Rodolfo at CBR.com did a piece called Top 10 Groundbreaking John Carpenter Characters. You just know I’m going to play along by posting my thoughts on three of my favorite John Carpenter characters and one who didn’t make Rodolfo’s list but should have.
Snake Plissken. I’d be surprised if Snake Plissken wasn’t at the top of anyone’s John Carpenter characters list. Heck, Plissken should be near the top of any cool characters list. He’s the classic anti-hero: ex-military, individualist with an attitude, more than capable in any situation and played perfectly by Kurt Russell channeling Clint Eastwood. I’m surprised that there weren’t more Snake Plissken movies made (besides EFNY and ESFLA) and that Snake has become more popular in other media.
Napoleon Wilson. Perhaps Carpenter’s least known character with the most potential. Wilson appeared in Assault on Precinct 13 and like Snake Plissken was an anti-hero. On his way to prison, Wilson find himself and a small group trapped in an abandoned building under siege by a street gang. Napoleon Wilson was perfectly played by Darwin Joston in his most famous role.
John Nada. Roddy Piper was the perfect choice to play John Nada, an average guy just looking to survive in a world unknowingly under the control of aliens. Nada isn’t a specially trained soldier or cop — he’s just a drifter who discovers a secret that no one would believe and then he takes action to save the world!
Romero. While Romero didn’t make Rodolfo’s list, there was no way I’d leave him out of mine. Romero appeared in a relatively small role in Escape from New York. In a movie full of larger-than-life characters, Romero (as played by Frank Doubleday) was as memorable as any and more frightening than all.
1. AN ERRANT PAIR OF FORCEPS GAVE SYLVESTER STALLONE HIS DISTINCTIVE LOOK.
Many comedians have paid their bills over the decades by adopting Sylvester Stallone’s distinctive lip droop and guttural baritone voice. The facial feature was the result of some slight mishandling at birth. When Stallone was born on July 6, 1946 in Manhattan, the physician used a pair of forceps to deliver him. The malpractice left his lip, chin, and part of his tongue partially paralyzed due to a severed nerve. Stallone later said his face and awkward demeanor earned him the nickname “Sylvia” and authority figures telling him his brain was “dormant.” Burdened with low self-esteem, Stallone turned to bodybuilding and later performing as a way of breaking through what seemed to be a consensus of low expectations.
5. SYLVESTER STALLONE WROTE A NOVEL.
In addition to his acting ambitions, Stallone decided to pursue a career in writing. After numerous screenplays, he wrote Paradise Alley, a novel about siblings who get caught up in the circus world of professional wrestling in Hell’s Kitchen. Stallone finished the novel before deciding to turn it into a screenplay. Paradise Alley was eventually produced in 1978. The book, which was perceived as a novelization, was published that same year. (It appeared in hard cover and mass market paperback. – Craig)
10. ARNOLD SCHWARZENEGGER ONCE TRICKED SYLVESTER STALLONE INTO STARRING IN A BOX OFFICE BOMB.
Stallone has often discussed his rivalry with Arnold Schwarzenegger, as the two action stars were believed to be the two biggest marquee attractions in the 1980s. Recalling his 1992 bomb Stop! Or My Mom Will Shoot, Stallone told a journalist in 2014 that he believed Schwarzenegger was to blame. “I heard Arnold wanted to do that movie and after hearing that, I said I wanted to do it,” he said. “He tricked me. He’s always been clever.”
Screenplay: Matthew Cirulnick & Sylvester Stallone from a story by Dan Gordon & Sylvester Stallone based on the character created by David Morrell.
Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Paz Vega and Yvette Monreal.
The Pitch: “Sly Stallone is ready to do another Rambo!”
Tagline: They Drew First Blood. He Will Draw Last.
The Overview: Beware of Spoilers…
Rambo: Last Blood takes place ten years after Rambo has returned home to the farm of his childhood. All of his friends and family are dead except for his adopted family of Maria (his housekeeper) and her granddaughter Gabrielle who is about to leave for college.
When Gabrielle doesn’t return from a trip across the border to confront the father that deserted her years ago, Rambo goes to find her. In Mexico, Rambo learns that Gabrielle has been kidnapped by a gang led by two brothers who are sex-traffickers. It’s not giving away anything to say that he goes to rescue her and the fight begins in Mexico and culminates on Rambo’s ranch in Arizona.
Rambo: Last Blood is not for everyone (is any film?). It is excessively brutal. It’s not a feel-good film. I liked it, but understand why some folks don’t. I’ll tell you more about what I liked and address some criticisms after the trailer — be advised spoilers will follow.
Rating:
Rambo: Last Blood seemed like a natural extension of Rambo (the last movie). Rambo has returned to his childhood farm where he lives with his adopted family. I liked that while Rambo has made progress, he still suffers from memories of the war, but is getting medical help. I liked that although Gabrielle’s father is a horrible person, he wasn’t a member of the gang.
