when he's good, he's GREAT! and when he's bad, he's HORRIBLE. plus, he composes his own scores! (has anyone else watched his "music video" on the Big Trouble In Little China DVD? its faaaaantastic.)
The Good
-ASSAULT ON PRECINCT 13
-HALLOWEEN
-THE FOG
-ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK
-THE THING
-CHRISTINE
-STARMAN
-BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA
-THEY LIVE
-IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS
The Bad
-VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED
-ESCAPE FROM LA
The Ugly
-JOHN CARPENTERS VAMPIRES
-PRINCE OF DARKNESS
-GHOSTS OF MARS
theres more, but this is mostly what i have seen.
I'm running out of ways to agree with you
dark star baby
Ack...The Fog belongs with The Ugly. I didn't care for Big Trouble, either, but that's just me (my new catch phrase).
But yes...I love Carpenter when he's good. I'm still looking for a copy of Assault. Halloween, The Thing, Escape from New York are awesome and I haven't seen They Live or Prince of Darkness in a long time but I recall loving them.
Between this and the James Cameron thread, modernage is taking my ideas and claiming them as his own. I've never felt so...so...used.
If John Carpenter was a carpenter and was equally good at being a carpenter as he is at being a filmmaker, he would make a few rocking chairs and a bunch of bird houses, and maybe a spice rack or two. And also a baseball bat.
Quote from: ShanghaiOrangeIf John Carpenter was a carpenter and was equally good at being a carpenter as he is at being a filmmaker, he would make a few rocking chairs and a bunch of bird houses, and maybe a spice rack or two. And also a baseball bat.
what is it about this post that makes you not want to end it with a sad face
:shock: :-D :roll: :wink:
i love the fog. anybody that badmouths that movie badmouths my childhood.
Um....I liked both Snake Plissken movies.
I can never get enough of Halloween. That and Dark Star are my favorites of his.
Quote from: bonanzatazi love the fog. anybody that badmouths that movie badmouths my childhood.
:: to be spoken with a surley spanish accent:: and if ju mess wit bonanzataz , ju messin wit trouble mang
plus IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS is very well loved in the puerto rican comunnity
the fog was so-so.
taz, did you like ghosts of mars, cause i thought was pretty good.
i actually really didn't like ghosts of mars. i think it was aiming for what resident evil went for and resident evil was much more badass. ghosts just wasn't very interesting and the bad guys didn't scare me. in the words of maude lebowski "the plot is ludicrous." it had good PARTS (seeing cube shooting a machine gun is always a plus) but it never really developed these good parts. i felt like carpenter just left me with a hard-on and never followed through.
Quote from: bonanzataz(seeing cube shooting a machine gun is always a plus) .
ya know how in jackie brown they had that video with hot chicks shooting guns, what if they came out with one of these but with our favorite gangsta rappers, just shooting machine guns and talking shit while they puff on trees , ya know what norman jewison tried to do this once
Quote from: MacGuffinBetween this and the James Cameron thread, modernage is taking my ideas and claiming them as his own. I've never felt so...so...used.
your avatar sparked my memory. what can i say? they both needed a godamned topic anyways. if everyone can put down their arty pretension for a second and get back to their nerdy roots, everything'll be just fine. Big Trouble In Little China rules. i think its my favorite of his.
I interviewed John Carpenter last fall. Go to:
http://www.movienavigator.org/carpenter.htm
hey, thats a great little article. i cant believe he mentions PTA out of the blue. what are the chances of that? you should have mentioned that PTA loves his movies as well. :)
IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS
very good imo
that was a great interview. and i like in the mouth of madness as well. freaked me out when i was little and i had it on the same tape as billy madison so i used to watch it a lot.
I could interview John Carpeneter if I wanted to. Nyah.
Big Trouble in Little China 2: Screenwriter Corey Mitchel spoke with producer Debra Hill and director John Carpenter last week, and indicated John is "totally on board" for a Big Trouble sequel providing that Corey can get it set up. Kurt Russell is rumoured to be similarly interested, and apparently work is underway in getting in touch with Jackie Chan regarding the project.
"Big Trouble In Little China"..... I watched this way too many times when I was a kid :-D gotta love that movie. and the fight between the gangs in the beginning is just cool as hell
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Title: The Carpenter Collection
Starring: Roddy Piper
Released: 7th October 2003
SRP: $39.98
Further Details
Universal Home Video have released the details that They Live, The Thing, Prince of Darkness and Village of the Damned are being re-released to purchase seperately, or as part of this boxset. Details of the content of these discs are not yet fully known
OH MY GOD........cept prince of darkness blew
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On December 16th, MGM Home entertainment will at last release John Carpenter's cult classic Escape From New York in a new two-disc special edition. Remastered in 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen and Dolby Digital 5.1 surround, extras include the full 10-minute deleted "Robbery Sequence" restored and with optional commentary with Carpenter and star Kurt Russell, two additional full-length audio commentaries with Carpenter and Russell and producer Debra Hill and production designer Joe Alves, the new "Return to Escape From New York" documentary, the "Making of John Carpenter's Snake Plissken Chronicles" comic featurette, a still gallery, trailers, and an exclusive full-color mini-comic inside the package. Retail is $29.95
If it's the same Carpenter/Russell commentary track from the laserdisc (which I'm pretty sure it is), it's a worth owning just for that.
happy happy joy joy
what was the deal with the new halloween divimax edition. i heard the color timing was off or something. is it worth getting? i wish there was a version with the commentary track, proper color timing, and a seamless branching feature for the scenes in the TV version. that would be perfect! TOO perfect for whoever's churning out these multiple editions, i suppose...
Quote from: bonanzatazwhat was the deal with the new halloween divimax edition. i heard the color timing was off or something. is it worth getting? i wish there was a version with the commentary track, proper color timing, and a seamless branching feature for the scenes in the TV version. that would be perfect! TOO perfect for whoever's churning out these multiple editions, i suppose...
http://www.dvdfile.com/software/review/dvd-video_7/halloween_25ae.htm
Quote from: bonanzatazwhat was the deal with the new halloween divimax edition. i heard the color timing was off or something. is it worth getting? i wish there was a version with the commentary track, proper color timing, and a seamless branching feature for the scenes in the TV version. that would be perfect! TOO perfect for whoever's churning out these multiple editions, i suppose...
I got it and was happy with it. I absolutely love Halloween...it still scares me...but my g/f thinks it is funny...and not scary.
i think his best score was "assault on precinct 13"
John Carpenter talks The Thing 2
Source: Moviehole
Horror Master John Carpenter talks to the Australian version of Empire mag this month – who have an excellent horror issue out - and mentions an idea he has for a “Thing 2” as well as the chances of him returning to do another “Halloween”.
What’s with all these rumours about The Thing 2?
I have a great story for Part 2, which kicks off with the two characters left alive at the end of the first one. I’m interested in doing it. Unfortunately, I don’t think Universal is. Well, it’s interested in doing a sequel, but it’s not interested in having me direct it! You know, the studio will end up getting some commercials hotshot to do it, and that’ll be that. I don’t care. I’m certainly not going to beg. These people didn’t even get the original, despite the fact it’s my favourite movie of my own. Thing was that The Thing came out just after ET, which became a huge hit. The Thing’s message was the absolute opposite to E.T’s. Steven Spielberg said at the time that, “the audience needed an uplifting cry”. The guy was on the money. He’s an astute businessman that Spielberg. He had a huge hit on his hands, while we performed really poorly at the box office, so Universal then unceremoniously threw me off Firestarter, which I was prepping at the time. I could have done something really fucking good with that [sighs]. At least, though, The Thing has been really well received in its later years. That’s a pleasant finger up at Universal, and a comforting thought in my later years.
Given the recent Freddy vs Jason picture, how would Michael Myers do in a three-way battle royal?
He’d kick their asses. Well, the original Michael, my Michael, he would. The modern Michael wouldn’t stand a chance. These days all the Halloween movies have Xeroxed the formula to the point that it just isn’t scary anymore. It’s depressing.
Would you ever come back and direct a Halloween sequel?
Well, my motto is : never say never. I have some ideas up my sleeve that would fucking blow you away.
Quote from: MacGuffinWould you ever come back and direct a Halloween sequel?
Well, my motto is : never say never. I have some ideas up my sleeve that would fucking blow you away.
I want to believe that more than anything. But if his sequels to The Thing and Halloween are like Escape From L.A., then we got a problem.
If he gets Dean Cundey back as DP, that would be a start. He could film Michael Myers taking a shit for 2 hours and I'd go to see it.
whatever, john carpenter owned the fucking eighties. there is no other action/adventure director that was as prolific and reliable as carpenter in that era. i agree he's made some shitty films since then but if he could reunite keith david and kurt russell that would be a real reason to go back to the cinema. on that note, he is the only one i would trust to do "the thing" sequel. i fear the worst. you see, the problem is that some stupid fanboy of the original would be the asshole the studios would get to direct this project. fanboys can't make movies. they'll get someone like that paul anderson son of a bitch. it'll be ruined. i'd still rather watch a ninties carpenter then any of the pieces of shit that dickhead made.
i want to here his idea for the sequel. i also want my mind to be fucking blown away with the halloween film too.
-sl-
Quote from: hacksparrow
He could film Michael Myers taking a shit for 2 hours and I'd go to see it.
haha fucking quote of the week
Quote from: ewardQuote from: hacksparrow
He could film Michael Myers taking a shit for 2 hours and I'd go to see it.
haha fucking quote of the week
yeah but i agree with him
Quote from: socketlevelfanboys can't make movies.
