Reviews

I always heard about Fulton Sheen from my dad and my uncle. A well known Catholic broad cast. Such a legendary show grabbed my attention, and because of the modern day technology of Youtube I got to catch the show. Not bad for a Religious/service broadcast! I was wonder if Life Is Worth Living would age well? Would we fall into the screaming and antics of 80's television evangelism? What make Life Is Worth Living a cut above the rest is: There was a good parable story for the audience mixed with strong theological arguments too believe which keep your attention. Instead of dramatic acts Sheen contains the audience with tone, voice and somber talk. Sheen was a good teacher which made Life Is Worth Living a classic. 7 out of 10 even if you not into religious T V.

Ghost of the Ripper was not a bad episode, but not a great episode either. What works: A strong start with a older guy who kills a women with gloves on. Creepy start which has the viewer guessing. Tanna's the macho type who takes the persona of the Private Eye at odds with the police department for good drama! What does not work: Well the professor with the Jack the Ripper theory was a typical made for t v cliche. The Ripper angel gets your attention but so so cheesy. Ghost of the Ripper has a trap set for the killer which was the predictable T V formulated climax. Felt like a murder mystery show with a hard to believe ending. Could Tanna get in the room in time to save the detective/girlfriend? I doubt it. Good by cheesy episode. 6 stars.

The Pageant starts out strong, with a women being attacked. Dan Tanna was on the case. The Pageant slowly unravels about rape, the police department and Tanna's ethics as an investigator. The Pageant characterizes Dan Tanna's personal side as a caring man who has the power to help people. The Pageant stories divulges into the investigation and trap to catch the serial rapist. Well, the ending was likable red meat of the strong Tanna character who rushes into a violent situation, while others run. Well, written, directed and acted. The Pageant created Dan Tanna character personification. Seven stars.

Vegas series started to work the formula working. Directed, acted, and scripted for entertainment. There was a mod style diamond heist with sheiks, at a Roth big style Vegas party. There was a Tanna love interest. What work was the big heist plan and Tanna gets played. Will Tanna figure the thieves out? Good casting for mob and Kim Basinger the viewer see the potential star power she would become. I like Tanna's back tracking and leg work to set the trap. Mixed with the bitter sweet romance of Basinger creates a soap opera style for a mix of action for the alpha male protagonist and the softer side for the romance side for the series. Lady Ice does it well. 7 stars.

Mother Mishkin shows the series was in a developmental stage. Vegas was trying to get a feel for the characters and stories. What works: The over top stuff with the gorilla suit guy, snakes trying to grab the audience got my attention. The Danny character as the humorous guy trying to do a repo job on a caddie was comic relief. What did not work: The over top stuff with the gorilla suit guy, sneaks trying to grab the audience works when I was a kid, but now so cheesy now! The old lady plot twist was sappy! The cowboy clowns with the fire part was real dumb. Mother Mishkin was the Vegas series trying to find it self. The Dan Tanna character developed well, just all the other parts were out of place. 4 stars.

Centerfold well not as good as the Rockford Files! Tho the Rockford Files had some bad episodes. What worked: Much T & A followed by protecting a beautiful model who got drugged with and blackmailed got the male audience salivating. Finding the lost lion with the iconic Lion in the car scene added hot sauce for the series. What did not work: Well, the Rockford Files had a few thin on script shows, but I found Centerfold more sizzle than steak. Like the cheap Vegas casino meal deal it get you in but there not much meat in the script. The bad guys and the black mail part was more of an excuse to show pretty gals. 6 stars okay to watch.

High Roller was the pilot episode. What I liked: the Dan Tanna character development. A popular man who everyone needs. Three stories the Casino cheat, which build the Casino security contract side of Tanna's work and relationship with slick. The guy lives in a storage house with a flashy car was original. The intro duction of Tanna's buddies and Danny for comic relief was likable. What I did not like: Simple plot: The dead hooker, knocked out pimp main story started out strong but the the credit card ending was weak. The T & A and the story was more childish in a lame way. Not bad, but not what I liked as a kid. 6 stars.

S. W. A. T. loved this show as a kid. I was banned from watch it by mom; snuck around and watched it anyways. S W A T started with the music, team members jumping threw windows, going down ropes, kicking in doors just got me jumping. Probably the reason mom banned the show. Well it got taken off the air cause all us kinds played S W A T and fell off out of trees. Mark fell of the garage roof back on my street, which got the mom's talking. Well, I watched S W A T many years latter to see if the forbidden show was any good? Actually, S W A T aged well. Good budget, interesting scripts, and decent actors. There was the exciting problem at the beginning, mixed with a personal story to get the viewer interested. Then the music started, there be an action sequence and a exciting climax. A memorable classic! I can see why S W A T was a iconic show. Even if S W A T only lasted for two seasons. Darn those letter writing mothers.

Cop Land was one of Stallone's better ones. Cop Land has an over weight Stallone who rescued his love and lost hearing in one of his ears. Stallone's pathos drives a story of a New Jersey town with so many cops the town is called Cop Land. There is the under dog story of Stallone's character who has a lost love married to a corrupt cop. There is police corruption with a bubbling story with great supporting actors Liotta, Keitel, De Niro etc pushing a evil under current that small time Sheriff Stallone must confront. The abused Sherriff Stallone has on old West style show down was a great memorable ending. Not a Rambo action film, but a well crafted drama which turns into a action film. 7 stars.

