Escape from L.A. : For Those That Fail To Understand This Film and J Carpenter–READ THIS
Re: For Those That Fail To Understand This Film and John Carpent–READ THIS
So Snake's mission, is to basically find a device, that can initiate EMP/Neutron bomb lasers from Satellites, which can knock out any region or an entire country, or the WORLDs power sources, sending it right back to the dark ages. This of course, is a weapon the President in the film wants to have in order to shut down any opposition to him and would be any dictators favorite toy to have. His daughter stole this device and teamed up with the mysterious Cuervo Jones, leader of the Shining Path group in LA. Supposedly, this group stands for freedom, true liberalism (not this neo-liberalism bs we have today and forcefed to accept) and a return to a free society on all levels. However, it turns out, as seen by his gladiatorial games and trying to kill Snake even after he wins one of them and the crowd is on his side, that he is no better than the President, and plans on using the device in the same fashion. Snake is given all the similar gear he was in the 1st movie, to help fight any people who give him problems along the way, but notice, how the Commander gives him a book of matches. Snake wonders why, and he says 'Well, may never know when they could come in handy'. This issue will become more profound during the ending, and youll see why.
So Snake meets up with a bunch of characters, and crazies, including 'Carjack Malone', similar to Brain of the 1st movie, another one of Snake's old buds who double crossed him, except now he is a transsexual and warped into woman. The beautiful Pam Greer plays his role, with a very deep and manly voice, lol, and i cant be sure if that's her voice acting skill or if its dubbed in some way, but if its her voice, well its one hell of a voice impersonation. Snake also comes across this group of people, who kidnap others and use their flesh, muscles and organs to repair botched surgeries, mainly cosmetic ones. Once again, this is another huge allusion Carpenter is making, directed at the vanity and narcissism of people, whether rich or poor, who are obsessed with material things or their outward appearance, which of course, is just one piece to a degenerate society. And of course, there many names and people we know of who have wrecked their appearance with cosmetics, which i wont go into, but again, this is something Carpenter is pointing out here. So, his mission is to find Jones and retrieve this device, and make it back to then get the antidote for his viral infection. However, as you can guess, things dont all go as planned and turn out much different.
And how it turns out, is again, done so with how Snake feels about the world, and of course, Carpenter's own view on things. Thomas Jefferson once said: 'The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.' Well, you see, things have gotten so bad in the world, hence why Snake did what he did in the first movie. Sometimes, the only fix, is a reboot. A fresh start. A new beginning. Back to the drawing board. And well, that is exactly what Snake gives us here. The quote by the President's daughter when Snake does this, is very funny actually, in how its so blatant in what he did, butits all you CAN say, because that is just what he did. Snake's lines at the end, where he says 'The third world gets shut down, America wins. America gets shut down, the third world winsthe more things change, the more they stay the same. Yep, do they ever. Since the beginning of time, its just one faction going against another, vying and jockeying for power. One dominates the other, they collapse eventually or the other eventually dominates them, rinse and repeat, and nothing ever seems to change for the better, until you get to a point where it becomes so decadent, immoral and corrupt, that a reboot is needed. If you also pay attention to the pack of cigarettes Snake finds at the end, the brand is called 'American Spirit.' Again, this is purely sublime and put there intentionally as to show what Snake embodies in his character, and his actions that he decided to take, to bring back that spirit again. The same thing was done in the first film. As Snake walked off, destroying the cassette, the American Flag is seen draped in the background. There is no doubt, that John Carpenter is one helluva patriot and truly does love everything America was engineered to be at its inception. I definitely would love him to speak out about this more in the future.
So, these things here, are what Carpenter is touching on, and he has done this in virtually all of his movies. There is no doubt he is a historian, deeply understanding of what motivates men, their weaknesses and strengths, why we are the way we are, and those with courage and poise to stand up against all odds in the face of oppression. Yes, the movie tanked at the box office, had some overly cheesy moments and sure, it could have had better action sequences, but both films will always be heralded as cult classics for those who truly understand the mind of John Carpenter, one of the greatest movie writers and directors who ever lived. Dont judge this movie on its special effects and production values or the external things to your eyes. Judge it with your ears and with your mind, and try to dig deep when it comes to the current state of affairs we are all subjected to today. And maybe then, youll understand why Snake Plissken is the way he is, why his character exists in many people today, why we need more like him, and why his actions at the end of this film were taken. America is at a moral crossroads right now, and i sure hope it chooses the right path soon. That whole meme of 'it could never happen here' needs to be flushed down the toilet and erased from people's minds, because guess what? It already is happening here, and once again, as the wise and prescient Thomas Jefferson said:
'Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of God; because if there be one, he must more approve the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear.'
