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Petticoat Junction: Spur Line to Shady Rest (1963)
Pat Woodell is Beautiful. Uncle Joe is annoying.
Great pilot. Of the three daughters, Pat is my crush. She's so lovely. I should have lived in a different time. However, uncle Joe's character is always so annoying. It's obviously acted well by Edgar Buchanan. Love the show!
Blow (2001)
After a while, it gets stupid.
Drama and comedy, I get it. But there comes a time when stupid slap-stick permeates everything Depp does. This is one of those times.
The King and I (1956)
Et cetera. Et cetera. Et cetera.
What a glorious film. The Golden Age of Hollywood will live on as long as we look back to these wonderful examples of spectacular productions, talented actors, and interesting stories. Today's filmmakers could learn from their predecessors. Many of us are simply tired of the barrage of remakes, franchise houses, CGI, and gratuitous violence. The King and I is an entertainment classic. If only Hollywood could get back to the basics.
Ham and Eggs at the Front (1927)
Burn every film, recording, or book that is deemed racist?
Santayana wrote "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." There was a time actors in blackface were accepted in society. It even seems to have been acceptable in more recent times by certain politicians who now feign contempt of it. The calls for censorship are as foolish as the act was when it occurred. Get over it. This movie is a relic of American cinema. It has its place in history.
The Pink Panther (1963)
2 hours of boredom riddled with sight gags
The film drags on forever. The bedroom scene alone seems to take half of that time. It's not comedy, not in any intelligent sense of the word. The comedy consists of Sellers' character falling down, tripping, or pulling doorknobs that fall off. 12 year old children might find it amusing. However, anyone who wants to be truly entertained will be left wondering why this movie received so many rave reviews. It's a ridiculous production. Roadrunner meets Ed Wood is a good analogy for what this film offers the viewer.
Joan of Arc (1999)
The best rendition since the Golden Age of Hollywood
This made for TV miniseries outshines any other Joan of Arc production since Ingrid Bergman reprised the role in 1948. Leelee Sobieski was 16 when the series was taped, and she excels in the lead role. The supporting cast is a who's who of talent. The title might be a little difficult to find, but the effort is worth it. Be careful not to confuse this title with the other 1999 production, The Messenger. It does not hold a candle to this series.
In Dubious Battle (2016)
Nice try, but it's another failure at Steinbeck.
Can anyone else make a decent Steinbeck movie? Grapes of Wrath (1940) was the best one, but that was 80 years ago! Of Mice and Men (1992) by Gary Sinise was all wrong in creating the story's mood and in its casting. As for this one, how could they miss the mark so badly? There are no decent filmmakers in Hollywood anymore. All they seem to have are remakes, franchises, gore, and CGI. The age of the big screen is over.
Mommie Dearest (1981)
Perfect casting
Hire a horrible person to portray someone who was likely a horrible person. If Mommie Dearest ended Dunaway's career, so be it. It's strange how awful people seem to do well for a time in Hollywood. As for Crawford, it might be an accurate story of her. It might not be. Too many questions exist with the daughter's story. No one will ever know for sure.
It's a difficult movie to watch. Over the top acting, poor direction, and a script that needed polish. Camp describes it well. Watch it for the laughs, not for drama.
Of Mice and Men (1992)
Far from what Steinbeck created.
Sinese made a valiant attempt at capturing Stienbeck's story, but he missed the mark. The mood is wrong. The cinematography is breathtaking, with vivid colors, perfect depth of field, amazing lighting, and deeply moving landscapes. That's the first problem. It's a tragic story. The mood set by it's appearance would have had much more impact had it been bleak and darker. Secondly, Malkovich is a clown. His portrayal of Lennie is nothing like the book's character. Watch the stream scene again where he spits water on George. It's forced, likely ad-libbed, and simply ridiculous. Malkovich probably thinks everyone with mental illness acts like that. His in-character voice is just as bad, silly and inauthentic.
Seniese had an opportunity to create a masterpiece. Instead, he cast it poorly, filmed it to look like a travel documentary, and sought to appeal to the average viewer who had likely never read the book or ever will. Maybe this is why Sinese only directed two feature films. He's a good man. His foundation does terrific work. But his portrayal of Of Mice and Men is not worthy of its Stienbeck roots.
The Twilight Zone: The Encounter (1964)
In war, everyone loses something.
This episode was strange to watch due to Takei's activism and his antics of recent years. His performance here in terrific, but it's just odd to watch him play a such a heavy. Neville Brand's performance in superb, in that he brings the pairing to life. The script, the plot, the performance, and the theme are each perfectly assembled and presented. When WWII was fought, American teens were not eating Tide Pods or their Japanese counterparts doing flamboyant gender-less talk/game shows. Moreover, when the episode was first aired, most of the greatest generation who fought the war were in their late 30s and early 40s. The war's memory was still fresh in their minds, and the leftover bigotry from it still existed. This episode is a visceral display of that time and mood. It's historically accurate with a classic TZ presentation. It truly is one of the classics.
The Twilight Zone: Caesar and Me (1964)
Loser Ventriloquist - Perverted Dummy
I did not care for this one at all. In spite of it being a banal story, one that's been reinvented and retold since dolls became part of the act, that's not why. This episode gets really creepy. 13 years old is too young for the situation the girl is put in at its close... in any era and with any "type" of man. There's something perverted lying just under the surface here.
The Twilight Zone: Black Leather Jackets (1964)
Get through the episode, and then read the reviews.
