Bruce Willis' breakthrough role was in the classy screwball romantic comedy with some detective work added for the fun of it. It gave the actor an excellent place to have fun and grow as an actor making sparks fly with the already legendary sex bomb Cybill Sheppard as their hate-love chemistry made the sparks fly and kept the viewing figures high. Their fast-paced dialogue was controversial stuff in the mid 1980s. The show started to sink when it started to focus too much on the supporting characters carrying some episodes that no one likes and a fourth season that had problems with the duo split apart for the entire run (due to Bruce Willis' filming of "Die Hard" and Cybill's pregnancy). When the fifth season premiere started with a horrendous story and Willis in diaper making fun of spontaneous abortion it was the definitive that it would soon end as even the most devoted fan started to leave it. The series did dare to break down the third wall and talk directly to the viewers and had some really great episodes, especially a black & white one that broke some ground and the ending of the series is a surprise in sync with the rest of the "frankly my dears I don't give a damn" style of the show.
This miniseries combine the on-going Marvel series "Daredevil", "Jessica Jones", "Luke Cage" and "Iron Fist" into one. It doesn't really stand on it's own as it incorporate elements from all the mentioned series and also have an ending that will be continued in their own series later. What we do get though is a mildly entertaining team-up event where they try to stop the ongoing threat of the Hand led by a classy, but forgettable villain appearance by Sigourney Weaver (who sadly has nothing really interesting to do) in a stupid resurrection/immortal plot story that makes little sense. What is cool though is the character interactions, some excellent stunt work and some surprising spurts of violence that suddenly occur. Still, this show feels rushed and not completely believed in. It is also takes one episode too long to start and should probably also have ended one episode earlier as it has several scenes that drag down the action and the importance of the story. Still, we do get to see four heroes together and this is probably the best way to start watching these series if one want to skip the four series all together and only watch one of them.
I have fond memories of watching this animated "Star Trek" show when I was a kid via satellite dish on Sky Channel. It prepared me for the live action version and when I rewatch these episodes now it is easy to see why I liked it. The series used the same voice cast as in the original series. It had many of the same writers who delivered some interesting stories and even delivered a good background story on Spock. What was not that great was that the animation was pretty static and repetitive at times and that there was not enough character moments to give the show a true depth. It was sadly also disowned by the creator and a long time was not available to see, but luckily it is now possible to see it again. It is not a masterpiece but it gives fans what they want: additional adventures with their favorite crew and it do feel and look like the original show without overdoing it which is nice.
I guess that this a good show if you are a newbie to "Star Trek" as it is a good introduction to the Star Trek universe, Starfleet and the "Star Trek" ideals without getting trapped into it's own continuity as it is centered on one sole ship's journey to get home while trapped in a new unexplored universe where there is not that much background stories to evolve from (with the exception of a few token appearance by semi-regular "Q" from older series and long-running villains The Borg). Sadly, the producers also decided that since it was to have a episodic nature, characters are not developed from episode to episode as they stay basically the same throughout the entire run. One could easily see an episode from the second season and one from the sixth and not lose much continuity at all. The only exception is a few hook-ups with cast members at the end that feel more like afterthoughts and none of love stories have any chemistry nor do I find them believable. Some stories are also pure updates of old ones in prior Trek shows. The most intriguing aspect where the series join two type officers by chance on the same ship should have created possible conflict between them but the problems are solved after two scenes in the second episode and hardly touched upon since. The worst thing is that any episode that show the cast-members in alternate time lines, parallel worlds or they do different versions of themselves are tons better and more interesting than all their normal stories where they are their boring selves and act with no emotion or heart. It is interesting that the characters that are the "least alive" end up as the most interesting (The Doctor and later new cast member Seven of Nine). Even worse is that one of the better actresses get written out while they keep annoying Neelix, who ruin everything he appears in or the indifferent blank page Harry Kim, who everyone seem to treat as a rookie throughout the entire run even after seven years of loyal service since just a few episodes progresses character or overall story at all. The most annoying is that the series would also have been a lot better if they had touched upon a few events from their home as a lot of stuff had happened while they were lost - maybe friends had been killed or there had been broken relationships? Would one really have to believe nothing happened while their ship was stranded seven years away from home? I was so annoyed by this show by the last two seasons that I even waited 15 years to see the remaining episodes which are weak and it made me indifferent to "Star Trek" for a L-O-O-O-N-N-N-G time. The best seasons for me was the third one and the first batch of the fourth one.
