Remote Control (1988)

A video store clerk stumbles onto an alien plot to take over Earth by brain-washing people with a bad '50s science fiction movie. He and his friends race to stop the aliens before the tapes... See full summary »

Director:

Jeff Lieberman

Writer:

Jeff Lieberman

Stars:

Kevin Dillon, Deborah Goodrich, Christopher Wynne

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Kevin Dillon	...	Cosmo
Deborah Goodrich	...	Belinda Watson
Christopher Wynne	...	Georgie
Frank Beddor	...	Victor
Jennifer Tilly	...	Allegra James
Kaaren Lee	...	Patricia
Bert Remsen	...	Bill Denver
Jamie McEnnan	...	Matthew (as Jaime McEnnan)
Jerold Pearson	...	Alan Bard
Jennifer Buchanan	...	Julia Bard
Deborah Downey	...	Eva
Will Nye	...	Milo
Marilyn Adams	...	Neighbor #1
Dick Warlock	...	Mr. James (as Richard Warlock)
Ann Walker	...	Mrs. James

Storyline

A video store clerk stumbles onto an alien plot to take over Earth by brain-washing people with a bad '50s science fiction movie. He and his friends race to stop the aliens before the tapes can be distributed world-wide and their only weapon is a special remote control.

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Plot Keywords:

1980s | 1950s | two word title | year 1987 | watching tv | 

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Taglines:

Your future is in their hands.

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance | Sci-Fi | Thriller

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Kevin Dillon's character plays the remote control tape in the video store there are a lot of tapes on top of the VCR, one being Rumble Fish, which his brother Matt Dillion was in.

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Connections

References A Nightmare on Elm Street (1984)

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Soundtracks

If Looks Could Kill
Written by Ashley Hall, Stephanie Tyrell
Published by Tyrell-Mann Music Corp.
Performed by Ashley Hall

User Reviews

the video craze hits hard.

God I love Jeff Lieberman's work and it never seems to amaze me. 'Remote Control' is no different, and it's probably his most obscure feature. All this guy needs is quite a healthy budget to let those innovative ideas and visions truly evolve. What's lined up in the VCR (yep it's the glorious video era) is a B-grade Sci-fi retro spoof on 1950's Sci-fi set in modern times and the late 80s video boom that's mainly spot on with its send up, even with such limited resources and slight material. It's quite well done (in typical 80s spirit) and ejects rather an inventive premise that have aliens using an mind-controlling video which features an hilarious shoddy old-fashion Sci-fi film called "Remote Control' that sees the viewer becoming apart of the screen action and virtually losing control, killing anybody near. So it's up to a video clerk who discovers the secret to put a stop to it all. Something only the 80s could spit out.

From the get-go everything falls on the quirky and low-key side. It's daft, but it knows it and plays it accordingly with its often witty, but undemanding script. Where it builds upon paranoia and conspiracy laced inclusions, but despite its small groundwork Lieberman's able direction makes it work and the self-parody is hard to dislike. Even Peter Bernstein's music, expertly harked back to those eerie 50's sci-fi scores. The vibe that was created was perfectly pitched. Tim Suhrstedt's camera-work sparsely moves around and effectively judged which it's at its best during the attack scenes.

Little to no FX is used (which would be due to the considerably low-budget), but an attempt at story-telling and heighten suspense comes to the forefront. It works to its strengths and this is what makes it more so successful. Some passages can get slack or repetitive, but the pace manages to be snappy and the fashionable décor holds your attention. Not letting you forget what era this was from. There's convincing performances (done in mock-seriousness approach) from a reliable Kevin Dillon, a wonderful Deborah Goodrich and an all too short, but a perky Jennifer Tilly. No matter how small her part is, Tilly always does her best to leave an imprint on proceedings. I didn't think that Dillon would be strong enough to carry the lead role, but surprisingly he looks and acts the part.

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 April 1988 (USA)

Also Known As:

Remote Control

Filming Locations:

San Pedro, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$3,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Vista Organization

Technical Specs

Runtime:

88 min

Sound Mix:

Ultra Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1