|
|
Post by badwolf on Apr 20, 2019 19:07:45 GMT -5
You are traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and of sound but of mind. Your next stop-
The 1980s!
Anthology shows are always something of a gamble. Most people seem to prefer following the same characters week after week. But in the mid-1980s there seemed to be a renewed interest in such programming. Stephen Spielberg gave us Amazing Stories, and Alfred Hitchcock Presents was also revived, all in 1985.
This incarnation of the Zone has a cult following, but I feel it's underrated among the general populace. I think the black and white nature of the original series gives it an advantage. Even the weaker episodes had a nice noir atmosphere, an element of class that almost seems inherent to older productions. Black and white photography is almost always better than color photography. The 1980s were not only in color, but a bright candy color at that.
And, of course, people remember the best and forget the rest.
While I had seen episodes of the original series before this came on, in some ways this is the one I feel I grew up with.
So join me, won't you, and let's head back into that middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition...
This is my favorite TV title sequence of all time!
Forgoing a voice-over, and (unlike subsequent revivals of the show) also opting not to copy the imagery from the old show title, we are treated to ominous music (by the Grateful Dead and Merl Saunders) and visuals to set the mood. We pull back from a literal twilight scene through a window which slams shut of its own volition...the walls of the room dissolve into a landscape evoking Magritte or Dali...
As if in a crystal ball we see a series of images that might be considered representative of the sort of content featured in the show: a fetus, a burst of lightning, a spider, a carousel horse, a doll, an ancient idol, the mushroom cloud of an atomic explosion. A nebulous flash of Rod Serling's visage brings us back to the window motif and some luminous skull shapes morph into the new Twilight Zone logo. We hear the familiar melody that has become an indelible part of popular culture.
Opening and closing narrations are by Charles Aidman, who appeared in two episodes of the original series.
"Shatterday"
Written by Alan Brennert from the story by Harlan Ellison. Directed by Wes Craven. Starring Bruce Willis.
Peter Jay Novins is hanging out at the bar when he needs to make a phone call. He absentmindedly dials his own phone and is about to hang up when someone answers on the other end--someone who also claims to be Peter Novins. Both men are confused and think a friend is playing a practical joke, but Novins-at-the-bar quickly realizes something very strange is going on. He leaves the bar in a panic. He tries the call again from a pay phone, hoping no one will answer, but Peter Jay Novins does answer. Rather than suffering an existential crisis, the Novins in his apartment appears confident. He points out how Novins I is unhappy, selfish, his life is a mess and he won't do anything about it. But Novins II has a plan. Novins I works from a hotel and tries to make things difficult for the "imposter", but Novins II is prepared. The metaphysical chess game continues on, with Novins II one step ahead each time. New Novins sets about righting all the wrongs in his life, patching things up with the people he's let down, while old Novins wastes away in his hotel room. Finally, he decides to visit his old self. They have one last conversation as the old Novins literally fades away, becoming nothing more than a memory.
Bruce Willis is a megastar now, but at the time his only other credit was for the light detective series Moonlighting (which I also enjoyed). Could he handle such a heavy dramatic role? Yes, yes he could. He really sells Novins' desperation and despair. He might be a jerk, but does he really deserve this? Harlan Ellison praises his performance in the DVD commentary, and as we all know, Ellison was never afraid to let it be known when he didn't like something. All in all, "Shatterday" was a stellar opening for the new Twilight Zone, and appeared on every "best of" list I've seen.
|
|
|
|
Post by Slam_Bradley on Apr 20, 2019 21:31:05 GMT -5
1985 was a big year for anthology television. My Dad and I were both very excited by the return of The Twilight Zone. I was, however, less than thrilled by it being on Friday night. 85-86 was my senior year of high school. I would guess that the number of Friday nights that I was home watching TV could be counted on one hand. As a result I only ever saw a handful of episodes.