It started slow with a lot of build-up and stories that at first seemed to go nowhere, then in the middle of the first season and onward it started to build up it's own mythology and do space opera at a level no other shows had done up till that point. It foreshadowed a lot of plot points and small details could be addressed three or four years later as it dared to do plot twists and shocking deaths that "Star Trek" and other science fiction shows did not dare do at that time. Stories lead into stories and there was a complex continuity worthy of a well written novel. Characters were engaging even if the acting and dialogue sometimes could be wooden especially some guest actors were exceptionally bad. The last season was also an enormous long epilogue to the first four years and with the exception of the last episode and a couple dealing with the fall of Centauri Prime it was mostly a failure on all accounts, especially the Psi War that was a disappointment to see unfold. Filler episodes were mostly useless though and some characters was not used to their potential even if they were regulars (I'm looking at you: Keffer, Na'Toth and Talia Winters), but at the end it is hard not to embrace this science fiction drama that paved way for heavy serialized series on American TV at a time when most programming leaned on episodic and stand-alone storytelling with little or no characterization. For fans of the genre it is a must even with it's numerous faults.
In many ways this is a kind-of "Star Trek" show, but with an overall "more logic" mission that make every planet exploration necessary in order to find a possible cure. With a cast of genre favorites it is sad this series never really stood a chance. Troubled from the start with TNT executives tampering with both the show and it's editing which changed the impact of the series. The lack of good music and dodgy effects also didn't help it. That the story also takes place during a time of already known "Babylon 5" history also made the outcome predictable as we already had seen "everything" in that series final episode. In a way the series was an unwanted child from the start as TNT was more into wrestling and reality programming and fans probably had been a little fed up with B5 too (even I was after that terrible season 5) but at the time I found this one to be a refreshing spaceship-bound series that had potential to it that never was really explored. As it stands it is 13 episodes with some interesting episodes and-a-lot-of-misses and mistakes as it tried to create something unique and special.
Based upon the "true" accounts of the Spanish Borgia family and it's head Pope Alexander VI who had an enormous ambition and an even bigger sexual appetite. Jeremy Irons was surprising casting at that time (when few film actors turned to TV) as the pope and the ensemble around him is filled with exceptional European and Canadian actors. The series look and sounds great and had a fascinating backdrop but sometimes it go "overkill" on shock value and gory moments which seems unnecessary and makes the series seem more like exploitation than as "true drama". The show was never completed as the series tell about the pope family from Alexander got the papal job up to the height of his power when he had removed all his enemies, but doesn't show the downfall and "poetic ending" of him or give his son (the true villain of the piece) the fate he deserves. That is probably a shame as the series seem to finish with the last 10% of the story left untold. Still, it is a solid series and it may make people interested in reading up on a part of Vatican history that one did not knew existed and that the Catholic Church would most hope would remain buried.
The one adaptation that actually feels like an autentic version of the Robin Hood myth. It is a much more mysterious and has an aura of fantasy over it which actually makes it more fantastic than anything else I have seen about the character. This series was also hugely inspirational on future productions as it was here that we were first introduced to a merry men who was a Muslim and Marion even participates in the action. Sheriff of Nottingham is also played as a egocentric crazy bastard that steals any scene he is in. Michael Praed would also never again achieve the same dimension and facets as he did here and his excellent turn was so good that he was tempted by Hollywood money making him leave the series at the end of season 2 in what is one of TV history's most shocking moments. Luckily, the Robin Hood myth actually contain two characters so a new Hood was introduced in the third season and it actually made sense, but Sean Connery's son Jason was inferior to Michael and probably why the series only lasted three seasons. Clannad's music add an extra dimension to the supernatural and while the series didn't have a huge budget it delivered much more joy, excellent stories, ambition and strong acting than other shows I have seen from the 1980s. The one Robin Hood that all other Hoods are compared to.
Based upon the true courtroom drama that went so over the rails. The truth that reality is crazier than anything that is ever dreamed up by writers. I found this limited series to be enormously gripping and it was exceptionally well acted especially by those who portrayed the legal people at the District Attorney and at the Defense (even John Travolta makes a fantastic role even if his eyebrows looks strangely cartoonish at first). O.J himself come sadly off as an enigma though (which was probably the case) but the role was also a little miscast as Cuba Gooding Jr. don't have the necessary gravitas or mysteriousness for the role (he is a very likable actor but has no danger element to him). The series start with the murder and ends shortly after the verdict and the attention to details here are phenomenal. A near perfect true crime series.
