Amazing Stories DVD Release.
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AndyDursin
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Doesn't it figure? I finish transferring my tapes and discs to DVD and there it is!! 
Between this and the HULK it's going to be a fun summer for genre TV fans.
For the record I loved AMAZING STORIES and grew up with it. Sure the 2nd season basically was inferior (the second half of it in particular) and not every show worked...but at least it really felt like a unique series where each director (and composer too!) brought his own stamp to each show. The production values were top notch as well.
Anyway I can't wait to revisit it, my wife-to-be has never seen it and she's enjoyed watching some old Twilight Zones with me over the last couple of years. This is also the kind of show that's perfect for video -- each episode being a standalone makes it ideal for "pick up and play".
Some of my favorite shows from the first season:
-THE MISSION: Obviously everyone knows this. Williams' marvelous score, so many recognizable faces in early roles (Costner, Kiefer Sutherland), and excellent direction from Spielberg, who made up for the relatively weak debut GHOST TRAIN (which has never been a particular favorite of mine).
-SANTA '85: I loved Thomas Newman's score for this Phil Joanou directed episode (talk about a guy with some brilliant flashes of filmmaking prowess but an uneven and disappointing career).
-THE AMAZING FALSWORTH: They aired this episode at a "special later time" (Tuesday at 9:30pm if I'm not correct) because of its itensity and added a viewer discretion disclaimer. One of Peter Hyams' best efforts, this one is creepy and well-done.
-MUMMY DADDY: Whimsical, fun and easily one of the best episodes of the series. Elfman's score is amusing and so is the comic but loving tone of the whole program.
-REMOTE CONTROL MAN: Maybe not a great story but filled with so many cameos of the era it's a must see.
-THE DOLL: What a great episode! Intended for the Zone but perfect for this series, with a marvelous performance by John Lithgow (Emmy winner) and a beautiful Delerue score. Sublime!
-HELL TOUPEE: Irvin Kerschner scores with a bombastic but funny comical episode.
And of course there were the misses:
-ALAMO JOBE: Horner-scored, disappointing effort with Kelly Reno ("The Black Stallion") in a time-travel paradox. The ending in particular is weak.
-MIRROR MIRROR: Scorsese's lone Amazing Stories is a turkey, an almost incoherent mess with Sam Waterston. Is this the Kamen score that's eqaully bad?
-GATHER YE ACORNS: I was jazzed about Mark Hamill starring in an Amazing Stories but despite his performance this is not one of the series' more interesting efforts.
-BOO: Joe Dante's well-intentioned but soft tale with only a so-so Goldsmith score. One might have expected more from the combo since they were coming off "Gremlins" and "explorers" at the time.
The price tag is a bit high ($50 for one season?) but I'd pay for it even IF Universal doesn't send me a review copy!
Between this and the HULK it's going to be a fun summer for genre TV fans.
For the record I loved AMAZING STORIES and grew up with it. Sure the 2nd season basically was inferior (the second half of it in particular) and not every show worked...but at least it really felt like a unique series where each director (and composer too!) brought his own stamp to each show. The production values were top notch as well.
Anyway I can't wait to revisit it, my wife-to-be has never seen it and she's enjoyed watching some old Twilight Zones with me over the last couple of years. This is also the kind of show that's perfect for video -- each episode being a standalone makes it ideal for "pick up and play".
Some of my favorite shows from the first season:
-THE MISSION: Obviously everyone knows this. Williams' marvelous score, so many recognizable faces in early roles (Costner, Kiefer Sutherland), and excellent direction from Spielberg, who made up for the relatively weak debut GHOST TRAIN (which has never been a particular favorite of mine).
-SANTA '85: I loved Thomas Newman's score for this Phil Joanou directed episode (talk about a guy with some brilliant flashes of filmmaking prowess but an uneven and disappointing career).
