gloverspotting

Hunting down all of John's movies and TV appearances for your collection? Good luck! Many of his films are hard to find as the video tapes are currently out-of-print--although Ebay can be a good source for finding them, if you're patient. A well-stocked video rental store should be good for finding some titles as well.

Which ones are really worth hunting down, though? Of course a truly dedicated fan will say all of them :-) But this page is designed to give a quick summary of his movie & TV appearances, which ones are "must sees" and which ones you can skip over at no great loss. All opinions here are completely mine, so your mileage no doubt will vary. I'm including external links to other reviews where I can find them. This list is still very much under construction, and I've divided it into three categories:

• Required viewing: No fan should miss these! No doubt worth repeated viewing.
• Worth a rental: Movies worth watching at least once, but whether they make your personal "keeper" list will probably depend on your tastes (and dedication!)
• Only for completists: These movies are either so bad, or John's appearance in them so brief (or both!) that only the most diehard fans need bother hunting these down.

REQUIRED VIEWING

Brimstone

A wonderful if woefully short-lived series which featured John as no doubt the most memorable Devil I've ever seen. Moody, intelligent, well-acted and well-written, this action/scifi series focused on dead cop Ezekiel Stone (Peter Horton)'s quest for a second chance at life--by capturing 113 escaped demons from Hell. Don't let the morbid premise turn you off; there is often enough humor in each episode to keep the atmosphere from being completely glum, and much of that humor comes from the interactions between Peter and John. If there's one must-see episode, it's "It's a Helluva Life", which features John as both the devil and an angel. Great stuff. A big raspberry to FOX Network for cancelling the series after only 13 episodes, but make sure to check it out on the SciFi Channel if you haven't seen it before. Stomptokyo.com review

The Chocolate War

Anyone who's ever felt like an outsider or has their share of crappy memories of high school--private or public-- will surely find this to be a memorable, if surreal, depiction of one teen's attempt to fight the pressures to conform. The soundtrack is classic 80s New Wave, which you will either find irritatingly intrusive or, if you're like me, a perfect accompaniment to a movie that often slips into music-video style imagery. John is terrific as Brother Leon, the school headmaster determined to make the annual chocolate sale a success. It's been years since I've read the original novel and I know the movie's ending diverges radically from the book's, but I think the film stands well on its own. Quite the underapreciated gem. MovieThing.com review Washington Post review

52 Pick-Up
	John makes this adaptation of an Elmore Leonard novel memorable with his scene-stealing psycho bad guy, even if I suspect this role was the one to lead to his frequent typecasting as every shade of psycho bad guy since then. A tightly crafted crime-drama worth repeat viewings and definitely a standout in the genre. Roger Ebert's review Washington Post review film.com review

Love! Valour! Compassion!
	An absolutely wonderful, touching movie which is responsible for completely hooking me on John thanks to his amazing performance as polar-opposite twins. It's in turn hilarious and heartbreaking, yet always very real in what it has to say about love and relationships. Roger Ebert's review

WORTH A RENTAL

Automatic
	A not half-bad, Grade B scifi action flick, which plays sort of like "Universal Soldier" meets "Robocop" by way of "Blade Runner". John has enough screen time playing the main bad guy to merit at least one viewing, especially if you love semi-cheesy movies of this genre.

Breaking Point
	Decent made-for-cable war story. Corbin Bernsen plays an American agent captured by Nazis and interrogated for the location of the Normandy invasion. John plays the doctor in charge of a unique program to get the information from him. If you like reality-bender stories, you'll probably enjoy this one.

David

This could have been just another tragedy-of-the-week TV movie, but both John and Bernadette Peters give terrific performances and draw us into this rather gruesome story of a father who sets his son on fire. What's so impressive is that John actually makes the viewer feel some degree of sympathy for his character--until his desperation to be with his son and sends him over the edge into insanity and leads his inexcusable act.

An Early Frost

In this 1985 TV movie, John has a small but memorable part as an AIDS patient who helps main character Michael Pierson (Adian Quinn) come to terms with his illness. This is an interesting film to watch today as a reminder of the early years of the AIDS 'scare'. It is primarily weakened by the difficulty of believing the romance between Michael and his lover Peter, who are barely allowed to share a friendly pat on the back--they seem more like close roommates than two men in love. No doubt this was the TV network trying not to "offend" viewers, but these constraints only make John's bold performance stand out even more.

Ed and His Dead Mother

This one is probably not to everyone's tastes, but I really enjoyed this strange little comedy and almost put it in the Required Viewing category. John has a substantial part as a salesman who convinces a mourning mama's boy (well played by Steve Buscemi) to bring his mother back to life...but of course complications ensue. Many of them. If you enjoy black comedies like "Weekend at Bernies", this is one you definitely want to find.

Gremlins 2

A classic example of cheesy 80s comedy and I love it for that alone. Not high art by any stretch of the imagination, but I find this movie actually a rather enjoyable watch--primarily because no one involved in the proceedings seemed to take the movie at all seriously. There are some good gags (The "Splice of Life" Genetic Engineering Laboratory?) and fun media in-jokes, and John chews up the scenery in the second half of the film as Daniel Clamp, president of Clamp Enterprises where the Gremlins run amok. Some find this sequel better than the original, or at least more humorous, and I'd have to agree. And check out Robert Picardo (of Star Trek: Voyager fame) with a full head of hair! Roger Ebert's review

Scrooged
	I'll admit I'm a sucker for even a mediocre Bill Murray movie. "Scrooged" is rarely laugh-out-loud funny but it is an amusing enough retelling of "A Christmas Carol". John has a small part as Bryce Cummings, a smooth opportunist Bill Murray's nasty TV executive fears is after his job. Roger Ebert's review Washington Post Review

Whatever Happened to Baby Jane?
	Not a particularly good movie by any stretch of the imagination, but it is a must-see because John does drag in it, something you don't see every day. Fast-forward through most of the film and just watch John's scenes, which there are more of than usual for one of his supporting roles.

ONLY FOR COMPLETISTS

In the Mouth of Madness

A standard John Carpenter horror/schlock-fest, not as cheesy as some of his films but as a result not as much fun, either. Starts out as a reasonably interesting play on reality vs. fantasy, but then gets lost in standard ho-hum horror gore around halfway through. John has little more than a cameo role, appearing briefly at the beginning and end but with nothing really to do besides stand there and look a little crazy. Roger Ebert's review

Last Embrace
	Someone is trying to kill Roy Scheider; unfortunately I found it hard to care. A lackluster Hitchcock rip off of a movie where none of the characters are particularly likable and there doesn't seem to be much point to the whole exercise. Despite third billing, John only has a few minutes of screen time, so don't waste your time unless you simply must see everything.

Payback

Nasty, violent actioner that seems like a waste of all the good talent involved--including John, whose character only lasts through two scenes before getting knocked off. Not a very engaging movie as it's hard to work up much of any sympathy or interest in any of the characters. John does have an amusing death scene, though (even if it's vaguely reminiscent of 52 Pick-Up...on purpose, perhaps?) Philadelphia City Paper review Roger Ebert's review

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