Draw your own conclusions. Make sure your opinions are your own. Question everything. And most of all, take pride in your freedom, because it is the most precious thing all men and women need always to protect. :)
So Snake meets up with a bunch of characters, and crazies, including 'Carjack Malone', similar to Brain of the 1st movie, another one of Snake's old buds who double crossed him, except now he is a transsexual and warped into woman. The beautiful Pam Greer plays his role, with a very deep and manly voice, lol, and i cant be sure if that's her voice acting skill or if its dubbed in some way, but if its her voice, well its one hell of a voice impersonation. Snake also comes across this group of people, who kidnap others and use their flesh, muscles and organs to repair botched surgeries, mainly cosmetic ones. Once again, this is another huge allusion Carpenter is making, directed at the vanity and narcissism of people, whether rich or poor, who are obsessed with material things or their outward appearance, which of course, is just one piece to a degenerate society. And of course, there many names and people we know of who have wrecked their appearance with cosmetics, which i wont go into, but again, this is something Carpenter is pointing out here. So, his mission is to find Jones and retrieve this device, and make it back to then get the antidote for his viral infection. However, as you can guess, things dont all go as planned and turn out much different.
And how it turns out, is again, done so with how Snake feels about the world, and of course, Carpenter's own view on things. Thomas Jefferson once said: 'The tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the blood of patriots and tyrants.' Well, you see, things have gotten so bad in the world, hence why Snake did what he did in the first movie. Sometimes, the only fix, is a reboot. A fresh start. A new beginning. Back to the drawing board. And well, that is exactly what Snake gives us here. The quote by the President's daughter when Snake does this, is very funny actually, in how its so blatant in what he did, butits all you CAN say, because that is just what he did. Snake's lines at the end, where he says 'The third world gets shut down, America wins. America gets shut down, the third world winsthe more things change, the more they stay the same. Yep, do they ever. Since the beginning of time, its just one faction going against another, vying and jockeying for power. One dominates the other, they collapse eventually or the other eventually dominates them, rinse and repeat, and nothing ever seems to change for the better, until you get to a point where it becomes so decadent, immoral and corrupt, that a reboot is needed. If you also pay attention to the pack of cigarettes Snake finds at the end, the brand is called 'American Spirit.' Again, this is purely sublime and put there intentionally as to show what Snake embodies in his character, and his actions that he decided to take, to bring back that spirit again. The same thing was done in the first film. As Snake walked off, destroying the cassette, the American Flag is seen draped in the background. There is no doubt, that John Carpenter is one helluva patriot and truly does love everything America was engineered to be at its inception. I definitely would love him to speak out about this more in the future.
So, these things here, are what Carpenter is touching on, and he has done this in virtually all of his movies. There is no doubt he is a historian, deeply understanding of what motivates men, their weaknesses and strengths, why we are the way we are, and those with courage and poise to stand up against all odds in the face of oppression. Yes, the movie tanked at the box office, had some overly cheesy moments and sure, it could have had better action sequences, but both films will always be heralded as cult classics for those who truly understand the mind of John Carpenter, one of the greatest movie writers and directors who ever lived. Dont judge this movie on its special effects and production values or the external things to your eyes. Judge it with your ears and with your mind, and try to dig deep when it comes to the current state of affairs we are all subjected to today. And maybe then, youll understand why Snake Plissken is the way he is, why his character exists in many people today, why we need more like him, and why his actions at the end of this film were taken. America is at a moral crossroads right now, and i sure hope it chooses the right path soon. That whole meme of 'it could never happen here' needs to be flushed down the toilet and erased from people's minds, because guess what? It already is happening here, and once again, as the wise and prescient Thomas Jefferson said:
'Fix reason firmly in her seat, and call to her tribunal every fact, every opinion. Question with boldness even the existence of God; because if there be one, he must more approve the homage of reason, than that of blindfolded fear.'
Draw your own conclusions. Make sure your opinions are your own. Question everything. And most of all, take pride in your freedom, because it is the most precious thing all men and women need always to protect. :)
Re: For Those That Fail To Understand This Film and John Carpent–READ THIS
Draw your own conclusions.
You mean such as to like or dislike a movie regardless of my ability to read through a ten page essay on what it's about?
I actually like this movie but your condescending tone makes me want to dislike it out of spite. Anyone who dislikes it should take offense at the assumption that they are too stupid to get the hidden message.
A movie could have the most profound message in the world, if the general audience isn't getting it then the movie has failed the audience, not the other way around.
Re: For Those That Fail To Understand This Film and John Carpent–READ T
A movie could have the most profound message in the world, if the general audience isn't getting it then the movie has failed the audience, not the other way around.
Good point. I never read through that 10 page essay but I'm sure I picked up on the 'subtle' themes of freedom and the US government in the movie. Wasn't that hard to follow.
I like Escape from L.A, its a fun cheesy sequel. They could have brought Snake back for a more interesting story though, he was essential a western anti-hero, an outlaw, ready for all kinds of future-western scenarios.
Re: For Those That Fail To Understand This Film and John Carpent–READ T
better than the movie ,thanks
Re: For Those That Fail To Understand This Film and John Carpent–READ T
I am a HUGE Carpenter fan and I would go so far as to rank him my favorite story teller of all time. One could make a strong point to him being a prophet and for warner of things to come. Having said that, this movie stinks. Everyone is entitled to a dud and this is his. No harm / no foul.
