Reviews

At one point in this episode Karl Malden's Mike Stone turns to his partner with a disgusted "Are you kidding me?" expression on his face at the bad joke he'd just told and says something like "Let's get outta here." I found it a more appropriate epitaph for this often incredible show than this episode as a whole. Unfortunately in this case they didn't save the best for last and as my review title states they go out with a whimper rather than a bang. Considering the plot of this particular episode you might even say that the show had truly gone to the dogs by this point although the final season itself did have some amazing highlights including the first time ever 2 parter in the season opener and Ned Beatty's Emmy deserving episode. I'm watching "Back to the Streets of San Francisco" (Google where to watch it) that I apparently missed from 1992 (When it came out) until now but what can I say? This show that I'd never watched an episode of prior to this just completed binge has become one of my all time favorite television series. Great characters, interesting plots, and talented people will always be in style.

Thanks for the memories Streets of San Francisco and thank you to the late great Karl Malden (who I still think might have played a better Mickey than even Burgess Meredith did in the Rocky films) who was the very heart & soul of this amazing show.

Just as I've noted in reviews for previous episodes in this great series where Meg Foster and Don Johnson among others made their individual episodes with what should have been Emmy winning performances, the great Ned Beatty does so here. His conflicted performance is, in a word, REAL. Every scene that he's in is authentic and the viewer can even feel his tension and empathize because of how well he pulls you into the performance. Kudos all around.

This episode features Don Johnson at the height of his charm and talent and makes one wonder if it would have been he rather than Richard Hatch (Nothing against Hatch, who Johnson ALMOST costarred with in the original Battlestar Galactica a few years after this when Johnson was almost cast as Starbuck alongside Hatch's Apollo. Dirk Benedict won the role instead.) if the course of the show would have changed? I know this, if Johnson would have been the new partner NOBODY would have been comparing him unfavorably to Michael Douglas who left the show at the season's opener. As is the 2 shows that the unfortunately now departed Hatch was known for, namely this and Battlestar Galactica, lasted only one season with him as the star. I'm not saying that it's his fault but while he was talented actors like Johnson are MAGNETIC. It's impossible to not watch someone like that. Very few have that kind of "X Factor" and that's the secret of their incredible success. There have been many. Elvis Presley, Bruce Lee, The Rock, just to name a few. And of course, Don Johnson who as I say in my MAKES this episode as the titular "Hot Dog".

Even though this episode is of the same almost uniformly excellent quality that fans of this show have come to expect, it's truly Meg Foster (She with the ethereal eyes) who really makes this episode come to life. Her natural style, improvisational manner of acting, and of course her stunning beauty all combine to make you root for her in spite of anything contrary that she says or does in the episode. In point of fact I found myself wondering during it what The Bionic Woman would have been like if Meg Foster had starred in it! What a unique and unsung actress!

Dorothy Fontana, best known to classic Star Trek fans as "D. C. Fontana" wrote this episode and in it she gave the audience a 3 dimensional female character who, in the space of this one tale manages to not only capture our imaginations but evoke our sympathy as well.

Unlike the other review mine will contain no spoilers.

I will only say what my headline does, that here you'll find a memorable performance (Emmy worthy in my opinion) in a memorable story and both Fontana and actress Carol Eve Rossen should be commended highly. Each episode of this show is of great quality but those two pros elevated it even more in this episode. BRAVO!

I won't spoil anything for anyone but what I will do is praise the creativity and imaginations of the writers who here have created a layered edge of your seat thriller with several unexpected twists. The cast of the show is excellent as always and the guest stars are uniformly impressive as well as is usually the case with this fine show. Having been 4 years old when it first came out I'm just now seeing these shows for the very first time and when I see something impressive even by modern standards I HAVE to speak out! Check it out for yourself and see if you aren't impressed as well!

After watching this and being thrilled that it's better (Yes I said BETTER) than "A Quiet Place", I've been blown away by the vitriol for it by what looks like a cancel culture contingent. Who did Stanley Tucci piss off? It's like the woke mob got their marching orders to slam this movie for no good reason. Don't judge it by the views of others, watch it for yourself and see what YOU think. Too many goosestep right along with the crowd and like lemmings follow them anywhere. Make your own judgement. Maybe you'll agree with them, maybe you'll agree with me, and maybe you'll have an entirely different viewpoint about the film but don't let other people determine your opinion for you. Educated opinions are always better than word of mouth.

