Travel Diary of a Madman Part 2

(entry started 6/23)
I awoke early this morning outside of Pittsburgh, with the saying "Here I sit broken-hearted, come to s*** and only farted" floating around inside my head. Truly this is how I felt after last night. It was a marvelous experience, and being in the middle of all the excitement and energy that was thick in the air, made it worth my time. However, I did not get to schmooze w/ the celebs as I hoped. It is amazing how dim I can be sometimes. When I arrived to the after party, it dawned on me that, of course, there will be a VIP room, and I am not a VIP. Why it took me until this moment to realize this, is a testament to my blind belief that good things will happen one way or the other. I guess it is not a bad thing to hold onto a dream, but when an obstacle hits you, it makes it all the more implausible. I did as Ms. Psychic suggested and walked in w/ confidence. I was feeling good, I looked good, and I was on time. There were folks dressed to the nines, some in zombie t-shirts and some in zombie regalia from head to toe. There was even a very chipper young woman dressed as a zombie bride seated in the front row. I found a spot toward the front, and as I seated myself, I realized that Sharon Ceccatti (nurse zombie from the original Dawn of the Dead) was seated kitty-corner from me. I met her last summer and so I struck up a conversation w/ her. She seemed to remember me, and I had a nice little chat w/ her. I then got my picture w/ her and Clayton Hill (escalator zombie), and I felt as though the evening was off to a great start. I ended up in front of a nice couple from Buffalo. They drove out on a special trip for the premiere. Cool folks, and the guy that sat next to me is a film director, and he teaches @ a film school in Pittsburgh. His associate there is none other than Russ Streiner; the original Johnny from Night of the Living Dead ("They're coming to get you Barbara.") Not too shabby. I gave Efraim (sp?) my business card, so card #1 was away. (This actually sounds cooler than it is. He was the only person I gave my card to. Scratch that, the couple from Buffalo also received one.) So I got my picture taken w/ Russ Streiner, and he seemed very cool. Then, the "big" celebrities began to arrive. Quentin Tarantino, Simon Pegg and Edgar Wright (Shaun of the Dead) and Robert Rodriguez (From Dusk til Dawn, El Mariachi). Throngs of people crowded them for autographs, pictures, etc. This all delayed the beginning of the film, so I was getting a little antsy. Then, Greg Nicotero of KNB EFX (his mentor was Tom Savini) the company behind Kill Bill, Land of the Dead and soooooo many others, walked by, and Efraim (sp?) pulled him aside. Apparently, Efraim (sp?) has been trying to get Greg to come by and talk to the students. Soo, I took the opportunity and got a photo w/ the man. Yeah, another cast member from Day of the Dead. Others in attendance (whom I saw, but did not talk with) from Day of the Dead; Lori Cardille, Antone Dileo, Gary Klar and I think I saw Joe Pilato in there too. From Night of the Living Dead, the aforementioned Russ Streiner, co author of Night, John Russo, and Bill Cardille. From Dawn, there was Sharon and Clayton, mentioned above. I am sure there were more, but I cannot be sure. Zombie movie heaven folks! (too bad they all retired to the coveted VIP room @ the party; I wonder if it was designed by Architectural Digest?) Of course, also in attendance, Tom Savini, Chris Romero and then came in George. As he walked by to the screaming, clapping and standing ovation, he looked @ me and said, "Well, this is weird." Following is the info I posted on Yahoo! Movies:

George A. Romero's Land of the Dead (2005)
Overall Grade: A-
Story: B+
Acting: B+
Direction: A
Visuals: A
George is Still "The Man" by klugula; Jun 24, 2005
I had the pleasure of viewing the movie @ the Pittsburgh premiere, just a couple of short days ago. The experience will last in my memory for many years to come. I don't know if it was the overall sense of excitement that I was caught up in, or if the movie actually was great. I know that I had one of those "flashback to reality" moments when it was completed, so apparently I was sucked into the story and characters. Let's get the bad out of the way. I did not love the picture. So why am I giving it an overall of A-? Cuz the more I think about it, the more I like it. I am returning to my hometown theatre tomorrow to give it a second shot. Let me make it clear how much I love Romero and his vision of a zombie infested planet. No one does it better. I think the big budget was his falling on this one. Sure, the effects and explosions and everything were fantastic, but it lost some of the intamacy of his previous efforts. The sense of "on the cheap" from the other entries was part of the charm. However, there is no denying that this is a Romero film. I was also disappointed that I was not downright horrified by the film. I was scared and there some good jump in your seat moments, but overall, the dread and hopelessness of the other films was lost. The effects were monstrously good. The acting was good, but not many stood out. Robert Joy and Dennis Hopper were the exceptions. One piddly complaint was the zombie music theme. Overall, the music was great, but the sympathetic chords of the zombie abuse were a bit much for me. I hope in the next few days I am able to digest more of what I saw, cuz I am still on a high from the entire journey to Pittsburgh. All zombie fans should see this film. All horror fans should see this film. Most of America should see this film, just for a nice reminder of how ridiculous we can be in our post 9/11 age. Romero hits on that with incredible force, and I actually found myself shaking my head, "It's funny cuz it's true." My final thought, is that after 20 years of waiting, the immense amount of hopes and anticipation should have left me w/ disappointment, resentment and anger. It did not. A pat on the back for Romero, for not letting me down. You still got it, buddy!


At the party, I hung out with my new found friends from Buffalo. I also got a picture with David Early (@ the time I was not sure of his name, nor am I now) I cannot remember if David Early was the interviewer or interviewee in the opening scenes of the original Dawn of the Dead. Regardless, I got my photo w/ him cuz I knew it was him. When I asked for his photo, he was not taken aback, so obviously, he was someone. Well, my flub of the evening was shortly after my arrival to the party. I was walking up the stairs and Quentin was walking down. Sooo, I asked him, "Mr. Tarantino, may I have a picture with you?" His reply, "No man, I am partying." I then walked away with my tail between my legs. Alas. At the time I felt pretty stupid, but the day after, I was able to laugh about it. Anyway, I talked to him. I also did see Chris Romero. She was walking up the stairs @ one point, and I was right behind her. Seeing as though the last time I met her, she seemed a bit...scared of me, I did not decide to say hello.

(6/25) Final thoughts...
Today, the other half and I have purchased tickets to go see Land of the Dead. I am anxious to give it another shot, and to get his thoughts on the film. Over the past year, I have been in Romero over drive. Every other thought I have had, somehow involved how I would find ways to meet him, meet his associates, and find a route that would end in a job with him. It has never reached desperation or obsession, but I have decided to retire my quest for work alongside him. If other opportunities come up, I will, of course, not discard them, but no more will I bother people with my thoughts/desires on working with him. If it ever happens, then it happens. I am open to it, but not pushing (shoving) toward it. Let this year of almost-obsession just end with positive thoughts toward a successful run of the film, and back burner hopes of someday working with this man that I respect and appreciate. Good luck George and company!