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 (twelve years ago) link
Eh, I don't think Carpenter peaked early. He had a pretty much 100% successful run of movies from Dark Star to at least Big Trouble, or maybe They Live. That's nearly 15 years and 10 or so movies. I think it's more accurate to say that after such a strong run, he fell hard.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 28 February 2012 15:00 (twelve years ago) link
I'd even go so far as In The Mouth of Madness, with the mis-step of Memoirs of an Invisible Man in between that and They Live. After that, though, ugh.
― A Full Torgo Apparition (Phil D.), Tuesday, 28 February 2012 15:03 (twelve years ago) link
Mouth of Madness is okaaaay, and then yeah, massive drop after that. They Live is the last 'can be watched and enjoyed many times' Carpenter.
I didn't learn my lesson until paying to see Escape from LA *AND* Vampires in the theater...I was such a fangirl I kept hoping it would get better. But it really, really didn't. *cries*
― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 28 February 2012 17:29 (twelve years ago) link
Also Vampires is the reason I hate James Woods to this day.
banning amateurist...damn no ban button. banning alex in nyc in retrospect too for being such a dope.
― scott seward, Tuesday, 28 February 2012 17:51 (twelve years ago) link
banning me for what? i didn't say all his '80s films suck. some of them are pretty damn good, if flawed. big trouble is probably the best of the lot. but they do seem like a dropoff to me from assault/halloween which are unfuckwithable.
― flesh, the devil, and a wolf (wolf) (amateurist), Tuesday, 28 February 2012 17:59 (twelve years ago) link
actually i think i was just taking alex's thread title and first post out on you. he's not around, i have to ban someone!
― scott seward, Tuesday, 28 February 2012 18:12 (twelve years ago) link
plus, i love this movie.
Pissed that Netflix has this streaming in pan and scan.
― Josh in Chicago, Tuesday, 28 February 2012 18:14 (twelve years ago) link
and i really like later walter hill movies too. trespass, wild bill, last man standing, crossroads, johnny handsome, streets of fire, red heat, extreme prejudice.
― scott seward, Tuesday, 28 February 2012 18:18 (twelve years ago) link
i'm actually more of a fan of streets of fire than i am of the 48 hours movies. though the first 48 hours is good.
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 (twelve years ago) link
and speaking of walter hill, would watch:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bullet_to_the_Head
― scott seward, Tuesday, 28 February 2012 18:23 (twelve years ago) link
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 (twelve years ago) link
ALEX!
― Peppermint Patty Hearst (VegemiteGrrl), Tuesday, 28 February 2012 18:50 (twelve years ago) link
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 (twelve years ago) link
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 (twelve years ago) link
oof i should have known better than to summon the grouch.
― scott seward, Tuesday, 28 February 2012 19:36 (twelve years ago) link
lol
― RudolfHitlerFtw (Hungry4Ass), Tuesday, 28 February 2012 20:49 (twelve years ago) link
this is kind've the second worst thread title ever
― A Little Princess btw (s1ocki), Tuesday, 28 February 2012 21:04 (twelve years ago) link
http://countycrestpallets.com/images/netco-pbx-callback-essex.png
― A Full Torgo Apparition (Phil D.), Tuesday, 28 February 2012 21:09 (twelve years ago) link
watching this now - so many plot elements lifted from neuromancer!
― dayo, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 00:10 (eleven years ago) link
oh wait according to wiki it's the other way around
― dayo, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 00:11 (eleven years ago) link
I WAS ABOUT TO SAY
― Ned Raggett, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 00:42 (eleven years ago) link
gibson has acknowledged the film's influence iirc
― jesus christ (strongo hulkington's ghost dad), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 00:44 (eleven years ago) link
this thread title fucking infuriates me btw
― jesus christ (strongo hulkington's ghost dad), Tuesday, 24 April 2012 00:45 (eleven years ago) link
agreed. there is nothing stupid about this film that the film itself isn't aware of.
― filthy dylan, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 00:55 (eleven years ago) link
the other thread only has like 5 posts :(
― dayo, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 01:31 (eleven years ago) link
revolver with a scope + unlimited bullets has got to be one of the best movie weapons ever
― dayo, Tuesday, 24 April 2012 01:45 (eleven years ago) link
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 (eleven years ago) link
"this is the weakest of the Carpenter/Russell troika but it is still great."
otm
really enjoy the pieced-together open-endedness of this. fits the post apocalyptic crisis mood/premise far better than a tight, snappy plot.