-THE AMAZING FALSWORTH: They aired this episode at a "special later time" (Tuesday at 9:30pm if I'm not correct) because of its itensity and added a viewer discretion disclaimer. One of Peter Hyams' best efforts, this one is creepy and well-done.
-MUMMY DADDY: Whimsical, fun and easily one of the best episodes of the series. Elfman's score is amusing and so is the comic but loving tone of the whole program.
-REMOTE CONTROL MAN: Maybe not a great story but filled with so many cameos of the era it's a must see.
-THE DOLL: What a great episode! Intended for the Zone but perfect for this series, with a marvelous performance by John Lithgow (Emmy winner) and a beautiful Delerue score. Sublime!
-HELL TOUPEE: Irvin Kerschner scores with a bombastic but funny comical episode.
And of course there were the misses:
-ALAMO JOBE: Horner-scored, disappointing effort with Kelly Reno ("The Black Stallion") in a time-travel paradox. The ending in particular is weak.
-MIRROR MIRROR: Scorsese's lone Amazing Stories is a turkey, an almost incoherent mess with Sam Waterston. Is this the Kamen score that's eqaully bad?
-GATHER YE ACORNS: I was jazzed about Mark Hamill starring in an Amazing Stories but despite his performance this is not one of the series' more interesting efforts.
-BOO: Joe Dante's well-intentioned but soft tale with only a so-so Goldsmith score. One might have expected more from the combo since they were coming off "Gremlins" and "explorers" at the time.
The price tag is a bit high ($50 for one season?) but I'd pay for it even IF Universal doesn't send me a review copy!
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AndyDursin
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I noticed TVshowsondvd laments the lack of extras...but it DOES include deleted scenes (and from the menu screen there are a LOT of them!), which is a major and happy occurrence IMO.
In Universal's defense, this isn't a regular weekly series where you can interview cast members and such. In fact, if they couldn't get Spielberg (and it's possible he doesn't want to talk about its lack of success; after all he only directed 2 shows so he's not to blame for the other shows he DIDN'T direct), what else are they supposed to do? Track down each director specifically? That would require a much bigger commitment and expense.
Still, that they're including deleted footage is quite exciting to me as a fan, so thumbs up there.
I do hate the packaging, though...what was wrong with the original series logo and design?
In Universal's defense, this isn't a regular weekly series where you can interview cast members and such. In fact, if they couldn't get Spielberg (and it's possible he doesn't want to talk about its lack of success; after all he only directed 2 shows so he's not to blame for the other shows he DIDN'T direct), what else are they supposed to do? Track down each director specifically? That would require a much bigger commitment and expense.
Still, that they're including deleted footage is quite exciting to me as a fan, so thumbs up there.
I do hate the packaging, though...what was wrong with the original series logo and design?
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DavidBanner
Amazing Stories in its time was a bit of a train wreck. It was on the air at the same time as the mid-80's version of Twilight Zone (not to mention Tales from the Darkside). At the time, the conventional wisdom was that Twilight Zone had the stronger writing (what with Harlan Ellison and Alan Brennert), and Amazing Stories had the bigger directors.
As I recall, NBC bought two seasons of Amazing Stories without seeing a single episode on the strength of Spielberg's name, and his promise to deliver feature directors each week. The reviews were pretty bad, mostly commenting that the series seemed to resemble a low-level Spielberg movie every week, with even Scorcese's work looking like Spielberg's. This was at the same time that Spielberg had a summer with no less than 3 movies that he had produced with many of the same issues: Back to the Future, The Goonies, and Young Sherlock Holmes. (Not knocking the individual films - just noting the context) And he had just released The Color Purple. (which notably went on to get nominated for everything BUT the directing, which was a reflection of people feeling OD'd on everything Spielberg for the moment).
I remember seeing Ghost Train during its initial airing and really not going for it. I also remember The Mission, and thinking it was great for the first two thirds, until the ENDING happens, at which point I threw up my hands. I do remember hearing the Zemeckis segment with Christopher Lloyd was supposed to be good, but I never made it through it.
