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Day of the Dead
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DVD detailsActor: Michael Welch, Ving Rhames Brand: First Look Pictures DVD: Region Code 1 Audio: English (Unknown); English (Subtitled); Spanish (Subtitled) Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, DVD, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen Picture Format: 1.66:1 Running Time: 86 minutes DVD Release Date: 2008-04-08 Audience Rating: R (Restricted) Studio: First Look Pictures
DVD Reviews of Day of the DeadDVD Review: THE GREATEST HORROR FILM, OF ANY KIND, MADE...EVER! Summary: 2 Stars
Wow, just wow. I didn't know the true depth of places in the mind and in the imagination of a filmmaker the art of movies could take me. Of course, that was all in the past, the past before I viewed the masterpiece of originality, despite it being a remake of a film made over 20 years ago, called Day Of The Dead! Also, despite the fact that it was not the first film made involving the undead or zombies, especially in recent years. What a novel idea! Hey, even though there's tons of theatrical and direct-to-video zombie films out there right now and in the past, we'll make another one, but just not any zombie flick, the definitive zombie flick for which all others will be judged and held up to as a template. It's here. I thought it would be the second coming of Christ, but it was Day of the Dead, directed with pure brilliance by the aptly described 'brilliant' director, Steve Miner. Yes, the same Steve Miner behind the cinematic masterpieces like Friday the 13th part 3-d, Lake Placid, Texas Rangers, House, and the ultimate Mel Gibson film, his magnum opus if you will, Forever Young. Ah, yes I found my cinematic bliss. Almost thirty years and there it was at my local video store.
Firstly, lets talk about what this film does right, nay, brilliantly.
1. It doesn't waste any time, none, giving the characters depth. They're simple-to-digest cyphers there to keep the action moving. You don't even need to know their names, though the film was goodly enough to provide names. There's the tough girl, the smart-alecky black guy, the old grizzled soldier, the rookie, and the little brother and his hot girlfriend. See!? They simplified it for mass consumption. Just know genders, and know the one human attitude each contains and you'll be fine. Sure, you won't relate to, or really care about them or their fate, but you won't get confused either. Ooh, I just got a shiver from the sheer memory of these immortalized-on-film group of characters.
2.They throw us something new, something innovative and vital to the art of storytelling in any medium. They give us not only the recently popular fast moving, running zombies, they give us super-strengthed, wall and ceiling crawling zombies. Stop laughing. It's not like they are web slinging zombies, though that would've pushed the film from brilliant to revolutionary! Why would zombies that for all intenssive purposes are dying and rotting run or have super strength? How are they able to cling to walls and ceilings even though the script doesn't give us any info telling us that have grown bits of stick-'em on their palms? Why ask? These are logical questions that have no room in a film about the dead coming back to life. It's ambiguous like Fargo, No Country For Old Men, The Man Who Fell To Earth and other great films. Don't be sooo anal. Just enjoy the fact that the director thought so much about your intelligence and capacity to be entertained by giving us something new and never before seen. WALL CRAWLING ZOMBIES!!! Oh yeah.
3.The film doesn't bore us with a complex plot or a way to transcend the tired but true story of men and women out running, out smarting, and hiding from zombies. They barely even give us a plot. In other words they did us the favor of cutting out the boring parts. It's just montage filmmaking from one brilliant action set piece to another.
4.They threw in master thespian Ving Rhames. Does he play the same character from Dawn of the Dead remake? NOPE! But, I'm sure they wanted you to think so. Some may say this is a nefarious trick on the movie going public. I say, BAH. I know I smiled as I sat and realised that he was just in this film to tie him to the previous remake. I was like, "You bunch of rascally filmmakers, you got me. You got me good." It's like a good practical joke. Everyone smiles after all is said and done.
