Innerspace

Released in 1987, directed by Joe Gremlins Dante and starring Dennis Quaid, Meg Ryan and Martin Short, Innerspace is a homage to the 1966 classic story, The Fantastic Voyage.

Plot: A pilot (Dennis Quaid) and his pod are shrunken to microscopic size and ready to be injected into a rabbit, then naughty folk break into the lab, intent on stealing the microchips that make the process possible. However, the lead scientist retrieves the syringe and accidentally injects a grocery clerk (Martin Short). The pilot is able to communicate with the clerk and they go to find Quaid's ex (Meg Ryan). All the while the bad guys are chasing em, then there's this other pod injected into the clerk and his immune system starts fighting, as do the two pilots.

It's one of those ridiculous films from the 80's that you can't help but adore. There's twist and turn after turn.

Budget: $ Dunno?

Gross: $25,893,810

Fun Fact: Won Best Visual Effects at the Academy Awards in 1988.

Assault on Precinct 13

Yet another of the John Carpenter back catalogue makes it onto the site.

Obviously remade, as any and all successful films seem to be (on this occasion in 2005 with Ethan Hawke and Lawrence Fishburne), Assault on Precinct 13 is a gutteral movie.

Plot: A police station on the edges of Los Angeles is closing it's doors for the last time, due for demolition. A newly promoted Lieutenant takes over the duties for the final night. As he grows accustomed to his new surroundings and limited staff, a prisoner transport bus makes a detour from their destined route to prison following a convicts illness. On board happens to be the baddest bloke ever (supposedly), Napoleon Wilson. While this is going on it seems the gang populous of L.A. has pooled it's resources, joined together and begun a rampage of murder and mayhem...can the police handle it?

Budget: $100,000

Fun Fact: One of the lead actors, Darwin Joston, was in fact John Carpenter's next door neighbour.

Punishment Park

This 1971 film by Peter Watkins is kinda the original Battle Royale, kinda.

Plot: The Vietnam war rages and Prez Nixon's prisons are at breaking point. "Anti-government" or students are arrested and given two choices; serve your sentence in prison or face Punishment Park, 53 miles of desert, no food, no water and armed police giving chase.

The story is shot in  documentary style and includes interviews with officials and prisoners.

Budget: $66,000

It's a creatively shot story that makes use of a small cast and smaller film crew to create a vision of desperation and political dissent. Very much worth a watch. The big screen is perfect for the expanse of the desert.

Fun Fact: Given the tensions around Vietnam at the time of the films release, British director Watkins came under attack from the film industry and viewers alike. The film was even said to hold communist sentiment and as such was not distributed.

Hannibal Brooks

Yes, it was directed by Michael Winner, for the snobs among us, don't let that put you off.

This 1969 war story follows the exploits of Stephen Hannibal Brooks (Oliver Reed), a POW who is made to work in the Munich Zoo and look after their elephant, Lucy. When air raids threaten the inhabitants, the director of the Zoo sends Brooks, two German Officers and a female cook to the Innsbruck Zoo, safe from the bombing. Not allowed to travel by train, the foursome must walk.

I'll not say too much more. It's a sweet homage to Hannibal, the Carthaginian military commander who took his elephants over the Alps, though updated and amended, somewhat.

Worth a watch on a rainy summer sunday.

Primer

Created on a shoestring budget ($7,000) and shot in a variety of locations, mostly parents garage, living room and brothers flat, director, writer, producer, editor, and star, Shane Carruth has created something special.

Plot: Four engineers/friends have their own company, run from the garage and kitchen, the group try to create a devise to minimise weight. By happenstance, two of the men discover that what they have actually created experiences time differences, it seems they have created a time machine.

Watching this film, you feel transported. The script and acting are top notch, while the cinematography gives a dulled/empty feeling that mirrors the story brilliantly.

Gross: $424,760

Fun Fact: A smash hit at the 2004 Edinburgh International Film Festival.

RoboCop

What can you say about this film. The title as often happens, gives the premise away rather easily.

