Movie of the Week: ‘The Thing’

“The Thing” (1982) – “I don’t know who to trust.” – Dr. Blair (Wilford Brimley) We’ve all heard that phrase before.  Perhaps you attended MBA school, competed in a beauty pageant, or watched “Survivor”, the reality television show in which contestants compete for a million dollars in the remote locales of Borneo, the Pearl Islands, or Cambodia.  Although Richard Hatch, Sandra Diaz-Twine, and Jeremy Collins voted their “Survivor” castmates off the island, no one felt like their lives were in jeopardy. (Now, wear a Michigan Wolverines jersey to an Ohio…

10 Classic ’80s Sci-fi Moments: ‘They Live’

“They Live” (1988) – Horror movie legend John Carpenter frightened millions of fans during the 1980s with”The Fog” (1980), “The Thing” (1982), and “Prince of Darkness” (1987), but he capped off the decade with a different kind of scary movie.  “They Live” (1988) was his political take on Reaganomics married with a secret alien invasion. WWE wrestler Rowdy Roddy Piper, of all people, plays the lead protagonist to decipher friend from foe, but of course, he naturally comes with his own brawny and mouthy bent.   Although his iconic line of…

31 Scary Movies: ‘The Thing’

“The Thing” (1982) – In the ferociously cold, barren landscape of Antarctica, a small group of men run the United States National Science Institute Station 4, and although they currently live in isolation from the outside world, life seems pleasant. They play ping-pong and computer chess, watch VHS tapes of “Let’s Make a Deal” and listen to music. Actually, what work is really getting accomplished? Alas, when a Norwegian helicopter pilot – who desperately tries to shoot and kill a lone dog – enters their camp, tranquility changes to immediate…