I’m not a fan of overly gory movies. I don’t like slasher movies. I agree that the violence in Rambo: Last Blood is excessive, but complaining about violence in a Rambo movie (especially one that advertises itself as being “savage”) is like going out into the rain and complaining when you get wet.
It is strange to me that folks who loved First Blood (where Rambo did terrible physical damage to innocent police officers and National Guard troops, and destroyed businesses of innocent citizens) are finding fault with the violence in this movie.
There were a couple of twists that I liked: Rambo being caught watching the house and when he tries to walk away is met by overwhelming force. It was unexpected of how bad a beating he took and that Gabrielle died after Rambo rescued her. I liked that Rambo went back in without his gun or knife and used a hammer. It seemed like a real choice.
Some folks are complaining that all Mexicans are being portrayed as evil. I get the concern but it reminds me of the same complaints that Italians made about The Godfather. Not all Mexicans are bad and to get that message from the movie is extremely simplistic.
The movie focuses on Rambo and the revenge he takes upon the gang members that kidnapped, drugged, raped and killed his adopted niece. The people who did that are not good people. These outlaws don’t represent all of Mexico just as Rambo doesn’t represent all of America. Had the movie focused on the Mexican reporter or other good people in Mexico it would have been a different film. Perhaps some would have liked that film better, but to judge a movie on what it isn’t, doesn’t seem right to me.
There has been a lot of criticism leveled at the last act where Rambo has lured the gang members back to his ranch which has been riddled with traps. Did these people not see a single trailer? Wouldn’t that be like going to a McDonalds after watching ads for a Big Mac and then complaining when you got what you saw in the commercial?
I think that some of the complaints against Rambo: Last Blood may have been from folks who’ve romanticized John Rambo. Don’t get me wrong, he’s the guy you’d want in the fox hole next to you. He’s also the same guy who was described as “slipping up” when he didn’t kill Teasle and all his deputies in First Blood. Rambo is a guy fighting to keep the lid on and when he loses it, he becomes war. And war is brutal and unforgiving.
I’m a huge Stallone fan and that plays into my enjoyment of his movies. I liked Rambo: Last Blood a lot more than I thought I would. As with anyone’s review of anything, your mileage may vary.
Corporate Monster is a well done horror/scifi short that could easily be set in the world of John Carpenter’s They Live. It’s almost as if Ruairi Robinson saw They Live and then said, ‘Hold my beer.” Robinson’s monsters are cooler looking (thank you improvements in computer technology) and scarier — look at what that monster is eating for lunch!
I could easily see Corporate Monster being made into a feature length film.
From acclaimed filmmaker Ruairi Robinson (Blinky™, The Leviathan) comes a new vision of fantastic horror. After being fired from his job, a dangerously unstable man’s life spirals out of control when he starts to see parasitic beings that puppeteer our world from the shadows.
Michael B. Jordan produces and appears in Raising Dion a new series premiering on Netflix on October 4th. Set for a 10 episode first season, Raising Dion is based on a comic and short film created by Dennis Liu (who will also direct the pilot). Here’s the synopsis…
A young boy struggling to control his newfound powers. A single mom fighting the odds to keep her son safe. Secrets, conspiracies, mysteries, all dangerously swarming around one family… Raising Dion launches October 4th, only on Netflix.
I saw The Cotton Club on it’s initial theatrical release and at least once again several years later — both times I felt like the movie was good, but not as good as expected. Directed by Francis Ford Coppola and featuring an all-star cast that included Richard Gere, Gregory Hines, Diane Lane, Bob Hoskins, James Remar, Fred Gwynnne and Nicholas Cage, The Cotton Club should have been much better than it was.
Now The Cotton Club will get another chance at greatness when The Cotton Club Encore is released. This newly edited version will contain…
… an extended Gregory Hines & Maurice Hines tap performance, Lonette McKee’s brilliant rendition of “Stormy Weather,” the originally envisioned ending, and more…
Here’s the trailer below. You can catch The Cotton Club Encore in limited theatrical release in October or when it comes to Blu-Ray and DVD. One piece of trivia before the video: Did you know that Sly Stallone was originally up for the Richard Gere role, but turned it down? He was. It’s an interesting story that I’ll save for another post.
Jason Adams at Joblo.com profiled one of Sly Stallone’s most under-rated movies in AWFULLY GOOD: OSCAR WITH SYLVESTER STALLONE. Here are a few tidbits before you click over…
OSCAR should’ve been a homerun back in 1991. A madcap comedy was right in the wheelhouse of director John Landis, who was coming off the back-to-back success of COMING TO AMERICA and THREE AMIGOS. Landis perfectly cast Al Pacino in the lead role… (which ultimately went to Sly Stallone)
Stallone particularly gets an undeserved bad rap for this movie.
