Tag Archives: john carpenter

Film Review of “They Live” (1988)

they live

Scene from the 1988 film “They Live”

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I’ve been seeing memes based on this film for years, but last night I finally got around to watching John Carpenter’s They Live (1988) starring Roddy Piper, Keith David, and Meg Foster.

This is supposed to be one of those “cult classics” and I can see why. That said, it hardly qualifies as one of Carpenter’s best movies. The plot had holes big enough to drive a truck through, the acting for the most part was pretty flat (especially from Foster, which surprised me), and at best, it was a middle-of-the-road movie.

Actually, Keith David as Frank turned in a good performance as did Peter Jason as Gilbert, and George “Buck” Flower (more on him in a minute) as the Drifter.

The basic story is about a homeless construction worker named Nada played by Piper (the character is never named in the movie) who wanders into L.A. Along the way he encounters a blind Street Preacher (Raymond St. Jacques) who rants less about God and Hell and more about how “they” are taking away our freedom and turning us into slaves.

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Film Review: “Escape from L.A.” (1996)

© James Pyles – photo of DVD case for the movie “Escape from L.A.”

I saw John Carpenter’s 1981 film Escape From New York starring Kurt Russell, Lee Van Cleef, and Adrienne Barbeau when it was first in the theaters and then a few times on disc later. It’s what I consider a “high functioning B movie.” That means it’s a lot of fun, but in spite of the quality actors in the movie, it would attain no higher level than “cult classic.” It’s a good way to waste two hours.

I’ve been aware of the 1996 sequel Escape from L.A. for years, but never had the desire to see it. However, yesterday at my local public library, I found it on disc and figured “what the heck.”

Actually, given the quality of the story of the original, and that sequels almost never live up to the original, I expected to either be bored or to hate it.

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