What's John Carpenter's best movie and why? Would you put him on the level of auteurs like Lynch and Cronenberg?
Escape from New York. And no
>>72064754
big trouble in little china
They live, and yes
>>72064817
I'm so torn between this and The Thing.
But as to your second question, probably not.
>>72064754
The Thing
Yes (as long as we're not talking about Memoirs of an Invisible Man, Village of the Damned, or The Ward)
>>72064945
>he forgot about Ghosts of Mars
Most well made movie: The Thing
Most fun movie: Big Trouble in Little China
And as for the second question, no. Auteurs don't put out nearly as much crap as Carpenter did after his prime, nor do they let their box office failures discourage them from continuing to follow their vision. I still don't understand how he went from consistently pumping out innovative kino after kino to making shit like The Ward and Ghosts of Mars.
>everyone sucking The Thing's dick
it's getting pretty overrated to be quite honest. it's poorly paced and none of the characters save for kurt russell are very memorable or developed. it's not a bad movie by any means but it sure isn't the masterpiece people say it is.
>>72065077
>t. pleb
>>72064990
>I still don't understand how he went from consistently pumping out innovative kino after kino to making shit like The Ward and Ghosts of Mars.
The Thing flopping traumatized him, and every movie he did after that flopped (even Big Trouble). He became a bitter old fuck and started losing interest in movies.
>>72064990
are you literally me
>>72064754
The one where you can deactivate the atoms in a nuclear bomb
>>72065176
No I'm not a virgin.
>>72065163
Why did The Thing flop anyway?
>best film
The Thing
>Favourite film
Big Trouble in Little China
BTiLC is my all-time favourite film and The Thing might be the greatest film ever made.
Escape from New York and Halloween are based as fuck too.
Goddamn I fucking love John Carpenter so much.
>>72065249
E.T. destroyed it. Came out around the same time
>>72065310
And people wanted to love aliens
Not be spooked by them
>>72065310
>>72065354
So if someone were to say The Thing flopped because of jews, it wouldn't be too far off?
>>72065310
>the thing and blade runner came out on literally the same day
>people just kept going to see e.t
wtf i hate fucking everyone now
>>72065077
The Thing is legit 10/10 masterpiece Кинo (/kʲJˈnɔ/)
Honorable mention: In the Mouth of Madness. When people talk about Carpenter they always only namedrop Halloween, The Thing, Big Trouble, They Live and Assault.
I've put Mouth of Madness aside all those years until I saw it this year for the first time. Dear god is it actually good. I'm surprised it isn't considered a cult classic.
>>72065354
fucking normies, mang, I swear!
man I love ol carpet man
christine and prince of darkness are comfy
>>72065310
It wasn't just that.
>came out on the same day as Blade Runner
>test audiences hated it because it was too depressing and too "boring". people complained about having to use their imagination for the ending (yes really) and the special effects were considered a negative instead of an asset
>execs lost faith in it and screwed up the advertising
>sci fi fandom lost it and turned on Carpenter by blasting his movie, the autists running Starlog magazine tore it to shreds and called Carpenter a pornographer of violence and told him in the most 80s friendly way to go kill himself
Basically everyone wanted another ET and thought Carpenter raped their happiness or something.
>>72065584
i fucking love the kino meme
>>72064848
Seconded. Followed closely by Assault on Precinct 13
Kino/the Kurt Russell holy trinity
>The Thing
>BTiLC
>Escape From NY
Amazing
>Halloween
>Christine
>The Fog
>Assault on Precinct 13
Good
>They Live
>In the Mouth of Madness
>Starman
>Escape From LA
>Prince of Darkness
Shit
>Vampires
>The Ward
>Ghosts of Mars
>the Masters of Horror episodes
This is as objective as I can get, senpai.
>>72064754
definitely not on the same league.
>>72066016
escape is shit (mediocre)
The Thing is his kino masterpiece, best directed.
Escape From New York has aged like fucking milk, is slow as hell, but Snake Plissken is a fantastic character. It's funny as a kid I rememebr there being way more fighting than there actually is in the movie. The score is good though, and the effects for New York are based. Also, it's indirectly responsible for creating Metal Gear Solid.
They Live is a fucking classic. No ifs and or buts.
BUT.
Big Trouble in Little China is a literal 10/10 perfection 80s movie. Between the hammy acting, incredibly synth score and Kurt Russel at his a game, it is an untouchable 80s movie.