Stallone is more fun in OSCAR than Pacino ever would’ve been.
Eddie Money has passed away at age 70. Money was a singer/songwriter best known for his hits Baby Hold On, Two Tickets to Paradise, Shakin’, Think I’m in Love, Take Me Home Tonight and my personal favorite, Maybe I’m a Fool. His hits bring back great memories of good times.
My thoughts and prayers go out to his family, friends and fans.
Sean Cubillas and CBR.com present 9 Things You Didn’t Know About Calvin & Hobbes. Calvin and Hobbes is my all-time favorite humor strip, and odds are it is yours too. Here are three of my favorites from Cubillas’ list, then click over and read the rest…
EVERYTHING STARTED OFF IN THE DOGHOUSE Right before Watterson would finally receive syndication, he went through quite a bit of rejection. One rejection, in particular, showed the early designs of Calvin and Hobbes. Originally pitched as The Doghouse, a strip that would be described as a hard sell, “Marvin and Hobbes” were on-sided characters that the United Feature Syndicate caught and told Watterson were selling characters.
The United Feature Syndicate, however, would go on to reject his next draft. The Universal Press Syndicate would, fortunately, be a little more welcoming. Despite telling Watterson after his first strip to not quit his day job, Calvin & Hobbes would soon become the best seller that the world knows today.
THE STRIP ENDED BECAUSE WATTERSON WAS FINISHED WITH IT If anyone was wondering why there are no more Calvin & Hobbes strips after 1995 despite only having a decade run and Bill Watterson still being alive to this day, it’s because Watterson just got tired of it. Simple as that. He already had two long running sabbaticals preluding his departure in 1995, but Watterson has gone on to say that he achieved everything that he ever wanted to out of a comic strip and didn’t want to spoil anything by forcing any more out.
It’s genuine and protective to the legacy that he already created, but also a little disappointing to the fans who may have wanted more. But, considering the decline of Garfield and even Peanuts, it’s hard to blame someone trying to go out on top.
BILL WATTERSON REFUSED MOVIE TALKS Three years into Calvin & Hobbes’ run, Stephen Spielberg contacted the Universal Press Syndicate, wanting to talk about a movie deal. Universal Press would excitedly bring the deal to Watterson, who would anticlimactically definitively declare his disinterest. Learning from #6 on this list, Bill Watterson wholeheartedly believed that the magic of Calvin & Hobbes solely remained in its strip format, so much so that he would even turn down toys, animated series offers, and even a multimillion dollar movie deal with the guy who made the Indiana Jones movies.
Despite having a net worth as of this writing of $100 million USD, Watterson is a man of artistic integrity through and through, proving that success is not always about the money but protecting the experience for the audience, which is something that one can’t exactly say for the guy who made Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull.
Today we have a trailer for Fritz Lang’s Indian Epic. Interestingly enough, Lang’s Indian Epic is actually two films, The Tiger of Eschnapur and The Indian Tomb that Lang directed at the end of his career. He was given a bigger budget and freedom long denied him in Hollywood. You can learn more about Lang’s Indian Epic here,here, and here.
I’d never seen these movies, but being a Lang fan and having seen the trailer below, I want to.
Max Allan Collins returns with a new Nate Heller novel, Do No Harm, in March!
Heller is Collins’ fictional detective who finds himself involved with famous murder cases. Heller has been in the mix on everything from the Lindbergh baby kidnapping/murder to the suspicious death of Marilyn Monroe and so much more. Along the way, Heller meets, fights and sometimes gets involved with famous and infamous celebrities. As the years go by Heller ages, creating a unique reading experience. Here’s an impressive timeline of Heller’s life and cases thus far.
Ah, but I digress; back to Do No Harm. Here’s the synopsis…
Do No Harm is the latest mystery in the Nathan Heller series by New York Times bestselling author Max Allan Collins.
It’s 1954 and Heller takes on the Sam Sheppard case―a young doctor is startled from sleep and discovers his wife brutally murdered. He claims that a mysterious intruder killed his wife. But all the evidence points to a disturbed husband who has grown tired of married life and yearned to be free at all costs. Sheppard is swiftly convicted and sent to rot in prison.
Just how firm was the evidence…and was it tampered with to fit a convenient narrative to settle scores and push political agendas? Nathan’s old friend Elliot Ness calls in a favor and as Nathan digs into the case he becomes convinced of Sheppard’s innocence. But Nate can’t prove it and has to let the case drop.
The road to justice is sometimes a long one. Heller’s given another chance years later and this time he’s determined to free the man…even if it brings his own death a bit closer.
Each new Nate Heller is like a visit with an old friend who takes me behind the scenes on real life murder mysteries. At the end of each Heller tale, Collins provides a detailed bibliography and explains where his novel deviated from the facts (if at all). I can’t wait for our next visit.
