What the hell happened to John Carpenter?

[magicmonkey]

Yeah, I wondered where Guttenberg had gone, thats trivial, this is serious. What happened to John Carpenter? I have spent many late night chats trying to figure this one out, it is still a mystery.

With each and every one of his new films coming I still get excited, then let down. Ok, I gave up, I never went to see Ghosts of Mars. Vampires, although good enough, was a let down of epic proportions, it had the good gore though.

I want him to creep me out, providing raw thrills and tension.

I can only presume that maybe it is a budget thing, maybe he just isn't constrained enough to pump out some serious raw horror. Give the guy a smaller budget and maybe, just maybe he'll struggle to get something powerful out. I don't want this to sound like a rant, because the films he has put out post Prince of Darkness have all been O.K , but as he has proven in the past he is capable of so much more.

I just thought I'd put this out there to see what you guys think, whether you have any theories of your own.

[El Scorcho]

He died in 1987. His soul was reaped by Lucifer and a demon was assigned to inhabit his body and torture the world with shitty movies.

[ONeillSG1]

Two for two magicmonkey!

Whose your third, Charles Bronson?

[magicmonkey]

John Candy.

[The Garbage Man]

John Candy.

Ouch.

[El Scorcho]

John Candy.

Ouch.

That was in poor taste... lol...

But seriously, the biggest "what happened to..." in Hollywood definitely has to be Rick Moranis. His wife died from cancer or something and he just disappeared.

[Agent Alonzo]

He is currently playing Steve Guttenberg's bulge...

[magicmonkey]

He is currently playing Steve Guttenberg's bulge...

Nicely linked sir. Did everyone see what Alonzo did there?

[Agent Alonzo]

Take notes, it will be on the test...

[bc1970]

When I read an <i>Escape from LA</i> interview with JC where he basically said "We (JC and Kurt) could do a real sequel stemming from the previous film that nobody cared about, or we could redo the first one for a new audience." I went slackjawed. It was there that I began to understand that the hardcore fan is way, way down on the totem pole. How long did everybody wait for that sequel? How bad ass could it have been? Nothing is worse than a wasted opportunity.

[magicmonkey]

When I read an <i>Escape from LA</i> interview with JC where he basically said "We (JC and Kurt) could do a real sequel stemming from the previous film that nobody cared about, or we could redo the first one for a new audience." I went slackjawed. It was there that I began to understand that the hardcore fan is way, way down on the totem pole. How long did everybody wait for that sequel? How bad ass could it have been? Nothing is worse than a wasted opportunity.

My sentiments exactly. *Raises fists in air and screams Whyyyyyyyy!?!, firing off a wrist rocket for effect*

[Gheorghe Zamfir]

He's stuck on repeat, Ghost of Mars was just a sci-fi Assault on Precinct 13, Escape fromn LA was retread of Escape from NY, got that sequel to Halloween in the pipeline, and every now and then you hear him talking about a sequel to The Thing.

[LudwigMackdaddy]

basically.. what EVERYONE else said.. from Price of Darkness ON I think Mr. C hasn't done much sadly... a lot of grand IDEAS but they seem to be off in the exeuction-- I mean maybe he was one of those people with ONE masterpiece in them ( Halloween of course ) and then everything else never measures up? I def. will continue this when i write my review of the MOH Carpeneter episode when it comes out on DVD In March.

[magicmonkey]

It wasn't justy Halloween though, i'll list;

Assault on Prencinct 13
They Live
The Thing
Prince of Darkness
Escape from New York
The Fog

All great films, the films of a master of horror. Real gritty, tension filled , claustrophobic pics that helped form me in their own little way as a filmmaker and a film fan. Just what went wrong?

EDIT:Damn, forgot Big Trouble in Little China.

[Chairman Kaga]

I am surprised. I think In the Mouth of Madness is one of his best films and it is right in the middle of the decline of his career.

[magicmonkey]

I am surprised. I think In the Mouth of Madness is one of his best films and it is right in the middle of the decline of his career.

