I’ve been watching the ads for the new Dawn of the Dead movie with mild interest. It looks pretty good, but I share the same misgivings as other fans of the original. I have fond memories of seeing George Romero’s version at midnight showings in Dallas in the mid-eighties. This writer does a good job of describing the Rocky Horror-esque audience participation that went on at those screenings. I’m waiting for the deluxe DVD edition due out later this year from Anchor Bay. Don’t be fooled in buying the version they released recently to coincide with the theatrical release of the re-make.
Re-makes (or the even more irritatingly spun "re-imaginings") are far too commonplace these days. The studios are all-too-willing to tie a mediocre production to a familiar name and then expect the brainless masses to fork over $7.50.
I guess I’m not really in the studios’ target demographic anymore. Being a parent of two small kids who rarely gets out to the theater anymore, I’ve become much more selective about which movies are worth the effort and expense. I think the last thing I saw in the theater was Return of the King.