Stranger Things

[Donatella]

 

After a fuckton of my friends raved about this on Facebook, I binge watched Stranger Things in two days and absolutely loved it. NZA and I recently went on an 80s sci/fi horror kick so I was in the right mindset for this. It's set in the 80s and is about a group of kids searching for their missing friend. If you like Stephen King, John Carpenter (in his Thing/They Live era), even less scary films of that decade like ET and Goonies, you will love this. It's very nostalgic but doesn't pander to fans of the era.

 

It's the best show I've seen in quite some time, not a dull episode in the season. There are only 8 because the creators told Netflix that's all they needed to tell the story, so it doesn't overstay its welcome. With all the rave reviews it's received, Netflix has renewed it for a second season but I'm honestly not sure it needs it. It felt very complete and satisfying and I wonder if adding to the story will somehow take away from that.

[The NZA]

damn, this & Mr Robot are like all over my feed too, yeah...this absolutely sounds right up my alley, and 8 eps feels great, too - i love shows not wasting my time!

[Donatella]

damn, this & Mr Robot are like all over my feed too, yeah...this absolutely sounds right up my alley, and 8 eps feels great, too - i love shows not wasting my time!

 

I watched it by myself after you said you weren't interested in watching too many TV shows right now while on your documentary kick and we had Mr. Robot lined up. I went in not knowing what it was about at all, and a couple episodes in I just felt bad you weren't enjoying it with me! I think you'll really like it. If you wanna watch at work, you should, but I'd rewatch episodes with you too!

[Da Cap'n 2099]

I was so hyped to watch this (before the hype) and then a certain Trump-supporting, bible-thumpin' crazy person on my Facebook starting raving about it and I was all like:

 

 

 

 

But Judy's cool so I'm back on. Review coming soon.

[Iambaytor]

Of course the crazy person liked it, it reminded them of the glory times when God-Emperor Reagan ruled over our Utopian States of America.

[Da Cap'n 2099]

So, the first epsiode was better than the entirety of the film Super 8. By, like, a lot.

 

Gonna dive back into this. Just wanted y'all to know.

[Donatella]

So, the first epsiode was better than the entirety of the film Super 8. By, like, a lot.

 

Gonna dive back into this. Just wanted y'all to know.

 

YES!! I totally forgot I wanted to mention Super 8 in my initial post. Stranger Things is everything I hoped that movie would be, but wasn't!

[Keth]

That's good to know, cause the first thing I thought about this was that it looked like Super 8, and I really didn't enjoy that movie.

[Mr. Hakujin]

So, the first epsiode was better than the entirety of the film Super 8. By, like, a lot.

 

Gonna dive back into this. Just wanted y'all to know.

Yeah this series really has that kinda SUPER 8 vibe for me. Or rather, to put it more precisely, this series manages to achieve that vibe better than Super 8 did.

 

I'm hoping to finish the series tonight. I'm going into episode 6 now.

 

Why would you crawl inside the horror goo tree? WTF is wrong with that skinny bitch? I think Steve infected her with his idiot sperm or something. You know he totally raw dawg'd Nancy.

 

Speaking of raw deals--RIP Barb. You're a good friend for being the fif wheel for ya girl Nancy and waiting for her. You sure as hell didn't deserve to be eaten in bizarro world Steve's pool.

 

[Mr. Hakujin]

Annnnnnnd I just finished S1. Five stars. A+. Maybe the best series I've seen this year, and there have been a lot of good ones. Top 3 for sure. I was enjoying it for the first five episodes--but felt it was being overhyped. Then I binge watched the last three episodes and all the feels happened. So good.

 

Episode 8, S1 Finale

 

* Hopper, what's in the box. What's in the booox​? Eggos! WTF!?!?! Does this mean we'll get Stranger Things II: The Search For 11? God, I hope so. Mike will Take Elle to the Snow Ball in the S2 finale. This must happen!!!

* It's an Atari! So is an Atari an X-Box in the Upside Down?

* Oh, damn, Will! Ain't no Ricola gonna help with that cough. You best tell someone quick.

* I think we'll see more of this Nancy/Jonathan thing in S2, but I hope it's minimal. Steve had a bit of redemption there GoT style in episode 7.

* And I'll be damned if this song didn't get me right in the nostalgia cockles. I loved this song back in high school.

 

 

Edited August 4, 2016 by Mr. Hakujin

[Keth]

Fuck me this show is good. On the last ep now.

[bishopcruz]

Show was great, best adaptation of a nonexistent Stephen King novel ever. Perfect length, very little wasted time, and damn fine performances all around.

[Mr. Hakujin]

Interesting interview w/ the series creators/writers/directors the Duffer Bros. here. They talk about influences on the show from everything from the title font (Firestarter) to references to an obscure anime called Elfen Lied.

 

Here's a side by side clip of shots the Duffer Bros. either stole or were inspired by based on your POV, I suppose. Personally, the series felt familiar yet original to me throughout, so I say good job, Duffers,

 

<p><a href="https://vimeo.com/175929311">References to 70-80's movies in Stranger Things</a> from <a href="https://vimeo.com/user18238325">Ulysse Thevenon</a> on <a href="https://vimeo.com">Vimeo</a>.</p>

[bishopcruz]

Interesting interview w/ the series creators/writers/directors the Duffer Bros. here. They talk about influences on the show from everything from the title font (Firestarter) to references to an obscure anime called Elfen Lied.

