John Carpenter's Starman (1984) Revisit

Once again 1984 proves to be a wonderful year for terrific movies. The Alamo Drafthouse has been presenting a series in their time capsule, that focuses on 1984 in the month of July this year. After having a great experience at "Buckaroo Banzai" on Monday night, we ventured to a different location to catch up with the least John Carpenter-ish film that John Carpenter ever made. This science fiction romance includes an Academy Award nominated acting performance, and no dismemberment of any animals or human beings, although a car or two do get destroyed.

This was the adult version of E.T. , and it features a mature love story that plays out very patiently between an alien visitor and an American woman. Karen Allen, famous for the Indiana Jones movie, plays a woman grieving her recently lost husband, who's marriage was only a couple of years old. We watch her torture herself by looking at old films of she and her husband and happier times, as she drinks herself into a position where she can finally sleep, we wonder how this is going to connect with the space vehicle that has crashed not too far from her home in Wisconsin. It turns out that the visitor from another world is going to use the DNA in the lock of hair that she has in a photo album to replicate itself in the form of her deceased husband. This would come as a shock to just about anybody, when she encounters this being as it is growing in her living room, and it when it turns around it is the exact image of her lost love, you would expect her to pass out immediately. It actually takes almost two more minutes for her to do so.

Once the premise has been set up the film becomes a chase movie, as the alien and the Earth woman travel from Wisconsin to a crater in Arizona where the alien is supposed to rendezvous with his partners on a different spacecraft. Of course the woman and the visitor are also pursued by agents of the U.S. government, who use the military in a ham-fisted way to locate the alien, and assess what thread it might present to our country. Trapped between the science and the military strategy, is a scientist from S.E.T.I. , the search for extraterrestrial intelligence, played by Charles Martin Smith. Jeff Bridges inhabits the body of our deceased carpenter, resurrected through advanced cloning, and his charming limited understanding of English vocabulary becomes one of the continuous humor tropes in the film. Bridges best actor nomination is almost certainly a result of the physicality that he brings to the character of Scott, the late husband of Karen Allen's character. 

It is a science fiction film, but the alien here is much different from the one that John Carpenter showed us in his previous film, "The Thing". This character is more benevolent and, as embodied by Bridges, a hell of a lot more charming. The cross country road picture allows Carpenter and Company to make some observations about the nature of human beings, and about the U.S. paranoia around aliens or any threat to National Security. The pig-headed leader of the security team played by veteran actor Richard Jaeckel , could easily have gone in a different direction. That would certainly make it a different film, but it might not be one that John Carpenter would have been willing to make. Instead we get an action film with a science fiction character, and a lot of humor. The road trip romance provides a lot more heartwarming moments than you will find in any other John Carpenter film.

I found this movie endearing back in 1984, and again when I rewatched it for my project about that year in movies that I did a decade ago, and I once again find it to be exactly that on this latest viewing. I'm not sure the film is substantial but it certainly is audience-pleasing and entertaining. Karen Allen by the way was just as good as Bridges was, but she didn't get the accolades because her part was a lot more standard. It's too bad that the science fiction world, doesn't have more movies like this, and by the way, it's also too bad that it doesn't have more John Carpenter films as well.

Christine (40th Anniversary Fathom Event)

 

I would describe myself as a John Carpenter fan, but not necessarily an aficionado. Of the eighteen theatrical releases his films have had, I have seen fifteen. "Christine" from 1983, was one I had missed for years and only caught up with during the pandemic, catching it on one of the streaming services maybe a year or so ago. I enjoyed it, but it did not make a strong impression on me, at least until last night. Seeing "Christine" in a theater, in the dark, with an audience was a frank reminder of how differently a movie can play given the environment in which it is being experienced. There was no daylight streaming through the window. No dogs were demanding my attention, and sitting in a theater is much different from laying on the bed and watching TV.  The immersive atmosphere brings out the creepy and haunting elements of the film much more vividly.

The movie has a rock and roll attitude about it from the very beginning. The fact that the 1958 Plymouth Fury is being assembled in 1957, and that Rock music was just starting is not a coincidence. Carpenter's selections of source music emphasize the time period of the cars date of manufacture, not the time of the story. "Bad to the Bone" may have been an 80s record, but it is based in a 50s style and sound, emphasized by the roots rock of George Thorogood and his band. The songs that play on Christine's radio are by 50s artists like Buddy Holly and Little Richard. The transformation of Arnie, the kid who restores and loves Christine,  is largely an evolution to a greaser personality and style, even though the film is set in the late seventies. 

