Alexandra Wiles's guest appearances

Alexandra Wiles

Precinct 13: The Movies and Music of John Carpenter

Laura Mars

Josh Mosley

Brian Verderosa

Megan Mosley

Broncho Billy

Justin Dane

OwlTail

We're back again, and the time has finally come to unveil our rankings of all of the John Carpenter-directed films we've covered since Precinct 13's humble beginnings in the fall of 2019! This week's show is part one of our three-part "final" episode extravaganza (more on that in just a second), and we're welcoming back two-time guest host Alexandra Wiles to share her own rankings of all of the Carpenter films. Chris and Nick, meanwhile, share their bottom eight -- some of which you probably have already figured out, others that might be a little bit of a shocker -- and you can hear the rest of their lists as we look back and close out the show over the next few episodes! As we've mentioned several times before, this isn't quite the end of Precinct 13, but now that we've covered all of the Carpenter movies, we'll be moving on to a whole new show (a few details of which we'll reveal on this episode...) and periodically checking back whenever something new happens in the Carpenter universe. So, sit back and enjoy, send your own Carpenter rankings to us precinct13podcast@gmail.com, and stay tuned for our favorites in the weeks ahead!

We're back again, and the time has finally come to unveil our rankings of all of the John Carpenter-directed films we've covered since Precinct 13's humble beginnings in the fall of 2019! This week's show is part one of our three-part "final" episode extravaganza (more on that in just a second), and we're welcoming back two-time guest host Alexandra Wiles to share her own rankings of all of the Carpenter films. Chris and Nick, meanwhile, share their bottom eight -- some of which you probably have already figured out, others that might be a little bit of a shocker -- and you can hear the rest of their lists as we look back and close out the show over the next few episodes! As we've mentioned several times before, this isn't quite the end of Precinct 13, but now that we've covered all of the Carpenter movies, we'll be moving on to a whole new show (a few details of which we'll reveal on this episode...) and periodically checking back whenever something new happens in the Carpenter universe. So, sit back and enjoy, send your own Carpenter rankings to us precinct13podcast@gmail.com, and stay tuned for our favorites in the weeks ahead!

Ranking the John Carpenter Filmography (Part 1) f/ Alexandra Wiles

With the long-awaited sequel Halloween Kills hitting theaters and All Hallow's Eve just a few weeks away, it was the perfect time to revisit one of the most high-profile, critically acclaimed, and financially successful remakes of any film in the John Carpenter catalog. 2018's Halloween, directed by David Gordon Green and co-written by Danny McBride, tosses away all of the franchise's continuity after what was established in Carpenter's original, and it attempts to faithfully capture the spirit of the 1978 classic and pick up the story four decades after we left off. How successful is it in doing that, and what's in store for the rest of the trilogy it began? Chris, Nick, and returning guest co-host Alexandra Wiles discuss those questions and many more in a comprehensive breakdown and review of Green's sequel/reboot/homage. We've covered a lot, here -- from the evolution and psychology of Laurie Strode to the (too plentiful?) meta nods to the original film to the music and cinematography that, like a lot of this effort, take inspiration from Carpenter's classic work while catering to a more modern taste in horror cinema. Along with that, we also have some more recommendations for your Halloween movie-viewing month -- and, of course, we'll be back in two weeks to tackle our most highly anticipated horror film of the season, Halloween Kills!

With the long-awaited sequel Halloween Kills hitting theaters and All Hallow's Eve just a few weeks away, it was the perfect time to revisit one of the most high-profile, critically acclaimed, and financially successful remakes of any film in the John Carpenter catalog. 2018's Halloween, directed by David Gordon Green and co-written by Danny McBride, tosses away all of the franchise's continuity after what was established in Carpenter's original, and it attempts to faithfully capture the spirit of the 1978 classic and pick up the story four decades after we left off. How successful is it in doing that, and what's in store for the rest of the trilogy it began? Chris, Nick, and returning guest co-host Alexandra Wiles discuss those questions and many more in a comprehensive breakdown and review of Green's sequel/reboot/homage. We've covered a lot, here -- from the evolution and psychology of Laurie Strode to the (too plentiful?) meta nods to the original film to the music and cinematography that, like a lot of this effort, take inspiration from Carpenter's classic work while catering to a more modern taste in horror cinema. Along with that, we also have some more recommendations for your Halloween movie-viewing month -- and, of course, we'll be back in two weeks to tackle our most highly anticipated horror film of the season, Halloween Kills!

Halloween (2018) f/ Alexandra Wiles

Yep, we did it again! After tackling the limp Carpenter retread that was 2005's The Fog, we simply couldn't leave that same year's version of our show's namesake on the table. So, Chris, Nick, and special guest Alexandra Wiles checked out director Jean-Francois Richet's Assault on Precinct 13, and, it turns out, we had a lot to discuss about it! Unlike some remakes, this one at least has the guts to try something different from Carpenter's original, swapping out its L.A. setting for a cold New Year's Eve in the industrial sprawl of Detroit and replacing its iconic cop/criminal duo with a strung-out Ethan Hawke and an ice-cold (and, perhaps, a little too Morpheus-like) Laurence Fishburne. And, this time, it isn't a faceless street gang that lays siege to the derelict police station, and (thankfully?) nobody dies while eating ice cream. But, at any rate, this movie -- which is notably lacking in Carpenter's involvement -- has left us with a lot of questions. Like, is a steady stream of automatic gunfire a good substitute for character development? (Spoiler: it's not). Would this movie be improved by the addition of some familiar faces from other beloved franchises? (Spoiler: it would). And, just how did that remote, moonlit forest suddenly appear in the middle of the Motor City? (Spoiler: we have no f*cking clue). So, join us for an unexpectedly in-depth analysis of this not-quite-classic, plus: Nick throws some shade at the Purge franchise, Alex and Chris celebrate a recent horror sequel that definitely did not suck, and we consider just how many close-range Molotov cocktails constitute overkill.

Yep, we did it again! After tackling the limp Carpenter retread that was 2005's The Fog, we simply couldn't leave that same year's version of our show's namesake on the table. So, Chris, Nick, and special guest Alexandra Wiles checked out director Jean-Francois Richet's Assault on Precinct 13, and, it turns out, we had a lot to discuss about it! Unlike some remakes, this one at least has the guts to try something different from Carpenter's original, swapping out its L.A. setting for a cold New Year's Eve in the industrial sprawl of Detroit and replacing its iconic cop/criminal duo with a strung-out Ethan Hawke and an ice-cold (and, perhaps, a little too Morpheus-like) Laurence Fishburne. And, this time, it isn't a faceless street gang that lays siege to the derelict police station, and (thankfully?) nobody dies while eating ice cream. But, at any rate, this movie -- which is notably lacking in Carpenter's involvement -- has left us with a lot of questions. Like, is a steady stream of automatic gunfire a good substitute for character development? (Spoiler: it's not). Would this movie be improved by the addition of some familiar faces from other beloved franchises? (Spoiler: it would). And, just how did that remote, moonlit forest suddenly appear in the middle of the Motor City? (Spoiler: we have no f*cking clue). So, join us for an unexpectedly in-depth analysis of this not-quite-classic, plus: Nick throws some shade at the Purge franchise, Alex and Chris celebrate a recent horror sequel that definitely did not suck, and we consider just how many close-range Molotov cocktails constitute overkill.