My digital TV guide tells me “The Dead” is on right now. I love that story! It’s really the best of James Joyce.
Wait… on the SyFy channel? I’m a few minutes in, and seriously, I don’t remember machine guns and swarms of zombies in that story. Although it has been a few years since I read it…
And, you know, that summary isn’t even a good description of the original story.
… but to be fair, that’s actually a VERY GOOD ZOMBIE MOVIE. It isn’t a “SYFY Original Movie” or anything.
It’s one of those mashups; Pride and Prejudice and Zombies; Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter.
…and then I asked him with my eyes to ask again yes and then he asked me would I yes to say yes my mountain flower and first I put my arms around him yes and drew him down Jo me so I could eat his brains yes and his heart was going like mad and yes I said yes I will Yes.
Rob Grigjanis hereby wins 1 mint condition Internet.
Man, if you think zombies and bloodsplosions are the worst James Joyce has to offer, you’re wrong.
So very wrong.
I’ve read the actual letters, but just… man.
@karpad, glad you posted that. I love the image of Joyce smiling wickedly in the cartoonist’s dream. I had not read the letters before and of course had to look them up.
SyFy=Knucleheads with guns who can’t hit their hands with a barn door but never run out of ammo. Milk bottles of gas igniting whenever something gets pranged even if it’s just a paper airplane. Poor FX, poor dialog, poor acting. All day, all the time.
Additionally, won’t everyone just leave the vampire stories to Bram Stoker? I mean it. The more it’s remade the rediclousler it gets. Sheesh.
The good news is that they no longer tout themselves as SciFi. That dignity, at least, remains.
errata: I have an extra L to give away. I have no use for it and it’s only been used once.
“. . . rediculouser . . .”
What? Of course it’s a word. I just made it so. ;^>
For some reason I was expecting a concert tape. I used to be a fan of the Dead.
I know I am probably being unfair, but in my mind that last sentence parse as “I used to be a stoner”.
Holy crap, Rob Grigjanis! Ulusses will never be the same!
I’m totally with PZ on this one–it’s my favorite short story of all time. I recommended the movie once to a friend who was into horror and splatter flicks and he was very interested until I told him some of what it was about, much like the Syfy description. He passed on watching it after that, but really, if you want to read some of the most beautiful prose ever written in English, have a look at the last page of the story (preferably after reading the preceding ones, of course).
Not only a great story but also a wonderful movie. John Huston R.I.P – you were the best.
Ah yes, as the man said, “television kills telephony.”