Time Chasers
Encyclopedia
Time Chasers is a 1994 science fiction
film directed by David Giancola
and starring Matthew Bruch, George Woodard
, and Bonnie Pritchard. The film follows the adventures of an amateur inventor who goes through time with his female accomplice to stop an evil
megacorporation intent on changing history for profit. The film was lampooned on Mystery Science Theater 3000
(MST3K) in 1997
.
and his small airplane
. After being inspired by a television commercial for GenCorp, he uses a ruse to bring out both a GenCorp executive and a reporter from a local paper. To Nick's surprise, the reporter is Lisa Hansen (Bonnie Pritchard), an old high school flame. One trip to 2041 later and Gencorp's executive, Matthew Paul (Peter Harrington), quickly arranges Nick a meeting with CEO J.K. Robertson (George Woodard
). Impressed by the potential of time travel, Roberston offers Nick a licensing agreement on the technology.
Later in the week, Nick and Lisa meet at the supermarket
and go on a date to the 1950s. However, another trip to 2041 reveals that GenCorp abused Nick's time travel technology and accidentally destroyed the future. In an attempt to tell J.K. about how GenCorp inadvertently ruined the future. J.K. dismisses the eventuality, and states that there's enough time to worry about how to fix it before it happens. J.K. sees Nick as a threat to GenCorp, and due to the association with the U.S. Government, considers Nick's actions as treason. Nick and Lisa escape GenCorp and spend the remainder of the film trying to reverse the damage to the future. When J.K. catches wind of this, he and Matt try to shoot down Nick's plane, killing Lisa in the process while Nick jumps out before the plane crashed. This ultimately culminates in a fight in 1777 during the American Revolution
, the deaths of the present Nick, Lisa, Matt, and Robertson, and the destruction of the time machine before the original demo, thus ensuring that the majority of the film's events never happen in the first place. The film ends with a past Nick (now aware of the danger of his time machine) sabotaging his demonstration, and doing a pitch of how an elderly skydiver would be a better ad campaign for J.K.'s company. Furious about being misled, J.K. fires Matt. Nick deletes the 8 5¼" floppy drives that contain how to travel through time. At the end of the film, Nick talks to Lisa in the supermarket as he did in the previous timeline.
and his company Edgewood Studios. The film initially lost money, but licensing fees for its 1997 Mystery Science Theater 3000
appearance took its earnings out of the red. The lead, Matthew Bruch, was also the Stunt Coordinator. There are a few of Giancola's relatives who also worked on the film, two of whom were Executive Producers of the film.
Some sources claim that the GenCorp executive's desk is actually at the top of the stairs at Castleton State College
near Rutland, but other sources claim it was filmed at the Rutland Opera House; director David Giancola says that "[i]t was a combination of both the offices and studios of radio station WJJR 98.1
and The Howard Bank." When heckling it, the MST3K crew lampooned it as being in a public library
and featuring a "giant circus mirror." The grocery store scene was shot inside Martins, an actual grocery chain which eventually became Hannafords and moved to another part of town. The former Martins site (formerly the Rutland Mall) is now where Big Lots
exists, inside the Home Depot complex. The exteriors were of the local power utility, VELCO."
For the showing on MST3K, the cast and crew had a reunion party to view the lampooning. MST3K star Mike Nelson claims that some at the party were not happy at the mocking, in particular Peter Harrington. Director Giancola said they all "laughed their asses off," but also admitted that some people at the time "took it a bit too seriously."
A stray comment on the MST3K version led to this film incorrectly appearing on the IMDB
profile for Lisa Kudrow
for a number of years. The role of "worshipful one" is actually played by Vicky A. Bourn, in her one and only film role.
In 2004, when asked if he was considering a sequel, Giancola said: "We don't have any plans for a sequel, there have been so many time travel films since covering the same material, I don't feel I have anything new to add."