A kind-of popcorn courtroom drama that is saved by it's unserious approach and a William Shatner in top form showing he has enough self-irony and humorous timing to win him an Emmy. James Spader also work as a selfish womanizer who would have lost his job in any other lawfirm than this one. A good ensemble rounds it all up, but there are a few that could at least have had a little more plot development as they usually are the other end of a joke and is seldom fleshed out as this is purely the Spader/Shatner show. Sadly the court room sequences themselves are the least interesting as the lawyers never seem to lose and is mostly a moral finger on something that creator David E. Kelley want to point out. At least the show had a satisfying ending as it came to a normal conclusion after 101 episodes.
Ten years before "Twilight" there was this teen romantic series where a teenage girl falled in love with an alien. There was a lot of teenage angst and not much that happened at first, but at the end of the first season the show started to embrace it's science fiction roots and became actually rather watchable. It is not as bad as one could expect and the characterization is actually well done. The acting was above average too, but it was sometimes hard to get through all those long "deep" romantic conversations between the two leads. The music was also very modern and up to date at the time. It survived three seasons when it was expected to only last one due to devoted fans and it ended with an okay, but open ending. It is still enormously more satisfying than what "Twilight" ever was.
Originally planned as a feature film than rearranged to be a limited series with it's first two hours getting an exclusive premiere. If the plan was to make this series feel like it was a cheesy Marvel show produced during the 1970s by a Glen A. Larson wannabe then they succeeded. It is also extremly annoying that they "sold" it as a limited series as the ending clearly hopes that this could have been extended into a full series, but after seeing these episodes there was no hope. It was a lousy written show with stupid dialogue and heroes, the Inhumans, coming across as arrogant, selfish racists - and while the villain is unlikable as hell at least he looked the part and has some good reasons as hero leader Black Bolt seem to wanna fart at every second and Medusa had such a stupid superpower that the creators decided to shave off her hair (she could manipulate it!). The rest of the heroes are even less interesting. The effects are also weak with the most "impressive one" being a lousy CGI dog that can transport characters to other areas. Since the budget was so low every scene was filmed at an island in Hawaii or at a stage with background set-design that was made at kindergarten. Weakest Marvel live show by far. Forgotten by everyone.
A show with infinite potential as a Stargate that send people through a portal to any possible part in the galaxy. Still it started very lackluster as a "Star Trek" copy on autopilot with little inspiration, American patriotism and moralizing. Then suddenly at the end of the first season the series started to get inspired with bigger ideas, more action and a better approach to comedic timing. It also dared to experiment with some excellent gimmick stories. Sadly one of the biggest problems with the series was that the characters were flawless and seldom did any mistakes making almost any story have a predictable outcome even if the stories themselves were intriguing. The writers should have let the Stargate team at least lose once in a while and laughably the biggest peril this group ended up in was getting into prison every once in a while as if no aliens would dare to execute this team at once if they were so effective at kicking their asses. Some cast changes in the series helped making the show feel fresh with Corin Nemec replacing Michael Shanks for a season and later "Farscape" favorites Claudia Black and Ben Browder replaced Amanda Tapping and Richard Dean Anderson which made the show a little less "serious". Still it never fulfilled it's huge potential even if the effects made almost every episode look like a big-budget movie. It was hard to be disappointed by the visual effects so a fan of light and sound should be very happy indeed.
One of my favorite series. It was created by "The X-Files" creator Chris Carter, but actually I found this series to have a better overall writing quality and a superior atmosphere of dread as it was hugely influenced by the cinematography and grittiness of "Se7en". The lead hero, rubberfaced Lance Henriksen, do the best performance in his life as he plays a man who can see what the killer sees and put himself in their mindset but also manages to be a gentle family father and loving husband. There is also a possible approaching apocalypse that he has to stop which get more explored as the series go. While the first season consist mostly of stand-alone dark serial killer stories by the second season we get to learn that there are darker forces that motivate the killers to do their killing and that there is a greater battle between good and bad. Add on top of this the best score Mark Snow has ever done and great guest actors and this is a must-see. At least for me. Only the ending is a little underwhelming and the reunion at "The X-Files" was even more so as that episode felt half-finished and lacked the heart that this show had.