As I recall, NBC bought two seasons of Amazing Stories without seeing a single episode on the strength of Spielberg's name, and his promise to deliver feature directors each week. The reviews were pretty bad, mostly commenting that the series seemed to resemble a low-level Spielberg movie every week, with even Scorcese's work looking like Spielberg's. This was at the same time that Spielberg had a summer with no less than 3 movies that he had produced with many of the same issues: Back to the Future, The Goonies, and Young Sherlock Holmes. (Not knocking the individual films - just noting the context) And he had just released The Color Purple. (which notably went on to get nominated for everything BUT the directing, which was a reflection of people feeling OD'd on everything Spielberg for the moment).
I remember seeing Ghost Train during its initial airing and really not going for it. I also remember The Mission, and thinking it was great for the first two thirds, until the ENDING happens, at which point I threw up my hands. I do remember hearing the Zemeckis segment with Christopher Lloyd was supposed to be good, but I never made it through it.
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AndyDursin
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Good points David, and I wouldn't disagree with most of that. That WAS the gut feeling on those two shows among some aficionados (at least for the first seasons of each) but I don't believe the '85 TZ really earned that reputation, if you look back on them now.
I think expectations were extremely high on AMAZING STORIES and you're right, NBC did buy 2 seasons sight unseen. That the show failed was the sort of thing that made people who just wanted to see Spielberg fall on his face for a change happy...but I still think the show is well worth viewing and I would -- for me at least -- not agree that the CBS '80s revival of the Zone is superior. They're different animals and if you don't care for Spielberg's sentimentality at times, I can see why you'd object to AS, but I found the hit-to-miss ratio in the 85 TZ to be a lot lower than the quality moments -- and I didn't even find it Serling-like in most instances, either.
Here's my review from last year in fact on this very subject:
After five seasons on the CBS airwaves, “The Twilight Zone” retreated to a long, successful tenure in re-run syndication. Along the way, Steven Spielberg opted to produce an anthology “Zone” feature film in 1983. “Twilight Zone: The Movie” was a box-office flop and an ultimately disappointing film, dominated by misguided changes to its source material and only redeemed partially by George Miller’s concluding segment and Jerry Goldsmith’s sensational score.
Though far from a commercial success, the “Zone” movie paved the way for THE TWILIGHT ZONE to return to the air in 1985, alongside other genre anthologies like NBC’s “Amazing Stories” and revival of “Alfred Hitchcock Presents.”
Unfortunately, while “Amazing Stories” was front-loaded with talent and high production values (and as such hasn’t dated badly), the 1985 “Twilight Zone” feels very much like a product of its time. The grainy look of the series (which is how it originally appeared) and mostly pedestrian musical scores by “Merl Saunders and The Grateful Dead” only enhance the often disappointing stories assembled by producer Phil DeGuere and consultant Harlan Ellison among others.
Going through all six discs of Image’s “Twilight Zone” ‘85, I was struck by how the new show often lost sight of what Serling’s original series was all about. Many stories offer a shocking twist, but unlike the old “Zone,” there’s usually no subtext or point to them. Serling’s series often had a message that transcended the creatures and alien invaders you’d routinely see. Here, in its worst moments, the “Zone” revival simply feels like bad ‘80s genre television – more like “Tales From The Darkside” in tone and spirit than Serling – with often subpar special effects.
One of the other strange and unsettling aspects to the series is how it routinely used children as victims, with one episode (“Examination Day”) showing a young boy executed for being too intelligent, another young protagonist (in Joe Dante’s “The Shadow Man”) strangled at the hands of a fictional comic book character, and a Stephen King adaptation (“Gramma”) featuring Barrett Oliver being tormented by his devilish grandmother. There are other instances as well (“The Burning Man,” “Children’s Zoo,” “A Little Peace and Quiet”) where kids either meet a grizzly end or are at least viewed as obstacles in the happiness of its protagonists – something that, no wonder, made the ‘85 “Zone” an unbelievably unsuitable choice for viewing among 8:00 p.m. audiences on a Friday night (as producer Phil DeGuere notes in one of his audio commentaries, the producers were guaranteed by CBS that the show would air at 10:00 p.m., but ultimately to no avail. Regardless, the tone of most of these shows would leave a bad taste in the mouth at ANY hour).
