tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8293273378239831747.post3734774612006838200..comments2024-02-18T08:45:16.295-08:00Comments on The Film Connoisseur: Escape from L.A. (1996)Franco Macabrohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10994905312221715861noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8293273378239831747.post-56438131665175625742012-06-05T05:20:53.424-07:002012-06-05T05:20:53.424-07:00Agree RV, no matter how cheesy it gets, I still fi...Agree RV, no matter how cheesy it gets, I still find lots to enjoy on Escape from L.A. Yeah, with the baseball thing, I guess when the time came to write this film Carpenter thought: what distinguishes L.A.? Immediately a couple of things must have popped up: plastic surgery, and basketball.Franco Macabrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10994905312221715861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8293273378239831747.post-17500166175060322752012-06-03T22:45:12.080-07:002012-06-03T22:45:12.080-07:00I love Escape from New but still like Escape from ...I love Escape from New but still like Escape from L.A. I like how its a spoof but I can see why this turned off many fans of the first movie. I always saw the basketball scene as a parody of LA's obsession with the Lakers. And I agree that the CGI in EFLA is pretty bad. I wish we got another Escape movie by Carpeneter and Russell back in the 80s. Oh and I love Bruce Campbell's short role in this movie!RVChrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10475379868308526845noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8293273378239831747.post-88380840289024542422012-06-01T09:20:42.597-07:002012-06-01T09:20:42.597-07:00Yeah, the video game was going to be called Snake ...Yeah, the video game was going to be called Snake Plissken's Escape and it was going to be from the guys at Namco. But it also fell through. You can find some artwork for it on the net anyways. <br /><br />This is true J.D. the creator of the Metal Gear games has said that the name of the main character in the Metal Gear games is 'Solid Snake' as a homage to Plissken.Franco Macabrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10994905312221715861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8293273378239831747.post-29846536212107438352012-06-01T07:47:05.888-07:002012-06-01T07:47:05.888-07:00Wasn't a Snake Plissken video game also in the...Wasn't a Snake Plissken video game also in the works at some point? Now that would've been cool! But I've heard that the main character of METAL GEAR is based on Snake.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8293273378239831747.post-41799117403048274892012-06-01T07:04:18.710-07:002012-06-01T07:04:18.710-07:00@Jack: I'm curious for that remake, Gerard But...@Jack: I'm curious for that remake, Gerard Butler was mentioned as a possible Snake Plissken, but nothing came of it. If it makes money, then maybe we might see ESCAPE FROM EARTH at some point.<br /><br />ESCAPE FROM EARTH was going to be made into an anime, but that never came to be either, apparently the death of Debra Hill (long time collaborator with Carpenter) put a stop on many of these projects, for the time being hopefully. I'm sure Snake will return in one form or another in the coming years. <br /><br />I actually have the first issue for The Snake Plissken Chronicles, which was a mini-series that lasted four issues. It was from a comic book company called Crossgen, this company actually put out a good bunch of comics, unfortunately it never really cought on with the public and died out in 2004. But I have that issue, it's one of my prized possessions! <br /><br />Marvel comics also put out another Snake Plissken comic called The Adventures of Snake Plissken in 1997, but it wasnt an ongoing series, it was only a one shot. I'd like to get my hands on that one!Franco Macabrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10994905312221715861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8293273378239831747.post-82835116791023799782012-06-01T06:49:17.750-07:002012-06-01T06:49:17.750-07:00Yeah, another Snake movie with Russell would have ...Yeah, another Snake movie with Russell would have been cool. I'm really not looking forward to the inevitable remake.