'cept this guy.
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Quote from: socketlevelthey'll get someone like that paul anderson son of a bitch
Don't give them any ideas!
I'm more of an Attack on Precinct 13 guy than a Halloween guy, though both are definitely worthy. Kubrick apparently adored the former. [/img]
Quote from: godardianI'm more of an Attack on Precinct 13 guy than a Halloween guy, though both are definitely worthy. Kubrick apparently adored the former. [/img]
Assault on Precinct 13 is the one of the only two Carpenter movies I have yet to see (that I want to anyway; the other being They Live). I caught about 10 minutes of it on IFC a few months back before passing out drunk one night. I'm just going to have to pick them both up, sights unseen.
Quote from: hacksparrowAssault on Precinct 13 is the one of the only two Carpenter movies I have yet to see (that I want to anyway; the other being They Live).
they're both good. i havent seen Ghosts of Mars, Village of the Damned, Memoirs of an Invisible Man, Christine, The Fog, or Dark Star. any of those worth seeing?
Quote from: themodernage02i havent seen Ghosts of Mars, Village of the Damned, Memoirs of an Invisible Man, Christine, The Fog, or Dark Star. any of those worth seeing?
Christine is a must.
Quote from: themodernage02they're both good. i havent seen Ghosts of Mars, Village of the Damned, Memoirs of an Invisible Man, Christine, The Fog, or Dark Star. any of those worth seeing?
I've never seen all of Village of the Damned but what I saw wasn't too impressive.
The Fog, definitely. It's no Halloween or The Thing but creepy nonetheless. I saw it for the first time just a year or two ago and it creeped me out in the middle of the day. It's got a campfire ghost story feel to it, which I really liked.
I saw Dark Star over 10 years ago and I barely remember it; I just remember laughing at it (it's kind of a spoof of 2001 as I recall).
Ghosts of Mars is crap but worth watching on cable for a laugh. Ice Cube has the absolute BEST "Hasta la vista, baby"-type line of all time towards the end of the movie.
And as for Invisible Man and Christine, I love them but a LOT of people seem not to. Christine is the better one of the two, definitely. It's not the best Stephen King film adaptation but I think that it's the only one that successfully captures the feel of reading a Stephen King novel.
And Invisible Man gets a raw deal, IMHO. I think that Chevy Chase was decent in it; he certainly wasn't bad. It's fun but there is still something missing from it that keeps it from feeling completely like a Carpenter flick (I think it's the lack of Dean Cundey's cinematography myself). But they're each worthwhile, I think.
i know Christine is already on my list of movies to watch this october, but ill probably get around to seeing all of them since i like Carpenter. even when he's bad, its SOOO bad its watchable because its funny. when he misses, he misses BIG.
Quote from: themodernage02even when he's bad, its SOOO bad its watchable because its funny. when he misses, he misses BIG.
Oh, you're gonna
LOVE Ghosts of Mars.
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Quote from: hacksparrowQuote from: themodernage02even when he's bad, its SOOO bad its watchable because its funny. when he misses, he misses BIG.
Oh, you're gonna LOVE Ghosts of Mars.
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haha, actually i did see about 20 minutes of that on HBO, it was
AWFUL. :lol:
Dark Star is awesome...you should totally check it out.
i'm not one to give these types of lists, but if anyone out there hasn't seen carpenter's films this is the order i would recommend seeing them in:
1. "the thing" - the best bar none, well...
1. "they live" - tied
3. "halloween" - classic
4. "big trouble in little china"
5. "assult on precinct 13"
6. "escape from New York"
7. "prince of darkness"
8. "star man"
9. "christine"
10."in the mouth of madness"
11."dark star"
12."the fog"
middle ground
13."memoirs of an invisible man"
14."ghosts of mars"
15."escape from LA"
just plain horrible
16."vampires"
17."village of the damned"
what do you think? taste is subjective.
-sl-
I just finished Dark Star. Too many funny moments to transcribe them all. Highlights: The suicidal bomb #20...Pinback's diary...Pinback trying to tell his story...Pinback with the eyball glasses (actually, pretty much everything Pinback does)...Pinback stuck in the elevator...Man, there's just too many moments...Talking philosophy with the bomb...intro credits over "Benson Arizona"...all communication with Earth lagging behind ten years...
If there's any new ideas left in John Carpenter's head, could you please come out with your hands up!!
Source: Film Rotation
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When asked recently about his comments regarding the Assault on Precinct 13 remake going ahead with Ethan Hawke and Laurence Fishburne, original director John Carpenter replied "I should take it as flattery I guess but it only reconfirms what I've said all along - Hollywood has no new ideas left!" Hmmm... even though Assault itself was a semi-remake of Rio Bravo?
Carpenter was on Radio 2 here in the UK this week, discussing his icon Sergio Leone:
He revealed that he is discussions to helm a remake of his early 80s near-classic The Fog stating that, like George Lucas and the original Star Wars movies, time and the advancement of technology has left him able to do things with the original premise that he could never have done. Cue suggestions of more psycho pirate action ("...it worked wonders for Pirates of the Caribbean in a PG-13 sort of way" he told the host) and more fog-induced gore.
Maybe Carpenter is clutching at straws now that he's finding it hard to get studios to return his calls but in the last 12 months the man has talked up the following:
* His Big Trouble in Little China sequel that "the fans are crying out for" which has a wealth of "creative opportunities available to it in the wake of The Matrix movies!"
* His ultimate tribute/conclusion to the Halloween trilogy - directing a potential closing Chapter 10 in which "the fans will shit themselves when they see what I'm gonna do!"
* His sequel to The Thing which - although had a brilliant script attached a few years back - Universal will do without him but he won't let go off.
and...
* His follow-up chapter to They Live which he said "could star The Rock, after all Roddy Piper did a great job!"
It so pains me to say this - being a big fan and all - but it sounds to me like a director holding up his past-glories in hope that someone at the studio will look his way. He could quite easily slide off and make that "Howard Hawks and Sergio Leone tribute western" that he has talked about for the last ten years independently with European money and win major kudos as a result... instead he's hanging around the fringes and potentially belittling himself with suggestions of helming Michael Myers Vs Pinhead.
"I should take it as flattery I guess but it only reconfirms what I've said all along - Hollywood has no new ideas left!"
Indeed!
That post brought a tear to my eye. He sounds like a 50 year old fat guy who was captain of the football team in high school and blew his ride to Notre Dame by rupturing his Achilles tendon and now he runs an auto body shop in his hometown.
He's very cool. Very plainspoken and self-depracating. Smokes a lot of cigarettes.
'Fog' cleared for remake at Revolution
Revolution Studios is mounting a remake of the 1980 horror-thriller "The Fog," with Debra Hill, David Foster and John Carpenter producing. But Carpenter, who co-wrote the original with Hill and also directed it, will not be returning to the director's chair.
"I have done it once, and I don't want to do it again," Carpenter said. "I did my 'Fog,' and now it's someone else's time. It's very flattering. It's terrific that they want to make it. We have been thinking of doing 'The Fog' over for some time, as maybe a sequel. But now is the season of the remake."
Cooper Layne, whose credits include "The Core" and "The Emperor's Club," is penning the remake of the horror classic, set in a Northern California town where 100 years ago a ship sank off the coast under mysterious circumstances during a thick, eerie fog. Ghosts of the long-dead mariners return from their watery graves to exact their revenge.
Shane Riches is involved in producing the feature, which is headed for a February production start. Derek Dauchy will oversee for the studio.
"We are extremely excited to be involved with this film and these filmmakers, as John Carpenter's 'The Fog' is one of the cornerstones of the horror genre," said Revolution Studios partner Todd Garner, who brought the project to the company. "Debra and I have known each other for 20 years. She is an extreme talent, and I am thrilled to finally be working with her."
Quote from: MacGuffin'Fog' cleared for remake at Revolution
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!
Quote from: themodernage02REMAKE REMAKE, FUCKING REMAKE
Quote from: MacGuffinas John Carpenter's 'The Fog' is one of the cornerstones of the horror genre,"
ummmmmm no.
Quote from: MacGuffin
* His Big Trouble in Little China sequel that "the fans are crying out for" which has a wealth of "creative opportunities available to it in the wake of The Matrix movies!"
* His ultimate tribute/conclusion to the Halloween trilogy - directing a potential closing Chapter 10 in which "the fans will shit themselves when they see what I'm gonna do!"
* His sequel to The Thing which - although had a brilliant script attached a few years back - Universal will do without him but he won't let go off.
and...
* His follow-up chapter to They Live which he said "could star The Rock, after all Roddy Piper did a great job!"
It so pains me to say this - being a big fan and all - but it sounds to me like a director holding up his past-glories in hope that someone at the studio will look his way...
"I should take it as flattery I guess but it only reconfirms what I've said all along - Hollywood has no new ideas left!"
Indeed!
I agree, but with his last five or so films it almost makes me think he should do one of these sequels. his new projects are pretty fucking bad (i especially like the idea of "they live," "the thing," and "Big Trouble in littel China." These all have future possibilities, but Halloween is just played out, tired)
-sl-
does anyone know where i could get any of these scripts, are they online? i'd love to read them. Maybe the big trouble and the they live sequels don't exist, but reading the thing sequel would be interesting.
Carpenter returns to directing with 'Apostle'
Source: Hollywood Reporter
John Carpenter is returning to the director's seat with the indie thriller "The 13th Apostle," his first feature since 2001's "Ghosts of Mars."
