"Escape From New York" - stupid film, but.... Classic or Dud?

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Well, isn't it? I mean, it's still great, but c'mon....TELL ME it's not stupid.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 7 March 2004 00:49 (9 years ago) Permalink

it's amovie that tthinks with its dick. it's not stupid it's different

― :|, Sunday, 7 March 2004 00:59 (9 years ago) Permalink

maybe alittle stuppid yes but manly stupid

― :|, Sunday, 7 March 2004 01:01 (9 years ago) Permalink

Totally classic. The sequel was rubbish because of the really stupid surfing scene.

― Ste (Fuzzy), Sunday, 7 March 2004 01:23 (9 years ago) Permalink

Well, surfing is stupid.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 7 March 2004 21:53 (9 years ago) Permalink

by the way, CLASSIC

― s1ocki (slutsky), Sunday, 7 March 2004 22:11 (9 years ago) Permalink

You know, after the speech at the beginning, I was pretty disappointed by the Warriors too. Overhyped.

― Anthony Miccio (Anthony Miccio), Sunday, 7 March 2004 22:12 (9 years ago) Permalink

Wrong. Twenty push-ups for that, Anthony.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 7 March 2004 22:13 (9 years ago) Permalink

The bad thing about the Warriors is that their leader, the coolest one, gets killed right away.

― Dan I. (Dan I.), Sunday, 7 March 2004 22:22 (9 years ago) Permalink

Yeah, but Swan takes over....and he's cool!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 7 March 2004 22:24 (9 years ago) Permalink

Meanwhile, Ajax gets himself arrested and humiliated by Mercedes Reuhl!

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Sunday, 7 March 2004 22:28 (9 years ago) Permalink

In Riverside Park, no less.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Sunday, 7 March 2004 22:30 (9 years ago) Permalink

Has anyone picked up the new Escape From New York DVD yet? Carpenter has a commentary track on it, but I was wondering if Russell was in on it too. Their commentary is the total highlight of the Big Trouble... and The Thing discs.

Also, EFNY is total classic.

― Elvis Telecom (Chris Barrus), Tuesday, 9 March 2004 00:51 (9 years ago) Permalink

I love it on the Big Trouble commentary when they start yakking about their kids' efforts in hockey.

― Ned Raggett (Ned), Tuesday, 9 March 2004 01:00 (9 years ago) Permalink

Oooh...Carpenter commentary sounds great!

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Tuesday, 9 March 2004 01:19 (9 years ago) Permalink

4 months pass...

It's on AMC right now. Again.

i say this sheerly as an observation and without misogynist or sexist intent -- Adrian Barbeau's breasts were a thing of jaw-dropping splendor.

― Alex in NYC (vassifer), Thursday, 29 July 2004 02:33 (8 years ago) Permalink

Or were they two things?

― St. Nicholas (Nick A.), Thursday, 29 July 2004 13:50 (8 years ago) Permalink

2 years pass...

Also John Carpenter totally has the mind of a twelve year old boy, which I intend as a sincere compliment.

I agree, and it's what I detest most about his movies.

EfNY is watchable, Russell is sexy (and doing a laidback Clint Eastwood impression), but sorry, the opening half-hour is even more deadly w/ the exposition than usual for Carpenter. And the jokey American Bandstand ending? Are we not sposed to take the second-reel "human survival hangs in the balance" w/ the president's summit meeting seriously? I prefer a hero with some non-solipsistic moral connection even in dumb stuff.

The head on the parking meter is the best laugh.

Snake Plissken (played in unintentionally hilarious camp fahsion by Mr.Goldie Hawn, Kurt Russell).

You've gotta be kidding. KR ain't stupid.

― Dr Morbius, Wednesday, 18 April 2007 14:20 (6 years ago) Permalink

i dunno, dude, have you ever seen captain ron?

― the schef (adam schefter ha ha), Wednesday, 18 April 2007 14:22 (6 years ago) Permalink

The problem with Captain Ron is everything BUT Kurt Russell!

― kenan, Wednesday, 18 April 2007 14:27 (6 years ago) Permalink

ok that is a good point but agreeing to do that movie indicates a certain lack of intelligence. or that he owed a lot of money to someone.

― the schef (adam schefter ha ha), Wednesday, 18 April 2007 14:31 (6 years ago) Permalink

they can't all be Used Cars or Silkwood.

― Dr Morbius, Wednesday, 18 April 2007 14:38 (6 years ago) Permalink

no, captain ron is one of the worst movies i've ever seen, is the thing.

