Rewatchables Reference

• The fight scene between Roddy Piper and Keith David – 5.5 minutes, took 3 weeks to rehearse in Carpenter's backyard.
• Roddy puts the glasses on for the first time – seeing the aliens, the signs (Obey, Consume, Conform).
• The bubble gum/bank scene – 'I have come here to chew bubble gum and kick ass and I'm all out of bubble gum.'

• The musical score – last Carpenter/Alan Howarth collaboration.
• Shepard Fairey's 'OBEY' street art becoming a massive brand – homage to 'They Live'.
• Economic inequality, homelessness, media/government manipulation themes – completely relevant today.
• The bubble gum quote living on in pop culture.

Basically just the theme song over and over. 'Rock of Ages' playing in the church is the one exception.

• The skyline shot where Piper sees the full transformation of society with all the billboards in black and white.
• The opening credits sequence – the train moving across the credits, Piper emerges.

Meg Foster's character Holly Thompson – her heel turn at the end is poorly motivated. She was always a collaborator/double agent.

• Neo-Nazi interpretation of the movie (2017) that Carpenter had to refute with an angry essay.
• Alex Jones calling it 'one of my favorite all-time movies.'
• The gratuitous sex scene.

• Bill: If Sam Jackson doesn't exist, Keith David gets 80% of his career – could have been Jules in 'Pulp Fiction', could have been in 'Die Hard' 3.
• CR: Selling out to become an alien sympathizer seems pretty cool – BMW, Hollywood Hills house.

• Kurt Russell was originally written for the lead role – Carpenter's first choice, had done 4 movies with him, decided against a 5th.
• Carpenter wrote the role of Frank specifically for Keith David.

• The preacher character.
• Roddy Piper when he gets 'red pilled' by the sunglasses and starts screaming.

• Peter Jason – the shelter leader, also the bartender in 48 Hrs, 150 IMDb credits.
• Sy Richardson – one of the rebel compound dudes, was in Repo Man.

George Buck Flower as the drunk drifter who sells out and shows up in a tuxedo at the human power elite dinner party.

• Upgrade Meg Foster's role with Sharon Stone (pre-'Total Recall', was in Police Academy movies at the time).
• Kurt Russell + Sharon Stone could have made it a bigger movie.

• Budget $3 million, grossed $13 million – opened at #1.
• Based on Ray Nelson's 1963 short story 'Eight O'Clock in the Morning.'
• Carpenter used the pseudonym 'Frank Armitage' for the screenplay.
• The fight scene: screenplay just had blank pages saying 'the fight' and 'the fight continues.' Rehearsed for 3 weeks in Carpenter's backyard.
• Carpenter turned down 'Top Gun', 'Fatal Attraction', and Exorcist 3.
• The sunglasses are called 'Hoffman Lenses,' named after Albert Hofmann, creator of LSD.

• Roddy Piper as an actor – yes, this is it, never happened again despite ~30 other bad movies.
• John Carpenter – discussed but consensus is 'Halloween' is his true Apex Mountain.
• Street fight scenes – yes, Apex Mountain for this.

• Piper shoots ~6 people in the bank and just walks out the back door, no consequences.
• The Rebel Alliance has no money but incredible eye tech – where were the glasses manufactured?
• Why does Keith David refuse to just try on the glasses?

• Would be amazing as prestige TV now that we have the Internet.
• CR: Like The Newsroom but set in Cable 54 – aliens covering the Reagan administration.
• Sean: Wants the prequel – when did the aliens come? How did they insert themselves?

Danny Trejo, JT Walsh, Steve Buscemi, Sam Jackson all discussed as additions.

Keith David for acting. Or John Carpenter for screenplay.

• If this movie were made in 2023 with TikTok instead of TV – what does that look like?
• Do the human sellouts have contracts? Lifetime deal or up for renewal?
• What is the alien salary cap?

The sunglasses – the Hoffman Lenses.

Don't obey. Don't trust power. Don't consume.

• Invasion of the Body Snatchers (either original or 1978 remake).
• Or Escape from New York – more Carpenter.

Split – Bill and Sean say John Carpenter. CR says Roddy Piper.