It is a slow burn after a suggestive opening scene during the manufacturing process. Arnie, a good natured kid who is a bit of a sad sack, is played by Keith Gordon. His buddy Dennis, played by future genre director John Stockwell, is a football player with a lot more popularity but a good heart and a loyal friend to Arnie. We get some good character points about the friends and we see the initial enthusiasm that Arnie has for the dilapidated Fury he catches a glimpse of on their way home from school. Arnie's parents are not monsters but they don't come off as nurturing, and it is a surprise when Arnie starts talking back the them. It is the change in Arnie's personality, rather than the satanic car, which drives the opening half of the film. The killings don't start until well past the mid way point of the story.

We know that the bullies are going to get theirs at some point. After we see what a douche the lead bad guy is, we will all be rooting for Christine to come to life and take him out. Christine however is a jealous lover and Dennis and new girl girlfriend to Arnie, Leigh, also run afoul of her. The early incidents are hints of what is to come but the real violence involves a car taking out the trash. The most visually frightening sequence has Christine aflame, chasing after Buddy, the alpha bully of the group. In a night time scene on a lonely road, she really does look like a car from hell on a mission.  All of the deaths will get more vivid renderings with a new version that has been announced. 

Practical effects are used for the car to restore itself after being heavily damaged in an act of vandalism but also after the murders of the bullies. It is visually as accomplished as any CGI work, but because it is done in camera it looks far more convincing and disturbing. The great Harry Dean Stanton shows up for a few scenes as a detective investigating the killings, but his part is under developed and we seem to be missing the section where he figures out that the car is possessing Arnie and is really responsible for what has happened. 

When I asked Amanda what she had thought of the film, she gushed enthusiastically, that it would be craking her top five list of John Carpenter films.  I don't know that I will go that far, but I will say it played really well in the theater and I was sorry I missed it 40 years ago, but completely happy to be seeing it on the big screen. 

Escape from New York-Presented By Robert Rodriguez

 

Apparently, I should have chosen 1981 for my Summer Movie Season debate claim from the Lambcast a couple of weeks ago. After all, 1981 had "An American Werewolf in London", "Raiders of the Lost Ark", "Superman II" and this film, the one that turned Kurt Russell from a Disney kid into an action star. I saw "Escape From New York" in the Summer of 1981 at the El Rey Theater on Main Street in my hometown of Alhambra California. I'd been married for a year and I had summer off between semesters, while my poor wife had to work, so I saw this at a matinee by myself. I had to take her to see it the next week, because I knew she would love it, and sure enough, she fell completely for Kurt Russell.

This was a low budget film that made the most of every dollar they had to spend. John Carpenter was a viable director after his success with "Halloween" and he had made a TV biopic about Elvis with Kurt Russell, so it feels a little inevitable that they would work together in a completely original project. The premise is a simple one, Manhattan has been turned into a maximum security prison, where the convicts are dumped to make out the best they can. In the middle of an international crisis, the President's plane goes down in the area, and someone has to go in and recover him and the McGuffin he in possession of. Former military hero, now convict Snake Plissken, is given the job as a way of gaining his freedom.

Russell does his best Clint Eastwood impression throughout the film, and that makes sense because when Carpenter originally wrote the screenplay years earlier, he had envisioned Eastwood in the part. Snake is an anti-authoritarian, like John Carpenter himself, so the movie is full of middle fingers extended toward the government, convention, and anything else that was pissing off the director at the time. Russell plays Snake as a sullen outsider, who wisely trusts no one and is a lot more of a strategic thinker than he is given credit for.  He snarls and growls his way through the plot, remaining cool in the face of every obstacle he ends up against. 

The action scenes are not complicated but they are fun. As Snake tries to get away from a swarm of crazies at one point, he uses his weapon to improvise a door through a wall. It's a terrific looking action piece and emblematic of the kinds of creative moments Carpenter brings to the film. I combat sequence in a boxing ring is brutal without getting as gory as it would be if this film were made today. The nihilism evinced by Snake is downright compelling, even if it runs contrary to the world's best interest. He is so indifferent that he even puts off a moment of personal revenge because he is tired. His final FU to the whole affair is completely fitting with the character and the semi-dystopian world that all of the characters are operating in. 

Four years ago, we got to see the movie at the TCM Film Festival, with both Carpenter and Russel in attendance.

Richard Kirkham · Escape From New York TCM Interview

 

I'd been a fan of the TV critics Siskel and Ebert since I'd discovered their show on PBS a couple of years before this film came out. While putting this post together I came across their reviews for this film, and if you have a few minutes you can watch it here:

As much as I respected Roger Ebert, I usually found myself on the same side of the equation as Gene Siskel. This may have been the tipping point for me way back in 1981, and lasting until Siskel's death in 1999. 