5.Trying new things with CGI. I know all those supposedly big shot filmmakers in Hollywood have tried to hone the art of CGI to bring a larger sense of realism and gradeur to their 'films'. Day of the Dead remake knows better. Some may say that the CGI was cheap, and if they couldn't afford to do it well, then they should have done it practically, like older films with make-up and puppet effects. Shut your mouth, and never think those thoughts again!!!! This film has the most brilliant CGI ever committed to film. Anyone can bring dinasaurs to life, that's soooo 1993, but blowing up yellow zombies' heads in full panoramic awesomeness is what the destiny of CGI was built for. It may have not known that, but do any of us know our ture destinies?
Now onto the film's faults...WAIT, THERE ARE NONE! I know you thought there was going to be a pro's vs. cons list for this piece, based on my structure, but that's all part and parcel to the mind altering nature of this amazing film. It changes your mind, your perceptions, your body. Kind of like the over-rated piece of crap Videodrome, directed by that hack of empty ideas, David Cronenberg, but good.
Some have complained about the midleading nature of the cover artwork, a zombie spewing green vomit and various body parts. I say, you're just not looking between the lines. This is not simply some cheap ploy masquerading as cover art, but rather a statement. Obviously, the gentlemen on the cover saw this film, and was so empowered by the sheer grandiose brilliance contained within he could no longer control his bodily functions. The filmmakers and cover art designers knew they had a monumental achievement on their hands and rather then simply give us a cover that clued us into the film's content, they gave us something more subliminal. Amazing. The movie's greatness goes beyond the actual film and into all aspects regarding it.
Steve Miner is just sitting back and waiting for his DGA lifetime acheivment award. When that glorious day comes directors like Steven Spielberg, Martin Scoreses, Fracis Coppola, and Alfred Hitchcock's ghost will all have to hide their heads in shame. For they will have realised that they have wasted their lives, their careers and the the lives of all that have worked for them on their silly efforts. They may have projected the knowledge of what it feels like to dent the ether of pop-culture with their 'films', but will realise they only wiped their feet on the door matt of greatness. The word 'greatness' itself will have to be changed accordingly as well. "That new flavor of Ben and Jerry's ice-cream was great", will have to be transformed to "That new flavor of Ben and Jerry's ice-cream was Day of the Dead remake!" Oh, the times are chaning and finally for the better.
The dvd itself is indescribeable. I was going to listen to the film's commentary but then I saw that Steve Miner was on it. I knew now that I couldn't and I truly didn't have the right to hear the great man's thoughts on his masterpiece. The minute the first syllable of his first thought's word passes his lips and through my speakers I knew I would run the risk of my head exploding. I'm not ready. I hope one day I am, and I can attempt to hear and accept his gospel. The culmination of my life from this point on will be a wait for that glorious day. Sigh... I would suggest that all buy at least two copies of this film on dvd. One to watch, and one to make sweet love to. Take my advice, making love to a disc while it is in the dvd player can lead to uncomfortable situations and lots of pain. This way you can watch the film and truly love it the way it was intended. And if your love becomes too intense and you break Day of the Dead remake, don't fret. Nothing can destroy this film. There will always be more copies at any store, especially Amazon, where they are sold on the ultra cheap side. Some may say that the amount of used dvds sold on this site is due to the film not being liked by those who blindly bought it without seeing it. Yeah, RIGHT! These people are faithful followers to the true teachings of this wonderful film. They are sacrificing their own pleasure in the form of a used dvd to give up to the less fortunate. If one of us can't experience this film, then none of us should.
GREATEST FILM I ever saw!!!! You may disagree, but like all those made in sin, it's your nature to rebel. Submit today, submit tomorrow, all will become legion with this brilliant film. Did I mention that I thought it was brilliant?
PS: I know sarcasm doesn't translate that great in the typed word, so I hope the actual star rating I assigned this film clears any confusion up on what I really think it's worth. If not, then you are obviously mildly retarded and unsupervised. You know you're not supposed to using the computer! Not get back in your pen!
More Day of the Dead reviews: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Description of Day of the DeadDAY OF THE DEAD - DVD Movie
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