Big Trouble in Little China
The HDYR gang kicks off 2016 with a look back at John Carpenter's cult favorite Big Trouble in Little China. Carlos and Donna had never seen this one, so Chris was excited to hear how they'd react to the strange and wonderful world they were unknowingly stepping into. Although the film is largely beloved, one aspect that seems to remain pretty divisive is the decision to make the Jack Burton character completely unaware that he's not the central figure in this story. We have a fairly spirited discussion about the pros and cons of that choice and ultimately decide that the problem isn't really with Jack at all.
Other topics include: the project's origins as a western set in the 1880s, the rushed production and excessive studio meddling that may have compromised a couple of key elements, the original choices for the roles of Jack and Wang, expendable supporting characters that could have been merged or cut completely, the amazing fight choreography and how beautifully Carpenter staged those sequences, the one detail of Lo Pan's plan that he overlooked, the upcoming remake, and much much more!