My Science Project

Starring:John Stockwell, Danielle von Zerneck, Fisher Stevens, Raphael Sbarge, Richard Masur, Barry Corbin, Ann Wedgeworth, Dennis Hopper, Candace Silvers, Beau Dremann, Pat Simmons, John Vidor, Vincent Barbour, Jaime Alba, Robert Beer, John Carter (IV), Cameron Young, Noel Conlon, Jackson Bostwick, Robert DoQui
Director: Jonathan R. Betuel
Studio: Anchor Bay
Product Type: DVD

Amazon.com

Faced with not graduating unless he completes his science project, a high school gear-head sneaks into a nearby Air Force base, looking for some gizmo he can pass off as his own invention. What he finds is an alien energy device that rips holes in both time and space, infesting the school with everything from dinosaurs to the Viet Cong. Writer-director Jonathan Betuel tries to mine some of the same veins as Weird Science and Real Genius (all three films were released in 1985) but with less success--mostly due to a slapdash script. The film veers from being The Breakfast Club to WarGames to Rambo, leaping over plot holes all the way. As the hero, John Stockwell is too low-key for his own good, but Danielle Von Zerneck is appealing as his emerging love interest, and Fisher Stevens and Raphael Sbarge do their best to inject some life into the material. Dennis Hopper (as a hippie-dippie science teacher) chews the scenary with gusto--and at one point shows up wearing the costume he wore in Easy Rider. --Geof Miller

Description

His high school teacher issues an ultimatum: Turn in a science project or flunk. So Mike Harlan (John Stockwell) scavenges a military base's junk pile for a suitable gizmo. He finds one ... and unwittingly unleashes the awesome power and energy of the unknown. Twisted dimensions. Time warps. A fantastic realm where the past, present, and future collide in a whirling vortex of startling adventure and superlative special effects!

Customer Reviews:

My Sience Project.......2007-04-12

I have seen this this movie when i still was under 13 years of age. Since I have a DVD Player I was looking for this movie on a DVD. The movie is funny, good sound and a lot of good jokes.

Another Classic and MUST SEE.......2007-02-08

Yeah it ranks up there with the WRAITH-however doesn't have the same caliber actors. Still it doesn't let you down! All teh great 80's styles can be seen in here from clothes to hair and personality. You have the gear head who is TOTALLY into his car that ends up being the hero with his NY accented sidekick who adds colorfully to the comic relief.

A FAVORITE of mine, though not as popular as Weird Science. I don't care-it is just as good!

enjoyed it.......2006-10-14

A comforting reinforcement of American archetypes, and fun too. Watch as muscle-car drivin', beer drinkin' children kill a gladiator, beat charlie, and kill a dinosaur.

I will actually watch anything with Dennis Hopper in it. He gets to say 'Woodstock, Oinker!'

"Is this like when you told us we could smoke banana peels?".......2005-01-05

If I recall correctly, the last science project I did in school involved using a potato, nails, and a couple of pennies to make a kind of battery... okay, so I never threatened to disrupt the space/time continuum with my potato battery, but it was still pretty cool...My Science Project (1985), written and directed by Jonathan Betuel, who had a seemingly very short career in Hollywood writing 1984's The Last Starfighter and then sort of falling off the face of the Earth after his 1995 flop Theodore Rex, starring Whoopi Goldberg (she really has the Midas touch, but instead of turning things into gold, they turn into cr@p). Starring in the film is John Stockwell (Losin' It, Christine), Danielle von Zerneck (La Bamba), and Fisher Stevens (Short Circuit, Super Mario Bros.). Also appearing is Raphael Sbarge (Vision Quest, Carnosaur), Richard Masur (Risky Business), Barry Corbin (Stir Crazy), Ann Wedgeworth (Love and a .45) and Dennis Hopper (Blue Velvet).

The film begins with scenes at a U.S. air force base, circa 1957, and the decision, of the highest authority, to cover up a mysterious UFO that was found crashed nearby. The story then moves to the present (1985 being the present), where we meet Mike Harlan, a high school student and motor head (that's someone who's really good with cars), eagerly awaiting to graduate, but finds himself in the predicament of having to come up with a science project, or else his science teacher, Bob Roberts (Hopper) won't pass him. He scavenges the local junkyard (which used to be the air force base in the 50's), and comes across a strange, glowing thingy (all that was left of the UFO) and decides to try and pass it off as his project. Only problem is the strange thingy begins feeding on various power sources (Hey, let's hotwire it into an electrical outlet!), and soon begins creating trans-dimensional rifts in time and space, causing different time periods (the past, present, and future) to co-exist, along with drawing his science teacher into the subsequent vortex (I wonder how that will effect his chances of graduating). Will Mike and his friends be able to stop the alien thing-a-ma-gig from tearing the very fabric of the space/time continuum a new one?

