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The Latest Tales from the Twilight Zone
6 Important Life Lessons From The Twilight Zone
DiCaprio Pulls a New Writer into the Twilight Zone
William Gibson And Rod Serling, Together At Last
Must See: The Twilight Zone

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Chip Skylark of Space
10/05/09

In reply to 6 Important Life Lessons From The Twilight Zone
I'm still waiting for Siffy to run AN OCCURRANCE AT OWL CRICK BRIDGE. TiVo just keeps giving me the same 20-30 episodes. Have the rights to this one ever been straightened out?
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ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H.
10/02/09

In reply to 6 Important Life Lessons From The Twilight Zone
We watched "The Monsters are Due on Maple Street" in middle school. Then at recess a car hit a transformer. There was a roar, and a flask of light, and a few dozen kids who knew They were here and shit was about to go down.
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CParis
10/03/09

@ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H.:
Great story!
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SheridanRoebuck
10/02/09

In reply to 6 Important Life Lessons From The Twilight Zone
How about my favourite from today, unless you have a dog you go to hell?

The Zone, in my mind, isn't good or evil, it's just a reflection of those who enter it. More often than not, it just calls you on your shit whether you're a crazy paranoid convinced everyone is evil (and wind up shrinking to an inch tall yourself) or the boy who cries wolf who's suddenly taken at his word. And sometimes, just sometimes, if you're a good person, you're rewarded or just reminded that you are good ("The Changing of the Guard," etc).

Granted there's a couple poorly written eps, but we don't care to remember those, that's the beauty about memory, it's wonderfully selective, and why remakes can't match up to them.
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Gaudeamus Max
10/02/09

In reply to 6 Important Life Lessons From The Twilight Zone
I have lots of favorites, but the episode which affected me the most and taught me a lesson I cling to this day is "The Rip Van Winkle Caper" and for me that was a doozy. I always cry at the end when I see that man in the desert, with the gold he helped scheme for and then killed his "friend" for, only for him to realize that gold profits him nothing because he has no water. The clincher at the very end of the episode always brings me a sense of futility.

Even now, many years after I last saw that episode, money means so little to me because it seemed such a weight to this man who had so much gold but died for want of simple hydration. Died alone, at that.
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MonstersAndRockets
10/02/09

In reply to 6 Important Life Lessons From The Twilight Zone
Much as I love the Twilight Zone, that god damned mask episode freaked me the hell out as a kid and I really wish it didn't exist. It's kind of like having a recording of your worst childhood nightmare, and every now and then you turn on the TV and hey, there's the monster who used to live under your bed.
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blarblarnyar
10/02/09

@MonstersAndRockets: That was one of the few eps I was able to watch when I was a kid. It was the most terrifying thing I've ever watched back then. I had a phase wherein I refused to wear any kind of halloween mask because of that....
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CParis
10/03/09

@blarblarnyar:
One of my favorites too, directed by the great Ida Lupino.
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blackwednesday
10/02/09

In reply to 6 Important Life Lessons From The Twilight Zone
I'm not sure if anyone is capable of making new TZ episodes. All of the relaunches have been less than good. I am not sure if people know how to really make stuff like this anymore.

Think about it...there have been 3 or 4 TZ series since the original left the air. But none of us think of those if the topic comes up. It's always back to the old black & white episodes with Serling at the helm.

I think it's because they looked at the episodes more as stage plays rather than mini-movies. They were also limited to the tech of the time, which might not be a bad thing. Almost no one writes stuff like this anymore. In Michael Bay's Hollywood, writers like Roberto Orci are considered wonderful. Don't get me wrong, he's good, but check out a Davis Lynch screenplay sometime.

Personally, I'd love to see a mini-series of TZ episodes filmed in black & white, and filmed as if the people really are in the 50's-60's. Nothing digital...etc. A few directors are pretty good at narrative, but it's starting to get rare. Quentin Tarantino, Brian Singer, David Lynch, Steven Soderbergh, Darren Aronofsky...etc.

Any takers?
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ggodo, the man from R.O.A.C.H. promoted this comment blackwednesday was starred blackwednesday was unstarred

B
10/02/09

In reply to 6 Important Life Lessons From The Twilight Zone
Lesson 7: Humans are dicks.
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gods-n-clods
10/02/09

In reply to 6 Important Life Lessons From The Twilight Zone
How about an important lesson for Hollywood?
Character actors with fine mugs (Klugman), riveting stories of minorities (Bolie the Boxer, "The Big Tall Wish"), and strong women in front of and behind the camera (Ida Lupino, "The Masks", "Sixteen Millimeter Shrine"), can change the standard operating procedure of the film and TV industry.
Oh, how we need a new Rod Serling today... (looking at you, Gaiman; where's your weekly awesome TV show?)
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iliad2099
10/02/09

In reply to 6 Important Life Lessons From The Twilight Zone
If there's ever a man in a dark corner willing to give you advice, he's the Devil... or Hitler.
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cletar
10/02/09

@iliad2099: Or both!
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CParis
10/02/09

In reply to 6 Important Life Lessons From The Twilight Zone
"Always ask for cash in advance!"
I'm thinking of the debt-ridden blabbermouth who bets a fellow club member $500,000 that he can be silent for one year. It doesn't end well.
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GeekDad Matt
10/02/09

In reply to 6 Important Life Lessons From The Twilight Zone
The kid in "It's a Good Life" is Bill Mumy, best known for playing Will Robinson on "Lost in Space." As an adult, he also played Lennier on "Babylon 5."
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Anekanta - Go Play!
10/02/09

@GeekDad Matt: He's also half of Barnes & Barnes.

[en.wikipedia.org]
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gods-n-clods
10/02/09

@GeekDad Matt: Trues. Mumy was also responsible for Barnes & Barnes, and their wonderful Ode to Joy, "Fish Heads".
Basically, Bill Mumy is everything I wanna be. Lennier, and that evil little shit who wishes people into the cornfield.
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Kpibca
10/02/09

In reply to The Latest Tales from the Twilight Zone
Just tell me who to send my money to so I can get this book, Lauren!
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crashedpc - Haifisch
10/02/09

@Kpibca: Me. Kidding, kidding.

[www.amazon.com]

Here you go.
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Edited by crashedpc - Haifisch at 10/02/09 11:49 AM

BadUncle
10/02/09

@crashedpc - unrein: Thanks! I just used that to buy it.
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brentbent: C.O.C.K.R.O.A.C.H. )for all the queer super villians out there(
10/02/09

In reply to 6 Important Life Lessons From The Twilight Zone
My glasses! No, no, it's not fair. Wait, my eyesight isn't that bad. My eyes! No, no it's just not fair! Wait, I can still read braille. No, no, not my hands!
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B
10/02/09

@brentbent: C.O.C.K.R.O.A.C.H. )for all the queer super villians out there(: Cursed by his own hubris.
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jbq
10/02/09

@brentbent: C.O.C.K.R.O.A.C.H. )for all the queer super villians out there(: You're now entering THE SCARY DOOR!
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Narockstar
10/02/09

In reply to 6 Important Life Lessons From The Twilight Zone
I once had a dream that I shot that kid from "It's a Good Life" in the face with a shotgun. Good times.
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OW-Holmes:Bringer of Fear
10/02/09

@Narockstar: Thats a real good thing you did there.
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Discodave: R.O.A.C.H. M.O.T.E.L.
10/02/09

In reply to 6 Important Life Lessons From The Twilight Zone
Always let the kids play outside in the cornfield.

They taste better and it gives the skin a lovely golden colour.
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