Tuesday, 25 October 2011
1984 Futuristics
The Philadelphia Experiment is a seriously hokey slice of 80's nonsense based around the urban legend about the USS Eldridge that gets pushed out of normal time/space during an anti-radar experiment during WW2. Our two protagonists are sailors on the Eldridge who, after throwing themselves overboard during the calamitous experiment, land on terra firma circa 1984. After stumbling about for a bit they eventually hook up with Nancy Allen and dodge the authorities on their road trip to their home town in a haze of inarticulate future shock unaware their arrival has caused a seemingly unstoppable vortex to appear. With a shoddy script, wooden acting and some cheapo fx there's little here to recommend to anyone.
Psychic Dennis Quaid is hired by Christopher Plummer and Max Von Sydow in 80's scifi-romp Dreamscape. Quaid has been drifting about using his skills for gambling and seduction but after falling foul of some race track buddies he signs up for a government programme involving projecting his consciousness into the troubled minds of test sleepers, things go well but it appears Plummer has nefarious plans for his chum the President. It's not bad I guess, the fx are certainly better than P Experiment's (still look amatuerish by today's standards) and has at least half a decent plot, competent script/actoring and has Quaid's easy charm to keep things from becoming too po-faced as it romps along to it's obvious conclusion. Definitely the better of the two if you're after a bit of retro scifi
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I really enjoyed Dreamscape; I saw it on an actual VHS last year on holiday. It's got Ben Horne from Twin Peaks's brother too.
ReplyDeleteFunny I always think of him as the guy Arnie dangled over a cliff by the ankle in Commando
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