There are, however, some superb episodes sprinkled throughout the disappointments – though only enough that a 2-disc “Best Of” compilation likely would have suited most viewers.
Director Wes Craven was responsible for the few standout shows from the “Zone” revival, including “Her Pilgrim Soul,” a lyrical tale of love lost and found, beautifully scripted by Richard Matheson; “Dealer’s Choice,” with Morgan Freeman and M. Emmett Walsh playing cards with the devil; and “Shatterday,” a Harlan Ellison story about a businessman (Bruce Willis) whose conflicting personas ultimately clash with one another.
Other solid episodes include the excellent “A Message From Charity,” about the unlikely, sensitive and moving connection between a girl in Puritan Massachusetts and a modern teenage boy, sporting a Basil Poledouris score that sticks out like a sore thumb in comparison to most “Zone” revival soundtracks (and the less said, the better about the Grateful Dead’s eclectic, but unsatisfying, musical contributions). William Friedkin’s “Nightcrawlers” is the most impressive visual piece of the series, while Ellison’s “Paladin of the Lost Hour” manages to transcend its creaky visuals with a satisfying premise and incisive dialogue.
Speaking of Ellison, he contributes many fascinating and hilarious commentary tracks throughout Image’s box set, no more so than on “Paladin,” where he calls director Gil Cates (operating under the “Alan Smithee” pseudonym) a “hack” and talks about how “selfish” star Danny Kaye was during shooting. It’s moments like those that make you treasure commentary tracks where filmmakers are candid about what REALLY went on, and while such tracks are atypical on DVD, all of the commentaries here are fascinating and add plenty of insight into the series’ production, failures and successes.
http://www.andyfilm.com/1-11-05.html
I think expectations were extremely high on AMAZING STORIES and you're right, NBC did buy 2 seasons sight unseen. That the show failed was the sort of thing that made people who just wanted to see Spielberg fall on his face for a change happy...but I still think the show is well worth viewing and I would -- for me at least -- not agree that the CBS '80s revival of the Zone is superior. They're different animals and if you don't care for Spielberg's sentimentality at times, I can see why you'd object to AS, but I found the hit-to-miss ratio in the 85 TZ to be a lot lower than the quality moments -- and I didn't even find it Serling-like in most instances, either.
Here's my review from last year in fact on this very subject:
After five seasons on the CBS airwaves, “The Twilight Zone” retreated to a long, successful tenure in re-run syndication. Along the way, Steven Spielberg opted to produce an anthology “Zone” feature film in 1983. “Twilight Zone: The Movie” was a box-office flop and an ultimately disappointing film, dominated by misguided changes to its source material and only redeemed partially by George Miller’s concluding segment and Jerry Goldsmith’s sensational score.
Though far from a commercial success, the “Zone” movie paved the way for THE TWILIGHT ZONE to return to the air in 1985, alongside other genre anthologies like NBC’s “Amazing Stories” and revival of “Alfred Hitchcock Presents.”
Unfortunately, while “Amazing Stories” was front-loaded with talent and high production values (and as such hasn’t dated badly), the 1985 “Twilight Zone” feels very much like a product of its time. The grainy look of the series (which is how it originally appeared) and mostly pedestrian musical scores by “Merl Saunders and The Grateful Dead” only enhance the often disappointing stories assembled by producer Phil DeGuere and consultant Harlan Ellison among others.