This episode is a little "Death of a Salesman"-ish in that it chronicles the travails of a good man with bad luck who makes horrible choices. I won't recount the plot again here as some other reviewers seem to confuse the idea of providing an opinionated review with providing a beat for beat synopsis of an episodes entire events. But suffice it to say that after seeing lead William Windom in many parts including (But of course not limited to) "Escape from the Planet of the Apes" (Where he played a JFK like President), his personal favorite of all his performances the "They're Tearing Down Tim Riley's Bar" episode of Rod Serling's Night Gallery, and MY personal favorite from him "The Doomsday Machine" from the original Star Trek, take it from me if you haven't seen him in much that he is ALWAYS interesting to watch. He makes this episode like Janice Rule made the previous one. Like someone once said, at least 50% of a successful piece of entertainment (Be it episodic television like this or features) is great casting it looks like Quinn Martin and company understood that all too well.

I agree 100% with the reviewer who said "Janice Rule Rules" because her performance and the humanity, wit, and intelligence she brought to her part elevated this otherwise pedestrian story tremendously.

I recognized her from the start and upon checking to make sure that I was right about who she was I confirmed it. She starred in an episode of my all time favorite series, the original run of The Twilight Zone. Her episode of that was called "Nightmare as a child" and I must say that this episode has both a better title and a better plot as well than did that episode with the younger Janice Rule. There's something haunting about her eyes and somehow sad as well. I hope that her life hasn't been as dark as her countenance has been from those 2 performances. But I hope that others will appreciate the quality that she brings to both episodes. She's a first rate actress all the way.

I guess one of the reviewers said it best when they described this as a real love it or hate it movie. Well I for one loved it! I'm genuinely surprised at the negative reaction that so many have had to it. It's clever, has a GREAT cast playing memorable characters, and the titular song will, like the film itself, stay with you long after the film ends.

If you don't like comedy/horror films then don't watch this. If you ONLY like comedies or horror films and don't like the 2 ever overlapping then don't watch this. But if you appreciate some wit, acting, cleverness, and originality in your horror/comedies then by all means DO watch it and I bet that you'll love it like I do!

Well we're 3 episodes in to this show that looked full of promise and since 2 out of the 3 were just so so, it's looking like this is going to be one of those flash in the pans unfortunately and that it will soon be gone.

One MUST lay the blame (Or credit) squarely upon the shoulders of Bobcat Goldthwait. This is his baby just as my favorite series of all time The Twilight Zone was Rod Serling's. But to belabor the obvious Goldthwait is no Serling and this show is no Twilight Zone.

It' s fitting that the premiere episode was half animated because the show itself is a lot like a cartoon, exaggerated and nonsensical without any pretenses of actual reality. It's a fun house mirror version of an anthology.

I differ from some others in that I didn't like the premiere but did like the second episode. The third was mediocre as well in my opinion and the previews for the fourth show no signs that it will be any better. One wouldn't imagine that Goldthwait just wanted to extend his 15 minutes of stand up comedy fame with a disposable Goosebumps style show but the proof is in the pudding and he obviously wasn't going for depth or meaning. If it stays at this mediocre level I predict that we'll never see a second season of this show and probably never hear from Bobcat Goldthwait again either. Hollywood loves a winner but this show isn't one and neither is he for making it.

After the underwhelming Bubba The Bear premiere I thought that the second episode, Face in the Car Lot (Although it really did need a better title, something catchy like "President Werewolf?" or "Hail To The Wolf" would have been much better) was a vast improvement and expertly wove the humor and the horror hand in hand far better than the series first episode did.

For me the reason is the acting. I really hate to say it about old Scott Evil himself but Seth Green just isn't that good of an actor. Dave Foley and David Koechner ARE good actors and they thread the needle perfectly between satire and horror.

Although I'm SURE that the current political situation was one of the main impetuses behind this episode it ironically rises above petty ideologies to entertain fantastically! I found myself engrossed in the episode from the start! As far as the ending (Which I'll not reveal here) goes I can only say that I hope that the unresolved nature of it will allow for a sequel to this episode within what I hope will be a long running series if it can maintain this level of quality. If there can be more great episodes like this and less so-so episodes like Bubba The Bear, then I think that it will be.

At one point in this sad (For all the wrong reasons) episode one of Lori Beth's confused parents asks if their daughter is going to be phoning it in as well as her betrothed Richie Cunningham who, since actor Ron Howard had left the show, the writers decided to strand on an army base in Greenland able only to phone in as his wedding ceremony is improbably held without him. Fonzie stands in for him and all the characters still on the show take part but they couldn't even get Ron Howard to pre record or even phone in an "I DO" to make this episode anything other than what it is, a pathetic skeleton of the show it once was. If the show was on life support at this point somebody should have pulled the plug.

