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http://www.msn.com/en-us/movies/news/george-a-romero-night-of-the-living-dead-creator-dies-at-77/ar-BBExJNQ?li=BBmkt5R&ocid=spartanntp Legendary filmmaker George A. Romero, father of the modern movie zombie and creator of the groundbreaking “Night of the Living Dead” franchise, has died at 77, his family said. Romero died Sunday in his sleep following a “brief but aggressive battle with lung cancer,” according to a statement to The Times provided by his longtime producing partner, Peter Grunwald. Romero died while listening to the score of one his favorite films, 1952’s “The Quiet Man,” with his wife, Suzanne Desrocher Romero, and daughter, Tina Romero, at his side, the family said. Romero jump-started the zombie genre as the co-writer (with John A. Russo) and director of the 1968 movie “Night of the Living Dead,” which went to show future generations of filmmakers such as Tobe Hooper and John Carpenter that generating big scares didn’t require big budgets. “Living Dead” spawned an entire school of zombie knockoffs, and Romero’s sequels included 1978’s “Dawn of the Dead,” 1985’s “Day of the Dead,” 1990’s “Land of the Dead,” 2007’s “Diary of the Dead” and 2009’s “George A. Romero's Survival of the Dead.” The original film, since colorized, has become a Halloween TV staple. It also has earned socio-political points for the casting of a black actor in the lead role. Romero wrote or directed projects outside of the “Living Dead” franchise too, including 1973’s “The Crazies,” 1981’s “Knightriders” and episodes of the 1970s TV documentary “The Winners.” His last credit as a writer was for his characters’ appearance in 2017’s “Day of the Dead” from director Hèctor Hernández Vicens. *** Rest in Peace, George, and may no necromancer or unnatural event ever disturb your grave.
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Jul 16, 2017 23:12
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he's doing research for his new movie
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Jul 16, 2017 23:17
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As I said in GenChat, Dawn of the Dead is my favorite movie. It's a horror action epic with satirical elements that captures middle America in a way that few films have equalled. Martin is also a movie in dire need of restoration. Haven't seen it in ages but it's haunting.
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Jul 16, 2017 23:24
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And also, this music, man: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8YFGcQaZs1c
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Jul 16, 2017 23:25
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Maxwell Lord posted:As I said in GenChat, Dawn of the Dead is my favorite movie. It's a horror action epic with satirical elements that captures middle America in a way that few films have equalled. I saw Dawn of the Dead when I was about 12 years old and I still say "We got this man, we got this by the rear end!" to this day. RIP Zombie man
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Jul 16, 2017 23:41
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Well I'm sold on Martin with that score... wow. Beautiful! RIP George A
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Jul 16, 2017 23:49
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Aww gently caress!
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Jul 16, 2017 23:55
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Bruiser was good and I'll fight a motherfucker over it
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Jul 17, 2017 00:13
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Day of the Dead is loving where it's at.
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Jul 17, 2017 00:16
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I got to hear Romero speak at my college and hearing him talking about growing up working class in the city, being hosed with by white kids because he was Hispanic, wanting to work in the business no matter what and taking the workman's route to get it, it resonated with me so loving much... I'm glad I got to meet him and tell him how much he himself meant to a brown kid like me. Dude was a legend. ruddiger fucked around with this message at 00:26 on Jul 17, 2017 |
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Jul 17, 2017 00:22
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Dawn of the Dead might just be a film without flaw.
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Jul 17, 2017 00:32
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And now Martin Landau 
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Jul 17, 2017 01:40
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The first time I watched Dawn of the Dead I rented it with a couple of friends thinking it'd be good to make fun of. I'd never even seen Night of the Living Dead aside from the 1990 remake so I was going in totally blind. That crappy VHS copy of Dawn of the Dead was an awakening. Romero was not without his faults but the original DOTD is some amazing cinema. The world is fully realized, the monsters preposterous and terrifying and heartbreaking, everyone is so flawed! I hope where ever he's ended up they've got a ridiculous pair of glasses and a nice scarf for him.
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Jul 17, 2017 02:17
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One of the greats
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Jul 17, 2017 04:15
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caligulamprey posted:Day of the Dead is loving where it's at. My dawg   Godspeed Romero, I know I'm but one of a countless number of people who fell in love with the horror movie genre because of your films.