Going through all six discs of Image’s “Twilight Zone” ‘85, I was struck by how the new show often lost sight of what Serling’s original series was all about. Many stories offer a shocking twist, but unlike the old “Zone,” there’s usually no subtext or point to them. Serling’s series often had a message that transcended the creatures and alien invaders you’d routinely see. Here, in its worst moments, the “Zone” revival simply feels like bad ‘80s genre television – more like “Tales From The Darkside” in tone and spirit than Serling – with often subpar special effects.
One of the other strange and unsettling aspects to the series is how it routinely used children as victims, with one episode (“Examination Day”) showing a young boy executed for being too intelligent, another young protagonist (in Joe Dante’s “The Shadow Man”) strangled at the hands of a fictional comic book character, and a Stephen King adaptation (“Gramma”) featuring Barrett Oliver being tormented by his devilish grandmother. There are other instances as well (“The Burning Man,” “Children’s Zoo,” “A Little Peace and Quiet”) where kids either meet a grizzly end or are at least viewed as obstacles in the happiness of its protagonists – something that, no wonder, made the ‘85 “Zone” an unbelievably unsuitable choice for viewing among 8:00 p.m. audiences on a Friday night (as producer Phil DeGuere notes in one of his audio commentaries, the producers were guaranteed by CBS that the show would air at 10:00 p.m., but ultimately to no avail. Regardless, the tone of most of these shows would leave a bad taste in the mouth at ANY hour).
There are, however, some superb episodes sprinkled throughout the disappointments – though only enough that a 2-disc “Best Of” compilation likely would have suited most viewers.
Director Wes Craven was responsible for the few standout shows from the “Zone” revival, including “Her Pilgrim Soul,” a lyrical tale of love lost and found, beautifully scripted by Richard Matheson; “Dealer’s Choice,” with Morgan Freeman and M. Emmett Walsh playing cards with the devil; and “Shatterday,” a Harlan Ellison story about a businessman (Bruce Willis) whose conflicting personas ultimately clash with one another.
Other solid episodes include the excellent “A Message From Charity,” about the unlikely, sensitive and moving connection between a girl in Puritan Massachusetts and a modern teenage boy, sporting a Basil Poledouris score that sticks out like a sore thumb in comparison to most “Zone” revival soundtracks (and the less said, the better about the Grateful Dead’s eclectic, but unsatisfying, musical contributions). William Friedkin’s “Nightcrawlers” is the most impressive visual piece of the series, while Ellison’s “Paladin of the Lost Hour” manages to transcend its creaky visuals with a satisfying premise and incisive dialogue.
Speaking of Ellison, he contributes many fascinating and hilarious commentary tracks throughout Image’s box set, no more so than on “Paladin,” where he calls director Gil Cates (operating under the “Alan Smithee” pseudonym) a “hack” and talks about how “selfish” star Danny Kaye was during shooting. It’s moments like those that make you treasure commentary tracks where filmmakers are candid about what REALLY went on, and while such tracks are atypical on DVD, all of the commentaries here are fascinating and add plenty of insight into the series’ production, failures and successes.
http://www.andyfilm.com/1-11-05.html
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Eric Paddon
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AndyDursin
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Eric Paddon
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DavidBanner
I agree with most of your review, Andy. It's clear that the 1985 Zone was certainly no match for the original. But as you noted, there were several pieces that were worth the time - Marc Scott Zicree notes the same thing in his Companion book.
It should be noted that the 1983 Twilight Zone movie wasn't just a misguided flop - it was also the site of three tragic and avoidable deaths during the filming of John Landis' segment. When the movie came out, the cloud of those deaths hung over the film, and the bad reviews it got didn't help the situation. In many ways, I find that film to be a precursor to what Spielberg would do with Amazing Stories, except that the film mostly adapted old Zone episodes for the big screen.
