Posted on 11/14/2004 2:21:13 PM PST by silent_jonny
I only heard snippets from the other room ... Opie and that awful Howie find a baby ...
Maybe I'm having a senior moment but I don't remember
"Tales from the Dark Side". Tales from the Crypt, yes. My favorite was the one with Pricilla Presley when she said, "This one's been a real bitch" and dropped the match on a bunch of naughty boys in gasoline. Visited Jump the Shark. I'm glad I did, but I'm not sure why.
I think the most interesting aspect-at least, from my perspective-is discovering how many people liked or disliked a particular show for completely different reasons.
I've never actually read the comic book that "Tales From The Crypt" was based on, so I would occasionally get lost as I tried to follow the plots to different programs.
Personally, I thought that the TV show was a pale imitation of "Tales From The Darkside", but that's just my opinion.
One "Crypt" episode that I did enjoy watching starred Mariel Hemingway, who played a gorgeous-but aloof-woman that the main character was infatuated with.
I forget the exact details, but the basic idea is that this guy sees his wish fulfilled-she falls madly in love with him-but his plan ultimately backfires. So badly, in fact, that he's forced to commit suicide.
Of course, this is where the show's final dramatic plot twist comes into play, as the woman he tried so desperately to escape follows him all the way to the afterlife. And, like any great episode of "Night Gallery" or "The Twilight Zone", we discover the full truth...that her face has been completely disfigured, after jumping off the roof of their apartment, which was her husband's chosen method of offing himself.
Eeew. Too depressing. Reminds me of Donny Brasco which I just saw for the first time this weekend. Very impressive characterizations.
Aside from "A Bronx Tale", it's probably my favorite contemporary film about the Mafia.
Disgusting way to live. But fascinating!
Jump the Shark is a fun website :) I like the comic-book "Tales from the Crypt" better than the TV show, but the TV show is entertaining, too. "Tales from the Darkside" was classic--that opening segment was a great mood-setter :) "Twilight Zone" is still my favorite in that genre but I always enjoyed "Night Gallery" as well. On "Donnie Brasco", I read the book when it came out but have never seen the movie. The book touched on the mob's activity in an area I used to live in and I knew some of the locales involved, so it was pretty interesting.
There are only a few recent mobster-type movies, e.g. "Goodfellas", "Blow", etc., which I would highly recommend; "Donnie Brasco" being one.
The most amazing aspect of his real life story-from my perspective-is the fact that this guy still lives in New Jersey, albeit under an unlisted number and in almost complete anonymity.
As for the fantasy/horror shows, I completely agree with you. What really aggravates me though, is the pathetic, ad hoc attempts to remake classic television shows, which invariably meet with disastrous results.
A perfect example is "The Outer Limits", which was an amazing sci-fi/fantasy show that should have been left alone.
Of course, the nimrods that seem to run the Hollywood production studios felt compelled to tarnish the legacy of this show, by rolling out a newer version, which essentially used the exact same scripts-updated for a contemporary audience, of course, and with a hokey, pc/lib spin tacked on by the incompetent screenwriters for good measure.
7!!!!! :)
(May) You have a (berry) nice weekend!
(Andy Taylor) ed to Your liking!
May You have a very nice weekend!
And be tailored to Your liking!
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