The story follows the investigation of a series of gruesome murders that force a Pittsburgh detective to exorcise his own demons while uncovering an Internet-based serial killers club. Averse to technology, he teams up with a stockbroker, and together the duo tackles the investigation.
The project came to the attention of the "Halloween" helmer by way of his "John Carpenter Presents" program, through which he executive produces and mentors up-and-coming directors and writers. The "Apostle" script, from Paul Margolis, was one of the projects submitted for the program.
Carpenter is producing a remake of his classic feature "The Fog" for Sony-based Revolution Studios. His credits include the original "Assault on Precinct 13" and "The Thing"
Interview: John Carpenter
IGN FilmForce speaks with the horror legend on the set of The Fog remake.
From his low budget beginnings on through to his 1978 classic that unleashed the modern slasher film as we know it, Halloween, John Carpenter's name has become synonymous with horror. A short list of his acclaimed horror works include Christine, In the Mouth of Madness and The Thing. He's done action with Assault on Precinct 13 and Escape from New York and even dabbled in camp with Big Trouble in Little China and straight-up comedy with Memoirs of an Invisible Man.
More than just a director, Carpenter has served as writer, producer and composer on the majority of his films. He's even acted in a few of them. Most recently, Carpenter's films have become the basis of remakes. Earlier this year, French director Jean-Francois Richet remade Assault on Precinct 13 and now Rupert Wainwright (Stigmata) is directing a remake of The Fog, on which Carpenter is also serving as an executive producer.
Starring Tom Welling, Maggie Grace and Selma Blair, The Fog recently wrapped production in Vancouver, Canada. IGN FilmForce spent some time on the sets and spoke to the cast and crew about the project. We'll have a full set report in the coming weeks as well as quotes from the three stars and the director. During the course of our travels, we also sat down to talk to horror maestro John Carpenter. Here's the interview that went down.
Q: Why remake The Fog?
JOHN CARPENTER: Why not? If everybody else is making remakes and they want to pay me money to make a remake of an old movie of mine, why not? It's a good idea… Seriously… That's part of the answer, but my ex-partner Debra Hill, who just recently died, has been trying to get this off the ground. We hooked up with David here, who finally did get it off the ground, and it was kind of nice for her to see this being made.
Q: Can you talk about the key differences between this version of The Fog and the 1980s version?
CARPENTER: Well, the styles are different; the actors are different; the director's different. It's essentially the same story with some basic changes in it's but it's fog and ghosts.
Q: Any of the changes you can talk about?
CARPENTER: I have been sworn to secrecy in that matter.
Q: Why did you decide to hand this over to another director instead of remaking it yourself?
CARPENTER: I don't want to remake this. I mean, I did it once. This was not my favorite experience of my own career making The Fog. It was difficult. We had to go back and fix it once we shot it. I've done this once. Let some younger person do it.
Q: What's your role in this production?
CARPENTER: Well, I am a producer, but I come in and say hello to everybody. Go home… I'm just a f***ing bum, OK?
(Laughs)
Q: What's going on with Masters of Horror?
CARPENTER: Well, it's a little series that we're doing for Showtime. We have an hour – each of us has an hour to shoot in 10 days. And the first director they got was John Landis. He's now way over budget and way over schedule. So there may not be any more Masters of Horror. He may do them in. Dario Argento starts next week. They pushed me later on the schedule because they're going to take all the money out of my show and put it into everybody else's.
Q: Given the inconsistent success of recent remakes of horror movies, was there anything that you were insistent remain in the original or insistent that they change to update it or potentially improve it?
CARPENTER: It depends on how you look at it… In the case of The Fog, it's a pretty fireproof idea in terms of what happens. It's an old ghost story. The idea in this case is to freshen it up. And as a cultural mindset these days, it says if anything's over 15 years old, it's old fashion and old school… [The] thing to do is to take it out and prop it up and put some, a fresh coat of paint on it, and see how it goes.
Q: Speaking about the younger cast, the original Fog with Jamie Lee Curtis wasn't skewing younger. What do you think has changed?
CARPENTER: That's a different era. That was 1979 when we made that. It's just a whole different time now. We didn't have the Internet. Thank god we didn't have computer generated graphics, and the whole celebrity showbiz thing was different then. It's a different time and horror movies and science fiction used to be, used to be portrayed with older folk in them, a little more mature I should say… But no more.
Q: I love the score on the original Fog and I was wondering if you have anything to do with the score on this one, and if not, if you think it will be similar?
CARPENTER: Well, first of all, no one's really asked me to do it yet… I think the easiest thing for all of this is to take the first score and have someone freshen it up. Everybody's getting freshened up, so why not? I'd love to. It'd be great. On the other hand, there are a lot of really interesting composers right now doing movies for low budget, high budget. It's really an interesting time. So it'd be also fun to see what somebody else's take on it would be.
Q: You mentioned something, a comment a couple of minutes ago about "thank god we didn't have CGI back in the day." So that begs the question, for this particular outing, are you going to employing CGI to help recreate The Fog, or are you going to be using a combination of things with CGI?
CARPENTER: Well, The Fog is going to be dealt with in a couple of different ways, practically and with computer graphics.. But see, I don't, this is my own opinion. I don't think CGI in it of itself is very scary. Creatures don't look too scary. [They] look fake. Things don't move. They move too fast. There's no inertia… I shudder to think what The Thing would look like if we had to do it with computers. Honestly... It wouldn't work.
Q: You all talked about sort of getting a younger cast, appealing to the younger moviegoers. We're talking about some potential for some fairly graphic stuff going on?
CARPENTER: I'm just a producer on this. I sit at home and watch basketball games on TV. These guys go out and make this movie, all right? It's designed to be a PG-13 film… You know, horror's really changed a lot. It used to be much more hardcore. Today is drifting towards PG-13 and you know, getting girls in, and girls don't like yucky stuff. You know what I mean? Soft-core horror.
Q: Did you have any final say on the script? I mean, from what we saw down there today, did you approve that, put your stamp on it?
CARPENTER: I read it. I liked it. But you know, the script has evolved. It keeps changing as you make a movie. Look, my own philosophy is it's a director's film. It's not my film anymore. I made my film back then when I was young and happy. This is a new director and he's bringing his point of view and his sensibility to this film. And I have a real hard time telling anybody else what to do or interfering with their vision. You know, it's his movie now.
Q: But doesn't it concern you with your name attached to it that it might taint what you did with the original?
CARPENTER: Nothing worries me anymore. Nothing. No, what are you going to do? What are you going to worry about? Why worry?
Q: For people like George Romero, he had nothing to do with the Dawn of the Dead remake, so if it stunk, it wasn't his problem. Nobody cursed him for it, you know?
CARPENTER: You're treating the original like it's – the original is not one of my favorites of my own movies. It's OK. It's OK. No matter what he does, it's great. It's great.
Q: How does the budget of this one compare with what you had for the original, and where is the money going?
CARPENTER: We had $1 million and they have a whole lot more than we did, a whole lot more.
Q: Before I came out here, I asked a cross-section of your fans what they would most like to ask you. Big Trouble in Little China was the film they most talked about. Is there any idea of thought in your mind of doing a sequel or building on that?
CARPENTER: Since that movie tanked, I don't think they'll ever do a sequel.
Q: But knowing that it has reached a cult status since and that there is a market there, there is an audience for it, would you consider doing it on a smaller budget or something, on a smaller scale that would definitely, 100 percent be profitable?
CARPENTER: That's another one of those things. I've done that once... Let somebody else do it. Plus, I don't own it. You know, I don't have any stake in that…
Q: What does Rupert Wainwright bring to this creatively that you thought he was the right person to tackle this?
CARPENTER: Energy. His style is vastly different from mine... I don't know how to put this, [but] he uses inserts and close-ups to add texture and energy to it, to his movies, which is totally different from the way I work. That would be an interesting try on this film. See what we do.
Q: I was just curious if there was a remake you have seen that you thought was better than the original? I mean, the only one that always comes to mind to me is The Thing, as far as being superior to the original.
CARPENTER: I don't know about that. The Thing. The original Thing is pretty great. That was a great film. I liked the American version of The Ring better than the Japanese version. I thought they actually improved on it. It still doesn't make any sense. It's not a sensible plot, but there were some things about the American version… The timing, the tempos, the style was a little bit better, I thought.
Q: Did you have anything to do at all with the Thing videogame that came out?
CARPENTER: I'm in the Thing videogame. I'm a character in it. You didn't realize that? I'm Dr. Faraday and I get killed. That pissed me off, OK?
(Laughs)
Q: With the trend of directors lately going back and tinkering with their work, re-editing, re-imagining, not actually remaking, but just doing re-releases, is that something that interests you?
CARPENTER: God no. If I've finished a movie, that's my movie. I don't want to f**k with it. These guys don't have enough to do? They want to remake their film? See, I don't understand it. It's insane.
Q: You mentioned that The Fog wasn't particularly one of your favorite of your films. What is your favorite film?
CARPENTER: I think probably The Thing. That was one of my real favorites, you know, just because. I don't know why. Just because. It's the darkest…
Quote from: ewardQuote from: MacGuffinas John Carpenter's 'The Fog' is one of the cornerstones of the horror genre,"
ummmmmm no.
