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GHOSTS OF MARS Reviews Creeping In...
Hey, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab.
Strange the way these things time out. I spent this afternoon over at the recording studio where the final touches are being placed on the soundtrack for GHOSTS OF MARS, listening to cuts from it. With guest guitarists like Buckethead and Robin from GUNS 'N' ROSES and Steve Vai, the score has a surprisingly dense, knotted texture to it, driving and wild. It's great stuff, and I can't wait to see the film to see how those tracks are used.
Doesn't help that I got a call from one of our favorite people here at the Labs the other night. She'd just seen a screening of GHOSTS OF MARS and loved it. LOVED it. She's as big a Carpenter fan as I am, so take that as you will, but her description of the film had me chomping at the bit to see the thing, and I'm hoping something comes together soon.
When this e-mail showed up today, I was hoping it was going to be a great review, but it's not. It's actually fairly scathing. The author is one of those guys who works for a big media company and sees everything, and this reads like the review of a guy who just plain wasn't interested in anything Carpenter had to offer. He says he's a big fan, and I'll take him at his word. I know that the word from inside Carpenter's camp is that they're very happy with the film, something I take as a good sign. I'm going to go ahead and post it, since the whole point of AICN is to offer differing opinions on film, but I'm going to keep hope alive and make up my own mind when I see this film at the earliest possible convenience. There's strong reactions, both pro and con, leaking out now, and it'll be interesting to see the film no matter what.
And to answer the last line of the reviewer's comments, Harry's head was cut from the film. We mentioned that a month or so ago here on the site, after I had the unpleasant job of informing Harry of that fact and then listening to him cry like a little girl for about six hours.
Check it out...
I had the unfortunate opportunity of catching an advance screening of the uninspired drivel known as Ghosts of Mars.
This is, by far, Carpenter's worst work - A totally compromised, hacked, and, above all, shitty film that could very well end Carpenter's future as a bankable director. I rank many of his films as some of the best genre work in cinematic history. Halloween, The Thing, The Fog, Starman, Prince of Darkness, and Escape from New York are all unflinching, groundbreaking pieces of film that made him a force in both the commercial and critical arena. He WAS a huge inspiration and the spark that initially lit my interest in genre filmmaking. He WAS one of my all time favorite filmmakers - a true inspiration. Things change.
This film offers absolutely nothing - a clever idea executed in the worst possible way. If Carpenter had opted to focus on atmosphere and horror, he might have had something. Instead he chose to make an action picture with some of the worst cut sequences in recent memory. Static cameras shot poorly choreographed, bland sequences with wide lenses and little (if any) coverage.
The script is tired and boring. The plot centers around Martians that possess human colonists for no apparent reason. We are never clued in to any sort of back story as to what these Martians are all about or how or why they enjoy inhabiting and killing humans - you would think they would try to keep the humans alive for future possession. Not so, they just kill to kill.
When you scratch the surface of this script you only find more surface. In short, it is crap.
The effects were far and few between. We see some decent makeup, but nothing original or overly creative. The CG smoke, which represents the ghosts when they were not inhabiting human hosts, is completely ineffective - totally amateur.
Carpenter should not even be attempting to make action films in an era when people like Steven Norrington, James Cameron, Peter Jackson (I saw the breathtaking 20 minutes of LOTR on the big screen) and The Wachowski brothers can seamlessly meld brilliantly staged action with CG - Carpenter is simply embarrassing himself.
Ice Cube turns in a nothing performance. It is sad to see after he proved his acting chops in Three Kings - he put himself back quite a bit by taking on this job. His monotone delivery of bad lines does not fare well on screen.
The only bright spot is the beaming and beautiful Natasha Henstridge. She makes the best of the material - she is not only a believable action star, but she reminds us here of why she caused such a stir in Species - her eyes burn right through the celluloid. She is an underused and underappreciated treasure. Absolutely stunning. (And for all of you that are curious - no, she does not take off her clothes)
Ghosts of Mars should be avoided like anal fissures.
Old Swelly
PS - Though there were many heads on sticks - I didn't see Harry's anywhere - maybe I missed it during one of many yawns.
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Mexicans in camo/me without my ammo
barrio love hurts
bailamos
THis movie has no chance. Faith in this is udder stupidity.
Hipocroacy! -
Can this summer get any more depressing? Come on Burton don't let me down.
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Oh Dear.
Still, Carpenter's a little old for this type of movie, isn't he?
I was a HUGE fan of his in the 80's, but lately....
Maybe he should get his hair cut..?? -
(rolleyes)
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"...and this reads like the review of a guy who just plain wasn't interested in anything Carpenter had to offer." Nice spin control there! I also like the part about the Carpenter camp being very happy with it. Why not just toss in some quotes from Jeff Craig and David Manning and call it a day?