I stand by my feeling that the 1985 Zone scripts were superior to the Amazing Stories ones, but that really isn't saying much. Neither series had a Rod Serling or anyone like him writing for it. On the other hand, the one strength the 1985 Zone had was its adaptation of solid science fiction short stories from established authors, and many of its best efforts were such adapations, as your review shows. On the other hand, the results were pretty sporadic, sometimes within a single hour. And, again, Amazing Stories had the better pick of directors. Wes Craven is a good director, but he only directed a few of the pieces. William Friedkin only directed one, although he was supposed to direct "Gramma" and backed out after casting it.
On the DVD set, Harlan's commentaries are a scream, particularly where he's taking some of the directing credit for "Gramma". I have worked with the actual director of that segment, Bradford May, who made his directorial debut on it after serving as the Director of Photography on that and before it, Simon & Simon. (Bradford was amused to hear that Harlan was discussing the "co-directing" effort on the commentary) The commentaries are similarly interesting in that they are some of the last work done by Phil DeGuere before he died a year ago. Phil and Bradford both noted that this was their favorite series of all the ones they had done, and it's easy to see why, even if it wasn't always successful. Certainly after the first season, it completely went off the road and fell apart.
As for Amazing Stories, it was never known for its writing. Its calling card was the fact that feature directors were coming in to do segments, and it was hoped that their styles would help buoy the whole project into a classier thing than actually happened. Particularly in television, you really have to start with a good script. And even with the higher budgets and production values, the Amazing Stories scripts were rarely that good. Even "The Mission" runs into serious trouble by its end, effectively ruining what had been a really great buildup with some really well acted parts. I never saw any episodes of the 2nd season, but it's my understanding that Spielberg had lost interest by then, particularly after the first season flopped, and had distanced himself from the project before it was finally cancelled. I'll be interested to see what is on those discs, but where I immediately jumped to pick up the Zone discs, I'm a lot more reserved for AS.
It should be noted that the 1983 Twilight Zone movie wasn't just a misguided flop - it was also the site of three tragic and avoidable deaths during the filming of John Landis' segment. When the movie came out, the cloud of those deaths hung over the film, and the bad reviews it got didn't help the situation. In many ways, I find that film to be a precursor to what Spielberg would do with Amazing Stories, except that the film mostly adapted old Zone episodes for the big screen.
I stand by my feeling that the 1985 Zone scripts were superior to the Amazing Stories ones, but that really isn't saying much. Neither series had a Rod Serling or anyone like him writing for it. On the other hand, the one strength the 1985 Zone had was its adaptation of solid science fiction short stories from established authors, and many of its best efforts were such adapations, as your review shows. On the other hand, the results were pretty sporadic, sometimes within a single hour. And, again, Amazing Stories had the better pick of directors. Wes Craven is a good director, but he only directed a few of the pieces. William Friedkin only directed one, although he was supposed to direct "Gramma" and backed out after casting it.
On the DVD set, Harlan's commentaries are a scream, particularly where he's taking some of the directing credit for "Gramma". I have worked with the actual director of that segment, Bradford May, who made his directorial debut on it after serving as the Director of Photography on that and before it, Simon & Simon. (Bradford was amused to hear that Harlan was discussing the "co-directing" effort on the commentary) The commentaries are similarly interesting in that they are some of the last work done by Phil DeGuere before he died a year ago. Phil and Bradford both noted that this was their favorite series of all the ones they had done, and it's easy to see why, even if it wasn't always successful. Certainly after the first season, it completely went off the road and fell apart.
As for Amazing Stories, it was never known for its writing. Its calling card was the fact that feature directors were coming in to do segments, and it was hoped that their styles would help buoy the whole project into a classier thing than actually happened. Particularly in television, you really have to start with a good script. And even with the higher budgets and production values, the Amazing Stories scripts were rarely that good. Even "The Mission" runs into serious trouble by its end, effectively ruining what had been a really great buildup with some really well acted parts. I never saw any episodes of the 2nd season, but it's my understanding that Spielberg had lost interest by then, particularly after the first season flopped, and had distanced himself from the project before it was finally cancelled. I'll be interested to see what is on those discs, but where I immediately jumped to pick up the Zone discs, I'm a lot more reserved for AS.
