all forums. oh.....and here......you triggered this - I'm done with you now.....

[coma]

Again, youre mistaken. He admitted that the social commentary and satire were accidental. HIS words. not mine. And as per the conservatives dont let him make movies etc whatever. Get real. Hollywood (the people who dont like to work with him) are 99% liberals. GAR doesnt like conservatives because he was a bit of a hippy and a leftist in his day. Thats all. And thats fine with me, most filmmakers are. But Jesus, dont let it taint your films to a point where you alienate most of your audience. Its not New York city Bush hating activists that go to see his films, its regular people like me and you who do. And many of us are conservative. You write a script, song, draw somwthing whatever, intentional or not, your point of view is evident. I was refering to censors not money men. Ratings board etc. In NYC everybody hates Bush and has since the beginning. Garbage men, old ladies, everybody. My Mom and my Girlfriend likes LOTD better than I did and they are not into that kinda thing. You can be a "regular blue collar guy" and think bush is a jackass. That NY bush hater activist crap is just stupid. Talk about PROPAGANDA. In light of the 65% of people who think B/sh is a botard makes lie of that. The bigaboo of the "NYC bush hating acticist latte Volvo blah blah blah" is so far from reality it is offensive in its level of bigotry and total ignorance. when you make art you make the things you want to see and say the things you want to say. You just hope other people like it. Somethimes they do, somethimes they don't. If you make a movies to jerk off the rightists you end up with a sea of Rambo 3. I was interested more in his right to make his films his way. Sure, land was a mistep, but it's his movie. Better to try and fail then go for lowest common denominator ala Dawn 04 And at least he had the nuts to speak truth to power when almost everybody else didnt say sh*t intil it was safe to do so.