Re: For Those That Fail To Understand This Film and John Carpent–READ T
Nice try, liquidsnake. Unfortunately, you're preaching to the very sheep who allowed the government to be hijacked in the first place. They're just going to call you a witch and throw you in a lake
Re: For Those That Fail To Understand This Film and J Carpenter–READ THIS
That's such a great analysis! I'm curious as to what you would rate it out of 10?
~Jesus wept.~
~Jesus wept.~
Re: For Those That Fail To Understand This Film and J Carpenter–READ THIS
THAT..is a lot of words.
Re: For Those That Fail To Understand This Film and J Carpenter–READ THIS
I must admit, I am one of Those WHO (not that) Fail To Understand this movie.
It looks like a bad action movie with listless acting to me, rather trite and not very original at all. Ah, well, I will watch anything once, however boring, or "A Fish Called Wanda" over and over again.
It looks like a bad action movie with listless acting to me, rather trite and not very original at all. Ah, well, I will watch anything once, however boring, or "A Fish Called Wanda" over and over again.
Re: For Those That Fail To Understand This Film and J Carpenter–READ THIS
The symbolism in this movie is good, but it is still not a good movie. The script (for the most part) is illogical and weak and the special effects are not very special. Whereas its predecessor had a great script and even though some of the special effects were poor (even at the time that the film was made) it more than makes up for it due to the vibe an atmosphere that Carpenter was able to project. All of that was lost in Escape from L.A. While it is true that it had an ending that was kind of cool it still doesn't fix the inherent problems with this movie.
Want proof that we are doomed
Want proof that we are doomed
Re: For Those That Fail To Understand This Film and J Carpenter–READ THIS
I actually like this movie and watch it occasionally. However I do not like it enough to read through all of that. Fortunately, I don't have to since the essence of your review is summed up in your title.
Likely the most annoying trend on IMDB is the constant accusation that if someone does not like a movie, they must not "understand" it. Because, since the accuser enjoys the film, the only rational conclusion they can come to is that anyone who doesn't must not "understand" it. Then the accuser feels that if they explain the film, others will come around and like it.
This whole concept is egocentric and incorrect. In fact, such a proclamation does more harm to the film than good. This is solely because it is on the director, not the audience, to present an understandable film to the audience. Since this movie was a colossal bomb, your assumption, though not intended to be such, is more insulting to John Carpenter than it is to those you claim do not understand the film.
The reason this film failed us that it was a film made for the wrong reasons. "Escape from New York" was a movie that was made because those involved wanted to make it. It was made on a very low budget, so the story line, the acting, everything had to be top notch in order to work on the budget. "Escape from LA" was a movie made in order to make money. If John Carpenter had wanted to make a sequel to the film, it would not have taken him 15 years to do it.
"LA" offers absolutely nothing new. It is a total rehash of the first film in almost every way. The characters are just updates of the ones from the first film. The mission is basically the same in that it has him going in to retrieve an object under a threat to his life, he meets some characters who at times flip flop their loyalties, hears jokes about what people assumed about him, take part in a sports event that switches the loyalties of the crowds from the antagonist to Snake, and Snake ends up escaping while just about everyone else dies. Then, Snake double crosses the president and takes a sort of moral high ground. If the people involved really wanted to make a film because they believed in it, then they would have made a new film. They didn't.
Furthermore, the whole idea that this movie was a parody of the genre was first floated by Roger Ebert. Afterwards, others jumped onto the boat. It is a lot like what happened to Alanis Morrisette when she had a hit with the song "Ironic." She got embarrassed because she had written a song that had nothing to do with irony. People began teasing her because writing a song about irony that has nothing to do with irony is ironic in itself. So, ever since, she has claimed that this was the original intention of the song. However, there is no indication before the song was released that this is true. Likewise, before Ebert reviewed and suggested this movie was a parody of the genre, it was not suggested anywhere by anyone involved with the film.
People who assume that others do not like films because they do not "understand" them need to get off their pedestals and take a dose of reality. People do not like films for many different reasons, not just the egocentric bullcrap that fans of the films propose. Again, I liked this movie, but it wasn't a good movie in any way. It was very poorly done. However, I pose to those who claim that I and others do not understand the film, the proposition that it is, in actuality, you who does not understand this film. It was a film shoddily put together to make money off the name of the first film. Nothing more, nothing less. Your defense of the film shows that truly, YOU are the one who doesn't understand it.
Likely the most annoying trend on IMDB is the constant accusation that if someone does not like a movie, they must not "understand" it. Because, since the accuser enjoys the film, the only rational conclusion they can come to is that anyone who doesn't must not "understand" it. Then the accuser feels that if they explain the film, others will come around and like it.
This whole concept is egocentric and incorrect. In fact, such a proclamation does more harm to the film than good. This is solely because it is on the director, not the audience, to present an understandable film to the audience. Since this movie was a colossal bomb, your assumption, though not intended to be such, is more insulting to John Carpenter than it is to those you claim do not understand the film.
