Top 5 Underappreciated 80's Sitcoms

We all know the classic sitcoms of the 80s. Cosby Show, Family Ties, Who's The Boss, Alf, Cheers, and even Full House are a part of television history and in some cases our very culture. But what about those other shows that were popular when they were on, but have kind of been forgotten in the passage of time? No one ever seems to mention them, re-runs and in some cases dvd’s are unheard of,  and these shows exist the memories of the fans who did once enjoy them.  Here are five examples of what I mean.

#5.Head of the Class-I have already talked about this show a bit in another article so I will keep this short and sweet. I loved this show, its one show I truly miss. I am so glad I have some on tape because it is never re-run and I think I will be stunned if it gets a DVD release. I don't know what it is, but this show just worked for me. Howard Hesseman is not the most likable guy, but his portrayal of Charlie Moore was really good here.  The students were all well cast, especially the first incarnation of the cast. I started watching this show in re-runs and became a fan of it when it was paired with Growing Pains for a couple years. For some reason those two shows really worked well together. Not going to suggest every episode was perfect but this definitely a show I would love to see on DVD someday. Oh, and what about that last season with Billy Connolly? Awful.

#4.Wings-Why wasn't this show a bigger hit? It was created by the same people who created Cheers and Frasier, it had a real solid cast including Tim Daly and Crystal Bernard, and it had a time slot after Cheers (the same time slot that Seinfeld started in). Despite all of these things, this show is not considered a huge hit. True, they had the time slow behind Cheers only a part of the time. In fact I think this show had has many as eight different time slots during its run. This is the same thing that killed Dear John which also wasn't that bad. To be honest I was one of the many who never really gave this show a chance, only watching it when the time slot was convenient. I guess as funny as the show could be it just didn't have that special something that forces people to tune in day in and day out, no matter where the show is scheduled.

#3. Webster. I have heard horror stories about the production of this show. Maybe that is why it has kind of quietly gone away. Emmanuel Lewis’s character is left in the care of Alex Karas and Susan Clark (who were married in real life). The background of the behind the scenes of this could fill a whole article. In the original version it was just supposed to be Alex Karas and Susan Clark, but someone decided to add a cute kid ala Diff’rent Strokes so Webster was born (and that’s the short version). The cast did finally come together and created a really clever little show. Webster was nothing fancy, just a story about a kid being raised by a foster family after his parents are killed in a horrible accident. One thing this show is remembered for is that Webster always called Susan Clark’s character ma’am. Why did he do that? Because it sounded like “mom”. Awww, you gotta love that. One episode I always remember was when “ma’am”’s mother died, I don’t think I have ever seen a sitcom deal with grief and loss of a parent so bluntly. This show was one of the first to be cancelled by a network and survive in first run syndication. Anyway, before this becomes a ramble, this was a decent show which does not get the proper attention it deserves.

#2. Gimmee A Break! Nell Carter was a very popular singer when she came along with this silly NBC sitcom. The premise was she moved into a household to take care of a family after her friend passed away. Like Webster, Nell was a very opinionated black woman running a white suburban household. The first season was actually kind of lousy, with way to many serious stories. As the show developed it got lighter. Also like Webster, there were lots of turmoil behind the scenes. This is one time when adding a child actually helped the show, when Joey Lawrence came in around the 3^rd season. I always remember this show kind of disappearing from the schedule, and was too young to realize that the show sucked and was cancelled. With Dolph Sweet (who had played The Chief) passed away and the daughters old and moving on, the show struggled to find an identity those last couple years. However the earlier years were really funny with good episodes, including a rare live episode, and the show was a staple of NBC’s line-up with good reason.

#1. One Day at a Time-The forgotten sitcom that Norman Lear developed. This one is so underappreciated even I never appreciated it. This show came on in the late 70's so it almost doesn't qualify for this list, but it was on until 1984 so I will let it go. This show ran for nine years and had some great people in the cast including Bonnie Franklin (playing a divorced single mother, almost unheard of), a catchy theme song, and some very strong episodes. It also featured a real great recurring character; Scheider was Kramer years before Seinfeld ever came around. So, why is this show not remembered as fondly as the other shows of the time? Maybe it was the problems off set, especially with Mackenzie Phillips (who is a true Hollywood success story by the way considering her troubled past). Maybe it was the time slots; I know I was never really exposed to this show. Maybe the subject matter was a little to dramatic, I know I generally do not enjoy Norman Lear sitcoms for this reason. This show did finally get some attention this last April on the TV Land Awards, and if you wonder how a silly show like The TV Land Awards could be one every year, that is a perfect example why right there.

