John Carpenter gotta love em. Assault on prescient 13 came out. Critics hated it, but in Europe it was loved. A year later it was re-reviewed in North America and it’s a classic. Halloween came out critics hated it. But it was re-reviewed and became a box office smash. The Thing came and received so much hate and was even nominated for Raze awards. Now it’s considered one of the greatest films of the 80’s. Big trouble in little China comes out to bad reviews, it dies at the box office, now it considered a classic. Do you notice a running theme here. John Carpenter’s films are ahead of their time. It takes awhile for critics to catch up. I guess their kinda slow.
Huh. Big Trouble In Little China is a classic??...Funny, I found it totally forgettable. At best a dud with cool practical effects. Halloween and The Thing we can agree on.
@@deckofcards87 LOL Big Trouble In Little China forgettable??? WTF are you smoking? So many memorable lines, and scenes in that movie, memorable characters ( a villain that inspired Raiden in Mortal Kombat). The movie is widely considered a cult classic at the very least.
@@TheWuCepticon1981 it actually didn't. It's very well documented that initial reviews were poor. It was audience word of mouth that built momentum, and the good reviews only came in once it had started to put bums on seats.
Ruthless People was one of the funniest films of the 80s. Bill Pullman stole the film as Morris's dimwitted boyfriend And it included the classic line "This could very well be the dumbest man on the face of the Earth."
Ruthless People is one the most original and funniest comedy movies I've seen. It's absolutely genius in it's writing, acting, directing and humor, which is a different type of humor from the type in the Zucker Brothers' other two hilarious comedies Airplane and The Naked Gun. I think that it's also Danny DeVito's best movie. Big Trouble in Little China is also a great movie.
@sha11235 yeah, that was odd. In my opinion, I think that Ruthless People is better than Airplane and the Naked Gun movies....although, that's not really saying much. They all make me laugh.
I loved watching this show as a teenager in the 80's because they showed extended scenes of movies. People didn't really care about spoilers back then, as they do now. Sometimes Gene and Roger really got it wrong though. They totally didn't get Big Trouble at all! Jack Burton was supposed to be a buffoon! I don't think I could ever fully relate to people who don't like Big Trouble in Little China, lol. Its just a fun movie and that's all it was ever meant to be.
I loved both these guys, but good lord did they miss the boat on BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA. Totally misunderstood it. "Kurt Russell is not heroic here." That's the POINT, Gene!
@@jayazathoth8530 : I sure hope not, because it was Michael Douglas in Romancing the Stone. Anyway, both of them apparently missed the comedic angle that ran rampant through Big Trouble in Little China. Siskel did actually slag on Kurt Russell for not being the heroic type, but the whole point of his character is that he thinks he's a classic hero but is really in many aspects a buffoon who vastly overrates himself (while still being courageous and occasionally competent). It's rather obvious that Carpenter and Russell played it this way purposefully. They're also wrong about it not being a spoof of kung fu films. It is certainly that in part, but also an homage at the same time. They just didn't get it. It's Carpenter's funniest film and a real triumph that demonstrates his great versatility. Too bad that audiences seemed to react to it the way Siskel & Ebert did.
@@joeblow166 The same thing happened with THE THING critics and audiences at the time hated it just like BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA TOWN Unfortunately Bad Critical and Audience Reception to THE THING and BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA drove John Carpenter to the brink of suicide But over 30 years later almost 40 for THE THING people still talk about these films favorably I might add. I've heard about PSYCHO III Never seen it I was barely aware of ABOUT LAST NIGHT and I've never even heard of RUTHLESS PEOPLE.
@@thing1thing2themediamaniac43 At least Carpenter will know before hitting the grave that his once-rejected films are now heralded as triumphs by people who actually like movies and pay attention to their nuances.
@@joeblow166 John Carpenter didn't direct another film after BIG TROUBLE IN LITTLE CHINA for ten years until he directed ESCAPE FROM LA which is the sequel to ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK both films I LOVE but I think ESCAPE FROM LA is better
@@dominicraynes1569 not totally true.... they loved Halloween and I believe they both thumbed up escape from New York but I do believe they thumbed down the thing..... wtf?!?!?!?!?!
@@stevestarscream5182 You are correct. They did shit on the Thing. In my opinion, is his best movie. Which says a lot, because Carpenter made awesome movies back in the day.
All of these movies were released on the 4th of July and, in my opinion, the perfect flick to see on that holiday would've been Big Trouble in Little China. You get plenty of fireworks in that movie -- hilarious, spooky, action-packed, and absolutely charming.
RE: _Psycho 3,_ leaving your bloody evidence (on the very top layer!) in your outdoors freezer may be the dumbest serial killer move in the history of cinema.