Kurt slays in this and I do mean fuiud
― deejerk reactions (darraghmac), Sunday, 18 October 2015 23:43 (eight years ago) link
agreed
― Flamenco Drop (VegemiteGrrl), Monday, 19 October 2015 01:53 (eight years ago) link
Here is a thing that I meant to post last month & forgot
Not sure if it means anything but it's an interesting piece of esoterica
http://www.avclub.com/article/shot-shot-symmetry-escape-new-york-and-escape-l-225525
― Flamenco Drop (VegemiteGrrl), Monday, 19 October 2015 01:54 (eight years ago) link
I'm not sure I'd call it weak - that is, there's nothing I wish was better - but it's definitely the most classically b-movie of the Kurt/Carpenter bunch.
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 19 October 2015 01:54 (eight years ago) link
xpost Plausible that Escape from LA was done as a passive-aggressive cash grab. Doesnt make it any better though...and pity the foolwho pored over it for hours but, bravoI guess? idk
― Flamenco Drop (VegemiteGrrl), Monday, 19 October 2015 01:56 (eight years ago) link
Ugh, I'm not sure I saw "Escape from LA" a second time after an advance preview I caught. Total bummer, and I'm not sure recycling some specific shots (and more than recycling the entire first film) counts as "symmetry" so much as laziness. All I really remember, though, is being distracted by the presence of the actress who used to be in "My So-Called Life."
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 19 October 2015 02:01 (eight years ago) link
I love this. Tough to pick a russell role between snake/ macready/ jack burton, three amazing roles. Also showing amazing range.
― nomar, Monday, 19 October 2015 02:17 (eight years ago) link
I paid theater money to see Escape from LA, Vampires, and Spiders from Mars or whatever that nonsense was called
Hours of my life, gone
― Flamenco Drop (VegemiteGrrl), Monday, 19 October 2015 02:22 (eight years ago) link
ghosts of mars is spectaaaacularly bad. i mean like if carpenter hadn't done a BUNCH of schlock it would have to be a parody. highlight is when a character does a narrated flashback of all the scenes we just saw, to bring another character up to speed. "so then i went down the hallway..."
also when the one alien ghost is screaming on the hill like BAAGAAWUGGALAAAAAA, that was great. he sounds like Strong Mad.
― Gorefest Frump (Doctor Casino), Monday, 19 October 2015 04:02 (eight years ago) link
whereas, like, 'prince of darkness' is just ... boring.
so boring
― Flamenco Drop (VegemiteGrrl), Monday, 19 October 2015 04:56 (eight years ago) link
Prince of Darkness is not boring! I'll watch that movie all day. Maybe it loses some steam in the overly-long opening sequence, maybe Jameson Parker has some offputting conversational gambits... Once they finally go to the church lock-in, it's great. Wish Dennis Dun had been in more movies.
Otoh, I saw that Vampires was on Amazon Prime streaming the other day and decided to give it a go. Made it 15 minutes in maybe? I just found myself second-guessing every single move any character made.
― how's life, Monday, 19 October 2015 13:53 (eight years ago) link
I love how boring Prince of Darkness is. I love that budget/or lack of narrative imagination determined that it's like the most apocalyptic scenario possible played out in the most modest of situations. Like, a handful of folks padding around an old church while the fate of the world teeters on the brink. Talk about the banality of evil.
― Josh in Chicago, Monday, 19 October 2015 14:16 (eight years ago) link
Prince of Darkness is awesome, maybe my favorite Carpenter after The Thing.
― Resting Bushface (Phil D.), Monday, 19 October 2015 14:18 (eight years ago) link
Think I've watched this Escape from NY about 20x times (uk tip: catch repeats on itv4 often). Plot is hammy - sophistication isn't what I was expecting. That's fine.
Soundtrack is superb. Dean Stanton is the best of supporting cast; Pleasance follows close by. Disagree on Russell, I suppose you could mistake the lack of expression for a 'couldn't be bothered' but fits the Snake tough-street style. Only relative flaw is there wasn't enough of him and van Cleef. Would see a sequel where they were a team (as van Cleef was offering by the end). Instead we got Escape from LA.
Saw the last hour of this after coming back home last Fri - renewed my appreciation of the tape switch.
― xyzzzz__, Monday, 19 October 2015 14:26 (eight years ago) link
I remember being incredulous about Prince of Darkness until it got to the scene where Alice Cooper kills the nerd guy from Riptide with half a bicycle, then I realized it could do anything it wanted. it's like the pacing of the fight scene in They Live applied to an entire movie.
― Milton Parker, Monday, 19 October 2015 17:40 (eight years ago) link
Prince of Darkness isn't peak material but it's still v good and pretty batshit imo
― Οὖτις, Monday, 19 October 2015 21:17 (eight years ago) link
zzzzzz
― Flamenco Drop (VegemiteGrrl), Monday, 19 October 2015 21:29 (eight years ago) link
man between this thread title and the aliens one
― playlists of pensive swift (difficult listening hour), Monday, 19 October 2015 21:30 (eight years ago) link