Lots of honorable mentions. I didn’t talk about The Hogan Family because I already have in other articles, and I don’t think that show was ever a real hit when it was on. It had a comfortable time slot behind Alf which brings back some fond memories. There was My Two Dads (which had a premise which still does not work for me), Coach, 227, and Just The Ten of Us which was the Growing Pain spin-off which everyone forgets.

Top 5 Favorite Movie Presidents

It only makes sense that most powerful office in the nation would make its way into films from time to time. Once in a while we will get the actual president at the time, but usuall the script will make up a president out of the blue. Sometimes the president is a character meant to move the plot along (like in Armageddon when the president decides to use a nuclear bomb even though everyone tells him it’s a bad idea). But other times the president is the central characters that the entire film is based on. Today I wanted to talk about my five favorite movie presidents. By the way, I am not including any “evil” or “bad guy” presidents in this list.

#5. President Henry Ashton (William Hurt, Vantage Point)

This is a case of the actor doing a lot with what is really a minor role. When we first see the president we see him being goofy, and then he gets shot. We finally realize that this isn’t the real president at all but a double. When we meet the real president, William Hurt plays him so differently. This president is serious and aware of what is going on around him. When he is kidnapped he tries to escape, rather than just rolling over and waiting to be rescued. I loved this movie, mostly because I am a sucker for the gimmick this film is centered around, but William Hurt really surprised me in this film taking a throw away character and making him one of the stronger characters in the entire movie.

#4. President David Kovic aka William Harrison Mitchell  (Kevin Kline, Dave)

I am listing this high for several reasons. One, I have already talked about this movie and what a nice little film this is. Second, David is never really the president as he impersonates President Mitchell through the film. Third, this is a very sugary look at the presidency. If one were to watch this movie one would think that all the president does is make public appearances and pose for pictures. Now I am not trying to take anything away from this film, it is has always been a favorite film of mine, but this movie is so made up it’s almost a fairy tale. Is there anything wrong with that? Of course not. But I guess David Kovic plays the kind of president we would like to get, one who cares more about people than what is popular. Maybe that’s why this film did so well. I think it also works because the actors really seem to be trying, even if it is a silly little film, including Charles Grodin who as a I said before really males the most of a small role.

#3. President Thomas Whitmore (Bill Pullman, Independence Day)

Am I the only person who kind of likes Bill Pullman’s character in this movie? Now I am not suggesting that it isn’t kind of corny, but then again the whole film is kind of corny. Thomas Whitmore is a very young president, former fighter pilot in the gulf war who is now a wimpy sort of commander in chief. However as the movie unfolds he finds that strength to really lead. I actually like his speech he gives near the end, corny as it may be, and I think he is one of the more believable characters in the film. Yes, the idea of the president flying off to save the day is a bit nuts (especially with no vice president or active government), but hey if we can accept aliens demolishing our landmarks and the cable guy being the one and only person who can figure out how to stop these aliens, then why not accept the president leading the fighter jets on a final strike?  

#2. President James Marshall (Harrison Ford, Air Force One)

Those who follow me will know I am not a huge action fan. However, there are some action films I did like. Speed, In The Line of Fire, Face Off……and Air Force One. How could you not love the performance that Harrison Ford gives in this movie? It is just so awesome to see a president step up and kick some ass, even if it is unbelievable. However this film does a pretty good job trying to make us believe the situations, that Air Force One has been hijacked by the Soviets, including having Glen Close as a very strong vice president (in most of these films the vice president is either missing or hardly in it, so this was a nice change of pace). This movie is full of thrills and action, and of course gave us that memorable line “Get off my plane!”