The reason this film failed us that it was a film made for the wrong reasons. "Escape from New York" was a movie that was made because those involved wanted to make it. It was made on a very low budget, so the story line, the acting, everything had to be top notch in order to work on the budget. "Escape from LA" was a movie made in order to make money. If John Carpenter had wanted to make a sequel to the film, it would not have taken him 15 years to do it.
"LA" offers absolutely nothing new. It is a total rehash of the first film in almost every way. The characters are just updates of the ones from the first film. The mission is basically the same in that it has him going in to retrieve an object under a threat to his life, he meets some characters who at times flip flop their loyalties, hears jokes about what people assumed about him, take part in a sports event that switches the loyalties of the crowds from the antagonist to Snake, and Snake ends up escaping while just about everyone else dies. Then, Snake double crosses the president and takes a sort of moral high ground. If the people involved really wanted to make a film because they believed in it, then they would have made a new film. They didn't.
Furthermore, the whole idea that this movie was a parody of the genre was first floated by Roger Ebert. Afterwards, others jumped onto the boat. It is a lot like what happened to Alanis Morrisette when she had a hit with the song "Ironic." She got embarrassed because she had written a song that had nothing to do with irony. People began teasing her because writing a song about irony that has nothing to do with irony is ironic in itself. So, ever since, she has claimed that this was the original intention of the song. However, there is no indication before the song was released that this is true. Likewise, before Ebert reviewed and suggested this movie was a parody of the genre, it was not suggested anywhere by anyone involved with the film.
People who assume that others do not like films because they do not "understand" them need to get off their pedestals and take a dose of reality. People do not like films for many different reasons, not just the egocentric bullcrap that fans of the films propose. Again, I liked this movie, but it wasn't a good movie in any way. It was very poorly done. However, I pose to those who claim that I and others do not understand the film, the proposition that it is, in actuality, you who does not understand this film. It was a film shoddily put together to make money off the name of the first film. Nothing more, nothing less. Your defense of the film shows that truly, YOU are the one who doesn't understand it.
Re: For Those That Fail To Understand This Film and J Carpenter–READ THIS
Man, you have a lot of time on your hands!!
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This message has been deleted.
Re: For Those That Fail To Understand This Film and J Carpenter–READ TH
Wow, TLDR
The movie seems almost exactly the same as escape from NY. With some goofy ass scenes that are uncomfortably funny at best. I'm glad you got more from it but I think it failed as an action movie which is where it needed to succeed the most.
The movie seems almost exactly the same as escape from NY. With some goofy ass scenes that are uncomfortably funny at best. I'm glad you got more from it but I think it failed as an action movie which is where it needed to succeed the most.
Re: For Those That Fail To Understand This Film and J Carpenter–READ TH
I may be the only one who read this word for word. It's a shame that most replies you've received just brush off your well thought-out summary of this movie and of the director himself. I'd like to say thank you, however, instead of bashing your post. It's strange that people would rather yell and moan "OMG it has too many words, wherez the TL;DR??" instead of taking the time to read it.
Excellent thesis, thank you for posting.
Excellent thesis, thank you for posting.
Re: For Those That Fail To Understand This Film and J Carpenter–READ TH
@ mega_marklar
"It's strange that people would rather yell and moan "OMG it has too many words, wherez the TL;DR??" instead of taking the time to read it."
Why is that strange? If you read every essay by an unknown on the internet, you'll be wondering "What is life, what did I miss?" at your funeral.
This movie was worse than the comic book and super hero ones. It's "messages" were about as subtle as a zombie movie's. When your content is so obvious and unoriginal, then the craft of the movie needs to be goodlike all the good action movies.
"It's strange that people would rather yell and moan "OMG it has too many words, wherez the TL;DR??" instead of taking the time to read it."
Why is that strange? If you read every essay by an unknown on the internet, you'll be wondering "What is life, what did I miss?" at your funeral.
This movie was worse than the comic book and super hero ones. It's "messages" were about as subtle as a zombie movie's. When your content is so obvious and unoriginal, then the craft of the movie needs to be goodlike all the good action movies.
Re: For Those That Fail To Understand This Film and J Carpenter–READ TH
you lost me when you called anti-abortionists patriots
I no longer know who I am and I feel like the ghost of a total stranger.
I no longer know who I am and I feel like the ghost of a total stranger.
Re: For Those That Fail To Understand This Film and J Carpenter–READ TH
Rules of Attraction. Great quote ilikeswitchfoot. I also like Switchfoot.
"All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream."
"All that we see or seem is but a dream within a dream."
Re: For Those That Fail To Understand This Film and J Carpenter–READ TH
Rules of Attraction. Great quote ilikeswitchfoot. I also like Switchfoot.
Haha kudos for getting the reference, that's probably one of my favorite scenes in the whole movie.
Switchfoot is great, though they are so much better live then on album. Like it's a completely different experience.
