All Out of Bubblegum

They Live

Not the they from They, a different they but they're no less threatening.

I reviewed* this movie a while back (link can be found in the Reviews section), so this installment will be rather short and with fewer f-bombs. Suffice it to say that although Carpenter did not write They Live, and that it is, in fact, based on someone else's story, it still feels like a Carpenter film complete with prolonged shootouts, minimal dialogue, and surprising editing.

Roddy Piper finds a pair of magic sunglasses that reveal to him the truth about an alien plot to take over the world. The first time I saw this movie, I missed the end. I've now see it all the way through and I can say that in spite of the fact that Roddy Piper does not ride off into the dawn, it still ends well.

It's got a very cool title sequence.

They Live is crazy, kind of like how Prince of Darkness and The Thing are crazy, but also in a different way. That actually doesn't make any sense. They Live presents us with a message about authority and free will, and takes a rather cynical stance on these issues. The characters of Nada and Frank, played by Roddy Piper and Keith David respectively, embody two different approaches to confronting and dealing with those in power. Nada learns the truth by accident and takes it upon himself to change his fate, although he has no idea what he's doing. Frank, on the other hand, refuses to listen to what Nada has to tell him. Similarly, Prince of Darkness showed both sides of the coin with the physicist and the priest, and The Thing dealt with trust issues in the face of impending doom.

I prefer to chew Bubbalicious, but Hubba Bubba will do.

Is this to say that Carpenter's craziness is dependent upon his films' messages and themes? Probably. But then again, maybe not.

craze-o-meter: 3.5, like how I insist on crank windows in my car because I might drive off a bridge.

Proof that they live at Fox!

*Correction: the film is set in LA, not Cleveland.

They Live

I totally met Roddy Piper. He told me I was beautiful. And you know what?

I fucking am.

Back then, I hadn't actually seen They Live. I was standing in that ugly, smelly line because I'm a good friend. Dan, you understand, loves this movie. And I thought it'd be awesome to get an autographed still. And you know what?

I was fucking right. It was awesome. I'm a great friend. Roddy Piper told me so.

So now, a year and a half later I've finally seen the movie starring the man I stood in line to meet. And it was great! I got right into it. I laughed out loud at the funny parts and even yelled at the screen at one point.

They Live is John Carpenter's answer to Invasion of the Bodysnatchers. Or possibly Invaders from Mars. Aliens are living among us, but instead of taking over our bodies they turn us into mindless drones. The rich, of course, are in league with the aliens having sold out to this higher power. But there's an underground resistance who, try as they might, just can't seem to wake up the general public to the fact that their lives are being controlled by alien beams coming at them through their TV sets. Armed with some awesome sunglasses, the resistance group attempts to broadcast their own pirate signal but it's just not enough.

Enter Roddy Piper, long haired and plaid shirted (which he takes off--twice). Alone in Cleavland with no place to stay, he is befriended by Keith David who takes him to a shanty town. There Roddy Piper stumbles upon the freedom fighters and gets his own pair of cool shades which show him the truth about the alien plot.

After indulging in a killing spree and some carjacking, Roddy Piper tries to tell Keith David about the aliens but Keith David won't listen and whines some more about his wife and kid. What follows is one of the best fights ever in a movie. No faux-fu, no shaky cam, no ADD editing--just a lot of punching and falling down.

I never actually saw the end of the movie. Damn DivX refused to buffer the last minute. So I'm gonna assume that Roddy Piper sends the aliens packing back to Alpha Centauri and walks off into the dawn wearing his magic sunglasses. That doesn't actually make any sense, but I don't really care.

I'll watch it again. And not because I owe anything to Roddy Piper, who thinks I'm beautiful, or to Dan, who thinks I'm crazy. I owe it to myself. I really, genuinely enjoyed this movie. It's no cinematic masterpiece, I mean it's not The Thing or anything. But it works. And you know what?

That's all I fucking want.