By the time my loyal readers get their weekly fix here at the “Weigh In”, it’ll be the week before Halloween, and we will all be trying to figure out what we are doing this weekend, whether it be trick or treating with the kids, buying that costume for the party Friday night, or just curling up on the couch with that someone special trying to scare the pants off of her. Umm, I mean enjoying a relaxing evening at home.

Being Halloween weekend and all, I think I would be a little remiss not to highlight one of the most influential directors in the horror genre of the last 30 years, John Carpenter.

Quick Bio:
John Howard Carpenter was born on January 16th, 1948 in Carthage New York and went to school at the University of Kentucky. He began making short films in 1962, and spent most of his time cutting his teeth on schlock horror films with titles like Revenge of the Colossal Beasts, and The Sorcerer from Outer Space, until he was finally noticed after receiving an academy award for a short film he directed called the Resurrection of Broncho Billy in 1970. Since his first feature film in 1962, John Carpenter has directed 26 films and currently working on three more, including an episode (Cigarette Burns) of a new series called “Masters of Horror”, the film Psychopath, and The 13th Apostle. He has writing credits in 27 films; he composes most of the music for his films, most notably “The Halloween Theme” which has been reused in various other films.

John Carpenter is primarily known for two types of films, the over the top, against all odds action movie with the square jawed, tight lipped action hero, (normally played by Kurt Russell), which include:
Assault on Precinct 13
Escape From New York
Big Trouble in Little China
They Live
Escape From L.A.

But more importantly, John Carpenter has created horror films that to this day are the benchmark for their genre.

Halloween (1978)-The father of the slasher flick. The success of this movie paved the way for slasher franchises like Friday the 13th, A Nightmare on Elm Street, and numerous copycats to follow.

The Fog (1980)- A throwback to his schlocky horror films, but this film is best known for his use of the shock ending that has been emulated over and over again, notably most recently in the emergence of the psychological horror film.

The Thing (1982)- The first psychological horror film, before there was such a thing, the feeling of paranoia and dread at the end of the movie that left people talking about how the movie made them feel. John Carpenter later re-visited this type of film in 1987s The Prince of Darkness, and 1994s (In the Mouth of Madness).

So, if you plan on curling up next on the couch and watching a creepy horror flick while the neighbor kids throw eggs at you house, a John Carpenter horror flick is usually a pretty good bet.

Directors filmography:
The 13th Apostle (2006) (announced)
Psychopath (2006) (pre-production)
"Masters of Horror" (2005) TV Series (filming) (episode "Cigarette Burns")
Ghosts of Mars (2001)
Vampires (1998)
Escape from L.A. (1996)
Village of the Damned (1995)
In the Mouth of Madness (1994)
Body Bags (1993) (TV)
Memoirs of an Invisible Man (1992)
They Live (1988)
Prince of Darkness (1987)
Big Trouble in Little China (1986)
Starman (1984)
Christine (1983)
The Thing (1982)
Escape from New York (1981)
The Fog (1980)
Elvis (1979/I) (TV)
Someone's Watching Me! (1978) (TV)
Halloween (1978)
Assault on Precinct 13 (1976)
Dark Star (1974)
Gorgon, the Space Monster (1969)
Gorgo Versus Godzilla (1969)
Sorceror from Outer Space (1969)
Warrior and the Demon (1969) (as Johnny Carpenter)
Terror from Space (1963)
Revenge of the Colossal Beasts (1962)

This Week at your local multiplex: (10/28/2005)

Legend of Zorro: Action/Adventure
(Antonio Banderas, Catherine Zeta Jones, Anthony Hopkins)
Plot: After promising to his wife to give up his secret identity and finally retire as Zorro, his hesitation threatens to tear his family apart. To make matters worse, he is forced to don the mask and cape after the forces he defeated only a few years before threaten to undo everything his family has been working for.
Buzz: For a big budget action film with big budget actors, this movie is certainly flying under the radar. I think only one trailer has been released and the release date just kind of snuck up on me. The Halloween weekend seems like a strange opening weekend, and nothing really points to Sony/Columbia’s confidence in this film.

The Weatherman: Drama
(Nicolas Cage, Michael Caine, Hope Davis, Michael Rispoli, Gil Bellows)
Plot: Dave Spritz (Nicholas Cage) is a Chicago weatherman whose career is blooming around him while his personal life falls apart around him. The more he tries to figure out a happy balance, the more he realizes how unpredictable and unexpected life can really be.
Buzz: Gore Verbinski’s first film since Pirates of the Caribbean and starring Nicholas Cage, this film is getting quite a lot of buzz as a smart warm life affirming film. Nicholas Cage tends to have pretty good luck with those. Note: Please check out my review of the film posting before the release date.

Prime: Comedy
(Uma Thurman, Meryl Streep, Bryan Greenberg)
Plot: A recently divorced 37 year old woman (Uma Thurman), begins dating a 23 year old man (Bryan Greenberg). This comedy takes a unique look at the relationship form not only the man or woman’s side, but from her friends, family, and even her therapist’s point of view.
Buzz: From every trailer I have seen, this film appears to be the only date movie on the books this weekend and makes the film appear to be a quirky comedy about a woman who is dating her psychiatrist’s son. The usual hi-jinks ensue. So if you are looking for a nice date movie in a weekend designed for scary flicks and Halloween parties, you may want to check this one out.

Saw II: Horror
(Donnie Wahlberg, Dina Meyer, Frank G., John Fallon)
Plot: A detective trying to solve a series of murders believes he is watching the work of Jigsaw, the murderer from the first film. Also, Jigsaw is up to his old tricks, but instead of a series of single murders, he has trapped eight people in a house, with no known connection to each other, all having to work together to escape his evil puzzle.
Buzz: The much awaited sequel to the 2003 horror film, you can’t turn around without seeing something about the movie, although Lion’s Gate Films is keeping very hush hush about any new developments in the series, hoping to keep any twists and turns a surprise until opening day. This is the only Horror film opening Halloween weekend and will probably have pretty long lines because of it.

New to DVD: (10/25/2005)

As always, if you want to drop me a line or just plain send me that hate mail that I love, please send it to DPlace76@yahoo.com. Also, to check out my random musings between articles check out www.livejournal.com/users/bigdpimpin.