Plot: Officer Murphy (Peter Weller) and his partener Lewis (Nancy Allen) are cops in Detrioit, a crime and violence ravaged city which is on the brink of coprorate takeover. While on patrol the pair enter into a chase with bank robbers. After trailing them to their hide out, Officer Murphy is riddled with bullets and pronounced dead. Having signed his life over to the police, the corporation now in charge of the precinct, OCP (Omni Consumer Products) takes ownership of his body and procceds with a transplant and insertion. Following extensive surgery, the OCP have a new weapon against crime, his name is...RoboCop!

Shot in 1987, director Paul Verhoeven spent $13,000,000 to create a sci-fi cult film, which, oddly for such endeavours reaped box office reward, $53,424,681 to be precise.

Fun Fact: While Peter Weller wore the suit, he was losing upwards of 3 pounds a day through sweat. There were two sequels and a TV series to follow. There was also talk of a Darren Aronofsky remake, which he quashed at the Edinburgh Film Festival.

Journey to the center of the Earth

Filmed in 1959 and based on the Jules Verne novel of the same name, Journey to the center of the Earth is both a Classic and Cult story.

Plot: A professor (James Mason) at Edinburgh university is presented a volcanic rock by a pupil (Pat Boone). Upon investigation, the professor discovers the origin of the rock and a message from a long dead explorer. A proposed a mission to follow the man is launched. As they decend deeper and deeper, the expedition encounters luminesence, giant mushrooms, monsters and the Lost City of Atlantis.

A joy from beginning to end, this is a timeless story that inspires and enchants in equal measure.

Fun Fact: Nominated for Best Effects at the Academy Film Awards.

Damnation Alley

Budgeted at $17,000,000 in 1977, this Fox production was one of only two Sci-Fi releases by the studio that year, the other being a rather unimpressive idea based on the premise of a Western in Space-Star Wars. No faith being shown in Star Wars, Fox quickly lost faith in Damnation Alley too, delaying release with post-production running for ten months.

Based on Roger Zelazny's novel, rather loosely, this film starred George Peppard (Hannibal-A-Team and Jan-Michael Vincent (Airwolf & Big Wednesday) as airforce, post-apocolypic survivors with a big van, who believe others might be living in Albany. Why? You have no reseason to care.

There are two good things in this film;

1. The truck is like a bendy bus and has missiles, also it cost the equivilent of $1,300,000 to make.
2. Sound 360, a pre-cursor to the Surround Sound we use today emphasized the soundtrack, something Star Wars made the best use of.

Fun Fact: Cult TV show Ark II had a very similar van too.

Swamp Thing

This 1982 feature film adaptation (by Wes 'Kruger' Craven) of the comic book Swamp Thing, written by the king of graphic novels, Alan Moore, is, by all manner of thought...a bad film.

Don't get me wrong, there are silly and fun scenes...but mainly, it's a pastiche of a great idea.

Plot: Louisiana, swamp, mad scientist and a whoopsie moment, then the doc gets covered in ooze and mutates, oh and his mrs is killed, so he goes crazy. Fun, fun, fun for all the family.

Best to just read the comics, they have depth and aren't just about a bloke that looks like a green, gooey weed with muscles.

Budget: $3,000,000

Fun Fact: Joel Silver (fella that produced The Matrix) is producing a remake in 3D. Yes there's a sequel, no it's not worth watching.

The Brood

Directed in 1979 by the master of suspense/oddity and horror- David Cronenberg, The Brood stars British acting Icon and all around fun fella, Oliver Reed in a role that should have catapulted the notorious hell raiser to huge levels in the state, sadly not to be.

Plot: Blokes mrs is in therapy with Oliver Reed (his methods are a tad suspect) and he wants her out. Seems Oli's reluctant to release his patient before his work is finished. Stuff happens and there are these midgets, that look like really small Morlocks (The Time Machine) in red ski jumpsuits that keep killing folk.

Sounds good right...it's fun this one, not least for Oliver Reed.

Budget: $1,400,000

Fun Fact: Number 78 in the "100 scariest movies".