Thursday, September 27, 2018

Thursday Movie Picks - TV Edition: Anthology Series

Written as part of the weekly blogathon hosted by Wandering Through the Shelves. Join in the fun by picking three movies that fit the week's theme and writing a bit about them!

This week, we interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring you a special TMP TV Edition. Anthology series have grown in popularity in recent years thanks to the success of American Horror Story, which changed up the formula a bit: Instead of having every episode be completely stand-alone, as in traditional anthology series, now each season is its own story (except that it's not so stand-alone, since Ryan Murphy, et al. decided that the whole thing ACTUALLY takes place in the same universe and characters have crossed over between seasons, but WHATEVER).

But for the purposes of this week's pickings, I'm going with the more traditional, "a bunch of stand-alone episodes unified around a central theme but with no real connection to each other" definition.

The Twilight Zone (1959-1964) Not the first anthology series, but certainly the one that cast the longest shadow, Rod Serling's exploration of paranoia in mid-century America could be anything from episode to episode, and while there was often a touch of the supernatural, many episodes (including series best "Time Enough At Last") were perfectly quotidian. Often remembered as a horror series, and with good reason, it's worth noting that were comedic ("Mr. Bevis") and straight dramatic episodes ("I Sing The Body Electric") as well. More than anything, The Twilight Zone is science fiction, taking American fears about new technology and space exploration and placing them in a funhouse mirror. What's reflected back at us isn't always pretty.
Favorite Episodes: "The After Hours", "Mirror Image", "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street", "Miniature", "The Invaders"

Faerie Tale Theatre (1982-1987) One of the first examples of original cable TV programming, Shelley Duvall produced this series that focused on one fairy tale per episode, with big stars acting in parts big and small. The design of the sets and backdrops were often inspired by famous artists like Gustav Klimt, Norman Rockwell, Pieter Brueghel, and even Jean Cocteau. My sister and I would take these videos out from the library so often as kids that we practically had some of the episodes memorized. There is a charm to Faerie Tale Theatre, cultivated by Duvall herself, that is lacking in a lot of children's entertainment, but gives the episodes a timeless quality, and the opportunity to see such stars as Robin Williams, Eric Idle, Anjelica Huston, Eve Arden, Teri Garr, Ned Beatty, Jeff Bridges, Gena Rowlands, Bernadette Peters, Carrie Fisher, and Christopher Reeve, among MANY others, perform in the glorified children's theater setting is a delight (favorite random casting: Klaus Kinski as the Beast in "Beauty & the Beast" opposite Susan Sarandon's Beauty).
Favorite Episodes: "The Frog Prince", "The Emperor's New Clothes", "The Princess and the Pea"

Black Mirror (2011-Present) If ever there was a true heir to The Twilight Zone, Charlie Brooker's screed against the modern world and its technology is it. Science fiction that feels like either our current world gone sideways or far-too-possible futures, Black Mirror is far bleaker and more pessimistic than Twilight Zone ever was, but it is powerful and thought-provoking. I mean, when the first episode is about the British Prime Minister being forced by cyberterrorists to have sex with a pig on live TV, you get a pretty good idea about what the series thinks about the world. Some of the episodes are genuinely difficult to watch, but others are just ridiculously entertaining, and they are all executed with great care and craft at every level. It's maybe the most essential TV show about our current moment, and that's saying something.
Favorite Episodes: "White Bear", "Be Right Back", "Nosedive", "San Junipero", "U.S.S. Callister"

5 comments:

  1. We match! Twilight Zone, I expect, will be popular today and for good reason. I like the Kick the Can episode, The one with the greedy relatives waiting for the old man to die but they must wear masks until the stroke of midnight and The lady driving to her new destination but a creepy man is following her.

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  2. Yay Black Mirror! We share a few of the same favorites too with Be Right back and San Junipero. Nosedive was one of my favorites as well but I think Hated in the Nation bumped it out of my top 5.

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  3. I LOVE The Twilight Zone! While it didn't hit a home run every time its average was very high for quality programs. I like all the episodes you listed and The Invaders is one of my favorites too. A couple of my other faves The Hitchhiker with Inger Stevens, Nothing in the Dark with Robert Redford and Gladys Cooper and The Ring-a-Ding Girl with Maggie McNamara.

    We match!! Again with Faerie Tale Theatre the quality could be scattershot but they were usually very entertaining. Glad you mentioned The Princess and the Pea, Liza Minnelli was funny in that.

    I've never seen Black Mirror though it's the second time I've seen it pop up today.

    I like the anthology format and will give ones that intrigue me a shot. Which is why I've given American Horror Story a shot or two but I've given up on it now it's just too variable (and bloody). These are three of my favorites.

    Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955-1965)-The master of suspense turned his eye to the airwaves for a decade of thrills and chills in the 50’s. Ranging from dramatically ironic (Lamb to the Slaughter with Barbara Bel Geddes-one of the best of the series) to eerie (Forecast: Low Clouds and Coastal Fog with Inger Stevens) to humorous (Outlaw in Town with Ricardo Montalban and Constance Ford) the stories were reliably entertaining stacked with familiar faces and Hitchcock himself doing a droll introduction and wrap up on each episode. Fronted by Hitch’s silhouette and jaunty theme music this ran a half hour its first seven season then morphed into The Alfred Hitchcock Hour for the final three.

    Masterpiece Theater (1971-Present)-Beginning with The Forsyte Saga and hosted for its first 21 years by Alistair Cooke this anthology series presented some of the most acclaimed programs (The Six Wives of Henry the VIII, Elizabeth R, Upstairs/Downstairs, Prime Suspect and the original House of Cards among many others) ever shown on television. Rebranded in its 38th years as simply Masterpiece this is still going strong.

    Faerie Tale Theatre (1982-1987)-Conceived and produced by Shelly Duvall this anthology of live action fairy tales was star studded in almost every case and while the production values were sometimes wanting they had a charm to them and the opportunity to see the actors/actresses trying a little something different. While some stand above the rest (The Frog Prince with Robin Williams and Teri Garr, The Boy Who Left Home to Find Out About the Shivers-one of the darker tales with Vincent Price, Christopher Lee and Frank Zappa & Sleeping Beauty with Christopher Reeve as Prince Charming and Bernadette Peters as the sleepy beauty are particular standouts) none are outright bad.

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  4. Dan,

    As a kid, I loved tuning the TV in to catch "The Twilight Zone". The bizarre episodes left me wanting more! "Faerie Tale Theatre" surely had an all-cast lineup of some of the most popular actors from the early 80s. I'm not sure why I do not recall this TV program but it looks like a fun one. "Black Mirror" I have in my Netflix Watch List. I'm eager to start it. Thanks for the share and have a pAwesome weekend!

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  5. Black Mirror is awesome. White Christmas is probably my favorite episode, the twists in that are amazing. Last season was sadly quite repetitive other than U.S.S. Callister

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