Last night's screening was presented by Austin based film maker Robert Rodriguez. Before the movie screened he did a brief introduction and he surveyed the house on the number of people seeing the movie for the first time, for the first time on the big screen, and who had seen it in theaters in 1981. A couple people up front were given some nice gifts, one of which were some personal sketches done for the film and signed to Rodriguez by production designer Joe Alves (the production designer of Jaws also). He shared a bit about his personal relationship to the movie, and how he came to be acquainted with Carpenter and worked with Kurt Russell on "Grindhouse". He promised a few stories after the film as well. 

The most amusing one involved Kurt Russell. Rodriguez was showing off his love of "Escape From New York" to Russell when they were together one time by showing that the wallpaper on his phone was an image of Snake Plissken. Russell responded by getting out his own i-phone, fumbling with it for a minute and then asking Suri "Who am I" , to which Suri replied, "You are Snake Plissken". Kurt laughed and said, I'm the only one in the world who can do that. 

TCM Film Festival 10th Anniversary Recap--Day Three

When Worlds Collide

Starting off Saturday morning with a 1950s Science Fiction film just seems appropriate. This George Pal produced extravaganza features many of the disaster tropes from future films like "Armageddon" and "2012", but the human story is actually more the point. There are a few brief sequences of disaster when the planet orbiting the star that is approaching Earth is near, but most of the drama is in the decisions about who gets to ride in the Ark spaceship and who loves who.

The screening was hosted by Dennis Miller, an avid film fan and the perfect stand in for me. His gee whiz enthusiasm for the movie and his fanboy crush on movie star Barbara Rush, reflected exactly how I would have felt if I were sitting in his seat. They talked about her career quite a bit and she still works. She had kind things to say about Producer George Pal and she seemed to be a fan of the movie as well. Maybe we can get a screening of Robin and the Seven Hoods next year and it can all be about working with the Rat Pack.

The special effects in the film are really quite good and the miniatures and photographic effects are convincing up until the climax of the movie. The survivors arrival on the new planet is a bit rushed and the background art matte looks like a coloring book rendition of another world. It was flat, overly simple and the colors were garish. Before this, the movie looked great and the cinematography was top notch. Actor John Hoyt, who will be familiar to anyone who has watched a TV show from the 50s, 60s, 70s or 80s because he was in everything, plays the cartoonish bad guy in a wheelchair. When he gets his comeuppance, everyone was happy.

Fox: An Appreciation

No one seems to want to acknowledge that Twentieth Century Fox exists in name only right now. I suppose, much like the once potent United Artists, the logo and masthead will continue to appear on theatrical releases, but as an independent film studio, Fox is no more. They will be a Disney brand for films that Disney does not want to have the Disney name on. I thought the event would be a bit more bittersweet, but instead, it was a celebration of the restoration efforts of the Fox Archive project, and that was certainly worthwhile.

Our guide for this review of great Fox films was Schawn Belston, who is the Executive Vice President of Media and Library services at Fox. This was a clip presentation with maybe twenty to thirty films getting a few moments of special attention. The opening of the program featured all of the 20th Century Fox logos and the fanfare that have opened their films since the founding of the studio. The first clip also reflected their greatest success, "Star Wars" which did play at the Festival but I skipped to see something else.

From Shirley Temple to Die Hard, a long list of distinguished movies were honored and a little bit of history about their restorations was thrown in as well. I especially appreciated Mr. Belston singling out the amazing score for the original "Planet of the Apes" and naming it's composer out loud. Jerry Goldsmith is my favorite movie music man and this was a nice little bonus from my perspective.




This presentation was at the newest venue to join the TCM FF, American Legion Post 43.  Now you might think a Legion Hall is just a bar, a hall and some pool tables, but in this case you would be wrong. The main hall has been fitted out to be an elegant theater which would be capable of handling live productions as well as film presentations.

I did not get a shot from the back of the theater but the proscenium is quite large and you can see how cavernous this place is.


This was the only event that we attended at the Legion Post but there were films playing here all weekend. The only real drawback was the hike to the location. It is not actually any further than the Egyptian Theater is from the Roosevelt or the Chinese Theater, but the trip is a little up hill and the grade made it a bit intimidating. That plus the fact that the weekend featured typical warm California Spring days, probably deterred a few souls from attending events here.  I know my blogging friend Kristen Lopez bailed out on Wuthering Heights because of it. She has a chair and moving uphill was not going to be comfortable for her. Maybe nest year there can be a shuttle for those with mobility issues.


Those who did make it to the venue, I hope you went downstairs to use the bathroom. That would have given you a chance to see an old school hospitality room.

