Stranger Things 2 - Halloween

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BobaMike
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Stranger Things 2 - Halloween

#1 Post by BobaMike »

Anyone know anything about this trailer for the 8 episode Netflix series?
It nails the 1980's look, even down to the font/animation used for the title.
I enjoyed Super 8 (until the letdown ending), so hopefully this turns out better.




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AndyDursin
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Re: Stranger Things (Netflix series)

#3 Post by AndyDursin »

Reviews have been unanimously terrific. I'm actually looking forward to watching this when it hits tomorrow on Netflix. 8)

http://www.vulture.com/2016/07/stranger ... error.html

http://www.avclub.com/review/netflixs-s ... rda-239435

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Monterey Jack
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Re: Stranger Things (Netflix series)

#4 Post by Monterey Jack »

Right now I'm finishing season two of Arrow on Netflix, but once I do, I'm going to be giving this a shot. Winona Ryder...! :D

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Re: Stranger Things (Netflix series)

#5 Post by jkholm »

Monterey Jack wrote:Right now I'm finishing season two of Arrow on Netflix, but once I do, I'm going to be giving this a shot. Winona Ryder...! :D
I am also watching the second season of Arrow, but finding it very slow going. I recently watched the episodes that introduced the Flash, which were the only really good episodes so far.

Now Stranger Things on the other hand...I've seen the first two episodes and they are fantastic! I even love the synth score.

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Re: Stranger Things (Netflix series)

#6 Post by AndyDursin »

I had a hard time getting into ARROW. Too dense and, yes agreed John, sluggish moving, though well done.

Looking forward to seeing STRANGER THINGS!

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Monterey Jack
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Re: Stranger Things (Netflix series)

#7 Post by Monterey Jack »

Finished up season two of Arrow, so I'll watch Stranger Things next just to have a little variety. Arrow is a good show, but suffers from the same flaws that Smallville did over the long run, i.e. LOTS and LOTS of padding. Were it a Netflix-sized 10-13 episode run per season, it'd be a lot better. I do like it, but the idea of the 24-episode season is INCREDIBLY outdated in this day and age. Who has time for that?

BTW, at what point in season three of Arrow does he have his crossover with the Flash? I just want to know what order to watch them in (I have the first season of The Flash on Blu-Ray, biding its time).

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Re: Stranger Things (Netflix series)

#8 Post by AndyDursin »

Finished up season two of Arrow, so I'll watch Stranger Things next just to have a little variety. Arrow is a good show, but suffers from the same flaws that Smallville did over the long run, i.e. LOTS and LOTS of padding. Were it a Netflix-sized 10-13 episode run per season, it'd be a lot better. I do like it, but the idea of the 24-episode season is INCREDIBLY outdated in this day and age. Who has time for that?
I hear you. Yet if you watch ARROW as it's intended to be viewed -- when it actually airs -- the time commitment (1 episode, 40 minutes per-week minus commercials) is, in its own way, a lot less daunting than "binge watching" hours of content on Netflix.

Sure, 20-24 episode seasons do seem padded at times, but most of those complaints usually come from someone who's gobbling the whole run of said show up on DVD or Netflix...not a typical "weekly viewer."

It's just worth remembering general network shows like SMALLVILLE weren't ever intended to be consumed in 24-episode "binge sessions" like Netflix shows. People today find a show and consume the whole thing in a matter of weeks or days (or sometimes, hours). For the longest time, TV shows were meant for viewers to watch weekly, over a period of literally months.

The way people consume series is different now and makes most all TV series from years past also feel different. Sure there were episode clunkers here and there, but when you see something that feels "padded" it's only intensified because how you are watching it is only exaggerating the fact that you're not seeing it as it was broadcast and intended to be watched.

You used to be able to bury a mediocre episode in the middle of a season -- now you can't because it's Hour 6 of someone's Netflix marathon and they're pissed. :lol:

BUT...it also makes a slow-going show like ARROW seem, well, even more slow-going. ;)

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Monterey Jack
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Re: Stranger Things (Netflix series)

#9 Post by Monterey Jack »

