Monday

As you may know, I'm a fan of the work of John Carpenter. Luckily, there are several of his movies I haven't seen, so I've got something to look forward to. Last night I bought (you can always buy a Carpenter film and know you've not wasted money) and watched one of those: The Thing. Once again, he does the job. Perhaps not one of his best, but starring the ultimate John Carpenter hero - Kurt Russell - and with music by Ennio Morricone (although it sounds a lot like Carpenter's own creations), this film is enjoyable stuff. We're plunged immediately into the story, and left to assume things for ourselves, rather than have them laboriously explained. I don't know how much it copies from The Thing from Another World, but it also seems slightly reminiscent of Alien. A modern cinema-goer may perhaps be more likely to laugh than be scared of the special effects - lots of plasticine involved - but I still found it frightening enough at points. The tracking camera movements through the empty halls were brilliant. I suppose some viewers might have found the end disturbing, but I thought once again it was great. John Carpenter knows when to finish films - the characters keep going, but the story ends. As in Escape from New York (to be reviewed later), you almost want to cheer when the credits start rolling. Get some beers in and order a pizza: it's the perfect way to watch his movies.