1. Okay, I remember seeing this movie on tv a few years ago involving
some teenage guy finding a secret military weapon that fell off a
train.  Anyway, the guy is really into comic books or something and so
he thinks it's some alien weapon and he goes and starts blowing things
up, like the other kids who pick on him, etc.  In the end, he gets
killed by the military after they try and get the weapon back from
him.

2. This was a really scary movie (as a kid anyway).  I think this
family moves into this old house and the kid finds a ventriloquist
dummy (I believe it has a tophat and a monocle, but not certain) in a
dusty old shed or garage.  Anyway, the dummy comes to life.. I
remember a scene with the dummy in the kids bedroom and it was
floating under the ceiling and shooting these lightning rays from his
fingers or something.  And near the end, there's a scene where the kid
walks into a room with the dummy sitting in a big, eerie chair as the
camera pans around from the back of the chair.

Wish I had more, but that's about it... If you know what these are and
where I can locate them, I'd appreciate any help!

The first movie is "Laserblast," and the second is "Making Contact"
(also released as "Joey.") Many thanks to my researcher colleague and
friend, juggler-ga, for providing me with valuable information during
this search.

--------------------------------------------------

Here is an amusing synopsis of "Laserblast," along with several still
photos, an mpeg video, and some audio clips:

Bad Movies: Laserblast
http://www.badmovies.org/movies/laserblast/

--------------------------------------------------

Here's a bit of info about "Making Contact":

MAKING CONTACT (aka JOEY) (1985) 
Pro-jekt/Bishop Film/Centropolis Filmproduktion 
...After his father's death, a boy gains telekinetic powers and uses
them to battle a an evil ventriloquist's dummy and goes through a
2001-esque stargate sequence at the end.

MSTable Movies
http://www.m5p.com/~pravn/mst3k/m.html 

--------------------------------------------------

If you want to purchase copies of these movies, you're in luck: both
are plentiful on the used market, and are often found at bargain
prices.

"Laserblast," used, on VHS:

Half.Ebay.com
http://half.ebay.com/cat/buy/prod.cgi?cpid=1941891&domain_id=1877&meta_id=3

"Laserblast," used, on DVD:

Half.Ebay.com
http://half.ebay.com/cat/buy/prod.cgi?cpid=1941893&domain_id=1877&meta_id=3

"Making Contact," used, on VHS:

Half.Ebay.com
http://half.ebay.com/cat/buy/prod.cgi?cpid=1944577&domain_id=1877&meta_id=3

The DVD of "Laserblast" is also available new:

Movies Unlimited
http://www.moviesunlimited.com/musite/affiliate/member/221/8.asp?page=product.asp&sku=D13923

And you can order a brand new Special Edition DVD of "Making Contact"
here (release date is November 19th):

Movies Unlimited
http://www.moviesunlimited.com/musite/affiliate/member/221/8.asp?page=product.asp&sku=D32340

My Google search strategy:

"laserblast"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=laserblast

"making contact" + "ventriloquist's dummy"
://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%22making+contact%22+%22ventriloquist%27s+dummy

I hope this helps! If anything I've said is unclear or not correct, or
if any of the links do not function, please request clarification
before rating my answer, and I will gladly provide further assistance.

Best wishes,
pinkfreud

---

Request for Answer Clarification by beatbox32-ga on 02 Nov 2002 02:50 PST

pinkfreud-ga,

Excellent work!  I must say I'm quite impressed with what you've come
up with.  You hit the "Making Contact" film dead on!  I just
pre-ordered my DVD.  But I don't believe Laserblast was the film I'm
thinking of.  I specifically remember at the end of the movie, the guy
being shot down by military soldiers because he was so enamored with
the weapon and wouldn't give it up.  The plotline is surprisingly
similar though, but I don't remember any actual aliens being involved.
 And I'm pretty sure I remember the kid finding the gun after it fell
out of a train.  It might have even been a made-for-tv movie or one of
those small HBO films.  Anyway, I thank you for your hard work! 
You'll definitely be getting a good rating from me, but if you can
come up with other possible films for the first question, that'd be
great.  I'll throw in a nice tip. :)

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 02 Nov 2002 06:41 PST

OK, my second guess for the "secret weapon and the teen guy" movie is
related to my first guess. "Deadly Weapon" is essentially a 1989
remake of "Laserblast," minus the aliens.

How does this sound?

An experimental gun powered by an atomic reactor is misplaced when the
transport carrying it crashes into a river. The weapon soon falls into
the hands of a bullied teen named Zeke...

An army team led by the overzealous Lt. Dalton is sent to recover the
weapon...

Internet Movie Database
http://us.imdb.com/Plot?0097171

If this is it, here's where you can get it on VHS (gotta love those
95-cent VHS goodies at Half.Ebay.com!)

Half.Ebay.com
http://half.ebay.com/cat/buy/prod.cgi?cpid=1927241&domain_id=1877&meta_id=3

I hope I've nailed it this time! If not, please send another
clarification request and I'll fire up the old thinking cap for
another cruise to the B-movie nostalgia drive-in! ;-)

~Pink

---

Clarification of Answer by pinkfreud-ga on 03 Nov 2002 13:35 PST

Thank you very much for the five-star rating and the five-dollar tip!

I hope you enjoy your movies!

~Pink

pinkfreud-ga (and of course his/her partner juggler-ga) provided
exceptional service!!  They found the answer to both of my questions
and did a great job on following up with my questions!  I heartily
recommend these two. :)