I no longer know who I am and I feel like the ghost of a total stranger.
Re: For Those That Fail To Understand This Film and J Carpenter–READ TH
Re: For Those That Fail To Understand This Film and J Carpenter–READ TH
A travesty of what..?
It truly is a travesty
Re: For Those That Fail To Understand This Film and J Carpenter–READ TH
It. Travesty can be a noun or a verb. That's my untravestied adjective opinion.
I see these posts referred to as being ten pages long. No way. Even if it was ten pages, does it really take people that long to read? It's kind of ironic that I say this on a movie forum, (it meaning that I assume some use movies as a way to get out of reading, yet find themselves in a forum where reading and writing is the only form of communication; complaining of wordiness and even subtitles at times). It is a very special word.
Everyone should practice reading. No bookcase should be full of tweets - it would look empty.
I see these posts referred to as being ten pages long. No way. Even if it was ten pages, does it really take people that long to read? It's kind of ironic that I say this on a movie forum, (it meaning that I assume some use movies as a way to get out of reading, yet find themselves in a forum where reading and writing is the only form of communication; complaining of wordiness and even subtitles at times). It is a very special word.
Everyone should practice reading. No bookcase should be full of tweets - it would look empty.
Re: For Those That Fail To Understand This Film and J Carpenter–READ TH
I used my English degree to over-analyze a *beep* popcorn action flick! Read the full story here!
And I really really hoped I wouldn't die
Re: For Those That Fail To Understand This Film and J Carpenter–READ TH
screw you
Re: For Those That Fail To Understand This Film and J Carpenter–READ TH
I didn't read this, and not because I don't like to read, I read far more than I watch TV or movies, but because this starts off by talking down to me for not understanding a film with all the subtlety of "man getting hit by football."
It was a lousy remake of a classic 80's film. In that way alone it was way ahead of its time.
It was a lousy remake of a classic 80's film. In that way alone it was way ahead of its time.
Re: For Those That Fail To Understand This Film and J Carpenter–READ TH
Except the CGI, this film is really good !!
Last Movies: - CA vs IM Civil War: 5,5/10
- The Huntman: 6,5/10
- Batman v Superman: 9/10
Last Movies: - CA vs IM Civil War: 5,5/10
- The Huntman: 6,5/10
- Batman v Superman: 9/10
Re: For Those That Fail To Understand This Film and J Carpenter–READ TH
Agreed
However, I think the film had the subtlety of "a man getting hit by a sledge hammer.. twice"
And also, to be fair, credit where credit's due (I read all of the first post before lapsing into a coma). The OP spent all that time, so many key strokes.. and not once accidentally hitting the delete key. Impressive motor skills.
However, I think the film had the subtlety of "a man getting hit by a sledge hammer.. twice"
And also, to be fair, credit where credit's due (I read all of the first post before lapsing into a coma). The OP spent all that time, so many key strokes.. and not once accidentally hitting the delete key. Impressive motor skills.
Re: For Those That Fail To Understand This Film and J Carpenter–READ TH
Is this your thesis for college or what? Ain't no one gonna read that sh!t man.
My Vote history: http://www.imdb.com/user/ur1914996/ratings
My Vote history: http://www.imdb.com/user/ur1914996/ratings
Re: For Those That Fail To Understand This Film and J Carpenter–READ TH
Talk about a huge wall of bad grammar and mostly unreadable gibberish. Fact facts, this film is one of the worst films ever made and is an insult to Escape from New York.
Only morons in denial think that this film has some form of deep meaning that only certain people can understand ROFL.
Also if you look at the profile of the clown who wrote this trash, he only ever did this one review, clearly one of the cast pretending to be a fan.
How can you spot a vegan or a feminist? You do not have to, they will tell you.
Only morons in denial think that this film has some form of deep meaning that only certain people can understand ROFL.
Also if you look at the profile of the clown who wrote this trash, he only ever did this one review, clearly one of the cast pretending to be a fan.
How can you spot a vegan or a feminist? You do not have to, they will tell you.
For Those That Fail To Understand This Film and J Carpenter–READ THIS
Yes, Escape from NY and LA will not 'wow' you with amazing special effects and action of Aliens, T2, etc. But most of John Carpenter's films have never focused on any of this, because that is not where his heart, mind and soul are placed. You see, you wont find Carpenter doing interviews for Time, Esquire, GQ, or on your normal mainstream news show being interviewed by some generic movie pundit about his next movie, or have the enormous marketing campaigns and fanfare that a Cameron or Spielberg movie would have. And there is a reason for that
Many of his films focus on political and societal issues, and the schisms within our world, the main one being freedom vs tyranny, and those trying to break out of the current matrix, or those awaking to it and understanding that all is NOT what it seems. People aren't what they seem, government isn't what it seems, laws aren't what they seem, and mankind isn't fulfilling its rightful place as it was intended, due to those who crave power and the corruption that comes with it. Carpenter made this film in 1996, which takes place in 2013, and to blatantly ignore or not even understand how our world is quickly becoming the world depicted in the film (and its prequel), well, all i can say is you need to wake up and brush up on some history, my friends.
