Scott W. Davis
02-06-2003, 02:52 PM
First off, Horror Express would like to wish George A. Romero a belated Happy Birthday! The talented filmmaker turned 63 years old on Tuesday, February 4th. Have many more, George.
The day after his birthday, Romero suffered yet another blow as an umpteenth film project went ahead with another director. ( a site I get an embarassing amount of news releases from ) got the exclusive scoop that Romero was being tapped to helm THE AMITYVILLE HORROR: 25 YEARS LATER. It was to be an ambitious attempt to save the failing franchise. Although the eighth film in the franchise, this would be the series' first theatrical release since 1983's AMITYVILLE 3-D ( a.k.a. AMITYVILLE: THE DEMON ).
The project is still going ahead, but Romero is no longer attached. Instead, the duties will be assumed by Tibor Takacs, who helmed the admirable films THE GATE and I, MADMAN.
Unfortunately, as everyone knows, Romero is used to getting the short end of the stick. Most recently, his fourth DEAD film was derailed at Fox and he lost a writing and directing job for the RESIDENT EVIL film. These are just the latest in a long string of oustings that have become more and more common over the years. He has also seen finished films tampered with, for example in the revised endings to MONKEY SHINES, THE DARK HALF and DAY OF THE DEAD.
In my opinion, there is not a single living director more unfairly treated than George A. Romero.
The man is walking talent. Not only did he helm the classic DEAD trilogy ( the second of which is one of my personal favorites, natch ), he also churned out a number of films that deserve their day in court. THE CRAZIES, MARTIN and KNIGHTRIDERS are all grossly underrated films that warrant some attention by any fan of the genre.
Is this a rant? You bet it is. But it's also a hope and prayer that Romero's talents won't go unnoticed much longer.
Well, George, we still love you. And here's hoping that next project is a winner, something that shows all these suits that you're the man for the job.
And of course, like I said earlier - Happy Birthday.
The day after his birthday, Romero suffered yet another blow as an umpteenth film project went ahead with another director. ( a site I get an embarassing amount of news releases from ) got the exclusive scoop that Romero was being tapped to helm THE AMITYVILLE HORROR: 25 YEARS LATER. It was to be an ambitious attempt to save the failing franchise. Although the eighth film in the franchise, this would be the series' first theatrical release since 1983's AMITYVILLE 3-D ( a.k.a. AMITYVILLE: THE DEMON ).
The project is still going ahead, but Romero is no longer attached. Instead, the duties will be assumed by Tibor Takacs, who helmed the admirable films THE GATE and I, MADMAN.
Unfortunately, as everyone knows, Romero is used to getting the short end of the stick. Most recently, his fourth DEAD film was derailed at Fox and he lost a writing and directing job for the RESIDENT EVIL film. These are just the latest in a long string of oustings that have become more and more common over the years. He has also seen finished films tampered with, for example in the revised endings to MONKEY SHINES, THE DARK HALF and DAY OF THE DEAD.
In my opinion, there is not a single living director more unfairly treated than George A. Romero.
The man is walking talent. Not only did he helm the classic DEAD trilogy ( the second of which is one of my personal favorites, natch ), he also churned out a number of films that deserve their day in court. THE CRAZIES, MARTIN and KNIGHTRIDERS are all grossly underrated films that warrant some attention by any fan of the genre.
Is this a rant? You bet it is. But it's also a hope and prayer that Romero's talents won't go unnoticed much longer.
Well, George, we still love you. And here's hoping that next project is a winner, something that shows all these suits that you're the man for the job.
And of course, like I said earlier - Happy Birthday.