Romero's Diary of the Dead (non-spoilery review)
bittergrrl and I went to see George Romero's "Diary of the Dead" last night at the only theater in all of North Carolina (supposedly) that was premiering the movie, in celebration of Valentine's Day. Yeah, I'm a romantic bastard. I'd say this one is a rental unless you really like Romero-style zombie flicks. It was fun going out to the movies though, since we hadn't been to one since last summer, so it was a nice change of pace anyway.
The social commentary is so thick it's laid on with a trowel. College student filmmakers are more subtle than Romero these days. And it's an odd sort of social commentary because Romero seems to be railing against the flood of unvetted news on the Internet and in documentaries, irresponsible journalists, photojournalists who don't help the people they're filming, and, I suppose, people who spend more time on their computers than they do living. OK, I guess those things are all problems, sure, but it's not exactly the racism, rampant consumerism / conspicuous consumption, and corporate greed level of issues he's dealt with before. None of the issues he deals with in Diary seem to warrant getting angry over. You definitely get beaten over the head with the message. One review I read described it as "ham-handed," and I think that's the best word for it. Oh and the two most intense (and intensely disturbing) scenes in the movie don't involve the protagonists at all, if that tells you anything. The college kids acted (and died) pretty predictably. Oh well, it was still a zombie movie, and I always enjoy those. I give it 2.5 stars out of 5.
The social commentary is so thick it's laid on with a trowel. College student filmmakers are more subtle than Romero these days. And it's an odd sort of social commentary because Romero seems to be railing against the flood of unvetted news on the Internet and in documentaries, irresponsible journalists, photojournalists who don't help the people they're filming, and, I suppose, people who spend more time on their computers than they do living. OK, I guess those things are all problems, sure, but it's not exactly the racism, rampant consumerism / conspicuous consumption, and corporate greed level of issues he's dealt with before. None of the issues he deals with in Diary seem to warrant getting angry over. You definitely get beaten over the head with the message. One review I read described it as "ham-handed," and I think that's the best word for it. Oh and the two most intense (and intensely disturbing) scenes in the movie don't involve the protagonists at all, if that tells you anything. The college kids acted (and died) pretty predictably. Oh well, it was still a zombie movie, and I always enjoy those. I give it 2.5 stars out of 5.