Weekly DVD Pick - Twilight Zone: The Movie
I originally was going to pick You Kill Me as the Weekly DVD Pick but one of my co-workers wandered by and pointed out that Twilight Zone: The Movie is finally getting a DVD release. Twilight Zone is often lumped in with the horror movies and in some ways that fits but it is also an excellent science fiction/fantasy movie.
Twilight Zone is actually 4 short movies each directed by different directors.
The first segment, directed by John Landis tells the story of a bigot who is sent through time experiencing the injustices of bigotry. This ends up being the darkest of the parts due to an accident on the set which ended up killing actor Vic Morrow and child actors Myca Dinh Le (age 7) and Renee Shin-Yi Chen (age 6). The change in story as a result to the accident hurts the first part but considering the severity it can not be faulted.
The second segment, directed by Stephen Spielberg tells the story of the residents of a retirement home who are given a second chance at youth. This is my favourite story. It is the most magical of the four.
The third segment, directed by Joe Dante is the most cartoony of the four parts. A woman is invited to a meal by a young boy who seems to have magical powers. I find this to be the least enjoyable of the segments as pretty much turns into a cartoon with the over the top action.
The fourth segment, directed by George Miller stars John Lithgow as a passenger of an airplane who in addition to being terrified of flying has to deal with a mischievous gremlin. John Lithgow is just terrific as the totally paranoid over reacting passenger.
I should also mention the four segments are also nicely enclosed by two shorts that work really well together.
It amazes me that it has taken this long for Twilight Zone: The Movie to finally receive a DVD release. If you are a fan of the original TV series or like any of the directors this DVD is worth checking out.
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