John Carpenter - Lost Themes

[selmer]

Kung Fury is the best 80's throwback that I've seen, even with some of the problems it has.
Turbo Kid, on the other hand, I quickly went through it. The score is good but the rest did not give me much confidence.

[battema]

The way they use the VHS tracking errors for shot transitions at the start of Kung Fury...hilariously genius :-)

Watching Kung Fury via Netflix also led me to Danger 5...uneven but when it is funny, it is damned funny.

[selmer]

Some of the violence in Kung Fury was not characteristic for the 80's, not the way it was done. But I thought the animation bits were excellent, some of the humour was fun, the score excellent. The visuals and the overall vibe was spot on. It Follows is another film which got most things right.
I watched some bits from Danger 5 and didn't know what exactly to think of it.
There are several other films which try to go back to the style of that decades filmmaking but more often than not it's all either very forced or lacks talent/budget to pull it off.

[battema]

All right, it's happening...two tickets bought for the JC show in NYC

Sounds like additional US dates may be forthcoming, we'll see if he shows up any closer as well...

[Toka]

I'm in for the NYC show as well...got very nice seats, dead center. Looking forward to it!

[dropforge]

Full album.

http://www.npr.org/2016/03/28/472166...lost-themes-ii

[JKL2000]

SWEET...bookmarked. Hopefully I can score a ticket.

Great news about Lost Themes II...I do break out the first volume routinely and it is always enjoyable. And his track on the last JM Jarre album was one of the highlights IMHO.

Among his films, Prince of Darkness and The Thing are probably my two favorites. I watched his last flick 'The Asylum' on Netflix during the blizzard...it was good but not necessarily his finest moment (on the upside, Amber Heard = ).

I think you're referring to "The Ward," which did bite the big one.

I'm a big Carpenter fan, but you do have to cherry pick to find the better ones. Although I'm pretty forgiving, and even really like Ghosts of Mars.

[battema]

I think you're referring to "The Ward," which did bite the big one.

I'm a big Carpenter fan, but you do have to cherry pick to find the better ones. Although I'm pretty forgiving, and even really like Ghosts of Mars.

Yep, that's the one. It wasn't terrible but was definitely a lesser Carpenter film. My own personal faves are Prince of Darkness, The Thing, and Assault on Precinct 13.

Speaking of cool JC stuff:

http://www.factmag.com/2016/01/04/jo...vinyl-reissue/

I have the CD preordered already

[JKL2000]

Yep, that's the one. It wasn't terrible but was definitely a lesser Carpenter film. My own personal faves are Prince of Darkness, The Thing, and Assault on Precinct 13.

Speaking of cool JC stuff:

http://www.factmag.com/2016/01/04/jo...vinyl-reissue/

I have the CD preordered already

Interesting - I saw Darkstar several times as a youngster in the late 70s, as my friends and I dubbed copies for ourselves bought at a comic convention! But I don't remember the music at all.

[dropforge]

Speaking of cool JC stuff:

http://www.factmag.com/2016/01/04/jo...vinyl-reissue/

I have the CD preordered already

"Some 40 years on, the cult soundtrack to Dark Star has been remastered for reissue by the gloriously named We Release Whatever The Fuck We Want."

[interbellum]

Quote Originally Posted by notallwhowander View Post
Big Trouble in Little China is on my short list of all time favorite movies.

It has gradually become one of my favourite scores of his. As for the movie - it was a commercial failure back then. He was supposed to direct the very similar The Golden Child but dropped out and made this. Child was a hit because of Murphy's star. I prefer The Golden Child, but Big Trouble is a miles better film, far better directed and with a bit more intellect.

The score has just been rereleased in a 2-disk version by La La Land Records: http://www.lalalandrecords.com/Site/BTLC_R.html

[notallwhowander]

Thanks for the tip! I think I'll pick that up.

[chalkpie]

[selmer]

Quote Originally Posted by notallwhowander View Post
Big Trouble in Little China is on my short list of all time favorite movies.



The score has just been rereleased in a 2-disk version by La La Land Records: http://www.lalalandrecords.com/Site/BTLC_R.html

[dropforge]

La-La Land previously issued BTiLC as a 2CD in 2009 with an identical track order and running time of 96:29. The chief differences with the new reissue are the text on the cover, "30th Anniversary Edition," additional liner notes, and a booklet with a reversible cover (the new art's not too hot).

[JKL2000]

It has gradually become one of my favourite scores of his. As for the movie - it was a commercial failure back then. He was supposed to direct the very similar The Golden Child but dropped out and made this. Child was a hit because of Murphy's star. I prefer The Golden Child, but Big Trouble is a miles better film, far better directed and with a bit more intellect.

If you think Big Trouble... is a better film, why do you prefer The Golden Child?

[Progbear]

If you like Big Trouble in Little China, you need to see the film that inspired it, Tsui Hark’s Zu Warriors from the Magic Mountain:

[notallwhowander]

I think you might be right. I think I need to see that movie.

[selmer]

If you think Big Trouble... is a better film, why do you prefer The Golden Child?

Could be the visuals and the score. Those two elements do it for me.

[adewolf]

Hahaha

[dropforge]

If you think Big Trouble... is a better film, why do you prefer The Golden Child?

I've enjoyed BTiLC for 30 years now. As for TGC, I watched it once, never needed to again.

[JKL2000]

I've enjoyed BTiLC for 30 years now. As for TGC, I watched it once, never needed to again.

Same here.

[notallwhowander]

I just watched BTiLC again on Saturday. It is a filmic world held together by sheer cheese: from the stilted, exposition laden, dialog, to the sunglasses of the street gang, to the neon in the demonic underground cathedral. It never lets you take it seriously, but all the actors play it straight, never winking towards the camera. So much of the humor is going on at a meta level: like Jack confronting the arch villain with lipstick smeared on his face. No one in the actual film plays it off as a joke. It's just there daring you to laugh at it. It drips with irony, but never admits it for a second.

[battema]

Hey, so this is as good a place as any, I suppose:

I have two tix to see John Carpenter in NYC on Friday July 8th (Playstation Theater, I think), plus a voucher for parking. Plans change, and I'm wondering if anyone is interesated in the tickets and/or the voucher?

If so, PM me and I'll sort you out. Thanks!

[notallwhowander]

Okay. I've watched Zu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain. All I have to say is that it was strangely satisfying, and that John Carpenter toned down the weirdness for Big Trouble in Little China. Not something I ever thought I would find myself writing. I just love how everyone was flying around on wires throughout the film. It kind of makes me want to watch Hero again.