 

 

Crap, never noticed the Elfen Lied thing. Thankfully they ditched the creepy sexual undertones of that series for this one.

[Visitant]

Finally saw it. I feel like i should be wearing a shirt that says "yes i finished stranger things and now you can talk to me about it"

[The NZA]

super spoilery, but it's for a good cause!

 

 

 

 

[The NZA]

Stranger Things Is a Giant Hit More Watched Than House of Cards, Jessica Jones, DD,

 

SymphonyAM tells Business Insider that in the first 16 days, 8.2 million people watched "Stranger Things," which puts it ahead of all Netflix's recent releases except "Fuller House" and the new "Orange Is the New Black" season. It ranks before "Daredevil," "Jessica Jones," "House of Cards," and "Narcos...

 

...It currently has a 94% Rotten Tomatoes critic rating, a 96% audience rating, and it has sent the internet abuzz since it was released in mid-July. Analysts from Pacific Crest even take it as evidence that Netflix's system for producing shows is working the way it's supposed to.

 

[The NZA]

Stranger Things creators: Kids will return; cast model inspired by Harry Potter

 

The Duffer Brothers, have revealed their cast model for future seasons is inspired by a beloved franchise: the Harry Potter films, which found Daniel Radcliffe (Harry), Emma Watson (Hermoine), and Rupert Grint (Ron) growing into their roles.

 

“The dream is a Harry Potter situation,” Matt Duffer tells EW of the Netflix series.

 

The Duffer Brothers (Hidden) say they have no intention of letting go of the fan-favorite young cast.

 

Explains Duffer: “I love watching kids growing up on camera. So the idea seeing where these kids and these characters are one year later is cool to me. And it allows us to explore the mythology of our nether.”

 

[Donatella]

Yay for more Dustin!

 

 

Really didn't wanna share a Daily Beast article after they pissed me off in Rio, but this one writer called Gaten Matarazzo a "curly-haired, lisping, cinnamon bun of a human" and that's the most accurate description ever. I just adore him and look forward to seeing more of him and the rest of the young cast! Man I've seen this show in its entirety twice already and still kinda wanna re-watch it...

[bishopcruz]

I just hope that Season 2 is as good as Season 1 was. Honestly I really felt the show could have ended at episode 8, and I would have been fine with it. I loved the show, no doubt, but far too often some shows with amazing first seasons (Heroes, True Detective, and Twin Peaks come to mind) have just plain awful second seasons, I worry less when the first season gets slowly better and finishes strong, but when a show is just amazing from the get go, like this was, I just worry that they might be out of juice.

[Visitant]

Well, the corporate overlords pretty much fucked Lynch on S2 - making him answer who killed Laura Palmer when that question wasn't supposed to be answered at all. And HBO pushed TD to get a season out too quickly...sensing a theme here?

 

Hell, it happened to Hemlock Grove. There was only one book (which is what S1 was) out at the time and they were forced to keep going pretty much based on the notes the writer gave them for the book he was working on.

 

TL:DR - As long as Netflix gives them the time and space to work on the project without bullying them, we could keep getting great things. Once the big boys get involved, shit goes south (looking at you Age of Ultron)

[Keth]

 

I know Uproxx, but still a good theory.

[Da Cap'n 2099]

Even the number 11 is one and one which equals 2.

[Mr. Hakujin]

In response to axels fan theory video:

Interesting theory, and I never thought to look up what actually takes place in that issue of X-Men they mentioned. I think that's more on the head though--Phoenix & Dark Phoenix rather than 11 = monster. Or much more to the point,

 

Elle ain't dead, y'all. Sheriff knows it. Mike knows it. We know it.

 

It was also made clear (well, clear-ish) that the "black realm" 11 went to when she first used her psychic abilities to read the KGB agent's thoughts was kind of like the psychic plane in X-Men. While there she opened a door to another dimension, which physically manifested in that area of the lab then gradually began to seep out to pocket sin the surrounding areas as the monster learned how to jump between dimensions.

 

So even thought the vid is spot on about the other examples of duality in the series, I don't think this motif of "duality" is a direct link to 11=monster. I think this motif is just pointing to the show's central theme that we can't take the world at face value--we must question and be open to the possibility that what we perceive as real is an illusion, which is essentially what adolescence is all about. Adolescence is when we begin to really question the world around us, gain new insights that come with new expectations and new responsibilities.

 

 

...I worry less when the first season gets slowly better and finishes strong, but when a show is just amazing from the get go, like this was, I just worry that they might be out of juice.

Don't worry, there's still plenty more 80s pop-culture out there to fuel a solid second season. I dig the Duffer's "Hogwarts" analogy mentioned earlier. I'd love to see these kids grow up and how these events in S1 help shape them and the world around them. Trust. Edited August 23, 2016 by Mr. Hakujin
We've all seen it by now, but I'll spoiler tag it anyway.

[Donatella]

Dustin can saaaaang. Check out Gaten Matarazzo singing a song from Les Mis! I shoulda known, since he got his start on the stage. I wonder what'll happen when his voice changes. It cracks a little in the video but he still sounds great!

 

Edited August 24, 2016 by Donatella