Top 10 John Carpenter Films

Since I've started my film blog, I've realised I have only reviewed films. So from now on I will do a list of Top Ten things to do with films. My first top ten will be John Carpenter films. He his one of my favourite directors and has made films in a number of differing genres ranging from sci-fi, comedy and to of course, horror.


Here's my list of the best John Carpenter films

1. The Thing (1982)

A remake or a reworking of a classic? Matters not when you watch the film you will forget there ever was an original. The Thing brings together suspense with out and out gore from Rob Bottin's dazzling special fx and a wonderful script and brilliant acted by an all male cast, it's not short of a classic that was never given it's recognition on it's initial release. Still watchable and still jaw dropping. 

2. Halloween (1978)

The birth of the slasher film. It's not an easy burden to bear but in John Carpenter's hands you'll be in for a pure scarefest. Starting the film with the bravado steadicam we come into the film from the killers point of view, we the audience are implemented in the act of murder. A massive success which has gone on to spawn countless of pale imitations but this is only one that truly needs to be seen. A masterful work of suspense with barley a drop of blood or gore, it's given us the cold silent killer in a mask and provide a spine tingling soundtrack.

3. Assault On Precinct 13 (1976)

A modern remake of Howard Hawks "Rio Bravo". John Carpenter has always been heavy influenced by Hawks and this is his homage to the great director. A  siege film with a simplistic plot yet highly effective thriller. A mass of hundreds against a handful of men and women, held up in an abandon police station all caught up in a spat of mindless violence. The action is tightly edited and the pace is spot on. A low budget classic that deserves viewing (This remake has also in turn been remade into a less successful vehicle staring Ethan Hawke and Laurence Fishburne).

4. Escape From New York (1981)

Set in an alternative future (1997), New York has become a maximum security prison and the president has been taken captive and the government enlist the help of a criminal Snake Plissken (Kurt Russell) to retrieve him. A classic sci-fi adventure action flick which stars the iconic Snake Plissken as an anti-hero forced into rescuing a president he cares nothing about. A film full of ideas and another great soundtrack it as a crying shame that this movie had a disappointing follow up. Forget the sequel and watch this cult classic.

5. In the Mouth of Madness (1994)

The last great Carpenter film which is a cry shame as this film is brilliantly wonderful at times even if the plotting can get a bit confusing but stick with it as it can be really entertaining. It tries to be overly intelligent with it's reality clashing with fiction, though the film has fun in doing so. Sam Neill stars as an insurance investigate trying to find the whereabouts of a missing horror novelist. A film seeped in Lovecraftian and Stephen King references, it's fully of little winks and nods that you may miss on first viewing. It's a fitting end to Carpenter self proclaimed Apocalypse trilogy.


6. Starman (1984)

A romantic sci-fi drama which is Carpenter's most human and touching film. An alien crash lands onto Earth and takes the form of a widows dead husband and kidnaps her so he can meet a deadline to return home. Jeff Bridges stars as the Alien and provides an emotional performance as a being trying to learn why we do what we do and to understand what it is to be a human. It's a great testament to Carpenter who handles the story and characters very capably but like many of Carpenters big budget movies it wasn't a big hit, so there wasn't many more opportunities for Carpenter take on more mature themes and serious dramas.

7. The Fog (1982)

A wonderful effective tale about a group of zombie like ghost who come back to a coastal town in California to take their revenge. When the town begins it's 100 year celebrations, a fog bank starts to roll in, but this isn't any normal fog, there is something within the fog. A film that is fully of creepy atmosphere and a great sense of impending doom. The film isn't perfect by any means but what the film lacks in character development, it makes up for in suspense and tone.

8. Prince of Darkness (1987)

An Apocalyptical horror story about the arrival of a being who will bring the end to the world. An interesting ideas film about Satan's attempt at bringing his "father" to our dimension. The power of the film relies heavy on the viewers imagination as the film is more heavy on the dialogue than in action. A well crafted slow burner. Will you be able to look at mirrors in the same way after this..... The middle segment of John Carpenters Apocalypes trilogy, starting with The Thing, then The Prince of Darkness and ending with In the Mouth of Madness. 

9. Big Trouble in Little China (1986)

Yet again, another flop but a film that shouldn't be taken seriously as the film clearly has it's tongue in it's cheek. A film that confused audiences on it's initial release, this film mixes western action with eastern martial arts and mythology . Starring Carpenter's regular Kurt Russell who accidently gets caught up in a mystical battle between good and evil in San Francisco's Chinatown. A fusion of genres which is fun and funny. A comedy as well as an action film it has a hero who isn't the most heroic and a villian who isn't completely human. A film definitely for those who would like a good laugh with no thinking required. 

