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Post by Mighty Jack on Aug 12, 2010 1:51:46 GMT -5
I started this poll to commemorate Carpenter’s return to the screen with “The Ward” (his first in the directors chair in 9 years). I’m not sure what to expect from the flick; to be honest I haven’t really enjoyed much of his work since Big Trouble… (with a good film, like Vampires popping up now and again). But in his heyday he put out a series of –what amounted to- high grade B movies that seemed to irritate critics but enthralled fans. (I added “The Ward” in case anyone wants to change a vote later on) So lets talk John Carpenter. My Five1. StarmanJeff Bridges plays an alien who takes us up on an invitation to visit Earth (and then finds us not very nice hosts). His unwilling (at first) guide on this visit is played by Indiana Jones’ Karen Allen. This is Carpenters most proficient and polished effort. It had humor and warmth and of all his movies, it actually got me emotionally involved with the characters. 2. The ThingAnother the critics savaged, that has since become a cult classic. As with many Carpenter films, this is very ‘cool’, and recently received a highly praised blu-ray release (for the picture quality. It's dissed for missing extras). Great cast, (mostly) great FX and sharply directed by JC. 3. Escape From New YorkThe quintessential ‘guy flick’ – critics complained but screw 'em, 'cause this was one cool movie. Kurt Russell was a great action hero, sent into NY (now a large prison) to rescue the President. Sure it was absurd, but what a blast. I even enjoyed the cheesy sequel, Escape From L.A. 4. Big Trouble in Little ChinaYup, you guessed it, the critics ripped BTILC to shreds. In truth they didn’t get it - and the ad campaign – which sold it as pure action- didn’t help. The parody (or rather -homage- to Hong Kong cinema) and screwball comedy elements were ignored. But for those of us who got it, this was a hell of a good time. This is another with positive blu-ray notices. Stars Kurt Russell and Crow’s own Kim Catrall. 5. Assault on Precinct 13Inspired by Howard Hawk’s Rio Bravo, this low budget effort got Carpenter noticed... in England. Where the movie was a smash! The story, about an isolated police precinct under siege, was tense and nail bitting. Though today we all have cell phones, we can look back and see how scary it was before they existed Of Note: Look for Manhunt in Space’s Henry Brandon. This was later parodied on an episode of Sledge Hammer.
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Post by Crowfan on Aug 12, 2010 6:40:27 GMT -5
My list
1. Halloween. My Mom took me to see this in theaters when it came out. It was really truly scary and not gory at all(for the most part). I remember critics like Siskel and Ebert here in Chicago ravaging it for it's depiction of women. Jamie Lee Curtis in one of her first roles. Loved it.
2. The Fog. Very creepy ghost story that I always thought was underrated. Had an awesome cast: Hal Holbrook, Jamie Lee Curtis, Janet Leigh, and special guest appearance by John Houseman.
3. Escape From New York. Loved Kurt Russel in this as a kick ass anti hero. Made me want to wear an eyepatch.
4. The Thing. I loved the action and gore. Just me, but I always thought it was a very cool film
5. Christine. Loved the book, and really liked the movie too.
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Post by Justin T on Aug 12, 2010 11:07:28 GMT -5
Sweet, I love John Carpenter. I have to agree with MJ, its been a very long time since he made a good movie. In the last 20 years the only one I've enjoyed is Vampires, that's it.
My Top 5:
1. The Thing: The first time I ever watched this on a late night Saturday in high school it became one of my favorite movies of all time. Scared the hell out of me, and left me on the edge of my seat a few times, esp during the test scene to see who's the alien. I"m glad people have come to apprecaite this movie. Plus the cast is excellent, lead by Carpenter best bud Kurt Russell
2. Big Trouble in Little China: MJ hit the nail on the head, the studio and critics just didnt get what this movie was about, a pardoy/homage to Hong Kong cinema. I just love how Kurt Russell plays Jack Burton in this, he's hilarious. I also love the over the top action, this movie is so much fun. Another favorite from my childhood that I still enjoy today.
3. Escape From New York: A classic 80's action/adventure flick set in a dystopian future. Kurt Russell is awesome, there is a reason people love Snake, he's one of hollywood's best anti-hero's. The cast is also alot of fun with Lee Van Cleef, Ernest Borgnine, Harry Dean Stanton, Adrienne Barbeau, Issac Hayes (Duke of NY is A#1!) and Donald Pleasence as The President. (That's a lot of MST3K connections there too)
4. Assault on Precinct 13: I've only seen this one once, about a year ago, and it definatly left an impression. The action and suspense are well done. That infamous scene where the little girl gets killed...wow. The MPAA gave Carpenter hell over that scene. I need to get this on DVD.