For me personally the key to greatness has always been and will always be memorability. If something is great then you'll remember it and if it isn't (At least to you) then you won't, it's as simple as that.

"Wednesday" has stuck with me since childhood. To me, this little seen short film is Jack Lemmon at his absolute best.

He's done innumerable films of fantastic quality and more than made his mark in work that practically everyone has seen from The Odd Couple & The China Syndrome to the Grumpy Old Men films at the close of his deservedly lauded career. Nobody can or should take away the influence of those films. But for me personally it's "Wednesday" that will always be at the forefront of my mind when thinking of Lemmon and if you haven't seen it but are a fan of him & his work then I couldn't encourage you more strongly to see it. You can find it on youtube and elsewhere online. You won't be sorry that you invested the few paltry minutes that it takes to watch this superlative short film and who knows? After watching it you just might end up agreeing with me that when you think of Lemmon, you think of "Wednesday"too.

Having just completed viewing this made for TV movie I can say several things. 1)It was adequately made but not outstanding as far as entertainment. 2)The acting was hit & miss, with Michael Lerner doing the best at portraying an emotionally unbalanced Jack Ruby. 3)As far as historical worth goes this is virtually worthless for any but those who slavishly hold to the Warren Commission's finding of a "Lone Gunman" in the case of not only Lee Harvey Oswald but in HIS assassin Jack Ruby as well. Believers in the "Lone Nut" scenario accused Oliver Stone's film "J.F.K." of being complete fiction & I suppose that it would be to them in the same sense that footage of the Moon Landing would be complete fiction to someone who believes that we never went there & consequently faked the whole thing. This made for TV film is a rote,down the line love letter to the Warren Commission findings,eliminating anything inconvenient (Like the whole "Magic Bullet" part of the tragedy for example. Aside from the trajectory of it which defied the laws of physics "Lone Gunman" adherents would have us believe that it just magically fell out of Governor John Connally to lay gently beside him on the hospital stretcher in practically pristine condition, a condition that never has been repeated since in countless tests under countless conditions. A bullet fired through NO bones or flesh but simply water itself has more degradation than that present on the "Magic Bullet" not to mention that the fragments of shrapnel removed from Governor Connally add up to more mass than is even missing from the conveniently discovered cartridge in the first place!)that they might not be able to explain away with the ease of how for example Jack Ruby came to know that Oswald had been involved in the Fair Play for Cuba committee. (Here it has Ruby overhearing it on the radio shortly before arriving at the police station where he just so happens to get into the press room so that he can have the first of his moments in the spotlight before getting locked away until his own suspicious death under incarceration.) What they don't replicate for their own purposes (Like having Oswald scowl a lot to make him look more guilty) they simply invent (Like the radio bit that I just mentioned) or eliminate entirely (Like the "Magic Bullet" stuff or the fact that Oswald worked at a top secret photo developing lab & would have known how to fake the photos of him with the guns that basically announced to the world "I'M GUILTY!" Here it's portrayed like he was just saying that they were faked with nothing to back it up. Or the fact that a man fitting Ruby's description was seen around Dealey Plaza at the time of J.F.K.'s murder. "When in doubt, throw it out" seems to have been the order of the day here.) so as to convince either the casual viewer who doesn't know much about the case or the choir of Warren Commission apologists that they're preaching to that this indeed is the way that it REALLY happened. (As a side-note it's interesting that with so many rave reviews it's not rated very highly. Almost makes you suspicious doesn't it?)

I'm not saying that you HAVE to believe that there was a conspiracy (Though I think that's the only reasonable conclusion to reach upon examining all of the evidence.)but what I am saying is that if you're interested in the assassination of President Kennedy (As I would assume just about everyone watching this would be)then AT LEAST look at the evidence presented from both sides & decide for yourself.

If it wasn't for the scene in which Stephanie Powers graces the viewer with her naked backside & some side boob action one would be forgiven for thinking "The Astral Factor" a TV Movie of the week (Which were quite prevalent in those days). As is it's one of the few things that DOES stand out in this lackluster dip into the new age pool. If you're already a fan of seventies era films & TV shows you'll no doubt recognize several of the actors from such fare as "The Love Boat", & "Fantasy Island". Needless to say that there's nothing groundbreaking going on here. If your standards are low (REALLY low) then you may get something out of this. Otherwise buyer (And viewer) beware.