We've reviewed The Thing from 1982!

[Music] and welcome to the movie Tree howdy howdy branches and welcome to another episode of the movie Tree podcast uh my name's Poncho and that's gpg sitting right across from me whoa did you see that that thing you you I'm looking around especially in this dungeon Kurt Russell's 8 something to Banger yes huge uh big time not at the time though though we'll get into it later oh it's big time now big time now big now C Cults classic you'd call it now oh yeah and uh pop culture phenomenon so I think it's very much in the same realm as Blade Runner and they both came out at the same time uh I'm very excited for this one I don't know about you no no just uh morose yeah Melancholy lower than low it seems like you've been touched by the thing Jesus Christ so we got here by climbing the Keith David Branch he played King in platoon and he plays Charles in the thing this is his first theatrical role too and what a career he has had he said that last week yeah cheers to Keith David you are a gem a absolutely and uh I don't think a lot of like everyone would know your know your face maybe not a lot of people know I love I love his dead pan he does an awesome dead pan dialog so Ice Cube uses him on his albums for a like uh the St like an intro to his thing pyro clastic flow and you're just like he has a great voice microphone uh so the story line a re research team in Antarctica is hunted by shape shifting alien that assumes the appearance of its victims oh yeah uh when did you first watch this m this I was a late bloomer on this one I uh I must have watched this when I was like 21 22 I uh brought this on DVD and I'm like hang on this is supposed to be a classic I shall watch cuz I am a Kurt Russell fan I did much the same I I couldn't exactly tell you it was probably a late '90s rental much for the same reason it's a classic I've heard about it and I should see it and golly uh wow IMDb has this at an 8.2 and it sits it 50 on their top 250 movies yeah which is [ __ ] solid that's huge H Rotten Tomatoes 84% critics 92% audience on a bu on a budget of 15 mil and this is it made 19 mil damn 42nd at the box office the top three for that year were ET Tootsie and An Officer and a Gentleman bring it out again we we'll we'll bump those numbers upy that was a rookie numb it has been yeah it has been re-released from what I understand um released on the 25th of June 1982 this is our second movie from 1982 can you scratch the recesses of of your brain One Flew Over The cooko Nest no that was 75 8 one more guess one more guess 82 82 uh can you give me a clue so idilic Suburban neighborhood stord wise Jes idilic Suburban life no what is it poter a you son of a [ __ ] that was my next guess it was not I decided not to say it cuz I didn't think I thought that was 83 damn you L run time of an hour and 49 minutes produced by Universal Pictures uh Awards and this I don't I can't quantify this anyo moricone was nominated for razi for worst score for this movie I I hate the razy people yeah I hate the Razzy people that's I don't get it I love the score in this movie I think I've got more about that in the score yeah okay ah yeah uh directed of course by John Carpenter uh also Dark Star Assault on Precinct 13 Helloween the fog Escape From New York Christine Starman Big Trouble in Little China they live Village of the Damned Escape From LA and ghosts of Mars quick question yes if you had one movie to watch would would you pick the thing or Halloween oh that's the sest choice for me I oh look I'm biased I'd say the thing because I I know I recently watched it obviously I would pick the thing as well I think I would pick the thing yeah I honestly I'm worried that if one day we get to Halloween cuz that's heavily Nostalgia lied for me that movie we're going to go we're going to go a bit Nightmare on Elm Street oh oh yeah I haven't I haven't seen Halloween in probably I haven't seen didn't you watch the whole thing I did watch all of them but I didn't watch the original I watched all the sequels ah right well I haven't seen the original for probably 10 years but it is probably my favorite horror movie of all time uh the cast for the thing uh Kurt Russell 31 Wilford Brimley 48 and looking [ __ ] weird without a mustache Keith David 26 Richard massure 34 TK Carter 26 David Clinton 39 that's them according to John Carpenter he takes all of his failed movies pretty hard but this film's initial negative reception disappointed him the most Not only was it a box office bomb but critics panned its gory effects tone and characters Vincent Canby who was a Critic called it too phony looking to be disgusting it qualifies only as instant junk Dave Kerr wrote that it was hard to tell who's being attacked and hard to care likewise Robert Roger