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klrogers1973
Reviews
The Twilight Zone (1959)
You can't replace or duplicate charm and class
This show had both of those in boat loads. The way we once carried ourselves, the effort we put into normal, everyday routines. It makes you wonder when it all ended, when it all changed. Lots of us like to make fun of the way we used to dress, speak, etc. But look at us now, grown men wearing sneakers with suits, pants sagging, faces unkempt. We don't realize how these action bleed over into our overall values. I know I've gotten sidetracked reviewing this show, I'm rambling on. But in closing, the worst episodes of this show might make you shake your head in dismissal, while the best episodes might just bring you to tears. Some of the best writing and screenplays you'll ever witness, from any time period.
Home Improvement (1991)
No agendas or propaganda
This was way back when tv wasn't trying to push agendas, or promote propaganda. Any family could relate to the storylines, it wasn't dumbing you down, and it wasn't trying to be sneakily explicit. In other words, it was pretty much the opposite of modern family (the show). Maybe I'm biased being from the Midwest and judging a show based in Michigan (or at least I think it was). But it was simple humor, not to be confused with STUPID humor. Don't get me wrong, much of the humor was elementary school level comedy, but it was done in a way that just hit different than the modern shows of today. Kind of like old school cartoons; they weren't trying to imitate real life like todays toons do, they were just trying to make you laugh. Period. Why would I want to see an imitation of my exact life in animated form?! The whole purpose is to get away from that and make me forget about it. But anyways, Home Improvement was just real enough to keep your interest, and just ridiculous enough to make you laugh. It was the perfect mix that most of today's shows are missing and aren't equipped with writers of the right age group and/or background to execute.
Transformers: City of Steel (1985)
Eerie NY skyline shots
The emprire state building is shown sinking into the ground, and you can't help but think of 9/11 the way it's shown. The towers themselves were shown in the opening and ending sequence, and I don't think any other cartoon showed the NY skyline with such detail. Especially for one made in the early 80's. The actual episode itself is definitely not one of the better ones, as it's animated by AKOM, and their animation is by far the worse during the entire series run. There are numerous obvious errors throughout the episode, visually and vocally, and the plot itself was weak and probably not able to be savaged even without the errors. The "Atlantis, arise" episode features DC much in the same way NY was featured in this one, but the animation was far superior and the plot itself was executed much better.
Double Jeopardy (1999)
What movies used to be
I can remember going to see this in the theater, & it was when Ashley Judd was probably at the height of her career. Her movies weren't blockbusters, there wasn't anything particularly special about them. But they were usually 2 hours of decent entertainment that anyone could enjoy. They were relatable, they weren't pitching any type of themes, no agendas, no virtue signaling. We all know how her demise came, and it's a loss for all of us. Not because she was such a phenomenal actress, but because we no longer get "normal" movies like this. It's on tv right now, & I don't want to stop watching it. It featured no ridiculous cgi, the action in it was semi-believable, and it wasn't trying to dumb me down and get cheap laughs out of me. I find it hard to believe that this formula is no longer viable in Hollywood, because there seems to be many others that agree with me. Why can't we get movies like this anymore?? And to be sure, she is definitely a great actress, & deserves much more credit. Now I'm a little biased because I was kinda crushing on her back then, but Hollywood doesn't produce talents like her anymore, & it's really a shame.
The Dukes of Hazzard (1979)
Ahead of its time?
I was 6 when it aired, perfect age for this type of content, for the most part. I never missed an episode of this or Knight Rider, but I was just noticing how much longer dukes aired vs knight rider. I would assume it's because it had more characters, therefore it had many more possibilities as far as storylines go. But whereas KR felt purely 80's, so did dukes, even though it started in the 70's. I'm not saying it was exactly a trendsetter, but it kinda sorta was. It took the formula of Smokey and the bandit and ran with it. For 7 seasons. That's not easy to do, even back then. As predictable and cartoonish as it became (the first season had a much more raw vibe), it kept people coming back, even when its main stars left for a bunch of episodes. Had it become just a tad less cartoonish, and focused more on plot variation, I think people would look at it a lot more differently. And when you read old interviews with the stars, they seemed to have expressed as much during its run, but it fell on deaf ears. KR really fell off towards the end, and I can remember become less engaged (I was also a little older, which didn't help). It became even more cartoonish than dukes, & it fell off a cliff. But even at the end, dukes would still show its charm every now & again. Had dukes kept filming in Georgia, I also think that would've been extremely helpful. In closing, dukes always felt slightly more like can't miss tv than KR.
Once Upon a Time in... Hollywood (2019)
The reviews for this film give a peak into the mind of today's moviegoers
Just like when most people speak today, we overuse the word "awesome". Everything either is awesome or it "sucks". We made up some word called "meh" some years back, and that pretty much describes today's entire pop culture, from film to music. But I digress; Was I disappointed when I initially saw this movie? Yep, sure was. As I had read up on the Manson murders and was basically thinking everything in the movie was somehow going to be related to that. It wasn't, and that left me kinda pissed when I first saw it. But I'm a nostalgic head, & for that reason alone I was left intrigued to get a better understanding of it. What I came away with is that I still don't think it's a great movie, but it was extremely entertaining for someone that appreciates Hollywood's past and particularly, the whole draw of living in Los Angeles. It romanticizes the marriage of film making, being a star and living in LA, and if you're not enamored with either, you're probably one of the reviewers giving this one star.
I guess my point is, a movie doesn't have to be great to be entertaining, if that makes sense. And just because you don't appreciate what the movie is attempting to do, doesn't make it the worst movie ever. I guarantee the same people that hate this film, think The Dark Knight was top 5 greatest of all time. Why? Because it was over-written and made you feel like you were smart when you were watching it, instead of just entertaining you. So you felt pseudo-accomplished by watching it, even though you probably didn't even get it. Because there was nothing get. This movie was simple, and yeah, kinda plotless. But it knows what it is, and isn't pretending to be something it isn't, and that's something you can't say for most movies (or people) nowadays. Not for everyone, but for the ones that it is, you'll appreciate it and adore it.