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In 1985, Steven Spielberg launched the anthology TV series AmazingStories, directing one of the early episodes, "The Mission," a taut, emotional story set during a World War II combat flight.

Kevin Costner plays the pilot of an American bomber running raidsinto German airspace. During a dogfight with Nazis, a piece ofenemy aircraft wedges itself into the hull of Costner's rig and jams thehatch of the ball turret gunner. The shootout cripples the landing mechanism,and the net effect is that the gunner (Casey Siemaszko) is stuck in histransparent shell, unable to get back up into the body of the plane andcertain to die horribly during an imminent, emergency landing.Spielberg keeps tightening the screws, brilliantly directing a handful of goodactors (Kiefer Sutherland is in the mix) in a tight spacerapidly filling with dread and grief. While it has to be said that theresolution of "The Mission" may well be the most improbable turn of events in television history, everything up to that point is as exciting as TV can get.

Also on Book 1 is "The Wedding Ring," starring real-life spousesDanny DeVito and Rhea Perlman as a married couple who spice up their 10thyear together after DeVito, playing a costumer in a wax museum, gives hismousy bride a ring that belonged to a black-widow killer. Perlman, cast as a beleaguered waitress exploited by a callous boss, gets a personality makeover whenever she dons the ring, becoming insatiable in bed and a convincing femme fatale everywhere else. The only problem is that she's soon chasing herterrified husband around with a large kitchen knife, imbued with more thanthe sexy spirit of the ring's previous owner. Directed by DeVito, this cute episode works best as a different kind of vehicle for Perlman, who reallydoes make the screen sizzle. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Best hour of TV ever
I remember watching this Amazing Stories premiere and being
rendered slackjawed for the entire episode. I can remember no
better television, ever. It was like watching 'Raiders of the
Lost Ark', '1941', and 'Close Encounters of the Third Kind' all
wrapped up in an hour of tension. This is a masterpiece worthy
of film.

...and the DeVito episode is pretty good too.

:)

With dream's, You live
I can seriously relate to the characters in the mission. My grandfather was a tailgunner during WWII. Once he was sick and unable to go on a mission. His entire crew and plane were destroyed on take-off. And where would I be? Out of existance. Steven Spielberg directs the first in a series of Amazing stories, a story about heart and survival. Kevin Costner is the captain of a crew of airmen in WWII. The Bellygunner dreams one day of drawing for Disney, and hopes as soon as the war is over, to work in the land of magic.

Kiefer Sutherland, a more serious character and close companion, always keeps an eye out and protects his friend nomatter the cost. On one mission in flight over enemy lands, the plane is hit my enemy fire. The good news is they can make it back to base. But the tragedy is, the door to the bellygunner is stuck and the landing wheels are jammed. Sutherland has a tremendous decision to make, and is faced with a hard decision of his life.

In a tension mounting climax, you see how the dreams and ambitions of one man can change the lives of the others around him forever. Absolutely great.

The other story, The Ring, is funny as all get out. If the decision had been left to me, I wouldn't have stuck these two stories together because they are so different. I would wait a half an hour between the two so you can get the most out of them. Devito and Pearlman have a hard lesson to learn about love, and what it takes to rekindle it. Good stuff.

The First Episode Reviewed, not the second!
The first episode, "The Mission", is a very enetertaining tale that anybody under the age of 20 would enjoy. I consists of fighting in WW2 and of the lives of B-17 pilots. It is a miniature "Memphis belle" yet is in its own class. A B-17 has many gun turrets on it, and one is located on the bottom of the plane. In this episode of Amazing stories, the belly gunner's bubble is damaged, and he cannot get out. To make matters worse, the bombers landing gear will not go down, so the crew has to risk a belly landing, which would spell the end of our cartoon-drawing, luftwaffae-fighting, and caring hero, Kevin Costner. The ending is surprising, and has a bit of magic to it. This is, of course, my opinion. And the music by John Williams! WOW! amazing, to say the least. Especially when the AS theme surges as the gunner frantically creates his solution to the problem. If you wanna know how it ends, scroll down as far as you can go

The gunner, being a cartoonist, frantically draws his airplane, while John Williams them races and flares. He draws his plane, and adds a pair of balloony, cartoon tires to the landing gear, which results in an impressive bending of animation and live action, for the time. And thus, the B-17 lands safely, and the gunner is united with his lady, and the crew lives happily ever after.

