The Twilight Zone - Season 1 (1985 - 1986)
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Movie Reviews of The Twilight Zone - Season 1 (1985 - 1986)
Movie Review: Do-do-do-do Do-do-do-do Do-do-do-do Do-do-do-do
Summary: 4 Stars
With all the TV shows being released on DVD these days, I hoped and prayed it wouldn't be too long before this show was released on DVD. And when I finally saw it being released this past Christmas, I only hoped my childhood memories wouldn't deceive me on the quality of the show...and for the most part they didn't.
Now, I know a lot of people are ragging on the picture quality which truthfully is NOT up to crystal clarity, but even one of the executive producers of TZ wrote in to Amazon.com to explain that we're lucky to have the DVD's at all since the masters were VHS which we all know degrades with time...which is WHY DVD is so much better. Some stories/episodes don't look bad at all, but there are a few stories/episodes which are quite scratched and/or grainy. It's just a shame that CBS waited this long to release TZ on DVD.
Now, onto the content...
The majority of the stories are just as good as I remembered and hold up over twenty years. Ironically, the darker stories (and an 8 o'clock time slot) are somewhat blamed for a decline in the ratings of the show. However, it is the darker stories which always stood out in my mind and actually hold up the best: "Gramma", "Examination Day", "The Elevator" and "Nightcrawlers". But other great stories that are a little easier on the heart and soul include "Shatterday", "A Little Piece And Quiet", "Wordplay", "Lost Hour Of Paladin, "To See The Invisible Man", "A Matter Of Minutes" and "Need To Know".
While some of the special effects don't look like they came out of JURASSIC PARK or THE MATRIX, many of the writers/producers on the various commentaries are quick to point out that they were state-of-the-art effects for the day. And it's really the story content that's the real winner here anyway. It was great thinking to make the stories as long as they needed to be instead of making them to fit commercial breaks.
Speaking of commentaries...not every segment has a commentary. However, several segments have 2 commentaries (basically the segments written by Harlan Ellison give Ellison his own commentary...and probably with good cause). While a lot of the commentaries are fairly insightful, the Harlan Ellison commentaries are priceless!!! Not only does he give great insight to his work but Mr. Ellison speaks his mind about everything and everyone...and in the most eloquent way possible. Quite delightful!!!
I highly recommend this sci-fi collection!
Movie Review: where is season 2-3?
Summary: 5 Stars
I have completely worn out my keyboard by just typing "twilight zone" in amazon and expecting to find it, where is it!?Movie Review: A Loving Tribute and a Fine Series
Summary: 5 Stars
Rod Serling would have loved this series.
It takes his concept and brings it full force with such care and depth, compassion and wit, humanity, strong scripts, excellent direction, and superb actors into new realms, new hurts and hopes and victories and magic, and is as important to have as the original. Words count here. Harlan Ellison said this was a writer's series. He is right.
"One Life, Furnished in Early Poverty," "Pallidan of the Lost Hour," "To See the Invisible Man," "A Message from Charity"--each has so much fancy and wonderful imagination in them,and such heart and delicacy, they are like precious diamonds from Tiffany's.
For a woman to see the son she will never have, and then the boy gone for good, for a man to have a true love who is born and grows up and ages and dies in mere hours--all these things have that special Serling touch. Rare and unforgettable. Caviar for viewers who like to think and imagine and dwell in quite a splendid place.
The voice over of Harlan Ellison for "One Life..." is so evocative, so Twilight Zonian for him as well as for us, as he sees himself as a boy and man in the episode connotes a link, and dreamers of dreams who gave everything they had to a touchstone series. It is about life and us and I wept often as not.
It is also scary. "Nightcrawlers" is brilliant. As is "A Matter of Minutes" (the latter and the Theodore Sturgeon story it was based on were an "inspiration" for the last part of Stephen King's "The Langoliers." For the inspiration of the first part of King's "The Langoliers," check out Rod's original TZ episode, "Oddssey of Flight 33." King has been "inspired" a great deal over the years. Way way too "inspired.")
