John Carpenter (did he get that name from The Day the Earth Stood Still?)has made some great movies. They’ll always be associated with my teen years (not all of them, of course) and some of the music scores he’s written are still in my head.
Please let us know what you like and why you voted the way you did.
The poll is on the lower right.
New Poll: Your 3 Favourite John Carpenter Films
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{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Ok, I’ll start.
My picks are:
They Live- Rowdy Roddy Piper, best punch-up over putting on a pair of glasses. … its only a movie-right?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA-_SSO_hhI
In the Mouth of Madness- Sam Neill (great actor), many Lovecraft references.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_PFcOeM_Usk
Big Trouble in Little China- great adventure in another world that you can stumble across if you go down the right alleys. Brilliant opening scene.
I haven’t seen most of the movies in the poll. On the other hand, I am a total fan of Snake Plissken and totally in love with Jeff Bridges in and as Starman. Have watched that movie countless times and could do so again.
And oh yeah, I love the tight quarters paranoia of The Thing as well.
Any director who has Isaac Hayes driving around in a Cadillac Seville with chandeliers on the headlights (talk about Pimp My Ride!) is A-OK in my book. Escape from New York is definitely his best film for me. Every time it’s on TV, I drop what I’m doing and am glued to the finish. Saturday Night Live did a funny send-up called Escape From New York, New York. Next best (you don’t have it on your list Korg!) a made-for-TV movie with Kurt Russell in Elivs. Third – Starman – Jeff Bridges – My, My! What a nice looking alien.
That said – I’ve seen Halloween, Ghosts of Mars, The Fog, and I wasn’t totally into them. But I love his indie spirit and he had the good taste to be married to Adrienne Barbeau.
That should be Elvis – not Elivs. But that sounds like another good name for D&D.
They Live, They Live, They Live!!! Did I mention that They Live is my favorite? “I have come here to chew bubblegum & kick a**, and I’m all outta bubblegum.” I mean, that’s got to be up there in the top ten list of best movie quotations, maybe right after, “Frankly, my dear, I don’t give a ______.” Rowdy Roddy was at his best in that movie. It’s because of They Live that I can forgive Carpenter for his abysmal remake of The Thing.
By the way – I just have to say – for years I thought Snake Plissken’s tattoo was a big question mark. Which perplexed me greatly.
They Live was first choice for me too. One of my favourites of all time.
Then I went Escape from New York and Big trouble in little China.
But I would have loved to vote for Dark Star as well. What a great movie: an obvious beach ball for an alien and the ultimate surfer’s dream at the end. Crazy mixed up fun.
I refused to watch The Thing. I loved the original.
Nice poll, my hairy friend.
My no. 1 is easy — Big Trouble in Little China. One of my favorite movies from the 80s!
Shoot. Out of that list, I have seen … none.
But I’m with Revgeorge–that has to be one of the best movie lines ever.
That sounds to me like someone should post a thread on best movie lines ever. I know that I’d be looking at the Coen brothers, and also at other Carpenter movies (Snake gets some good lines), not to mention Inigo Montoya and Puss’n Boots and Groucho Marx.
Zippo for me, too, Jenna. Movie fail on my part.