First in the series of Amazing Stories videos not so strong.
This tape includes both "The Mission" and "The Wedding Ring." The Mission is helmed by Steven Spielberg. This special one-hour episode has his style written all over it. The cinematography is a gorgeous sepia and the winning score by John Williams is properly heroic. The whole episode is very grand for television including the superstar casting (Kevin Costner, Kiefer Sutherland). Even the screenplay is a direct, no-nonsense approach to the situation. However, the magical ending is a major letdown and is totally removed from the earthly tension Spielberg builds up through that point. In fact, one of the attempted solutions to their problem, involving passing an opened parachute through a little window to the belly gunner for him to use after he kicks out of his plexi-glass cock-pit would make for a more promising, dare I say 'Amazing' ending. Next on the tape is Danny DeVito's "Wedding Ring." This was the second season opener and, other than the star power of Rhea Perlman and husband Danny DeVito, is an un-Amazing whimper. DeVito and Perlman do portray a cute couple and the musical score by Craig Safan is enjoyable, but otherwise, this is a tired, boring story. ... Read more

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Most of this second volume of stories from the 1985-87 televisionanthology series is a middling offering from former Steven Spielbergprotégé Robert Zemeckis, who later won an Oscar for directingForrest Gump. (Spielberg was the creator of Amazing Stories.)Zemeckis's episode is a bit of schlock horror called "Go to the Head of theClass," and while itstars Christopher Lloyd in a fiendish role as a decapitated teacher, and an atypical part for Mary Stuart Masterson as a manipulative teenage babe, there isn't much that sticks to the ribs.

The real treat on Book 2, however, is the animated "Family Dog,"directed by the little-known Brad Bird but supervised by Tim Burtonlong before he became a household name. A witty and observant satire on familydysfunction as seen through the eyes of a pet pooch and perennial scapegoat,"Family Dog" follows the misadventures of a sweet-natured mutt just trying tofit in with his human housemates but betrayed at every turn. Tormented by abratty boy, prodded by an exuberant toddler, and an easy target for an unhappymom and duplicitous dad, the dog can't get a break. Burton's dark sensibilitiesare certainly in play, and the animation--while owing something to Warner andDisney--is novel and expressive. One needn't worry about young viewers watchingthis one: there's no physical brutality and the comedy always prevails. Plus,the ending proves, definitively, that every dog does indeed have hisday. --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (10)

Family Dog Takes the Cake!
The Family Dog is absolutely the funniest cartoon I have ever seen. We wore out our copy years ago, and I'm so grateful to find that it's here for sale. Although we haven't seen it for eons, my family still quotes from it, and we never fail to crack up in giggles at even the memory! I can't speak for the Christopher Lloyd portion, but Family Dog is WELL worth the investment, for the youngsters as well as the adults in the family!

Family Dog is the head of its Class! But, Class is a Dog.
This tape consists of "Go to the Head of the Class" and "Family Dog." Team Robert Zemeckis with his 'Back to the Future I, II, & III' & 'Who Framed Roger Rabbit' star, Christopher Lloyd and you are bound to get a hysterically funny, creative tale. But, that did not happen here. Nothing of Zemeckis' (Used Cars, Contact, Forrest Gump) film making know how is evident here and Lloyd has never been more annoying. Additionally, this hour long episode has a half hour story-line stretched way too thin. Even Coffey and Masterson have no charm here. On the positive note, some of Stan Winston's (Terminator, Jurassic Park) headless effects are very impressive for 1980's television. BUT Family Dog!This could be the most successful of the entire series. After all, it spawned a spin-off series! (Very short lived). But, it is meritous. The animation is great fun. The dog's nose floating an inch off his face is hysterical and his reactions are obvious without being human. The stories themselves are smartly paced with 'real' dialogue and each is balanced with humorous music by Danny Elfman of Oingo Boingo fame. Enjoy!