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
film directed by David Giancola
David Giancola
David Giancola , is a Vermont based American filmmaker. Born in Rutland, Vermont and graduate of Mount St. Joseph's Academy in 1987, he has directed eight films as of October 2006...
and starring Matthew Bruch, George Woodard
George Woodard
George Woodard is an actor, musician, storyteller and dairy farmer from Vermont. He discovered acting in college and moved to Hollywood, California for six years until the pending sale of the family farm brought him home. He took over the dairy and maple syrup business from his elderly father and...
, and Bonnie Pritchard. The film follows the adventures of an amateur inventor who goes through time with his female accomplice to stop an evil
Evil
Evil is the violation of, or intent to violate, some moral code. Evil is usually seen as the dualistic opposite of good. Definitions of evil vary along with analysis of its root motive causes, however general actions commonly considered evil include: conscious and deliberate wrongdoing,...
megacorporation intent on changing history for profit. The film was lampooned on Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
(MST3K) in 1997
1997 in television
The year 1997 in television involved some significant events.Below is a list of television-related events in 1997.- Events :-Debuts:-Miniseries:*Knots Landing: Back to the Cul-de-Sac, a reunion of the 1979–93 series*The Last Don...
.
Plot summary
Physics teacher and amateur pilot Nick Miller (Matthew Bruch) has finally completed his quest of enabling time travel, via a Commodore 64Commodore 64
The Commodore 64 is an 8-bit home computer introduced by Commodore International in January 1982.Volume production started in the spring of 1982, with machines being released on to the market in August at a price of US$595...
and his small airplane
Citabria
The Citabria is a light single-engine, two-seat, fixed conventional gear airplane which entered production in the United States in 1964. Designed for flight training, utility, and personal use, it is capable of sustaining aerobatic stresses from +5g to -2g...
. After being inspired by a television commercial for GenCorp, he uses a ruse to bring out both a GenCorp executive and a reporter from a local paper. To Nick's surprise, the reporter is Lisa Hansen (Bonnie Pritchard), an old high school flame. One trip to 2041 later and Gencorp's executive, Matthew Paul (Peter Harrington), quickly arranges Nick a meeting with CEO J.K. Robertson (George Woodard
George Woodard
George Woodard is an actor, musician, storyteller and dairy farmer from Vermont. He discovered acting in college and moved to Hollywood, California for six years until the pending sale of the family farm brought him home. He took over the dairy and maple syrup business from his elderly father and...
). Impressed by the potential of time travel, Roberston offers Nick a licensing agreement on the technology.
Later in the week, Nick and Lisa meet at the supermarket
Supermarket
A supermarket, a form of grocery store, is a self-service store offering a wide variety of food and household merchandise, organized into departments...
and go on a date to the 1950s. However, another trip to 2041 reveals that GenCorp abused Nick's time travel technology and accidentally destroyed the future. In an attempt to tell J.K. about how GenCorp inadvertently ruined the future. J.K. dismisses the eventuality, and states that there's enough time to worry about how to fix it before it happens. J.K. sees Nick as a threat to GenCorp, and due to the association with the U.S. Government, considers Nick's actions as treason. Nick and Lisa escape GenCorp and spend the remainder of the film trying to reverse the damage to the future. When J.K. catches wind of this, he and Matt try to shoot down Nick's plane, killing Lisa in the process while Nick jumps out before the plane crashed. This ultimately culminates in a fight in 1777 during the American Revolution
American Revolution
The American Revolution was the political upheaval during the last half of the 18th century in which thirteen colonies in North America joined together to break free from the British Empire, combining to become the United States of America...
, the deaths of the present Nick, Lisa, Matt, and Robertson, and the destruction of the time machine before the original demo, thus ensuring that the majority of the film's events never happen in the first place. The film ends with a past Nick (now aware of the danger of his time machine) sabotaging his demonstration, and doing a pitch of how an elderly skydiver would be a better ad campaign for J.K.'s company. Furious about being misled, J.K. fires Matt. Nick deletes the 8 5¼" floppy drives that contain how to travel through time. At the end of the film, Nick talks to Lisa in the supermarket as he did in the previous timeline.