>>72066016
>Shit
>>Vampires
kys
>>72066016
>They Live and Prince of Darkness in the same tier
>>72066229
It took me years to realize that Jack's disguise in that scene is his character's outfit in Used Cars.
Everyone saying The Thing seems to have forgotten about this 'classic', stopped watching instantly.
>>72064754
His best horror movie is Prince of Darkness
>this is not a dream...
>>72066016
not bad but I'd bump They Live and In the Mouth of Madness up a tier tbqhfam
>>72064754
Carpenter is far beyond the pretentiousness of Lynch and Croneneberg
Also The Thing and BTiLC are his 2 best.
>>72064972
ikr
>>72067273
i want to marry the one on the right
literally just watched assault on precinct 13
it's not bad but aged like milk.
i'll see the remake.
>>72066016
Watch your tongue daywalker...or else
>>72067369
The remake is 30 years older but has aged worse, that tells you how great the original was
Why does everyone like Big Trouble in Little China? Serious question, I saw it a few years back and thought it was schlocky in the worst way.
>>72067464
the trailer shows. lol wtf
>>72067369
>it's not bad but aged like milk
>aged like milk
:^|
I like him more than Cronenberg, who has crawled into his own asshole of pretentiousness.
No one touches Lynch. He's in a class of his own.
My favourite Carpenter film is They Live. His best is The Thing.
>>72067632
wat
>>72067520
It's basically spend 2 hours with Kurt Russell in a chop suey movie. It's great.
>>72067520
its a b-movie and a parody with a-talent.
its going for so bad its good and nails it PERFECTLY. the comedic timing by kurt and kim cattrall is PERFECT, they show no reservations (no one else could deliver that dialogue as well those two did imo) and just embrace it, and carpenter does as well as anyone could ask, especially with the pacing and the score.
every single "flaw" in the movie is intentional. once you realize what they're going for, its literally a perfect movie, but i guess if you don't like campy elements or fun or the people involved it won't work for you.
>>72067663
Cronenberg is not 'pretentious'. he has made some of the best films in his career in the last decade. You got left behind, sonny
>>72067777
Nice quads
>>72064972
GoM is great. Get some testosterone.
>>72067777
I like campy elements, fun- who doesn't, come on- and most of the people involved. Still, I don't consider it a top 5 Carpenter. He has done much better.
>>72067232
>Pretentiousness is a bad quality
Please nigger
ITT - Dean Cundey's greatest hits
>>72067520
It's a cute fantasy/comedy just about any audience can watch. It's not trying to make some bold statement or be a masterpiece; it just wants to deconstruct kung fu movies and have fun, and it does both marvelously.
>>72067811
Oh come on, don't tell me you liked the limousine movie.
I'll say Halloween since it's no one's favorite, only "slasher" movie actually kinda scared me
Kurt Russell has never done anything good for any film and Escape From New York is a shit movie.
The Thing is still his masterpiece.
>>72066944
>being this autistic
They Live is real life. But except for aliens, the secret oppressors are spooky demons possessing those in the higher echelons of power. Moloch worship, child sacrifice and all that.
Halloween is my favorite film of his, even if "The Thing" is probably his best.
Yes he is worthy of being on par with those you listed.
>>72070203
You don't deserve to like The Thing, fagface
>>72070203
>Overboard
>Used Cars
>Sky High
>Bone Tomahawk
>Tombstone
Yeah, no, you're just retarded.
Am I the only one who likes The Ward.........
>>72070203
He was perfect in Breakdown.
Met John Carpenter two days ago. It's obvious he doesn't care for interviews or meet-and-greets, but he's a super nice guy for doing em anyway. He really cares about his fans, even though many are tools.
>>72071093
Yes, you are a desperate contrarian that's trying to be cool. It's not working.
>>72071093
It was watchable and good but it just doesn't compare at all with the other films. I appreciated the cute chicks though and it was entertaining.
Carpenter did body horror better in a single movie than Cronenberg did in his whole career
>>72071478
Even without the clarity of which film you're referring, I disagree. On the matters of body horror, in moments and psychology, Cronenberg is miles ahead of Carpenter, which isn't really a big demerit, because that isn't his main business.
>>72071278
How do you figure? In every interview I've seen with him where people pay him compliments, he seems like the most bitter asshole.
>>72071704
>4th best horror movie of all time.
name the others in the top five now
>>72071603
To be fair, The Thing is the only Carpenter movie that deals with body horror, and it handles the psychological aspect very well. Carpenter just didn't do enough body horror movies, so of course Cronenberg looks better by comparison.
