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Conference noted::sf

Title:	Arcana Caelestia
Notice:	Directory listings are in topic 2
Moderator:	NETRIX::thomas

Created:	Thu Dec 08 1983
Last Modified:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:	Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:	1300
Total number of notes:	18728

279.0. "Twilight Zone, Amazing Stories, Misfits of Science" by AURORA::RAVAN () Tue Nov 05 1985 03:25

After the bizarre self-immolation of "V" last season, I thought things
looked pretty bleak for SF on the tube. True or not, this season has a
few entries in the fantasy category that are worth watching.

The new "Twilight Zone" has been consistently good so far, and upholds the
standards of the original. They seem to be tapping the vast array of short
stories that have not been filmed before, and are doing an excellent job.
Some of its episodes are SF, but most so far have leaned towards the fantastic.

"Amazing Stories" got off to a slow start, I thought. Despite excellent
production quality, some of the stories just weren't very entertaining. The
soon-to-be-legendary "Mummy Daddy" may have reversed this trend; at least,
I hope so. In general, the tone of AS is much lighter than TZ, and I suppose
it's aimed at a younger audience.

And then there's "Misfits of Science," a marvelous comic-book of a show,
complete with a half-baked Legion of Super Heroes whose love lives and
overdue research papers continually get in the way of their Mission of the
Week. The Gahan-Wilson-style lab scenes that go on in the background are
worth watching for, and some of the episodes have very nice plots. So what
if the actual "science" part gets dropped on the floor? "You don't understand;
they've had time to think of - God help us - a plan!"

There are lengthier discussions of all these shows in the TV notes file,
but I thought they deserved mention here. Enjoy!

-b

T.R	Title	User	Date	Lines
279.1		HOMBRE::CONLIFFE	`Wed Nov 06 1985 14:11`	15
	I think AMAZING STORIES may best be classified as a series of "Camp Fire" stories, with the goal of providing entertainment and an occasional catch of breath (either from laughter or tension). This week's hour long special episode ("The Mission") definitely falls into the catgory of "A simple story, well told". True, none of them have been great science fiction, none of them have been great suspense, none of them have been great horror, but they've all been entertaning to a greater or lesser extent. I like this show. Nigel ps: And as for Beth liking "Misfits of Science", how can you trust a woman who hurries home to videotape "The Love Boat"????
279.2		TROLL::RUDMAN	`Wed Nov 06 1985 16:15`	14
	Uh-oh. You may have wanted to add a :-). You are now fair game for a heat-seeker up your termy. There may be extenuating circumstances as to why she tapes that type of show (he said, diplomatically). My wife has a tape of a Love Boat episode because an actor whom she chose as a subject whilst becoming a accredited freelance photographer appeared therein. (Can't tell I'm reading a European equipment manual, can you!) Live long (if you can), and prosper. Don P.S. Maybe she likes Gavin's legs. :-)
279.3		AKOV75::BOYAJIAN	`Thu Nov 07 1985 10:59`	19
	re:.1 Actually, I thought the hour-long AMAZING STORIES was one of the most suspenseful things I've seen on tv --- up until the end. I was hoping that Spielberg would at least do one "amazing story" that wasn't a fantasy story. The resolution to the problem blew the credibility of the story totally to shreds. As for THE LOVE BOAT, I confess that I used to watch it many years ago. I rather liked the way the weaved three different stories (each written by a different writer) into one whole. I liked the characters pretty much, too (especially Julie :-)). It did go down hill rapidly, though, and I stopped watching it. Of course, the question remains about why THE LOVE BOAT should be discussed in SF.NOT (well, I do remember an episode in which the ghost shows up to "help" his widow find a new companion... :-)). --- jerry
279.4		PAUPER::GETTYS	`Thu Nov 07 1985 11:27`	1
	Well, Love Boat IS Fantasy.....??????.....
279.5		KATADN::BOTTOM	`Thu Nov 07 1985 12:56`	5
	I loved "Mummy Daddy" but I thought that the "Mission" was a half hour show drawn out to an hour length. The suspense bored me. The show however seems promising. dave
279.6		GUIDO::RAVAN	`Thu Nov 07 1985 12:55`	14
	re .1-.4 Nigel is trying to get my goat. It's his reply that's the fantasy; while I may (I repeat, may) have watched "Love Boat" once in a while, it's a gross calumny to state that I ever taped it!!! [Moderate sidestep: on the "Here's our new season" show for CBS (ABC?), they held their self-congratulatory binge on the Love Boat, and Cybill Shepard and Bruce Willis from "Moonlighting" were there. Shepard said she had never seen Love Boat, and Willis proceeded to harry her into admitting that she had. It was the only sequence worth watching, amid all the "aren't we great" banalities...] -b