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Reviews
The Mother Goose Video Treasury (1987)
A little bit cheesy, but my children and I enjoyed it!
My sister picked up the whole 4 VHS set (possibly at a dollar store?) when my children were young. Each video has a hint of a storyline to it, but the target audience is preschoolers, so don't expect anything too "deep". That said, the music was pleasant and not obnoxious and the acting reminded me of watching a televised stage production. The sets were also reminiscent of minimalist set design concept sometimes used in live theatre. We didn't have cable/satellite when the kids were young, and so many days were spent with kids' videos on repeat ad Infinitum ... and this set was actually pleasant for me to listen to.
The original VHS was recorded in the SLP mode, or whatever the slowest tape speed was, thus the quality would probably not look that great on todays large HD screens, even so, I would love to find a DVD or digital version to share with my grandchildren. I think their moms would enjoy the trip down memory lane.
Password (2022)
Enjoyable, but borderline obnoxious
It is 2022, not 1962, so having a host who doesn't look like a suburban businessman is refreshing. At the same time some of Keke's outfits can be distracting when watching on 21st century sized television. Love her self-confidence to wear what she does, but a really good game show host doesn't take attention away from the contestants. Unfortunately some of her flashier outfits, combined with occasional exaggerated facial expressions does just that.
Other reviews have mentioned "too much Jimmy Fallon". I'll admit, he seems to be a really good player, but it might be nice to see a few more celebrities in rotation. I'd also agree with other reviewers that his enthusiasm, and that if the audience, seems artificially over the top.
Now for two observations that I have not seen mentioned so far. I don't know about anyone else, but my husband and I find the password announcer's voiceovers to be... creepy. Did they film these first episodes last year on Halloween?
Finally, as a former theatre student (tech crews), I find it distracting that the long shots of the game set verifies to the viewer that the scoreboard is added in during post production. If I was in the live audience, how would I know which contestant has how many points? Those long shots leave me feeling unanchored and lost
I very much want to enjoy this newest incarnation of a classic game show, but if they aren't careful they'll cross the line from fun.