5. Prince of Darkness: I watched this for the first time last year and I was surprised how much I enjoyed it. It's not perfect, but I think it's definatly one of his more underated movies. This was the first movie in years that really creeped me out. The ideas in this movie are very interesting, very HP Lovecraft IMO. Donald Pleasence and Victor Wong are very good and I love the cameo by Alice Cooper as the leader of the zombie bums. The ending is pretty chilling too.
Honorable Mention (#6) They Live: I do enjoy seeing this movie every now and then, it just gets bumped out these days. I love Roddy Piper, Love Keith David, love the concept. The fight scene in the alley is pretty intense, and it gave us the iconic line "I have come here to chew bubblegum, and kick ass. And I'm all out of bubblegum." Piper was the one who came up with that line, and Carpenter loved it.
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Torgo
Moderator Emeritus
-segment with Crow?
Posts: 15,420
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Post by Torgo on Aug 12, 2010 11:14:23 GMT -5
Halloween is outstanding, and I enjoyed Escape from New York.
Of what I've seen of the others, they range from mediocre to crap. Haven't seen them all though.
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Post by Mod City on Aug 12, 2010 19:39:46 GMT -5
What the heck, I'll throw my two cents in. The ThingReally a great, scary flick. I remember watching it a cabin on the lake late at night as a kid. Hard to recapture that feeling of dread. Can't believe they're thinking of remaking it. Escape From L.A.So sue me, I like this one better than Escape From New York, though I know I'm in the minority. Chalk it up to never really seeing much of the first one when it was on cable and so forth. I thought EFLA was goofy, violent fun, though. I wasn't looking for much more. They LiveRoddy Piper. Acting. Special sunglasses are involved. I love the concept of this movie, even though it's pretty darn ridiculous. And how can you not dig a line like "I'm here to chew bubble gum and kick ass, and I'm all out of bubblegum." Big Trouble In Little ChinaReally a cool movie. Kim Cattral llooks great, and it's fast-paced and again, kind of strange. The bottom line is it's fun. Carpenter's best stuff always seems to be fun or scary as hell. Prince Of DarknessI've always liked this movie. I remember when it came out and it was a big deal that Alice Cooper was in it, even though it's barely a cameo. It's still got a great, spooky atmosphere, and I flat out love the ending. Of course, an honorable mention to Halloween, but everyone knows that's a pretty good flick
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Post by Mighty Jack on Aug 12, 2010 23:11:04 GMT -5
Yeah Halloween's a winner, I didn't include it because the slasher genre is not my favorite. Unless your name is Hitchcock it's tough for me to get totally enthralled with something like that. Still, I can't hate on it.
I'm suprised with seeing how many votes Prince of Darkness has received. I thought the movie was terrible when I saw it, what, 23 years ago? Reading all this positive press here, I'm going to have to check it out and see if my opinion changes.
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Post by torgortega on Aug 12, 2010 23:46:15 GMT -5
Dark Star was fun, if only for the ending
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Post by zombiewhacker on Aug 13, 2010 2:45:12 GMT -5
Mild correction: that was Henry Brandon, not Harry. I'll forever remember him as the villain Silas Barnaby from March of the Wooden Soldiers.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Aug 13, 2010 4:30:12 GMT -5
Henry, Harry, Hermione, they're all the same to me. Lets not miss the forest for the trees, which is that Herman Brandon was in an MST episode. Question? Who here has seen "Ghosts of Henry... er, Mars" - was it as bad as I've heard? I've never seen it. And I see parts of "The Ward" was filmed in Eastern State Hospital. I've been there (worked there on a job), there's one section with these unusually long, foreboding halls - it'll be interesting to see the location shots if nothing else. Mod - I liked L.A too, not as much as NY but I thought it was a lot of fun. Justint - On Assault: I read that they demanded that he remove the scene of the girl being shot or get an X rating. So Carpenter cut the scene in the print he sent to the censors, and left it in the prints sent to theaters. If true, I'm amazed he got away with it. Oh and I want to get the blu-ray restord collectors edition of this one as well.
