Deseret News

This is a drama about a family — the Pryors of Philadelphia — that's actually interesting for viewers' entire families.

The show could turn out to be one of those guilty pleasures like the early years of Dynasty or Melrose Place — a show that's fun because it is so melodramatic and dumb.

The new, two-part movie is definitely worse than the original. It's just not particularly scary. Which is a problem for what's supposed to be a horror film.

There are some fabulous pyrotechnics in the Sci Fi Channel's miniseries Firestarter: Rekindled, but they could have been put to better use. Like incinerating the dreadful script, for which writer Philip Eisner should be burned at the stake. Or, failing that, simply tossing the film footage into the flames and destroying this abomination before it got out and embarrassed everyone involved. With the possible exception of acting and direction so bad they're unintentionally funny, there's absolutely nothing of redeeming value in "Rekindled" whatsoever. [8 March 2002]

But he has created a creepy tale that anyone who enjoys being scared — without being totally grossed out — will enjoy.

Ultimately, "Storm of the Century" becomes rather predictable. [14 Feb 1999]

If Stephen King had written "The Twilight Zone," it would have looked like this. This eight-part anthology — two hourlong episodes each Wednesday for four weeks — adapts eight King stories for TV with pretty good results.

The Tommyknockers' biggest problem is that it's just too long. This would have been a much better movie if it had been cut by at least a quarter - and perhaps as much as a half.

The cast, on the whole, creates believable characters in an unbelievable situation. (Pinchot is the exception - too much of his comic persona leaks through and undermines the maniac he's trying to create.)

If you sit through it, you're not going to be counting the hours until next week's episode.