You know, I would say it's one of my favorite Horror films and I've seen many. I'm a big Halloween fan and I just watched The Fog. My expectations were pretty neutral and I thought it was a really great movie. It takes it's times setting up the scares and I think it really works all the way through. I'm very unexcited for the remake.
i think this is one of my least favorite carpenter films. i think they should do a sequel to they live.
-sl-
the fog is a big piece of shit, not even worth seeing once.
Awesome!
A John Carpenter thread.
My favourite 2 John Carpenter movies are:
Halloween and Escape From New York
I think EFNY has one of the best concepts ever! Its fucking awesome! And way before its time.
Everyone talks about JC's best movies... what about best scores? My top 5 are:
Halloween
Assault
Escape From New York
Halloween III
Ghosts Of Mars maybe? (I really liked that we did on ProTools!)
Speaking of Halloween... has anyone seen 'Black Christmas'? It was apparenty a huge inspiration to Halloween.
yeah i've seen it. can see that inspiration/comparison for sure. black christmas isn't all that good though in the end. i really want to like it cause i'm canadian but the ending kind of sucks.
-sl-
Carpenter faces his 'F.E.A.R.'
The veteran filmmaker discusses what he loves about video games and his input on the upcoming horror title.
Filmmaker John Carpenter is best known for movies that drench audiences in dark, atmospheric horror suffused with intense action, including "Halloween," "Escape from New York," "Big Trouble in Little China" and many more. Now that interactive entertainment has reached a reasonable level of sophistication, Carpenter also served as a consultant on "F.E.A.R.: First Encounter Assault Recon," a PC game from Vivendi Universal Games/Sierra Entertainment developed by Monolith Productions that goes on sale Oct. 18. Carpenter recently spoke with The Hollywood Reporter editorial director digital media Chris Marlowe about "F.E.A.R." and how it fits in with his life as a director, writer, composer and actor.
The Hollywood Reporter: As an established filmmaker, what drew you to video games?
John Carpenter: I grew up with and made my career in movies and cinema, and that's my first love in life. The language of film is something I learned instinctually first of all but secondly at film school, at USC. I learned to deeply love it and try and understand it. But games have their own language, and I got completely fascinated by them. When my son was very young, he and I started playing games together, and as he grew up, I grew up with him in games. So I became an addict myself. But this new game, "F.E.A.R.," is as close as I've ever gotten to playing a movie.
THR: What makes that so?
Carpenter: The graphics are extraordinary, and there's a certain amount of randomness in some of the actions because of the artificial intelligence they're using, so it's not a repeated pattern over and over again. Your control over the game, where you look, how you move, how fast you move is so individualized that it allows you almost to be the master of your own film. I really, really enjoy this game.
THR: What was the nature of your involvement with "F.E.A.R."?
Carpenter: My involvement in "F.E.A.R." was absolutely delightful because all I had to do was come down and give my opinions -- which is something that I love to do anyway. I am sort of a consultant and spokesman for the game, saying as a horror director -- (as) somebody who has made his career at this -- you're going to love this game. It's terrifying. It's absolutely terrifying. Now, I will admit as a gamer, as somebody who plays games, I'm a fraidy-cat. I really am. Mario scares me worst of all. But this, this is a step forward in sophistication. That's what I love.
THR: What advice did you provide that the creators ignored?
Carpenter: I begged to have a role, I mean visually. I was in a game called "The Thing," which was a remake of my movie. I was a character in it. And I so much wanted to be in this, but they wouldn't let me.
THR: But you died in "The Thing."
Carpenter: I know. But you see, I wanted to come back as the guy who gets the girl and gets all the money. I wanted to be a heroic-type character. That's the way I see myself. I would have been great, too.
THR: What does it feel like to have your films become games?
Carpenter: It's a different medium. Even when a movie of mine is shown on television, it's not the same experience. It just isn't. But I'm in the process of perhaps developing a few games.
THR: What ideas will you incorporate?
Carpenter: I'm not going to tell you. I can't tell you my secrets.
THR: Will your games be in the horror genre?
Carpenter: In a sense, yes. I am just now starting to get into interactive gaming because I haven't been real conversant in that area in terms of being a director. I have PlayStation, I have Xbox, I have Game Cube, I have all there is, and I love playing video games. But now, as this new generation comes out with better graphics and more high definition, something better happens. It's just getting more and more exciting.
THR: You are accustomed to directing every element of a movie. But for a game, by definition characters have minds of their own. Will that be a frustration or an exciting challenge?
Carpenter: Exciting! It's a new world and you have a different canvas. Film is restrictive in some ways; it's a three-act story of a certain length, usually, although oftentimes when directors take themselves too seriously the movie gets longer and longer. But this is a whole different arena to be in, and it's one that I'm still learning about. Ideas are still the king here. You first come up with an idea and a story, and you work from there. And then it's the artistry of the people involved.
THR: You said how much you love "F.E.A.R." What aspects of a game make it successful?
Carpenter: A movie is about editing, about shot and close-up and what the person sees. A movie is about interaction between characters. An audience is sitting there in the dark, and they get emotionally involved with certain characters so that what happens to those characters starts to happen inside the person. That's what we depend on as filmmakers. In a game, there's an entirely different language to it and entirely different rules. As you're playing a game, there's a big leap made by the gameplayer because there I am. I'm doing these things, I'm looking around this place, I'm exploring my environment. Something just happened to me. So if you turn off the lights in the room and you start playing "F.E.A.R.," you're going to get really scared.
THR: Is traditional Hollywood changing its opinion of video games?
Carpenter: I think they were dismissive in the early days, and I think there have been a lot of experiments in making movies from games that are not always very good. The choices that are made often in translating the game to a movie are not done with love. You need to love the game. You have to appreciate what a game does. But this is an ancient story in Hollywood. They've always tried movies and books, movies and songs, movies and this and that. They've been doing it for years and years and years. They're always looking around for something that they can make a film and sell, that has people interested in it already. Now, games are geared to a certain age, and that's the audience they want to go for. What better vehicle, what better place to start than a game? Young adults, teenagers, they all play games. So that's the incentive.
THR: What are your favorite games?
Carpenter: I started with my son, so the first game I got really hooked on was "Sonic the Hedgehog." I got invested in that one night. It was late, and I started playing it, and the sun came up. I like platform games, the cartoon-y action adventure games. I love them. If I see something that's graphically appealing, that's the first thing I look for. I'm a visual person. I like to get involved in graphics.
I just watched the Thing, pretty great. John Carpenter's early work is very good. I love Halloween, The Fog & The Thing. I also enjoyed Assault on Precinct 13. Now, Ghosts of Mars is downright terrible. I guess next for me is Escape from New York & Big Trouble in Little China.
Quote from: SHAFTR on November 08, 2005, 02:11:23 AM
Big Trouble in Little China.
One of my favorite films of all time.
Is Snake Plissken Leaving This Planet with Carpenter?
Source: Bloody-Disgusting
It has been 25 years since Kurt Russell made his first appearance as the bad ass Snake Plissken in John Carpenter's Escape from New York, now it looks like Russell and Carpenter are teaming up once again, this time to leave Earth. Escape From Earth is the title of the third entry to the franchise, according to our anonymous scooper. Inside you can read the unconfirmed scoop, which we'll be looking into this week...
Anonymous writes in:
"A major meeting was held at Paramount last week with both John Carpenter and Kurt Russell in attendance. The topic -- preparing for a third entry in the Snake Plissken chronicles entitled Escape From Earth.
Apparently, Carpenter completed a script for the project eight years ago but the studio has now taken an interest in it after Russell demanded doing it before signing on with the studio for a three picture deal.
Although the screenplay is being kept under tight wraps, I'm told (by another anonymous) who was lucky enough to take a peek at the first thirteen pages that the script takes off immediately where the previous left off and features our planet en-route to Armageddon.
It looks as though Carpenter will push-off the production of Psychopath with Titan Productions and collaborator Todd Farmer in order to ready this entry for a 2008 release.In the first film, which takes place in 1998, the US President crashes into Manhattan, which is now a giant max. security prison, a convicted bank robber is sent in for a rescue.
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In his 30 year career of writing, directing and producing movies, John Carpenter has made more people mess their pants than Billy Madison. He is best known for directing the original Halloween, The Thing and more recently he was unofficially "inducted" into the Masters of Horror by directing two episodes in the first two seasons. For his latest episode Pro-Life, recently released on DVD, Carpenter again teamed with the writing duo that penned his first episode, Cigarette Burns. Pro-Life tackles the sensitive issue of abortion and whether there is a right situation for having one but puts it into a horror movie context with terrifying and gross results.
Daniel Robert Epstein: What are you up to today?
John Carpenter: I'm waiting for basketball to start. I'm a big basketball fan.
DRE:I've heard.
John:I'm going to play a couple of videogames. I'm finishing up one so I can make room for God of War 2.
DRE:It's funny, I told a friend of mine that I was going to be talking to you and he said, "Ask him about basketball and videogames."
John:Well, it's March Madness so that's always fun. I watch that out of the corner of my eye. But I'm a real big NBA fan. Right now, the Phoenix Suns and the Dallas Mavericks are just great. They had a great game the other night.
DRE:What's your favorite team?
John:You got to love your home team. You got to be true to your home team but the Los Angeles Lakers suck. We're just in awful shape right now. But I like the Phoenix Suns. I like the Dallas Mavericks.
DRE:Have you always been into videogames?
John:No, my son and his friends actually got me hooked on them. I guess it was in the 90's. As my son grew up and became interested in videogames, I played along with him. I really loved it so I had my second childhood through him.
