I do know that some people don't like Night as much as the others, though. I don't know many people that dislike DAWN, other than a few who I think are just trying to be contrary. DIARY is definitely the weakest. DAY is not a favorite of mine [I like LAND better] but any problems that DAY has, DIARY has ten times more, and doesn't have the cool effects to redeem its weaknesses the way DAY did.
I'm almost tied between Night and Day. I have never understood the point of Night of the Living Dead. When I watch that movie, I pick up as many messages about race from it as I do messages about the Vietnam War from The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Zero. But I completely understood Day of the Dead. And it sucks. So, that one gets my vote.
The "Pretentious Narration," in Diary is what gives it a lot of its sting, actually. The way she points out simple ideals the way George never would in words just seems like a brilliant move to sell its concept. Her words aren't George's words, as George has no words for what he says. If he did, they would be hers. I voted for Night, because while it's good, and I shudder to think what modern horror would be without it, it's the only one I can't watch over and over and over again. And that's saying something, because Dawn is, what, twice as long? Day is angry, harsh and brilliant. It has inspiring effects work. It has inspiring writing and performances and is a brilliant contrast piece to Dawn. That will never change for me. Yeah, I love Land, because the cinematography is his best ever, and the story is just as socially relevant and scary as Dawn is today. An exclusive society locking out the poor and the minorities even in times of dire emergency? That's scarier than any fucking zombie. I can go on about Land, for a while, but I won't. It's good. Diary, I fucking love. It's got sensational set pieces, and a meaning to every one of them, whether it's stated in the words of a pretentious film student, or Deodato-quiet. Being a film student, it's just as good as any of the others to me, since the Totally Unlikable Characters are people I'm actually going to be living with next year, and see every day. They're a strength of the film, not a weakness. You know these are my opinions; I don't need to make that clear, I don't think.
This is hard. Diary I actually liked but didn't enjoy being clubbed over the head with the "message". The actual zombie stuff was nice though. Land had a dumb ending and a certain zombie that annoys the hell out of me. Day I pretty much alternated between boredom and frustration. I voted for Day. At least I can watch the other two again. OK maybe that wasn't so hard after all.
I'll go with "Land". I'm just not a fan of it as a whole. It's not the worst movie ever, not by any means, I just think the other 4 are much stronger. Mybe it's because "Land" is on a larger scale, I dunno.
I watched Land on Blu-ray tonight. And I enjoyed the hell out of it. It's so much better than Diary I can't even begin to describe the gap. Diary is BY FAR the worst movie he's ever made. The characters and narration are not just bad--they're embarrassing. ANY other Romero film gives me enough enjoyment to forgive any rough patches. Not Diary. It's mostly rough patches.
I can't bring about enough courage to see Diary of the Dead. It's a shame too, because Romero use to be a favorite of mine. Now I dread news of what's next from him. I'll have to hear compelling evidence to get anywhere near Survival of the Dead.
Agreed. land isn't that bad in my opinion, but Diary is unwatchable. I hate it and will probably never watch it again.
I hope I can agree with you. My expectations are low after Diary. Hopefully we can all see it sometime soon.
I agree 100%. Diary was a huge bummer for me because I expected to love it. I sincerely hope that Survival is a big-time return to form. The genre could really use some top-tier Romero.
