He folks, Harry here... Seems that while DEAD RECKONING is the name of the project, September 11th may have put the project in hiatus for awhile. This is uncool at a level that is not even funny. However, with him making THE GIRL WHO LOVED TOM GORDON, I suppose I can't be too furious, but dagnabit, I want that 4th Dead flick now please.
Harry,
I got to ask George Romero about "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon" and "Dead Reckoning" on Friday. He answered me, too. Usually, directors just flip me off and tell me to go to hell. George was different. He also signed my friends "Bruiser" DVD and a box of Cheezits for a strange Misfits fan. Now that's not Hollywood. That's pure George, baby.
Verbosity aside, on Friday, George and the Associated Filmmakers of Pittsburgh had a screening of "Bruiser" which was free to the public. (No popcorn at all, however. Nor snacks. And the lady in charge was dressed up as one of the Crimson Guards from Cobra/G.I. Joe fame.) The movie is terrific. If you haven't seen it, see it. And George was really tall, pony-tailed, talkative, and had huge black glasses that looked as if they tired him from lugging them around on his face. Yep.
My friend Bill got the honor of asking the first question after the screening. It was something about the ambiguous nature of villains in many of his films. Good question, but I couldn't get my thoughts off the smarmy fucker from the Film Makers of Pittsburgh who was facilitating the Q & A. A would-be bohemian, but too flaccid and whimpering to really be a personality at all, Smarmy Asshead sucked the life out of everyone in the theater. I could tell: Even George wanted to destroy him.
In the course of the Q & A, I found out that "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon" doesn't have enough star-power potential; there just aren't enough 12 year-old girl actresses who have drawing power. So that film might never get made. I was forlorn, and felt like vomiting. Man, George and Stephen King, when collaborating, produce some fun stuff (come on, how can anybody forget, "Thanks for the ride, lady...thanks for the ride!" You know, Creepshow II?...never mind.) Granted, "The Girl..." hardcover can be purchased at Barnes & Noble for $4.95 'cause it is one of the worst things Steve ever wrote. (Give him credit, though: He had just got knocked the fuck out by that lunatic that ran him down.) Either the girl lost in the woods lives or she dies...not the most layered of plots, but hey, if George was writing the screenplay with Steve helping, it would be great. Well, it's all moot now, cause George says he's probably won't be able to do it--the lack of star-power thing.
I also learned that the "Dead" movies are George's least favorite films that he made. "Night of the Living Dead" is my mother's favorite movie. "Dawn of the Dead" is mine. I watched all three "Dead" movies on Valentine's Day. I was at the Monroeville Mall today--that's where "Dawn" was filmed. I had a picnic in the graveyard where the immortal line, "They're coming to get you, Barbara," was uttered. So after George said that, I followed up with the question I was there to ask: "I've heard your next project will be 'Dead Reckoning,' the fourth installment in the 'Dead' series. Is this true? If so, what can you tell us about it?" George said that he submitted the script before September 11, and now, because, "Hollywood only wants to do nice films," the project is suspended indefinitely. I retched, but managed to hold back the vomitous even through this terrible news.
That makes me so sad. I would love to see another "Dead" movie.
Anyway, the evening was fun and George was fun and "Bruiser" was fun and Smarmy Asshead was an asshead (seriously, I wanted to chew a hole through that guy's head meat and carve a big "S.A." on his skull.)
Evening Fashion Note: Couples were dressed alike at the screening: Men and women had matching sport coats, scarves, P-coats, shoes, etc. It was strange and eerie like a copy of Vogue showing up under your pillow at night.
Demographic Note: People from all walks of life were represented at this screening. George has a very diverse fan base. However his popularity dips deeply into the Cracker-White Bread-Trailer Trash demographic to which I belong....Screw you, city boy.
And so, until zombies walk the earth, devouring humans hither and yon, I will remain,
Always aiming for the head,
Jammasterj