My Science Project is one of those films from the 80's of which I had fond remembrances (much like Night of the Comet, which, as I write this, has still to make an appearance on DVD). While some of those films haven't held up as well watching them some 20 years later, for me, this one has...it's funny, engaging, and visually entertaining. Keep in mind this isn't a movie where the characters travel through time, but one where elements from different time periods appear in their reality. The casting is very well done, especially with Stockwell (who appeared earlier as Arnie's jock friend Dennis in John Carpenter's killer car film Christine) as the lead character of Mike, a seemingly single-minded fellow (he cares more for his red GTO muscle car than he does for relationships with people) finding there's more to life than carburetors and spark plugs (is it me, or does Stockwell seem to have just a really huge forehead, certainly more than the average person). Danielle von Zerneck (her most famous role probably as Ritchie Valens girlfriend Donna in 1987's La Bamba) also does well as Mike's would be girlfriend, a nerdy, bookish character who learns there's something to be said for living life outside her books. And Hopper as the hippy-ish science teacher seems a no brainer, obviously utilizing his past experiences to our benefit. The only character I didn't care much for was that of Vince Latello (Stevens), the stereotypical greasy Italian friend of Mike's. He was obviously the comic relief, and you will either love him or hate him, but I thought Stevens' performance a little too over the top for my tastes, and ultimately distracting. In case you're not familiar with Stevens, his sort of ambiguous ethnicity allows him to play many different kinds of characters, including his role as the Indian inventor in the 1986 Steve Guttenberg/Ally Sheedy film Short Circuit. The direction was strong, as Betuel manages to juggle a decent story with a few subplots well, keeping my interest throughout, and also throws in a couple of references, one to Stockwell's earlier film Christine, and one with Hopper's character showing up wearing the same outfit he wore in Easy Rider. He also develops the characters enough to get some of them (the important ones, at least) past the realm of being two-dimensional. I thought it kind of strange that he should have so little in the way of other credits to his name, as he shows here he can not only direct a film well, write a decent story. The special effects looked really good for the time it was released, and even hold up well to today's standards. I especially liked the Tyrannosaurus Rex in the school gymnasium, although it's no match for Spielberg's creation in Jurassic Park, it was still done well. They did tend to use the swirling vortex above the school a bit much for my tastes, but that's a relatively minor point.

The widescreen (2.35:1) picture, released by Touchstone, on this DVD looks pretty good, but there are a few, minor flaws, and I thought the audio a bit soft. There was an earlier release by Anchor Bay that featured both widescreen and full screen formats, but no full screen here. There are no special features available, not even a trailer, so given the lack of effort in the release, I have to go with three stars.

Cookieman108

Don't let this happen to you!.......2004-09-29

It is down to the line and if you do nit come up with a good science project you can kiss you high school diploma good by. What luck a nearby abandoned military depot. You guessed it an alien engine is just waiting for the application of a little electricity.

This is what happened to a young lad, Michael Harlan (John Stockwell.) With the help of his friends he discovers new dimensions. There is time enough for adventure and time enough for love Ellie (Danielle von Zerneck.) A vortex sucks up the science teacher. And everyone is threatened. Only the original hand full of friends can curb the problem by fighting their way back in over numerous obstacles to remove the source of energy to the engine.

Can they curb the power before it is too late?
Will we ever see the science teacher again?

Average customer rating:

My Sience Project
Another Classic and MUST SEE
enjoyed it
"Is this like when you told us we could smoke banana peels?"
Don't let this happen to you!

My Science Project
Starring: John Stockwell , Danielle von Zerneck , Fisher Stevens , Raphael Sbarge , and Richard Masur
Director: Jonathan R. Betuel
Manufacturer: Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

DVDs Under $9.99 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Real Genius
The Last Starfighter
The Wraith
Weird Science (High School Reunion Collection)
Explorers

ASIN: B00000IQB7
Release Date: 1999-05-18

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

My Sience Project.......2007-04-12

I have seen this this movie when i still was under 13 years of age. Since I have a DVD Player I was looking for this movie on a DVD. The movie is funny, good sound and a lot of good jokes.

