Netflix Streaming Friday - "They Live"

John Carpenter could seriously do no wrong in the '80's. Grab any film he made in that decade and I can guarantee that you'll at least have a good time watching it, if you don't outright love it. While some of his bigger films like "The Thing" and "Big Trouble in Little China" get the most love from genre fans, I personally have to put one of his lesser known films, "They Live", real close to the top of my list. Why is that? Well, let me count the ways.

1) You know that hilariously long cripple fight in that one episode of "South Park"? It's a shot for shot recreation of a ridiculously over the top scene in "They Live". It rules.

2) The guy doing most of the ass-kicking in that fight is none other than old-school professional wrestler, "Rowdy" Roddy Piper. Pretty badass.

3) Do you remember that amazingly cheesy line in "Duke Nukem" about kicking ass and chewing bubblegum? Yeah, guess what? It's from "They Live".

4) You know how Shepard Fairey helped jump start the street-art movement with those iconic Obey stencils? Yup, inspired by "They Live".

5) The ending to this film could have only been thought of under the influence of a copious amount of some sort of awesome drug. I'm talking the kind of drug that Huey Lewis was singing about in "I Want a New Drug". It's Carpenter at his most ridiculous and it works 100%.

So do as the film's poster demands you to do. Obey. Stream "They Live" today.

(Rhyme not intentional)

Angelo

Contributor