I did see more episodes of Amazing Stories and Alfred Hitchcock Presents as they were on Sunday night and I was far more likely to be home on Sunday.
|
|
|
|
Post by badwolf on Apr 20, 2019 21:46:13 GMT -5
Fortunately I did not have much of a social life at that age. However, during the last couple of seasons I was away at school and I missed a lot (I think). When I get to that point on the DVDs I'll be eager to see if any are totally new to me or I just don't remember them.
I watched AHP regularly but I don't think I saw much of Amazing Stories. I found it a bit too schmaltzy (like most Spielberg productions). I wanted something darker.
|
|
|
|
Post by EdoBosnar on Apr 21, 2019 3:49:22 GMT -5
85-86 was my senior year of high school. (...) I was Class of '86 as well and had the same problem - only caught a few at the time. Later, in the late 1990s, I saw more of them thanks to international syndication (Croatian public TV and a few other stations here ran them for a few years).
Didn't watch much of Amazing Stories, either, for some reason, but I liked the ones I did watch, like the one with the mummies, ("Mummy Daddy"), the one with Mark Hamill as a sort of aimless bum with a station wagon full of mint-condition collectables ("Gather Ye Acorns") and the animated one about a dog ("Family Dog" written and directed by some guy named Brad Bird - that guy showed promise, wonder if he ever did anything else noteworthy).
|
|
|
|
Post by badwolf on Apr 22, 2019 11:49:52 GMT -5
"A Little Peace and Quiet"
Written by James Crocker. Directed by Wes Craven. Starring Melinda Dillon and Greg Mullavey.
Penny is a harried housewife whose only refuge is her gardening. One day she digs up a wooden box that contains a gold pendant resembling a sundial. She puts it on. Later, when her family finally puts her at her wits' end, she yells at them to shut up... and a curious thing happens--everyone freezes instantly! After a few moments of confusion, she realizes it's the pendant and she experiments with it, turning the action on and off. She revels in her newfound power.
Throughout the episode, the radio and television broadcasts news about the peace talks between the U.S. and Soviet Union breaking down, but Penny can't stand it, and she repeatedly silences it. She uses the power at the supermarket for her convenience, though to her credit she does pay for what she's bought by stuffing a wad of cash in the manager's mouth. On the way out, she considers doing something to the handsome athlete who was walking by, but thinks better of it. This is a prime time network show after all.
A couple of activists come to her door and want to invite her to a debate about nuclear weapons. Pesky peaceniks! Peggy doesn't have the time for this. Wait, she does have the time, but doesn't want to "waste" it with a "stuffy old debate." They take her to task for being unconcerned and she freezes them, drags them to the edge of her yard, and starts them again. They get up, confused, and decide to skip that house. That lady's weird.
The next morning the news is that the peace talks have failed and a nuclear missile is on the way. War has broken out. While her husband is trying to figure out what to do and the sirens are blaring she tells them to shut up. The world freezes. Still wearing her bathrobe, she ventures out into the streets. People are frozen everywhere, many of them looking to the sky. Peggy follows a man's gaze to see the nuclear missile frozen in the air.
***
When I was a kid I would sometimes interpret things in weird ways, and when I first saw this segment I thought it was her messing with time that somehow caused the breakdown in international relations. But it's obvious that, like Peter Novins, Peggy is being punished for her arrogance and lack of empathy for her fellow men. Another harsh judgment...from the Twilight Zone.
Rather than using special effects, the frozen people are just holding their positions. Some occasional wobbling is visible, particularly in the earlier family scene, but mostly it works well. Even the dog does an admirable job.
The shot of the missile at the end looks a bit fake now, but it still gives me a bit of a chill just as it did in 1985.
It's a rather comical episode, albeit with something dark lurking in the background, up until the last scene.