10. They Live (1988)

Starring wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper as a drifter who stumbles across some  special  sunglasses that reveal a secret alien invasion plot taking place. The glasses allow him to see the world as it really is. Subliminal messages and aliens posing as humans are revealed and only he can stop them. A wildly imaginative piece of storytelling, which returns to Carpenters roots of low budget and effective narrative.




With so many of his films being remade or re-worked, you wonder why Hollywood doesn't let Carpenter free rein to work on new material. The latest film of his in the works is Escape from New York, you only have to watch one of his films to see what a talented director Carpenter is. Pretty much most of his back catalogue has been remade, The Fog, Halloween, The Thing and Assault on Precinct 13, if his films weren't any good at all why would they be remade? Watch and enjoy.

The Artist (2011) with Trailer

 The Artist has garnered a lot of rave reviews based on it's simplicity and charming tale. The story revolves around a successful silent movie star George Valentin (played with such delightfulness and glee by Jean Dujardin) who struggles to adapt to the advent of talking pictures. For those of you who don't know, this film is in black and white and is a (mainly) silent feature.



The film opens up in a movie theatre which is playing Valentin's latest hit film. When the film finishes, Valentin and his co-star come onto stage to accept their applauds and from this point onwards you'll understand the tone and mechanics of the plot. As Valentin laps up the cheers, through exaggerated physical and comedic movement, you understand what is clearly going on. It's never at all difficult to follow the action on screen. When he leaves the auditorium a chance encounter with a young girl changes both their lives. The young girl Peppy Miller (an aspiring actress) causes a bit of commotion and catches the eye of our silent film star.


With the chance encounter comes the coincidental casting of Peppy Miller (played by Berenice Bejo) as an extra in Valentin's next feature film, sparks fly as chemistry forms between the two. As their individual careers take off, the advent of talking movies come of age but with only one of them embracing the new technology, the other is left behind and becomes last weeks news.




What you probably notice straightaway is that it's immensely easy to follow. With the lack of dialogue (only the occasional title cards pop up) the acting is at the highest calibre as every emotion, feeling and thought is conveyed with effortless beguile and subtly. A mention should go to the dog as the animal plays an important part in the film and adds certain extra magic to the whole proceedings. It feels light with many nice comic touches (many come from the performance by the four legged friend) and even if the film has a predictable arc, it's still very watchable

A film shot in 1:33 ratio with a simplistic direction (which does not mean poor!) it revels in it's influences which made cinema what it was all those years ago. Simple track and pan, close ups and minimal edits which allows for a masterclass in acting by both leads. There's no room here for flash in the pan jerky camera movements and fast cut edits (which has hampered modern film efforts of late), the camera simply focuses on the actors faces and we as the audience are asked to interpret the emotion and feelings. It's the uncomplicated, plain and simple narrative which is accompanied by it's charm and witty rapport.

It's a joy to behold and a far cry from majority of today's modern blockbusters, where all the skill and craftsmanship from yesteryear's grace our screens. The era is capture with an eye for detail as costumes, dance moves and mannerisms reflect the period so well (just wait until you see Peppy's audition as an extra!). It's a great tribute to cinema and celebrates a time and era where entertainment was the main aim and this picture undoubtedly engrosses, enthralls and of course entertains.

Acting 4.5/5

Technical Merit 4/5

Narrative 4.5/5

Entertainment 5/5

18/20

Films to look forward to in 2012

As we enter the New Year, I tend to get excited about the forthcoming films waiting to be projected onto the silver screen. Here's a list of a few films that will grace our lives in the next 12 months....


In no particular order here are 10 films you should keep an eye out for.



The Dark Knight Rises.

An end to the epic Dark Knight trilogy. Nolan's realism and grounded story lead the way for future superheroes and allows the world of fantasy to become more believable. Bruce Wayne/Batman comes face to face with Bane (Tom Hardy), a terrorist leader, hell bent on causing mayhem and havoc in Gotham City, forcing Batman to come out of hiding to restore a level of law and order. I'll stick my neck on the line and say this will probably be the highest grossing film this year.

The Amazing Spider-Man.