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Jul 17, 2017 08:48
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Night of the Living Dead gets credit for inventing the modern zombie and yada yada. What it doesn't get credit for is being a film of the caliber of Citizen Kane or Breathless. It reinvented cinema technique as we know it. It tore down everything that came before it, and made it so nothing could be the same again. The term "masterpiece" gets tossed around so flippantly sometimes, but it's one of the true masterpieces of cinema. RIP George
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Jul 17, 2017 13:59
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I feel bad that he went out on Survival Of The Dead.
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Jul 17, 2017 14:56
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Call Me Charlie posted:I feel bad that he went out on Survival Of The Dead. gently caress that, he loved making movies so he kept doing it. I'd rather keep doing something I loved to do and maybe make some stinkers than arbitrarily retire for no discernible reason like Tarantino says he's gonna do. I'll believe it when I see it Quentin.
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Jul 17, 2017 15:03
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One of the things I've always loved about Romero was that he was unpretentious, and seemed very accessible. In every interview I've seen if him he came off as a good-natured, humorous movie buff, that also just happened to have directed one of the most defining films of the horror genre. To me, that relatability was key to the old guard; guys like Romero, Craven, and Carpenter. As a young weirdo growing up who was fascinated by monsters and gore effects, their candor and dark humor and weirdness made them feel like contemporaries. Like we all were hovering around their movies, whispering "This is so cool" to one another.
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Jul 17, 2017 17:01
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Fart City posted:One of the things I've always loved about Romero was that he was unpretentious, and seemed very accessible. In every interview I've seen if him he came off as a good-natured, humorous movie buff, that also just happened to have directed one of the most defining films of the horror genre. Compare what's happening today to what happens when John Landis dies. There will be quite a difference I'd think.
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Jul 17, 2017 17:05
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Basebf555 posted:gently caress that, he loved making movies so he kept doing it. I'd rather keep doing something I loved to do and maybe make some stinkers than arbitrarily retire for no discernible reason like Tarantino says he's gonna do. I'll believe it when I see it Quentin. I can't believe that's the movie he wanted to make. It almost came across like he wanted to do a western but could only get the funds for another Of The Dead movie. If the only way 2037 Tarantino could get the greenlight was to travel to Toronto and attempt to chase his glory days instead of doing a project he wanted to pursue, I'd also feel bad for him.
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Jul 17, 2017 17:17
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Basebf555 posted:Compare what's happening today to what happens when John Landis dies. There will be quite a difference I'd think. I feel like a lot of the twitter tributes posted on that day would have to be read with the impression that they were spoken through closed teeth.
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Jul 17, 2017 17:20
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Toronto is a beautiful city though. I actually haven't seen Survival of the Dead so I can't say I have an educated opinion on it.
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Jul 17, 2017 17:20
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The whole last 20 years was a cycle of "Romero says he doesn't want to do more Zombie projects, then does one" over and over. I don't know if he was kidding himself or out of ideas or what but that's how it shook out.
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Jul 17, 2017 18:33
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Maxwell Lord posted:As I said in GenChat, Dawn of the Dead is my favorite movie. It's a horror action epic with satirical elements that captures middle America in a way that few films have equalled. "Epic" is a good word for it. It's set in an incredibly ordinary location, but the whole movie feels like a big deal, if that makes any sense.
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Jul 17, 2017 18:40
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The thing that impressed me most about Romero's Dead films is his underlying theme of evolution. These are just cannon fodder so that viewers can get off on the visceral thrill of killing humans without repercussions. These are a unique life form. NotLD: See them using tools (Rocks to smash lights) Dawn: They can remember where they used to migrate Day: They can be taught Land: They can show basic reasoning Survival: They can weaned off human flesh, and will consume other meat instead. It's a fascinating process, and one that leaves the viewer, and I'm sure this was George's intention, asking themselves, "If they can think, is it right to kill them?"
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Jul 17, 2017 20:27
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Davros1 posted:The thing that impressed me most about Romero's Dead films is his underlying theme of evolution. These are just cannon fodder so that viewers can get off on the visceral thrill of killing humans without repercussions. These are a unique life form. NPR played a clip of Romero for his obit today, and he made the comparison of the zombies being something like a hurricane or earthquake, not just a horde of ghouls. And that really shows through in the movies themselves: they're not necessarily about the explicit threat of the zombies, but how the living cope and respond to a natural disaster.
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Jul 17, 2017 20:43
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Fart City posted:NPR played a clip of Romero for his obit today, and he made the comparison of the zombies being something like a hurricane or earthquake, not just a horde of ghouls. And that really shows through in the movies themselves: they're not necessarily about the explicit threat of the zombies, but how the living cope and respond to a natural disaster. Is this the same clip where he compares the zombies to the vampires in I Am Legend -- that they represent a global change in culture, society, and humanity. Like the theme of evolution Davros brings up, it's not the zombies that are the problem, it's the "survivors" who have been left behind in a new society.
