Dawn of the Dead (1978) - OUT OF PRINT

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by milo bloom

I know we've discussed the issue all over this forum, but I can't see Criterion holding off on 4K much longer. All these companies like Arrow and such are going to eat their lunch if they don't get onboard with the next format.

And something like Dawn of the Dead would be a helluva way to start things off with a 4K release.

I'm not dying for it myself, I've got the DVD box that I've hardly watched, but a nice Criterion set might get my attention.

I think it's highly possible. It could also be the boxset that Criterion forced them to remove. (Geek Gab that is) Either way, I'm going to place my bet that Criterion has it.

[Kurosawa Fan]

Originally Posted by DukeTogo84

[Show spoiler]

Interesting. So they were right about Heat. Hmm. Well, I have no idea what bread crumbs they left for Dawn of the Dead. They have mentioned Criterion a few times, so maybe that's it. They also claim that Criterion is going 4K this year.

Did this GeekGab say anything about DotD being released on 4K in North America or were they just talking about the bluray release of it?

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by Kurosawa Fan

Did this GeekGab say anything about DotD being released on 4K in North America or were they just talking about the bluray release of it?

They didn't say Blu-ray or 4K, just that it's coming in the US. That could be the next question to ask them...

[rocknblues81]

To me, Survival and Diary are amatuer level movies.

Pretty much as bad as movies get almost. Maybe a half step above something like Troll 2.

I hate to have to say that, but that's how I felt about them.

[Kakihara]

Whoever releases it in the U.S. won't top Second Sight's awesome UHD. So glad I have it. I hope you guys had a chance to get it too.

[BladeRunner2007]

Originally Posted by rocknblues81

To me, Survival and Diary are amatuer level movies.

Pretty much as bad as movies get almost. Maybe a half step above something like Troll 2.

I hate to have to say that, but that's how I felt about them.

[rocknblues81]

Originally Posted by BladeRunner2007

I’m glad he had fun making them.

However, after he received so much praise for his social commentary with Dawn, I think he bought into the hype a little too strongly on that front and his zombie movies started to become more about “message” than atmosphere, horror, story and character development as it pertains to creating individual characters that are interesting.

The last two movies have weak characterization , no interesting narratives, lacking in atmosphere, lacking in gore... etc...

People might say that Night was no a polished effort.

That’s understandable given that George was just starting out, but the efforts for Diary and Survival are pretty inexcusable give his level of experience.

Even Land (which I find to be ok) struggles to develop compelling characters despite having a higher budget and a more talented cast. But at least the haves vs. the have nots angle was compelling enough to sell the movie and justify its existence.

However, I do think his last 2 movies was about him just doing what he wanted to do with little regard for his audience. He was making movies for himself... He basically admitted that when he said that he didn’t care about the public reaction to the movie.

He made those two movies for his own amusement only. Which many would argue he had the right to do at that stage. When you have done movies like Night, Dawn, Martin and Creepshow and your older... There isn’t much else to prove really.

[dianabol5mg]

Originally Posted by rocknblues81

To me, Survival and Diary are amatuer level movies.

Pretty much as bad as movies get almost. Maybe a half step above something like Troll 2.

I hate to have to say that, but that's how I felt about them.

I've seen better amateur movies.

[HipsterTrash]

Originally Posted by rocknblues81

However, I do think his last 2 movies was about him just doing what he wanted to do with little regard for his audience. He was making movies for himself... He basically admitted that when he said that he didn’t care about the public reaction to the movie.

You say that like it's a bad thing.
Shouldn't filmmakers make the vision they see in their head and not have the audience dictate the direction of the film?

[dvining]

Originally Posted by HipsterTrash

You say that like it's a bad thing.
Shouldn't filmmakers make the vision they see in their head and not have the audience dictate the direction of the film?

There's a balance that needs to be struck in art. It's rare to find an artist who can go off on their own into weird new directions and the audience will simply follow along even though the artist gives them little concern. David Lynch is possibly one of these artists. Fellini was probably another.

George Romero essentially wrote half-thought out blog posts and turned them into movies. That he's satisfied with them is one thing, but that he doesn't present anything for audiences to grasp onto at all becomes a problem.

