John Carpenter

[another Mr. Lizard]

The run of Assault through to They Live pretty much defines prolific. I would include Starman, Christine and even Elvis. Oh go on, let's add on Dark Star...

Another necessary inclusion for that list is Someone's Watching Me! Really tense and involving made-for-tv thriller with Lauren Hutton, filmed the same year as Halloween.

[Claude the Racecar Driving Rockstar Super Sleuth]

How can this thread have got to three pages without someone mentioning that Starman just gets high and plays video games? He's definitely earned it.

[zomgmouse]

Another necessary inclusion for that list is Someone's Watching Me! Really tense and involving made-for-tv thriller with Lauren Hutton, filmed the same year as Halloween.

Ooh yeah this was pretty good, very TV film vibes but it's a good one!

Also sidenote but how has no one mentioned Starman yet?

[NoSleep]

Also sidenote but how has no one mentioned Starman yet?

Is that the one where he defends lesbians against Richard Littlejohn?

[zomgmouse]

Is that the one where he defends lesbians against Richard Littlejohn?

No you're thinking of Graham Linehan

[mothman]

I know I've seen Starman but can't remember it at all. Was pondering a rewatch, but people's silence on that one film in his canon is speaking volumes.

[druss]

Late to the thread but I really think Starman deserves a mention.

[NoSleep]

No you're thinking of Graham Linehan

I've not seen that one of Carpenter's.

[zomgmouse]

I've not seen that one of Carpenter's.

It's one of the best modern horror stories - a man gets possessed by a demonic force and slowly turns into a monstrous twat

[NoSleep]

The Exorcist meets The Fly?

[The Bumlord]

Anyone mentioned Starman?

'Up yours'. That's a good bit.

[Blumf]

What we've all missed is Starman the fact that John has not involved himself in and wood crafting at all. Has anybody ever seen him make a credenza, or even a simple stool?

It's the Judge Reinhold issue. Why do all these Hollywood types have lying names?

[another Mr. Lizard]

What we've all missed is Starman the fact that John has not involved himself in and wood crafting at all. Has anybody ever seen him make a credenza, or even a simple stool?

And him having the initials 'JC', too...

[oy vey]

It's one of the best modern horror stories - a man gets possessed by a demonic force and slowly turns into a monstrous twat

Tense long winded build up to the twist. Takes over 20 years as I recall. Only Carpenter could pull it off.

p.s. Yes to Someone's Watching Me!

[St_Eddie]

What we've all missed is Starman the fact that John has not involved himself in and wood crafting at all. Has anybody ever seen him make a credenza, or even a simple stool?

I think that John Carpenter's got a little too much class to be showing people his stools, mate.

[SavageHedgehog]

Must say I'm not surprised no one has mentioned that one he did called Starman; I bought a second-hand VHS copy of it in the early 00s but never got round to watching it. I assume everyone else is in the same boat.

[oy vey]

"Starman? I thought you were dead."

[Attila]

John Carpenter is my favourite director.

Many of my faves amongst his work mentioned here (watching the Thing on the first goddamned day of winter is an annual ritual).

His Elvis movie is pretty good, if for nothing else, bopping Kurt Russell out of his teeny-bopper/Disney movie reputation and into adult roles.

[mothman]

You should give Starman a go. Possibly...

[a duncandisorderly]

No you're thinking of Graham Linehan

"john carpenter's the glinner"

co-writes the music with neil hanlon.

stars jeff bridges & kurt russell as an irish comedy writer, in a sort of jekyll/hyde set-up.

[bgmnts]

Big Trouble in Little China > The Thing.

[Sebastian Cobb]

Not having the idea that Escape From NY is shite, even if you don't like the rest of it, Harry Dean Stanton as Brain is enough to carry it through.

[oy vey]

Not having the idea that Escape From NY is shite, even if you don't like the rest of it, Harry Dean Stanton as Brain is enough to carry it through.

And Adrienne Barbeau, JC's former flame. The old dog.

[Shit Good Nose]

Bit late to the thread, and probably covering similar ground as in the previous JC thread...

I'll ignore the classics that most, if not all of us agree on - enough has been said about them already.