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Jul 17, 2017 20:53
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Fart City posted:I feel like a lot of the twitter tributes posted on that day would have to be read with the impression that they were spoken through closed teeth. I mean I'm gonna be @ing Max with a bunch of helicopter parent jokes until he blocks me tbh
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Jul 17, 2017 20:54
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they're just... walking around the malls... like brain dead zombies!!! *spawns an entire genre dedicated to nothing but lovely merchandise for blank brained morons*
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Jul 18, 2017 01:08
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That's not really the key metaphor, though. What's important is how the humans treat the mall- as a prize to be conquered and defended. The luxury allows them to ignore the suffering of the world around them. They become an elite. The idea is consumerism is a trap. It looks like the way to be safe from all the poo poo in the world and things going to Hell but it offers no real protection- and your desire to protect what you've got is a dangerous distraction from just staying alive.
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Jul 18, 2017 01:36
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George, whatever foods you're snacking on up in heaven, I hope you don't... choke on 'em. Tee hee.
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Jul 18, 2017 14:40
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Gargamel Gibson posted:George, whatever foods you're snacking on up in heaven, I hope you don't... choke on 'em. Tee hee. Best line he ever wrote? Quite possibly.
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Jul 18, 2017 14:42
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A legend, one of the greats, RIP. Terrible news.
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Jul 18, 2017 19:16
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Basebf555 posted:Best line he ever wrote? Quite possibly. best delivery via method acting, certainly. (I love that behind-the-scenes story)
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Jul 19, 2017 06:33
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Fart City posted:And that really shows through in the movies themselves: they're not necessarily about the explicit threat of the zombies, but how the living cope and respond to a natural disaster. The greatness of Romero can't be overstated (I mean, can you imagine single-handedly redefining a term like Romero did with zombies?), this is the only black mark for him I have. I am watching these movies for the explicit threat of the undead one way or another, it's always a groaner when the Stupid Human has to do the Stupid Human Thing that pops the otherwise solid bubble. It never felt like the humans made a mistake, it always came across that they actively decided to do the worst thing that would lead to the sad ending. I'm not sure if it's entirely fair to blame him for it, but all of his zombie films do it just as much as his later imitators do.
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Jul 19, 2017 07:14
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MisterBibs posted:The greatness of Romero can't be overstated (I mean, can you imagine single-handedly redefining a term like Romero did with zombies?), this is the only black mark for him I have. I am watching these movies for the explicit threat of the undead one way or another, it's always a groaner when the Stupid Human has to do the Stupid Human Thing that pops the otherwise solid bubble. It never felt like the humans made a mistake, it always came across that they actively decided to do the worst thing that would lead to the sad ending. Nah, you can watch proto-zombie movies like 'The Earth Dies Screaming' and while the tensions in the group are always a major obstacle, the climax always involves the undead (or aliens in the case of the latter) It's just the nature of film. Gotta have a climax, and decapitating zombies is a better climax than people resolving their differences. Romero is especially interesting since he has this really rough and ready style of film making that's kind of amateurish at times, but he did things that others simply wouldn't. It was kind of that 'fools go where angels fear to tread' thing how he would jump headfirst into racially charged imagery that a more formal film maker probably would have thought twice about. Also, that shot of the cops knocking the barricaded door in and the arms coming out is one of the best shots in horror.
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Jul 19, 2017 08:12
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MisterBibs posted:The greatness of Romero can't be overstated (I mean, can you imagine single-handedly redefining a term like Romero did with zombies?) He didn't, he made a movie with monsters called ghouls that people later decided to rename zombies.
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Jul 19, 2017 10:57
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Stryder posted:best delivery via method acting, certainly. (I love that behind-the-scenes story) I thought it was and ad lib from the actor. Could you share the story?
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Jul 19, 2017 18:04
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davidspackage posted:I thought it was and ad lib from the actor. Could you share the story? During filming, he was really choking back his own vomit. As the story goes, they used real pig guts for all the entrails in the movie, but they stopped short of shooting his death scene on a Friday. Unfortunately, as they were shutting down for the weekend, some custodian for the location pulled the plug on the fridge where the guts were stored. So they were baking and rotting for several days before the crew returned to shoot his demise. Oh hey! Check it out. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o5umVGiA668 Poor Joe looks miserable.
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Jul 19, 2017 21:37
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