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The Thing (1982)A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.Rating: 8.2/10Stars: Kurt Russell (MacReady), Wilford Brimley (Dr. Blair), Keith David (Childs), Richard Masur (Clark)Halloween (1978)Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes from a...

Graphic: Images: IMDBThe Thing (1982)

A research team in Antarctica is hunted by a shape-shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims.

Rating: 8.2/10

Stars: Kurt Russell (MacReady), Wilford Brimley (Dr. Blair), Keith David (Childs), Richard Masur (Clark)

Halloween (1978)

Fifteen years after murdering his sister on Halloween night 1963, Michael Myers escapes...

(Welcome to Best Action Scene Ever, a column dedicated to breaking down the best, most effective action sequences throughout the genre. In this edition, we revisit the high water mark for one-location thrillers: the central siege in John Carpenter's 1976 classic "Assault on Precinct 13.")

There's a hypothetical version of "Assault on Precinct 13" out there that does away with the restraint and foreboding atmosphere of the original, recklessly tossed out in favor of high-wire thrills and a never-ending collection of narrative tropes. In place of a handful of straightforward (yet effective) archetypes thrown together as strangers but who come out as something else altogether after the crucible of one endlessly violent night, someone might've had the inclination to try and "humanize" these characters by burdening them with edgy backstories or an overcomplicated plot. In essence, imagine stripping away all the idiosyncrasy and personality just to end up with another generic action/thriller.

We’re getting the week started with a new episode of the Wtf Happened to This Horror Movie? video series, and in this one we’re looking back at an early film from one our of legendary “masters of horror”: John Carpenter. The movie in question is the very cool action thriller Assault on Precinct 13 (watch it Here), and you can find out all about it in the embed above.

Written and directed by John Carpenter, who was drawing inspiration from the Howard Hawks / John Wayne Western Rio Bravo and George A. Romero‘s Night of the Living Dead, Assault on Precinct 13 has the following synopsis: When the LAPD kills several members of the South Central gang Street Thunder, the remaining members avenge themselves by way of a bloody war waged against cops and citizens alike. Caught in the crossfire is Lt. Ethan Bishop, who’s managing a...

"I've got three shots – that's enough!" "Can't argue with a confident man." Newly restored in 4K, Assault on Precinct 13 is back on the big screen—loud, beautiful, and inescapable, as it was always meant to be seen. The American Genre Film Archive (Agfa), the largest non-profit genre film archive and distributor in the world, has released a brand new trailer for the 4K re-release of Carpenter's 1976 action classic. This brutally violent, gritty film from the 1970s was made before Carpenter went on to direct Halloween, Escape from New York, The Thing, and everything else. Screw the 2005 remake (don't watch it) this is the real shit. A Highway Patrol Officer, two criminals and a station secretary defend a defunct Los Angeles precinct office against a siege by a bloodthirsty street gang. Starring Austin Stoker, Darwin Joston, Laurie Zimmer, Martin West, and Tony Burton. Growing up, I remember watching this because my...

Earlier this month, a 4K restoration of director John Carpenter‘s 1976 action thriller classic Assault on Precinct 13 played at the Globe Cinema in Calgary for three days. Now the 4K restoration is set to reach more theatres across the U.S. and Canada, rolling out over the next two months! The American Genre Film Archive is responsible for this 4K theatrical re-release, and the company’s theatrical director Bret Berg had this to say about it: “It’s an honor to represent Carpenter’s legacy, given how much personal joy his work has created for us. When it’s something as iconic as Precinct 13 – akin to the heartstopping majesty of Halloween – we’re driven to get this taut masterwork in front of as many audiences as we can. Big thanks to the Ckk Corporation for shepherding this new restoration.”

Written and directed by Carpenter, Assault on Precinct 13 combines the template...

Have an itch to see a movie about a gunfight, the whole gunfight and nothing but the gunfight? Search no more, for Ben Wheatley and Amy Jump have the movie for you: twenty minutes of angry crooks in conference, and then seventy minutes of non-stop shootin,’ with no annoying plot context or character depth to get in the way. Just say ‘Bang Bang I shot you down,’ and then play it in a loop, ad infinitum.

Free Fire

Blu-ray

Lionsgate

2017 / Color / 2:39 widescreen / 90 min. / Street Date July 18, 2017 / 24.99

Starring: Sam Riley, Michael Smiley, Brie Larson, Cillian Murphy, Armie Hammer, Sharlto Copley, Babou Ceesay, Noah Taylor, Jack Reynor, Mark Monero, Patrick Bergin, Enzo Cilenti, Tom Davis.

Cinematography: Laurie Rose

Film Editors: Amy Jump, Ben Wheatley

Original Music: Geoff Barrow, Ben Salisbury

Written by Amy Jump, Ben Wheatley

Produced by Andy Starke

Directed by Ben Wheatley

Many critics fairly well loved Ben Wheatley...