Coming Soon posted their choices for The 10 Best Movie Cameos. Using just their choices, here are my top three plus four movie cameos that would have made my list!
A Whole Slew of Alfred Hitchcock Films Before Stan Lee was appearing in every Marvel movie, Alfred Hitchcock was inserting himself into the background of almost all his films. An older man with an instantly recognizable look, it’s clear to see why Marvel hopped on the opportunity to steal one of Hitchcock’s signature moves.
Pulp Fiction Christopher Walken is one of the most beloved and praised actors of the back half of the 20th century, so his appearance in Pulp Fiction deserves some recognition for combining one of the most-respected actors and one of the most-revered films. He’s only on-screen for one scene, but it’s a scene that continues to be pored over.
Tropic Thunder
Tom Cruise wearing extensive prosthetics and wearing an unrecognizable getup makes for (easily) one of the best cameos ever. It’s unclear why or how this role came to be, but we welcome it wholeheartedly (and long for the once-rumored spinoff film about his character).
Now for my favorite cameos that didn’t make their list…
Staying Alive: Director Sly Stallone appears just for seconds as he and Tony Manero (John Travolta) bump into each other while walking down a busy sidewalk.
Young Frankenstein: Gene Hackman goes uncredited in one of the funniest scenes in one of the funniest movies of all time.
Glengarry Glen Ross: Alec Baldwin shows up for a memorable scene that sets up everything to follow. ABC – Always Be Closing.
1. THEY LIVE WAS INSPIRED BY A COMIC BOOK ADAPTATION OF A SHORT STORY.
They Live is an adaptation of Ray Nelson’s science fiction short story “Eight O’Clock in the Morning,” which was originally published in the 1960s. But John Carpenter’s more direct inspiration was an Eclipse Comics adaptation of Nelson’s story, which he stumbled across in the mid-1980s. Intrigued by the idea of aliens enslaving humanity, Carpenter then sought out the original prose work.
“‘Eight O’Clock in the Morning is’ a D.O.A.-type of story, in which a man is put in a trance by a stage hypnotist,” Carpenter told Starlog in 1988. “When he awakens, he realizes that the entire human race has been hypnotized, and that alien creatures are controlling humanity. He has only until eight o’clock in the morning to solve the problem.”
Though Carpenter liked the idea of the entire populace being controlled subliminally by an alien menace, he wasn’t too keen on the hypnotism idea. He bought the rights to the story and began adapting it, changing hypnotism to the very 1980s notion of Americans being controlled via subliminal messaging.
3. JOHN CARPENTER WROTE THEY LIVE UNDER AN ALIAS.
Carpenter has always been a multi-hyphenate kind of filmmaker, directing, writing, producing and scoring his movies. But by the time They Live came around, he’d grown a little disillusioned with the idea of continuing to have his name plastered absolutely everywhere. With that in mind, he decided that he’d use a pseudonym for They Live’s screenplay credit.
“It was a reaction to seeing my name all over these movies,” Carpenter explained to Entertainment Weekly in 2012. “I think the height of it was Christine. It was like, John Carpenter’s Christine, directed by John Carpenter, music by John Carpenter … what an egotist!”
Carpenter chose the pseudonym Frank Armitage, which is a character from H.P. Lovecraft’s story “The Dunwich Horror,” which he picked “just because I love Lovecraft.”
5. THEY LIVE’S MOST FAMOUS LINE CAME FROM RODDY PIPER.
Even if you’ve never seen They Live, you’ve probably heard someone at some point in your life say: “I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass, and I’m all out of bubble gum.” Ever since Nada delivered that line in the film, it’s maintained a life even beyond They Live, becoming one of the most popular and frequently quoted lines in all of pop culture. According to Carpenter, the line came straight from Piper, who kept a notebook full of quips like that to use in his wrestling promos.
“Traveling all around the country wrestling different people, those guys come up with a lot of stuff to hype matches in interviews. They have to come up with one-liners. Roddy had a book full of them that he carried with him,” Carpenter explained. “He’d sit on a plane and come up with these things. He gave me the book when I was writing the script and that was the best one in there. I think he was wrestling Playboy Buddy Rose and he may have said the line then.”
According to Piper, the line actually didn’t enter the picture until the day they shot the scene, but either way both men agree that he wrote it.
Chris Bumbray, over at JoBlo.com has a new series where he takes a look at the careers of famous movie stars. As you’ve probably already figured out, this week he turns the spotlight on Sly Stallone.
Bumbray does an excellent job with his retrospective and analysis. No nits to pick except I’d rate Stop of My Mom Will Shoot! as Sly’s worst (not Rhinestone) and of course, everyone knows how much I enjoy Sly’s Get Carter.
