March Laser Rangers Special Event: Back to the Future Marathon

NOTE: Early start time!


(Teaser video complied, edited, and arranged by Tyrell Gephardt) 

Time Traveler's Checklist

(Graciously provided by your friendly time travel vacation agency)

Temporal Coordinates (Date & Time): 10 March 2012 13:30* CST (1:30PM *Special Adjustment made for Fannish temporal anomalies.) Official start time 14:00 (2pm) CST

Relative Spacial Coordinates (Where & What): David Sooby's home theater with 51-inch Samsung HDTV, a 5.1 Surround Sound Dolby Digital sound system, a full set of audiophile-grade speakers, and brand new seating for about 15 people without crowding.

(Be on alert! This location is known for temporal disturbances!)

Period Cuisine (Food Theme): American!

Western Theme: Stews, “strong” drinks, hard tac, beans, etc.

50s: TV Dinners, hamburgers, malts & shakes, etc.

80s: Box dinners, microwave & crockpot dinners, Pepsi Free, etc.

Current: Um … food you eat everyday or think will still be around in less than three years? Dippin' Dots? Food pill supplements? 

(Remember! You must at least ACT like you are enjoying your time period food as to not draw suspicion upon yourself and cause undue terrible time troubles.)

Period Costumes (Dress theme): Cowboys, Indians, nerd shirts, rolled up blue jeans, vests that double as life preservers, radiation suits, or the trendy clothing of today that never goes out of style.   
(Remember! There wasn't a lot of synthetics before the 60s, so remember to pack natural materials.)

Time Navigator (Captain Laser): Tyrell Gephardt

Theme: Back the the Future!!

Instructional Videos

(Please take the time to review these videos in order to make your time vacation a pleasant one.)

At 14:00 CST (2PM), the first of Rober Zemeckis's time travel trilogy was shown to an amazing turn out of attendees for a Laser Ranger's meeting that was not surpassed until the showing of “Das Boot” and “Yellow Submarine.”** In this time travel comedy, the audience was introduced to Marty McFly, a down on his luck high schooler who just wanted things to go his way until an accident sends him thirty years back in time from 1985 to 1955 where all he has to do to go home is save his parents' marriage.

First Feature:

Back to the Future (1985*, 116 min); Directed by Robert Zemeckis; Starring: Micheal J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thomson, Crispin Glover, Thomas F. Wilson, James Tolkan & Claudia Wells; Written by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale; Distrubuted by Universal Studios, USA.

Authentic Period Review:

(We know this is authentic because it was written for the VHS release!)

“Back to the Future is one of those movies that you love to watch over and over again. You get so involved in the story, that (even if you aren't a sci-fi fan) you can't stop watching. Michael J. Fox is Marty McFly, a typical teenager who accidentally gets sent back to the year 1955 in Doc Brown's (Cristopher Loyd) time machine. There, he has to repair the damamge [sic] he has done by bringing his parents bac together and then of course get "Back to the Future. Lea Thompson, Crispin Glover, and Thomas F. Wilson are a wonderful supporting cast. Unfortunatey, this movie has been out of print for quite some time now. Amazon, PLEASE GET IT BACK! It hasn't even made it to DVD yet. If you ever get a chance to buy this movie then do it, it's worth every penny.” -Radom Amazon Reviewer, AKA ManiacMansionJason (Thibodaux, Louisiana United States.) This review is from: Back to the Future [VHS] (VHS Tape)

Short (to precede first feature):

Invader Zim: “Bad Bad Rubber Piggy” (approx. 15 min.)

Break: 10 Minutes. ~14:10 (4PM) CST

Short:

Family Guy: “Back to the Pilot”

At 16:00 (4:00PM) CST, the Rangers will break for ten minutes. Afterwards, we will reconvene to watch the second part of Zemeckis's time epic, wherein Marty discovers a problem with his future that only his past (present) self can fix. With Doc's help, of course. But that is only the beginning a much bigger problem.

Second Feature:

Back to the Future Part II (1989*, 108 min); Directed by Robert Zemeckis; Starring: Micheal J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Lea Thomson, Jeffrey Weissman, Thomas F. Wilson, James Tolkan & Elisabeth Shue; Written by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale; Distrubuted by Universal Studios, USA.

