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DVD Short Circuit
John Badham's family-oriented adventure comedy, though obviously hatched in the wake of E.T. and Star Wars, manages to create its own identity through a sweet tone and an affectionate sense of fun. Military robot Number 5, a well-armed killing machine, is zapped by lightning during a test and emerges with a consciousness, curiosity, a wacky sense of humor, and a new peace-loving philosophy. Ally Sheedy (who debuted in Badham's hit WarGames) is the animal lover whose home is sanctuary for a zoo-full of strays and who adopts the adolescent robot. Steve Guttenberg is the goofy but reclusive robotics designer who goes off in search of his creation to save him from the gun-happy army. The mix of gentle slapstick and innocent romance makes for a harmless family comedy. It veers toward the terminally cute, what with 5's hyperactive antics and E.T.-ish voice, and the mangled grammar of Guttenberg's East Indian sidekick (Fisher Stevens) threatens to become offensive, but Badham's breezy direction keeps the film on track. Sheedy and Guttenberg deliver spirited and engaging performances, but most importantly the robot emerges as a real person. Give credit to designer Syd Mead, an army of puppeteers and robotics operators, and the cartoony voice of Tim Blaney: Number 5 is alive. --Sean Axmaker
I have not seen this movie for a while, but from what I remember it could easily be in the top 100 best all time movies. I liked Ally in the breakfast club, and even more in this movie sense she plays someone more sane and normal. This movie is funny and it is something different from the usual, even though technology and technical movies are more common today then they were back when this movie came out. Perhaps at the core of us we all try to tame the technology the way Ally tries to get the robot in this movie under control.
Ally Sheedy Rocks!
Hell with the story, plot, and all that. I just enjoy pausing on the Ally Sheedy close ups. She's cuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuute!
John Badham Does It Again!
'Saturday Night Fever' (1977) will probably always be director John Badham's most famous movie. My personal favorite will probably always be his 'Dracula' (1979). But his 'Short Circuit' (1986) is top notch as well. On the surface it may look like a silly movie about a robot that comes to life when it is struck by lightning. But as in his 'Saturday Night Fever' and 'Dracula,' Director John Badham takes the movie to a much deeper level than we expected. The robot (# 5) was originally built for the purpose of killing, and when he comes to life, he can not accept that. While # 5 is undoubtedly the star of this movie, there is an excellent supporting cast. Stephanie is wonderful as the benevolent woman who by chance crosses his path and accidentally becomes responsible for # 5's most famous line: 'NO DISASSEMBLE!' Newton does a good job of the scientist who can not (at least for awhile) bring himself to believe what we as the audience have seen. Ben is hilarious as the Indian who works with Newton. (I.E. When # 5 gets angry and the driver of the truck asks what to do, Ben replies: 'I don't know about you, but I am planning to scream and run.') Howard is memorable as the scientist who has started to become more concerned with business, but his former values of science start to reemerge. What makes this movie so wonderful is that while it is filled with suspense and comedy, it also offers important questions and issues. (How far will science go to kill people? Should important scientific values start giving way to business? Is it easier to destroy than to analyze? We are always looking for new life, but when we find it will we be likely to destroy it?) This is an excellent movie that not only maintains it comical tones, but it offers us suspense and some things to think about. This is certainly worth giving a chance to. If you like this, be sure to check out John Badham's 'Saturday Night Fever'(1977) and 'Dracula' (1979). Thanks again for the great finished product John!
this movie is excellent a little bit sad but it's still great especially the ending he gets beaten real real badly but he gets himself together only he turns into a punk robot!! he has a mohawk and a belt for bullets and he has a very mean,harsh,deep punk-like voice!!! but he gets back to normal at the end and he gets a golden outershell. More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Fisher Stevens - Michael McKean Director(s): Kenneth Johnson DVD Release Date: Released the 07 August 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Quite possibly the nadir of Steven Spielberg's career as a producer, this piece of sentimental junk from 1987 concerns five little spacecraft which arrive on Earth just in time to help out some New Yorkers getting kicked out of a tenement. The script's goo just sticks to the viewer, and the cast looks silly by trying not to be silly. You get the feeling that Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment was pretty much throwing stuff at the wall to see what would hang there, and they came up with this ridiculous thing. --Tom KeoghMore Info about this DVD Actor(s): Hume Cronyn - Jessica Tandy Director(s): Matthew Robbins DVD Release Date: Released the 16 March 1999 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Disney's 1986 Flight of the Navigator combines a strong ensemble cast and classic '80s soundtrack with dazzling special effects for a high-flying sci-fi adventure. While searching for his little brother in the woods, 12-year-old David Freeman (Joey Cramer) falls down a ravine and is knocked unconscious. After what seems like minutes, he returns home, only to discover that eight years have passed since he was declared missing and presumed dead. Even more mystifying is that David hasn't aged, nor can he account for the time lapse. Meanwhile, NASA officials stumble upon a futuristic spacecraft and are determined to assess what David knows about it by locking him in a top-secret lab for scanning and testing. His only chance of escape is in the spacecraft manned by Max, a wisecracking... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Randal Kleiser DVD Release Date: Released the 01 June 2004 Usually ships in 24 hours
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At the time of its original release in 1984, this modestly budgeted sci-fi excursion had the distinction of offering some of the first examples of purely computer-generated animation, an apt (and frugal) special-effects solution for a movie with a plot line rooted in computer games. Both the computer-generated visuals and the arcade game now look quaint, but writer-director Nick Castle's affable, good- hearted adventure holds up nicely, thanks to a clever premise--the title game is actually a test for prospective starship pilots, planted by embattled aliens under siege from an evil invader. When a restless teenager (Lance Guest) racks up an impressive score, he finds himself spirited away to the besieged planet and thrust into the midst of an intergalactic war. Apart from Castle's skill... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Nick Castle DVD Release Date: Released the 08 June 1999 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Wolfgang Petersen (In the Line of Fire) made his first English-language film with this 1984 fantasy about a boy (Barret Oliver) visualizing the stories of a book he's reading. The imagined tale involves another boy, a warrior (Noah Hathaway), and his efforts to save the empire of Fantasia from a nemesis called the Nothing. Whether or not the scenario sticks in the memory, what does linger are the unique effects, which are not quite like anything else. Plenty of good fairy-tale characters and memorable scenes, and the film even encourages kids to read. --Tom KeoghMore Info about this DVD Director(s): Wolfgang Petersen DVD Release Date: Released the 04 September 2001 Usually ships in 24 hours
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