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Jun 22, 2001 11:49:07 PM CDT
Damn. This sounds like Carpenter is in his "Escape from LA" groo
by exit272
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Jun 22, 2001 11:50:39 PM CDT
When the hell are Directors going to put latex Moriarty heads in
by marek
The public demands it!!!
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Jun 22, 2001 11:52:33 PM CDT
When the hell are Directors going to put latex Moriarty heads in
by marek
The public demands it!!!
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I'm sorry but after Mars Attacks I will never put any faith in that guy ever again. One look at the guys in suits and I was wondering why anyone would bother doing PotA. It was either CGI or nothing for that remake, otherwise it was just going back to the same overmined well. As for this review ...One bad review doesn't make it crap. Shrek had at least one bad review and given what else has come out this year, Shrek is starting to look like a masterpiece. Even in a great year Shrek would still of been good.
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Ever since I saw the trailer has the hope of this being any good gone straight down the toilet. All the shots looked like the reviewer said and that makeup on those "martians" looked like a bad Marlyn Manson immitation. Carpenter has simply lost it, he can
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Doesn't everyone have one anal fissure?
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i love carpenter's early stuff as much as the next guy, but i don't think he's made a genuinely cool film since big trouble
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The trailer for this promises to make "Mission to Mars" look like "2001". The dialogue makes Ed Wood sing like Shakespeare. The whole thing seems to have been shot on three barely constructed sets. The bad guy's wearing "Phantom of the Paradise" make-up. But c'mon. Do you know who has to pass on scripts before Natasha Henstridge gets them? Porn actresses. Lily Tomlin. Morgan Fairchild. Who passes before Mr. Cube is offered the role? Me. You. Howie Long. And you tell me Ms. Henstridge keeps her clothes on? Well, now we get to focus on that performance. Seriously, this trailer looks like outtakes from "Galaxy Quest". When Mr. Cube punches Natasha to end the trailer, you just know you're in really good hands. Is Rip Taylor in this, because it could use a few more laughs.
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Jun 23, 2001 6:29:52 AM CDT
I agree with Batboy. Its not fun. Its not funny anymore. I told
by uncapie
Carpenter was good at one time, but its over Johnny! Its over! He's doing Roger Corman/Al Adamson flicks on a $50 million dollar budget. Is it me or does Johanna Cassidy have a big ass?
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Okay Carpenter fans...can we please acknowledge that JC has had good films and bad films? If you want to be completely uncritical, we can pretend that they're all great but, in my opinion, his last few films have sucked. In the Mouth of Madness, Vampires, and Escape From LA were all very weak. At the same time, Dark Star, Precinct 13, Halloween, Escape From NY, The Thing, They Live, Starman, The Fog, Elvis, and Big Trouble in Little China were all great. To me, this suggests that JC has lost it (like De Palma) and I think we should all adjust our expectations accordingly. PS Most of Carpenter's best films have creepy electronic scores but he now seems to have made a full time commitment to doing Big Trouble in Little China-like cheesey heavy metal/hard rock guitar scores. Whenever I hear that kind of music all I can think of is the theme to Saved by the Bell.
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Why is this site pimping this movie so much!?! Is it because Moriarty gets to hang out with old Iron Lung Carpenter while he busts out the phat rhymes on his 1978 Casio X9 keyboard? Is it because Harry got a mold made of his head? Harry is nothing but a "film prostitute"! Give anyone of these "writers" a nickel and they will drop on their knees and suck your nuts. I love how both Moriarty and Harry criticize Ebert for enjoying Tomb Raider as a popcorn movie...Just wait until this crapfest comes out. Both Moriarty and Harry will write reviews calling this a "Wet dream for every film geek!". Meanwhile, the American public will completely avoid it and the 2-3 people who do see it, will criticize Harry and the gang for writing positive reviews...all the while, the AICN gang will be bitching that they get no respect and try to pimp this "movie" when it hits video the week after it's release.
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I'm a fan of early Carpenter (Halloween, Escape From New Your, The Thing), but think his work has slid into uninspired camp since, and The Fog was the first inkling of it. While it has some food individual scenes, and a spooky mood in the first half, eventually, the film becomes the one thing a horror movie should never be, which is silly. When Adrienne Barbeau (I think that's how you spell it), gets on the raido and starts warning people to "Stay away from the fog!", the movie becomes totally ridiculous. And I don't care what Moriarty thinks, Big Trouble is a cheesy mess! The closest Carpenter's come to his glory days was In The Mouth of Madness, but it's no The Thing.
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Jun 23, 2001 6:52:38 AM CDT
Forgive the mispells, it's early and I haven't had my caffiene.
by batutta
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was crap. It looked like some lo-budget only 4 tv movie starring Chuck Norris. I won
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caused "such a stir" in Species because she spent half the movie naked. To suggest otherwise is delusional. And, yes, Burton is the best chance this summer's got.