>>72071704
>>72071801
Yes, please do. I bet it will be embarrassing
![gauntlet-thrown-down[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/4avsu5p.jpg "gauntlet-thrown-down[1].jpg")
>>72071894
>>72071951
>TCM before Halloween and The Shining
>le edgy Exorcist meme
>foreign shit to look intelligent
Cool list, senpai.
>>72071951
Better than expected. TTCSM and The Shining absolutely belong, the other two are relevant contenders, and Inside, well, it's the odd man there.
>>72071951
Hmm, no Suspiria or Rosemary's Baby. List is questionable.
>>72065305
Pleb as fuck, mate. I mean, i like his movies too but jesus christ, man.
>>72065077
The end ruined the entire movie, it was anticlimactic and unfulfilling. the effects were very cool though
>>72072500
TCM is good, but no way in hell is it better than The Shining or Halloween. No way in hell.
As for The Exorcist, it's been reduced to the go-to for plebs and normies who want to give examples of "disturbing" movies without using contemporary examples so they can look cool and educated. Rosemary's Baby, Psycho, Jaws and, hell, even The Thing outdo it easily.
>>72072805
pscho maybe
>>72072805
I only disagree in your post with TCM not being better than Halloween.
>>72072500
>talking about TCM
>doesn't mention soundtrack
>>72072649
(you)
>>72072805
This; the Exorcist is a smartly made horror movie, but nowhere near the "best".so is this a list thread or what
>>72073034
If I had to rank only five it would be:
>The Shining
>The Thing
>Alien
>Rosemary's Baby
>TCM
>>72066016
Solid list
I loved Assault on Precinct 13
>>72071951
>inside
>>72066016
>Shit
>>Vampires
wtf mane
>>72064754
Escape from New York and I would put him above those others since he always put his audience above being an "artist".
>>72071278
I want your shirt
>>72064990
>Auteurs don't put out nearly as much crap as Carpenter did after his prime
Losing your touch doesn't mean you were never an auteur. Everyone would agree that Francis Ford Coppola and Brian De Palma are auteurs and both of them have become total shit.
>nor do they let their box office failures discourage them from continuing to follow their vision.
I don't blame him for getting burned out, throughout most of his career the man was shit on. From Halloween to Escape from New York everything was wonderful but he spent most of the 80s and 90s flopping at the box office and getting ripped apart by critics.
>>72071755
I met him and he's very nice. The decades of getting shit on has made him a very weary person but he seems to genuinely appreciate his fans.
I don't understand all the love for The Thing.
It is poorly paced, the characters are walking shallow stereotypes, the effects aged very poorly, the acting is SERIOUSLY BAD in a lot of scenes and it just feels cheap.
Alien, that is an older movie, aged WAY better and is still pretty fucking good.
The Thing, though, is pretty bad.
>>72074139
Quality points, BUT I have to disagree on the Coppola and De Palma thing. They are not in their peak- away from it for decades- but by no means they have become 'total shit'.
Coppola had a sublime 70's and then did a very interesting run of studio pictures in the 80's & part of the 90's, and then chilled out completely, making personal little projects and caring more about wine. De Palma too, went from nowhere to studio system to difficulties in getting money, but never lost at least visual bravado in any of his works, even if his last truly excellent film is from a while ago.
>>72074299
>the effects aged very poorly
Anon, bait is supposed to be believable.
>>72074299
2011 in general was a shit year for movies
The Thing is excellent, and has always been liked and respected since forever, even though there was some 'confusion' in the release.
But it's definitely overrated to heaven on /tv/, for whatever reasons.
>>72070203
Kurt Russell has literally never not been good.
>>72074420
And movie effects are also supposed to be believable. Yet they aren't.
You must be in some serious denial to think that these effects aged well.
>>72072805
>>72072500
To me TCM and The Shining are pretty much on the same level but are so different it's pretty much impossible to compare them effectively.
The Shining is good in that it shows what kind of horrors we can create with our mind, however unrealistic, and our minds can think up some absolutely horrific things. There's this sleek, polished feel to the whole thing, similar to how something scary might play out in your mind.
On the flipside TCM is so visceral and real. The way she just continues screaming and screaming in the dinner scene and kind of floundering around ineffectually is some of the most uncomfortable and terrifying film I've ever watched. The grain and grit of the film and normalcy of the cast make it feel like something that might actually be able to happen.