ebbert was disappointed by the superficial characterizations and the implausible behavior and dismiss the film as nothing more than an alien knockoff uh Carpenter was particularly upset when Christian nby the director of the original the thing from another world publicly denounced Carpenters version saying If You Want Blood go to the slaughter house all in all it's a terrific commercial for J&B Scotch uh last week when we skinn the smoke wagon you said this movie was basically putting us back in five territory have your thoughts and score well let's see how we go H let's see how we go maybe I'm on the ebit side of things maybe maybe definitely I am not uh my thoughts this film is so [ __ ] cool Kurt Russell at his 80s Peak practical effects at their 80s Peak another pop culture phenomenon for us standout performances everywhere you look haunting deaths haunting score set designs and camera work as some of the finest we've ever seen the paranoia storyline just keeps you buckled in the whole way I am back on my five [ __ ] don't at me this is five out of five the thing baby watch it love it enjoy it what about you ah man I just love a good Effects movie and I love a situational movie and I love horror put them together and you've got [ __ ] an absolute Banger of an hour and 45 minutes to watch ignoring the slightly amateurish cinematography at times at early stages of this movie The couple of times you can see the cameraman Shadow and I don't care [ __ ] this film buil suspension tension and height and tempers like nothing else I've seen in recent memory a classic who done it type of scenario and then you get the score and the Practical offense like my oh my what an absolute Delight the effects are in this movie I can ignore some of the slightly shuny camera work like I said in editing but this is a [ __ ] bloody brilliant piece of cinema this is an absolute bang of five originality through the roof yes and people don't understand that now we don't get this anymore no we don't we don't get this anymore and we should have loved it when we had it Roger rebit you bastard yeah you piece of [ __ ] you've got to love what you have when you have it and you know what you didn't love it then we'll love it now John John we're here for you Mr Carpenter it's a testament to to the special effects and the Practical effects that they hold up to this day still makes me sick so that so that puts it sixth uh just above jaws and just below Indiana Jones in the Last Crusade above jaw yeah it's it's it's right there though legitimately Jor has got a slightly Worse IMDb score I Pro Jaws is an 8.1 I don't want to say it's below Jaws but I don't want to put Jaws below it can we even out good they are the same thing for me they are same beautifully shot originality like they are they're wrting a bit for horror they are wrting a bit yep one thing I will say and it has no bearing on the film at all anyway and it doesn't look [ __ ] either but the UFO scene at the start for me doesn't need to be there no and it's only there I read somewhere it's only there as a nod to the original thing from out of space movie cuz that's how that movie starts I wondered if I you don't need it yeah I wondered if I was watching like an uncut version I'm like well is this in the original I don't remember this starting this way it doesn't you don't need that bit of backstory no no it makes it you know what you're looking at when happens so um best on ground please sir a this is easy mate Kurt my boy uh Gorgeous Hair is it what mccreedy honorable mention though to the pooch the papa the Dogo yes when he comes in I'm like that is a well-trained dog and he is haunting it's incredibly wellt trained he is godamn haunting but I have to go mccre Kurt Russell he's uh he's a leading man that we can all get behind and I'd love Kurt Russell yeah I'm just going to say that out loud that's fine and who's yours mate who you got uh look I I think every pretty much every performance in this movie is exceptional yep but I've gone outside that oh I've gone Rob botton for his exceptional Flawless effects work yes yes we've gone we've done this before we've gone set designs we've gone uh I think his his uh practical effects work on this movie is is unrivaled yeah considering the time and the budget and then when people like Roger E and that bring it down you're like these guys they work their ass off to make something beautiful yep and for everyone to watch and then you come in and you just like oh well this is a little [ __ ] review for JB [ __ ] skirt hey go back to your pad and pencil you Lucid that was a good voice I like that voice [ __ ] you sound like unfair you can't talk to me like that can't do my daughter I I I well I think you should be sorry for Christ's sake a family member dies and