All About Nora

This was a panel presentation about writer/director Nora Ephron. She was responsible for some of the biggest adult targeted films of the last couple decades. I already mentioned "When Harry Met Sally", but she wrote and directed two other famous and worthy romantic comedies, "Sleepless in Seattle' and "You've Got Mail". She passed in 2012 and the last film she worked on was "Julie & Julia".

This event took place in Club TCM, the main meeting room in the Roosevelt Hotel. There were a number of items on display that are going up for auction through Bonhams pretty soon, so while I was waiting for the discussion, I browsed but made no purchases. 

When the presentation began, it was hosted by one of the rookie hosts on TCM  Dave Karger. He introduced a distinguished panel of Ephron experts. Lauren Shuller Donner, who produced several of Ephrons films, J.J. Sacha who was her personal assistant for 14 years, actress/producer Rita Wilson who was cast in "Sleepless in Seattle" and has a great scene in the movie and Jacob Bernstein, her son and the creator of a documentary on her work. 

Karger led the discussion with some appropriate questions and everyone had stories to tell. There was also a Q and A with the audience and some of those questions were worthwhile. There was a very nice touch for the conclusion of the program. Nora Ephron produced her own memorial service and had very strict food and drink guidelines. There was a pink champagne that she specified to be served at her memorial. At the conclusion of this event, everyone in the audience was served a glass of that beverage and we all offered a toast to the missing honoree. 

  

Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Right off the bat I need to tell you that this was going to be on my schedule from the moment it was announced. I love this movie so much that one of my dogs is named after the outlaw played by Paul Newman. Another reason is that it features a performance by character actor Strother Martin, and as the keeper of the flame on the Strother Martin Film Project, I could not very well miss it. The frosting on the cake however was the appearance of the composer of the Academy Award winning song and score for the film, Mr. Burt Bacharach.

The film holds up marvelously and I can't imagine I need to tell anyone reading this how entertaining it is. It was the biggest hit of 1969 and probably even better remembered for pairing Paul Newman and Robert Redford than "The Sting". This was another packed house at the main Chinese Theater.

Bacharach is ninety-one this year and he was a little unsteady but his mind was sharp and his wit was keen. Eddie Muller conducted the interview and of course there was a lot of talk about all of the hits that Burt had written over the years. If you think you don't know his work, guess again, you have heard dozens of his songs.

At the time the movie was made, he was married to Angie Dickinson, and she was theone who sort have got him the job. They were staying at a hotel in NYC when she ran into George Roy hill and she mentioned that her husband was a composer. The story Bacharach tells then involved sending information back and forth and ultimately getting the gig by chance.

Bacharach also said that his favorite composition was for the theme for "Alfie" another Academy Award Nominated song, again with lyrics by Hal David.

As we watched the movie play out, once again i was caught up in the cleverness of the dialogue and the effectiveness of Paul Newman's comedic timing. He apparently thought he was miscast in a comedy, but this showed that he was capable in the right vehicle. He and director George Roy Hill would do another comedy in the 1970s, "Slap Shot". That movie also features a performance by another co-star of "butch and Sundance, Strother Martin.

I was really pleased by the fact that when Strother showed up on screen, there was a smattering of applause for him. We had gotten those bits of audience approval for the stars of the film when they first show up, but leave it to a TCM Film crowd to know that they were seeing one of the great character actors of the second half of the Twentieth century.

Escape From New York

I know there are fans of the channel who will be aghast at the fact that this film is playing at the festival. It is not from the golden age of Hollywood, it is a low budget film and it is a genre that is probably not well loved by some of the TCM fans. Well the hell with all that, I am perfectly happy this was on the program and so were a number of other people. This was a high priority for Amanda and I, we are both big fans of the star and the director of this film, and both of them were going to be at the screening.

This is an mp3 file of the conversation that took place before the movie. I have not included any video because frankly, we were well in the back of the theater and just happy to get in.

The stories were fun and Carpenter pointed out that the only reason that the sequel exists is that Kurt Russel wanted to play the character again. Fans of the film have probably heard the legendary commentary track that came from the Laser Disc release originally and then appeared on DVD versions of the film. John Carpenter and Kurt Russel are friends and they seem to enjoy the heck out of each others company and it showed on that audio track and in this interview as well.

At one point the film was censored because of the presence of the World Trade Center Towers, and Carpenter thought that was a silly thing to have happen for the kind of fantasy film this really is.

We stayed for the film, even though I practically have it memorized and it was getting late. It's just hard to skip an opportunity to watch it all on the big screen. The cast really is terrific, and it's interesting that both Kurt and John's former wives have roles in the movie.  So ended the long Saturday at the Festival. Next up, Last Day.