This incarnation of The Twilight Zone had immense possibilities. Some were realized, with a new on-screen host, and some good stories. It is hard to recreate the original, but I think this series made a bold attempt. Old Twilight Zone themes of prejudice, fear, science gone awry, and the wonderful, and awful potential of the human spirit are examined. I would have liked to see the series continue past the one year mark, but sadly, this was not to be. I think Rod Serling would have been proud to see a black host, as well. Things have changed a lot, since 1959, when the original Twilight Zone premiered. These changes were dealt with, often cleverly. I recommend that this series be viewed.
Reviews
3 Reviews
Predictable Twist is Still Great
10 July 2009
Warning: Spoilers
In the Twilight Zone episode, "Mr. Garrity, and the Graves", one can generally figure what is going to happen, but it is still fun to watch how it plays. The appearance of a particularly heavy-set woman, at the end, is especially hilarious. Despite being comedic, this episode still leaves things wide-open enough to cause a person to think. About what one should be thinking, I am not sure, but it's a great story. John Dehner does a tremendous job of playing the con artist. All of the townspeople we see, especially the late townspeople returned, are great characters. This episode does indeed come from the much maligned fifth season, but the story does a good job of sticking to the original Twilight Zone format.
Sunset Blvd.
(1950)
Great, Groundbreaking Movie
6 February 2007
Warning: Spoilers
This movie has Hollywood telling on itself. Whereas, that may seem commonplace today, it was probably pretty rare for 1950. If you like old movies, there is a lot to be said for this one. The aging starlet, who watches her own films, on a projection screen hidden behind a painting, in her living room, is something else. About ten years later, The Twilight Zone television program did a great takeoff on this concept, in an episode called, "The Sixteen Millimeter Shrine", starring Ida Lupino. That episode was what persuaded me to someday find "Sunset Boulevard", and give it a looking-at. Turns out, it's a great movie, and I can see why it was often imitated and spoofed.
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