<br /><br />If you're interested I think they made a Snake Plisken comic in 2003 called The Snake Plisken Chronicles where he teams up with Captain Ron! I'm trying to track down a copy at the moment but it's ultra rare, the company that made it went bust not long after it came out.Jack Thursbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03101157160144955486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8293273378239831747.post-6120380550132124702012-06-01T05:42:38.202-07:002012-06-01T05:42:38.202-07:00J.D: The basketball sequence is the one that reall...J.D: The basketball sequence is the one that really brought things down a bit for me, it's like the last thing you'd expect for Snake Plissken to be doing. I see why Carpenter did it, Basketball was extremely popular during those days...but come on! It went a bit too far. <br /><br />I would say this is more of a satire, it's always toungue in cheek, you can almost see Carpenter and Russell winking at the audience. <br /><br />@Jack Thursby: Strange how Carpenter was cutting edge and edgy when Escape from New York appeared but old fashioned or old school when Escape from L.A. came, its interesting how things work out! I think he shouldnt have waited so long to make it.<br /><br />I would have loved for L.A. to make more money, Carpenter and Rusell had another sequel planned called ESCAPE FROM EARTH that sounds so freaking cool: zombie apocalypse causes Snake to have to escape the planet...on a space ship! <br /><br />I'd buy that for a dollar! Sounds awesome, I hope somebody has the guts to make that movie at some point.Franco Macabrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10994905312221715861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8293273378239831747.post-36206909706787823482012-06-01T01:00:23.248-07:002012-06-01T01:00:23.248-07:00Agreed, EFNY had a very definite, single vision in...Agreed, EFNY had a very definite, single vision in terms of tone and story while EFLA is far more scattershot. Aiming at too many targets and only hitting some.<br /><br />I think Carpenter's strength in the 70s/80s was making very simple straightforward movies and the more he moved into the 90s the more he struggled to fit into the evolving cinema landscape. I mean put this movie alongside The Rock - which came out the same year - EFLA is, much as I love it, a far more clunky, old-fashioned movie.Jack Thursbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03101157160144955486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8293273378239831747.post-50896641125469951932012-05-31T07:52:44.581-07:002012-05-31T07:52:44.581-07:00I certainly agree that Carpenter and co. were maki...I certainly agree that Carpenter and co. were making satirical jabs at LA culture and on top of that I think that they were also poking fun at how ridiculous and over the top big budget action films had become. However, fans of Snake Plissken don't want to see him throwing basketballs around or surfing - they want him to see him be a badass and those things really hurt his image, I felt. They trivialized his character. And yet, Carpenter wanted it both ways by having moments were Snake comes across as his old self, esp. the ending and I think that's the film biggest problem - tonally it's all over the place. Is it a satire? Is it a serious sci-fi film with a message? The film doesn't know what it wants to be and tries to be everything at once and feels scattered as a result. I think the only reason I treat it so harshly is that it had a lot to live up to. I do enjoy it and it certainly isn't the worse film Carpenter ever made but it is a big letdown after the awesomeness that is EFNY.Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8293273378239831747.post-8363111222611077502012-05-31T05:34:10.905-07:002012-05-31T05:34:10.905-07:00@Jack: This is true Jack, I read that Russell was ...@Jack: This is true Jack, I read that Russell was practicing his basketball to film those scenes, he wanted to do them himself. That last shot where he shoots that basketball from across the court, I thought it was an fx, but I read somewhere that he did all the basketball scenes for real, so thats pretty cool, that last shot seemed pretty amazing. <br /><br />The whole basketball scene is one of the scenes that I felt was a bit out of place in the film, I mean, here's Plissken, the leather clad bad ass...playing basketball? It's something I'd never thought I'd see. <br /><br />This is true what your saying about both movies commenting on different cities and lifestyles. When Escape from New York was made, New York was coming out of that whole 70's crimewave, this crimewave inspired many movies, amongst them Deathwish; which was a film in which the common man has to take a stand against all that crime. <br /><br />But Escape from L.A. is a whole other animal, aside from talking about other political issues, as you say, it also comments on the whole L.A. lifestyle.