My Science Project (film) High school senior Michael Harlan and his best friend, Vince, must put together a passing science project in two weeks in order to graduate. With the deadline rapidly approaching, Michael risks the wrath of armed military guards and stages a midnight raid on a nearby U.S. Air Force supply dump. They discover a mysterious instrument that can cause a space-time warp. Michael’s teacher is sucked into a cosmic whirlpool, and the device madly drains power from the school and then the surrounding city. Michael and his friends try to stop the device, while fighting everything from a Neanderthal man, mutants, gladiators, and Egyptian queens to Vietcong soldiers. Finally, the kids are able to shut off the device and return it to the supply dump. Released on August 9, 1985. Directed by Jonathan Betuel. A Touchstone film. 95 min. Stars John Stockwell (Michael Harlan), Danielle Von Zerneck (Ellie Sawyer), Fisher Stevens (Vince Latello), Raphael Sbarge (Sherman), Dennis Hopper (Bob Roberts), Richard Masur (Det. Isadore Nulty), Barry Corbin (Lew Harlan), Ann Wedgeworth (Dolores). The film was shot at the Walt Disney Studio in Burbank and at local Southern California locations, including Van Nuys High School, Alhambra High School, and Portola Highly Gifted Magnet School. The final two weeks of production consisted of night shooting in Tucson, Arizona where key sequences were filmed amid a thousand acres of decommissioned military aircraft. The elaborate special effects included a Tyrannosaurus Rex, which was a complex puppet built and animated by Doug Beswick Productions, Inc. Matte paintings, special lighting effects, miniature photography, and effects animation were also used. The title song “My Science Project” was written by Bob Held, Michael Colina, and Bill Heller, performed by The Tubes. Released on video in 1986.
