jose-leonor
Joined May 2006
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jose-leonor's rating
George Romero's Diary of the Dead begins with a bang. The first several sequences set the tone for what will surely be a stellar, jump-out-of-your-seat zombie survival horror film. I was wrong.
The film, shot entirely in subjective, takes us on a mildly entertaining roller coaster from the hilarious to horrific. We follow not Romero's camera, but that of his characters as they react to the cataclysmic development. The characters are oddly believable despite some instances of absurd (non-)decision-making.
Romero succeeds in defying expectations established by classic and more recent zombie fare. At times during the film, a scene so perfectly welcomes a zombie's arrival only to be deflated by mere discord between the characters. Romero constructs a film that will produce more questions and contemplation than enduring nightmares. It is a film that essentially turns the camera back on the viewer and encourages us to think about viewership and its effect on a world in which the line between truth and opinion is increasingly blurred.
Is this my least favorite of the "...of the Dead" series? Yes. Is it disappointingly not terrifying? That too. That being said, give this film a shot. You may have to grin and bear some corny lines and improbable situations, but what you must not be remiss to acknowledge is the film's thoughtful, intelligent composition and the questions it poses.
Enjoy.
The film, shot entirely in subjective, takes us on a mildly entertaining roller coaster from the hilarious to horrific. We follow not Romero's camera, but that of his characters as they react to the cataclysmic development. The characters are oddly believable despite some instances of absurd (non-)decision-making.
Romero succeeds in defying expectations established by classic and more recent zombie fare. At times during the film, a scene so perfectly welcomes a zombie's arrival only to be deflated by mere discord between the characters. Romero constructs a film that will produce more questions and contemplation than enduring nightmares. It is a film that essentially turns the camera back on the viewer and encourages us to think about viewership and its effect on a world in which the line between truth and opinion is increasingly blurred.
Is this my least favorite of the "...of the Dead" series? Yes. Is it disappointingly not terrifying? That too. That being said, give this film a shot. You may have to grin and bear some corny lines and improbable situations, but what you must not be remiss to acknowledge is the film's thoughtful, intelligent composition and the questions it poses.
Enjoy.
I just watched this remarkable piece on HBO On Demand.
I was drawn into this simple story at its outset with the endearing old Hispanic woman fervently praying for relief of some sort. The laundry scene initially seemed a little too dull and drawn out, but I eventually realized that as the scene was drawn out I became increasingly drawn in. I sat there for two minutes wondering why I as a viewer must sit there and watch this lonely woman in a lonesome place perform the loneliest of tasks. This aspect of the movie paid off once I realized that this woman's existence is taking place in the isolating crevices of her inner being. As Ms Clarke declares in the accompanying interview, this story marks a moment in this woman's long-running personal hell. The colors in the film beautifully represent that daunting and oppressive hell as does the emotional/emotionless interplay between the protagonist and her youthful counterpart. The neatest thing about the film is the director's decision to utilize two different languages. This, in a way, represents the dichotomy between the protagonist's cold and seemingly self-assured youthful self and her present, weary, and jaded existence. It is as if in her continued effort to come to terms with a very important moment in her past she must find an entirely new language or reconcile her native tongue with a new one.
I look forward to seeing more of Ms Clarke's work.
I was drawn into this simple story at its outset with the endearing old Hispanic woman fervently praying for relief of some sort. The laundry scene initially seemed a little too dull and drawn out, but I eventually realized that as the scene was drawn out I became increasingly drawn in. I sat there for two minutes wondering why I as a viewer must sit there and watch this lonely woman in a lonesome place perform the loneliest of tasks. This aspect of the movie paid off once I realized that this woman's existence is taking place in the isolating crevices of her inner being. As Ms Clarke declares in the accompanying interview, this story marks a moment in this woman's long-running personal hell. The colors in the film beautifully represent that daunting and oppressive hell as does the emotional/emotionless interplay between the protagonist and her youthful counterpart. The neatest thing about the film is the director's decision to utilize two different languages. This, in a way, represents the dichotomy between the protagonist's cold and seemingly self-assured youthful self and her present, weary, and jaded existence. It is as if in her continued effort to come to terms with a very important moment in her past she must find an entirely new language or reconcile her native tongue with a new one.
I look forward to seeing more of Ms Clarke's work.
