back to the trailer park




from the mid 1970s to the early 1980s john carpenter made one fantastic film after another. a remake of howard hawk's the thing is a near-perfect gem of a flick and need i mention carpenter's great halloween which is still the bellwether for many a post-modern horror. as carpenter's reputation grew so did the budgets for his visions. so when handed a fairly sizable sum by the studios to make this movie carpenter was expected to produce another hit. the movie landed without a thud. if a film falls in the forest does it make a sound?

no one saw the flick and carpenter became a sort of non-person in hollywood. yet this movie is one of my favorites of carpenter's oeuvre. a perfect summer movie that stars kurt russell as goofy, slightly anti-hero jack burton, sac's own the late, great victor wong and a very pre-sex in the city kim cattrall in an adventure that recalls the pulps and serials of the 1930s and '40s.

the trailer is game and i love the sound of the narrator's voice that gives this slice of heaven just a bit of summer sizzle. the trailer conceals more than it reveals and that is exactly what a good trailer should do. it makes the viewer slow down and savor the experience of magic that movies can make. perfect viewing for a late summer day.