As a child of the gnarly, fresh, dope, totally tubular period in time known as the 1980’s, I have grown into adulthood with a genuine love and appreciation for the decade whose movies helped shape me into the person I am today (for better or worse). So lace up your shell top Adidas, pull on your Kangol, grab your copy of the Necronomicon and hop into the nearest DeLorean for a trip back in time. Don’t forget to feed your pet Mogwai before you go…just not after midnight!



If you are a fan of sci-fi and/or horror movies, and I mean a real fan, then you know the name John Carpenter. Now when most people think of John Carpenter, I would guess that they think of the guy who directed unforgettable flicks like Escape from New York, the Thing, Vampires, and the original Halloween. If you’re a wrestling fan, maybe hearing his name even makes you think of what in my own humble opinion is one of the greatest fight scenes ever caught on film between “Rowdy” Roddy Piper and Keith David in the cult classic, They Live. Well in the summer of 1986, Mr. Carpenter presented us with something just a little different.



It was a low budget action, comedy, sci-fi, martial arts adventure called Big Trouble in Little China. It starred Kurt Russell as slow walkin', tough talkin' trucker Jack Burton, who unwittingly gets pulled into a supernatural battle in a mysterious underworld deep beneath Chinatown. Never heard of it you say? Well I wouldn’t really blame ya. It was a commercial and critical flop when it was released. I however,  saw it in the movies way back when, and to this day it is one of my all-time favorite “guilty pleasure" movies.  Is it cheesy? Yup. Is it campy and corny? Yup and yup. Is Kurt Russell really just doing a bad John Wayne impression? You bet your boots he is, pilgrim. But there is just something about it that I find irresistible.



Maybe it’s the old-school Saturday afternoon karate movie fight scenes. Maybe it’s the beautiful pre-Sex in the City Kim Cattrall or the totally over the top James Hong as ancient bad guy David Lo Pan. The one liners certainly help. I have always been a sucker for those (It’s all in the reflexes, Wang). Well whatever it is, Big Trouble in Little China is an 80’s classic that stands the test of time with me. And whenever it is on cable (which is still is pretty often) I can’t resist the urge to waste two more hours of my life by watchin'. If you've seen it, then sit back and watch it again. And if you've never had the pleasure, then park your truck, sit back with your favorite green eyed girl, and find out what old Jack Burton would do at a time like this.