A reboot of an already successful comic book film, directed by Marc Evans (500 Days of Summer) and starring Andrew Garfield (The Social Network) as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. It'll be interesting to see whether this will follow in the footsteps of another superhero reboot (a la Batman) and develop it's style and shift away from Sam Raimi's kinetic camerawork. As this is a fresh start, the origin story of how Peter Parker becomes Spider-Man is obviously reworked (but with a sense of deja vu) and this time he is up against The Lizard/Curt Connors. Regardless of growing up with all the comics as a child, I am still excited to see it, even if I am 
familiar with the story and it's characters.

Prometheus.
Ridley Scott directs an Alien picture which isn't really an Alien picture?!? Basically the film is set in the same universe but doesn't feature any xenomorphs. Instead the story revolves around a group of explorers who believe they have discovered the origins of mankind but what they encounter is a battle to save the human race. This will be the closest thing "Alien" fans will have to watching a new feature in the Alien franchise as it is pretty much dead after Jeunet's efforts. Though none of the creatures appear, many of the "Alien" world seem to be referenced. This started off as a prequel but is now a stand alone feature. I am keen to see Ridley Scott return to Sci-Fi.

The Raid.

An Indonesian action film which has been a box office smash and has created enough waves for Hollywood to buy up the rights for a re-make (for those people out there who can't follow subtitled films. Not because they  are bereft of ideas....how kind of America!). The plot is simplistic. A SWAT team tries to infiltrate a safe house occupied by drug lords but unfortunately they have been tipped off and the team become trapped on the 6th floor with all exits blocked. The only option is to fight their way out. It's a cross between Die-Hard, John Woo and numerous martial arts flicks. It's a crazy combination which has caused a lot of commotion and has been herald as the greatest action flick ever made!!

The Hobbit.
Peter Jackson returns to the world of wizards, mythical montsers and fantastical storylines with the focus on Bilbo Baggins' early adventures. If the Lord of the Rings Trilogy is your thing, then expect nothing else than a man who is clearly devoted into bringing this to life in a vivid and imaginative way just as he did in his epic fantasy films. Based on JRR Tolkien's book, this will be a lovingly brought to life with some previous characters making an appearance along side newer characters. Coming out in 2 parts, expect more elfish and wizardary action than you can shake a stick at next year.

Bourne Legacy.

Gone is Matt Damon and Peter Greengrass, In comes Jeremy Renner and Edward Norton with the screenwriter (Tony Gilroy) of the previous three Bourne films in the directors chair. Little is being revealed in the terms of plot, but you'd expect plenty of twists and action packed stunts and if the previous efforts are to go by, each film tends to get better and better, so with that theory this should be even better, right? We'll just have to wait an see.

The Artist.

A hark back to the days of the old silent pictures. This is an amazing and brave thing to release in the days of blockbuster and art house/indie films. Is there still an audience for silent cinema? Not only is the film shot with no dialogue, the beautiful monochromatic visuals, I for one always loved the golden oldies and as recent press reviews have suggested, this is a marvellous and majestically film set in the era when the arrival of talking pictures. Some of it's stars at the time start to worry about their careers. Already whispered to earn and winner some awards. This will be the first film I will be looking forward to seeing (technically released on the 30th Dec, I would still class this as a film for 2012)

Looper.

Rian Johnson (of Brick fame) directs Joseph Gordon-Levitt as a killer being sent through time to kill people from the future and on his latest assignment his target is his future self (played by none other than Bruce Willis....you can see the resemblance...no?). Expect an action, sci-fi, brain teaser with time travel and facing future selves. Will it be any good? My hopes are high but only time will tell.

A Dangerous Method.
The latest feature from David Cronenberg which traces the birth of psychoanalysis through the relationship between Sigmund Freud (Viggo Mortensen) and Carl Jung (Michael Fassbender). This should be an interesting feature from the director who likes to mess with audiences' minds with his film as this period piece intends to show how volatile their relationship was. Keira Knightly stars as a patient who Jung is having an affair with. 

World War Z.

A film best on a book that has been critically praised for it's social commentary and themes on survival instincts in a post apocalyptic war torn zombie filled world, no list would be complete without a zombie feature. The book doesn't follow a normal narrative structure as it recalls individuals accounts of the the zombie war, so it would be interesting to see how this shapes up into a filmic language. Brad Pitt stars with Marc Foster (Quantum of Solace) in the directors chair. Released at the tail end of this year in the US.

Which of these will be a hit or a bona fide turkey....lets wait and see.