OH MY GOD!!!
The cartoon was unbelievably funny! That rotten little boy and the smartass dog was too too funny for words.I RECOMMEND THIS MOVIE TO ANYONE WITH AN ATTITUDE PROBLEM BECAUSE THIS MOVIE WILL GET RID OF IT TEMPORARILY. JUST LONG ENOUGH FOR YOU TO FORGET WHY YOU WERE MAD IN THE 1ST PLACE

Amazing Stories Review By MaxS. McPike
When I first watched the Amazing Stories TV show I was just
stunned ,I loved it and I even thought it was better than
the Twilight Zone movie and also it was a lot different than other movies and TV shows . What I also liked about it was that it had a lot of famous people in it like: Kevin Kostner, Pat Hingle, Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Stuart Masterson,Christopher Lloyd, Rhea Perlman, and many others. I think it is fun for the whole family. P.S. I think they should put it on DVD.

THE BEST ANIMATION SHORT OF ITS TIME
BUY IT BUY IT BUY IT, just for the short, "Family Dog" I have been looking for this cartoon for years!! I knew of someone's household that was similar to this short! My family and I used to watch this everytime it came on cable, before the series came out. ... Read more

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The third volume of collected episodes from Steven Spielberg's mid-1980stelevision series Amazing Stories includes three memorablestories. First up is "The Amazing Falsworth," a cat-and-mouse thrillerstarring Gregory Hines as the title character, a nightclub psychic whose act includes reading the minds of audience members by merely touching them.During a performance Falsworth comes into physical contactwith a serial killer; he sees the monster's most recent victims in his mind and grows terrified for his own safety. Enter a skeptical police detective(Richard Masur) whose real identity is so obvious that director Peter Hyams doesn't bother to mask it well. One complaint: theepisode begins with some truly grisly and gratuitous violence that, inretrospect, had no place in a fantasy series squarely aimed at families and boasting Spielberg's involvement. Kids should notsee "The Amazing Falsworth"--or anything else on Book 3, for that matter.

The second episode is certainly one of the most thoughtful in the series:"Life on Death Row," starring Patrick Swayze in an interesting performance as a convicted murderer. Scheduled to die imminently in the electric chair,Swayze's character, Eric Peterson, joins an escape effort and is hit bylightning during a storm. The freak accident bestows on him the power toheal the sick and wounded--a cruelly ironic development, given Peterson'sforeshortened destiny.

The final story, "No Day at the Beach," begins the day before the D-Dayinvasion of Normandy by allied forces, and concentrates on a handful ofsoldiers as they ready themselves psychologically for this turning point in the battle. Charlie Sheen is the best-known name among the cast in thisblack-and-white, Twilight Zone-like drama directed by Lesli LinkaGlatter. Sheen's character stands outas the one guy in his company refusing to taunt a simple-mindedGI who later becomes a hero at Normandy--or is it someone else besides that poor sap boldly taking out Germans left and right? --Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Kind of Amazing
Being a Patrick Swayze fan, I purchased this video to check out his vignette. All of the stories in this video are interesting and well acted, but I wouldn't place the movie on my list of all time favorites.

Falsworth worth its weight and Death Row worth living for.
This tape consists of three episodes: 'The Amazing Falsworth', 'No Day at the Beach' and 'Life on Death Row.' Peter Hyams (Running Scared, 2010) presents the suspense yarn 'Falsworth'with definate, economical camera work and 2 very respectful performances by GregoryHines as the magician and Richard Masur as the psychopathic killer. Like a well-paced short story, the viewer is presented with information only when needed. Mix this in with some of the best 'Alfred Hitchcock' mysteries. Leslie Linka Glatter (Deep Impact, Without Diana) delivers the lopsided drama 'No Day at the Beach'. It does boast gorgeous black and white photography, a slick short story, a performance by post 'Platoon' Charlie Sheen, and a strong re-creation of D-Day. Okay, it is no 'Saving Private Ryan' but Linka Glatter masterfully uses stock WWII footage edited with new footage to create a reality that would otherwise destroy an entire series budget! However, the nebbish Arnold is a cartoon character in this otherwise real story. It serves as a major distraction, especially in the early scenes. Also, the manipulative reading of the letter is very off-focus and stands as an obvious emotional ploy even with Sheen in good form. Finally, Life on Death Row. The only problem with this episode is that it is too darn short. The story just moves along too quickly and doesn't allow the viewer to experience some of the interesting concepts. And the episode could be filled with them. Patrick Swayze and Hector Elizondo give strong performances. Once again, prison proves to be a cinematographer and lighting directors best friend. ... Read more