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sounds like john carpenter pesonally took a big dump in ole swellys cornflakes.natassia hentsridge gets my 8 bucks every time.
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You don
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Harry, hey buddy. I am a huge Carpenter fan. I love his films, even the dreadful ones like Village of the Damned. They've all got a certain quality to them, like you can tell the director just *loves* movies. I dunno. Anyway, I sorta regret saying this to you, as I don't want to disrespect Carpenter in any way, but it's obvious what's happened here with your severed head. You see, filmmakers and studios alike can see that when you have a personal relationship with the filmmaker, the amount of press you give the film is astronomical. Some examples: Rodriguez, Carpenter and P. Jackson. The amount of press you gave Spykids was incredible, and to be honest, you have to admit it's because you're friends with R.R. My point here? Simple. A filmmaker can involve you in the process of making the film, then sit back and watch the free publicity roll in. Whether your bit appears in the film is immaterial. By the time the film comes out, you've already stoked the fires of fandom. So, unfortunately Harry, you've been taken advantage of by the Powers that Be.
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I never liked him and never will; I don
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Jun 24, 2001 12:33:59 AM CDT
Where have you gone Mr Carpenter, movies fans turn their lonely
by mrfrost
I am really hoping Carpenter can finally pull himself out of his downward spiral. I loved HALLOWEEN, THE FOG, THEY LIVE, THE THING, ESCAPE FROM NY, PRINCE OF DARKNESS, and can even handle VILLAGE OF THE DAMNED & IN THE MOUTH OF MADNESS, as attempts that didn't quite get there. But hit me with ESCAPE FROM L.A. (weak), VAMPIRES (super weak), and Chevy Chase as THE INVISABLE MAN, and suddenly, it is hard to hope for the best. I hope GHOSTS OF MARS is a homerun, or at least a base hit.
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Are u americans all that dumb?Carpenter in Europe is seen as a master, are we all europeans wrong and all u americans right? take a deep look into Carpenter's Ouvre and u will see one of the most consistent movie carear of this past 30 years
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It's only a movie...keep your money and get a life!!!!!
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Does anybody have any respect for Carpenter any more? L.A 2013 is right, JC gets much more in Europe than here in the states, I guess that proves we're a bunch of dumb bastards. btw, why does everybody hate Vampires so much(I hear it was a blockbuster IN EUROPE)???
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Everibody hates Vampires? that a new one for me! at Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Germany it was regarded as a masterpiece!
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Let's face it, John Carpenter will NEVER be accepted in the American Mainsteam, both in critics and audiences.
The last time Carpenter made a mainstream movie, Invisible Man, it was a flop. It really isn't a Carpenter movie, just a movie that just happened to have Carpenter directing.
Not even Wes Craven can be called a successful mainstream director. Only Sam Raimi is beginning to break that barrier.
Carpenter will always be for movie lovers (critics are movie haters as a rule), guys that work in video stores, and horror and sci-fi buffs.
BTW: I love Big Trouble, They Live and Halloween. :) -
IMO, a few of jc's films are some of the most satisfying flics of all time: escape from ny, thing, and big trouble is what comes to mind. but jc has his share of crap too, like prince of darkness(go back and watch it if you dont think so,its very poo-like) so, whatever,personally im goin into ghosts with very low expectations and who knows,maybe the reviews are wrong.hope they are.hehe, i just talked my self into watching big trouble again. peace
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Ya know, I didn't mind it.
It did that irritating trick of setting up cool characters then slaughtering them all early, but it wasn't terrible.
Always annoying because it's the writer or director's way of saying "Enough of the complex character interaction, I just wanna do chase scenes."
Anyway, a nice idea, great start, some nice moments. I just wish he went in different directions with it. -
Jun 25, 2001 9:49:41 AM CDT
"Drivel" and "Dreck" are 2 of the most overused words in movie r
by sloppy slacks
This guy probably like Tomb Raider.
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That's my question. Batman & Robin made a killing over there...
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I thought that was a great movie. A total mindfuck. Just gimme the weird stuff and Im happy. -
After Escape from LA and Vampires, Carpenter is going to have to pull a solid one to show he is still in touch with his roots. Frankly, the trailer for Ghosts looks like a rehash of Assault on Precident 13 with a little Prince of Darkness and some Marylin Manson video thrown in for 'the kids'. Finally, fuck mars, I am sick of mars films. Pick another planet.
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For anyone interested, I designed and created 4 large mobiles for Ghosts Of Mars. Mr.Carpenter was kind enough to send me a few stills from the set which I have posted on my web site.
If you would like to see them go to http://www.ArbitraryDesign.com and click the "Film Work" link.
