Inspired by the Web Series thread, I'm finally starting to get around to watching Carpenter's early stuff. I just finished Escape From New York.

It was alright, although I highly doubt, despite what everyone in the web series thread seems to think, that you could make a movie like that today and get away with it. But whatevs it was fun, although it doesn't really end, it just...kinda....stops. But then well, 80's be crazy.

The ending to Escape From New York is perfect in my opinion.

******SPOILERS IN CASE YOU HAVEN'T SEEN IT********
I love the whole 'fuck you'-ness of it. I love that Snake shows compassion for those that died by screwing over the president just because he showed none. Plus, it 'just stops' because the mission just stops. That adds to the mystery of Snake, too, we meet him as the mission starts and we leave him as it ends, no hanging about. It's great.

I wouldn't call Escape from New York early Carpenter, as that was when he had money. You have to go back to Dark Star,  Assault on Precinct 13, Halloween, etc. for what starting web filmmakers should be striving for.

If you had some mates and a DSLR, some lights, makeup and some time, you could make The Horseman. I know I've posted the trailer a few times already, but the movie is really good. It's super low budget AND good. I think the biggest "stunt" thing in the movie is they burn down a house (all you see is smoke pouring out the door... you just kinda assume it's on fire). The rest of it is a dude in a van, dudes yelling at each other in various Asylum-style generic offices and dudes being tortured / beaten in what is most likely the actor's own homes / garages. Total cast of maybe a dozen people + some extras in a couple scenes (who could probably be the same dozen actors with jackets and hats on...)

That's the sort of movie these web guys should be trying to make. You don't need special effects to have an intense action / drama.

Also, there are a lot of movies from the 60's and 70's that have maybe a couple scenes that your modern low-budget crew couldn't handle like car chases or whatever, but you could probably make most of the films out of that era today for next to nothing. Bring that shit back. Real acting. Smaller films about people in buildings with problems that are compelling and real and not people getting shot and elaborate fight scenes. How many elaborate fight scenes have you seen in the last week in real life? How many shoot-outs and car chases? How many giant robots?

I've come to a theory regarding the Wachowskis, speed racer and that frickin kid.

The Wachowski's just hate to have any sort of actual real emotion in their movies. And since this one was actually shaping up to have a few moments of real human emotion, they used that kid anytime either of them got a little uncomfortable, thereby eliminating the tension of any real emotional scene.

Otherwise, the movie was actually a lot better than I remembered. Definitely underrated.

Piranha 3DD fails on every level... the worst film I have seen this year, so far.

Girl: "I love the water!"
Guy: "It's, uh, really wet"

^ actual dialogue from the film...

While we're on the topic of bad films: I saw The Raven last night and it was even worse than I expected.