Tag: escape from new york

ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK Screens at Schlafly Bottleworks January 3rd – ‘Strange Brew’


“You wanna see him sprayed all over that map, baby? Now where’s the President?”


John Carpenter’s St. Louis-lensed ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK (1981) screens Wednesday, December 6th at 8pm at Schlafly Bottleworks Restaurant and Bar (7260 Southwest Ave.- at Manchester – Maplewood, MO 63143) as part of Webster University’s Award-Winning Strange Brew Film Series. Admission is $5


For those of you who don’t know, the ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK’s production designer, the Oscar-nominated Joe Alves, couldn’t work out the logistics of shooting the film’s night-time exterior shots in New York City.   It was too difficult to make the New York city streets seem like a devastated, prison city as depicted in the film.   Alves was sent on a cross-country expense trip where he was to find a city that could stand in for a demolished, downtown NYC.   Enter East St. Louis, IL in the late ’70s.   In ’76, a massive fire broke out, and entire blocks were left burned up and in rubble.   Production moved to Illinois.   Scenes were even shot across the river in St. Louis, MO proper at Union Station and the Fox Theater.


Here’s some interesting ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK facts about shooting in St. Louis:

  • The final credit is a reference to a strip club and the dancers across the river from St Louis
  • The President’s downed plane was an old DC-10 bought from an airplane graveyard in Tucson, Arizona. The plane was carved up into 3 separate pieces and trucked into the film’s St Louis locations in the dead of night as they didn’t have the requisite paperwork
  • John Carpenter and his crew convinced St. Louis authorities to shut off the electricity for ten blocks at night
  • John Carpenter purchased the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge in St Louis for $1 from the government and then returned it to them for the same amount after filming was completed
  • the scene shot at the Union Station is the gladiator-style wrestling match where Snake Plissken fights Slag, played by Ox Baker.   The scene was filmed in Union Station’s grand hall before it was renovated.   If you look closely in the scene, you will see the stained glass window that still hangs above the entryway into the grand hall on Market Street.

A Facebook invite for the screening can be found HERE
https://www.facebook.com/events/911026755741025/

Breck Eisner on the Upswing with ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK Remake

New Line Cinema’s job in getting an ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK remake of the ground and into theaters has been an up and down struggle for some time now.  Now, it appears, the studio is going with someone who has a little bit of recent luck in the remake department.  Hollywood Insider is reporting THE CRAZIES’ director, Breck Eisner, is in negotiations to take the helm.

Of course, this doesn’t mean Eisner definitely has the job, nor does it mean we’re going to be seeing an ESCAPE FROM NEW YORK remake in theaters in the very near future.  With the way directors come and go on projects these days, Eisner could be onto something entirely different by the time you finish reading this article.

However, it does raise some interesting questions about the new film.  Not that it means a whole lot, but Eisner has previously worked with Matthew McConaughey on SAHARA and Timothy Olyphant on THE CRAZIES.  While many would groan at the former sporting the Snake Plissken eyepatch, putting Olyphant in the role might not be the worst decision known to man.  Until recently, Gerard Butler was attached in the role, so, whoever ends up starring in the film actually has more than just Kurt Russell’s shoes to fill.

What is your choice?  Is Breck Eisner a good pick to take on the remake of a John Carpenter classic?  Who should take on the role of Snake Plissken in the upcoming film?  Let us know by shooting us a comment below.

Fantasy Cast: Who Should Play The Duke in the ‘Escape From New York’ Remake?

fantasycast

Basically, when you’re talking about someone playing The Duke of New York, you’re talking about someone playing Isaac Hayes.   He was the embodiment of that character, and he really didn’t seem to be channelling anything other than his own, cool presence.   You could just as easily be asking who should be playing Isaac Hayes in a biopic of the musician’s life. Continue reading Fantasy Cast: Who Should Play The Duke in the ‘Escape From New York’ Remake?

Free St. Louis ‘Escape From New York’ Screening With the Movie Geeks

escape-new-york-header

One of the shocking things I learned when I was a child (probably from my brother 10 years my senior) was that ‘Escape From New York,’ one of the classics directed by John Carpenter, had scenes shot in St. Louis, a city a mere two hours from me at the time.

For those of you who don’t know, the film’s production designer, the Oscar nominated Joe Alves, couldn’t work out the logistics of shooting the film’s night-time exterior shots in New York City.   It was too difficult to make the New York city streets seem like a devastated, prison city as depicted in the film.   Alves was sent on a cross-country expense trip where he was to find a city that could stand in for a demolished, downtown NYC.   Enter East St. Louis, IL in the late ’70s.   In ’76, a massive fire broke out, and entire blocks were left burned up and in rubble.   Production moved to Illinois.   Scenes were even shot across the river in St. Louis, MO proper at Union Station and the Fox Theater.