you insult me what the hell is the matter with you anyway uh do you ever wor on ground no yeah I do not that is uh everyone in here they have a small cast and they all do it beautifully what about you I'm would have nitpicked it would have been a massive would have been a massive nitpick everybody in this movie and I I think I read in the original Source novel there's 32 people at the station oh wow Carpenter whittel it down to 12 but he gave every single person enough rope with which to work with yeah everybody got their moments and got their scenes and got their that's what I noticed nobody in there is just a side character everybody has their moment to give a big speech or a little bit of a you know like hey man [ __ ] you that ain't right like a a moment at no stage in this movie do you just someone say Hey where's fukes and you go which one was F you know who every is yeah windows and all these names yeah uh you going to play the day certainly do the ending I bloody love that ending why don't we just wait here a while yeah see what happens I have got it's so open got a [ __ ] ton of trivia on that yeah cuz John carer refuses to tell us yeah whom oh he's got I've got it all but right we can all have our own opinions he chops and changes his opinion depending on who's asking him I think yeah well John Carpenter says yeah it's up to you yeah like I know he's come out and said yeah he's he is and then he's come out and said no and he is and then he is and I love it so much and just it's almost not not Kurt Russell's best acting here but him and um Keith David when they sit there I'm just like you guys are in your Prime right now and just I love it I I love it just given yeah perfect it's a perfect scene what do you got I had the defib scene oh yeah I think that's just the Pinnacle of this the the effects in this movie from chomping belly to spider legged head running around I know there's a big call but I put a put that up with aliens what's his name got on the table and the alien jumping out oh you don't know what's happening on alien you imagine seeing it for the first time what the [ __ ] going on and go imagine seeing the thing for the first time and it just looks like he's doing chest compressions oh he's got the defibrillator out oh now his chest is eating his arms yes what yeah it's a lot of trivia around that scene too yeah it's uh fantastic absolutely fantastic yep yep yep yep would you would you watch it again [ __ ] it and honestly I'll probably watch this soon just so I can sit there and basking it instead of you know breaking it down and stuff you know this is one of those films you will notice stuff you will notice more and those theories you have at the end those Poncho theories yeah they will continue and you will get more and you be hang on hold up you'll see more [ __ ] yep should the listeners watch it that's a that's an affirmative that's a hell yeah a hell yeah uh where did you watch I brought this on Apple one and two as a oh the double pack the double pack yeah I I I purchased this on Apple TV as well you can also rent it on Apple TV Amazon Prime and YouTube the DVD is $10 and the 4K Ultra HD is $35 from JB highi I would get the 4K Ultra HD I would too actually I meant to say that earlier the 4K version of this is [ __ ] Flawless yeah the 4K uh what do they call it transition 4K transition yeah Flawless [ __ ] you Roger Eber yeah that's all I got to say I'm finishing it that way okay do Jo want some trivia I do let's do some movie trivia body count 12 yeah I was going to say pretty much all of them uh John Carpenter has stated that of all his films this one is his personal favorite okay uh apparently it's become a tradition in British Antarctic research stations to watch the thing as part of their midwinter feast and celebration held every June 21st can you imagine how cool that would be sitting in a research station in Antarctic watch watching this movie I know what uh what what did I watch I watched um H what's the new season of True Detective you don't watch True Detective do you so Jody Foster um the new season is about something happening in a in a research station in Antarctica oh yes I did hear that yeah and uh and the first thing she sees on the Shelf is the thing I noticed it and I went I did the the leard oh there it is there it is and I had no one to talk to about but oh God I loved it I loved that that was in there and I knew it and I KN a and and I love this fact that they do that like I'm I can't research it I can put I can do something I can do something there if they want me to be there for that day yeah I can run the projector yeah I can clean I can make the popcorn I can clean I can clean I know I can clean I'll unfold the chairs I'll fold the chairs back up um so it's pretty um pretty