Knowing It: Movies and TV Series over the Years

I've seen too many movies and television series; it makes sense to find ways to apply that knowledge to today's events.

^{Cover Image made using HTML and CSS with light edits made using MS Paint. Emojis used for graphics.}

What's in My Data Bank?

This is especially true for science fiction, action series, even comedies:

Science Fiction

How is RDM Battlestar Galactica different from Classic BSG?
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine may have been "limited" to a space station, but it was so "realistic" that its realism carried over into the much-better critically-acclaimed RDM Battlestar Galactica.
Connor MacLeod or Duncan MacLeod?

Action

How underrated are On Her Majesty's Secret Service and Quantum of Solace as James Bond movies?
Did The A-Team movie from a few years ago deliver the goods?
Is ths 2006 Miami Vice movie better or worse than the 1980s television series, or simply different?
The John Wick movies were good enough to make people forget that Keanu Reeves was also Neo, and that's saying something.
Live Free or Die Hard is the best movie in the series since the original movie; sadly, the movie which followed is the worst and it wasn't even close.
It took Wonder Woman to save the DC movie universe; it just needed more time to develop.

Comedies

Ross was right when he insists "We were on a break!!";
Seinfeld would be nothing without the supporting characters, but then again it would be even less as series about "nothing";
My Wife and Kids would have been as great in the 1960s as it was in the 2000s.
Betty White was still bringing it when she was a main character in Hot in Cleveland during the 2010s.

I May Know "A Lot," But Don't Call Me for a Lifeline

I won't claim to be an authority figure in this area, but usally people I know ask me what I think about some movie or other. Sometimes they're shocked that I hadn't seen something most people had seen:

Although I've seen Goodfellas, to this day I haven't The Godfather or its squels. Will I ever see it? Perhaps someday, but not likely.
At the time E.T.: The Extraterrestrial was playing in theaters, I made a point never to see it because even back then I thought it was overrated; I never said it was a bad movie, only overrated. Who talks like that in grammar school?
It's hard enough for people to handle that I saw only 1 movie in the Fast and Furious franchise. When I say the only movie I saw was Fast and Furious: Tokyo Drift?? Their minds explode! (Great soundtrack album, BTW!)

What Happened to VHS?

Like many people, I had a VHS machine. I remember Blockbuster Video and its competitors. Oddly enough, I didn't do much with VHS; television viewing was enough for me:

The best use of censoring came with Resident Evil 2: Apocalypse when the profanity M----------r was replaced by Motivator; it was so good, I thought Motivator was part of the original screenplay! If it wasn't, it should have been.

Many of the movies and series I had seen came later with the benefit of DVDs and YouTube during the days when YT was still worth using. Thanks to YouTube, I was able

to finally watch MacGyver.
to finish watching Space:1999; it wasn't how I had recalled it.

Worth the Price of Admission (or Not)

Just as many I had seen in real-time as I was growing up and living life as an adolescent or younger man. For these movies and series, I had the benefits of historical context and layered memories. Among these movies were those starring (in my opinion at the time) the Big 3: Sylvester Stallone, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Bruce Willis.

If anyone needs to get the endorphins rushing through the brain, the Rocky movies still get it done even after 46 years.
While most people remember Sharon Stone for That Scene in Basic Instinct, I remember her for kicking Schwarzenegger in the nuts repeatedly in Total Recall.
I had expected Bruce Willis' character in Armageddon to survice the mission. When he didn't, I found myself asking when he made the transition from leading man to supporting actor.

Why Do I Refer to My Viewing Habits of Years Ago?

Although I may not see as many movies as before or as much television as in years past, many events taking place these days give me reason to compare them to what I had learned from all that viewing I did long ago.

Situations which I glossed over when I saw the movies in real-time take on a sharper focus today. On the flip side, some situations today call to mind scenes from movies I had scene long ago.

When commenting elsewhere on Hive, I'll refer to these movies or series, and if asked what I mean I'll explain how I connect them to current events. Sometimes I surprise myself with the connections I make, but that's how analysis works sometimes.

Final Thoughts

I just wanted to give an idea of how my mind works sometimes as I post on Hive. Going forward I'll be more focused in posts I publish at THE WEEKEND.