Escape from L.A. seems to blend together 1980s and 1990s cheese with a mixture of success while others are just too much, though Kurt Russell is still great as Snake. I will say, this one at least does have some replay value.
Escape from L.A. seems to blend together 1980s and 1990s cheese with a mixture of success while others are just too much, though Kurt Russell is still great as Snake. I will say, this one at least does have some replay value.
Big Trouble in Little China isn’t one of my favorite films of the 80s nor is it one of my favorites from John Carpenter, but despite some lackluster character development and a plot that feels a bit disjointed, ignoring all of that makes for a fun flick.
Vampires isn’t a great horror movie and certainly not top shelf in John Carpenter’s vast resume, but it does have its moments, including a fun performance from James Woods, and an interesting, even unique, origin of the vampires.
With an incredibly stupid story, bad visual effects, and some terrible acting ever imagined possible, Ghost of Mars will go down in history as one of the worst Sci-Fi/Horror around. Kind of surprising this is came from the legendary John Carpenter.
Starman is a touching romance-science fiction movie that showcased that John Carpenter’s talents went beyond the horror genre. The performances from both Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen, were both great.
Halloween (2018) was on the disappointing side for me though I don’t consider myself a major fan of the franchise considering there’s really only two good ones, one I consider a guilty pleasure while the rest were either average or pure garbage. I would rank this sequel/reboot in the middle of the pack.
Someone’s Watching Me might not be top shelf John Carpenter, even when taking into account the limitations of being made-for-television, but it is quite entertaining with some genuine thrills.
In the Mouth of Madness is the best Stephen King adaptation that wasn’t with a trippy premise and great performance from Sam Neill under the direction of John Carpenter.
I had seen Memoirs of an Invisible Man back upon its release either in the theaters or on VHS but never since, and seeing it again 25 years later, and although yes the visual effects aren’t entirely impressive by modern day standards, it still wasn’t too back for that era while the story was a lot of fun to watch.
John Carpenter’s The Thing is certainly one of the best sci-fi horror/thrillers out there and just might rank behind Alien and Aliens, though I still prefer those two. Where this succeeds, much like those two, is the claustrophobic atmosphere with the added subtext of paranoia.
John Carpenter’s Village of the Damned has its good moments, propelled by a solid ensemble cast from Christopher Reeve to Michael Pare, and a bit of the cheese factor that is kind of amusing. This Collector’s Edition release by Shout Factory offers well done video and audio transfers and a nice selection of bonus material to peruse.
Although Vampires isn’t John Carpenter’s strongest non-Halloween movie, it’s still a fun, and bloody, romp made even better by an energetic performance from James Woods playing a frickin’ vampire slayer; that combo alone makes the movie worthwhile.
Assault on Precinct 13 is an intense suspense-thriller by John Carpenter well worth checking out if you have not already (especially so before viewing the 2005 remake which itself wasn’t bad).
Halloween is still one of the best horror movies with genuine scares and the introduction to one of the best villains in movie history. While the movie might be great, Anchor Bay continues to milk the franchise releasing multiple editions with some nice new features but failing to port over anything from the others.