― the schef (adam schefter ha ha), Wednesday, 18 April 2007 14:39 (6 years ago) Permalink

i mean the pull quote on the box just says "FUNNY", i mean honestly with all the local station hacks willing to be bought in this world, the best they could do is "FUNNY"

― the schef (adam schefter ha ha), Wednesday, 18 April 2007 14:40 (6 years ago) Permalink

haha Martin Short can suck the life out of anything, I'm convinced. He's a comedy vampire.

― kenan, Wednesday, 18 April 2007 14:41 (6 years ago) Permalink

Martin Short was fucking great on SCTV. Then it was time to earn.

― Dr Morbius, Wednesday, 18 April 2007 14:48 (6 years ago) Permalink

1 year passes...

god i love this movie
and john carpenter
i feel like i have rediscovered something and it's changing my life all over again
and i'm not even a 12-yr-old boy!

― rrrobyn, Monday, 19 May 2008 23:26 (5 years ago) Permalink

Personally I love Big Trouble in Little China, who's with me?

― chap, Monday, 19 May 2008 23:34 (5 years ago) Permalink

i think this is my spring/summer of john carpenter (realized i've never seen 'ghosts of mars' or 'vampires' all the way through, so, hm)

i think it will rule

― rrrobyn, Monday, 19 May 2008 23:34 (5 years ago) Permalink

ernest borgnine and i have the same birthday

― rrrobyn, Monday, 19 May 2008 23:43 (5 years ago) Permalink

Jeez, Rrobyn. I'm a Carpenter fan, but those are both terrible movies.

― Oilyrags, Monday, 19 May 2008 23:48 (5 years ago) Permalink

realize the parenthetical - they will be in context of greater carpenter + i have completist tendencies

― rrrobyn, Monday, 19 May 2008 23:51 (5 years ago) Permalink

Ah, I see. Well, enjoy the good ones, then!

― Oilyrags, Tuesday, 20 May 2008 00:01 (5 years ago) Permalink

Pliskin's tat is out of control.

― Abbott, Tuesday, 20 May 2008 00:05 (5 years ago) Permalink

2 months pass...

this movie hasn't aged well IMHO

― Eisbaer, Friday, 1 August 2008 18:58 (4 years ago) Permalink

seeing it again after all these years, it looks ... and SOUNDS ... like an apocalyptic episode of "knight rider."

― Eisbaer, Friday, 1 August 2008 18:59 (4 years ago) Permalink

soundtrack may be best part.

― Steve Shasta, Friday, 1 August 2008 19:04 (4 years ago) Permalink

^ what he said

― jaxon, Friday, 1 August 2008 19:08 (4 years ago) Permalink

Some day I might write a blog about how the ending of the sequel has caused it to endure in my memory FAR longer than the tons and tons of better movies out there. It's really an awesome 15 seconds.

― Eric H., Friday, 1 August 2008 19:11 (4 years ago) Permalink

what is actually on the tape?

― Catsupppppppppppppp dude 茄蕃, Friday, 1 August 2008 19:13 (4 years ago) Permalink

Easily Adrian Barbau's finest hour.

ADRIENNE BARBEAU for the love of FIRE

and her finest hour is Swamp Thing obv

― David R., Friday, 1 August 2008 19:25 (4 years ago) Permalink

Some day I might write a blog about how the ending of the sequel has caused it to endure in my memory FAR longer than the tons and tons of better movies out there. It's really an awesome 15 seconds.

this is totally true!

― Simon H., Friday, 1 August 2008 19:31 (4 years ago) Permalink

Its aged really well, prob the best thing Carpenter ever did!

― xyzzzz__, Saturday, 2 August 2008 14:52 (4 years ago) Permalink

4 months pass...

This movie hasn't aged as well as Big Trouble in Little China or Halloween, but its pretty good, considering.

And Adrienne Barbeau's breasts are amazing to behold.

― B.L.A.M., Wednesday, 17 December 2008 04:50 (4 years ago) Permalink

And Isaac Hayes' car is amazing.

― B.L.A.M., Wednesday, 17 December 2008 04:50 (4 years ago) Permalink

I think it's a part of many St. Louisan filmlovers' development to see this as a kid, just dig it like any other wacky movie, find out it was shot all downtown because downtown looks like a post-apocalyptic New York, rewatch it, and fall totally in love with it.

Seriously, I've known at least people who've gone through this cycle.

― en i see kay, Wednesday, 17 December 2008 05:37 (4 years ago) Permalink

at least six people

― en i see kay, Wednesday, 17 December 2008 05:38 (4 years ago) Permalink

3 years pass...

