SSMITH%USC-ECL@sri-unix.UUCP (01/09/84)
For those who like sf/fantasy films, here is a listing of the release dates
of those that caught my eye, condensed from the LA Times' list of 1984
coming releases.
January:
THE GODS MUST BE CRAZY - Comedy about nomadic African tribesman who
discover a strange object has fallen from a plane and believe it's a
magical gift from the Gods. (Fox Inter. Classics).
March/April:
CHILDREN OF THE CORN - Based on the Stephen King short story about a
young couple traveling across the United States who stumble onto a
religious cult in Nebraska. (New World).
ICEMAN - The story of a Neanderthal man who is found frozen alive in
glacial ice. Timothy Hutton and Lindsay Crouse star. Fred Schepisi
(The Chant of Jimmie Blacksmith) directs. (Universal).
ICE PIRATES - Pirates in outer space story with Robert Urich and Mary
Crosby. (MGM/UA).
LE DERNIER COMBAT - Four survivors of a planetary catastrope band
together to make a last stand for the human race. (Triumph/Columbia).
May/June:
FIRESTARTER - Adaptation of Stephen King's novel about a little girl
(Drew Barrymore) who turns her fear into a weapon. With George C. Scott,
Martin Sheen and David Keith. (Universal).
GREMLINS - Joe Dante directs a Steven Spielberg production about a cute
but malevolent creature. With Pheobe Cates. (Warner Bros.)
INDIANA JONES AND THE TEMPLE OF DOOM - Harrison Ford and Kate Capshaw
have cliffhanging adventures in this prequel to Raiders of the Lost Ark.
Steven Spielburg directs. (Paramount). [All Right!!!]
THE LAST STARFIGHTER - Story of an 18-year-old with a talent for video
games. Robert Preston and Lance Guest star. (Universal).
THE PHILADELPHIA EXPERIMENT - A top-secret WWII military experiment is
brought to life in this time-travel adventure. With Michael Pare and
Nancy Allen. (New World).
STAR TREK III: THE SEARCH FOR SPOCK - The continuing adventures of the
Starship ENTERPRISE and the search for Mr. Spock. With William Shatner,
James Doohan, DeForest Kelley and Dame Judith Anderson. Directed by
Leonard Nimoy. (Paramount). [Can a film be about a search for a director?]
July/August:
CONAN, KING OF THIEVES - Sequel to Conan the Barbarian, again starring
Arnold Schwarzeneger. With Wilt Chamberlain [?!!!] and Grace Jones.
Richard Fleischer directs a Dino De Laurentiis production. (Universal).
THE NEVERENDING STORY - A boy's odyssey into a timeless world of
fantastic beings. Wolfgang Peterson (Das Boot) directs. (Warner Bros.)
[My award for worst film title, does it relect how boring the film is?]
NIGHT OF THE COMET - A science fiction comedy about two sisters and the
coming of a fabulous comet. (Atlantic).
WHERE THE GREEN ANTS DREAM - Werner Herzog (Fitzcarraldo) directs this
film set in Australia. (Orion Classics). [Okay, probably not a SF film,
but knowing Herzog you will have to classify it as a fantasy]
November/December:
BABY - A professor and his wife discover a baby dinosaur in Africa. (Disney)
DUNE - Based on Frank Herbert's science-fiction novel about milelong
monsters that devour manlike insects. Max Von Sydow and Sting star.
David Lynch directs. (Universal). [LONG AWAITED!! But who came up with
this terrible press release? Milelong monsters = sandworms, ok, but
manlike insects??? what book did this people read?]
GREYSTOKE: THE LEGEND OF TARZAN, LORD OF THE APES - is about Tarzan's
boyhood, his repatriation to British aristocracy and his return to
the jungle. Ralph Richardson, Christopher Lambert and Ian Holm star.
Hugh Hudson (Chariots of Fire) directs. (Warner Bros.).
STARMAN - Love story with a science-fiction background produced by
Michael Douglas. (Columbia).
2010 - Sequel to 2001: A Space Odyssey. Peter Hyams directs this return
to Jupiter's moons to learn the fate of astronaut David Bowman and
HAL the computer. (MGM/UA). [Stop Dave my mind is going...We'll see
what happen without Kubrick directing...Anybody know who Peter Hyams
is and what he has directed before??]
The following, as of now, have no specific 1984 release dates:
DREAM ONE - A 10-year-old boy is magically transported to a strange
dream world. With Nipsey Russell and Harvey Keitel. (Columbia).
HEAVEN SENT - Herbert Ross (The Turning Point) directs a story of a youth
who time-trips himself backward until he and his parents are the same
age. (Embassy).
SUPERGIRL - Superman's cousin, Kara (Helen Slater), clashes with a
sorceress. Also starring Peter O'Toole, Faye Dunaway, and Mia Farrow.
Jeannot Szwarc (Somewhere in Time) directs. (Warner Bros.).
The four big ones for this year are, of course, INDIANA JONES AND THE
TEMPLE OF DOOM, STAR TREK III, DUNE, and 2010.
Stephen Smith (SSMITH@USC-ECLA)