DRE:What systems do you have?
John:I have PlayStation 3, I have Xbox 360, I have PlayStation 2 but I don't use it much anymore. I've got GameCube that I just don't use. I've got basically everything.
DRE:I don't know if you've seen 300 yet...
John:Not yet. I'm anxious to see it.
DRE:Often when film critics don't like the story in a movie they will say it is comic-like but since 300 is already based on a comic book they started comparing 300 to a videogame. But they seem to forget that videogames, like comics, have some pretty complex stories. Would you say that videogames are starting to get close to being as complex as films?
John:With some videogames, because you're involved in the action yourself, are truly exciting. You get lost in it. Whereas a movie is really a passive experience. You're sitting, eating popcorn. If you're at home, you're drinking a beer, smoking a cigarette, whatever you're doing. That's a different experience. That's what I grew up with, movies as passive entertainment. When critics compare 300 to a videogame, I'm not quite sure what they're talking about. I think they're talking about computer generated graphics. I think that's a way in to attack a movie on the grounds that it's more of a videogame or a comic book or something.
DRE:They can't insult it by calling it a comic book-like movie. They just come up with something else they don't really understand to compare it too.
John:Well, it's all an insult, like this is not important enough. That's the way it always happens.
DRE:I read about some videogame you were involved with a couple of years ago, Psychopath.
John:Yeah, that's still percolating away. I'll be involved with anything if it pays me money.
DRE:[laughs] With Pro-Life, was it just a coincidence that you decided to film another script by Drew [McWeeny] and Scott [Swan] or did you help them with it?
John:The first project that we did on Masters of Horror was a Drew and Scott original that I read [Cigarette Burns] and I thought, "This is great. Let me do this. I want to do this." Then the second season came up and they pitched me, "We have this idea about a monster movie in an abortion clinic." I said, "That's great!" I love working with those boys. They're just really talented. As writers, they're very open and we worked it up a little bit. They just do a great job for me.
DRE:Since Cigarette Burns is all about film buffs did you connect on that level?
John:Yeah, we connected in the sense of loving horror, loving science fiction, that kind of a thing. Drew and Scott are very talented writers. They're very knowledgeable about the genre. That always helps you when you're doing something like an hour cable show. I suppose we're all geeks in our own way. My brand of geekdom goes all the way back to the 50's and 60's. I'm the older geek.
DRE:You've got a couple of years on them.
John:Yeah I do, quite a few actually.
DRE:I thought that Cigarette Burns had an interesting look to it, cinematography-wise and production design-wise while Pro-Life was a bit more straightforward.
John:It was the same crew but it's a different story. So your look and the way it feels is always going to be dependent on the story. The story and the look of Pro-Life is very different. It is set in a clinic so you can't really apply the same techniques.
DRE:Had you known Ron Perlman before casting him in Pro-Life?
John:I met Ron for the first time at the very end of Cigarette Burns. There's a famous hotel in Vancouver, where everybody who's shooting there stays, called the Sutton Place. I met him in the bar one night and I said, "I really like your work and The Name of The Rose is one of my favorites." We started talking and then he accepted the role in Pro-Life. It was very cool.
DRE:I read that you're not a big fan of method actors. Is that true?
John:It doesn't matter. It depends on how much work I have to do. Some actors come prepared and ready to go. I can give you a list of those, Kurt Russell, Sam Neill, Jeff Bridges. We work ahead of time on the rehearsals and we come ready to go on the set. Some actors need emotional stimulation and support and sometimes intellectual stimulation and support right on the set as we're doing the work. That's a little hard. So it's all about my comfort.
DRE:I read that Ron was a bit of a method actor, but I'm sure you guys got along.
John:I didn't see method in him at all. We talked real briefly about how to play the character in the beginning. I just said, "Play him as a hero. Play him as a good guy. He's a strong man. Don't have one moment of doubt about what you're doing except for at the end." That was it. We just did the work. It was fun.
DRE:I shouldn't have, but I got stoned before I watched Pro-Life.
John:I got stoned while making it.
DRE:[laughs] I really almost got sick when it Ron was aborting the male doctor's insides.
John:Actually that was a more elaborate scene originally in the script. The boys wrote something I've never seen. I said, "You can't do this, okay? We have to tone this down a little bit."
DRE:That was toned down?
John:That was really toned down. Oh man, it went on and on. Page after page of it and it was rough.
DRE:I don't know how much of this new trend in horror, the torture porn, you've seen, but it seemed like that sequence was making a comment on that just because it was so outrageous.
John:It is but you don't see anything. It's all implied, which is just the reverse. Torture porn is what you see, the close-up. You get to see all the grotesque stuff. Listen I'm a big fan of the Saw movies. I love that shit. I don't know if I'd want to do it but it's great fun to watch. It is like the zombie movies in the 60's and 70's, with biting chunks out of people and all that stuff. It's all great.
DRE:I got a chance to interview Drew [McWeeny] last year. He said that you'd never be able to guess his politics from watching Pro-Life. Was it important to keep the points of view a bit murky and not make something more pointed like what Joe Dante did with his Masters of Horror episodes?
John:That's just not me as a director. Joe did a great job with his show. He did it out of passion. That's not the way I approach things. I didn't want to make a political statement though I have before. In the movie called They Live, I made a pretty strong political statement. In this one I can unfortunately see both sides of it so I can understand it. If you want to know my politics, I'm a pro-choice guy because it's none of my business as a male. That's a decision a woman has to make. But I understand how pro-life folks feel. I don't agree with it, but I understand it. I think Ron did a good job being that guy.
DRE:He was terrifying and almost sympathetic until he sucked out the guy's guts.
John:That's where he goes over the top. He's motivated and getting revenge.
DRE:I know you've done plenty of television in the past, including your own show. Have you ever had as much freedom script-wise and content-wise as you did with these Masters of Horrors?
John:Yeah, I've pretty much always had freedom. I've never really experienced too much censorship or lack of freedom in that area. I've been lucky. Actually that's my whole career. Staggered into it. Staggered through it. Staggered to the chair. It's always been great.
DRE:These Masters of Horror episodes just seem so personal. Is that the result of the scripts or was it the lower budget that makes things seem a bit more intimate?
John:Every director makes a movie in a different way. Takes his ten days of shooting, which is what we had, and takes it to where he wants it to go. Some people write their own scripts. Some folks have scripts written for them. Everybody's different. But it's fun to see everybody work.
DRE:Don Coscarelli told me he didn't want to do an episode for the second season because he says with all the time and energy he put into making it, he feels like he could have made a feature film. Do you have the same attitude?
John:Hell, it's fine. Look, it's great to be able to go and prep for a few days and shoot for ten days and go home. You don't have the physical and emotional pain of a feature. So it's a vacation time. I still hate to get up in the morning. God, getting up is really rough. But other than that, it's pretty much fun.
DRE:With Pro-Life, you could have taken the choice to not show the monster, what made you decide to do that?
John:Well, it would be pretty hard not to see him. He's a pretty good monster. He's reminiscent of an old movie that I saw when I was a kid called Curse of the Demon [directed by Jacques Tourneur]. That's what he's based on, sort of. Drew and Scott had a hand in fashioning him and I said, "I want him to look like your dreams too." But we kept him in the dark. I think he's got a big mouth. He roars a lot. Monsters are fun so why keep him in the dark? I remember once this actress and I were having lunch and she was lecturing me like, "You never show the devil. That's just not done in movies." I said, "Well, why not? If you could really have a great devil, show him. Where does that rule come down?" So sometimes it's good not to see, but hell, we love watching monsters. Show me my monster.
DRE:Obviously you're a big music fan and you do a lot of the music for your projects. How was it working with your son Cody on the music?
John:He was at the right age and he had the right talent. It worked out. It was fabulous. I'm really proud of him.
DRE:I interviewed your ex-wife [Adrienne Barbeau] last year and she said Cody's band is wonderful.
John:He's involved in music. He's also in Japan right now finishing up his degree in Asian studies. He's a Japanophile.
DRE:Did he capture the John Carpenter music flair that you wanted or did the two of you work on it together?
John:The themes are his. They're very different than mine. They have their own unique feel to it. I'm just so delighted. It's also really fun to see him get paid and I don't have to worry about it.
DRE:I talked to Norman Reedus and I asked why his character in Cigarette Burns didn't really have any reaction when he saw the angel. Norman said, "Well, what do you do when you see an angel? No one knows." Was that what your thinking was?
John:If I walked in and saw an angel there and I had somebody like Udo Kier talking to me out of my side, I would think, "This whole thing is ridiculous. This is a fake." I don't know what I would think. Norman played it perfectly. I would go with what he said. No one knows.
DRE:I spoke with Will O'Neil who wrote one of those Snake Plissken comic books a few years ago. He had said that you, Kurt [Russell] and [producer] Debra Hill owned the character of Snake. Is that true?
John:Yes, but we share it with Canal Plus. It's a long story, but the movie was originally made for a company called Avco Embassy. Avco Embassy was sold to Dino De Laurentiis. Dino De Laurentiis sold his share to Canal Plus.
DRE:So in this remake they're talking about...
John:I don't know that it's a remake. I think it's a lot about Snake before he gets to New York.
DRE:But it just made me think that maybe the remake rights might be different than the rights to the character Snake Plissken because none of the articles mentioned you guys being involved with the project. Are you guys going to be credited producers?
John:Executive producer.
DRE:Do you have any desire to be more involved?
