Retro Goodness - Escape From New York (1981)

Classic 80's flick with Kurt Russell ultra cool as bad ass ex-soldier now criminal, Snake Plissken. Set in 1997, he's finally caught and on his way to the maximum security prison which is now the entire state of New York. But  a group of convicts kidnap the President (played by Donald Pleasance) from Air Force One and threaten to kill them unless they're released from prison. So the prez's only hope is Snake, who reluctantly agrees. Russell is perfect as Snake who doesn't say much but kicks a lot of ass. Once he enters New York, he tries to track down the president and runs into a cab driver (Ernest Borgnine) who takes him to The Brain, a smart dude who knows all the angles. But lo and behold The Brain (played by Harry Dean Stanton) is a former partner of Snake who left him high and dry after a job. So Snake is a litte pissed at him. But The Brain tells him he will never find the President without his help as he is being held by The Duke, the self imposed leader of New York (played by Isacc Hayes). Also involved is super sexy Adrienne Barbeau as the Brain aka Harold's lady friend Maggie and Lee Van Cleef as Bob Hauk, the warden who gives Snake a hard time. Directed by ace horror master John Carpenter, who worked with Kurt on other classic 80 films such as The Thing and Big Trouble in Little China. Also John did the very cool music score.

Man, I know I saw this movie like 40 times when I was a kid. And I thought it was the coolest movie ever. Kurt Russell was just all that as Snake. Didn't take crap from no one and did his own thing. The eye patch made him look cool and he was one guy you didn't want to mess with. A sequel called Escape from LA would follow about 15 years later, a little too late I think. While it was great seeing Snake back in action, it just wasn't the same. It was not as good as New York. So I can enjoy Escape from New York anytime I feel like it since I own it on DVD and I think I might be watching it again very soon. The rules are simple once you go in, you don't come out.

B+

Snake meets his old friend The Brain

Snake having a little chat with Hauk

The Duke

Maggie is a little pissed

Man, I am not in the mood to be fucked with..

The President under duress

BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA (1986) is awesome

Kurt Russell is all swagger as trucker Jack Burton in this very entertaining action/comedy that has a little bit of everything: kung fu, magic, tough talking good guys, nasty bad guys, cool fights, people flying around, and some of the best quotes of any movie in history. Co-starring Kim Cattrall in one of her best roles as lawyer Gracie Law, who is like a magnet for trouble. Dennis Dun as Wang, Jack's best friend who happens to be one bad ass fighter, when he is not running his Chinese restaurant. And James Hong as the villainous Lo Pan, who is terrific. It's kind of hard to describe this movie since it has so much fantastic stuff going on. But trust me, it's awesome and entertaining as hell. A must see.
B+
Jack Burton: When some wild-eyed, eight-foot-tall maniac grabs your neck, taps the back of your favorite head up against the barroom wall, and he looks you crooked in the eye and he asks you if ya paid your dues, you just stare that big sucker right back in the eye, and you remember what ol' Jack Burton always says at a time like that: "Have ya paid your dues, Jack?" "Yessir, the check is in the mail."

31 Days of Horror - Day 2 (THE THING: 1982 version)

Very cool sci-fi/horror flick set in Antarctica. At an American research base of only 12 men, an alien life form is discovered and all hell breaks loose. This alien has the unique ability to imitate any other life form it comes in contact with - including humans. Kurt Russell plays RJ MacReady, the pilot who tries to figure out how to kill this thing before everyone is taken over. Directed by ace horror master John Carpenter with terrific gore effects, a suspenseful music score, and a twinge of mystery. Done before the heyday of CG, this 1982 film holds up remarkably well. A treat for horror/sci-fi fans.

Review: The Thing (1982)

Very cool sci-fi/horror flick set in Antarctica. At an American research base of only 12 men, an alien life form is discovered and all hell breaks loose. This alien has the unique ability to imitate any other life form it comes in contact with - including humans. Kurt Russell plays RJ MacReady, the pilot who tries to figure out how to kill this thing before everyone is taken over. Directed by ace horror master John Carpenter with terrific gore effects, a suspenseful music score, and a twinge of mystery. Done before the heyday of CG, this 1982 film holds up remarkably well. A treat for horror/sci-fi fans.
B+

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Childs: You're gonna have to sleep sometime, MacReady.
MacReady: I'm a real light sleeper, Childs.