John Carpenter: a film-maker like no other. What's his best?

POSTED BY: chrisisall
UPDATED: Monday, June 27, 2005 21:57
VIEWED: 5062
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CHRISISALL

Wednesday, June 22, 2005 11:51 PM

Personally, I could not exist in this world without owning Big Trouble In Little China, so that would be it for me.
Although Vampires is a real close second.

What do y'all think?

Escaped from New York Chrisisall

MUTT999

Thursday, June 23, 2005 12:09 AM

"The Thing" remake. Hands down.

"That's the buffet table....."

GTMAN8503

Thursday, June 23, 2005 12:22 AM

Gotta go with "The Thing"

BLUEHANDTWOBYTWO

Thursday, June 23, 2005 12:31 AM

After much debate with myself, I have to say my all-time fav film of JC's is "THE THING".
2nd-Escape From New York
3rd-The Fog
4th-Starman
5th-Halloween
6th-They Live

I actually have a "They Live" movie poster that Carpenter, Roddy Piper, and George "Buck" Flower signed. I had a chance to befriend Buck for a while before he passed away and he was the nicest fellow. He was really touched that I even knew who he was. He signed a lot of my John Carpenter dvd's since he was in 5 or 6 of them -Escape from New York, the Fog, They Live, Village of the Damned, Starman... what a nice old "hillbilly", as he called himself. Used to email me dirty jokes everyday until he passed from cancer. When I met John Carpenter at a signing for his film book, I took one for Buck and had John sign it for him. John was nice, but what a chainsmoker! And sad to say, he's looking rather old. I just found out they're re-making The Fog and I pray they don't ruin it! There was nothin wrong with the original!
~LarryL

CHRISISALL

Thursday, June 23, 2005 12:54 AM

Thanks for that story, Larry. It'll probably be the highlight of this thread.
I too, love his remake of The Thing. It's probably his scariest flick. He hasn't made a movie I didn't like (with the notable exception of Ghosts of Mars).
Heck, I even like Escape From LA!!

I am here to chew bubble gum and kick ass. And I'm all outta bubble gum Chrisisall

REGINAROADIE

Thursday, June 23, 2005 1:23 AM

THE THING. Without a doubt, THE THING is the best gorram thing he's ever done. HALLOWEEN was a good calling card, and the original ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13 was a good thriller and first movie, but it was THE THING that was Carpenter undiluted.

The blood test scene is one of the most suspenseful moments in movies, and that part where the one guy goes to shock the guy, and then the chest opens up, SHOWS FREAKING TEETH, and chomps down on the hands and bites them clean off will scare anyone. And then when the head sprouts spider legs and begins to walk off. Both highly disturbing and incredibly funny.

Those two parts were my fave moments of the film.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

And wow! Hey! What's this thing suddenly coming towards me very fast? Very very fast. So big and flat and round, it needs a big wide sounding name like ... ow ... ound ... round ... ground! That's it! That's a good name - ground! I wonder if it will be friends with me?

DROCCULARI

Thursday, June 23, 2005 1:47 AM

Oh my, ask a tough one why don'cha! It's a lot easier to say which ones are not my favorite: Ghosts of Mars, Vampires, Escape from L.A., The Fog, Prince of Darkness. I like these movies, even love parts of them; they're just not my favorite. Take Escape from L.A. -- Peter Fonda surfing the big wave down the storm drain, Bruce Campbell (Bruce Campbell!) as the Surgeon General of Beverly Hills, the hang-glider assault on the Magic Kingdom. What fun!

My favorites are Big Trouble in Little China, The Thing, and Escape from New York. They Live almost makes the list: what would life be like not being able to quote, "I have come here to chew bubble-gum and kick ass, and I'm all out of bubble-gum."; or how lame (sick) would the South Park "cripple fight" have been if it wasn't a re-enactment of the Nada and Frank knock-down-drag-out.

If I've got to choose, it's Big Trouble in Little China by a nose, ...or maybe a nose hair. I love how much fun the cast has violating the rule about avoiding long chunks of expositional dialogue, or the heros' ride down the elevator as everyone is getting high from Egg's magic potion, or just about everything else about the movie.

CHRISISALL

Thursday, June 23, 2005 6:38 PM

But we keep trying. Like fools.

This really pisses me off to no end! Chrisisall

DUG

Thursday, June 23, 2005 7:37 PM

Just for perversity's sake I'll vote for Dark Star.

Nothing is cooler than a living beach-ball. Unless it's an artificially intelligent thermo-nuclear device.

MACBAKER

Thursday, June 23, 2005 7:57 PM

John shot "Escape From New York" here in St. Louis, so it holds a special appeal for me.

I know every location used in that movie. The baseball bat fight inside of Union Station, Brain's library inside of the Scotish Rite Temple near SLU, the Broadway show where Snake meets Cabby in the Fox Theater, the mined car chase on the Martin Luther King bridge, etc.

I still get a special thrill watching that movie.

I'd given some thought to movin' off the edge -- not an ideal location -- thinkin' a place in the middle.

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