28 replies to this topic

[Tanger]

IMO, John Carpenter is one of the best directors who ever lived and is right up there with Hitchcock in terms of crafting a good movie.
I was just curious to know what everyone else thinks of him and what their favourite movies by him are. My personal favourites are Halloween, Assault on Precinct 13, The Thing and Escape From New York. Every single one of those is a classic in my opinion.

[Loomis]

Haven't seen all that many of his films, but of the ones I've viewed my favourites would have to be:

HALLOWEEN

Followed by:

ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13

Followed by:

STARMAN.

[Roebuck]

'The Fog' is probably the one I've watched most often. Carpenter breathes new life into what's really just an old style campfire story. 'Prince of Darkness' has a great premise and a kicker of an ending, but sags bit in the middle.

[Triton]

Well I think that you are being a little too generous in your praise of Mr. Carpenter, Tanger. He is not as talented as Alfred Hitchcock. Hitch is still the master of suspense. I will agree though that Carpenter has created some very entertaining films. I very much enjoyed:

The Fog
The Thing
Christine
In the Mouth of Madness
Dark Star

[jwheels]

The four with Kurt Russell: Escape from New York, Escape from L.A, The Thing, and Big Trouble in Little China

[Mister Asterix]

Escape from New York is JC’s greatest. I also love Big Trouble in Little China.

[Tarl_Cabot]

"Big Trouble", "The Thing" and "They Live"

[Genrewriter]

I'm a huge Carpenter fan, The Fog is one of the films that made me want to get involved in the film industry in the firsat place. Anything he's done with Kurt Russell is great, as are Halloween, Prince of Darkness and In the Mouth of Madness.

[clinkeroo]

I'm a huge fan.

Big Trouble in Little China would be the one I love to watch the most.

But I also love The Thing, Escape From New York, hell, I even like the campy goodness of They Live..

One no one has mentioned yet, he took one of Stephen King's early stinkers (there weren't that many out of his first dozen novels, or so) and made a very watchable movie in Christine.

Fun, Fun Stuff.

[Jim]

Assault on Precinct 13

Gone off the boil a bit lately. But when he was good, he was very, very good. And when he was bad, he was horrid.

[zencat]

Halloween and The Thing are both right up there -- but I also really love The Fog. I think it's an underrated flick.

[DLibrasnow]

"Big Trouble in Little China", "The Thing" and "The Fog" are all favorites of mine...

[taxman2001]

The Thing is the best Carpenter film ever!

Even my old man who hates that kinda film just loves it.

It has the coolest last line of any major modern picture:

MacReady: "Why don't we just wait here for a while... see what happens."

It's also got the funniest line in a horror film:

Garry: "I know you gentlemen have been through a lot, but when you find the time, I'd rather not spend the rest of this winter TIED TO THIS ******* COUCH!"

[Jmart007]

It's a tossup between Halloween or Escape From New York. Not only are they great movies, but they have great musical scores too, by John Carpenter himself. Nothing too over the top or complicated within the scores. To me, they just sound cool. I can't wait for the special edition to come out on DVD. It's going to be great to hear another commentary by Carpenter and Russell, and to see a couple of documentaries. Anyways....

Escape From L.A. and The Thing were great movies as well.

[DLibrasnow]

I liked "Escape from New York" when it was originally released in 1981 but it is a movie that has not aged well for me...Still, I will not find it a chore reviewing the DVD.

[Genrewriter]

I won't find it a chore forking over $30 for the dvd! Man, that's gonna be a great set.

[DLibrasnow]

You mean you plan on buying the DVD -- what a novel idea!!

[Icephoenix]

THE THING for sure, his best movie by far. Ghosts of Mars was pure Horror! To watch I mean. Burn every copy! *shivers*

[Blofeld's Cat]

Originally posted by Jim
Assault on Precinct 13

Yep. I don't think he's done anything better than Precinct 13 since. A few good ones, but not better.

[DLibrasnow]

I never saw "Assault on Precinct 13" -- when was that released?

[Genrewriter]

1976, still have yet to see it though. Might rent it later in the week.

[DLibrasnow]

Originally posted by Blofeld's Cat

Yep. I don't think he's done anything better than Precinct 13 since. A few good ones, but not better.

So you are saying it is better than "Big Trouble in Little China", "The Thing" and "The Fog"??

[Kingdom Come]

The Thing

[Matt O'S oo4]

I'll give that a big yes.

THE THING
STARMAN
ESCAPE FORM NEW YORK

You have to hand it to Carpenter's work on The Thing. The music score was all his in that one, (as I believe in the majority of his films) which REALLY set the stage and the mood.

The Thing will ALWAYS be one of my all time favourite films.

004

[Kingdom Come]

Matt, have u got the dvd of The Thing? - Carpenter's / Russell's commentary is VERY entertaining.

[iceberg]

I'd have to go with THE FOG. Halloween was really good, too, but everyone just goes on an on about it, it's get tiring to hear. And I hate how the fog and halloween are always compared to each other.

They are two completely different films: Halloween's a slasher, and The Fog is a ghost story.

Oh, and I agree with Jim's post up there somewhere: John Carpenter seems to have really lost his touch.

[Kingdom Come]

Iceberg, its not just Jim saying Carpenter has lost his touch EVERY1 has been saying it for 20 years.

[Tanger]

Word is that Dimension want to remake Halloween (since the recent sequels have been so poor) and apparantly they want Carpenter to direct.

[killkenny kid]

Eyes of Laura Mars