>>72074521
Now I'm 100% sure you're baiting. That's one of the best effects in the fucking movie. You should've posted this instead.
>>72073034
>(you)
Yeah man you really got me. While I was waiting for a (you) I was hoping there was some way it would go a little further in the discussion but /tv/ can't even do that.
The movie ends with the two more popular characters, after destroying everything in site, wondering if the other man has been transformed by the thing. This ending would be very cool if there was any chance the thing could escape the outpost before freezing to death because again, the entire outpost has been destroyed, along with all equipment and transport. There is no way for the thing to find its way off antarctica before it freezes again. If neither person had been the thing and they had succesfully killed all of it, thus saving humanity at the cost of their own lives, then cool, the story is wrapped up and though both men die their purpose is fulfilled. But because one man MIGHT have been transformed by the thing, and the movie simply fades out with that knowledge, I found the movie to be a bit underwhelming.
Like I said, the effects were great, the outpost explosion, the transformation scenes too, especially in the dog kennel.
>>72074299
I don't understand all the love for Alien.
It is poorly paced, the characters are walking shallow stereotypes, the effects aged very poorly, the acting is SERIOUSLY BAD in a lot of scenes and it just feels cheap.
:^)
![images[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/89WzHaT.jpg "images[1].jpg")
>>72074744
>:^)
>>72074807
>>72074679
It's fucking horror. Horror films don't need feel good happy save the day endings, in fact they often detract from the entire picture. The ending of the Thing serves to reinforce the entire theme of the film. You don't know who is a Thing or not, even your only real ally. But Mac, and Childs, are both exhausted to the point of giving up. They DID succeed. The Thing is stopped in the one place it can't spread. Mac knows he won, and so if Childsthing kills him, it changes nothing. There is nothing really ambiguous about it.
>>72074744
The pacing is a little oddRipley is running up and down the same corridors, she starts the self-destruct, runs to the ship, gets freaked out by the alien and runs back to turn the self-destruct off. Failing this she once again runs to the escape vessel and finally takes off. But other than that I don't think of a moment that doesn't fit with the rest of it-maybe Lambert crying for 10 minutes while Dallas tries to navigate the duct labyrinth
>>72074662
>best effects
TOP KEK, at least the split-face was still and not moving it's amateur rubber ass around.
The only good effect in the entire movie is the headcrab.
All the rest was garbage.
I seriously love this movie, but it is honestly pathetic how much /tv/ defends bad old things just because they're old.
99% of effects don't age well, practical or CGI, they all look bad after some years.
That's like saying that Rover from The Prisoner aged well. It's silly, just plain silly. It's worse than stuff amateurs do nowadays.
>>72074938
I thought the ":^)" would give it away that it was ironic, but I guess /tv/ is just too dull to understand sarcasm.
>>72074940
>I seriously love this movie
Before you were saying the movie is "pretty bad" and now you're saying you love it? You're really fucking bad at baiting. First you were too obvious and now you can't keep your story straight.
>>72075073
So the concept of liking something that is bad is just impossible for you?
If you like something, then you MUST think that the something is good?
That's very dishonest of you if you actually find everything that you like to be good and can't be objective about things without putting your feelings in front of it.
You know, anon, you can like things that are bad, and things that you like can be bad. There is nothing wrong with that.
A true patrician
>>72074972
Its late and i'm really bored
>>72066016
Kino/the Kurt Russell holy trinity
>The Thing
>BTiLC
>Escape From NY
Amazing
>Halloween
>the prince of darkness
>they live
>in the mouth of madness
>The Fog
>Assault on Precinct 13
Good
>Christine
>Starman
>Escape From LA
>masters of horror episode - cigarette burns
Shit
>Vampires
>The Ward
>Ghosts of Mars
>the rest of the Masters of Horror episodes
FIFY
>>72074807
:^)
I put that in to make sure no idiots took it seriously.
>>72074938
Wew lad, the stupidity of /tv/ never ceases to amaze me. Maybe next time I'll put at the end of my post "THIS IS SARCASM! I'M MOCKING THAT ANON'S SHALLOW CRITICISMS!"
>>72075134
kek
![images[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/cTQHGGb.jpg "images[1].jpg")
>>72075230
>:^)
>>72075629
is that near okc? i know an incorrigible slut without standards from there
>>72075629
Holy moly, that's a shitpost with many layers
>>72074934
I wasn't suggesting a feelgood ending, just a conclusive one. They could have been rid of it, and died knowing it. They would have expired long before any help arrived. But because either man could have been transformed the thing would only have to wait for the evac team to show up, I bet they would have come after a week or so of no radio contact. The thing could survive inside of a dead body, and it was frozen before that-the europeans thawed it out of an ancient iceblock. Either man could have been transformed at the last minute, and all their efforts would be in vain. What do you think?