Well, for those of you who are within traveling distance to STL, now is your chance to see ‘Escape From New York’ in one of these very locations.   As part of their Twilight Under the Train Shed screening series, St. Louis Union Station will be showing an oustide screening of Carpenter’s classic this Friday night, July 5th.

Here’s the promo poster:

escape-new-york-union-station

In case you didn’t realize, the scene shot at the Union Station is the gladiator-style wrestling match where Snake Plissken fights Slag, played by Ox Baker.   The scene was filmed in Union Station’s grand hall before it was renovated.   If you look closely in the scene, you will see the stained glass window that still hangs above the entryway into the grand hall on Market Street.

Here is a shot of the renovated grand hall from 2007:

union-station-grand-hall

Here’s some interesting ‘Escape From New York’ facts about shooting in St. Louis:

  • The final credit is a reference to a strip club and the dancers across the river from St Louis
  • The President’s downed plane was an old DC-10 bought from an airplane graveyard in Tucson, Arizona. The plane was carved up into 3 separate pieces and trucked into the film’s St Louis locations in the dead of night as they didn’t have the requisite paperwork
  • John Carpenter and his crew convinced St. Louis authorities to shut off the electricity for ten blocks at night
  • John Carpenter purchased the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge in St Louis for $1 from the government and then returned it to them for the same amount after filming was completed

chain-of-rocks-bridge

The screening starts Friday night between 8:30 and 8:45 PM.   For those who haven’t visited St. Louis’ Union Station, note that parking is not free, but the movie is.   Come watch the movie.   If you haven’t seen it, it’s a prerequisite for knowing me.   Sorry.   That’s just the way it is.   Scope out the familiar locations throughout the movie.   Hang out with the Movie Geeks.   Let’s have a great time with a great movie Friday night.

Movie Melting Pot… ‘District B13’ (France, 2004)

Under the direction of Pierre Morel, Liam Neeson is breaking heads and raking in the moolah with ‘Taken’. Â  So far, the actioner has brought in a whopping $122 million worldwide, $53 million of that in US grosses. Â  However, in his native land, France, the director, Morel, is known for another action flick. Â  For those of you who haven’t seen ‘District B13’, you’re missing out on one of the most fast-pace, kickass action films in recent memory.

Set in 2010, which seemed a little more futuristic when the film came out in 2004, the film follows an undercover cop (Cyris Raffaelli) and a vigilante (David Belle) must infiltrate the gang-infested ghettos of Paris. Â  They have 24 hours before a nuclear weapon is set to go off. Â  Much running, jumping, and overall badassery ensues.

If Snake Plissken listened to techno music, and was a whole helluva lot more agile, this is the kind of movie ‘Escape from New York’ would have been. Â  In fact, Morel’s film wears its influences proudly. Â  ‘Escape from New York’ is just one of many films to be referrenced here.

What ‘District B13’ is best know for, really, is its usage of parkour. Â  In fact, this is the film that introduced parkour to the world of cinema. Â  For those who do not know, parkour is an activity wherein someone moves from one point to another in quickest, most efficient way. Â  This is even if there are things in the person’s way. Â  People utilizing parkour will climb up sides of buildings, leap over walls, and never slowing down. Â  

If you saw ‘Casino Royale’, the chase scene in the beginning features parkour heavily. Â  The “damn hamster” John McClane is trying to shoot is actually Cyril Raffaelli. Â  David Belle, the star of ‘District B13’, is actually the founder of this sport. Â  90% of the action scenes in ‘District B13’ are real people doing real stunts without the usage of computer graphics or wirework.

Co-written by Luc Besson, ‘District B13’ got its release in France on November 10th, 2004. Â  It made nearly $7 million there before getting a release across the globe. Â  It got its US release on June 2, 2006. Â  It served somewhat of a counter-programming release to Universal’s ‘The Break-Up’, even though it only made $1.2 million in US box office. Â  It got its widest release of 151 screens when it opened, and it was out of theaters in 91 days.

The critical acclaim for ‘District B13’ was startling. Â  It currently has an 82% fresh rating at Rotten Tomatoes. Â  Critics referred to the film as “the most (maybe the only) fun action movie of the summer” and “both ridiculously hyperactive and a muscular feat of absolute confidence”. Â  Richard Schickel of TIME Magazine said of the film, “‘District B13’ makes everything Hollywood has lately done in the action genre look clumsy, dull and stale.”

A sequel to ‘District B13’, tentatively titled ‘District B13 Ultimatum’, began filming in August of 2008 in Belgrade, Serbia. Â  Both Raffaelli and Bell are reprising their respective roles, but Morel is not returning in the directing chair. Â  Luc Besson is still on writing/producing duties, but Patrick Alessandrin has stepped into the director’s chair.

‘District B13’ really is a film that any fan of action should check out. Â  It is a hyperkinetic film that never lets up, and, unlike ‘Taken’, it hits you right from the start. Â  There are a few moments of cheese and the film’s conclusion is predictable and hokey, but the film looks spectacular and the action involved is mind-blowing.