iconic poster wouldn't you say for this movie The Glow faed oh man so good so good Jo John Carman I hated it okay John he he felt that it was he got most things right he felt that it was the final nail in the coffin and did not like it was presented as to take it or leave it option and he felt that he was striving to get away from the man in a suit horor Trope yet this poster was a man in a suit right um John Carpenter thought it made the film look like a slasher movie and said they should have just painted a bloody knife in his hand as well it's iconic as [ __ ] that's what I thought too uh some casting news and there's a fair bit here to get through Ernie Hudson was the front runner to play Child until John Carpenter met with Keith D and gave him the part and you know what Keith David has surpassed Ernie Hudson Ernie H Donald Pleasants was the original choice for the for Blair he was unable to perform the role due to a scheduling conflict uh the casting in mccre proved to be difficult many alist actors met with universal and red for the role of mccre but nearly everyone turned it down Nick niy was the Top Choice he rejected it the role was also turned down by and breaks yourself Jeff Bridges Tom Tom baringer no Scott Glenn Roy shider Chris Christ offerson Sam Shepard Jack Thompson Aussie Jack Thompson Tom Atkins Don Johnson and you know oh is a Walken it was christop Christopher walking want I do a test on your blood your blood see if you the thing or not you're coming with me cuz I don't trust you dogs dogs dogs oh no the thing oh wow I'm out of scotch know they W my clothes you bastards out now oh God damn not flying my chop BL the snow saying a good idea weather is bad so uh screen writer Bill Lancaster wrote the script with Harrison Ford or Clint Eastwood in mind and both received offers and they both rejected it although some of the uh AFF mentioned names showed interest nearly everyone turned it down due to the issues with scheduling Kurt Russell was hired as a last resort effort on recommendation from Carpenter as universal was skeptical that he was too young and pretty to play rugged and brwy mccre oh [ __ ] off however with filming to begin a in a week and with b-roll already shooting the studio helplessly hired Kurt Russell oh you poor bastards helplessly helplessly gorgeously blueeyed Luscious Hair you imagine the me well I guess we got to [ __ ] get Kurt [ __ ] Russell Kurt russens his name is Russell ah who gives a [ __ ] this movie is going to flop anyway Kurt Richards Russell a what a man I I I sent you a message after watching this I said if I could pick someone said to me as a a god comes down and says look I'll give you one hairsty for the rest of your life you'll never go bald you never go thin I'll be like give me Kurt Russell in the thing it is just Lush it is Chill it's like he could wear that to some like the my Awards and people just be like God damn that's some good here you know what I love too is that gun Rec recreated it with daging for Guardians too he is in the Brandy scene brene it's the same it's a lush as hair I think us and James gun would I reckon James gun's like hey Kurt we need to D you and I've got just the age when is it the thing the thing ah man what a movie what a movie what a movie on some uh branching oh I'm excited I'm excited you shouldn't be oh really and now it's time for us to Branch out and decide what we'll watch next week I suppose Keith got us here so yeah it was a little bit slim uh you got five five five yeah what do we got Kurt Russell yep Death Proof O Okay Wilford Brimley yep the natural oo the natural Norbert weisser The Rocketeer TK Carter Space Jam John car to Halloween God damn have we done Tarantino yet we have not done Tarantino as yet reckon out of those we going on Halloween or Death Proof mhm I love Death Proof like on a level that I know I don't know if we want to go double fives again the thing is the thing is of all Tarantino movies this is one that he doesn't like he hates but I don't give a [ __ ] what he thinks Halloween though oh we mhm Jesus Christ see I know this I know you've got you've got a lot of nostalgia for Space Jam I know that I'm not picking Space Jam you're not picking Space Jam it's Halloween or Death Proof okay do do we need a flip it's thinking about a flip no you know what [ __ ] it let's let's flip okay all right let's go uh you've got the honors yeah Death Proof your flip we'll go Death Proof Grant Y and uh Halloween cork yep you ready I was born I can't see it what did I say he said Death Proof was Grant okay it looks like we're doing Halloween are we doing Halloween Halloween it is horror icons just coming out the woo GE whiz gee whiz we going to have any movies left when we go on YouTube or mate you we've got the stuff I'm starting to