Space Camp

You've gotta remember this one. I must have seen this film ten times over the years...of course it got more and more ropey with every watch, but for the time 1986 and given my infatuation with space, this was the film to love.

Plot: Kids go to Space Camp, NASA's own junior space program, wherein a host of kids get to play around for the summer on various NASA training systems and machines. One day, the geeky little, chubby kid (Max) makes friends with Jinx, a robot that NASA never got around to using. One day Jinx hears a bullied Max wishing out loud that he were in space. Jinx, being rather clever, decides to make that happen, of course it helps that a launch is scheduled and he puts em on the rota to have a butchers at the real shuttle. Then...guess what happens.

Truly, I loved this film. There's all manner of joy to be held from placing yourself in the kid's shoes and thrusting off into the cosmos.

Sadly, the film bombed at the box office. Probably didn't help that The Challenger mission disaster happened the same year the film was released.

Budget: $20,000,000

Gross: $9,697,739

Fun Fact: The annoying kid, that was Joaquin Phoenix. Also starred, Kelly Preston (Twins, Battlefield Earth), Tom Skerritt (Top Gun), Terry O'Quinn (Lost, West Wing), Kate Capshaw (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) and Lea Thompson (Back to the Future, Howard the Duck).

Screamers

One of the most recent films on this site, 1995, but I like to think for a good reason. Philip K.Dick wrote the short story it's based on, usually that would be enough and in this case, it is.

Plot: Earth is at war with itself. The Alliance discovered a mineral that would service all it's fuel needs, the kicker is, the scientists and the workers that mine it, contract radiation poisoning. As such, they put down tools and refuse to work. War for fuel, what a foreign concept. So, The Alliance has a base and a commander, Peter Weller (RoboCop, Leviathan), they also have control of the 'Screamers', ball shaped robots that burrow through the ground and slash to pieces anyone with a pulse. Luckily for the Alliance, they have sorta wristwatches that broadcast their heartbeats out of time and thus, they are free to roam the lovely, desolate countryside of Sirius 6B.

So, the Alliance realise that the 'Screamers' have evolved, fashioned themselves in the humans image (to trick em you see-clever) and are after them too. So, they decide to try and escape.

Actually, it's pretty good. All until the very last shot. I'll not spoil it, but you watch it and tell me if THAT was needed!

Budget: $20,000,000 (yep, really)

Fun Fact: Screenplay by Dan O'Bannon, fella that wrote Alien, Life Force and even Total Recall. There are two sequels for your viewing 'pleasure'? I watched Screamers II for ya already...won't be doing that again!

Leviathan

The great creature from the deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep! Scary, kinda, ish.

Plot: Peter Weller (RoboCop) is a Geologist, working with a group of rough neck folk (not that rough really though) on an underground mining station, when on a routine outing, Daniel Stern (Home Alone) goes missing. They find him, don't worry (I could tell the suspense had built up in you, but don't worry), he's in a sunken Russian ship (guess the name, go on) and has found some 'booty' (that's pirate speak for 'stuff', not gangsta speak for bottoms.

So, they have a look, there's a video saying the ship went down, but a touch vague and there's a flask with vodka in it, which Daniel Stern drinks and even shares with the busty girl on the crew. As a result, they start to mutate into sea depth capable creatures. Then crew has to fight em' off and escape to the surface, all the while hoping to dodge a hurricane 16000 ft above on the surface...or so they're told.

Gross: $15,704,614

Fun Fact: Got Ernie Hudson in it! (Ghostbusters, The Crow) and Stan Winston did the effects, very The Thing ish, but cheaper.

Dreamscape

This 1984 sci-fi/horror stars a very young Dennis Quaid, a pre-Indy Kate Capshaw and depending on the time of the release, (both Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom and Dreamscape being released in the same year) we appear to have very similar posters. Rather deceptive when you actually see Dreamscape.

Plot: Dennis Quaid is able to remote-view, read peoples minds. He uses this talent to pick horses at the racetrack. Then one day Max Von Sydow (Ming-Flash Gordon) arrives, saves him from angry bookies and asks him to join his scientific project, to enter dreams and help people with their nightmares. Dennis is reluctant, but then Kate Capshaw arrives and his libido agrees. Turns out the project is government funded, meaning there's a bit of dodginess abound and Dennis is gonna have to save the day.

Sfx aren't bad. There's a little claymation and a  few funky coloured backgrounds. That's pretty much ya lot.

Gross: $12,145,169

Fun Fact: Another film based on a Robert Zelazny book, this time a hybrid of two-He Who Shapes and The Dream Master.

