From the Vault: They Live

I know that when I started this blog my mission was to bring all of you a series of positive reviews on movies of all kinds and I also have frequently found myself watching the films of old because I feel that they have become relevant or that I don’t want them to be forgotten.

The reason that I want to speak out about this film is because I recently began thinking of it and how it is relevant to my life now.

I would like to take this opportunity to vent about some of my frustrations in the world.

Something that I often point is a Gift/Curse that I have and that is sometimes to see people for what they truly are. I see some people talking about something or themselves and I am able to see that they are a phony or I can see their true intentions and I try to warn everyone but no one listens and then I have to deal with the aftermath that I tried to prevent.

What frustrates me about these people I feel that I am the only one that sees them for what they are and that the others are not only tolerating this behavior they are buying into it as well.

That brings me to tonight’s film. The relevance to what I am talking about will be clear to all of you, in more ways than I am talking about myself. As a result I recommend this film to all of you.

Released in 1988 They Live was written and Directed by master filmmaker John Carpenter and stars Wrestler Roddy Piper, Keith David and Meg Foster.

As with almost all of Carpenter’s films They Live features a primary protagonist that is male and quite the badd ass with all the one liners.

Roddy Piper in this film in Nada a out of work drifter that comes to the city looking for work. After finding work on a construction site he befriends Frank (David) another worker who takes him to a Shanty Town across the street from a church and every night a broadcast interrupts the local televisions telling of a crisis that the masses don’t know about and the observant Nada realizes that the broadcasts are coming from the church.

The next night to police raid the church and bulldoze the Shantytown. Nada and Frank manage to escape with many of the other residents and Nada returns to the church and finds a box of sunglasses hidden in the walls. Confused he throws the box of sunglasses in the garbage saving one pair for him to wear. However when Nada puts the glasses on he sees the world in Black and White and billboards and printed papers have the instructions such as Obey, Marry and Reproduce, Consume, Buy, and money says This is your God.

Nada then encounters people that when he looks at them he sees Skeleton like ghouls and can see devices that look like spaceships that are following him and watching him with surveillance.

After inadvertently attracting attention to himself he then begins killing the Alien beings making himself a wanted man leaving Nada having to face off against the Aliens that are taking over earth using economics as well as subliminal advertising.

To my knowledge the fight scene between Roddy Piper and Keith David is the longest fight scene in a movie and Carpenter planned it to be. The inspiration for the scene was the John Wayne film the Quiet Man.

Carpenter drew inspiration from both a Comic called “Nada” in which a man realizes that the human race has been drugged and that they are being controlled by aliens, as well as the short story "Eight O'Clock in the Morning" by Ray Nelson. There is also an element of Invasion of the Body Snatchers in the film.

One of Carpenter’s abilities to pay tribute to the films that inspired him and he will make small references to the films in his own films. He also makes references to people in his own life as well.

Like many Horror/Sci-Fi directors Carpenter’s films often take nods from the real world and are mirrors to the directions that society is headed and sometimes that is not a pleasant place to be.

Carpenter had seen the direction that advertising had taken and the way that people were being programmed by their entertainment as well as Reganomics and the rapid consumption that was prevalent in the 1980s as well as the destruction of the Middle Class.  

Keith David spoke on the QnA at the 2012 Texas Frightmare Weekend that They Live was #1 at the Box Office for two weeks before mysteriously disappearing from the Theatres and not being released to Home Video for a period of time. David’s theorized that the film must have angered someone and I would not be surprised if that were the case.

Scream Factory released a collector’s edition Blu-Ray in November of last year that features an Audio Commentary by John Carpenter and Roddy Piper that is pretty entertaining as well as exclusive interviews with Meg Foster and Keith David and featurettes on the fight choreographer and the Director of Photography and the co composer.  The Blu-Ray also features TV Spots, Trailers, as well as edited commercials featuring the Aliens that were shot for the film.

Trust me those are funny.

Best One Liner “I have Come to Chew Bubble Gum and Kick Ass…and I am all out of Bubble Gum.”

Second Best one Liner “Life is a Bitch…and She’s back in Heat.”

32 Dead Bodies

2 Breasts

8 Beasts (Check out the Interviews to get why the number is so low)

3 One Liners

4 Shoot Outs

1 Long Fight Scene

Video Store Hall of Fame for Roddy Piper for the character of Nada

Hopefully you can all understand why I say check this flick out.