Just watched this for the first time as a followup to doing BTILC the other night (see thread). It's...okay? Like, it cleaves so close to being the world's most generic dystopian craphole movie (I'm thinking of MST3k fave City Limits here), just a string of terrible cliches...but then there's this great supporting cast, who really do elevate the hell out of this: Lee Van Cleef is awesome, Ernest Borgnine is charming, Isaac Hayes is basically cool, and Harry Dean Stanton plays the sleazy treacherous guy like a sleazy treacherous guy who's had all the sleaze dried out of him in a few years of living in New York.

Soundtrack's sweet too. So I guess what didn't click for me was either the plot (great premise, but the episodes went up to 5 when they needed to go up to 11) or, sad to say, Kurt Russell, who looks and feels like he's cosplaying the character. Maybe it's just after watching BTILC, where he gets so much more material to work with, good lines, some jokes...here he just wheezes and grunts his way through the scenes. I still basically want to see him escape from New York but I'm not cheering when he does.

So, based on the above, should I keep following Russell & Carpenter down the Netflix rabbit hole? I get the impression Escape from LA is to be avoided at all costs...

― Doctor Casino, Tuesday, 28 February 2012 07:47 (1 year ago) Permalink

yeah this film has a lot going for it but it manages to squander way too much of that. there's a lot of neat stuff that shows up and just kind of fizzles out b/c carpenter didn't seem to know what do with it, plot-wise. this is true of a bunch of other carpenter movies: they live (which like escape from n.y. has a climax that feels very rote), the thing (ditto)... not to mention the horrible crap he made in the 90s and 00s.

― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Tuesday, 28 February 2012 10:26 (1 year ago) Permalink

like walter hill (a more unusual and somewhat better director IMO), he peaked early.

assault/halloween vs. the driver/the warriors??

― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Tuesday, 28 February 2012 10:28 (1 year ago) Permalink

Skipping 11 messages at this point... Click here if you want to load them all.

though my fave three came out three years in a row: warriors, long riders, and southern comfort.

― scott seward, Tuesday, 28 February 2012 18:20 (1 year ago) Permalink

and speaking of walter hill, would watch:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullet_to_the_Head

― scott seward, Tuesday, 28 February 2012 18:23 (1 year ago) Permalink

banning alex in nyc in retrospect too for being such a dope.

Why don't you go gargle with a bag of your own filth?

― Alex in NYC, Tuesday, 28 February 2012 18:35 (1 year ago) Permalink

ALEX!

― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 28 February 2012 18:50 (1 year ago) Permalink

If an eyepatch and camo pants is wrong, I don't want it to be right.

― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 28 February 2012 18:52 (1 year ago) Permalink

this is the weakest of the Carpenter/Russell troika but it is still great. Carpenter had an amazing 15 year run - Josh in Chicago otm about that. Even stuff like the Fog and They Live are loads of fun.

― Artful Dodderer (Shakey Mo Collier), Tuesday, 28 February 2012 18:57 (1 year ago) Permalink

oof i should have known better than to summon the grouch.

― scott seward, Tuesday, 28 February 2012 19:36 (1 year ago) Permalink

lol

― RudolfHitlerFtw (Hungry4Ass), Tuesday, 28 February 2012 20:49 (1 year ago) Permalink

this is kind've the second worst thread title ever

― A Little Princess btw (s1ocki), Tuesday, 28 February 2012 21:04 (1 year ago) Permalink

― A Full Torgo Apparition (Phil D.), Tuesday, 28 February 2012 21:09 (1 year ago) Permalink

1 month passes...

watching this now - so many plot elements lifted from neuromancer!

― dayo, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 00:10 (1 year ago) Permalink

oh wait according to wiki it's the other way around

― dayo, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 00:11 (1 year ago) Permalink

I WAS ABOUT TO SAY

― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 00:42 (1 year ago) Permalink

gibson has acknowledged the film's influence iirc

― jesus christ (strongo hulkington's ghost dad), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 00:44 (1 year ago) Permalink

this thread title fucking infuriates me btw

― jesus christ (strongo hulkington's ghost dad), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 00:45 (1 year ago) Permalink

agreed. there is nothing stupid about this film that the film itself isn't aware of.

― filthy dylan, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 00:55 (1 year ago) Permalink

the other thread only has like 5 posts :(

― dayo, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 01:31 (1 year ago) Permalink

revolver with a scope + unlimited bullets has got to be one of the best movie weapons ever

― dayo, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 01:45 (1 year ago) Permalink

you know what is surprisingly entertaining and competently written? the novelization of this movie.

― jesus christ (strongo hulkington's ghost dad), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 02:14 (1 year ago) Permalink

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