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The Movie: A series produced by Steven Spielberg that aired on NBC from 1985-1987, "Amazing Stories" didn't continue to bring in the kind of ratings that the network wanted, but the anthology series was beloved by fans. Still, the series has been out of the spotlight for so long that it'd faded from my memory until I saw the show's memorable opening credits sequence (whose animation probably seemed dazzling at the time) once again on the DVD. The series offered a different short story each week - some dark, some funny, some a mixture of tones and usually involving the supernatural. Given Spielberg's attachment to the series, it was able to attract a series of big names both in front of (Kevin Costner, Charlie Sheen, Tim Robbins) and behind (Martin Scorsese and Clint Eastwood were among the many directors that helmed episodes) the camera. The episodes now look rather dated and some are not quite as engaging as the others, but "Amazing Stories" still remains a fun ride more often than not. 1- 1 29 Sep 85 Ghost Train - A grandfather is haunted by visions of the past when his son builds a home on the site of a train wreck. Directed by Spielberg. 1- 2 6 Oct 85 The Main Attraction - When an arrogant high school jock is struck by an asteroid, he finds himself magnetized. 1- 3 20 Oct 85 Alamo Jobe - "Alamo Jobe" finds himself in the right place at the wrong time when he tries to deliver a message at the Battle of the Alamo and ends up in '80's San Antonio. 1- 4 27 Oct 85 Mummy, Daddy - An actor forgets to remove his mummy costume before meeting his wife in the delivery room. 1- 5 3 Nov 85 The Mission (1 hr) - Kevin Costner and Kiefer Sutherland star in this episode about a routine WWII mission that turns disasterous when a young bomber pilot finds himself with damaged landing gear. 1- 6 5 Nov 85 The Amazing Falsworth - Gregory Hines stars as a nightclub mind reader who finds himself tapping into the mind of a murderer somewhere in the audience. 1- 7 10 Nov 85 Fine Tuning - A transmission from space reveals aliens imitating characters from '50's TV. 1- 8 17 Nov 85 Mr. Magic - A once-great illusionist (Sid Caesar) finds new tricks in a mysterious, magical deck of cards. 1- 9 1 Dec 85 Guilt Trip - An overworked emotion, Guilt (Dom DeLuise) takes a vacation and falls for Love (Loni Anderson). This episode was directed by... Burt Reynolds(!) 1-10 8 Dec 85 Remote Control Man - A man discovers a remote that brings TV characters into the real world. 1-11 15 Dec 85 Santa '85 - Santa is arrested while delivering presents and it's up to a little boy to break him out of the slammer. 1-12 29 Dec 85 Vanessa in the Garden - An impressionist painter devastated by the loss of his wife finds a way to have her live on in his art. Clint Eastwood directs. 1-13 5 Jan 86 The Sitter - Two boys who have run off every sitter in town meet their match when the latest sitter (Mabel King) uses voodoo to gain an advantage. 1-14 12 Jan 86 No Day at the Beach (b&w) - During an assault in WWII, a simple-minded GI finds a chance to prove himself a hero. 1-15 19 Jan 86 One For the Road - A group of depression-era barflies try to strike it rich by tricking the local drunk into signing an insurance policy, hoping he's a few glasses away from death. 1-16 2 Feb 86 Gather Ye Acorns - A mysterious troll tells a young dreamer to throw everything away, but after 50 years, the man wonders what he's done with his life. 1-17 16 Feb 86 Boo! - Two ghosts attempt to get rid of the adult film star and her husband who've moved into their house. 1-18 2 Mar 86 Dorothy and Ben - Revived after 40 years in a coma, a man discovers he can communicate telepathically with another comatose patient on the brink of death. 1-19 9 Mar 86 Mirror, Mirror - After claiming that his creations don't bother him, he's visited by a hooded figure in his mirror. Martin Scorsese directs. 1-20 6 Apr 86 Secret Cinema - A young woman named Jane becomes convinced that the people closest to her - including her mother - are trying to film her life using secret cameras. 1-21 13 Apr 86 Hell Toupee - A lawyer buys a new toupee, then inexplicably becomes compelled to murder other lawyers. 1-22 4 May 86 The Doll - John Lithgow (who won an Emmy for his performance) plays a lonely bachelor who finds that the doll he bought for his niece is no ordinary toy. 1-23 11 May 86 One For the Books - An old janitor finds that he can pick up more than garbage when he realizes he can gain knowledge from the books around him. 1-24 25 May 86 Grandpa's Ghost - A young man (Andrew McCarthy) tries to help his grandmother come to terms with her husband's death, but the man keeps appearing when the grandson isn't there. The DVD VIDEO: The show is presented in its original 1.33:1 full-frame aspect ratio by Universal. For a series that's about 20-years-old at this point, the show looks reasonably good. Sharpness and detail aren't outstanding, but the picture usually appears at least crisp and I'm guessing, about how it looked when it originally aired. Issues present include some minor specks and the occasional mark on the print used. Otherwise, the show looked clean and clear - no pixelation, edge enhancement or other issues were seen. Colors looked natural and never smeary or faded. SOUND: The soundtrack has been newly remixed for Dolby Digital 5.1. The rear speakers occasionally kick in to offer reinforcement of the score and instances of ambience and sound effects. Audio quality was fine, with crisp dialogue and no distortion or other issues. Like the picture quality, the audio quality is fine for a show from this era. EXTRAS: About 20 minutes worth of deleted scenes for some of the episodes included. Final Thoughts: "Amazing Stories" still remains a fun ride more often than not, and gets a very nice audio/video presentation (the extras are lacking) on this first season set. Recommended. |