Still has a timeless classic feel to it, but the most important thing is that characters seem to behave as in the comics. On the downside: Iceman's voice was not as cool as one would hope, especially since Frank Welker did the job.
Magneto finds a parking sign offensive and don't want to buy his own gas. WTF? Magneto doesn't need any parking as he can only wipe those stupid homo sapiens off the face of the Earth.
Herbie the Robot instead of Johnny Storm? WTF!!! That must be one of the biggest mistakes in comic book cartoon shows I have ever seen? Frank Welker usually do good voice work but this time he stinks terribly with one of the most annoying voices he have ever done. Characterizations are pretty weak.
Both utterly camp and surprisingly artistic. This «Black Swan» mixed with «Showgirls» and a old-traditional soap gets away with being entertaining and tedious. All the stereotypes are here but the wicked dialogue embraces them and there is few series that would let their main heroine have scars from years of rape and incest from her big brother. Nudity, drugs, murder, sex, stripteases, gay love and more. All in 8 ep.
Wife wanted to see a romantic movie. I didn’t. I had seen the ad for this streaming show and decided that I could make a compromise and see this short film. It was actually a rather cute story that thankful did not outstay it’s welcome nor was it even that sentimental. It was about a much deeper kind of love that can affect people and a much better story than most of what we get in the genre. Solid 30 minutes.
This one is not even trying. We all know that the culprit has to be arrested and here we all know how Columbo will catch him an hour beforehand.. Okay, it has it's charm, but this one disappointed me and felt like a gimmick story more worthy to do later on.
A movie helped out by the great support of Ida Lupino and Roddy McDowall, but the ending already reuses the gimmick and "solution" of previous films as our hero puts on a pokerface, deals the cards and win.
Once this was a refreshing show that put Jersey on the map and gave it some great tourist commerical and John Nettles had a charming presence but this is a show that has dated badly and not in a Miami Vice kind-of fun timecapsule way. Especially the scripts are weak and predictable and the rich father-in-law seem to know everyone and all details about criminal activities that he should have been a mobster in the end.
Political soap opera that takes place in a (non existing) Middle East Muslim country. It is an intriguing premise as it tries to show how the different facets oppressed Arabic people take when they are forced to the wall and an intriguing "damned if you do and damned if you don't" approach to some of the political issues. Some of the supporting characters had little to do (other than to get killed) but solid stuff.
Beware a woman this cunning and dangerous. It is only an act of emotion that can trap her and Columbo is there to lure her in. Sadly, the resolution is the least interesting in an otherwise watchable story but remember this was one of first appearances of our peculiar detective and there was better things to come yet.
Far-fetched hero who always manage to get out of trouble with his homemade gadgets from stuff he just happen to find at the most convient places. It is hard to care as every single episode are just the same episode rewritten again and again so I gave up on it even if it is hard not to love hockey-haired Richard Dean Anderson. Memorable theme melody though, but that ain't enough to give it even five stars. Too dated now.
Deutschland '74. Well, to be honest this one has potential but as the story progresses it becomes clear that there is no true ending in sight but that this was planned as a back-door pilot for a series. The females in the cast are exceptional, but what is the point in investing too much time in this when everything builds up to nothing? Hirschbiegel also seem to lack interest and films it all as a '90s stage play.
The third season is better paced and has a perfect balance of humor and creepy scenes, but it is also predictable, especially it's last two hours. It is best when being a "Blob / The Thing" homage with people getting devored and destroyed and "your neighbour can be one of 'em", but it all ends sadly in another monster showdown. Excellent new character additions though and the humor/homages are beautiful.
What if...? In an alternative parallel world in the 1980s, Steven Spielberg directed a Stephen King written movie that was scored by John Carpenter and Tangerine Dream and Ridley Scott did the set design on it? That is "Stranger Things". Season two is even more predictable than the first one, but it's still well written and acted even when it is at least three episodes too long.
Well any series that could generate interest to the internet generation to actually watch the films and series that this show makes homage to (especially John Carpenter / Stephen King/ Spielberg films) should be applauded even if the programme itself ain't especially original or unique. David Harbour got his deserved breakthrough role though and Winona is finally back but it is the new kids that steal scenes.
Supernatural soap melodrama do all the things you would expect when a series do things wrong: overdramatic, story goes nowhere, stupid dialogue and hopeless acting. Among the worst shows that debuted that year: "Damien: Omen II" for teenage girls.