#1. President Andrew Sheppard (Michael Douglas, The American President)

This is the top spot because I think this may be one of the more faithful versions of a president we have gotten on screen. He isn’t an action star, a helpless victim, or a goofball who has no idea what he’s doing. In a lot of ways he takes the best aspects of all the men I already listed but in enough quantities to make him believable and likable. We see that the job is not always easy and involves tough choices. This is really just a little Rob Reiner romantic comedy but it’s one of my favorite movies. We get a real feel for how the presidency works in this movie, and it’s no shock to find out that Aaron Sorkin wrote this little screenplay. Bet you can’t get what TV series he created shortly after this? Annette Benning is also a very convincing love interest, not coming on to strong or to corny.     The romance is believable.  Rounding out the cast we have Martin Sheen and Michael J. Fox in one of his more overlooked roles. Andrew Sheppard is a good man who loves his country. One great thing about this film is the character arc he goes through, through the movie is afraid of challenging his opponent but it isn’t until after everything has fallen apart he realizes he has to step up, and does in one of the best speeches in any movie (don’t believe me? Check it out).  If I had to choose one of these characters to be an actual president, it would be this one. Michael Douglas did a great job with the character, and as I noted this is one of my favorite movies ever.

Honorable Mentions

I know people will be screaming that I did not include Morgan Freeman on here. Truth is I have never seen Deep Impact, but have heard Morgan Freeman did a fantastic job as President Beck. Jack Nicholson was great in Mars Attacks as President Dale but I hated that movie so hard I couldn’t even sit through it. While I am of course talking movies here, I had to give a passing reference to President Bartlet played by Martin Sheen on The West Wing which was a great show which I sadly did not see as often as I should have.

My Favorite Episodes of Star Trek-The Next Generation

So let's talk about my favorite episodes of Star Trek-TNG.Like the previous article I am going to do this season by season, and I havedecided to pick two episodes per season. A gimmicky episode and one that ismore relevant. Why? Because it's easy to say we love the gimmick episodes, it'swhy they do them so often.  If the storyinvolves cool space battles, time travel, a strange disease infecting the crew,or some other odd occurrence like possession or amnesia it's real easy to likeit. However, those shows aren't what make the series memorable. Anyone can do ashow where time repeats in a loop (and many have) for example. What makes theseries memorable is how they handle the more relevant stories. The episodeswhich you have to really watch and follow the story to appreciate.

By the way sometimes the line between a gimmick episode anda relevant one can blur. For example, "The Loss" is built around agimmick (Troi losing her powers, it's the "blind" episode) but hassome good stuff in it despite that, so these may blend a bit but will try tokeep them separate. Before I discuss my favorite episodes, let’s discuss thevery first one.

Random Thoughts-So which Star Trek film is better, Wrath of Khan or The Voyage Home?

I spent a rainy day watching one of my favorite trilogies.No, not Back to the Future, Star Wars, or Lord of the Rings. I watched the StarTrek trilogy that was Wrath of Khan, Search for Spock, and The Voyage Home. Itgot me thinking, most consider Star Trek II the best Star Trek film. However,my heart has always been with Star Trek IV.

Maybe my opinion of these films is colored by my experienceseeing them. When I saw Star Trek II not only was I a bit young, but I had anannoying kid behind me who wouldn’t shut the heck up! To this day when theRelaint explodes I still remember this brat asking his father what happened toKhan.  I l also remember the ear slugscene…gross! When I saw Star Trek IV, it was a theatre packed with Trek fans thatlaughed at everything and enjoyed the heck out of the movie. It was one of thebest experiences I have ever had at a movie. I didn’t even get all thereferences and gags but I didn’t care it, I loved watching that movie and haveseen it dozens of times including on an airplane.

So, which one was actually better?

Star Trek II is a very good film, let me make that clear.Even watching it again for the umpteenth time I was drawn into the film. Amongother themes the films is about life and death, and has the unquestionable bestvillain in any Trek film. The space battles are excellent. In a lot of way thisfilm gets the closest to those classic episodes where the ship is fighting someenemy. It manages to do what the first movie could not, mix the action with thecharacters. The problem with the first movie was that they went special effectshappy, here we get a good story told very well and it feels like a Star Trekmovie this time.

Star Trek IV is an environmental movie, and one which keepsthe preaching to a minimum. Thankfully. It is a much lighter tone but it doesn’tdegrade into camp. The jokes feel natural and the story is effective. This filmfeels like the lighter Trek episodes, most notably Trouble with Tribbles. Evernotice there really isn’t a villain in this film? Yet somehow the movie works.The humor is great and we get less action and more character moments, and Ithink therein lies the big difference.

