John Carpenter

[Cagliostro]

Something you left out, Cail, is that he wrote a lot of the theme music as well, which set the mood so wonderfully.

-Halloween. Undeniably a classic, but I never connected with this killer. Still, the best theme song ever for the slasher genre.

-Escape From New York. I wanted to hate this when I was a kid, as it sounded so stupid. Then I caught it on cable and was totally transfixed. I think this movie is what made me realize that mood can make a movie. And a fantastic score.

-The Thing. Never connected with this one, but good. I find it overrated, but then again, I find Joe Vs. The Volcano horrendously underrated, so take of that what you will.

-Starman. Never realized this was Carpenter. GREAT flick.

-Big Trouble in Little China. God, I loved this. And bought the DVD when it came out a few years ago. Easily as much fun as any of the Indiana Jones flicks. I would easily place this side by side with Raiders. And this is odd, I own this on DVD, but own none of the Indiana Jones flicks on DVD.

-Escape from L.A. Couldn't agree more that this was a film no one got. I think the tone has shifted dramatically, and was considerably more hammy, but ye gods it still so rocked. The final scene is one of the most brilliant moments on celluloid ever.

[Montresor]

Carpenter is definitely an underrated director. Sure, his last batch of films (everything from Escape from LA onwards, in my opinion) left a lot to be desired, though his career before then was solid. The Thing, In The Mouth of Madness, Big Trouble in Little China, and Escape from New New York still rank highly for me.

Effects wise, we still haven't seen better creatures than Stan Winston's work on The Thing, in my view.

Carpenter's films are distinct from any other film-maker's, and he almost always succeeded in keeping the individual mood of a film consistent. That makes him a visionary in his field, unlike many hacks who have tried to ape his movies since.

[CovenantJr]

-Escape from L.A. Couldn't agree more that this was a film no one got. I think the tone has shifted dramatically, and was considerably more hammy, but ye gods it still so rocked. The final scene is one of the most brilliant moments on celluloid ever.

I evidently didn't get it either. The increased hamminess really grated for me. Hang glider? Ugh.

[Usivius]

-Escape from L.A. Couldn't agree more that this was a film no one got. I think the tone has shifted dramatically, and was considerably more hammy, but ye gods it still so rocked. The final scene is one of the most brilliant moments on celluloid ever.

I evidently didn't get it either. The increased hamminess really grated for me. Hang glider? Ugh.

Double Ugh for me .. apparently we have greatly different tastes in 'rock'...

... chasing a wave... sheesh