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Post by Justin T on Aug 13, 2010 11:21:47 GMT -5
Henry, Harry, Hermione, they're all the same to me. Lets not miss the forest for the trees, which is that Herman Brandon was in an MST episode. Question? Who here has seen "Ghosts of Henry... er, Mars" - was it as bad as I've heard? I've never seen it. Justint - On Assault: I read that they demanded that he remove the scene of the girl being shot or get an X rating. So Carpenter cut the scene in the print he sent to the censors, and left it in the prints sent to theaters. If true, I'm amazed he got away with it. Oh and I want to get the blu-ray restord collectors edition of this one as well. I havent seen Ghost of Mars either, so I can't comment on it. I have heard its not that good. I forgot to give a shout out to They Live, i'll go add that into my first post. I also have nothing against Halloween, its a classic for a reason but like MJ I'm not into those kind of slasher movies like I was when I was younger. It's not a favorite, but I respect it. As for Assault, Yeah I read that too MJ. I agree with you, If it's true I am shocked he didn't get punished for it. That's a pretty ballsy movie for a young director to pull on the MPAA. Just another reason to love the man.
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Post by Frameous on Aug 13, 2010 13:17:20 GMT -5
I am a huge and unabashed fan of the man's work, not only as a director, but a musician as well. He ranks as high on my list as Romero, Cronenberg, Lynch, and Ridley Scott in that they have all made multiple gems throughout the years, and that the whole is greater than the sum of its parts in their filmographies. In recent years he has been lagging, much like Romero (who is more active, but less effective). I sometimes find myself in the minority when imbuing him with auteur status, but when you think about it, much of his work has found its way into other films, video games, and pop culture in general. I have heard Guillermo del Toro praise him specifically (and he told a funny anecdote on Bravo's 100 Scariest Movie Moments about Mexican filmgoers having a blast during The Thing, and how he can't believe it wasn't received well in the States). Put this all together you are looking at a lot more than Uwe Boll type hack and less than a master like Fellini or Hitchcock. I am a proud owner of many of his movies, and the posters for Halloween, The Thing, They Live, and Escape From New York adorn my walls I have read books on him, and consider him to be a filmmaker’s filmmaker. He has spoke at length about his love of Hitchcock and Hawks, and I like to think his work can be seen as a distillation of that for a new generation. His recent more outings have been disappointing (with the exception of his Master's of Horror episode Cigarette Burns), so I am really looking forward to his new work. Not only as a fan, but as a possible rejuvenation of his career. Seeing Escape From LA and Vampires on the big screen was a thrill, and remain some of my fondest movie going experiences. I also saw Ghosts Of Mars in theaters, but it was pretty much of a let down. For the curious, GOM is a goofy time with good make up effects, but is hindered by Ice Cube's lukewarm acting and its flimsy premise. It's hard for me to rank them as he has worked in multiple genres, and each one can be a shining example, but not necessarily better than his other works. So, in no order: 1. Assault on Precinct 13- I had a hell of a time seeking this VHS out back in the day. My local store, which had just about everything (3 levels of joy that served me well, RIP) didn't even have it. I had heard the theme before seeing the flick, and I was already hooked. I had it on a compilation CD whose booklet gave unique descriptions of each film (which I used to track down what I hadn't seen, and, on closer inspection, probably planted the seeds of my fandom). But when I finally did see it, oh boy, I was in love. Great anti hero (a recurring theme for him), balls out action, wry dialog, and that music! 2. Halloween- He may have been beaten by Black Christmas, but Carpenter refined this well worn genre, and displayed his stylishness despite a low budget (another of his hallmarks). For good or ill, he pretty much is the grandfather of the slasher film as we know it. 3. Escape From New York- This film is text book example of anti-hero worship and to me, is one of those 'it could have never been made at any other time' kind of movies. New York was a crime ridden sewer at that point, Carpenter had like $7 million to play with (a fortune as far as his budgets at the time), and St Louis had been ravaged by fires, leaving a burnt out shell of a city for locations. All of this comes together to equal one helluva movie, that packs equal amounts of humor, action, menace, sci-fi, and Anti-establishmentarianism. 4. The Thing- This one never gets old, and glorious transformation effects aside, is a solid suspense film. But those effects...man! Some say they are dated? Hell, I would take practical effects like Bottin's work in this film over CGI ANY day. And you would think not having Carpenter score this movie would be a bummer, but we get some haunting Ennio Morricone instead (just sweetens the pot really). If this film had been a success, I think he would have continued on as a very different filmmaker. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing. If he had become a studio golden boy, he could have had the keys to the kingdom, but also just as easily turned into a complete hack. I am a firm believer that it's not ALL about talent, and sometimes big opportunities bring out the mediocre in someone (take Tobe Hooper for example). 5. They Live- After high profile projects like The Thing, Starman, and Christine, he expressed a desire to get back to the stripped down filmmaking of his roots. Thus we have They Live, a gritty, goofy return to form for him, that also let him vent his political views at the time. The iconography in the movie is undeniable and the extended alley way brawl (complete with suplex on pavement) is worth the price of admission. Besides those mentioned, I also dig Christine, The Fog, Prince Of Darkness, Vampires, and absolutely love Big Trouble in Little China. All of these are the 'stop what your doing and watch' type of films for me, that never get old and serve as comfort films. I’ve heard that X rated switcheroo story as well. Even if it isn’t true, it’s a cool Hollywood tall tale that just adds to his appeal. There's a similar story where Wes Craven stole an MPAA sticker and slapped it on the reels of Last House on the Left to sneak it past an X. That was back in the days when reels traveled around, and more uptight projectionists would snip out objectionable material, forever altering the film for theaters going forward.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Aug 14, 2010 0:24:17 GMT -5
^Well said - nice to read an unabashed fans perspective.
