The Vault: The Thing (1982)

John Carpenter is best known for his cult-hit Halloween more than anything else. That's a shame considering his excellent work in Starman and the sci-fi classic The Thing.

At a remote outpost in Antarctica a dog is running through the snow. Chasing it is a helicopter with a Norwegian crew inside armed with rifles. MacReady (Kurt Russell) and the rest of the crew don't know what to make of it until one of the Nordics shoots one of the crew members. He gets put down and everyone wonders what the hell just happened.

Eventually it becomes clear that what got to the Norwegian camp has infiltrated the U.S. station. A parasite that is able to completely pass itself off as anyone and anything: dogs, horses, vultures and most frightening, humans. It is insatiable and we have no idea what it is.

No one is above reproach. Nothing is coincidental and everyone is suspect. As the crew begins to turn on one another the stakes are raised and suddenly it seems like no one will get out of this place alive.

What makes The Thing so much better than the 2011 film starring Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Joel Edgerton is the fact that it utilizes no computer generated effects whatsoever. Nauseating scenes are created by the hard work of craftsmen. Scares are organic and frequent. Rent or borrow the original instead.

The Best of the Decade

Over the last ten years, the cinema has given us a great deal to be thankful for: a rebirth of the Batman franchise, a series of examinations of what it means to live in this particular decade, and a mass of character studies whether they be animated or popcorn thrillers. As much as I have enjoyed the offerings, a list must be culled together for the end of the year. Except this year is different, this year ten films must be selected from hundreds. Below are some of the best of the aughts. Enjoy! 10) There Will Be Blood Paul Thomas Anderson's magnum opus, a scathing look at extremism in America and the evils of greed and profiteering from religion. It also features the best performance of the decade with Daniel Day-Lewis as oil-man Daniel Plainview. 9) Up A beautiful tale that entrances all ages, Up managed to captivate children and tell a tale that adults cherish as well. 8) The Dark Knight Maybe just a comic book film, but it is the best comic book film

Paprika vs. Inception

Months before Inception hit the theaters forums were alive with rumors that Christopher Nolan either accidentally or intentionally stole some details from another film, the Japanese anime Paprika. The biggest point of comparison for some bloggers and forum runners was the fact that both of the films featured a device that allowed a person, or people, to travel into another’s dreams and delve into their subconscious. Minor points of comparison include scenes in Paprika where the character Paprika breaks through a mirrored wall by holding her hand to it, as well as a scene where a police detective falls his way down a hallway. Claims have been made that Inception abounds with imagery similar to or exactly like the anime movie, but with the recent release of the film on DVD and Blu-Ray, and with Paprika available for several years now, an examination of the two plots can be made more fully. Let us begin with the primary claim— Inception stole the idea of a dream

Armond White's Top Ten Films on Flickchart

Armond White is film criticism’s most famous contrarian. At one moment he writes a review declaring Toy Story 3 to be the most obscene excuse for toy commercials he has ever watched, and then two weeks later types out a glowing review of Resident Evil: Afterlife . He is of split-mind for sure. But what does his Flickchart look like? Read the rest at Flickchart !

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