Stars: Austin Stoker, Darwin Joston, Laurie Zimmer, Martin West, Tony Burton, Charles Cyphers, Nancy Kyes, John J. Fox, Henry Brandon, Kim Richards, Frank Doubleday | Written and Directed by John Carpenter

I class myself as a John Carpenter fan, but the fact that I’d not seen Assault on Precinct 13 bugged me. Now thankfully with the Second Sight release of Assault on Precinct 13: 40th Anniversary Limited Edition on Blu-ray, I finally got to fix that.

When police sergeant Ethan Bishop (Austin) is given the job of holding the fort at a closing La precinct office on New Year’s Eve he hopes the night will go smoothly. When a man turns up in shock, chased by a group of gang members though, it seems things will hardly go smoothly.

The premise for Assault on Precinct 13 isn’t a unique one, in fact director John Carpenter even mentions...

For some, summer’s approach brings fond memories of nights spent at the drive-in, chewing popcorn, hanging out with friends and dates, and watching thrillers, horror flicks and the talking candy bar ads that played in-between them on the big screen. While the golden age of the drive-in is in the rearview mirror, Scream Factory is throwing their own tribute to the drive-in days and you can experience it from your couch.

To celebrate the beginning of their Summer of Fear, Scream Factory is kicking off their Summer of Fear Drive-In by playing a live stream screening of John Carpenter’s classic 1976 film, Assault on Precinct 13, tonight at 7pm Pt/10pm Est on www.summeroffear.com and on their YouTube channel. Fans of the film should be pleased to hear that a new, exclusive interview with Carpenter about Assault on Precinct 13 will be played during the webcast, and...

A simple story of a street gang terrorizing a soon-to-be abandoned police station while the inhabitants within fight for their lives, Assault on Precinct 13 is surprisingly touching and a great example of Carpenter’s economy as a filmmaker, as the film is lean and packs quite a punch. While the plot sounds flimsy, it’s Carpenter’s care for his characters, creating real people we care about, in extraordinary circumstances that make it work on so many levels rather than becoming a mindless action film.

Officer Bishop (Austin Stoker) has been assigned to watch the titular precinct for the evening until it can be officially closed down and emptied out the next day. For one night of terror, along with a couple of convicts en route to another facility (Martin West and Tony Burton) and the precinct’s remaining staff (Nancy Loomis and Laurie Zimmer), Bishop and the others...

Assault on Precinct 13

Written and directed by John Carpenter

USA, 1976

With his filmmaking career beginning in the midst of the new Hollywood and its touchstones in American film history, it’s perhaps easy to see why the work of John Carpenter has been somewhat overshadowed by more celebrated filmmakers such as Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, or Francis Ford Coppola. He found a niche in the horror genre with the landmark Halloween, and he proceeded to make one idiosyncratic, wholly original, and generally skillful film after another. Some were rather uneven, particularly in recent years, but for every Memoirs of an Invisible Man, there has been The Fog, Escape from New York, The Thing, or They Live. Carpenter’s list of credits boasts some exceptional work — inventive, daring, visually, and technically creative — but amongst these titles, one film stands out as a favorite of many cinephiles in general and Carpenter fans in particular.

Scream Factory will be releasing John Carpenter’s Assault on Precinct 13 as a Collector’s Edition Blu-ray later this month and we have a look at the original trailer:

“Isolated and cut off from the city inside a soon-to-be-closed L.A. police station, a group of police officers and convicts must join forces to defend themselves against the gang called Street Thunder, who have taken a blood oath to kill someone trapped inside the precinct.

From John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing and Prince Of Darkness), Assault On Precinct 13 combines the elements of a classic western and a modern thriller to create a riveting cult classic.”

Assault on Precinct 13 was written and directed by John Carpenter, and stars Austin Stoker, Darwin Joston, Laurie Zimmer, and Nancy Kyes. Here’s what’s included in the collector’s edition release:

Audio Commentary with writer/director John Carpenter New Audio Commentary...

On November 19th, we’ll see the release of John Carpenter’s Assault on Precinct 13 to Blu-ray and Scream Factor has provided us with the final list of bonus features.

“Isolated and cut off from the city inside a soon-to-be-closed L.A. police station, a group of police officers and convicts must join forces to defend themselves against the gang called Street Thunder, who have taken a blood oath to kill someone trapped inside the precinct.

From John Carpenter (Halloween, The Thing and Prince Of Darkness), Assault On Precinct 13 combines the elements of a classic western and a modern thriller to create a riveting cult classic.

A Ckk Production “Assault On Precinct 13”

Starring Austin Stoker

Darwin Joston, Laurie Zimmer

Executive Producer Joseph Kaufman

Produced by J.S. Kaplan

Written and Directed by John Carpenter”

Bonus Features:

Audio Commentary with writer/director John Carpenter New Audio Commentary with Art...