If you watch Star Trek II you see a very solid movie, butthe other characters don’t have much to do. Chekov disappears once he is nolonger useful to Khan (I never understood why they all go into the cavern andleave him lying there with a bloody ear), Sulu hardly does anything, Uhura sitsbehind that console the entire movie, and Scotty has some great scenes regardinghis nephew but that’s all. And to be honest, I hated having Scotty emotional likethat. It just never felt right to me. Before I continue let me say the argumentthat Khan couldn’t have recognized Chekov because Chekov wasn’t in the episodeis dumb. Why couldn’t he have been on the ship somewhere?

In Star Trek IV everyone has something to do. Okay some geta little less than others, especially Sulu who has his big scene cut becausethe child actor didn’t cooperate, but this is definitely a strong charactermovie. We have Spock go through a whole story arc and not only does it get agreat resolution but it also ties up loose ends from the series regarding hisfather, Kirk finally gets his command back and even gets to flirt with a girllike in the series, Uhura gets a little stiffed but Chekov gets that greatscene on the ship, Scotty gets the scene in the plastic factory and of courseMcCoy gets to play doctor in the 20th century.  I think that is what makes this movie sowatchable, that and the fact the humor is just right. Unlike the next movie, itdoesn’t cross the line into campy or lame.

What The Voyage Home is missing is good action and a strongvillain. That is where Khan comes in. The space battle between the Enterpriseand Reliant is probably the best space battle of any movie. It’s a fact thatKhan and Kirk never have an actual scene together, but somehow we don’t care.The drama and tension is perfect, and of course we have the heart breakingmoment when Kirk finally has to face death when his best friend sacrificeshimself for the ship. This scene is one of the most moving in Trek history,  though the ending of IV still brings a smileto my face when we see the new Enterprise-A. I love that moment.

IV is like a breath of fresh air after all the death in the previoustwo. However as much as I loved Star Trek IV, I was kind of looking forward tothe next film being a more typical space adventure. Of course who knew how muchI would hate Star Trek V, but that is getting way off topic. My favorite scenein that film is when the Klingon vessel decloaks in front of the whaling ship.I loved that freaking moment! Star Trek Ii really has no one scene that standsout, for me the movie is just one strong film start to finish. There is nomoment that I love to see more than another and it took many viewings toappreciate the subtleties in the story. I missed it when I was young.

So I guess it comes down to what you want in a Star Trekfilm. Star Trek II is a very well done movie, hitting almost every mark justperfectly. It tells a good story very well with a darker tone. Star Trek IV is more of a character piece and is just more fun to watch; you always end up smiling by the end of thefilm no matter how many times you have seen it. This is why the movie reachedthe largest audience; it just had a larger appeal. Do you want to see the character grow and interact or an epic space battle? Star Trek II may be astronger film, but Star Trek IV is just a more enjoyable ride.  I don’t think either is better, they are twovery different films which achieve very different things very well.

By the way, I loved Star Trek III also even though it is notthe on the level of either the second of fourth.  I still enjoy watching it.

Eight Great Songs from Eight Not So Great Animated Movies

Last year I did list of great Christmas songs from not so great Christmas movies. I then followed it up with a list of pop songs which are much better known than the movie which spawned them. Today I am going to go over eight songs from animated movies where the song is more highly regarded than the film which originated it.

#8. "At the Beginning" from Anastasia
Nothing taking Russian history and doing whatever we want with it. This film wasn't that bad but it wasn't great either. What was pretty good was this cool song which came from the movie.


#7. "The Prayer" from Quest for Camelot
This is a beautiful little song from Celine Dion, among others, and I enjoy listening to it during the holidays. I was very surprised that such a nice song came from such a crappy movie. If you saw the Nostalgia Critic's review I don't need to explain why it was bad, but the song is beautiful.

#6. "When You Believe" from The Prince of Egypt
Cheating a little on this one because this was a decent movie. At least, I've heard it was because I've never seen it. I am including it because I think the song by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston was more popular than the actual film turned out to be.