I remember seeing Ruthless People with my parents in the movie theater while we were vacationing in Maine. I was 12. Later that week, my father & I saw Back To School, too. I think that was the last time I heard my old man laugh hysterically.
Funny how in 2019 About Last Night is forgotten (I've never seen it and, well, no one talks about it) but Big Trouble in Little China is beloved by many, a true cult classic. Ruthless People is still considered well done and fondly remembered. Psycho III is mostly forgotten.
About Last Night was the first live action picture directed by Emmy and Oscar winner Edward Zwick with an wonderful cast that makes this romantic picture one of the biggest box office successes of the year. Released in July 1986 by Sony Pictures Studios.
+purpletoe101 Yeah, brings back memories of my teen years. And 30 years ago was when they went from At the Movies to their final home: Siskel and Ebert.
I wish BTILC got more love when it came out. One of Carpenter’s very best. It sits happily alongside Escape from New York, The Thing, Halloween, and They Live, for me.
And I thought they were very harsh on it myself. I loved it. I think its meant to be a big dumb, and fun b-movie which doesn't take itself too seriously. It works on those levels for me and I think Russell is really great in it. Still enjoy it today.
@Devon Lott - and without those generic side-scrolling beat'em ups where every installment is the same, we wouldn't have those god-awful Mortal Kombat movies, and oh, what a shame that would be. Oh, what the world would be deprived off.
About Last Night: "Give the guy a medal" "A drawer? A whole drawer?!" Also loved the final scene where she's riding away on her bike. Ruthless People: The spider scene. So cute.
+MORE1500 This was the early summer (June). Man, 30 years now. I will be thinking of it a lot this year. It wasn't a terrible summer, but I was a 16 year old and not very social in hs, although I did have friends. Also, some of my favorite shows I grew up with ended, so it bothered me a bit.
When I think about my love for movies John Carpenter is one of the first names that pops into my head. I’m disappointed they didn’t see the fun in BTILC. Kurt Russell gave perhaps the funniest tongue in cheek performance ever in an adventure movie.
@@DH-xh3pg A better example of actual humor in an action movie? Wow, where do I start? How about any Quintin Tarantino movie, The Die Hard Series. Total Recall, True Lies..... Those movies had humor, and plots that could actually be followed.
@Brian Keech Tarantino characters are always funny. It’s his writing that makes them funny. So John McClane is funnier than Jack Burton? No. I’m not seeing that. True Lies is a better example as it’s basically a spoof but I still don’t see it as being funnier. Like I said … humor is subjective. If your main problem with the film is the plot that would be a fair argument. Because admittedly it isn’t the strongest of Carpenters work.
I don't like Siskel and Ebert's reviews sometimes, but I find myself agreeing with everything they say. Their observations about aspects of movies are always accurate, even if I still liked the final product.
Yep! They didn't show the supporting hilarity with Wang being chased by Thunder where they'd go off scene to one side of Jack Burton then a pile of debris and furniture would come flying from there then Wang would sprint back and stop near JB and pose defensively only to run off the other way with Thunder chasing and more shit come flying from there...total howl and no over-the-top effects just someone off screen flinging as much crap as they could.
Yeah, but I caught my brother jacking off to that one scene at least a dozen times. He wanted me to play and then rewind it over and over again while he masturbated to it. Interesting that this wasn't mentioned in the review.
im always sort of shocked and amazed when they actually like a film i like, i have always loved "about last night" and have never understood why no one seems to remember it. and i fully expected them to crap all over it somehow.
I watched _Ruthless People_ as a teen (born '88) back in '02-'03, and I absolutely fell in love with *Helen Slater.* She's so pretty, and she has comedic talent. I remember being upset that the movie was so old, she would be too old for me back then. As if she would have wanted an Swedish aspie teenager even if she was still in her mid 20's. :P Edit: Thanks for uploading this, war guild!
Although Ruthless People was a very funny comedy it didn't stand the test of time in that it has largely been forgotten. The funny thing is after all these years it was Big Trouble in Little China that became a cult classic. This is yet another example of how art for the most part is completely subjective. Siskel and Ebert were not alone on their opinion of BTILC. The film flopped in theaters however over time grew a huge following once released on VHS. Not so long ago there was talk of a reboot which I'm glad never happened. The movie is perfect the way it is.
In Pycho, the shower scene is a shocking scene to this day. In Pycho 2, Robert Loggia falling down the stairs with that chef's knife he was stabbed with in his chest. Pycho 3...nothing stands out.
All except Psycho 3 were good movies in my book. With BTILC and About Last Night classics.1986 was one hell of a year for movies, period. It's no wonder it seemed like we went to the movies every weekend in high school.