Carpenter, in my opinion, is a genius and an obvious historian, due to the fact he was able to use the smallest remnants 30 years ago, and depict them in his films in a wider light, which is now, as i said, coming to fruition. However, the mainstream HW sector wont smile too deeply upon the messages in Carpenter's film, and the reason being for that, is because most of the HW elite support the dystopic things going on today, either inadvertently, ignorantly, or willfully. We live in a very compartmentalized world today, and equally polarized; very divided, with many unable to just admit and accept what is going on. After all, John Carpenter always wanted to do a sequel to The Thing, truly one of best conceptual and unique sci-fi thrillers ever made, and Paramount had said that they would green light it, only on the condition of the success of Escape from LA. Well, we all know how that turned out. But to base the production of a movie on the success of another, which is about something COMPLETELY different, is just utterly ridiculous, but that is HW for you. However, on a side note, i did enjoy the sequel (well, prequel, actually) to The Thing, known as The Thing 2011, and i must say, it was VERY well done and i think John was proud of it. It didnt use any overly done and watered down elements that HW tends to use, ie, a hot babe gussied up with perfect hair and make-up (although the lead girl in the film was very cute) with a love interest, having time to sex it up and talk about general nonsense when they are facing imminent death; cheesy overly done HW puns and humor; and other bastardizations. The special effects and CGI were extremely well done, and didnt detract from the film, and wow, they really did great with tying up all the mysteries and links to what happened with the Norwegians. The fanboys putting it down, well, they just want perfection, or wanted Carpenter to do it, or have it be exactly like the first. Get over it, sheesh. The movie was fine and i felt they did an awesome job, even paying homage nicely to the first film.
But back to the main issue here. What are the analogies in this film, compared to the real world, you may ask? Well, allow me to give you a quick run down of this (to name them all, would lag the internet once i posted it). Half of our Bill of Rights is destroyed, our Constitution used as toilet paper today, by both the Left and Right and by virtually all Presidents since JFK's death, which was the start of America's decline, socially, morally and culturally. That whole L/R dichotomy is an illusion anyway, that people seriously need to wake up to. It is nothing more than a Skinner box, used to make you think you have a choice. 'Wars' are declared unjustly, with no congressional authority anymore. Lies and outright fabrications are used to start them (ahem, Iraq), cough, Libya). 'Laws' are created like the loving 'patriot act' and 'the federal grounds and improvement act', to name just a few of a hundred, which arent patriotic whatsoever (kills the 4th amendment) and improve nothing (kills the 1st amendment). We have war crimes taking place endlessly, whistleblowers and journalists demonized, spied on and harassed if they dare oppose the status quo's policies. We have an out-of-control Dept of Homeland Insecurity, which writes up numerous papers on demonizing veterans, Christians, anti-abortionists and other patriots as being 'terrorists.' (This was also the plan for this disgusting bureaucracy anyway, no different than what Hitler and Stalin didafter some time goes by, its simply turned on the people it was supposed to protect). DHS and other federal agencies give millions of our tax dollars to federalize and militarize our local police now, with Mine-Resistant Trucks, drones, and other military hardware and gear that looks ripped right out of Cobra Command from the GI Joe cartoons of the 80s. Notice the garbs, attitudes and characters of the USPF in this film. Uh huh, that's what i thought.
Basically, many local police today, walk around looking like the police state slugs you seen in both Carpenter's 'Escape' movies. DHS has recently purchased over 2bn rounds of ammo, the Army itself has bought non-NATO ammo now, the 7.62mm AK-47 rounds (18mn mags of them) which they NEVER bought before, as its non-standard. DHS is the umbrella now too, for ICE, CBP, TSA, VIPR and FEMA. I thought FEMA was supposed to be an emergency and disaster agency? Why is it under 'homeland security'? Yep, ask yourself that one. DHS also has its own Army Brigade too, known as Homeland Brigade. This is a domestic agency with a military wing? Uh huh. Then we have the recent NSA spying apparatus and all the leaks by Edward Snowden where that is concerned, and in short, is basically spying on not just us, but the WHOLE WORLD. There is the IRS scandal too from months ago, which was obviously engineered right from the top as the evidence now shows in even mainstream news outlets now, but ofc, the congress is too spineless to push it that far and just tends to sweep it under the rug. Oh and lets not forget the loving TSA, which has been caught dealing drugs, hiring pedophiles, stealing tons of customer items, assaulting people, etc. You name it, theyve done it. This is basically an unsworn goon squad of Brown Shirts that Hitler had in place as his personal guard, before taking full power, and then killing most of them off and going with the more elite SS instead. This is also 1000000% unconstitutional as well, and goes against everything our founders fought against that the lovely bluebloods did to us for quite some time, before people had enough of it. I mean, hell, we have a president who has kill lists and does drone assassinations with no accountability at all and has killed American citizens without a single iota of due process. And of course, anyone studying the mechanics that oppressive systems to use to keep people chained up as sheep and their propaganda that goes with it, knows the whole 'catch the bad guys' is a farce and that the real bad guys are right under our noses. Of course, i can go on forever on that subject, as it goes deeper than you can imagine, and some of the things the US government has been a part of since WW2 ended, will make you want to vomit, but i digress. Let's just say, that 'Andy and Maybury' arent going to be coming back any time soon.
