It’s July 2021, and instead of talking about “F9,” “Black Widow,” or any of the summer blockbusters from this year, The Playlist Podcast is going back to the ‘80s to talk about two cult classic summer films, “Escape From New York” and “Big Trouble in Little China.” Why? Because they’re both celebrating big anniversaries. Oh, and because John Carpenter is one of the best filmmakers of all time and Kurt Russell is a national treasure.
For this episode of The Playlist Podcast, the guys talk all things John Carpenter as they dive deep into the run of films the filmmaker created from the late-‘70s to late-‘80s, which is arguably the best decade of work from a filmmaker ever seen.
The Essentials: The Films Of John Carpenter [Full Retrospective]
Released in 1981, “Escape From New York” recently celebrated its 40th anniversary and is one of the best action films ever to grace the big screen. Though, much like the rest of John Carpenter’s work, you probably didn’t get a chance to watch it in theaters, instead catching it on cable and/or VHS at your local video store. The same goes for “Big Trouble in Little China,” which was released in 1986 and is celebrating its 35th anniversary. Though ‘Big Trouble’ might not be seen as much of a classic as ‘Escape,’ due to the terrible Asian stereotypes, both features are clear fan favorites and show how Carpenter and Kurt Russell worked together to create two of the most iconic action characters of all time in Snake Plissken and Jack Burton.
So, if you’re a fan of John Carpenter or confused why people revere his work so much, you can listen to the full discussion below:
As always, The Playlist Podcast is part of The Playlist Podcast Network—which includes Be Reel, Deep Focus, The Fourth Wall, and more—and can be heard on iTunes, AnchorFM, Soundcloud, Stitcher, and now on Spotify. You can stream the podcast via the AnchorFM embed below or up top to listen on this page. Follow us on iTunes, and you’ll get this podcast as well as our other shows regularly. Be sure to subscribe and drop us a comment or a rating, as we appreciate it. Thank you for listening.