Lesson plan

Laserblast

Laserblast is a 1978 American independent science fiction film directed by Michael Rae and produced by Charles Band, widely known for producing B movies. Starring Kim Milford, Cheryl Smith, Gianni Russo, Keenan Wynn, Roddy McDowall, and Eddie Deezen (marking his screen debut), the plot follows an unhappy teenage loner who discovers an alien laser cannon and goes on a murderous rampage, seeking revenge against those who he feels have wronged him. The reptilian alien creatures in the film were works of stop motion animation by animator David W. Allen, beginning a decades-long collaboration between Allen and Band. The featured alien spacecraft model was designed and built by Greg Jein in two weeks, and the musical score was written in five days by Joel Goldsmith and Richard Band, the first film score for both composers. Laserblast has received overwhelmingly negative reviews and consistently ranks among the Bottom 100 list of films on the Internet Movie Database. Many critical reviews, however, cited Allen's stop motion animation as one of its only redeeming qualities. A sequel was planned for 1988, but was ultimately abandoned due to financial difficulties. Laserblast was featured in the seventh season finale of the comedy television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 in its Comedy Central Run, before moving to SciFi Channel.

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Article summary

Laserblast is a 1978 American independent science fiction film directed by Michael Rae and produced by Charles Band, widely known for producing B movies. Starring Kim Milford, Cheryl Smith, Gianni Russo, Keenan Wynn, Roddy McDowall, and Eddie Deezen (marking his screen debut), the plot follows an unhappy teenage loner who discovers an alien laser cannon and goes on a murderous rampage, seeking revenge against those who he feels have wronged him. The reptilian alien creatures in the film were works of stop motion animation by animator David W. Allen, beginning a decades-long collaboration between Allen and Band. The featured alien spacecraft model was designed and built by Greg Jein in two weeks, and the musical score was written in five days by Joel Goldsmith and Richard Band, the first film score for both composers. Laserblast has received overwhelmingly negative reviews and consistently ranks among the Bottom 100 list of films on the Internet Movie Database. Many critical reviews, however, cited Allen's stop motion animation as one of its only redeeming qualities. A sequel was planned for 1988, but was ultimately abandoned due to financial difficulties. Laserblast was featured in the seventh season finale of the comedy television series Mystery Science Theater 3000 in its Comedy Central Run, before moving to SciFi Channel.

Key claims

  1. release date: 1983 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  2. release date: 1978-03-01 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  3. release date: 1981 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  4. release date: 1993-06-30 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  5. release date: 1999-07-06 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  6. release date: 2005-08-01 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  7. release date: 2008-11-18 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95
  8. release date: 1980 — source: Wikipedia · confidence 0.95

Discussion questions

  1. Summarise the article in your own words. Which single claim would you verify first, and why?
  2. The record states that the release date is "1983". What evidence would count against this claim?
  3. The record states that the release date is "1978-03-01". What evidence would count against this claim?
  4. The record states that the release date is "1981". What evidence would count against this claim?
  5. The record states that the release date is "1993-06-30". What evidence would count against this claim?
  6. The record states that the release date is "1999-07-06". What evidence would count against this claim?
  7. The record states that the release date is "2005-08-01". What evidence would count against this claim?
  8. The record states that the release date is "2008-11-18". What evidence would count against this claim?
  9. The record states that the release date is "1980". What evidence would count against this claim?
  10. Which claim in this article is most likely to be revised as the sources update? How would you check its current status?
  11. If two sources disagreed about one of these facts, what would you need in order to trust one over the other?

Bibliography

  1. Wikipedia https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=1365858656

Key claims and bibliography are generated from the same tracked claims and sources as the article page.