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Edmund Kattak
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To this day, I think that THE MISSION is by far the best of AMAZING STORIES lot. It may not be perfect, but I always get an excited and compelling reaction when I play ithe episode for friends and family members who had no clue this series even existed.
My 12-year old nephew was doing a report on SPIELBERG for school and asked me for some help. Well, I think he shocked the entire school when I supplied him with the episode. Nobody had ever seen it. They reacted to the big names - KEVIN COSTNER, KIEFER SUTHERLAND) and cinematic style, along with Williams music, as if they were watching a feature film. Even my brother-in-law (who is almost my age) never heard of the series.
So, this is a widely welcomed release. I hope the transfers are superb.
My 12-year old nephew was doing a report on SPIELBERG for school and asked me for some help. Well, I think he shocked the entire school when I supplied him with the episode. Nobody had ever seen it. They reacted to the big names - KEVIN COSTNER, KIEFER SUTHERLAND) and cinematic style, along with Williams music, as if they were watching a feature film. Even my brother-in-law (who is almost my age) never heard of the series.
So, this is a widely welcomed release. I hope the transfers are superb.
Indeed,
Ed
Ed
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AndyDursin
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Agreed. One of the things about the ending of THE MISSION -- David's reaction is one that many people have to it. However, this ISN'T the Twilight Zone. It's not The Outer Limits. It's very much Spielberg's take on a genre anthology series, and that ending is fantastic and unbelievable...just as you would expect from a series called AMAZING Stories.Edmund Kattak wrote:To this day, I think that THE MISSION is by far the best of AMAZING STORIES lot. It may not be perfect, but I always get an excited and compelling reaction when I play ithe episode for friends and family members who had no clue this series even existed.
My 12-year old nephew was doing a report on SPIELBERG for school and asked me for some help. Well, I think he shocked the entire school when I supplied him with the episode. Nobody had ever seen it. They reacted to the big names - KEVIN COSTNER, KIEFER SUTHERLAND) and cinematic style, along with Williams music, as if they were watching a feature film. Even my brother-in-law (who is almost my age) never heard of the series.
So, this is a widely welcomed release. I hope the transfers are superb.
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Edmund Kattak
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Absolutely. A lot of people reacted very weirdly to the ending. I had to just re-enforce the premise of the episode, the series, and emphasize what the Casey Siemaszko character was all about and it was a little more acceptable.
BTW, I was very disppointed by the 80's TWILIGHT ZONE. I remember a couple of the episodes that I liked (One with Melinda Dillon about a watch stopping or something to that effect whcih resulted in evrything freezing). Other than that, I can't say that anything else resonated, even though writers like Richard Matheson may have been involved.
BTW, I was very disppointed by the 80's TWILIGHT ZONE. I remember a couple of the episodes that I liked (One with Melinda Dillon about a watch stopping or something to that effect whcih resulted in evrything freezing). Other than that, I can't say that anything else resonated, even though writers like Richard Matheson may have been involved.
Indeed,
Ed
Ed
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AndyDursin
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Agreed. As I wrote in my review it hasn't aged well at all, either. More like TALES FROM THE DARKSIDE than Serling...you could do a 2-disc "Best Of" compilation that would pretty much take care of all the worthy episodes from the revival and its mostly-awful syndicated off-shoot.Edmund Kattak wrote:Absolutely. A lot of people reacted very weirdly to the ending. I had to just re-enforce the premise of the episode, the series, and emphasize what the Casey Siemaszko character was all about and it was a little more acceptable.
BTW, I was very disppointed by the 80's TWILIGHT ZONE. I remember a couple of the episodes that I liked (One with Melinda Dillon about a watch stopping or something to that effect whcih resulted in evrything freezing). Other than that, I can't say that anything else resonated, even though writers like Richard Matheson may have been involved.