There are also funny stories. Hilarous word plays. That famous endless stop watch. Another match with the devil. And a special tribute to all those great fifties science fiction movies--endearing and wonderful--featuring excellent character actors like Jeff Morrow and John Agar and Ken Tobey, from the great movies it pays tribute to. Listen to the voice over and find all the in jokes, there are a ton of them, you may have missed. And watch out for another metor space ship landing next to the town of Matheson. Especially duck when you see those bradbury rays a'comin'.
Movie Review: picture is not that bad
Summary: 5 Stars
I have been reading the reviews here. The bad for this set is the picture quality according to many of the reviews. But I can tell you, the picture is not that bad. Hey come on, Bruce Willis has no more hair now. People said that the picture was bad. They haven't seen the picture quality from the Sex and the City or the ST'TNG set. Those are REALLY BAD. But no, not this Twilight Zone. It is pretty good; not great but not bad either. Not everybody likes George Lucas who has that kind of resources to re-master the old stuffs to make them look brand new. But of course, I wouldn't mind to have someone who spend couple years to clean up the picture.
There is an insert in the box. The insert is pretty good. It has the brief descriptions on each of the episodes and some screenshots. This really help me to find my favorite episondes. However, there is no way to skip to the actual epsiode within the "eqsiode" except to use the fast forward button. If I remember correctly, the last time I have to do something like this is with my VCR.
Sound quality is pretty good. But again, these things are not really important. We are watching the Twilight Zone here. What we are really looking forward to is the story, and the writting, and the dialog.
The box is ok. But I really hate this kind of DVD holder. It is kind difficult to get the disc out. I have to push the button in the middle and "force" the disc out. I personally like the one that you push the button in the middle and the disc just pop it right out by itself.
One more thing I like is that there is NO more of those stupid useless fancy computer animiated menu or transition thing. I hate those things. I am glad that I don't see those in this set.
So 5 stars for this TZ.
Movie Review: TO PURCHASE? TO RENT? THAT IS THE QUANDARY
Summary: 2 Stars
The stunning assemblage of writing, acting and directorial dignitaries for the first season of this series has never since been matched on American television.
It is lamentable, however, that the sum total from this talented group, contained in this box set, is far less noteworthy than the individual pedigrees of the participants.
Of the 59 "stories" contained on these six discs, only three are truly worth being referred to as "outstanding": Harlan Ellison's "Paladin Of The Lost Hour" (winner of both the Writers Guild Of America & Hugo Awards in 1986), Alan Brennert's "Her Pilgrim Soul", and Brennert's adaption of Ellison's "Shatterday". These stories not only stand the test of time, but are eminently worthy of repeated viewings.
Two other stories, an adaption of Roger Zelazny's "The Last Defender Of Camelot", and Brennert's inspired eight-minute comedy "I Of Newton" deserve mention.
Of the remaining stories, there are a few which may please once, but probably will not bear repetition.
I remember looking forward to each original broadcast. The five stories I listed above were so good that I kept tuning in week after week, always with the best of hopes. However, I also remember being pretty disappointed most of the time at the end of each episode.
An integral component of the emotional power of the original series was the stark black-and-white film photography. Although Brennert himself has stepped in to clarify the issue of the video quality of this set (see his review above), it doesn't belay the fact that the color film-to-video presentation is harsh-looking and the special effects painfully amateurish and distracting.
I would strongly suggest to anyone considering purchasing this set to first rent the discs from NetFlix.com (Blockbuster.com does not carry the set on their site as of this writing). That way, you'll be able to judge for yourself if the high cost of the set, versus the reality of whether you are truly going to repeatedly watch it, is really worth the investment.
The five stories I mentioned above, located on discs 1, 3 & 6, certainly deserve repeated future viewings. However, they'll always be available thru NetFlix when you get the urge to see them.