#5. "Why Should I Worry" from Oliver & Company
Oliver & Company came along just before the Disney renassaicne in the late 90's. To be fair, this movie isn't that good. It isn't bad either, but compared to the masterpieces that followed it doesn't match up. However this song by Billy Joel is awesome, and once you hear it you will never forget it.

#4. "Reflection" from Mulan
I may be off base saying this was bad, this is another one which I never saw but fell in love with the song anyway. The movie is probably fine, but the song is amazing.

#3. "You'll Be In My Heart" from Tarzan
I actually liked this movie, and I enjoyed the Phil Collins song which was featured in it. No complaints here, decent movie and a great song

#2. "Zip A Dee Doo Dah" from Song of the South
What can you say about this movie? Boring? Hell yeah. A little racist? Sure. Makes no sense? Well that may be pushing it a bit. This movie has one thing going for it, and it's this little upbeat number which is real fun to sing.

#1. "Go the Distance" from Hercules
Who knew it would be a Michael Bolton song that would be the best part of a Disney movie? This movie was just lousy, but at least we got this song out of it.

That's it, hope you liked it

Top 5 Favorite "Feel Good" Movies

Top 5 favorite feel good movies

I love feel good movies! You know what I mean, those films which may not be the greatest movies ever made but at the same they make you feel good when you watch them. They are sometimes called sleeper hits because by all rights they should not be hits at all. They are not epic in scope with casts of thousands and state of the art special effects. They are films about people and do not have superheroes as the lead characters or over the top villains bent on conquering the world. They are little movies that we pop in when we are having a tough day and need a little pick me up. They can be corny and even a bit farfetched, in fact part of the fun is nitpicking these films because it’s so easy, but we love them anyway. There are dozens of these kinds of films, but today I want to talk about five of my favorites.

#5. City Slickers

Gotta be honest, this movie hasn't aged well. I watched it again recently and for some reason it was sillier than I remembered. This was a big hit in 1991? But putting that aside, it's still fun to watch. The film is basically about Billy Crystal having a mid-life crisis so he goes on a cattle drive with his friends. There are some great moments, mostly thanks to the late great Jack Palance, but there is a lot of silliness too. I mean, we have a crazy drunk of a cook who causes trouble for no reason plus two cow hands who are drunken jerks? And how did the three friends manage to actually get the herd back when they had no idea where the ranch was? Yeah that gets harder and harder to buy, but even so there are some great character moments and an ending that always makes me smile. What more can I ask for? By the way, the sequel succkkkeed!!

#4.Dave

This movie is a marvel. First of all, it stars Kevin Kline who I hate. Second, when you listen to the premise it sounds ridiculous. The chief of staff gets a guy who looks like the president so he can take his place in a scheme to steal the presidency from the vice president. Really? Sounds almost idiotic, and yet the charm in this movie just overwhelms it and we ignore how idiotic the plot is. Yeah, we can nitpick this too. In real life the press would see through the scheme and be all over it. Here, they just shrug and accept it. Better like cameos, because this film is stuffed with them. I think the performances really carry this one. Kevin Kline, Sigourney Weaver, Kevin Dunn, Charles Grodin (who does so much with such a small role) and Frank Langella are perfect. Plus they needed an A list actor for the vice-president, and who do they get? Gandhi! Yep Ben Kingsley is in this and is really good. He knows it’s a silly movie and yet he takes it seriously. This movie is really underappreciated; if you're looking for a nice little fluff film then check it out I think you'll be pleased.

#3. Field of Dreams

This movie is remarkable. It makes no sense and should be boring as hell! Kevin Costner builds a baseball diamond into his corn field because a voice told him to. Yeah, that's it! However, this movie seems to reach something inside of us and the story just works. Maybe it's because I love Baseball, or maybe because it's a simple but effective story. This film is a bit surreal and, to be honest, real hard to take seriously. I mean what are we supposed to make of the scene where ghosts appear and play a game in the middle of the field? Or the end where the shot pulls out and we see the backup of cars coming to see the field? “If you build it…he will come”.  But I love the speech James Earl Jones gives at the end about Baseball, it’s a great speech and he delivers it well. I know people think Darth Vadar and Mu fasa when they think James Earl Jones, I think his “People will come” speech. So I can forgive the fact this movie doesn’t really make any sense. Oh, and it’s also Burt Lancaster’s final film role and it’s a great one.