>>72064785
>>72064817
>>72064848
>>72064854
You can't pick between the four of these and Halloween.
I swing a bit more towards Escape From New York because I saw it first and I love the setting and characters, but the man has made so many amazing movies.
I don't think he's like Lynch or Cronenberg, he's even better. He doesn't want to mindfuck his audience (most of the time), he just brings out a good time for everybody,
>>72064754
Carpenter is awful. Can't get a decent performance from any actor, can't into cinematography, no mass appeal, low artistic value. None of his films ever rose above Troma tier.
>>72075779
The ending parallels the beginning with the chess game. The Thing is cheating at the game by not really being able to truly die. But Mac blows it up anyway, knowing very well he will die alone in the snow. It's a personal victory for him, but ultimately the world probably would get fucked anyway. I don't think Mac by the very end gave a shit if the world burned. He just wanted to tell The Thing to go fuck itself.
![I-LIKE-YOUR-9jivp0[1].jpg](https://i.imgur.com/4Yc0lZr.jpg "I-LIKE-YOUR-9jivp0[1].jpg")
>>72076374
Am I the only one who likes Ghosts of Mars? Not his best movie, but it's still fun.
>>72076592
I'm a fan. The soundtrack is solid. It was on all the time when I was a kid so there's that too.
>>72071278
Nice.
And cool shirt.
>>72064754
Cronenberg is just empty pretension. Even John Carpenter knows it.
>I always wondered what goes on at those Masters of Horror dinners...
It's at the Hamburger Hamlet, and we have these strange visitors -- people who aren't horror but want to be. Oh, it's fun though. Now, David Cronenberg used to be horror, but now he considers himself an artist, so he's a little bit above us, which was shocking to me. Because David and I used to be friends in the old days, and now, I don't know. I'm a little low class for him. It's really weird. So I quickly made an exit. "I don't want to bother you. Sorry!" I was like, "Hey David, how you doin'?" Wow, you're kidding me. You take yourself really seriously.
>>72064754
The Thing.
It's better than anything by Cronenberg or Lynch.
In fact it's the greatest horror movie in history.
Although Cronenberg is overall a better director.
>>72077310
Did you quote wrong or is it the meds?
>>72077417
Playing the old pasta, huh? Yeah, it's a 'true' tale by the bitter Carpenter.
>>72077515
>crazy superlative ramblings of a Thingfag
>>72077600
You only need to look at his output after The Fly to know it's true.
M. Butterfly anyone? He tries so hard, but he'll only ever be able to do gore flicks.
>>72075147
Cool, didn't know he played
>>72077600
Cronenberg lost his talent and his edge after the 80s and you know it's true. Anyone that tries to make a show of how above they are over the very thing that got them famous to begin with is a supremely pretentious asshole.
Odd that we argue if Carpenter is on the same level as Lynch or Cronenberg when they all pale in comparison to DePalma, Raimi, and Craven.
If you want to talk about iconic film directors, get your shit straight. Lynch's daughter is better than him, DePalma blows Cronenberg out of the water, and Carpenter is on the same wavelength as Wes Craven; iconic director, classic movies, but way too many flops to be revered. Sorry if it hurts, but Raimi trumps both and you all know it. Carpenter and Craven have too many cash grabs to be at the top. Wish it weren't like that, but it is.
In time Wingard and West will pass them all. Check out 'A Horrible Way to Die' if you haven't yet. Then ignore the haters and watch The Witch and Babadook. If you're a teenybopper with no attention span looking for confirmation bias to allign yourself with your fellow 15-year olds, you might want to skip it. If you're a fan of tense, well-written and beautifully filmed and acted horror, give them a shot.
>>72078702
>My 90's burnouts are better than your 90's burnouts
I don't even like Lynch that much, but he's the only one still going out of all of those
>>72065077
It was excellently paced. And it wasn't supposed to have "characters". All the people in the movie were supposed to act like normal dudes put in an extraordinary situation, the odd-man out being Russell because otherwise everyone would have died off way sooner.
>>72065472
>there was a time when so many excellent films were getting made that you could get fucking The Thing and Blade Runner in the same week
Where did it all go so wrong?