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This fourth volume of collected episodes from Steven Spielberg's 1980santhology television series begins with some heavyweight talent. MartinScorsese directs "Mirror Mirror," arguably the most frightening andaccomplished episode from the show's entire run. Sam Waterston plays a wildly successful horror novelist who claims never to be frightened of the samescary stories that unnerve ordinary mortals. So he begins living one of his own, and terrifying it is: whenever he looks in a mirror or other reflective surface, Waterston's character sees a hideous ghoul stalking him,prepared for murder. The trouble is that there is no corresponding danger in the real world, although the ghoul is determined to get its hands on thebeleaguered author.

Also on tap is "Blue Man Down," a solid action piece with supernaturalovertones, written by Spielberg. Max Gail stars as a traumatized,guilt-ridden cop who blames himself for the murder of his young partner. His confidence shot and his nerves a wreck, the suffering heroattempts to hide within the lesser duties of traffic detail, only to findhimself partnered with a compassionate, attractive female officer (KateMcNeil) who helps him get back on his feet and pushes him toward full duty again. The downside: no one else appears to see her. Actor-director PaulMichael Glaser does some of his best behind-the-camera work on this show.

Finally, Sid Caesar stars in "Mr. Magic," a sentimental tale of anaging, washed-up nightclub magician who purchases a set of cards withmarvelous powers of flight. Rescued from the trash heap of small-timehas-beens, Caesar's character gets a new lease on life when his cards takeover the act, twirling, flying, mimicking people, and astoundingaudiences--with no help from Caesar. --Tom Keogh. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Bringing out the dead...of the mind...
Remember when you were young and you were told not to watch a movie, or read horror or comic books because they would warp your mind. Here, chillingly is that saying realized. Imagine a writer of horror, a successful person that has had his novels plastered on the big screen. He is the person everybody is talking about, and in the book world he is what every writer wants to be. While on a talk show he is asked whether or not he fears his influence has endangered the minds of youngsters. He replies rather smerkly, "How could something not real hurt the minds of children."

Is it true that your own mind can punish you for damage done? Is there any escape? These questions are answered as the main character takes a spiraled decent into the darkness that he has created. He himself has to deal with the damage his imagination has summoned - To pay the price for what he has released into the world.
Real great story, that you won't forget any time soon.

A Genuinely Frightening Excursion
It was probably "Amazing Stories" schizophrenic nature - amusing family-oriented fare coupled with more mature offerings - that led to the show only lasting one season. An example of the latter is "Mirror, Mirror," a scary story about a Stephen King-like author "stalked" by a mystery figure similar to one of the characters of his novels. Only the author, well-played by a pre-"Law & Order" Sam Waterson can see the spectre until the story's final few seconds. If the show had stuck to one genre, say of the horror/thriller vein, then it may have had a longer run. This reviewed story is, undeniably, one of the program's best.

The second installment in this tape benefits by being paired with this one.

I can't believe this is television!
This tape consist of three stories, 'Mirror, Mirror','Blue Man Down' and 'Mr. Magic.'Martin Scorcese(Taxi Driver, Raging Bull, Goodfellas) makes a directing appearance in the stylish little horror "Mirror, Mirror". The portrayal of the estranged relationship with his ex-girlfriend is very smart and economical, especially for television. The antiseptic white home is a unique environment to have a horror story played out. The phantom, played by Tim Robbins in unrecognizable make-up is appropriately menacing to Waterston, but only in reflections. The concept does become frightening and the musical score by Michael Kamen joins in the fun. Next, Blue Man Down...This strong episode is also one of the most unique in the series. Max Gail does a great job with 22 minute character building and Paul Michael Glaser (Starsky and Hutch) handles directing this mini cop drama very well. It is easily defined and yet, could actually warrant second viewing surprises. Finally, 'Mr. Magic'.This impressive piece stars Sid Caesar as Lou Bundles, a slight of hand magician who's slight of hand has slid. His understanding of the character is wonderful and Petrie does a great job of letting Sid go. This is one of the few episodes that actually tugs at you emotionally. Very powerful. Of the 5 tapes, this has the most consistent work. Enjoy! ... Read more