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Slurge-5
Reviews
Star Trek Into Darkness (2013)
A Little Too Derivative
I liked the movie, but would have liked it even more if it wasn't retelling a story we'd already seen—especially one that is considered, by many, to be the best of the original Star Trek films. (And then there was that one scene, albeit "flipped," that was taken directly out of the original film. It made me wince.) However, the cast was great, including the "guest" stars, and they were all given some good scenes (except maybe Chekov and Sulu, who got short shrift this time out). What's more, the Klingons stayed off the cutting room floor, and there was plenty of action to go around, so there is a lot to be enjoyed, here. Still, I'm looking forward to something new and original in the next movie.
Family Guy: Something, Something, Something, Dark Side (2009)
Deeply Disappointing
First of all, I'm not a fan of Family Guy. My brother keeps showing me episodes, trying to get me interested, and I've yet to find the show appealing.
That said, I enjoyed Blue Harvest. Aside from the creepy paedophile that wouldn't go away, the show was full of humorous pokes at Star Wars, pointing out plot holes and inconsistencies.
So, when Something, Something, Something Dark Side came out, I was looking for the same experience. Instead, what I got was an unfunny hour, filled with inside references and characters belabouring punchlines, as if the audience was too stupid to get the jokes without help.
Too bad.
Ghost Story (1981)
Great Cast, Bad Film
Maybe it's because I read Peter Straub's wonderful book before seeing the film, but I was terribly disappointed by this movie. In my opinion, the filmmakers removed everything that made the story interesting and unique, and replaced it with more common Hollywood-style elements.
It's too bad, too, since this movie has a terrific cast, particularly Fred Astaire, Douglas Fairbanks, Jr., Melvyn Douglas, John Houseman, and the then-largely-unknown Alice Krige. They're just not given very much worthwhile to do.
In fact, I was all for leaving halfway through, but a friend convinced me to stay to the end, as he was sure it had to get better. He apologised to me during the closing credits.
Reggie (1983)
Forget this show. Watch the original.
Like "All in the Family" and "Sanford and Son," Reggie was based on a British television series. Unlike those two, however, Reggie did not inspire a second viewing. Much as I like individual cast members, things never gelled.
The original, "The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin," is far superior. Watch that instead.
V (1984)
V: The Series was a victim of the times
It started out with a lot of promise: the aliens from the two mini-series had returned, but a shrewd businessman had negotiated a "free city" -- an area where humans could go about their business with the illusion of being their own masters, very much like Casablanca in the movie of the same name.
While the first few episodes were a little flat as they set up this premise, the middle episodes were terrific. We had the pretense of this safe haven, while the aliens did their best to manipulate things behind the scenes, and the resistance continued to work at stopping the Visitors and their plans.
Unfortunately, the ratings were not good, so the show began to focus more and more on what was going on inside the Visitor ships, which turned out to be a lot like what was happening on Dallas and Dynasty, two popular shows of the time. Instead of taking over the earth, Diana seemed more concerned with fighting with her rival for their Leader's affections. By the time the show was cancelled, it was almost a relief.