John:My main involvement is I read the scripts and make sure the character is the same character that we wrote originally. I think that would be cool. My other main involvement in this project is to extend my hand and have a check placed in it.
DRE:It's always nice when you don't have to do anything, right?
John:You're right. After 30 odd years of being in the fucking business, it's nice to not have to do anything and get paid. That's what I've been trying to do all my life.
DRE:Then the past few years must have been pretty good for you.
John:Not bad. Not bad.
DRE:Obviously Snake was a character that was perfect for the time he was in, so do you think Snake will lose the faux mullet?
John:I don't know what to do about that. That's not my decision. Snake is a character who was born out of the 1970's when New York was having real problems. He came out of a post-Vietnam era and he was an anti-authoritarian. He was a really unique type of character back then. He'll probably be reinvented for his time. But we'll see. I don't know if he will be mullet-less or with the mullet.
DRE:Have you ever seen any of Gerard Butler's previous movies?
John:Yes, I like his work.
DRE:I think you'll be very impressed after you see 300.
John:I can't wait to see 300. It sounds really exciting. It looks great.
DRE:You don't seem to mind these remakes, is that a result of you directing remakes yourself?
John:Well, if I'm not directing a movie, it's not really mine. I'm flattered when somebody wants to take an old film of mine or a story of mine and rework it. I think that's nice. I'm not trying to protect golden calf or something. It just isn't that way. It's just a damn movie, man.
DRE:On the other side, I don't think you're involved with the Halloween remake.
John:No, I bailed out of that after a while. But Rob [Zombie] has been a friend of mine for years. He did a song for me way back when [for Escape from LA]. He's a real nice guy. He called me up when they were going to make it and I said, "Just make it your own. Hell. That's the most important thing. Make it yours."
DRE:If they re-use a piece of your music, will you get a check then?
John:Oh yeah. Big time. There was an agreement made, I can't remember when it was finalized, but every time a sequel is made there are certain payments. I encourage more and more sequels.
DRE:I heard about this his project that you might be doing next, L.A. Gothic.
John:Well, I'm involved in a couple of things right now. I just don't know. The script for L.A. Gothic is very good. I'd like to tweak it a little bit, but we'll see. When it happens, it happens. If it doesn't, there's always basketball.
DRE:From what I've heard, you might not have been too happy with your last feature film [Ghosts of Mars].
John:The experience was pretty grim for a number of different reasons. But I have to take responsibility for it. It's probably my fault. Look, when one gets burned out on the business, it really can be destructive to you, emotionally, physically, in all sorts of ways. It's easier when you're young, but as you get older, it's more and more difficult. So I decided, "You know what? Fuck this. I'm going to take some time off." Now it's been the best time in my life.
DRE:Does doing the Masters of Horror episodes make you think, "Maybe I could spend two years on a feature again."?
John:Oh sure. I love making movies. I love directing. It's always been the love of my life. But I do have other issues. Myself. My own happiness. My parents. My mom died a couple of years ago. I went through that.
DRE:It's interesting that both of your parents were still around with you for so long because you think that a guy who made the films that you made that maybe...
John:I didn't have parents, right?
DRE:[laughs] Oh, I really screwed this one up.
John:Yeah, I really didn't have any parents. I was left on a doorstep.
DRE:[laughs] Do you see doing something as personal as dealing with your mother's death in a film?
John:In this business, I've learned to never say never. I'm attracted to stories. If I create the story or if someone else does and it is good, I'd be interested in it. But movies are really about fake life, not real life. Fake life is more fun. Drama, comedy, horror and all those things are fun to do. That's what I've been involved with, in my career so I'll probably keep doing it.
DRE:I was actually on the set of the prequel to the remake of Texas Chainsaw Massacre. When we were interviewing the producers, I asked them why didn't they ask Tobe Hooper to direct and they said, "Tobe Hooper doesn't have anything to learn from me. He's done it all a million times." To me that was just insane.
John:But there's a grain of truth in what he said. They're not going to be able to control Tobe like they can some young guy. They can control you better when you're green and starting out.
DRE:So that's what it comes down to?
John:Partially it does. If you have a commercial background or a music video background or some tricky background, you bring your panache to the project. So you run around and get a bunch of trick shots and you're not demanding final cut, so in the end it brings a breath of fresh air to the project. Tobe's already done his movie. He doesn't want to do it again.
DRE:What would happen if someone wanted you to remake one of your films?
John:That's happened. I don't want to do that. I've done it. You'd be treading the same ground. Especially with the Halloweens. That's where it came up. We finished the story off. But that's my personal opinion.
DRE:How soon do you think you want to get a project up and running again?
John:I don't know. Whenever it happens. If I get a project going, that's fine. If I don't, that's fine. It's not life and death.
DRE:Have you heard of SuicideGirls before?
John:I know all about you. I know everything.
DRE:It's got tattooed, naked girls who like your films.
John:That's my idea of heaven. Tattooed naked girls who enjoy horror movies. There's nothing better than that.
DRE:Have you ever seen a John Carpenter related tattoo on someone?
John:I haven't.
DRE:I'll have to have someone e-mail you one.
John:Would you? I think I need to see that.
Carpenter: Horror films don't cause violence
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Horror movies reflect the culture we live in and cannot be blamed for causing real-life violence, said the slasher genre director of the Hollywood classic "Halloween."
As the top U.S. media watchdog is suggesting Congress could regulate violent content on television, John Carpenter told a Tribeca Film Festival panel on violence on the big screen that government control of films is not needed.
"Real life causes this, fake life does not cause it," Carpenter said Thursday. "The reason for a lot of these movies is the culture that we live in, the events that have gone on in our world."
"Censorship never works. You cannot destroy an idea. You can hide, you can try to cover it up, but you can't destroy it, it will be there and it will bubble up again," Carpenter said.
Others on the panel agreed, including Peter Block, executive producer of the "Saw" series of horror films, and Jim Steyer, CEO of Common Sense Media, a group aimed at improving media and entertainment for children.
The FCC released a report Wednesday that found exposure to violence in the media can increase aggressive behavior in children, at least for a short while.
The FCC's list of recommendations included a suggestion that Congress could develop a definition of excessively violent programming, though it said such language needed to be narrowly tailored.
The FCC regulates obscenity, sexual content and profanity on radio, television, wire, satellite and cable, but does not have the power to regulate violence on the airwaves.
"I do believe media impacts people's behavior. The average kid today spends about 50 hours a week consuming media, and they now get it on every kind of platform imaginable," Steyer said.
"We have a violent society, and we as a broader society need to address that, but I don't think limiting ... creative freedom has anything to do with addressing that," he said.
The MPAA controls a voluntary system of rating movies to indicate what age group a film is suitable for. Most filmmakers submit their movies for a rating as it makes it easier to distribute and market.
"I worry so much more about my kids wandering into the room when the news is being blurbed on television and they're watching," said Block, who is also president of acquisitions and co-productions at Lionsgate Entertainment.
"It's never happy shiny people stories, it's the war or murder or something that happened and I can't protect them from that and they know that's reality," Block said.
you got it, john. it's just like napoleon, you know, when he was the king of the roman empire. a dull insight repeating itself all over again.
i dont think is carpenter's fault to say that same crap all over again...there are not too many answers for those questions....but these media assholes keep pushing that angle on that subject cause they have no creativity as journalists....
Cage, Carpenter may team up for prison film
In final negotiations for 'Scared Straight' thriller
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Nicolas Cage and director John Carpenter are in final negotiations to team up for a prison thriller titled "Scared Straight."
Nu Image/Millennium Films would finance the film and is in negotiations with Contrafilm's Beau Flynn and Tripp Vinson along with Randall Emmett and George Furla to produce. Avi Lerner also would produce.
"Straight" follows a troubled youth who's sent to prison off the Scared Straight crime-prevention program, which imprisons delinquent teens for a short period in the hopes of deterring them from a life of crime. While the teen is there, a riot breaks out and the prisoners take him hostage. A lifer, played by Cage, is forced to help the young man out.
The project was set up at New Line for a couple of years but was let go recently. Contrafilm brought the project to Emmett/Furla Films, which has a deal with Nu Image/ Millennium.
Joe Gazzam wrote the original spec, which was rewritten by Ron Brinkerhoff.
Noah Rosen is exec producing as is Rob Cohen, who was attached to direct at one point.
An October start is being eyed.
Heard to Star in John Carpenter's Ward
Source: ShockTilYouDrop
A Bigger Boat and Echo Lake are pairing up to produce John Carpenter's horror film The Ward. Shooting is to begin this May based on a script by Michael and Shawn Rasmussen.
All the Boys Love Mandy Lane's Amber Heard will star as a young woman trapped in a mental institution with a malevolent ghost. As danger creeps closer, she comes to realize that this ghost might be darker than she could have imagined.
"The Ward is the kind of script that I've been looking for: a complex, visceral story, full of suspense and scares," says Carpenter. "I am especially pleased to be working with Amber because I know she will create a powerful central performance."
On the producing side, Doug Mankoff, Mike Marcus and Andy Spaulding will represent Echo Lake; Peter Block will shepherd the project along under his newly born Bigger Boat banner.
"Working with John Carpenter on The Ward is a dream come true - fans everywhere, me included, have been waiting for just this kind of thriller from him," Block says. "It's great to be able to tackle it with the Echo Lake gang whose work I've also admired for years."
Block is currently producing Adam Green's latest, Frozen.
