In this episode we celebrate and explore the films of legendary film-maker, John Carpenter! Carpenter is such a unique director, a man who has always done things his own way, with a real talent for story-telling. The Planet 8 crew will start by discussing Carpenter's early life and how he became a film-maker.
We move on to a discussion of the qualities that define John Carpenter's style. Obviously we'll talk about his work with his film soundtracks, but there are so many other aspects to a "John Carpenter film" - the 'slow burn' or building of suspense, his use of unusual camera angles or long takes, his distrust of authority figures, and so much more.
As we go through Carpenter's style, we'll talk about his films, lingering on some of our favorites, including The Thing (we dedicated a whole episode to it -you can hear it here), Halloween, The Fog, Escape from New York, They Live, and Big Trouble in Little China. But we also talk about some of his films that aren't on our favorites list too, just to balance things out.
Without a doubt, Carpenter has an impressive and varied portfolio that includes some real classics. If all he had ever done was make The Thing, he would be a master, but he's made so many films that exhibit incredible skill and style. He's truly an amazing film-maker.
For the Sensor Sweep this week, we sadly note the passing of Nichelle Nichols, famed for her portrayal of Lieutenant Uhura on the original Star Trek. Nichols was 89. Beyond the impact she had in her role as one of the very first African American women on TV who wasn't in a subservient role, Nichols went on to work with NASA to recruit women and people of color into the astronaut corps. A constant presence on the convention circuit, she was known for her warmth and beautiful smile. She will be greatly missed.
That's it for this go round. Please share your thoughts with us on anything we talked about -or forgot to talk about!
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Great topic - Carpenter's filmography can be discussed endlessly. Like you guys, I also the diversity of his films fascinating: it's odd to think that the same guy who made The Thing and Halloween also did, say, Big Trouble in Little China, The Philadelphia Experiment or Starman.
ReplyDeleteIt's also interesting that - as you all noted - many of his films either bombed or didn't make much of a splash when they were released, but then became cult favorites later (that's definitely the case for his first feature-length movie, Dark Star, which I'd *really* want to see).
Personally, my favorite Carpenter films are Escape from NY (watched it last year; yes, it holds up really well) and They Live, while The Fog is up there as one of my favorite horror films. And speaking of those three films, Larry and Bob highlighted something I never thought about before, i.e. the female leads who would be distracting in films by a lesser director: Barbeau, Jamie Lee Curtis and Meg Foster.
O.k., I'll wind down this long-winded comment by noting that I have never, ever watched E.T. Make of that what you will.
As to the passing of Nichelle Nichols, I thought it would be better to address it in a separate comment. I was also saddened by the news, but as you all noted, she lived a great life and made a mark on many fans. I've never been to any Trek conventions or similar events, so I don't have any specific stories to share about interactions with her. Instead, I'll just share that one of my favorite Uhura moments was that episode of the animated series in which all of the men on board were incapacitated and she took command of the Enterprise (it's another reason why the animated series has always been canon to me).
ReplyDeleteRIP, Ms. Nichols