When he abandons traditional storytelling elements like character, plot, and even basic visceral thrills, what does he end up offering in his movie? He wants to makes statements about the world, and as long as he gets his message across he's happy. However, art isn't about diatribes, and movies are an inherently emotional medium. When he's providing little more than pablum while packaging it in the form of a story, but the story elements are lacking, then it seems like he's failing. He's using the wrong medium to get his message across.

[fred25_Ca]

Seeing as Diary is a reboot of the dead franchise, it's very easy to skip while doing a Dead marathon.
Imo, Day of the dead was a pretty perfect conclusion to his trilogy. I'm perfectly happy just rewatching the first three in an endless loop. :P
Plus, I can't fault Romero for making bad sequels, most great 70's and 80's horror filmmakers (Argento, Carpenter, etc) went downhill in the 90's anyway, it's not like he was alone. He'll always have huge respect from me for his Dead trilogy and his masterpiece, Creepshow, no matter how many disappointing movies he might have done later on.

[BladeRunner2007]

Diary is the only one where it feels like Romero was putting his message front and center. It doesn't work. It should be subtext. Instead the actual plot feels like a mere subtext. It's getting his message across with a sledgehammer. His earlier films had interesting social coemmetaries but they were always secondary. Plot, characters and atmosphere always came first. However, Diary still has some pretty great individual set pieces.

[DukeTogo84]

To a certain extent I actually enjoy Diary. The acting isn't the greatest, but I still found the film entertaining. It also made me seek out more zombie related stuff and I started to read the Walking Dead because of it.

[fred25_Ca]

There are many problems with Diary (the most obvious one being it feels very staged and that is the biggest sin for a found footage movie)) but the biggest one was it came out right after REC, arguably the greatest found footage movie of all time and the best modern zombie movie, imo. It did everything right that Diary did wrong and that really hurt Diary.

[wicky_J]

Originally Posted by fred25_Ca

There are many problems with Diary (the most obvious one being it feels very staged and that is the biggest sin for a found footage movie)) but the biggest one was it came out right after REC, arguably the greatest found footage movie of all time and the best modern zombie movie, imo. It did everything right that Diary did wrong and that really hurt Diary.

Diary actually came out, in the US anyway, two years before [REC] did. I do agree that [REC] really blew all other found footage films out of the water at the time and it still holds up very well to this day.

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by fred25_Ca

There are many problems with Diary (the most obvious one being it feels very staged and that is the biggest sin for a found footage movie)) but the biggest one was it came out right after REC, arguably the greatest found footage movie of all time and the best modern zombie movie, imo. It did everything right that Diary did wrong and that really hurt Diary.

I don't even really even see it as a found footage movie, but as you said a staged film. Works better that way, despite it trying to be a found footage film.

[Dellamorte13]

So, wait, there's rumors of DotD coming to the US later this year on either BD or UHD??

How concrete are these rumors (I realize my oxymoron there)?

I kinda feel like a chump having ordered the SS version if that's the case.

[DukeTogo84]

Originally Posted by Dellamorte13

So, wait, there's rumors of DotD coming to the US later this year on either BD or UHD??

How concrete are these rumors (I realize my oxymoron there)?

I kinda feel like a chump having ordered the SS version if that's the case.

Nothing concrete. Just rumors. There is an instagram account that claims it's coming, but no proof has been provided.

Also, during their last 3 Q&A's I've asked them if this will be both 4K and Blu-ray or simply Blu-ray and haven't gotten a response.

If others are willing to ask him about it, it would be appreciated.

[GuruAskew]

Diary isn’t a reboot. They all take place on a floating timeline. Dawn shouldn’t take place in the 70s and Day shouldn’t take place in the 80s so I guess they’re reboots too.

[bigdaddyhorse]

Originally Posted by Dellamorte13

So, wait, there's rumors of DotD coming to the US later this year on either BD or UHD??

How concrete are these rumors (I realize my oxymoron there)?

I kinda feel like a chump having ordered the SS version if that's the case.

You ain't no chump, you a smart mother****er, mother****er! If it doesn't come to the US, you got the best version already (assuming you went 4K, but the BD's will jump too). Especially if you got the LE set, just go look on eBay and feel better about your choice on that one. Some fools are already over-paying on the standard pre-release! If it does come to the US, you helped make it happen. Winning anyway you look at it.