Beanbioca
As Good As It Gets
Humaira Grant
It’s not bad or unwatchable but despite the amplitude of the spectacle, the end result is underwhelming.
Candida
It is neither dumb nor smart enough to be fun, and spends way too much time with its boring human characters.
Kjirstin Youngberg
Ashamed to admit I paid a grand total of 44 cents for this collection (plus another in a dual pack DVD from the local dollar store on 88 Cent Day.) It was worth so much more~my husband and I have sat up late two nights in a row watching them all. Nearly as addictive as Downton Abbey, with music reminiscent of the Harry Potter Series, it was a fun escape from the news of the day a century later. The "journalist" was a particularly clever way to tie the lot together, one story blending into the next, so we didn't want to stop watching. We were both disappointed it was only six episodes. We've started an American series now called Granite Flats, set in cold war 1961. It's hard to find, and more "family-oriented" but some nice mystery to it. We're looking forward to seeing it's second season start up this April. It's always fun to discover these little-known, short-lived televised gems.
Ephraim Gadsby
H. G. Wells has a sterling reputation based on a handful of brilliant works he composed between 1895 and the turn of the twentieth century. My favorite is THE INVISIBLE MAN, but others may prefer THE TIME MACHINE, THE ISLAND OF DOCTOR MOREAU, THE WAR OF THE WORLDS, THE FIRST MEN IN THE MOON, etc.Some of Wells' views were noxious. He was a long-time socialist and a believer in eugenics and dominant races. Several of his later books were pedantic over his theories of racial hygiene, as well as his obsession for developing a single world government. All this makes some of his later work unreadable today.Wells also composed numerous short stories. Though these are of variable quality, some are among the best creepy stories in the English language."The Infinite Worlds of H. G. Wells" is a three-part series culled from Wells' short stories. Wells himself is portrayed as an active participant in these weird events. Sometimes his role is vital to the stories, at other times his presence is tangential. The series has a framing device of Wells as an old man during World War Two, looking back over his long career and relating some of the strange things that occurred to a young journalist -- who herself might not be all she seems.Wells is presented as an eager young man desperately trying to mature as a successful author, balancing it with his growing love for a woman he calls Jane (though that is not her real name). The unsavory fact that Wells left his first wife for Jane, and he had several affairs and illegitimate children outside of his marriage to her, is fortunately by-passed for this dramatization. Only Wells' sunny side shines through here.Wells and Jane come off as a likable young couple whose worse strain comes from the bizarre situations they and their friends lurch into.Though some of the stories contain tragedy, the stories presented here come off as largely comic, as if Wells were a nineteenth century Douglas Adams. The stories are neatly rewritten to accommodate the author, and to make sure most have charming or happy endings. Strangely, one story that originally had a happy ending is played here for tragedy. And just be careful, if you are inordinately fond of dogs.The series is good for anyone who wants to add a little pleasant and ultimately unimportant weirdness to their lives.If you want to look ahead an see how the stories are altered from the originals, the stories dramatized include "The New Accelerator", "The Queer Story of Brownlow's Newspaper", "The Crystal Egg", "Story of Davidson's Eyes", "The Truth About Pyecraft" (changed much for the better) and "The Stolen Bacillus."
RashadInOz
Happily, the screens - small and large - have (mostly) been kind to H G Wells. I'm a fan so I attribute it to the charming quality of "human-ness" and compassion that ran through his writing (and not just his sci-fi either). I'll keep clear of the Time Machine remake and the tragedy of casting Guy Pearce in the lead. What's intriguing is that H G Wells himself has often been written into period pieces as a character - always a sensitive new-age kinda guy - and why not?- he really was years ahead of the time he lived in. And "Infinite Worlds" does it well. The screenwriters do not let Wells' short stories down as they weave a gentle romance and equally gentle humour in with stories like The Stolen Bacillus, The Remarkable Case of Davidson's Eyes and others. The period style is light and the well-directed cast play their parts with none of the embarrassment that often dogs smaller productions. Add a soundtrack that matches the mood of "Infinite Worlds" and you've got a warm evening's viewing (or two - the version I saw was in three parts on cable and even without the ads it was a few enjoyable hours worth).
amandola
It's not usual to meet a so good work! The three movies are perfect, intrigant, agreeable. The scripts take the audience from the adventure to the comedy. It's not easy to find a so good cast! English comedians have always something to teach. A real good TV product!
