tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214930440884348127.post1929963368130174898..comments2024-03-27T08:51:52.335-04:00Comments on The Bloody Pit of Horror: Dawn of the Dead (1978)The Bloody Pit of Horrorhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04419921450872885649noreply@blogger.comBlogger11125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214930440884348127.post-38417007933542242472019-12-24T13:45:49.923-05:002019-12-24T13:45:49.923-05:00i used to catch it sometimes in reruns. got the co...i used to catch it sometimes in reruns. got the complete series this year. started taking notes after robert englund (2x08, LAPD auto-mechanic) & robert kerman (2x11, unnamed bureaucrat with a lot of dialogue!) but got lax. i remember christina whitaker (ASSAULT OF THE KILLER BIMBOS), claudia christian, kay lenz, james hong, lar park lincoln, the guy who played the priest in NIGHTMARE SISTERS... <br /><br />i'm almost done now. it changed so much for the final season (cast/background/tone) that the guest stars are just about the only source of fun left. last couple had mitch pilegi, lynne thigpen (radio announcer in THE WARRIORS), and clint howard doing his usual scuzzball turn.spookyx3https://www.blogger.com/profile/16031768705430185415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214930440884348127.post-91432633980632212612019-12-13T08:16:48.689-05:002019-12-13T08:16:48.689-05:00I've not seen a single episode of Hunter but I...I've not seen a single episode of Hunter but I'd probably watch it if they usually cast like that!The Bloody Pit of Horrorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04419921450872885649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214930440884348127.post-77385472549275747972019-12-10T01:56:20.583-05:002019-12-10T01:56:20.583-05:00my favorite of george's films was NOTLD until ...my favorite of george's films was NOTLD until the "cannes" version of DOTD came along and boosted DAWN to masterpiece status for me. wish this early cut was the one released theatrically.<br /><br />> "extra long version"<br /><br />i think that's the "extended mall hours" fan-edit which adds those unused dialogue scenes and miscellanea from argento's version to the 139m cut.<br /><br />weirdly, the day this reply came up i saw ken foree on an episode of HUNTER (6x05). lousy role: he's part of a heist pulled off by white-supremacists, with predictable results. in the first season (1x16) foree played a mute killer who loses a police tail by going through a shopping mall! [same ep had this hilarious bit with a bookish monique gabrielle, appalled by cops loudly discussing a graphic murder case in the library.]spookyx3https://www.blogger.com/profile/16031768705430185415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214930440884348127.post-60011438893701540642019-11-29T11:26:03.877-05:002019-11-29T11:26:03.877-05:00I've watched this about once a year since I wa...I've watched this about once a year since I was a kid and it never, ever gets old. Like you, I always pick up on some detail or nuance I'd never even noticed before. Perfect movie for Black Friday, as well! I was hoping to stay in today and avoid all of the traffic but unfortunately have to make a 2 hour trip here in a few. Bleh!<br /><br />Can't wait to see the 4K version. I'm not even sure what the longest version of this clocks in at. Youtube has one called the "extra long version" that's 2 hours 35 minutes.The Bloody Pit of Horrorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04419921450872885649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214930440884348127.post-53512845251932461152019-07-21T00:32:18.283-04:002019-07-21T00:32:18.283-04:0030th viewing. first time in HD. my preferred versi...30th viewing. first time in HD. my preferred version, 139m (cannes). of course, after shelling out for & watching the japanese "happinet" disc, i learn that there's a UK 4K release coming later this year. oh, well. great news, 'cause this edition isn't the best, with significant framing issues (cropped at the top & bottom, though more on the sides), a few instances of moire patterning, & blown out whites. still, in terms of _clarity_ this is the best i've ever seen it look. i spent a lot of time picking out new detail, reading calendars, signs, notes (lots of this in the office at the private airport). one thing i love about this film is that i'm always seeing things i've forgotten over the years. when the bikers are initially trying to make radio contact, there's a shot of fran by a calendar with just under three months marked off. figuring out how much time had elapsed felt new to me.<br /><br />this is the movie i've seen more times than any other. i'm still bowled over by it. how george hit every beat that the situation & location suggests, and that there are multiple memorable bits or pieces of business in each of those segments. it's absolutely perfect, and it'll never be topped.spookyx3https://www.blogger.com/profile/16031768705430185415noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214930440884348127.post-44408022870967182392012-09-16T12:47:45.043-04:002012-09-16T12:47:45.043-04:00I think it is even beter than NIGHT OF THE LIVING ...I think it is even beter than NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD.Zombiehttp://games25.