do the the studio is started Death Proof [ __ ] I would have been good I thought you might have gone Death Proof anyway Let's uh go ahead skin it skin that smoke wagon and see what happens is that K Russell that's K Russell man it's just cyclical it's cyclical uh Halloween how do we feel um I my first instinct is to go five because I love this so much but I think I'm realistic enough to know we watched Nightmare on Elm Street a couple weeks some of the acting is not going to hold up because this was done on not even a Sho string budget this was done on on on a part of his string budget but I don't I don't think it has the outlandish um what you uh goals of a Nightmare on Elm Street no which is like we need to create this whole fake world and things it's sort of like we just need brutality hidden there's nothing mystical about him it's just brutality so I won't I'm not going to fall for the Trap again and go this is a a classic and now it's a classic like Nightmare on Elm Street I'm going to go lower than a fight yeah I'm going to go 2.5 I'm going to say three lower my expectations I'm going to say three you reckon you'll get there though oh look I really hope what's your confidence on getting to a three I haven't seen this for quite a while and I think my mind is a little bit tainted by the fact that I've watched all the shitty sequels more recently y you can't deny this movie's place in in the pantheon of horror classics yeah it kicked off the whole slasher phenomenon as absolutely um Michael M is one of the most threatening movie Bad Guys theh we've seen ever y it launched the career of jam Lee Curtis it gave John Carpenter his start so I don't know I mean I'm confident I can get it to a three we can get it to a three but I just really hope that it does and disappoint I'm with you yeah I'll go 2.5 just because of what um once bit TR Once Bitten Twice Shy from um A Nightmare on Elm Street and I haven't seen in a while so I can't I can't think oh you know what it does have those pitfalls yeah of but it also doesn't have apart from Kill scenes it doesn't have that Supernatural special effect requirement that nightmare needed and that's what yeah that's what I was trying to say like it doesn't have that mystical world that needs to hold up it's literally just killing people it's brutality and I think the only thing we're going to have to worry about here is effects I think the story Line's brutal and we love it I think the only thing we're going to worry about is uh oh the blood look like [ __ ] pumpkin soup I'm going to feel like too as iconic as the main theme is Michael's theme the score I've got a feeling that it's not very well scored in point not used in the way we no expected not used to build so I don't know look we're speculating and that's what this this section of the the episode does speculates so I think yeah I'm I'm confident it'll be a three at least and I'd be disappointed if there's anything less it's going to be good this is this is I've got more Nostalgia for this and I have for nightmare lots more Nostalgia for this oh Halloween's my favorite horror franchise yep um and I know most of the sequels are shot but I love them anyway yeah yeah I'll I i' take Texas out of the big four that's my favorite horror to be honest but um yeah no this is good I I hold this above nightmare as well yeah good good uh that's good I reckon Johnny Keys is uh about to play his tune well you know what Johnny Keys loves Halloween because a lot of it the score is piano driven John Carpenter wrote himself maybe he can drop a little something maybe he can't no we okay John no he can't I've already spoken to him it's copy issues oh YouTube okay John John he knows all this he's I gave him a big spreadsheet you and me John it's you and I uh thanks everyone for listening this was a lot of fun to do this one subscribe if you haven't already done so leave us a rating leave us a review it does help us out with podcast algorithms and whatnot if you know someone who might like to listen to us by all means please share an episode with them can drop us a line by email at the MRE gmail.com hit us up on our social on Instagram Facebook Tik Tok and YouTube you got anything else I got nothing got nothing just watch them YouTubers got no more things and oh I got nothing O Come CL tree with us again next week we're just ticking off horror icons at the moment someone's got to do it and it's us Halloween I'm excited I am are you excited yeah a little bit yeah hey get out there and get excited guys adios thing lings nah N N I should probably just call them [ __ ] yes adios [ __ ]

Channel: The Movie Tree Podcast

Views: 133

Keywords: the thing, thing, horror, 80s, movie, classic

Id: pRgDMFOcrmI

Length: 27min 42sec (1662 seconds)

Published: Mon Jul 01 2024