Huckabee I did not mind the show. Common sense, conservative values, Huckabee has a nice mono tone voice. That works fines. In the 90's Huckabee would have been hit in a sea of Liberal media. Regrettably, there was/is so much of the same with conservative media. Out rage, followed by common sense conservatism, and red meat story's the center right loves. Stories of stupidly, corruption, and decent stories of faith and freed to up lift for all the negativity the show is the red meat viewers conservatives love. Huckabee, is like Kilemeade and Levin etc which is a sea of others on Fox and news Max. Many of the conservative shows has become of blur of the same old same old. Not a bad show, but compared to Bill O'Reilly and Rush if I was going watch Fox style shows I would watch the others. There just too much on Fox to watch everything. Huckabee was another copy of a copy of a copy. 3 to 5 stars. If your a Fox fanatic you will like this, but casual viewer no.

I remember watching, form Block Busters a rented V H S series, Twilight Zone classics Caesar and Me! Caesar and Me. Caesar and Me was so memorable there was a movie made from Caesar and Me! (Magic (1978)) What worked, Magic and Caesar and me both have a struggling lounge act protagonist who gets hot with a ventriloquist act. The protagonist believes the dummy was taking over the protagonist. Is the problem psychological or the dummy real keeps the viewer watching/intrigued. What works was the plot twist of trying to attacked the dummy. The over acting of the characters makes Caesar and Me over rated. Well, the end, predictable, was memorable. Better than average. Seven stars.

The Deliverance was so bad I shut it off! Not really just watched half the movie and my wife watched the other half. Well, anyone who has been threw family disfunction would find The Deliverance too painful too watch with a hard edge inner city feel. Basically, watching a mom yell at her kids, and grandma and always venting her problems on others was as unpleasant for a movie or at the grocery store. The Deliverance tries to be an empowerment movie but fails. One wonders what's worse the mother or the evil in the house? The makers try and make the film about a woman who stands up to the devil, but I just could not watch the yelling and bitterness of the lead character much more and shut it off. Was like being with bad relatives during Christmas. The Deliverance was a mix of the Exorcist meets Jerry Springer. Too raw, too angary and the disfunction replaces the horror of the house. If the protagonist just calmed down the viewer could actually watched the movie. Scarry for someone who has mother issues instead of the devil. 2 stars.

Reagan was a good historical epic! Being a conservative or liberal might be the reason I see many 1 ratings and 9 ratings. In fairness, I will look at how the historical epic was made. What destroys historical biographies is they are long, too much information, and too many characters. Reagan navigates through the hazards well! There just enough past history, which evolves with Regan's historical moments and historical characters. What builds Reagan's script is the great casting of supporting actors; Believable, and correctly cast actors for some difficult roles. The supporting actors just move the story forward. Quaid should win an award for Reagan for a believable role which ends perfectly with the last horse ride with the secret service. If you are gong watch one movie this year make it Reagan. 9 stars.

Pleasure Principle the first half was good, but the second half shows the series was running out of ideas. (As Magnum will narrate) Usually when series are running out of ideas the producers either introduce new characters and or experimental episodes. Pleasure Principle was the experimental one! Pleasure Principle starts out strong. A comedy with Magnum being like Higgens and vis versa. What works: The out of character bar personality of Higgens (with a 80's Miami Vice vibe) and Magnum being the responsible Higgens imitation was crazy funny. As the episode un folds Magnum dress, uses words and mannerism like Higgens. The other characters T C, Rick become opposites of their usual characters. Regrettably, Pleasure Principle was so outlandish the episode did not know how to finish an ending. 7 stars.

Infinity and Jelly Doughnuts well was Magnum's swan song! The last episode was an attempt to push another season. In the final season Magnum goes for the gusto. Well, Magnum gets out of the near death coma and was recovering while there was something just wrong with the events! What? A mystery, which involves the wife, kid and revenge from Magnum past (Vietnam). A big swing for the bleacher was Infinity and Jelly Doughnuts and the episode was a hit. What works with Magnum's near death experience and recall episode was a fresh mix of the death plot device with Magnum on a personal mystery. Well, acted, paced (directed) and has a great villain! Not the best episode but close. 10 stars.

The Parallel was a better read then a story! I remember watching this one on and off. The astronaut come back to earth and find life similar but just a little off! Different names, wife's name and etc and the astronaut knows something was just off. Well , everyone notices the protagonist seems strange, and might be mentally ill! The individual story vs the group environmental story collide. What will happen next keeps the viewer interesting. Directed, and written well but just average t v. The plot twist ending of parallel was a cute ending. Not a classic I give The Parallel seven stars. Skip this one.