O.K, quick confession. I've not seen in the mouth of madness. I took it in good faith from a friend that it was a stinker. I must admit I have been drawn to it, but never took the step. I will have to see it and ghosts of mars for completeness sake and just hopefully a nice surprise. ALso, I missed StarMan from my list of good Carpenter flicks.

[LudwigMackdaddy]

Ah yes.,,. MY bad... Apologies.. i forgot both Escape NY and Starman WERE him... I still think Esacpe is just a fun B movie IMHO but Starman is excellent.

[Chairman Kaga]

Mouth of Madness has some very cool vibes. It gets the closest of any major film to feel of Lovecraft I have ever seen.

[magicmonkey]

Well, I'll track it down and report back here. I hope you haven't got my hopes set too high!

[TheBaxter]

John Candy.

Ouch.

That was in poor taste... lol...

But seriously, the biggest "what happened to..." in Hollywood definitely has to be Rick Moranis. His wife died from cancer or something and he just disappeared.

The biggest "what happened to..." HAS to be Sho Kosugi. He did a few fantastic ninja films, and then disappeared... but he's a ninja, i guess disappearing is what they do.

[magicmonkey]

Woah, watched "Escape from New York" last night, the hi definition transfer. What a great film it is, crazily good fun. It truly is a 14 yr olds wet dream come true. In a perfect world they would screen a double bill of that with "Dawn of the Dead" (original) every damned Friday night at a cinema somewhere in the world.

I was nervous about revisiting it, but boy, it still delivers. The commentry track from Russell and Carps is great too, as they expound on just how small the budget was and the great actual locations they used.

The only flaw the film has for me apart from Lee Van Cleef hamming it up maybe a tad (just a tad) too much and Isaac Hayes' nervous twitching eye, is the shot of them all descending down the stairs of the World Trade Centre! Funny shit, but ridiculous.

Hearing the soundtrack too, in stereo, was a dream, in fact my balls nearly split like pinatas to the beat of the car entry of the duke. Awesome.

There is so much pure imagination and creativity going on that the impact of this film has been felt for years in all mediums. Respect to Carpenter.

[Doc Holliday]

What happened to John Carpenter?

...With each and every one of his new films coming I still get excited, then let down.

You know....suddenly I'm seeing words before my eyes.....


"Wes Craven Presents......"


Different dog....same fleas....

[SilentBobX]

Well he has directed Smokey Thingie Burns, not a bad effort, but his good stuff is too few and far between. His 'Body Bags' anthology was terrible also. Well, here's hoping his latest flick, Psycopath, turns out ok.

[Eunuch Provocateur]

Isn't John Carpenter pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals now?

[magicmonkey]

Pah, as if they're gonna give him the money for "Escape from New Orleans"...

[Brocktune]

Isn't John Carpenter pitching for the St. Louis Cardinals now?

nope.
he's catching now

Moriarty is pitching.

[TheButcher]

From Collider:
A Sneak Peek at Shepard Fairey’s THEY LIVE Poster and John Carpenter’s Special Introduction to the Film’s Alamo Drafthouse Screening

COLLIDER EXCLUSIVE:
Director John Carpenter Talks THE WARD and His Thoughts on Hollywood Remaking His Films

[TheButcher]

AICN LEGENDS:
Quint chats with John Carpenter about Halloween, The Thing, Big Trouble In Little China, Escape From New York and More!

Ahoy, squirts! Quint here. It’s been an amazing couple of weeks for me. My last two interviews were with my favorite living filmmakers. My chat with Steven Spielberg focused on Jaws and this AICN Legends chat with John Carpenter was meant to focus more on his overall career, something I found impossible even in 45 minutes.

When I got the wrap up alert from the publicist I had just gotten to Big Trouble In Little China… and that was even skipping over Christine, Elvis and Starman. There’s some good stuff in there about Halloween and The Thing, but damn. The man’s filmography is so full of gold that even 45 minutes only scratches the surface.

So, while I don’t have any commitments from Carpenter and no real idea if I can get him on the line again, I’m still going to call this Part 1 of my AICN Legends chat with John Carpenter. What can I say? I’m an optimistic guy.

