VHS Club: Big Trouble in Little China Trivia

Originally written as a Western, Big Trouble in Little China is a film that bares almost no resemblance to how it was conceived. It was completely rewritten for the modern day by the writer of Buckaroo Bonzai. But one thing Carpenter did that really makes the movie something different and something special is that he didn’t want another movie with a white man and his asian comical sidekick. So he flip flops it. Jack Burton is now the comical sidekick in his own movie. The result is fresh, hilarious and one of the reasons it stood the test of time and became a cult classic – while contemporary films that were similar like The Golden Child are largely forgotten. This movie was a flop when it was released, but like so many cult classic movies, people found it on the video store shelves and brought it the life it deserved.

Big Trouble in Little China Trivia

1. Prior to Big Trouble, how many theatrical films had Carpenter and Russel collaborated on?
   A: 2. Escape from New York and The Thing. They also worked on a made for TV Elvis movie together.
   
   
2. Carpenter wanted Kim Cattrall for the role of Gracie Law. But the studio wasn’t sold on her because at the time Cattrall was primarily known for raunchy comedies like what hit law enforcement comedy?
   A: Police Academy. She was also in Porky’s, which was every pervert 80s dad’s favorite movie.
   
   
3. Cattrall would experience the height of her fame as Samantha Jones on what hit HBO comedy series with Sarah Jessica Parker?
   A: Sex and the City.
   
   
4. The Chinatown sets built for Big Trouble in Little China were reused for what artist’s 1993 music video for the song If?
   A: Janet Jackson. 
   
   
5. Who wrote the score for Big Trouble in Little China?
   A: John Carpenter, as he did for many of his films. Those famous notes in Halloween were him as well. Personally, I like the score for Assault on Precinct 13. For this film, Carpenter also wrote a full pop song and made a music video and everything. The song was called Big Trouble in Little China.
   
   
6. The special effects were headed by Richard Edlund who did the effects for what other super natural comedy in 1984?
   A: Ghostbusters. He also worked on the original star wars trilogy, Raiders of the Lost Ark and Poltergeist while with ILM.  Edlund has stated that after Ghostbusters, Big Trouble is his favorite. 
   
   
7. What is the name of Jack Burton’s truck?
   A: The Porkchop Express 
   
   
8. Big Trouble had to rush through production to ensure that it beat another film centered around eastern mysticism and comedy to theaters. Which Eddie Murphy film was it trying to beat
   A:The Golden Child. Carpenter was actually offered the Golden Child to direct. Carpenter remarked, “How many adventure pictures dealing with Chinese mysticism have been released by the major studios in the past 20 years? For two of them to come along at the exact same time is more than mere coincidence.”
   
   
9. Popular Asian actors, James Hong and Victor Wong are in both Big Trouble and The Golden Child. Victor Wong has more than 650 film and tv credits on his IMDB. 3 years after Big Trouble in 1989, he worked with Kurt Russell again in what Russell and Stallone action film?
   A: Tango and Cash
   
   
10. What James Cameron film did Carpenter and Russell on a DVD commentary track give some blame to for why the film was overlooked in the summer of 1986?
    A: Aliens. All the marketing bucks were for Aliens. 
    
    
11. A sequel with no involvement from John Carpenter as of yet, is in the works with what mega star?
    A: Dwayne Johnson. “I’m ambivalent about a remake,” Carpenter told a publication called Speakeasy. “On the other hand, it depends on how much they pay me.” Carpenter also said that he doesn’t own the rights to the movie, nor did he write the original film, so “no harm, no foul.”

VHS Club is a monthly screening of a video store era classic at Green Light Cinema in Saint Petersburg, FL, with trivia and prizes sponsored by Screen Fix podcast.