Category Archives: TV Tomb

“Gotham” Season One, Episode One: Pilot Review

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(Spoilers Abound)

“Gotham” can be really goofy; almost “Smallville” goofy. And it seems to be revising the Batman lore again for a new audience that may not be familiar with the Batman mythology. The first twenty minutes of the pilot are brutally cheesy with a lot of clunky exposition, plays on morality, corruption, and immense focus on how hard boiled Harvey Bullock and James Gordon are. They’re tough men that have seen the worst life can offer, and dagnabit, they’re at odds like Murtaugh and Riggs from “Lethal Weapon” when we first see them. Well really they’re kind of an after thought. The focus of the first five minutes of the premiere is on a prepubescent street thief who walks Gotham, stealing to survive, and galloping along fire escapes. Almost like a cat of some kind. Get it, yet?

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Z Nation, Episode 1: Puppies and Kittens

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Watching “Z Nation” is almost like someone took the most annoying parts from 2013’s “World War Z” and the 2004 “Dawn of the Dead” remake, turned it in to a FPS video game, and then the Asylum adapted it in to a TV show. I can just imagine the Asylum structured “Z Nation” purposely for the crowds that find “The Walking Dead” too wordy and serious, and just want bad ass apocalypse survivalists killing zombies. And surely, “Z Nation” delivers in that respect. It’s the very definition of zombie porn with limited focus on its human protagonists.

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The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story (2014)

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la-et-st-the-unauthorized-saved-by-the-bell-story-20140808Movies about celebrity scandal, even pseudo-celebrity scandal are pretty much bullet proof and critic proof. They’re trashy on purpose, deliberately badly acted, and perhaps about ten percent of what we see claimed is true. Likely less. The same could be said for “The Unauthorized Saved by the Bell Story,” which is not so much trashy as it is forgettable and kind of dull. If not based on accounts and centered on actual people, the movie would just be another goofy tale of the perils of fame. Hedonism, egomania, love triangles, scandals, resentment, it’s all here, and there’s nothing remotely shocking about what transpires. Mainly it’s just a goofy dramatic moaner devoted to how battered and misunderstood Dustin Diamond was, more than the conception of the show and its influence on teenage America. Unless you consider Gosselaar dying his hair frantically behind stage as scandalous and worth talking about.

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Our Top 5 “Saved by the Bell” Episodes

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I used to watch “Saved by the Bell” religiously as a child, tuning in every afternoon after school, around five o’clock to catch the syndicated repeats. I never missed an episode, and I pity the fool who’d make me miss an installment. The show was true to the teenage experience in the 90’s, as “Leave It to Beaver” was to the familial experience in the fifties, but who cared?

It’s the 25th anniversary of “Saved by the Bell” apparently, so we took the time to compile a list of our top five episodes of “Saved by the Bell.” Mainly, because it’s a childhood favorite. Aw, who are we kidding? It’s still one of our favorite bits of television comfort food of all time. Whenever it’s on, we can’t help but watch, whether it’s the bland early years with Ms. Bliss, or the odd episodes without Jessie or Kelly. It’s up there with “Full House,” and “Fresh Prince” as a series so silly, but so damn funny and charming, you can’t help but be a fan.

Plus, Tiffani Amber Thiessen is still so damn hot.

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The Walking Dead: The Complete Fourth Season [Blu-ray/Digital]

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Season four of “The Walking Dead” is a big leap forward for the series, in where it re-captures a lot of the dread and urgency of season one, while also rebooting the narrative once more. After the big war in season three where the group managed to beat an army by cunning and sheer luck, Rick and his surviving group from Hershel’s farm, along with the remnants of Woodbury, have now settled down in the prison, and have built a respectable society for themselves. Rick is now committed to farming alongside Hershel as his apprentice, while he’s also focused most of the time on giving Carl a childhood, however twisted it may be. The series has a good time with misdirection, and begins the season premiere with Rick outside the prison farming and listening to music, drowning outside noise. As he turns to look back at the prison, we cut to a wide scene of the walking dead clutching the gates in droves only inches from Rick. Try as the survivors might to pretend otherwise, the world is still for the dead.

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The Carol Burnett Show: Ultimate Collection (DVD)

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For fans of the Carol Burnett Show that can’t possibly afford the complete series, the “Ultimate Collection” is about as close as you can get to the greatness of a complete boxed set. It’s many of the highlights of the Carol Burnett show and it spotlights the comedy and slapstick as well as the whimsy and variety. There are a ton of celebrity guest spots, some sweet moments involving Ms. Burnett interacting with her audience, and plenty of musical numbers that fans of the series’ entire package will quite enjoy. And just to top off the Collection, there’s even a Christmas DVD filled with many holiday themed sketches from various seasons.

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TV Guide Spotlight – Cop Shows of the ’70s (DVD)

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For folks that like to collect these kinds of compilations, they’re really cheap best of DVD’s from select Mill Creek series comprised of various subjects. “Cop Shows of the 70’s” is definitely one of the better sets from Mill Creek, featuring various episodes from some of the best cop shows of the decade. I would have loved to see some “Hill Street Blues,” but all things considered this is a fun mixed bag with nine hours of mostly Aaron Spelling led crime thrillers.

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