John Carpenter: Big Trouble in Little China

Note: This is going to be a bit of an odd entry into this retrospective; I am going to focus more on Kurt Russell and what an action hero was in the 1980s than on Carpenter. For a better review of the film and a more comprehensive look at its production, check out J.D.’s fantastic post on the film from his Carpenter blog-a-thon a couple of years ago. John Carpenter’s Big Trouble in Little China is a lively, funny, and energetic; the exact kind of follow-up he needed to remedy the effect his previous...

Read More

1 comment

John Carpenter: Starman

Starman is not a good movie. And let me be clear from the onset: it’s not that the film doesn’t work simply because John Carpenter decided to make a love story, nor is it because he decided to make a blood/horror free science-fiction film. And it certainly isn’t because of Jeff Bridges. No, the acting is light years better than Carpenter’s previous film, Christine, but it’s just, well, banal. The whole thing chugs along its familiar “road movie” path towards its inevitable ending that feels like...

Read More

8 comments

In Memoriam: Roger Ebert

Some jumbled memories of one of my heroes: Everything I know and love about movies, I owe to Roger Ebert. I remember being in seventh grade and typing up my own Ebert-esque reviews. I penciled in my own star ratings next to his in his annual movie yearbooks. I have my 1997 copy sitting next to me right now, and I see that I gave Eraser 4 stars to Ebert’s 3, and that makes me smile (oh, 15 year-old Kevin). I could always count on these books to show up under the Christmas tree every...

Read More

7 comments

John Carpenter: Christine

Due to the critical (and somewhat financial) shellacking Carpenter’s previous film, The Thing, took in 1982, it’s easy to see why the auteur would distance himself as much as possible from the material of his next film. After failing to get the opportunity to direct the Stephen King adaptation that really interested him (Firestarter), Carpenter was essentially a director for hire on his next two films — Christine and Starman. And it’s no surprise that these two films mark what was — at that...

Read More

8 comments

White Elephant Blogathon: Space Truckers

Paul of Silly Hats Only is once again hosting the White Elephant Blogathon. I've missed the last couple of year, but I'm glad to be a participant again. You can check out the links to all of the entries over at Paul's blog. Thankfully, I received a title that resulted in a surprisingly pleasant viewing experience.  With a title like Space Truckers, you know you’re in for a wacky time, and Stuart Gordon’s film doesn’t disappoint. In fact, Space Truckers is exactly the kind of movie one...

Read More

4 comments