I'm sorry, but Ghosts of Mars is objectively shit.  And yes - I have seen it recently.  Dreadful acting, dreadful script, dreadful special effects.  Time REALLY hasn't been kind to it, to the point where even compared with current confusing CGI 'splosions and video game mayhem its (mostly) practical effects look bargain basement shit.  And, the absolute suckerpunch, not even the worst of that mini-raft of shit Mars films that all came out around the same time.  Of that ilk it only bests Supernova.  And that went through three directors and wasn't even a Mars film. 

Escape From LA...(some of) its parts are better than its sum.  It has moments, but too much of it feels like a made for TV parody of New York, which would be fine if that was the intention.  Which it wasn't.  Amazing that the original draft of the script was even more cheesy and comical before JC, Debra Hill and Kurt rewrote it.  Also Peter Fonda's cameo - one of the worst scenes in mainstream sci-fi history if you ask me.

Vampires, at the time, was a pretty spunky little film and seemed to point toward JC making a comeback, and for a little while there it had quite a devoted cult following worldwide (IIRC when it came out it was one of the biggest selling VCDs ever in East Asia, which, at a time when it was the most popular format over there, was a LOT of VCDs).  Alas, it's another one that has suffered from clock ticking decrepitude and current critical and audient thinking is even worse than when it came out (when it got mixed reviews, although nothing overwhelmingly negative from memory).

The Ward is pretty shit, although it does have a couple of moments of JC magic, but by his own admission he didn't really give a shit about it at the time and didn't enjoy making it, so you can only take it at face value really.

Even if the film as a whole isn't brilliant, Prince of Darkness is notable for having some of the most visually striking moments of his entire career.  There are scenes in there which belong in some mythical JC masterpiece that never got made and instead were shoehorned into a straight to vid 80s horror film.

In the Mouth of Madness is definitely the last properly decent film he made.  I got the American Shout Factory blu ray release when it came out, and it REALLY REALLY holds up well.  I think it's up there with his best late 70s/early 80s films.

Starman - which hasn't been mentioned once yet - is atypical JC (although it does have a style and tone very similar to Elvis), and none the worse for it.  Obviously really a showcase for Jeff Bridges, but there's some really nice character work as well from Margot Kidder Karen Allen and Charles Martin Smith.  It's a weepie as well.  John Carpenter done a weepie.  Seem to remember the TV series was okay as well.

Someone's Watching Me is...okay.  Feels like a soft retread of Halloween mixed with The Eyes of Laura Mars (Mars again).  I don't think it's quite the previously MIA masterpiece that a lot of JC fans think it is - its made for TV trappings see that it isn't - but it's by no means one to avoid.

Here is where I also mention that I've always really liked Memoirs of an Invisible Man.  But that's not really much of a shocking announcement these days...

[oy vey]

I notice people keep posting about Village of the Damned. Jesus already.

Anyway, here's a recent interview with JC that doesn't have much extra (if you follow his other interviews) but does have some nostalgic clips and a couple of pics I haven't seen before: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IH9pth09jc0

[mothman]

Note he has two Snake figurines on his mantelpiece, one from each film. And - not sure of the third, is it Russell again in BTiLC, or Piper in They Live?

[oy vey]

Note he has two Snake figurines on his mantelpiece, one from each film. And - not sure of the third, is it Russell again in BTiLC, or Piper in They Live?

Check 8.58 - Elvis, MacReady, Snake I think. Unless I'm blind and there's something else you see there. No Jack Burton...

[NoSleep]

Check 8.58 - Elvis, MacReady, Snake I think. Unless I'm blind and there's something else you see there. No Jack Burton...

First is not Elvis, but Jack Burton from Big Trouble (the tank top he's wearing under the denim jacket is the giveaway; and the mullet).

[oy vey]

First is not Elvis, but Jack Burton from Big Trouble (the tank top he's wearing under the denim jacket is the giveaway; and the mullet).

You are correct sir. Distracted by the interviewer I was.

[mothman]

Ah, of course it's Macready in the middle. The mid-calf boots and the snow on the trousers (making them look like Snake's camouflage ones in EfNY) threw me.