Tag: John Carpenter

Big Trouble in Little China 1 (June 2014)

Big Trouble in Little China #1With John Carpenter breaking out the story with Eric Powell (who does the scripting), one has to wonder if Big Trouble the comic sequel is the same as a movie sequel would have been. Because it’s an odd opening, directly continuing the movie and then kind of going in reverse (to get protagonist Jack Burton back to Chinatown).

For that course correction, the comic is amusing. Brian Churilla doesn’t have the realistic style for an adaptation but then it becomes clear Powell’s going to go out of his way to make Big Trouble a comic book and not an attempt at a movie. The humor, for instance, reminds of the film’s humor in content, but Powell and Churilla know how to make it fit the comic medium.

The comic goes from mediocre to excellent in its well-paced twenty-some pages. It shouldn’t work, but it does and gloriously so.

CREDITS

The Hell of the Midnight Road & The Ghost of Storms, Part One; writers, John Carpenter and Eric Powell; artist, Brian Churilla; colorist, Michael Garland; letterer, Ed Dukeshire; editors, Alex Galer and Ian Brill; publisher, Boom! Studios.

The Resurrection of Broncho Billy (1970, James R. Rokos)

Even with all the obvious symbolism in The Resurrection of Broncho Billy, a lot of it is still quite good. About half of Rokos’s shots are excellent and Nick Castle’s photography is great. The shots of movie cowboy-wannabe Johnny Crawford walking through downtown L.A. are magnificent.

The short doesn’t work for a number of reasons; it could probably overcome the forced symbolism if the narrative were stronger. The film explains Crawford’s Western obsession almost immediately, which makes the rest of the short play awkwardly. What should be regular day activities are instead fantastic–whether Crawford’s run in with thugs or meeting a girl.

Billy takes a definite hit during the second half. And the finish is painful.

Crawford’s okay in the lead, not great. As his mentor, Wild Bill Tucker is good. As the girl, Kristin Harmon’s fairly weak.

John Carpenter’s music is excellent.

Billy just lacks subtlety.

1/3Not Recommended

CREDITS

Directed by James R. Rokos; written by John Carpenter, Nick Castle, Trace Johnston, John Longenecker and Rokos; director of photography, Castle; edited by Carpenter; music by Carpenter; produced by Longenecker; released by Universal Pictures.

Starring Johnny Crawford (Broncho Billy), Kristin Harmon (The Artist), Wild Bill Tucker (The Old Timer), Ray Montgomery (The Store Owner), Merry Scanlon (The Counter Girl), Nancy Wible (The Landlady), Lee Hammerschmitt (The Stockboy), Billy Lechner (The Business Man), Robert Courtleigh (The Bartender), Henry S. Schley (The Drunk), John Dunwoody (The Big Thug), Steve Crumm (The 2nd Thug) and Two Bits (The Horse).

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