Arrow Video, with domestic sales and distribution expertise provided by MVD Entertainment Group, has tabbed Aug. 22 as the street date for a new 4K film restoration (from the original 35mm negative) of writer/director John Hughes’ summer of 1985 “sci-fi” comedy, Weird Science.
Anthony Michael Hall — who was Hughes go-to guy for geek roles during this period (Sixteen Candles and The Breakfast Club) — completes his nerdy geek comedy trilogy with his performance here as high school loser, Gary.
His buddy, Wyatt (Ilan Mitchell-Smith — The Wild Life, The Chocolate War; as Andy in the Superboy TV series … and then moved on from an acting career to become a college professor) is in the same boat. The two can only dream about the hot chicks and are the constant targets of humiliation by bullies Ian (played by none other than Robert Downey, Jr.) and Max (Robert Rusler — his film debut … followed by A Nightmare on Elm Street 2: Freddy's Revenge, Vamp, Sometimes They Come Back).
What to do? What do nerds do? They come up with goofy ideas that somehow work.
In this case, Wyatt’s parents leave for the weekend and put Wyatt’s semi-deranged brother, Chet (another future star, Bill Paxton) in charge. With no parental supervision and a long weekend in front of them, they decide to invent their own dream girl!
Using ‘80s computer technology, very much in the spirit of director John Badham’s 1983 computer-themed hit, Wargames, starring Matthew Broderick (who would star in John Hughes next film, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off), the pair manage to hack into some secret government mega-computer and … magic!
Suddenly in Wyatt’s room is the woman of their dreams, who is very much like a genie from a lamp … your wish is but my command. A nerd’s fantasy come true.
Played by Kelly LeBrock, who was not cast for the role originally … she was a model, doing photo-shoots, magazine cover work and high-end advertising; a glamour girl. But she scored well as Charlotte, Gene Wilder’s dream girl, in The Woman in Red (her film debut) and she was recruited to fill in after shooting had already started. As they say, the rest is history.
They name their creation Lisa, at first thinking she is just a shared-dream, but soon discover that she really is magical, and very hot. She also turns out to be something of a spirit-guide for these two loser nerds and sets the stage for the pair to win the hearts of their nemesis’ girlfriends, Deb (Suzanne Snyder — Night of the Creeps, Return of the Living Dead II, Killer Klowns from Outer Space) and Hilly (Judie Aronson — Friday the 13th: The Final Chapter, American Ninja).
Bonus goodies included with this 4K Ultra HD release begin with two viewing options — the original theatrical cut and an “extended” cut of the film (clocking in at three minutes of extra footage) — the 17-minute mini-documentary titled It’s Alive! Resurrecting Weird Science and four featurettes — “Dino the Greek,” “Chet Happens,” “Fantasy and Microchips” and “Ira Newborn Makes the Score.”
No comments:
Post a Comment