The Rarest of Wines I remember watching with my dad when this episode first aired. My dad did not like these scare type shows but found The Rarest of Wines interesting. Why? The intriguing characters of course! The Rarest of Wines starts out with the reading of a will. The responsible daughter get control of the family business and the reckless son the estate. The back and forth banter and arrogance of brother hurting the sister by selling of the family memories of heirloom classic furniture drive the story. What makes the villain so sinister was buy priceless chesses, wines etc and slow eating the money away and no money to buy back the memories. Well the ending twist was evil. 8 stars.

Uncle George was the Best of the Darkroom series! Well written and directed Uncle George has notable T V actor Claude Akins in it. With Claude's charm and American style personality driven the episode. Uncle George died and the home needs George's pension check to survive. Well desperate situations make for desperate people. There's a twist here the pension people come around and check to see if George is still alive. Claude hits skid row and trying to find someone to replace George an old railway worker. Hard work search back and forth the black guy, foreign guy who can not speak English, do not look like a relation to Claude. Claude finds a guy who wants booze and lodging and hit the profile. There a twist Claude left out for the poor victim and how many Uncle George's was there. So twisted I could actually see this happen. 8 stars.

Closed Circuit was better than the other one of the two installments. Closed Circuit was ahead of its time with A I. There was a missing news anchor and a mystery. Good b actor for the episode; Well acted, and directed, but the story too slowly un raveled. I did not mind the back and forth. I did not know how the ending but had and idea. Some how, I knew the computer generated anchor would be more profitable then real life anchor plot was a prophecy of what was happening today. The twist of being in head office limb I could see a mile away. Seven stars out of ten. The intro was ore spookier then the whole show.

The Darkroom use to scare me as a kid. Why I have no idea after recently watching Stay Tuned, We'll Be Right Back . Now, I can understand why The Darkroom lasted, only, one season! Scary intro, maybe that got under skin when I was younger. Stay Tuned, We'll Be Right Back starts out strong. With a dad buying a crystal radio set for the young son turns sideways. Stay Tuned, We'll Be Right Back story interests the viewer as an atmosphere adnominally bonces old shows back to the radio. The dad, who's dad died when a u boat sunk the carrier ship was getting old German u boat transmissions. Could his father be saved. Neat story, but the installment was mostly set with a guy in in a room obsessing about saving old dad. Got old after a while, and the plot twist I saw coming a country mile away. 4 stars.

In His Image starts strong, but keeps building. What works was the strong start. A women at the sub way was screaming about salvation to a random guy at the sub way. Suddenly, the old lady gets thrown into the on coming sub way train. What's wrong with the story character? The middle part of the story, has the troubled character falling in love with a lonely gal. The middle part of the story was a mix of a confused man who tries to control the urge too kill whiling falling in love. Who am I the character asks? False memories un ravel as the character seeks the truth of the creator. The plot twist explains why the character snap at the question of salvation at the beginning the show, and there was quite the plot twist ending. 7 stars.

King Nine Will Not Return has a long story but a good ending. What did work: There was a bomber crew member looking for the lost crew which was interesting. Wondering around the desert around a B 29 bomber one asks what's up. The end twists explain who, what, and why. Then there was the Twilight Zone ending hit the music was strong. What does not work: The script just has a guy rumbling around the desert, of an old bomber which get old quickly. More like a play with a guy talking to himself. King Nine Will Not Return was direct well, acted well, but thin on script. King Nine Will Not Return could not stretch the story enough for a half hour show. 4 stars.

Walking Distance I remembered, in junior high, reading the story which was a good short story. Regrettably, a good written story sometimes transcends horribly to television! The story of an older man with regrets (we all have them as we age) threw a Twilight Zone carasel goes back in time and meets his younger self and tries to change life outcomes for himself. Catchy ideas, but Walking Distance get across as draggy, preachy and over dramatic. Maybe, the actors, director, or just the medium of a half hour episode just slowed Walking Distance down. Walking Distance, just barley crosses the finish line. Five stars out of ten.

Limbo was a mix of Heaven can wait meets Magnum! Here is the low down. Magnum starts out strong. Blue lighting slow build up 80's screen feel of a hit team after Magnum in a lumber year shed. Plot different was Magnum had too much and too far to travel! What happened to Magnum? Like Heaven can wait Magnum meet a old Navy friend which died several years ago and learns/coached about being dead. Kind of a story drag; but Higgins and the crew side characters last interactions with Magnum was memorable. The conclusion. There was a mystery about Magnum's wife and kid and if Magnum will be back for a season ending cliffhanger was strong but had a feel of desperation of keeping the viewer wanting another season after 7 years.

A Nice Place to Visit but there's better episodes I would rather visit! To Serve man amongst other I would rather see. One late night when I could not sleep I came across A Nice Place to Visit. A shoot out where a petty thief some how survives. The thief was in this new place, with a hot run of luck. Gambling and all other vices the thief just keeps winning so the story goes . A Nice Place to Visit story was so two dimensional I could barley watch. Being under the pressures of community college I had a bad night of insomnia which keeped me watch the Detroit feed of the Twilight Zone. Normally, I would watch something else but years ago most stations signed off and this and the weather station was it. Before, I blather more, the plot twist of can I go to that other place, and the huge filing cabinet end was lame and predictable. 3 stars Nice Place to get out of!