Nobody has had a run like Carpenter. From Assault on Precinct 13 through They Live (and I’d even argue through In the Mouth of Madness, but that may just be me) the man turned in nothing but good to fucking great movies. And in multiple genres.

Hope you guys enjoy this Part 1 chat with the truly legendary John Carpenter where we talk about Kurt Russell, westerns, Donald Pleasence, Rob Bottin, Jed the Dog, Ennio Morricone, Goblin, Jack Burton, Rob Zombie, how underappreciated Halloween III is and why I piss him off. Enjoy!

[magicmonkey]

Great read! Some nice insights too. Quint really is on fire, mucho respect due for him absolutely nailing this and the Spielberg interview.

[TheButcher]

The Soft-Spoken John Carpenter on How He Chooses Projects and His Box-Office Failures

[TheButcher]

Capone talks to legendary director-writer-producer-composer John Carpenter about THE THING--celebrating its 30th Anniversary--and his appearance in Chicago this weekend!!!

[so sorry]

Capone talks to legendary director-writer-producer-composer John Carpenter about THE THING--celebrating its 30th Anniversary--and his appearance in Chicago this weekend!!!

So he says he basically had nothing to do with the new 30th Anniversary BluRay release. That's dissapointing. I mean it terms of any potential restoration or touch up work that these kinds of releases generally tout.

[TheButcher]

From EMPIRE:
Exclusive: on The Thing, Snake and more - John Carpenter And Kurt Russell Reunited

They are one of the most legendary actor/director partnerships of all time – the duo behind Escape From New York, The Thing and Big Trouble In Little China, to name but three. They are, of course, John Carpenter and Kurt Russell, and we’ve reunited them in the new issue of Empire (on sale Thursday).

It’s been 17 years since they last worked together, on their second Snake Plissken movie, Escape From LA, and about four or five since the old friends were in the same room. So they were naturally overjoyed to see each other at our photoshoot in LA on March 7th, quickly slipping into the old routine and, over the course of two hours, unleashing a stream of astonishing anecdotes and, particularly in Russell’s case, room-shaking laughter. “We just have a good time together, as you can see,” explains Carpenter. “We make each other laugh a lot.”

Pick up the new issue of Empire for the full Carpenter/Russell story, including never-heard-before and often hilarious tales of the grueling making of their masterpiece The Thing, including a hair-raising near-death experience for Russell and the rest of the cast before filming had even begun; the marketing disasters that put paid to Big Trouble In Little China; and the magnificent genesis of Snake Plissken.

The interview took place a week or so before news of the Snake Plissken/Escape From New York reboot, with which neither Carpenter or Russell are involved. But we did ask them both about the prospect of a third Escape From… movie, which we can now bring to you exclusively.

“Could I do it again?” asks Russell, shaking his head. “No.”. Carpenter interjects: “He could do Old Snake.” Russell sighs. “I never wanted to do Snake old.” “Why not?” asks Carpenter. “If you’re going to do him,” expands Russell, “do him young. He’s one of those guys.”

Carpenter nods. “They got people working on trying to put together Escape From New York, and they don’t know where they’re going with it.” Russell laughs, heartily. “It’s been done! Guess what, guys, it’s been done. And there’s nothing wrong with it. But what you need now is what John told them then: you need a good young guy who gets the character.”

It’s far too early in the process for the Snake reboot to tell who that might be, but Gerard Butler, who was once linked with the role, seems out of the picture. Russell once famously said that he didn’t think Butler was right for the role, something he was keen to clarify during our interview.

“There are two guys who really do know Snake Plissken and the Escape world,” says Russell. “Number one, John. Number two, me. When it comes to Snake, I can tell you one thing… he’s American. It’s really important that he’s American. There’s a reason why that great fight in the arena [in Escape From New York] is with a baseball bat. That’s American, ok? He knows what he’s doing with that bat in his hand! I thought Gerard Butler was great in 300.

“The problem is not Snake, you can find a good Snake,” continues Russell, before unveiling his grand plan for the franchise. “You gotta get John Carpenter. Escape From New York is just weird because of the way he sees the world, man. He sees it slightly off. It’s his world, it’s a night world. This is his thing.”