Hangar 18

Despite the poster, despite the low gross at the box office and despite the rather rotund astronaut, this isn't a bad UFO film at all.

Plot: A crew of three Astronauts are mid-mission, releasing a satellite into orbit when it collides with a UFO, explodes and crash lands, sort of, in middle america. Upon their arrival home, the remaining two members of the crew are blamed for the the third's death and a cover up regarding the UFO begins. Well, our all american heroes don't settle for the blame and go investigating! Flying saucer, baldy aliens and flat screen TVs all around. Enjoy.

Gross: $6,000,000 (strange considering the actual amusement factor of the film and the date, 1980)

Gaping plot holes and under development marr this film. Shame really.

Shockwaves

Shocking more in that it was filmed, than the story itself. However, it has to be one of, if not the first Nazi occult type films made, 1977.

Plot: A tourist boat off the coast of Florida, led by a 'rummy' captain and his two crew members are enjoying the sun and sea, when one night, while on watch, a very large cargo steamer seems to bear down on the tourists. As a result, they run a ground near a conveniently situated island...or is it? On said island lives a rather crusty Peter Cushing (Hammer Film Legend) and his not so friendly Nazi Storm Troopers. Credit to our tourists, they do appear to take the revelation of zombie Nazi's in their stride (Ha, stride, get it...they're soldiers, they march around?!...forget it). Then they try and fight 'em off.

Also known as Almost Human and Death Corps.

Budget: $200,000

Fun Fact: If you'e looking for other films of the Nefarious Nazi ilk, check out these, Outpost, Dead Snow (reviewed in To be section), Horrors of War, Zombie Lake and Oasis of the Zombies.

Timescape

Starring Jeff Daniels (Dumb & Dumber), Ariana Richards (the little girl from Jurassic Park) and directed by David Twohy (Pitch Black), Timescape is an original feeling sci-fi film. 

Plot: Jeff and his daughter are busy refurbishing their house in an american hamlet town, ready for its new openning as a guest house, when a very 80's group of pretty people arrive in a large bus and take lodging. They say they're tourists, but what's to see in a little out-of-the-way town like this one? Spectacle, that's what. Seems Jeff's first guests are tourists from the perfect future, come to have a gander at the disasters of the past. It's up to Jeff to save the day.

Having seen this film more than a few times over the years (a personal favourite from a young age), I'm definately bias towards it. That being said, it's a subtle sci-fi. The elements that make this feature entertaining aren't garish and ham fisted. If you can't find it as Timescape, try its video title, Grand Tour: Disaster in Time.

Fun Fact: Written by husband and wife team Henry Kuttner and C.L. Moore, both members of the H.P.Lovecraft Circle.

Mother Night

Of the few Kurt Vonnegut adaptations out there, Slaughter House Five being the best, Mother Night runs a very close 2nd.

Plot: Nick Nolte stars as Howard W. Campbell Jr, the last 'free-American' in WWII Berlin. A playwrite and an American by birth, turned propaganda machine for the Third Reich, Campbell and his wife (Sheryl Lee) live only for each other, so when the war comes, Campbell carries on regardless. Until John Goodman, a US agent approaches the romantic Campbell to be selfless and become a double agent for the Allies.

What comes after is the torment and the realization that he would be then and forever disavowed as an American and following the death of his wife live for nothing except his mourning.

A powerful performance by Nolte, who was in himself headhunted by the director-Keith Gordon. Also stars Alan Arkin.

Superb. Well worth the time and a very faithful version of the novel.

Millennium

Looking back, I realise the first time I saw this film, I must have been around 6 yrs old and I didn't like it.

Really, didn't like it. I didn't get it?! but then time travel films always confused the heck outta me and this one can't have helped.

Plot: A jumbo jet from 1989 collides with another and results in the aviation accident fellas being brought in to investigate. Kris Kristofferson is the lead bloke, he meets the leading lady, Cheryl Ladd and they get it on. Then it turns out that there's something rather peculiar about our lady temptress, like, she came from the future in late 1980's special effects and changes her hair into blonde quiffs on far too many occasions. Ok, future folk, stealing past folk that would have died anyway...and stuff.

For around 45 minutes, you'd be forgiven for forgiving the failings of the film, because it looked like it was on the right track...then the 46th minute arrives, the 47th and so on. Not great, but you gotta love the human/robot, the wierd bloke in the wheelchair and the apparent lack of care taken in the future regarding chain smoking.

Made a whopping $5,777,000 at the box office!

Fun Fact: Four different directors signed up and left the project and in that time, the writer re-wrote the story 6 times.