Futuristic Review:

(It's “futuristic” because they're talking about the Blu-Ray release!)

“Back to the Future is one of the best popcorn movies ever made. It's ingenuity, time-traveling twist ups and wonderfully vibrant characters resonate in ways few films ever achieve. It's funny. It's sad. It's imaginative. It's great sci-fi, and terrific family entertainment. In short, Back to the Future is brilliant.

Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd share a terrific on-screen chemistry, and the supporting cast (including Crispin Glover, Lea Thompson, and Thomas F. Wilson) are just amazing.

And while many people hate or dislike Back to the Future Part II for being mean-spirited and darker – it's equally as brilliant. In fact, until the third Harry Potter book (and the film, respectively), no one had ever really attempted the time-traveling interweave that unraveled in BTTF Part II. Taking the sequel narrative and splicing it into the intricate web of the first feature is one of the boldest, most entertaining concepts ever put on paper. Sure, the film has a clunky first act – which takes place in a hilariously overblown futuristic society – but the film knows just how, and when, to entertain us, and it does so in spades. -by R.L. Shaffer (Read the full review)”

Dinner: 18:30 (6:30PM) CST

Short:

Internet clips from How it Should've Ended, Nike, & Robot Chicken

The dinner bell will ring about 18:30 (6:30PM) CST to be followed by the final flick around 19:15~:30 (7:15~:30PM) CST. Get along little doggies, this isn't one to miss! 

Third Feature:

Back to the Future Part III (1990*, 118 min.); Directed by Robert Zemeckis; Starring: Micheal J. Fox, Christopher Lloyd, Mary Steenburgen, Lea Thomson, Thomas F. Wilson; Written by Robert Zemeckis and Bob Gale; Distrubuted by Universal Studios, USA.

In the third and final installment of this time traveler’s tale, we are taken back to the climatic scene that ended the first film. Marty must again travel through time, but this time he's got to go back to the past in order to make it home.

A review of a third movie in a series of three:

“Michael J. Fox and Christopher Lloyd go on their third journey through time, this one winding up in the wild west, where Lloyd falls in love with schoolteacher Mary Steenburgen. Once again, Robert Zemeckis directed from a script he did with Bob Gale, and again Lea Thompson and Thomas F. Wilson costar. This is a good deal more likable than part two because the product plugs have been held back, and Zemeckis is clearly having fun alluding to his favorite westerns; there's also a certain sweetness and charm in the Lloyd-Steenburgen romance, although, like most elements in this trilogy, these qualities tend to be more conceptual and programmed than felt.” By Jonathan Rosenbaum.

To learn more about this triptych and see the individual sections in a larger resolution, please visit: http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/i398473-1/back-to-the-future-mondo-posters-back-to-the-future-iii.html#a369065

*Date does not reflect actual time period or time frame that video focuses on.

** Future reports of Laser Rangers actives are taken from one possible outcome and is subject to the various neo-quantum chaos theories. (Editor's Note: This time travel agency is not held responsible for any time altering actions you may have taken while on your trip.)

More information can be found at the Laser Rangers website. If you need directions to the program location, use the information inside the proscenium arch:

SOURCE CREDITS:

Back to the Future Part I review: http://www.amazon.com/Back-to-the-Future/dp/B00439FV0S/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1330733830&sr=8-1

Back to the Future Part I trailer: http://youtu.be/rHeiSq83hwk
Back to the Future Part II review: http://bluray.ign.com/articles/112/1128134p1.html

Back to the Future Part II trailer: http://youtu.be/oLiBfsRHAk0
Back to the Future Part III review: http://www.chicagoreader.com/chicago/back-to-the-future-part-iii/Film?oid=1072779

Back to the Future Part III trailer: http://youtu.be/YQMo8oMI0aE
Back to the Future Triptych poster: http://www.digitalspy.com/movies/i398473-1/back-to-the-future-mondo-posters-back-to-the-future-iii.html#a369065

All other low res-poster images come from Wikipedia commons and are free to use under the fair use act.)

The movie screen frame image used for the Laser Rangers contact information is courtesy of Psychology Today Online.

Updated: 3/7/2012 Changed Short from Family Guy "Mind over Murder" to "Back to the Pilot."