Recent Viewings: Rollerball, The Fog...

[Andrew]

The new version of "Rollerball" gave me a great deal of pause.  The original was about a man, a hero, who became more important than the game.  Power shifted, so the suits try to engineer his death or serious injury to return the sport to the owner's power.  However, the last man standing is James Caan, who is a far better hero than Chris Klein.  And another thing:  the crazy figure-8 that they had to navigate would have caused so many wrecks and collisions as to prevent something even resembling play.  And yet another thing:  how did they get worldwide viewing stats in real time?  I could go on, but suffice to say that this one missed all the reasons the original was good.

"The Fog" was a slasher/ghost story that Katie had never seen.  Don't know how that happened, but she was pleased at the end of the movie.  I had forgotten how genuinely eerie the film can be at times and the limited scope of the revenge being demanded was a nice touch.

We also watched, over a few days, all the episodes on my DVD of "Showtime's The Outer Limits - Sex and Science Fiction."  Lots of pretty girls sans tops and some decent stories here and there.  Still, and I hope that someone is listening, I want a DVD with "Tempests" and "Dead Man's Switch!"

[peter johnson]

I thought Ms. Barbeau was terrific in The Fog, ditto all the cast.  Especially enjoyed the way the fog itself was shot -- I mean, if that's your title, you damn sure should get some groovy fog shots on board, capische?
Do not intend to see the remake of Rollerball.  I love the original one so much -- almost a definitive low-budget big-screen flick:  Really let me suspend disbelief & see this as a possible future without a tremendous amount of money wasted on big special effects.  Recall the scene where the modern/futuristic couples are dancing to bizarre music with unique dance steps, their palms and noses pressed together with their eyes closed.  Does more to establish a "not-of-this-time" atmosphere than any number of overused spaceship shots could.  Also liked the way everyone just accepted how the game gradually changed through the picture, becoming more and more deadly as they try to eliminate Caan.  "Today, we will be concentrating on death blows . . . ".  Great stuff.
peter j.

[Cullen]

The first time I saw The Fog was (roughly) when it first broadcast on TV.  I only caught the end and it's stayed with me through all the years.  Now that I'm older, I don't think it's one of Carpenter's better works (too many characters, for one thing).  Still, it is far and away from his worst, and I still get a kick out of the end.

The Fog is also one of the rare horror films my mother likes.  Never understood that...

[Lee]

Love The Fog. Carpenter did an awesome job(like he usually does). Some real creep factor here. When I see fog I start to remember how the ghosts would seemingly just walk inout of it and dissapear back into it at random. OOSH!

[ASHTHECAT]

I haven't seen The Fog but I have seen Rollerball and I must agree with Roger Ebert's opinion.  He called it "an incoherent mess"  and I couldn't agree more.  I never even finished it.  I popped the tape out and took it back to the video store.  Stay away from it at all costs!

[Squishy]

Now I MUST see it. I've actually seen most of the ending, playing on a break-room DVD at work. (They get the worst effing stuff--I've walked in to see twenty co-workers gathered around "Bats"--on TWO occasions!) It looks phenomenally idiotic.

As for "The Fog," it is indeed a nice moodpiece. I'd have to say, out of all John Carpenter's music, the theme from "The Fog" is my favorite--at least equal to "Halloween," anyway...

Scriptwise, it's a complete mess, with time not being killed, but being mercilessly butchered by nonsense "spooky" phenomena (shapeshifting driftwood, temporarily-reanimated deaders, randomly-solid fogbanks), kills-for-the-sake-of-waking-the-audience, and a whole cast of characters that seem to have wandered off the set of a grade-Z disaster flick and have little purpose except to provide survivors. It has its moments, but most of them can be found in a dozen other zombie movies. The only bit that really lit me up was the final shot (thwack!!). And I really hope that cameo was the LAST time Carpenter got in front of the camera.

[Cullen]

"And I really hope that cameo was the LAST time Carpenter got in front of the camera."

It wasn't.  He did a small bit as a helicopter pilot and played a Crypt Keeper type host for the anthology "Body Bags."  I seem to think he's done it a few more times than that, but he really should keep out of sight.  Or away from speaking parts.

[Squishy]

Thanks, Cullen.

Hey, before someone jumps up my butt with one of their searing counterarguments (ex: "hey i liked the fgo so sht up u sux"), take a peek at this.

[ASHTHECAT]

If I'm not mistaken, didn't John Carpenter appear in a cameo role in "The Ghosts of Mars?"  If I'm correct, wasn't he the one who was in the jail cell with one of the characters and becomes posessed by "the ghosts"?

[Cullen]

"Thanks, Cullen."

No problem.

Hey, I like The Fog and all, but I know it has its faults.  For me, it overcomes most of them and manages to be halfway entertaining, unlike, say, Ghosts of Mars , which doesn't.

And that whole "No fog, no fog, fog" bit mentioned in the cartoon always cracks me up (or at least brings a smile to my face.)

[Chadzilla]

The Fog is one of the all time greats, you...

ah, nevermind.  I love it for personal reasons (but yeah, in my opine it does features Carpenter's best score and Dean Cundy's photography is top notch).  I  reviewed it over at scifilm, here' s the link up...

http://www.scifilm.org/reviews/thefog.html

let me know what you think (really, don't hold back - sometimes you can be too soft on us Carpenter fanboys you know?)

Interestingly on the new documentary Carpenter and Hill discuss the last minute reshoots to 'save' the movie, just about all the real memorable stuff was done then.

As far as the Rollerball remake.  I'll stick with the original, thank you.

[Cullen]

Very intresting.  Very interesting indeed.  Well worth the read.  

Never made the Poe connection with Holbrook's character .  If it's true, then there is a hilarious coincidence in there.  Holbrook , as you mentioned, plays Twain (almost looks like the man, I think.)  Twain never really liked Poe, from what I read.  So its probably not suprising that an actor playing Twain doesn't like a part looking like Poe.

Or something.

Maybe I'm tired, but I think that's funny.

Still, good review.

[BoyScoutKevin]

Hey, Andrew. Now that you and Katie have seen both "The Fog" and "Rollerball," how about posting a review for both "The Fog" and "Rollerball" (the original, not the remake) at this site. Your fans will adore you. Thanks!

[Andrew]

There is a reader review for "The Fog" here:

http://www.badmovies.org/othermovies/thefog/

I am giving serious thought to a review of the original "Rollerball."  I like that movie mucho and it is a strange and unusual film.

[jmc]

I don't think I'd ever seen THE FOG in its entirety.  I'd definitely put it in the "good pile" of Carpenter films, but I wouldn't call it a classic.  

Love the original ROLLERBALL.  The guy who wrote the screenplay is/was a professor at my alma mater.