Explorers
by Joe Dante
from Paramount
It's only in retrospect that one can see that Joe Dante's Explorers is an awful lot like Robert Zemeckis's Contact. An alien race, determined to make contact with earthlings, feeds some unsuspecting individuals the blueprints for space travel. Instead of the big gyroscope that Jodie Foster was strapped into in Contact, the three kids in Explorers make their intergalactic trip in crystalline blue Flubber. River Phoenix looks shockingly prepubescent (which he was) as Wolfgang, the brains of the trio, while Ethan Hawke looks like a young lady-killer as Ben. Fitting into the "whatever happened to?" category is Jason Presson as Darren, an outcast who joins the two eggheads. Joe Dante's career, cruising after Gremlins was a smash, faced a serious "hitch in the giddyup" when this film sputtered through the 1985 summer season without much of an impact. The effects still hold up nicely, as does Dante's incessant need to pay homage to other, older sci-fi films. The whole thing seems like a lot of trouble for some smackingly bland and silly results, but it's a harmless, initially involving diversion. --Keith Simanton
EXPLORERS are the inventive story about three idealistic and thrill-seeking boys who combine their wits and astuteness to build their own spaceship. Accordingly, the boys blast-off into the galaxy and embark on journeys both whimsical and weird.
Wes Craven's Invitation to Hell
by Wes Craven
from Lions Gate
Lady in White (Director's Cut)
from New Century Vista Film Company
An impressive labor of love from independent writer-director Frank LaLoggia, this low-budget supernatural thriller was a sleeper hit in 1988, deservedly praised by critics and horror fans for its effective combination of ghostly terror and small-town charm. The influence of Steven Spielberg can be felt in the movie's imaginative scenario, but it's also got the affectionate appeal of autobiographical nostalgia, mixing details of LaLoggia's own youth in upstate New York with a frightening tale of Halloween horror. It begins when young Frankie (Lukas Haas) is locked in a grade-school cloakroom on Halloween night of 1962; he witnesses the ghostly image of a little girl and is nearly strangled to death by an unknown assailant. From that point forward, Frankie is convinced that the ghost is somehow connected to the Lady in White, a haunting vision of local legend. A black janitor is tried as Frankie's attacker and suspected in a series of unsolved murders, but recurring apparitions lead Frankie to the truth of the case--a revelation of real-life violence and supernatural wonders. This plot may be a bit too cluttered for a conventional ghost story, but the movie's ambition works in its favor by providing an emotional subtext for its youthful sense of wonder. There's an abundance of charm and humor, but this also a moving story of grief and loss, tracing young Frankie's adjustment to the death of his mother. This gives Lady in White more depth than is typical for horror thrillers, and the movie further benefits from the obvious care and compassion that LaLoggia brought to its creation. --Jeff Shannon
Explorers
from Paramount
The visionary dreams of three curious and adventuresome young boys become an exciting reality in Explorers the action-fantasy from acclaimed director Joe Dante (Gremlins) who combines keen humor warmth and fantasy with unexpected twists. In their makeshift laboratory the boys use an amazing discovery and their ingenuity to build their own spaceship and launch themselves on a fantastic interplanetary journey. A galaxy of adventure for the whole family starring young River Phoenix (Stand By Me) and Ethan Hawke (Gattaca). Includes 2 deleted scenes!System Requirements:Running Time: 106 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: CHILDREN/FAMILY Rating: PG UPC: 097361379241 Manufacturer No: 137924
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