Cast
- Matthew Bruch as Nick Miller
- Bonnie Pritchard as Lisa Henson
- Peter Harrington as Matthew Paul
- George WoodardGeorge WoodardGeorge Woodard is an actor, musician, storyteller and dairy farmer from Vermont. He discovered acting in college and moved to Hollywood, California for six years until the pending sale of the family farm brought him home. He took over the dairy and maple syrup business from his elderly father and...
as J.K. Robertson - Jason SmileyJason SmileyJason Smiley is an American screenwriter, actor and stunt coordinator.-External links:*...
as Future Inhabitant
Production
The production was shot in the Rutland, Vermont area in summer 1990, though it has a distinctive assortment of mid-1980s cultural artifacts, sets, and props. It was made on a $150,000 budget by 20-year old director David GiancolaDavid Giancola
David Giancola , is a Vermont based American filmmaker. Born in Rutland, Vermont and graduate of Mount St. Joseph's Academy in 1987, he has directed eight films as of October 2006...
and his company Edgewood Studios. The film initially lost money, but licensing fees for its 1997 Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000
Mystery Science Theater 3000 is an American cult television comedy series created by Joel Hodgson and produced by Best Brains, Inc., that ran from 1988 to 1999....
appearance took its earnings out of the red. The lead, Matthew Bruch, was also the Stunt Coordinator. There are a few of Giancola's relatives who also worked on the film, two of whom were Executive Producers of the film.
Some sources claim that the GenCorp executive's desk is actually at the top of the stairs at Castleton State College
Castleton State College
Castleton State College is a public liberal arts college located in Castleton in the U.S. state of Vermont. Castleton has an enrollment of 2000 students and offers more than 30 undergraduate programs as well as master’s degrees in education...
near Rutland, but other sources claim it was filmed at the Rutland Opera House; director David Giancola says that "[i]t was a combination of both the offices and studios of radio station WJJR 98.1
WJJR
WJJR is a radio station broadcasting a Adult Contemporary format. Licensed to Rutland, Vermont, USA, the station serves the Lebanon-Rutland-White River Junction area with "the best mix of music." The station is currently owned by Pamal Broadcasting.-History:The station went on the air as WHWB-FM...
and The Howard Bank." When heckling it, the MST3K crew lampooned it as being in a public library
Public library
A public library is a library that is accessible by the public and is generally funded from public sources and operated by civil servants. There are five fundamental characteristics shared by public libraries...
and featuring a "giant circus mirror." The grocery store scene was shot inside Martins, an actual grocery chain which eventually became Hannafords and moved to another part of town. The former Martins site (formerly the Rutland Mall) is now where Big Lots
Big Lots
Big Lots, Inc. is a Fortune 500 retail corporation with annual revenues well over $4 billion.Its department stores focus mainly on selling closeout and overstock merchandise. The company is based in Columbus, Ohio, USA and currently operates over 1,400 stores in 47 states...
exists, inside the Home Depot complex. The exteriors were of the local power utility, VELCO."
For the showing on MST3K, the cast and crew had a reunion party to view the lampooning. MST3K star Mike Nelson claims that some at the party were not happy at the mocking, in particular Peter Harrington. Director Giancola said they all "laughed their asses off," but also admitted that some people at the time "took it a bit too seriously."
A stray comment on the MST3K version led to this film incorrectly appearing on the IMDB
Internet Movie Database
Internet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
profile for Lisa Kudrow
Lisa Kudrow
Lisa Valerie Kudrow is an American actress, best known for her role as Phoebe Buffay in the television sitcom Friends, for which she received many accolades including an Emmy Award and two Screen Actors Guild Awards...
for a number of years. The role of "worshipful one" is actually played by Vicky A. Bourn, in her one and only film role.
In 2004, when asked if he was considering a sequel, Giancola said: "We don't have any plans for a sequel, there have been so many time travel films since covering the same material, I don't feel I have anything new to add."