Another Classic and MUST SEE.......2007-02-08

enjoyed it.......2006-10-14

"Is this like when you told us we could smoke banana peels?".......2005-01-05

Don't let this happen to you!.......2004-09-29

Average customer rating:

My Sience Project
Another Classic and MUST SEE
enjoyed it
"Is this like when you told us we could smoke banana peels?"
Don't let this happen to you!

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Real Genius
The Last Starfighter
The Wraith
Weird Science (High School Reunion Collection)
Explorers

ASIN: B00008G7Y3
Release Date: 2002-11-26

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

My Sience Project.......2007-04-12

I have seen this this movie when i still was under 13 years of age. Since I have a DVD Player I was looking for this movie on a DVD. The movie is funny, good sound and a lot of good jokes.

Another Classic and MUST SEE.......2007-02-08

enjoyed it.......2006-10-14

"Is this like when you told us we could smoke banana peels?".......2005-01-05

Don't let this happen to you!.......2004-09-29

Average customer rating:

My Sience Project
Another Classic and MUST SEE
enjoyed it
"Is this like when you told us we could smoke banana peels?"
Don't let this happen to you!

My Science Project [Region 2]
Starring: John Stockwell , Danielle von Zerneck , Fisher Stevens , Raphael Sbarge , and Richard Masur
Director: Jonathan R. Betuel
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

( M ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Real Genius
The Last Starfighter
The Wraith
Weird Science (High School Reunion Collection)
Explorers

ASIN: B0001MIQHQ

Amazon.com

Customer Reviews:

My Sience Project.......2007-04-12

I have seen this this movie when i still was under 13 years of age. Since I have a DVD Player I was looking for this movie on a DVD. The movie is funny, good sound and a lot of good jokes.

Another Classic and MUST SEE.......2007-02-08

enjoyed it.......2006-10-14

"Is this like when you told us we could smoke banana peels?".......2005-01-05

Don't let this happen to you!.......2004-09-29

The Dawn at My Back: Memoir of a Black Texas Upbringing, an Interactive Cultural History

Average customer rating:

The Dawn at My Back: Memoir of a Black Texas Upbringing, an Interactive Cultural History
Starring: Carroll Parrott Blue , and Labyrinth Project
Manufacturer: USC Annenberg Center
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Biographies & Memoirs | Subjects | Books

General | Special Interests | Genres | DVD | Video

( D ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Book Description

Building on Carroll Parrott Blue's compelling written memoir and enriching it with video documentation, interviews, and animations, this DVD-ROM makes her personal story and the historical background come to life. It works both as a companion to the book and as a stand-alone interactive memoir. Featuring voice-overs by Blue and by actors Ruby Dee, Ossie Davis, and Debbie Allen, as well as moving testimonies from Black Houstonians, the narrative unfolds through a gospel-like layering of voices and music and a quilting of vivid photographs and movies. Users navigate through the mindscapes of Blue's "Homeland" and "Hell," where they find traces of the people, buildings, media images, and events that shaped the community's struggle against racism and Blue's development as an artist. As users gain a deeper understanding of how this personal story is interwoven within the broader cultural history, like Blue, they reach the "Dawn." Here they gain access to a uniquely patterned quilt that documents their own personal pathway through this labyrinthine narrative field.

Under the creative direction of Blue and new media artist Kristy H. A. Kang, this DVD-ROM was produced by the Labyrinth Project, a research initiative on interactive narrative directed by Marsha Kinder at the University of Southern California Annenberg Center for Communication. Since 1997, Labyrinth has been producing award-winning interactive documentaries and museum installations in collaboration with independent artists. Their first two CD-ROMs were official selections at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival, and "Mysteries & Desire: Searching the Worlds of John Rechy" won the NewMedia Invision Award for best overall design. Made with additional support from the Rockefeller Foundation, three recent DVD installations are featured in ZKM's "Future Cinema" exhibition in Germany: Pat O'Neill's "Tracing the Decay of Fiction," Norman Klein's "Bleeding Through: Layers of Los Angeles, 1920-1986," and Péter Forgács' "The Danube Exodus," which premiered at the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

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