While the review on this site was less than complimentary, John Carpenter has earned the right to a fair trial by jury and THEN execution if it sucks. Go see the movie!
On a personal note, I was delighted to hear that Steve Vai contributed to the soundtrack.
Vai, my personal guitar god, is an amazing musician and I am pleased to be associated with ANY project that includes him.
I hope you like the pics!
Robert / artgeek -
I have posted a few pictures taken on the Ghosts Of Mars set. If you would like to see them go to: www.ArbitraryDesign.com and click the "Film Work" link.
These photos were sent to me by Mr.Carpenter and his wife (the producer). I hope you enjoy them! -
Although, I am not a big fan of Carpenters', this film looks like it will be fun. Anyway, it has to be better than that piece of shit, "Mission to Mars".
Kiss of the Dragon, Final Fantasy, and maybe Planet of The Apes are movies I'll be seeing summer. -
Your url does not work !
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Carpenter has made a one groundbreaker (Halloween) and some interesting ones (Escape From New York, In The Mouth of Madness, The Thing, Christine, Starman) and the Elvis thing on TV to his credit. These are almost all weighted to the beginning of his career. Thereafter comes The Fall. Black Moon Rising. The Fog. Prince of Darkness. They Live. Big Trouble in Little China. Village Of The Damned. Halloween 2. Halloween H20. Vampires. Escape From LA. These are some of the WORST MOVIES of the past 15 years. This guy ran out of gas long ago. The only genius he has is to keep convincing people to hire him. And to keep convincing people to let him score his pictures - he is to Tangerine Dream as Yoko was to the Beatles.
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Carpenter has made a one groundbreaker (Halloween) and some interesting ones (Escape From New York, In The Mouth of Madness, The Thing, Christine, Starman) and the Elvis thing on TV to his credit. These are almost all weighted to the beginning of his career. Thereafter comes The Fall. Black Moon Rising. The Fog. Prince of Darkness. They Live. Big Trouble in Little China. Village Of The Damned. Halloween 2. Halloween H20. Vampires. Escape From LA. These are some of the WORST MOVIES of the past 15 years. This guy ran out of gas long ago. The only genius he has is to keep convincing people to hire him. And to keep convincing people to let him score his pictures - he is to Tangerine Dream as Yoko was to the Beatles.
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Carpenter has made a one groundbreaker (Halloween) and some interesting ones (Escape From New York, In The Mouth of Madness, The Thing, Christine, Starman) and the Elvis thing on TV to his credit. These are almost all weighted to the beginning of his career. Thereafter comes The Fall. Black Moon Rising. The Fog. Prince of Darkness. They Live. Big Trouble in Little China. Village Of The Damned. Halloween 2. Halloween H20. Vampires. Escape From LA. These are some of the WORST MOVIES of the past 15 years. This guy ran out of gas long ago. The only genius he has is to keep convincing people to hire him. And to keep convincing people to let him score his pictures - he is to Tangerine Dream as Yoko was to the Beatles.
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John Carpenter has made one groundbreaking film (Halloween) and a bunch of okay to decent ones (Escape from NY, The Thing, In The Mouth of Madness, Christine, Starman, and that Elvis thing on TV). In case anyone's noticing, these are frontloaded to the end of the 70's-early 80's. Since then he's been one of the worst directors on this or any other planet. Black Moon Rising. They Live. Village of the Damned. Halloween 2. Halloween H20. Prince of Darkness. Vampires. Big Trouble in Little China. He is about one for ten over the past 15 years (the one was Mouth of Madness). The only genius here is his ability to get people to keep fronting him money to make these stinkbombs. That and convincing them to allow him to score them as well. Let's face it - Carpenter's music is to Tangerine Dream what Yoko was to the Beatles.
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Don't forget this guy's past. He reinvented horror films. Escape from NY is a classic. The Thing is one of very few films, a good remake and better than the original. I know his CV has some bad stuff on it, (Village of the Damned is one the best British horror films ever made and to remake it was stupid, and the less said about Vampires the better), but Big Trouble in Little China rocks. Lets face it, give me Big Trouble in Little China on a Saturday night than 90% of the films released so far this year. So okay this film doesn't sound good, but at least have a little respect, especially after Pearl Harbour, that is the funniest film of the year. Oh and Tim Burton Rules.
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Don't forget this guy's past. He reinvented horror films. Escape from NY is a classic. The Thing is one of very few films, a good remake and better than the original. I know his CV has some bad stuff on it, (Village of the Damned is one the best British horror films ever made and to remake it was stupid, and the less said about Vampires the better), but Big Trouble in Little China rocks. Lets face it, give me Big Trouble in Little China on a Saturday night than 90% of the films released so far this year. So okay this film doesn't sound good, but at least have a little respect, especially after Pearl Harbour, that is the funniest film of the year. Oh and Tim Burton Rules.
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