Enter Snake Plissken. A former military vet, special ops. Two purple hearts, served his country valiantly, but now has become public enemy #1, getting caught for robbing the Federal Reserve (in the first movie), which any economist with one live braincell knows, that this institution is purely parasitical, was never Federal and has no reserves. He seems to have abandoned his mission in Leningrad and took off to Canada. Seems our main character had an epiphany. He seems to realize that the very country he fought to protect, has now become the very enemy he once fought against. Snake alludes to this right away, when asked to save the President in the first movie, saying 'The president of WHAT?!' and 'I don't give a fk about your president and your war.' So right away, we can clearly see that Snake, in short, is fed up. Fed up with the lies, propaganda and the blatant hypocrisy of the world he lives in. Snake reluctantly accepts his mission to rescue the president, duped into it of course, by nanotech he is injected with that will make his arteries pop open and he will bleed to death, with a timer of 24 hours. He is told the cassette the president has, has to do with Nuclear Fusion, and hes told it concerns the 'survival of the human race.' But it's safe to say, that Snake sees this technology as the annihilation of the human race. Im a proponent of Nuclear Tech. Its a wonderful thing and does have its advantages. But sadly, its been used to slaughter millions upon and millions of people, with many today in countries like Iraq, still suffering from the illegal use of DU (depleted uranium). To make a long story short, Snake eventually rescues the President and Escapes from NY, pun intended. But the final 5 minutes of the film, is where the treasure really lies, and where Carpenter, just like in They Live, has a way of using no dialogue, but letting the scene speak a thousand words. Snake doesnt want any reward. He simply just wants the President to tell him how he feels about those who died to make his rescue possible. The President responds with a generic response, as so many politicians do today, with the 'Yes, sure, their sacrifice will be appreciated by the nation.' However, the President did save Snake's life in the end, which is very ironic. I have to say, i never did expect that to play out in that way. However, its right at the end that speaks volumes. You see, Snake replaced the cassette, with Cabby's jazz and orchestral music, and when the President pushes the play button so the diplomats at this Summit he was supposed to attend could hear it, they are treated to an uplifting broadway-esque tune. The President said his tape would be something to bring 'peace'. Well, you seeTHAT is what brings peace. Creativity, classical and artistic musical composition, drama, poetry, class, higher education, principled discoveries with the right moral objectives behind it, and all the great things accomplished in our culture through the Renaissance years. THAT IS WHAT BRINGS PEACE. THAT IS WHERE MANKIND'S MIND AND HEART NEED TO BE, not creating weapons of doom and destruction, which is why as the movie ends, Snake is walking away, with the American flag in the background, destroying the real cassette, and gives off a light-hearted smirk, as that classic and awesome theme begins to play. This is the message of the movie, and the message Carpenter is trying to get the viewers to see and understand. Mankind has the potential unlike any other species to build and forecast its own future. No other being can do this. Yet, we tend to go backward and are so destructive for the most part.
So, fast forward to 2013, in Escape from LA, and well, not much has changed and things have only gotten worse. Now, LA is a prison city, where the 'unwanted' of society are cast aside due to the state's self-professed measures taken on those it sees are unfit (in other words, mostly those who dared speak out and called out the government for its crimes and corruption). The President this time around, well, long story short, is a lunatic theocrat, using his zealotry to mask all of his repressive schemes. His daughter however, realizes what a monster he is, hijacks a plane with a 'black box' containing something 'top secret' and lands in the prison city now known as LA. Enter Snake, once again, used by the state to go in, retrieve the black box, and told that if he finds the daughter, to kill her. Jee, what a loving President, who couldnt care less about his daughter's own life. Then again, this really is another allusion to the diseased mind-set of politicians today, where life is rarely valued by many of them, only their greed and whatever keeps them in power. Snake is loaded up with what it is called Plutoxin 7, a genetically engineered virus (again, practically all of our food today in franken-garbage by the loving Monsanto, who lobbies and buys out the government to stop our food from being labeled, and whose goal it is to monopolize and feed us known toxins that are proven to be carcinogenic, butwho cares, right?) that is timed to kick in and kill him in 10 hours. Some will say this is redundant and just a remake of the 1st, and sure, much of it is, but honestly, this isnt a bad thing. After all, this is what Snake does best and with the tyranny taking place in the world he is part of, its only fitting this type of theme take place again.
