Summer Special #40 - Brainscan (1994) [Non-Cannon ~ Episode 100]

For the last episode of our special we thought we would look at something a bit different. This time we dove into the cult favorite, Brainscan, from 1994. This is a horror thriller about a teenager playing a video game that seems to invade his real life. Or does it?

Unfortunately, it doesn't quite do enough for us. We go why in the episode above. It nonetheless remains a good watch, but it was missing something to completely satisfy. We discuss what that is in the episode above.

That's it for out summer special, and thank you for helping us get to 100 Non-Cannon episodes! It's been quite the ride to get here. We still have some curve balls ahead of us. Nonetheless, have a great summer and we'll see you again next week!

Randy's Score: 2/5

JD's Score: 2/5

Up Next: Barfly!

Summer Special #39 - Joysticks (1983) [Non-Cannon ~ Episode 99]

Bet you didn't expect this one. For this summer special we scanned high and low for films in this ballpark, and you would be surprised at just how uncommon they were. This one turned out to have little to do with our topic aside from trace bits, and yet those exact small parts turned out to be the best parts of it. That said, Joysticks is pretty typical of an earlier type of comedy, and not one we tend to cover here because we have little to say about it.

Suffice to say, if you see the poster then you pretty much can guess the entire plot before the movie even begins. However, you will not be able to imagine the amazing music, which is some of the best of its era. If you're a gamer, you really should hear it at least once. There isn't much else like it. The rest, not so much. Check out the episode above to learn why!

Randy's Score: 2/5

JD's Score: 2/5

Up Next: Brainscan!

Summer Special #38 - Arcade (1994) [Non-Cannon ~ Episode 98]

This time we went obscure again with one of our favorite directors to cover on Cannon Cruisers, Albert Pyun. This is his 1994 (1993, if you're German) horror movie Arcade. Of all the ones of his we've covered so far, it is probably the most obscure, though not the worst.

Stop me if you've heard this one before. A video game comes to life and starts attacking the people who play it, dragging them into its depths where our main character has to go in to save them. The makers of this one even got sued by Disney over similarities to Tron at one point, which meant they had to redo all of the early CG. And make no mistake--it's early CG.

That said, the film doesn't quite live up to its potential and makes some oddball turns that don't quite work. Check out today's episode to learn exactly why that is. You could do worse than Arcade, but you also could do much better.

Randy's Score: 2/5

JD's Score: 2/5

Up Next: Joysticks!

Summer Special #37 - Mortal Kombat (1995) [Non-Cannon ~ Episode 97]

Chances are that you saw this one coming! Today we are covering possibly the most beloved video game movie adaption with 1995's Mortal Kombat. It is quite amazing how well this one holds up despite how much revisionism has tried to tear it down over the years. As far as adaptions go, this is still one of the best.

What has made this one stand the test of time is how much the production crew clearly loved and strove to adapt the source material as closely as it could. As such, with the Street Fighter II animated movie, it remains one of the most game accurate and exciting adaptions that was intensely influential upon its source material as well as remained a fan favorite to this day. And, believe it or not, it has managed to age in reverse, being one of the few that embraced its 1980s genre roots to the fullest. It truly doesn't get better than this.

We talk about why in today's episode. Mortal Kombat holds up better than you remember it does.

Randy's Score: 4/5

JD's Score: 5/5

Up Next: Arcade!

Summer Special #36 - WarGames (1983) [Non-Cannon ~ Episode 96]

This week we decided on a bit of a curveball with the 1983 favorite, WarGames. Endlessly parodied and given constant tribute to this day, this is one of the earliest examples of a pure video game focused film, though not in a way you might figure, and definitely not in a way that could be made now. Essentially of it's time, but remaining rather timeless despite it, WarGames remains a fascinating movie that is a joy to watch.

This would normally be the part where we mention its deficiencies, but that is a lot harder than you might think. It is a very well put together film, even now, that holds up even if you want to watch it separate from the subject matter. Despite how often it has been referenced and parodied, WarGames holds up, and remains an enjoyable watch to this day.

Randy's Score: 4/5

JD's Score: 4/5

Up next: Mortal Kombat!