As to the bubble gum line a few have mentioned - that quip always kills me when Kevin says it, dressed as Santa Claus. Great reference.
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Post by Shep on Aug 15, 2010 2:33:03 GMT -5
I'm a huge fan as well. "The Thing" and "Escape From NY" are favorite films, but I also love "Big Trouble In Little China," "Starman," "Halloween," "Assault on Prec 13," "The Fog," "They Live," "Dark Star," etc etc. (even "Prince of Darkness" has some wonderfully creepy moments)
His later work hasn't been as good, but so many of his early films are classics.
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Post by zombiewhacker on Aug 15, 2010 3:22:06 GMT -5
As an honorable mention, I've always had a soft spot for Black Moon Rising. Carpenter co-wrote it and was originally slated to direct when he, presumably, had some kind of falling out with the film's producers. (Either that or there was a scheduling conflict.)
Black Moon Rising opens strong and finishes strong, but the sluggish mid-section really drags it down. Otherwise this could have gone on to be a cult hit. Still it's a pretty fun B movie so long as you keep your fast forward button handy.
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Post by Mighty Jack on Aug 17, 2010 1:22:35 GMT -5
I was out of cash so this weekend I decided to cook up some tacos and rent a bunch of Carpenter’s flicks. Sadly they didn’t have Starman, or They Live or Prince of Darkness – but I was able to the grab the Thing, Both Escapes, Ghosts of Mars and Big Trouble.
The Thing? I’m going to have to push it to #2 – Watching Ghost of Mars back to back with this, the differences in quality is startling. The pacing, the storytelling and execution is so “off” in Mars, it’s almost like John lost his way as a filmmaker. The Thing though is a filmmaker at the top of his game. It’s impeccable.
Carpenter’s version follows the original story better. To me I don’t see it so much as a remake of another film, but as another adaptation of a story.
To clarify my comment on the FX, they do work well, the only one that didn’t when was they guy was getting eaten by the creature – that upside down doll flopping around was pretty laughable to me but otherwise it works brilliantly. And it’s Cool to see Hitchcock’s matte artists (from The Birds onward) working on this one.
John Carpenter’s The Thing is a masterpiece – Ghost of Mars… not so much, the elements are there, the idea is sound, the execution was sorely lacking (and the dialog and acting was weak). Nuff said.
Escape from New York and L.A. were both a blast. NY is an odd action film when compared to today’s action flicks, where it’s non-stop explosions and fights etc. NY takes its time to introduce the characters and that’s just fine with me. I remember when it was released; Kurt was still seen as that Disney actor, could he do a Clint Eastwood type (more importantly, would audiences accept him?) They did and Kurt says the movie allowed him to move on and have the varied, long career he’s had.
L.A. is just silly as hell, the hand glider scene, the surfing bit, and the bad effect when the cycle jumps into the back of the truck… The story mirrors much of what we saw in NY but it’s more like a modern action flick, more movement and fights etc. It’s a pretty goofy flick that tackles every L.A. cliché in the book – still I enjoyed it. And Bruce Campbell as the Surgeon General of Beverly Hills was the best, creepiest scene in the flick
Big Trouble is just a hell of a lot of fun. Kurt was doing Eastwood in Escape; here he’s channeling John Wayne. Only unlike the duke, he’s out of element and at times, knocked out of the game. He’s hilarious. And the Hong Kong tribute stuff was a delight as was the screwball comedy (which fast takin’ Kim Catrall carried off with aplomb) – I gues the best way to describe this crazy flick would be… What if Howard Hawks made a Hong Kong kung fu flick? It would be Big Trouble in Little China.
I don’t know why I like John Carpenter; I’m not much into sci-fi or horror. I don’t like Craven or Romero and aside from Alien, I don’t like Scott. But I do like Cronenberg and I do find Carpenter very entertaining. Aside from Ghost of Mars, I enjoyed revisiting these again.
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