There are some great actors in this film, one being Stacy Keach, who is always great in every role ive seen him in. He just has a great presence i always find enjoyable. Michelle Forbes, plays his 2nd officer, who has been in many TV shows and other films over the years, and a fine actress. Steve Buschemi of course, is always great and about as unique a personality as you can find out there, however, his role here seemed a bit unnecessary at times. I mean, look, i wont lie, some of the actions scenes in the movie werewell, bad. Again, this is something Carpenter doesnt focus on and some even feel he does this intentionally, as a way to throw in that comic book element (similar to a Kill Bill type of thing). Youll notice some of the scenes in the movie are animated or still-drawn backgrounds. Its a great touch, but here, some of the cominc-book hero scenes are way overdone and just silly and simply could have been gone about better and more believable. For example, Snake is on his motorcycle and being shot at pretty much point blank range by two others who fail to hit him, then slide off their bikes for no reason, and the bikes just explode (for no reason lol). Then right after this, he is being peppered from an uzi like 20 ft away from the truck in front, so he speeds up, jumps over that truck, lands in the truck ahead (which is totally superimposed as it comes into view lol), pulls out the shotgun held to the motorcycle and shoots the guy who was previously firing the uzi (now behind him). I mean, why didnt he just use the shotgun when he was behind him? Then you have the worst scene of all with Snake riding the tidal wave with a surfer who takes a liking to Snake, and he 'high fives' him, as he rides the wave and lands on Buschemi's car who was adjacent to him on the street, which was just extremely over-the-top and just poorly executed. Plus, Snake was shot in the leg at the time and also weakened from the nano-virus. These action sequences could have been thought out much better, which sadly, hurt the movie a lot and didnt allow those to grasp Carpenters overall message of the film. I didnt mind the basketball scene much, i thought that was just fine and pretty funny. I mean, hey, its Snake. He isnt supposed to die. He cant die and he has to accomplish certain things that no one else can, ya know?
One of my favorite scenes in the movie, and one that spoke to such great parallels of our world today, is with Snake and Tamisla (Valeria Golino, some will remember her from Rainman). She tells Snake she was put there for being a Muslim, which was criminalized after some time. Well, its safe to say thats pretty much happening today everywhere, in a sense pertaining to the demonization and attacks on Islam, but on Christianity as well. Its no secret the anti-muslim approach has been overwhelming today, with the ethnic profiling and illegal set ups of patsies that NYPD itself has been found guilty of, as well as all the attacks on Christians today, where advocacy groups working directly for the Pentagon, want Chaplains in the Army to refrain from proselytizing to troops, which of course, is everything being Chaplain is all about. They are removing crosses from bases, with all this politically correct garbage we see so much of. God or the word 'god' is removed from schools, prayers, the Pledge of Allegiance. We all remember the Tebow debacle, and how grad students cant 'thank Jesus' at ceremonies anymore. The list just goes on and on. Yet, the funny thing is that one of the police thugs in the beginning of the movie tells Snake how all the 'bad people, unwanted and the ATHEISTS', are thrown into LA. Well, see, this is more hypocrisy, we because all know who the real atheists truly were, because if they were moral and real Christians, including the lunatic President, they wouldnt be doing what they were doing in the movie. But this here, is a HUGE, and i mean, HUGE allusion to real life today.
He then asks Tamisla why she wont just leave and go south to MX or something. She says 'Why should i? We are more free here than out there. Out there is the real prison.' Pure gold there. She is right. Just how free were they before? Just how many rights did they have before? Well, now they can 'wear fur coats' as she says, or practice whatever faith they like, without any interference from the 'loving and benevolent government.'
But you see, Snake knows all of this. He knows how bad it is and he wants no part of it. This is why he said in the beginning of the movie, when told he would be granted 'freedom' by the President if he completed his mission, 'In America? Pfffthat died a long time ago.' Well, its sad to admit, but yes, quite a bit of freedom has truly died in the America we live in today, and that's a fact, jack.
Snake is also well known by many people. They all seem to have 'heard of him'. Do they like him? Some do. Do they dislike him? Yep, some do as well. Why, is anyone's guess. I would say some identify with his anti-gov and patriotic values, and his Robin Hood style of sorts, while others are jealous of him or think he is really a government agent, which, technically he is, but he is only doing so to save his own skin. So its a real 'rock and a hard place' issue for Snake. But be assured, Snake has no love for the state and its duplicitous, tyrannical cronies, as he tries killing both Keach's and Forbe's character early on, only to realize his weapons were first loaded with blanks.
In the first film, you may remember how Snake always said 'Call me Snake', when the government agents would call him 'Plissken'. You see, he didnt like them referring to him in a way that would show they are relating to him as his 'old self', or his 'citizen self'. He sees that as a way of relating to them, which he doesnt like nor wants to be a part of. This is contrasted so well at the end, when the great Lee Van Cleef says 'Snake, i have a deal for you. A job, you and i, we'd make a great team'. Here, Snake says 'Call me Plissken' and walks off. Here, Snake is once again detaching himself from these state minions, not wanting to be all 'buddy buddy' with them, as he hates what they stand for and what they are allowing to be perpetuated day after day.*Continued in next post*