@moondrake , all I know is this “Lo Pan” character comes out of thin air in the middle of a goddamn alley while his buddies are flying around on wires cutting everybody to shreds, and he just stands there waiting for me to drive my truck straight through him, with light coming out of his mouth!”
/giphy big trouble little china
@simplersimon - Halloween is the best constructed of his movies and really pretty decent for a slasher, it’s not the cartoon the rest of that franchise became. Big Trouble is my personal favorite but like all Carpenter’s films it’s a cult favorite for those of us who get a kick out of chop-socky buddy movies with over-the-top ambitions. If you have soft spot for violent politics, They Live would bookend nicely with your Billy Jack collection. Escape From New York is imho the best punk-apocalyptic film ever. The Thing is kind of a hot mess but if you like gross-out effects it give David Cronenberg a serious run for his latex.
@simplersimon The are quite different in interesting ways, although some grotesquerie is a recurring theme. The Thing is a remake (kinda) that deals with a shape-shifting alien in a manner that makes it especially eerie and memorable.
Despite it’s low votes (so far), They Live is a really interesting take on commercialism and modern society, embedded in an “Aliens Among Us” motif that The Thing also shares.
@aetris I feel I need to mention I know the premise, and have even referenced, all of them. I just have never bothered to watch any of them. I don’t really watch much new stuff unless I am watching with someone, or it was given to me as a gift. But still, never really occurred to me that I was missing such a large list of famed films.
@simplersimon - If you can catch them, they’re all worth watching, and better than most other B movies. I agree with @dude about They Live, though imho it has some AMAZINGLY stupid sequences, quite apart from the whole idea of a “Them” who it’s OK to shoot on sight…
@fjp999 Total departure for him, wasn’t it. Same with the Steve Martin/Daryl Hannah invisible man film. Not a great movie, but totally different genre for Carpenter.
@ruouttaurmind don’t think I have seen the invisible man film (had to look it up & btw Chevy Chase/Daryl Hannah (looks like a great cast)) was overseas at the time and don’t think this one made it to Japan. but looking over his history Carpenter has been all over the place.
@ruouttaurmind Vampires was good, and it had a great score, but I loved the “John Carpenter presents” sequel, Vampires Los Muertos, starring Jon Bon Jovi.
Seriously!! Halloween is the greatest horror movie ever!! Meh, I’m shocked that there are other options in this poll!! Well it wouldn’t be much of a poll with only one option but still!!
@januarymick@therealjrn most Stephen King stuff is. I think it’s hard to translate to film. Maybe nowadays it would do better with the newer CGI. I didn’t hate it though.
@RiotDemon@therealjrn I agree completely. I’m a big fan of the Langoliers. Both the written story and, yes, even the movie. But it was very difficult to put on the screen, particularly at it’s time of release.
@januarymick the Langoliers was close. It followed the story very nicely. Probably because it’s a short story instead of a large novel.
The creatures are laughable if you watch it today. Reading the story though, they were basically balls of teeth. How do you animate that without looking silly.
This was a tough poll. So many great movies by this marvelous man.
I mostly chose They Live because some friends in The Tomb of Nick Cage, made a song, and video, about the movie. Check them about if you want to know about conspiracies, aliens, cryptids, legends and maybe some bluegrass.
Can there really be any better line than rowdy roddy piper saying “I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass. And I’m all out of bubble gum.” ??
I’m mildly surprised to see They Live didn’t get many votes. I am unsurprised to see it disproportionally represented in the forum. I have to assume most haven’t seen it.
/giphy Jack burton
@moondrake Its all in the reflexes
@moondrake , all I know is this “Lo Pan” character comes out of thin air in the middle of a goddamn alley while his buddies are flying around on wires cutting everybody to shreds, and he just stands there waiting for me to drive my truck straight through him, with light coming out of his mouth!”
/giphy big trouble little china
Darkstar
/image darkstar tomato monster
I’ve seen none of these…
@simplersimon - Halloween is the best constructed of his movies and really pretty decent for a slasher, it’s not the cartoon the rest of that franchise became. Big Trouble is my personal favorite but like all Carpenter’s films it’s a cult favorite for those of us who get a kick out of chop-socky buddy movies with over-the-top ambitions. If you have soft spot for violent politics, They Live would bookend nicely with your Billy Jack collection. Escape From New York is imho the best punk-apocalyptic film ever. The Thing is kind of a hot mess but if you like gross-out effects it give David Cronenberg a serious run for his latex.