<br /><br />The whole thing with the plastic surgeon is one of those scenes that let's you know exactly what this film is partially talking about, the self/beauty/youth obsessed, shallow, lifestyle. <br /><br />That scene reminded me of a similar one in Terry Gilliam's Brazil, where we meet Sam Lowry's surgery obsessed mother. She too has her face disfigured after so much plastic surgery. When people can't accept their own age, it can get ugly. <br /><br />Good observations Jack!Franco Macabrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10994905312221715861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8293273378239831747.post-84576496157980446582012-05-31T01:11:17.582-07:002012-05-31T01:11:17.582-07:00I think the thing fans forget is that EFNY was sat...I think the thing fans forget is that EFNY was satirical comment on how crime-ridden 80s New York was at the time.<br /><br />EFLA, by comparison, is a satirical comment on how vain and self obsessed LA was in the mid 90s. That's why it's so over-the-top and silly compare to the original. He's comparing two very different cities, the films shouldn't feel the same.<br /><br />I've got to admit that I too was quite dismissive of EFLA at the time but it's grown on me alot. The bit where Snake starts attacking Cuervo's train of cars is great. Leaping from one car to another. And that basketball sequence with Russell doing a full court lob is fantastic (and I think he did it for real!).Jack Thursbyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03101157160144955486noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8293273378239831747.post-57771498532867599942012-05-30T17:33:17.401-07:002012-05-30T17:33:17.401-07:00@thevideovacuum: great comparison, and I totally a...@thevideovacuum: great comparison, and I totally agree. <br /><br />@J.D.: True, it does feel like a remake, the book ends of the film are extremely similar. They bring in Plissken, they make him an offer he can't refuse, they send him in, then when he comes back, he plays a trick on them. The differences between both films rest in the middle of the film, the wasteland prison just didnt feel as dark. <br /><br />Agree about Evil Dead II and Desperado! Good remakes/sequels. <br /><br />Agree about Cuervo Jones, they needed a more imposing villain, perhaps Benicio del Toro would have done a more threatening performance. Isaac Hayes scared the shit out of me when I saw EFNY the first time as a kid. <br /><br />Agree, the best part is the message and that ending, it just grabs you and almost makes you forget the rest of the film you just saw. You almost forget all the mishaps. <br /><br />Thanks for reading and commenting J.D.Franco Macabrohttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10994905312221715861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8293273378239831747.post-28147109839246266152012-05-30T16:46:53.304-07:002012-05-30T16:46:53.304-07:00I agree, you can't hate this film because Carp...I agree, you can't hate this film because Carpenter and co.'s hearts are in the right place. It's just that when you invariably compare to ESCAPE FROM NY, it just ain't as good. I think the problem I have with it is that Carpenter and Russell wanted to do a sequel/remake hybrid and it fails on both counts, thereby mystifying newbies to this universe who have no idea what's going on and pissing off hardcore Plissken fans expecting more badass adventures a la EFNY.<br /><br />The right way to do a remake/sequel hybrid is something along the lines of EVIL DEAD II or DESPERADO - those films, IMO, got it right.<br /><br />To be fair, it has been years since I've seen ESCAPE FROM LA so I would be curious to come out from a different perspective. I certainly agree with you on the film's faults. The CGI is atrocious and the bad guy is so ineffectual. He just doesn't hold a candle to the Duke from EFNY. But then, how you can top Isaac Hayes?<br /><br />That being said, the best thing about EFLA is its message - the notion of beginning again, throwing everything out and starting over. I also thought the ending was the best part of the film as it echoed the ending of EFNY.<br /><br />Excellent review!Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08164105442273577128noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8293273378239831747.post-35572647359428765232012-05-30T16:25:33.514-07:002012-05-30T16:25:33.514-07:00I unabashedly love this movie. The comparison I...I unabashedly love this movie. The comparison I've always made is that New York is like a Connery Bond movie and LA is a Moore Bond movie. LA is much more tongue in cheek, but no less fun.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com