'Halloween', 'Escape from New York', and 'Assault from Precinct 13' are my fav. carpenter flicks but I haven't seen 'EFNY' in a long time so perhaps its time to revisit it.
Everyone has said 'Memoirs of an Invisible Man' is crap, without actually have seen it. Well, I have seen it and it isn't as shitty as everyone says. Its one of the few Chevy Chase movies that shines. It has many familar faces. By the way, I love Sam Neil. There are many questions about the character and his specific properties. Wha he can and can't do, especially when it is considering the invisible man's clothes. The main character isn't as fleshed out as I'd like but overall I enjoyed this particular story.
Quote from: SiliasRuby on March 28, 2009, 12:06:23 PM
The main character isn't as fleshed out as I'd like but overall I enjoyed this particular story.
pun!
Quote from: modage on March 29, 2009, 10:11:32 AM
Quote from: SiliasRuby on March 28, 2009, 12:06:23 PM
The main character isn't as fleshed out as I'd like but overall I enjoyed this particular story.
pun!
Was thinking no one was going to catch it.
Danielle Panabaker checks in to 'Ward'
Amber Heard also stars in John Carpenter thriller
Source: Hollywood Reporter
Danielle Panabaker will star opposite Amber Heard in "The Ward," a psychological horror thriller that John Carpenter is directing for Echo Lake Entertainment and A Bigger Boat.
The story follows a girl (Heard) who is admitted to a psychiatric ward, meets other girls there with distinct personalities and discovers a mysterious girl haunting the halls at night.
Panabaker plays a patient in the institution, a snobbish girl who flirts with orderlies and faces electroshock therapy.
Mamie Gummer ("Taking Woodstock") also has been cast as a patient.
Michael and Shawn Rasmussen wrote the script, with revisions by Jim Agnew and Sean Keller.
Doug Mankoff, Peter Block, Mike Marcus and Andrew Spaulding are producing. Principal photography is scheduled to begin next month in Spokane, Wash.
FilmNation is handling international sales for the film.
Panabaker, repped by UTA and Management 360, most recently starred in the hit remake "Friday the 13th." She recently wrapped production on Overture's "The Crazies" and is in production on the indie drama "Weakness."
'They Live'
My Gosh how this film holds up. Its now my ultimate favorite john carpenter film now.
Quote from: SiliasRuby on December 19, 2011, 02:35:25 AM
'They Live'
My Gosh how this film holds up. Its now my ultimate favorite john carpenter film now.
:yabbse-thumbup: it's a masterpiece
I just caught 'They Live' again,and god damn what an awesome movie. I love the marxist angle in there regarding who controls these faculties that alien(ate) us. From what i remember, a lot of the aliens are wealthy looking individuals who seem to adhere to the everything the ads are telling us. I don't know. All i know is this film rocks. You spend like the first 20 minutes thinking, "ok, so rowdy roddy piper is roaming around?" then BOOM: ALIENS. I could go on and on. Hopefully i'll get my thoughts lined out on this film and post something cool up here.
Also, I caught this thing Rob Ager did on "the thing" and it gave me a whole new appreciation of the film.
dig this
Part one http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SppG-I_Dhxw (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SppG-I_Dhxw)
Part two http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgRWMbGSUec (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bgRWMbGSUec)
they live was a childhood favorite of mine, i watch it at least twice a year. I love it. Roddy and Keith are perfect. Glad you have a found or new-found love for the film.
I always talk about it. in fact, tonight films came up at dinner with friends and I once again brought it up.
Rob Ager is hit and miss with me. Sometimes he's out on a huge limb. this review was pretty good though.
Thanks for that Thing analysis, there was some good stuff in there. I can't believe I never noticed the coats.
I recently watched They Live for the first time in years and I realized I had only ever seen a VHS copy taped off of television. It's terrific and such a product of it's time, no way could that tone be pulled off today. Also, it still has my favorite fight scene.
Remake of The Thing using claymation penguins (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ToCq_c3wOM8&feature=player_embedded#!)
TCM played They Live recently with another Carpenter movie, which I can't remember now.
I'm pretty sure that's the first time I saw it in widescreen, unedited.
That fight scene is just so hilariously unnecessary, but hey, whatever floats your boat.
The woman's eyes are so scary.
The movie just comes to an odd grinding hault, and then you got a random naked chick humping an alien.
Is this the only movie ever to only show nudity in the last scene? :yabbse-grin:
I recently got the Fog SE DVD for $3 at Big Lots! and thought that was OK, but no quite up to par with Halloween.
As far as Carpenter films I haven't seen, I'm most interested in the Escape films, Dark Star, and Starman.
I was watching "The Gas Station" segment of Body Bags and liked the visual style - some of the compositions/colors reminded me of The Master. I took some screencaps:
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FQj4JYLI.jpg&hash=6760fe41760ef4cad7262e7a185608f02643936b)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FgCLZ7xK.jpg&hash=2a6992a034496193b92bdf10b0a230f38aaeaf79)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FHlLWJzI.jpg&hash=aeaa12b3bec9cf19fc169dc2caa17968caed6068)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FyxhI16H.jpg&hash=d421eb6f45ebfdfed6ce0e55186c35fb9cd01771)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FdiSQFRi.jpg&hash=0a76f393c5f462a01b34867791319a81cf83ac9f)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FZQVjEfc.jpg&hash=601288c60710d247390805156b705ed2816cda17)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FqG1myu6.jpg&hash=2bd96ff3c90aa68dbd4dead8b817132299fdc2e6)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FmJT5Anf.jpg&hash=f15a2c31c61cbbeb75cc1d36f2d51796b0161f83)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FaRC7gXg.jpg&hash=dfbf47a2112958665736595f1a31ee645555c589)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FkUt65uf.jpg&hash=d32c1321e3090e8dba7a8d2f47acf6319d6ad068)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FMuEm4Vk.jpg&hash=b9a08810624b78933005b7bc1045b1574a88e916)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F1ogOcrX.jpg&hash=8002ba6c7196418ef2b78f2d505a2cb77bbe33c9)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F7LrX7cp.jpg&hash=d91a8ef931cfb526223d47c1853146a5736efc0e)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FPUTtEN4.jpg&hash=b1eaae6ac575478a6edd1db0e7ba5c991194a7fe)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FlcVf9ab.jpg&hash=1c276876212b54cdede2f191c6a4887dd6838865)
This is the only thing that reminds me of The Master:
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2F1ogOcrX.jpg&hash=8002ba6c7196418ef2b78f2d505a2cb77bbe33c9)
what did you see in the rest of 'em?
When I think about the visual style of The Master, I think of it being like a tropical fish -- a near rainbow array of colors in many frames, negative space around the characters, liquidy, etc. Lots of glowing lights in the backgrounds of shots. That said, there isn't a direct parallel here. It merely reminds me. Some of it is probably the generally restrained and deliberate cutting style, at least in the beginning of "The Gas Station" segment -- wide/close/wide, few camera moves...that obviously doesn't come across through screencaps alone. Here are some frames to compare to to get a better idea of what I'm talking about:
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Fc2WvRmi.jpg&hash=0af89ff68749787f75008bfdb4207ab42508a4a8)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FiI94xPB.jpg&hash=0643ae5c1f305384d2c44cd312c6b2530e776998)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FBhV3SOQ.jpg&hash=17fab1cf1899397da0276ff2f0bb9cbcf696667e)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2Fo0dtOXq.jpg&hash=89c61aeebeec5a471de588920e74e709f1150a11)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FR6uav6R.jpg&hash=66ec19b8605984230319b972acee34250d947c0c)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FEUBmimu.jpg&hash=d5ef62bcb7ab860ffca1991db3e33e8194cf7d25)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FePdj71k.jpg&hash=4b3edd4d42e379127c2b262f17021ad288119f98)
vs
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FQj4JYLI.jpg&hash=6760fe41760ef4cad7262e7a185608f02643936b)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FqG1myu6.jpg&hash=2bd96ff3c90aa68dbd4dead8b817132299fdc2e6)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FmJT5Anf.jpg&hash=f15a2c31c61cbbeb75cc1d36f2d51796b0161f83)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FaRC7gXg.jpg&hash=dfbf47a2112958665736595f1a31ee645555c589)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FkUt65uf.jpg&hash=d32c1321e3090e8dba7a8d2f47acf6319d6ad068)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FPUTtEN4.jpg&hash=b1eaae6ac575478a6edd1db0e7ba5c991194a7fe)
Maybe PSH's outfit and the car here, also:
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FuxNKicI.jpg&hash=d9bd9c031f851454283ed33c0b1d4768134f1552)
(https://xixax.com/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi.imgur.com%2FZQVjEfc.jpg&hash=601288c60710d247390805156b705ed2816cda17)
Quote from: wilder on April 30, 2014, 03:14:06 PM
It just occurred to me that John Carpenter is like the real-life version of Bad Santa. At least I like to imagine him that way. Did anyone see that semi-recent interview with him where he basically admits he doesn't give a shit about making movies anymore, that he just wants to stay home and play Xbox? I'll try to find it.
lol. as pubrick likes to say: he's done. for sure. the easiest way to be done is to say you're done, and carpenter likes to say it
funny overlap between the photos you provided and the video -- the photos are from the american cinematheque, aka the egyptian and aero, and i heard him say the videogame thing at the aero when he spoke between escape from ny/escape from la. that day he said he spends all his time playing ninja gaiden now. i was with a friend who plays ninja gaiden and he thought that was a wonderful thing to hear. cool, nbd, but that's some bad santa filmmaker talk
Quote from: jenkins<3 on April 30, 2014, 03:36:21 PM
i heard him say the videogame thing at the aero when he spoke between escape from ny/escape from la. that day he said he spends all his time playing ninja gaiden now.