AndyDursin wrote: I hear you. Yet if you watch ARROW as it's intended to be viewed -- when it actually airs -- the time commitment (1 episode, 40 minutes per-week minus commercials) is, in its own way, a lot less daunting than "binge watching" hours of content on Netflix.
I understand you completely on this, but often I'll let a show I'm somewhat interested in "get away" from me, and have to play catch-up years later (in fact, that's how I started watching Smallville...I blind-bought the first three seasons on DVD over a decade ago due to a great sale price and started binging). And for older "every episode is the same" TV shows with little to no "serialization", they were obviously engineered to be the kind of shows where you could just tune in on an infrequent basis and have a one-off storyline that's wrapped up in an hour. I just decided on binging Arrow because I'd heard good things about it (my teenage nephew is a fan), Netflix had it, and it's easy to keep track of where you left off via the streaming service (VERY convenient :)). And there's absolutely nothing I'm watching week-to-week at the moment, except for Braindead (and I'm watching that exclusively for MEW at this point). Hell, it took me like four months to get through six seasons' worth of The X-Files when it hit Blu last year, and as much as I enjoyed revisiting that series (one of my favorites 90's shows), I doubt I'll watch anything other than random "monster of the week" episodes from now on...just too much time invested in a baffling "mythology" that was engrossing for about five seasons, then petered out into endlessly unresolved nothingness. :?

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Re: Stranger Things (Netflix series)

#10 Post by Monterey Jack »

9.5/10

This was SUPERB. :D Anyone who was a kid in the 80's and devoured Steven Spielberg, Stephen King and John Carpenter flicks will be head over heels in love with this. Winona Ryder is especially excellent, her best performance in years. And aside from a twinge of ambiguity in the last episode, it's almost completely self-contained, and while I'd sit through another season, this stands alone as a terrific miniseries, and one of the most entertaining things I've seen on the small or big screen this year. I cannot recommend this more.

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Re: Stranger Things (Netflix series)

#11 Post by AndyDursin »

We watched the first episode last night. It was definitely solid. I wasn't blown away by it -- and it reminded me of SUPER 8, like they are trying SO HARD to "recreate" Spielberg Cinema with the kids on the bikes, the smoky outdoor scenes of E.T., etc. -- but I will keep it going, obviously, as I assume things will streamline as the pieces fall into place.

Technically, though, it IS a knock-out. Amazing how good streaming video can get on Netflix. Good Carpenter-ian synth score also!

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Re: Stranger Things (Netflix series)

#12 Post by AndyDursin »

Well I give it up...this show is pretty awesome. Absolute evocation of ET, Poltergeist and Spielberg/Stephen King homages.

The Chief even drives Brody's Jeep!

I've got 4 episodes left and it's really great so far...much better than SUPER 8

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Re: Stranger Things (Netflix series)

#13 Post by Monterey Jack »

Glad to hear you warmed up to this, Andy...it's great Nostalgia Porn, and it stands on its own two feet as well, evoking that 80's period without just devolving into that arbitrary Family Guy "Hey, remember this?!" replication crap. And all of the characters are well-rounded and compelling.

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Re: Stranger Things (Netflix series)

#14 Post by AndyDursin »

I felt the later episodes started to run out of juice (they clocked in at 40-45 minutes, Episodes 8 and 9 I believe) just a little, but overall, a really excellent show. I think the best tribute you can give it is that the characters really grow on you over time. That's something that didn't happen in SUPER 8. I can't remember the faces of any of those kids today save the Fanning girl, and what it was trying to evoke in Spielbergian terms, was totally transparent.

In STRANGER THINGS, the homages are absolutely overt -- the smoky backyard lit like Allen Daviau's E.T., the FIRESTARTER, POLTERGEIST, ALIEN, etc. references, the befuddled father who came off like Matthew Broderick's in WARGAMES -- but it transcended being fan service. The characters were developed and appealing, especially (IMO anyway) David Harbour's Police Chief, the young boy's older brother (I liked the relationship between him and the popular girl), and the girl who played Eleven. All of them excellent. The young trio of friends were fine, especially the curly-haired boy who reminded one of Chunk from GOONIES.

I wasn't crazy about the sister's douchebag boyfriend, who does an about-face that was nice to see but seemed to offshoot the overly sadistic bullying in Episode 8 (I believe) -- him, his friends and the kids who torment the boys seemed a little bit over the line, a little bit too much, but it's hard to carp when so much of the show worked.

This reminded me of the better Stephen King mini-series, really. It had King-like chapters, seemed to know exactly where it was going and technically was outstanding as it crafted its story. I confess I wish the ending wasn't (as) open-ended -- it would've been refreshing to just have it conclude, with just a little tease for a second series. Instead we got much more of a cliffhanger which I kind of felt was predictable, but I certainly won't complain when it comes back. 8)

Highly recommended!

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Re: Stranger Things (Netflix series)

#15 Post by AndyDursin »

Perfect teaser. Have to wait a little bit though!


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