@aetris @simplersimon Yeah but it ain’t no Escape From L.A.
@simplersimon The are quite different in interesting ways, although some grotesquerie is a recurring theme. The Thing is a remake (kinda) that deals with a shape-shifting alien in a manner that makes it especially eerie and memorable.
Despite it’s low votes (so far), They Live is a really interesting take on commercialism and modern society, embedded in an “Aliens Among Us” motif that The Thing also shares.
@aetris I feel I need to mention I know the premise, and have even referenced, all of them. I just have never bothered to watch any of them. I don’t really watch much new stuff unless I am watching with someone, or it was given to me as a gift. But still, never really occurred to me that I was missing such a large list of famed films.
@simplersimon - If you can catch them, they’re all worth watching, and better than most other B movies. I agree with @dude about They Live, though imho it has some AMAZINGLY stupid sequences, quite apart from the whole idea of a “Them” who it’s OK to shoot on sight…
Hmm. Vampires, or Starman?
@ruouttaurmind while watching Starman I had to keep reminding myself it was directed by Carpenter. A very fine film.
@fjp999 Total departure for him, wasn’t it. Same with the Steve Martin/Daryl Hannah invisible man film. Not a great movie, but totally different genre for Carpenter.
@ruouttaurmind don’t think I have seen the invisible man film (had to look it up & btw Chevy Chase/Daryl Hannah (looks like a great cast)) was overseas at the time and don’t think this one made it to Japan. but looking over his history Carpenter has been all over the place.
@ruouttaurmind Vampires was good, and it had a great score, but I loved the “John Carpenter presents” sequel, Vampires Los Muertos, starring Jon Bon Jovi.
@thismyusername OBEY
Finally, a poll on Meh that stirs me from my apathy enough to merit both a vote and a comment.
@SnakePlissken no kidding. With a moniker like Snake Plissken.
Who?
@januarymick Maybe not the best but should have been on the list.
@januarymick makes me want to read the book again.
@januarymick @RiotDemon Book was much better than the movie.
@januarymick @therealjrn most Stephen King stuff is. I think it’s hard to translate to film. Maybe nowadays it would do better with the newer CGI. I didn’t hate it though.
@RiotDemon @therealjrn I agree completely. I’m a big fan of the Langoliers. Both the written story and, yes, even the movie. But it was very difficult to put on the screen, particularly at it’s time of release.
@januarymick the Langoliers was close. It followed the story very nicely. Probably because it’s a short story instead of a large novel.
The creatures are laughable if you watch it today. Reading the story though, they were basically balls of teeth. How do you animate that without looking silly.
This was a tough poll. So many great movies by this marvelous man.
I mostly chose They Live because some friends in The Tomb of Nick Cage, made a song, and video, about the movie. Check them about if you want to know about conspiracies, aliens, cryptids, legends and maybe some bluegrass.
@gaj1967 OBEY! REPRODUCE! CONSUME! CONFORM!
Frozen, oh the horror of the constant shrieking of “let it go”"
image/Frozen
@growyoungagain I don’t think Frozen is a John Carpenter movie…
@therealjrn I can’t take the trauma of horror movies.
/image Frozen movie
@growyoungagain eliminate Olaf and better movie. Kill Olaf off with extreme prejudice and violence and its a Carpenter Frozen movie, and still better.
@duodec @growyoungagain Olaf and Jarjar Binks in a Thunderdome match.
@duodec @growyoungagain @PocketBrain ewoks vs porgs as an opener. Winner of the second match eats losers of the first, to close the night out.
While I loved Big Trouble in Little China…They Live was REALLY good too…if you haven’t seen it…do yourself a favor and watch it!!
Can there really be any better line than rowdy roddy piper saying “I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass. And I’m all out of bubble gum.” ??
@ivannabc
/giphy I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass. And I’m all out of bubble gum
I’m mildly surprised to see They Live didn’t get many votes. I am unsurprised to see it disproportionally represented in the forum. I have to assume most haven’t seen it.
@PocketBrain I’ve seen it. Liked it. But not as much as most of his other work.
@PocketBrain :