Bahahahaaa. It's a thing. Too good.
"Lode Runner" - Carpenter is my hero. In that interview he actually looks a lot less grumpy than is some earlier ones.
I've seen "They Live" again - I just love how this film aged. Then some time ago I rewatched "Assault on Precinct 13". Carpenter is a lot of fun and holds a special place for me.
Hoping to catch 35mm screening of They Live next month, it'll be my first time
TCM showed Assault recently and I watched it.
Awesome score as usual from JC.
It made me think - has JC ever released an album not attached to a movie?
Then a day or two later I saw that he is doing just that.
Non-soundtrack JC album coming soon.
Anyone hear the "Lost Themes" album yet? In this interview it turns out they were made recently, not as soundtrack demo's for any potential movies (I was already suspicious at the recording quality being so consistent and clean), but not that it matters. Cool album.
http://defamer.gawker.com/john-carpenter-makes-music-likes-taylor-swift-wants-t-1682846136
Quote
John Carpenter Makes Music, Likes Taylor Swift, Wants To Be King
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Rich Juzwiak
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Filed to: INTERVIEWS
JOHN CARPENTER
MUSIC
FILM SCORES
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MOVIES
1/30/15 3:45pm
He's best known for dabbling in the macabre, but when I talked to the 67-year-old director/musician John Carpenter by phone earlier this week, he told me he was "just delighted." We were discussing his new (and first) album John Carpenter's Lost Themes and the glowing reception it has received thus far. Carpenter is best known for directing horror movies like Halloween and 1982's The Thing, as well as gritty action fare like Escape from New York, but all the while he's been composing music (in fact, he has scored most of this movies, including all of the aforementioned).
Lost Themes is as moody, brash, and synth-based as his scores, but there are no actual movies attached to these pieces. "I want this to be a score for the movies that are playing in your head," is how he described the album, which was born of an improv session between him and his son.
Over the phone, I found Carpenter to be direct and combative (but playfully so—I think). Talking to him reminded me of interviewing Brian De Palma—both veteran directors are terse but open, self-assured but humble. Carpenter and I discussed his music, Taylor Swift, the state of horror cinema, and the folly of calling yourself an artist. A condensed and edited transcript of our conversation follows.
Brian De Palma Maybe Has Peaked, And He Knows It
I could hardly believe how easy director Brian De Palma was to talk to when I spoke to him in...
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Gawker: How has it been doing press for this album? Music is not generally the art that people ask you about.
John Carpenter: It's amazing. It's much more fun than it is to talk about music than movies.
Why is that?
I don't know! Just opinion. It's because I've talked about movies for years and years and years, and suffered the abuse, so it's nice to have kudos now.
What kind of abuse are you talking about?
In the movie business? Oh please.
John Carpenter gets abused? Even to this day?
I've always gotten abused. Always.
You've been composing forever. Why is your first album just now coming out?
It was all a matter of luck, it was never planned. This began as an improvisation with my son and I playing. We improvised about 60 minutes worth of music and he went away to Japan to teach, so I just sat on the music. And then I got a new music lawyer. She asked me, "Do you have anything new?" I sent her the stuff my son and I had done, and a couple of months later I had a record deal. What the hell? This is easy.
The song titles are evocative: "Fallen," "Abyss," "Purgatory," "Night." Did you have any scenes or visual ideas in mind as you were improvising?
It was all about the music and then later I put the titles on.
Was it freeing to make music without having responsibility to an image?
You got it, that's exactly right. It's freeing not to have to work to an image, it's freeing not to have a schedule and a deadline. It was unbelievable. Just the greatest.
Are you aware that there is an entire strain of European modern disco producers who idolize you as a composer, like Legowelt for example?
No, I'm not aware of it, but that's great. Maybe they'll share in their residuals with me.
What do you listen to?
All sorts of stuff. Scores, old rock and roll. I'm not into rap music very much. Modern pop music.
Like who?
I really like Taylor Swift. She's really talented. Hans Zimmer is one of my favorites, too. He's unbelievable.
Is it cathartic to make themes? This music is emotionally blatant.
That's me! That's my career: blatant. That's all I've wanted to do all my life...Dude, I don't know. I don't think about these things. You want me to intellectualize about a process that's purely instinctual. Think of Grandma Moses.
Has technology affected your process at all?
Sure. The synths today, good god. They're great. My lord. We never had anything like this in the old days.
Is it because the old synths were temperamental and made it hard to replicate sounds?
They sound better! The sounds are incredible now. They've matured. They don't sound so cheesy. I know there's a big revival in '80s synths but please, they're nothing compared to what we have.
Do you feel you've been properly recognized for your music in the past, being that it's been so crucial to your films?
Sure. I'm recognized as much as I'm recognized. There is no "should be." In my mind, I should be anointed king, but that's not going to happen. I have to accept what's true and what's in front of me.
What do you think about the current state of horror?
Horror has been with us since the beginning of cinema and it continues to evolve and grow through the generations. It's going through a period of growth now. It exploded in the '90s and early 2000's. You had Japanese horror, you had torture horror. It's changing again. What's popular now is the low-budget supernatural stuff.
Do you like that stuff? As someone who likes horror, I think we're at a low point.
You know...I don't know, people go see it. So that's what the movie business is about. It's about commerce.
But what do you think about that? Are you idealistic at all, or just a pragmatist?
I'm pragmatic, but I always believe that horror movies can be reinvented with brilliance. A few years ago, there was a really fine Swedish movie called Let the Right One In. Man, that reinvented the vampire legend. It was great. So there are really good ones. But it's always been the same: Most horror movies are bad, a few are fair, very few are good, and every once in a while there's an excellent one.
Would you say that Halloween is one of the excellent ones?
I can't...I don't know! Why do you ask me those kind of questions? Just remember what I said: Why don't you anoint me king, that's all I can say.
The reason I ask you that question is because I don't really get to talk to a lot of people who have created objective masterpieces. It's interesting for me to hear what the creator of such a work actually thinks of it.
Well, it's a movie we made in 1978. I don't know! It's not up to me to say.
Does it ever feel like a curse that you made a movie that to this day, to this minute, are asking you about?
Hell no! It's wonderful.
Are you satisfied? It seems like you're in a phase of your career where you can do whatever you want, like releasing this record.
This is all about luck. I'm just standing in a blessed position. It fell into my lap. People seem to like it so far. Maybe I'll do some more. But I won't take it any further than that. Pragmatic is probably a good word. My day consists of watching NBA basketball, playing video games, and playing music. I don't ask for more in life. Except to be king.
What about movies? Are you actively pursuing making any?
Sure, sure. But slowly because I'm an old man now. I don't move as fast.
Does the changing movie industry make you feel at all disenchanted with it?
Well, it's changed a lot. It's just a different game now than it was in the old days. Single people aren't deciding what gets made, it's corporations deciding. It's a different aesthetic, which is fine. They still make a lot of money, and a lot of great movies still get made.
Do you think these corporations hamper the creative process at all?
No. It's just different. It's just different.
When you look at your career, are you happy with yourself, your life, your job?
My dream as a little kid was to be a movie director and I got to live out that dream. I'm the happiest guy in the world. Are you kidding? This is fabulous. I got to be John Carpenter. What the hell? What else do I want, except king?
You're really on the king beat. This is like you're using The Secret: You're putting it out into the universe.
I am. I'm hoping something will happen, but I know nothing's going to happen.
Have you listened to the remixes on the record, the bonus tracks?
Some of them, yeah, I have.
How are they?
Well, they're somebody else's interpretations. It's like someone else directing a movie that you've written or doing a remake. It's theirs. I don't know. It wouldn't be what I did, but it's fine.
You've also experienced that with Halloween. What did you think of Rob Zombie's remake?
Oh please don't ask me! Please, I beg you!
All right. I can put it together, because I know part of your original idea was to keep Michael Myers without a back story, so it did seem to be an affront to so much of what made Halloween ingenious.
Well, that's one way of putting it. Another is I really don't want to comment on it. It's all about commerce, my friend. They call it show business, not show art.
Do you think of your movies as art at all?
Oh come on now. Come on now. They're just movies. It's up to other people to tell you that you're an artist. It's not up to me to determine that. "Oh now I am an artist and I am the king!"
I live in New York, and I meet a lot of people that I wish felt the way you do.
Shocking, isn't it? You're not an artist until someone else tells you that you are. It's not possible.
Many people have called you an artist, though. Are you saying that you maintain a perspective, that you don't really let those opinions inform your self-image?
They don't have anything to do with it. I'm a realistic human being. Anything like that is like, "OK, fine." I've gotten called bad names, I've gotten called good names and none of it means anything.
Have you ever been hurt by feedback you've received?
I'm hurt by everything. I got used to it over the years. At the beginning I was shocked: what the hell is this? "Didn't they see the movie I made?" But what the hell can I do?
Imagine how much worse it would have been if you were coming up in the age of social media, when all of those voices were amplified.
Lord, man! But you can't take that crap seriously. You're gonna curl up into a ball.
The reason why it's hard not to is because, like you said, you have to rely on other people to call you an artist. So in a way, your worth, your contribution to society is in other people's hands.
Well...You win. I don't know.
John Carpenter's Lost Themes is out Tuesday on Sacred Bones Records.