Really strong set of movies that remain relevant today due to the franchises or stars involved. Ruthless People might be the one that's hanging on by a thread as few born since the '80s seem to have heard of it.
great to revisit Siskel .& Ebert after all these years. Of course they couldnt be more wrong about Big Trouble (and John Carpenter in general). Its amazing.
_About Last Night:_ I remember enjoying this when I watched my RCA/Columbia tape of it a few years back. Will have to rewatch the film sometime. _Ruthless People:_ 1986 was a GREAT summer for movie comedies: that year, the likes of _Back to School_ and _Ferris Bueller's Day Off_ were joined by this delight of a film. I've never gotten tired of seeing this one and Danny DeVito and Bette Midler are terrific in it, as always. Also, it is the only Zucker-Abrahams-Zucker film that wasn't a parody (it's actually a loose adaptation of O. Henry's _The Ransom of Red Chief_ ). Have not seen _Psycho III_ or _Big Trouble in Little China,_ but I understand that the latter has attracted a sizable following.
At the same time, Siskel would like a movie as long it achieved its desired purpose. Like, he enjoyed Don't Be a Menace as a satire of hood movies, while Ebert disliked it for practically the same reason Siskel liked it.
Ruthless People is such a funny movie! I did like their comment about wanting more background scenes showing the relationship between DeVito's and Midler's characters. I would have liked to see that interaction between those two stars!! Boy did they miss on BTIC! Probably the most quoted and watched of all of these now. I think all three but Psycho I have watched many times. They were all good or fun movies!
Psycho III is now older now than the original was at the time this was recorded. It's kind of a mood thing for me. I honestly can see where Gene is coming from. I wasn't compelled by it the first time I saw it. But upon revisiting the film, I actually think it works as kind of a twisted character study. It's a very double sided film, one that is sometimes very trashy and yet can be too classy for it's own good. Watch it more for the characters than the story and it works.
Hearing them say 20 years from now I realize that Gene would be dead and Roger would lose his voice to jaw cancer and no longer be able to do the show.
While I like 'Psycho III' I disagree with Ebert, it's not as good as 'Psycho II', by the third film the series had fully embraced the slasher side of it's personality and had put the more subtle stuff on the back burner.
Psycho 2 was great. It is very underrated and was written by Tom "Fright Night" Holland who is a good writer and I believe he did a thesis on Hitchock. Ebert is saying that Psycho 3 was better? Never seen it but I'm intrigued now.
I liked Big Trouble in Little China but they do have a point that the writers/director could of taken more of an effort to make the audience care more about the characters.It is an action/comedy though not a drama and that is what they should of judged it on more.
So the one they liked the most is all but forgotten, and the one they liked the least is a cult-classic that people are still watching and talking about to this day. Sigh! Critics never change.
Until Gene said it, I had no idea that the guy who played Sweetchuck in the Police Academy movies co-wrote About Last Night. You learn something new every day, I guess.
Wish they dug "Big Trouble" more. Part of its cult appeal is no doubt the involvement of Carpenter/Russell, but the flick is actually more subversive, witty, and high-energy than Siskel or Ebert thought. e.g. they say it stops being a spoof when one of the huge points of the film is that it's constantly dressing down the John Wayne hero (who doesn't realize he's a sidekick instead of a lead), and there's also a lot of fun in just how verbose and excited it is about its own nonsense.
James Van Fleet Oh absolutely. It's dumb fun, emphasis on the fun, but has quite a lot to to say about American's egocentric view of culture. Clever and silly, it definitely has stood the test of time.
Interestingly enough, Psycho made 4 movies, but there were two of the four that were reviewed- 2 and 3 and Roger liked the third one than the second one. Home Alone made 5 movies, but there were 3 of the 5 reviewed and Roger liked the third one out of the original two with Macaulay Culkin. Yeah, those were some weird reviews made from Ebert himself, but I respect him so wholeheartedly, that whatever he sees in movies, he is not afraid to admit what seems to draw his attention or what seems to trouble him, while watching a film.
Big Trouble in Little China was good campy fun. Not the best plot or story and not a great movie but it was enjoyable. The best movie in this set was Ruthless People, loved that movie so much. Siskel and Ebert both gave a great review of that film.
Never a big fan of bett Miller but her performance in this film Ruthless people was well done-she made the character her own and good supporting cast .That role was just right for her and it was written cleverly based on a formula premise...(joy bayharr would do well with this part,but unfortunately she wouldn't have to do any acting,just be herself......
About last night is the best film Demi and Rob Lowe ever did. Special effects did take over and, it's all computerized now. All done on green screens no real interaction.