#2. Pretty Woman

Unrealisic? Hell yeah. Corny dialogue? Yep. A cliche'd happy ending? Hm hmm! Then why do we love this movie? Because Richard Gere and Julia Roberts have some of the best chemistry ever put to film. It was because of them, and the other amazing actors in this including Larry Miller, Laura San Giacomo,  and Jason Alexander, that made us love this movie. Original a dark drama until Gar Marshall got a hold of it, this wasn’t just a hit in 1990, it was a monster hit! I still remember watching this in theatre’s and just loving every minute. I guess that’s the rule for all these movies, you don’t need the strongest script as long as you have strong characters we love and really care about. The other thing that I loved in this movie was the music. That soundtrack was awesome and still enjoy it to this day!  Yes I saw Runaway Bride with Roberts and Gere and it good but not quite as good as this one.

#1.Ferris Bueller’s Day Off

I loved watching this movie as a kid. Loved it. Believe it or not I was never a big fan of John Hughes. It took me years to appreciate The Breakfast Club (which really is very good), even longer to appreciate Trains, Planes, and Autombiles. However Ferris was the exception. I loved this movie (have I said that yet?). I used to watch it all the time if I was home sick or something. Then I got older and watched it again, and still love it! Matthew Broderick has so much charm that he can take a character we should despise (let’s be honest here) and love him! I mean think about it, Ferris breaks rules, defies the law, and uses people and yet we can’t get enough! This is basically the story of a senior in high school taking off from high school one day for no good reason. He gets girlfriend and buddy to come along, and there we go. This movie is just so much fun to watch, and I have seen it a hundred times.

HONORABLE MENTION

Back To The Future

I left this off the list because this was not a little movie that people should not have liked, but instead they loved. This was a big hit with good reason, like Ghostbusters the year before.  Also I have talked about this before so I don’t think  I need to explain again how much I loved this movie. This movie is an example of a perfect movie (perfect is not the same as great). It is a great story, memorable characters, just enough action and suspense, and follows a logical plot that results in a satisfying conclusion. To put it simply, it does everything that a good movie should do. And I have seen it a million times, and even went on the ride at Universal Studios (totally worth the hour long line!)

Why are most of these films from the 90’s? Guess it’s because I don’t see movies as often as I used to and all of these I saw in theatres. Limiting this list to five leaves off tons of great films. Princess Bride, Groundhog Day, Father of the Bride, Ghost, Forrest Gump, Bruce Almighty, Defending Your Life (I dare you not to smile at the end of this one!), and almost anything Disney related. Truth is these films are my favorite kind of films, I don’t go to movies to be depressed or have my whole life changed. I just want to be entertained for a couple hours. What are your favorites?

The Worst of Star Trek-The Next Generation

This year marks the 25th anniversary of the premiere of Star Trek-The Next Generation, As part of my celebreation, I present an article I wrote some time ago about the worst episode of Next Generation. Next week I will discuss the episodes I loved.

Which is really the worst Star Trek-The Next Generation episode?In my previous blog about the worst of Star Trek, I pointed how a famously bad episode, “Spock’s Brain”, in fact may not be the very worst episode after all. Not to say it was good, because it wasn’t, but there are worst.

Now I wanted to shift focus on Next Gen. Many people consider “Shades of Gray” the worst episode ever. For those who may not know, this was a clip-show which ended the 2nd season. Don’t get me wrong, it’s bad. However, there are worst episodes and to prove my point, I am going to list seven episodes, one from each season, which I think are actually worst, or at least just as bad, as this show. One quick comment, why would someone do a clip show after just two seasons? Anyway, on to the list and remember this is just opinion. Feel free to disagree.

Season 1, “Skin of Evil”. This is a hard choice because most of the episodes of this season are sub-par. However, I chose this episode because of the cold way that it deals with the death of character Tasha Yar. I realize the creators weren’t thrilled Denise Crosby wanted to leave, but to give her such a meaningless death was just cruel. Thank goodness they made up for it in “Yesterday’s Enterprise”. The alien was also silly, an oil slick? Really? There were many other horrible shows including Code of Honor. In fact it's almost remarkable the show made it out of the 1st season!