Life In 19x19

BTW, Bob Denver will always be Maynard G. Krebs for me!

Bantari wrote:The is the natural regression of the storyline in the media:
- In the old days, the most efficient way to make something people like watching was to have a good story.
- The interim period - just put in more explosions.
- These days - special effects rule!

The same can be said for general deterioration in acting.

I agree. From our perspective it was a blessing not having those special effects potentials in the old days, because a good story and good actors had to make up for that - and often they did. And it's not only special effects. Watch an old show and a new one and you will recognise those nasty modern cutting frenzy.

EdLee wrote:Also check out
Invasion of the Body Snatchers ( 1978 version )

I preferred the 1956 version. In both movies there is a pivotal scene involving a dog. In the '78 version the movie took a cheap shot with special effects, but what made the scene so special in the '56 version was that it was so ordinary.

I also liked the 1993 version, Body Snatchers, because of the military angle.

Hi Bill, I haven't seen the original 1956 version;
some day I hope to see it. I also haven't seen the 1978 version
for a long time; maybe another viewing will change my evaluations.
But I distinctly didn't like the 1993 version.
I remember I was disappointed with it, compared to the 1978 version.

EdLee wrote:Hi Bill, I haven't seen the original 1956 version;
some day I hope to see it. I also haven't seen the 1978 version
for a long time; maybe another viewing will change my evaluations.
But I distinctly didn't like the 1993 version.
I remember I was disappointed with it, compared to the 1978 version.

I saw the '56 version in a movie house in the '60s with some friends. I was the only one who liked it. The dog scene was a big reason. I saw part of the '93 version while channel surfing one night, and when I realized what it was, I thought, How stupid! But later on, I saw it from the beginning because I like Meg Tilly. From the bit I had seen before, I was primed to accept it on its own terms, which are rather different from the other two, and I felt that it worked.

IMHO, The Body Snatchers was a silly novel, but the 1956 film adaptation was entertaining. Not the best 50s SF movie, though. That is, not up to the level of Forbidden Planet (Anne Francis could induce nocturnal emissions ) or The Day the Earth Stood Still. However, all three films do carry the weltanschauung of the period. It's too bad that the studio forced director Don Siegel to change the ending. At least it was not bloated with special effects and lengthy chases, which turn most modern movies about simple stories into marathon sitting exercises. I keep telling my wife to skip the drink and just eat her popcorn.

Aidoneus wrote:I keep telling my wife to skip the drink and just eat her popcorn.

Which reminds me. Apparently the first subliminal messages flashed on a movie screen were

Eat popcorn.

and

Buy Coke.

I have to echo that Anime (if you don't mind watching Very detailed animated shows) have a LOT of these stories out there. I'll name a few:

Attack on Titan (Humanity has tightly packed themselves in a multi-walled city to fend off giant human like giants)

Robotech (The story was changed from the original Japanese but for the better IMO)

Sword Art Online (There is a sequel airing in Japan right now)

Those are just a few and I know there are lots more! If you watch any of them let me know.