broehl@watdcsu.UUCP (Bernie Roehl) (10/01/85)
<bug line> Sorry, Chuq, I couldn't disagree more. (Well, I could, as I'll point out in a sec). The first episode of "Amazing Stories" was fun. The characters may have lacked depth, but they were certainly well-defined. The story flowed along smoothly, and I even admit to feeling a little twinge of sadness as Old Pa (where did this "Ompah" stuff come from? Check TV Guide, if nothing else) boarded the train at the end. Now, here's where I *could* disagree more: You're right, the ending was predictable from square one. So? *Most* Spielberg stories are like that. Doesn't bother me much... this isn't Zone, after all. You're right, the characters were all cardboard cutouts; see above paragraph. You're right, Spielberg probably does have trouble handling a half-hour format; it's something he's going to have to learn though, since A.S. will be with us for a while. All in all, I thought Amazing Stories was *much* better than the new Zone. (even the opening credits!) Best of all, though, was the first episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents. VERY nice work all around. Real characters, real suspense, tastefully handled violence, and an ending that I honestly did not see until the last second. Good performances, good direction, good cinematography (the first 30 seconds had me hooked; the image of the horse being captured and branded intercut with the woman running/dancing on the beach and then facing shock therapy was riveting). A definite winner. (The intro by Hitchcock himself was clever; they colorized everything *but* the set he was watching, so a living color Hitch was watching himself on a black and white set. Nice touch). I predict that Amazing Stories back to back with Hitchcock will be a ratings winner, and that (sadly) the new Twilight Zone will vanish into the night.