This might seem nitpicky but it's always bugged me that the activation words were "shut up" and "start talking" when the power applies to all action, possibly even time itself. Surely she could have said "stop it!" and "okay, go", or some things along those lines.
|
|
|
|
Post by rom on Apr 25, 2019 17:55:06 GMT -5
Great thread! I really enjoyed the 1980's version of Twilight Zone, much more than the '60's version. This was because they were more modern and I could relate to them more, since I was seeing them as they came out (I was in my early teens when this series was released). I also really enjoyed & appreciated the creepy intro w/the spider and doll's head, and the briefly seen "ghost" of Rod Serling; I agree this is a great opening, and is definitely among my top five favorite TV intros. Notable episodes from this revised series include Shatterday - truly amazing; the episode where the woman could stop time by telling everyone to shut up - chilling ending which played upon the justifiable cold war fears at the time (as reviewed in the above post); Also great was Nightcrawlers, which was about the Vietnam veteran who went into the diner one rainy night & from his mind created enemy soldiers that attacked everyone - very well-done; Paladin of the Lost Hour - great Harlan Ellison written episode, also with a Vietnam war theme; the one where Santa had a bag full of perfect gifts for everyone (re-made from the original TZ series), and many others. I remember seeing much of the 1985-1986 first season when it originally aired. However, the 2nd & 3rd seasons were, IIRC, airing at strange times & very late at night - and I only remember seeing part of 1 of those episodes on it's original broadcast. Back in 2012, I revisited the series on DVD & saw all three seasons in chronological order - seeing most of these episodes for the first time. Again, great series. The 2nd & 3rd seasons weren't quite as iconic as the first, but were still well-done & worth seeing. Earlier this year, I re-watched S01 of this great show. I will have to re-watch S02-03 at some point as well. Also worth noting was the 1981-1989 Twilight Zone magazine, which was being released when the show was on - but wasn't necessarily considered a tie-in (it began publication well before the '85 series first aired). This mag included original short stories, articles, etc. I specifically reading Paladin of the Lost Hour in an issue of the magazine, which was released a couple of weeks?! before the episode itself aired. I also recall reading an extremely creepy Vietnam War story called Delta Sly Honey in the mag. - this involved soldiers coming back from the dead. dangerousminds.net/comments/holy_fifth_dimension_discover_twilight_zone_magazine |
|
|
|
Post by badwolf on Apr 25, 2019 21:24:25 GMT -5
I'm not sure it quite beats the original show for me, but there is definitely something to be said for following it as it first airs. It feels like it's "yours."
I subscribed to the TZ magazine and loved it. My first issue was the one with Stephen King and Peter Straub on the cover, for their collaboration The Talisman. At some point there was an odd change in aesthetic, though--I don't recall if it came with a change in editor or what--and it began having wildly inappropriate covers that didn't reflect the contents at all. The articles became a bit iffy too, focusing on paranormal pseudoscience. Eventually it was cancelled, and my subscription was transferred over to Omni. I still have my issues of TZ, though they are buried in a box in my closet, buried under other boxes.
I also have an issue of the digest-size sister magazine, Night Cry. I've only ever seen the one issue.
|
|
|
|
Post by Chris on Apr 30, 2019 20:40:28 GMT -5
I remember watching some episodes of the show back when they first aired, and catching one or two that I can't recall if I saw first run or a few years later in reruns. I did see the one mentioned above, with the woman who could stop time. There was one with a "shadow man" or something like that, which had a twist ending that surprised teenage me but seemed perfectly logical and obvious in hindsight. And one with Pam Dawber of Mork & Mindy fame using some kind of copy machine that transported her to and from some parallel world.
But my favorite, the one that always stood out to me, was this one -
|
|
|
|
Post by rom on May 3, 2019 10:36:22 GMT -5
Yes! That I of Newton episode was great; it starred George Jefferson (the late Sherman Hemsley) - who, back in the mid-'80's, was very recognizable; The iconic The Jeffersons sit-com had just ended earlier that year, and earlier seasons were always being re-run. My favorite part of I of Newton was how the devil's T-shirt kept changing - with different quotes/sayings/etc. - hilarious  |
|
|
|
Post by badwolf on May 4, 2019 15:41:41 GMT -5
Sorry about the delay on episode reviews, got a lot going on here but when things are settled I'll get back to them.
|
|