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214930440884348127.post-50252051348997921362012-07-25T19:34:01.604-04:002012-07-25T19:34:01.604-04:00Better late than never! Aside from his zombie film...Better late than never! Aside from his zombie films, I'd recommend checking out out Martin, too.The Bloody Pit of Horrorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04419921450872885649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214930440884348127.post-90149141472724542742012-07-25T18:47:58.891-04:002012-07-25T18:47:58.891-04:00I have to confess to being WAY late to the genre. ...I have to confess to being WAY late to the genre. But I just learned about Romero. I watched Dawn of the Dead not even realizing it was a remake, and really liked it. When I began talking about it, this guy I work with at Dish ‘educated’ me that under no uncertain terms could I go without seeing the original—I’m pretty sure there was a veiled threat somewhere in there LOL. So I tossed it in my Blockbuster @Home queue and rented it. Despite its age this movie is great! I already put a few of Romero’s other movies in my queue; if I had the money to buy them I would.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214930440884348127.post-73777506041814600932012-07-22T21:53:42.056-04:002012-07-22T21:53:42.056-04:00It's really difficult to choose between Night ...It's really difficult to choose between Night and Dawn for me but I'd have both in My Top 10. Night wasn't one of the first genre films accepted into the National Film Registry for no reason and I believe Dawn will join it there eventually (at least if there's any justice).<br /><br />I don't quite understand why Romero's latest films have been trashed so harshly and would love to read a piece on that. Based on browsing message boards, the haters haven't been able to really articulate their point or explain their sudden animosity for all things Romero. No clue what is going on there. I suppose it's just a reflection of expectations and changing tastes. Either way, it <i>is</i> kind of discouraging to see so many act offended by the inclusion of social commentary.<br /><br />I wasn't a big fan of the Italian cut of Dawn either. It floors me that some people prefer it over the theatrical release or extended cuts.The Bloody Pit of Horrorhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04419921450872885649noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214930440884348127.post-77166532038005187072012-07-22T20:52:14.943-04:002012-07-22T20:52:14.943-04:00god I love zombies lolgod I love zombies lolZombie Worldhttp://www.flashshed.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5214930440884348127.post-48738367491858394122012-07-21T11:05:21.444-04:002012-07-21T11:05:21.444-04:00This and NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD are my two all-t...This and NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD are my two all-time favorite horror pictures, and I would go even further and say they're also two of the best movies ever made.<br /><br />I've dodged writing a piece about this one over the years for pretty much the same reasons you mention. When it comes to acknowledged classics that have been around for decades, it's always the case that a ton of commentary has already been committed to paper, and what are you going to say that hasn't already been said a million times, right?<br /><br />Still, not every piece needs to have some earth-shattering new insight into a picture--this is something of which I often lose sight. There is a value in just spending a little time grooving on a movie one loves. That's what you're doing here. It's probably something I should do a lot more.<br /><br />I <i>have</i> started, a few times, to write about Romero himself, when his more recent efforts are being trashed by louder-than-thoughtful "fans"--it's good to see them get some attention in this piece--but something always intervenes, and I never get back to it. I think George is a national treasure. He made his name decades ago, and he could have gone into semi-retirement, sat back and cashed in by lending his name to a string of "George Romero presents" movies. Instead, at nearly 70, he went to Canada and started shooting b-pictures on video. How many filmmakers, at his age, would even consider that, and how many, if they did, could still manage to tell good tales worthy of further discussion?<br /><br />Random DAWN-related item, brought to mind because you brought up the Ultimate Edition DVD set: That's a great, great set, but it featured one major screw-up. Instead of getting the cast to do their commentary on the Cannes cut of the movie, Anchor Bay had them comment on the Italian cut, which removes most of the good character beats (and is, btw, a textbook on how a great film can be laid low by piss-poor editing). They ended up making fun of the cut, and talking about things that were missing, while Richard Rubenstein, who did his commentary on the Cannes cut, ran out of things to say well before it was over.cinemarchaeologisthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13507603255666191405noreply@blogger.com