Yeah, the episode is weak. There's not much more to say about it than that. Poor writing, plot filled with holes, bad acting, and plays more like B movie short than a classic TZ offering. That said, the reviewers defending or attacking each other is more entertaining than the episode. I'll give the reviews of this episode a 10, and the actual show a 4. Some of the reviews are simply hilarious.
The Twilight Zone: Passage on the Lady Anne (1963)
Renewal and Passage
One of Twilight Zone's best with an bit of a mysterious twist ending. Classic episode for romantics. Beautiful interior sets. Superior performances, especially from the English actors. Elicits a range of viewer emotions from beginning to end, and is all delivered with a big screen look and feel. Don't miss it.
The Twilight Zone: The Incredible World of Horace Ford (1963)
A character so well played we despise him
Lot's of negative reactions to the protagonist in this episode. Why is that? Maybe because the writing brings that protagonist to life? I don't care for manic, whiny, or chattering characters. However, I know a good performance when I see it, and this episode has that. Serling created an awesome character. Pat Hingle's performance is stellar. That's why our emotions, be it sympathy or some other, are aroused by this character. The plot is not much, and the second twist is a bit odd. It's also too long for the one hour format of Season 4. Still, it's not terrible, just a little annoying for some of us.
The Twilight Zone: The Bard (1963)
It's not as bad as some claim.
Serling incorporated some lighthearted episodes. This is the one everyone loves to hate. Jack Weston of Dirty Dancing fame is amazing with his portrayal of a bombastic buffoon TV writer. For Burt Reynolds' fans, it's interesting to see his early acting days before he became a superstar. It might not be that great of an episode, but it's worth a watch.
The Twilight Zone: On Thursday We Leave for Home (1963)
An episode laced with genuine pathos
One of the most memorable episodes of the entire TZ series. The one hour format for Season 4 fits it perfectly. Tremendous story of tragedy and liberation. Stellar performances by the lead actors. Not to be missed.
The Twilight Zone: I Dream of Genie (1963)
Long but not as bad as some reviewers say.
It's hard to believe that reviewers are criticizing this episode simply because it's dated. It's almost 57 years old as of this review date. Of course it's dated. The entire original TZ series is dated! But to call this episode horrible because of being old is to negate the performances. Howard Morris of Earnest T. Bass fame, quirky Millhollin, and Jack Albertson who depicted Willy Wonka's Grandpa Joe do stellar work in another one of TZ's more lighthearted offerings. It's not a great episode, but it's worth seeing just for completing the entire series.
The Twilight Zone: The Parallel (1963)
Who do you people think I am?
This episode is an excellent example of Serling's talent as a storyteller. It's has all the parts. The plot is engaging and develops well. The characters are genuine, and the classic twist is subtle but powerful. It's not full of wiz bang and woo-woo, either. The performances are stellar. It will keep the viewer listening to every word until the end. Don't miss this one.
The Twilight Zone: No Time Like the Past (1963)
Serling's busy work
This episode lies as flat as a doormat. It's disjointed, not very intelligent, and seems like something written for filler. Serling had to give the network something, and he gave them another time traveling plot. The problem is that this one seems more like a lesson on how to write a bad story. It has a few redeeming performances from the actors. Still, when the story is this poor, the episode is, too. A 5 is charitable.
Being John Malkovich (1999)
One of the most overrated films in history.
There's not a lot of middle ground in the reviews here. It's likely because Malkovich's sycophants are running up the score, and the counter reaction is to low ball it. We heard it all. It's creative. It's artsy. Yeah, yeah. Well, it also has an adequate cast and production team. However, it's failure is that it's banal, tedious, and foolish. Add to that the self-promoting hubris of a plot centered on a real actor rather than a character portraying an actor, and one winds up with this overcooked mess. This film has lost most of its feigned luster over the past 20 years. It's not a classic. It never will be. It was an overrated flash in the pan for passing generation.
The Twilight Zone: Mute (1963)
Excellent episode, if you don't read the reviews until afterwards.
This is an amazing performance by both Baxley and Dailey. It's also one of Serling's better teleplays. Yes, there's an underlying social message. Yes, it's about parenting and personal agency. The most profound message for me was never trust a teacher who makes statements like "It's the only way" or "We are going to work with her until she's exactly like everybody else." That's the truly horrifying part of this story. One should see it before reading some of the reviews here. This episode has depth.
The Twilight Zone: He's Alive (1963)
Don't make this about current events.
Tying this episode to current events fails to acknowledge Dennis Hopper's stellar performance. It trivializes the historical evil that the episode references. It testifies to the fact that some people can not recognize good theater. This is The Twilight Zone, not Fox or CNN. Save politics for the ballot box. Most of us simply want to be entertained.
The Twilight Zone: The Gift (1962)
Get over it folks. TZ almost always had an underlying message.
For the people of this Mexican village, what would be the expected reaction to someone like this man coming to the town in the way that he did? If he had landed in NYC or Moscow, what would the military in either do? Likely the same outcome in both. It's a plot theme known as the Christ figure. This episode was a tasteful application of that plot device.
The Twilight Zone: Hocus-Pocus and Frisby (1962)
Source material for Mars Attacks?
One of the memorable lighthearted episodes. It is also further evidence that Hollywood writer's are lazy. They take classic plot lines such as the one Serling and Fox created here, and dress it up a bit differently for another generation of viewers to watch. Great fun in this one with a stellar cast.
The Twilight Zone: Four O'Clock (1962)
Saw it coming from a mile away
This episode shines thanks to superb acting by Theodore Bikel. It's failure is in revealing a completely predictable twist early on. It's still a decent offering. It is not Serling's best work by any means, but it's still a solid 6.