Quit Your Day Job

Practise your craft…

QYDJ Film Festival: Night Two - The cheque is in the mail

August 4th, 2008

Welcome to the second night of the Quit Your Day Job Film Festival! How did you go last night? More than enough one liners and testosterone? Well I hope not because tonight we’re taking it up another notch with another favourite actor of mine: Kurt Russell.

This man is awesome.

Team him up with John Carpenter and I can pretty much watch them produce anything, which I think the second film that I’ve chosen for tonight is a good example.

Big Trouble in Little China

Honestly this is one of my favourite films of all time, I have a love hate relationship with the idea of them doing a sequel. On the one hand I’d love to see what ol’ Jack Burton is up to but at the same time I don’t want them to stuff it up!

Long before Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon Jack Burton rolled into Little China, right into Lo Pan and ‘his buddies flying around on wires cutting everybody to shreds’.

So where was BTILC’s Academy Award?

Sadly overlooked.

This film is all shades of awesomeness, not one character misses their mark. Forget the 80s special effects, it only adds to the charm. If you’re looking for a perfect example of an all-American hero you can’t go past this film.

Escape from LA

Nope, not going to lie to you. Not a perfect film. Not even remotely a good film, but if you dig amongst the problems and the cringe worthiness you will find a couple of rough gems, I assure you. There are scenes in this film that if you just saw them you would say they are from an awesome film.

Unfortunately they are not.

This film is included because I want to show that even at their worst there are still moments of entertainment and Russell/Carpenter brilliance. The fact that Russell can still fit into his old Snake Pliskin costume is a true testament to the man. Even in a weak film like this the Snake character is a true presence on screen.

Stay with it too until the end, the end is brillaint.