It came out to mixed reviews and tepid box office numbers, but Woody Allen’s “Cassandra’s Dream” (2007) deserved better.

Much better.

Well-written and directed — and beautifully acted -– the neo noir thriller stars Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell as star-crossed, working class brothers in London.

McGregor plays the smart brother, who toils in his father’s money-losing restaurant while dreaming of a bigger life and chasing a woman out of his league. Farrell’s brother is a sensitive grease monkey/compulsive gambler who finds himself dangerously deep in debt.

When a rich uncle (Tom Wilkinson) asks for their help, it promises a way out for both brothers -– but at a terrible price.

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Let’s get the obvious out of the way immediately: George A. Romero, father of the modern-day zombie movie, is a genre — and general — filmmaking giant. Mr. Romero could release a 90-minute test pattern and his legacy would be secure.

But man alive (or undead), is his latest film dreadful.

I love the ‘Dead’ series like Pittsburgh zombie’s love human flesh. So when ‘Diary’ came out, I searched all over L.A. to catch it (and the fact that it was only playing at Grauman’s Chinese Theater did little to dampen my enthusiasm.)

Sadly, it was probably the worst movie I’ve ever watched in its entirety — and I’ve seen several Uwe Boll flicks.

It’s on DVD soon, so you can see for yourself.

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