Stranger Things...

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jappe
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28 Oct 2017

... have happened than me (I? I'm?) not agreeing with the rest of the world on the greatness of Stranger Things.
Watched a few episodes on S1 and found them slightly boring.
Odd since I'm into 80's retro stuff and mystery/sci-fi movies.
Well since the whole world likes it I probably watched it in the wrong mood or something, so I'm going to be an Ash victim and give it another try ☺️

What is it that you like with ST?

No Spoilers plz☺️

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CaliforniaBurrito
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28 Oct 2017

Haven't seen it but it looks like just a bunch of nostalgia which people seem to go crazy for. *shrugs* If nostalgia is what makes it the so-called best Netflix series then I'd rather not spend time on it. OITNB would be more for me in that respect although I don't watch very much of anything to begin with. *shrugs again*

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jappe
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28 Oct 2017

I guess different people enjoy exploring different illusions, but living the real life can also be an entirely sufficient illusion with the advantage that I get to be the co-director

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CaliforniaBurrito
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28 Oct 2017

jappe wrote:
28 Oct 2017
I guess different people enjoy exploring different illusions, but living the real life can also be an entirely sufficient illusion with the advantage that I get to be the co-director
I like your style! :D

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Catblack
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28 Oct 2017

Yeah, I agree that it's not that good of a show. I'm only 2 episodes into season 2 right now.

I have a really critical eye for things set in the early 80s, having lived through them once. The last thing I saw that I thought nailed the period in the small details sense was GLOW (though I don't recommend it.)

I really haven't enjoyed the music cues in the 2 episodes I've seen this season. It's absolutely maddening to me. I know I'm going to sound like the SImpson's comic book guy here. Things like using Devo twice for the arcade scenes. Sure that song was around, and you'd have probably seen the video if you had Mtv maybe by then, but you weren't going to hear it on the radio in an arcade. Or using a 1985 Oingo Boingo song -- and I was listening to them back then, probably the only person I knew who did. (Via a tape my brother got on his travels.) There should be a lot more of the cheesy music of the time playing, but it's like how they cherry pick imagery from Spielberg movies, these songs are meant to invoke a nostalgia and not how it actually was.

I've got 7 more episodes to get through this season, so don't spoil it please.
Last edited by Catblack on 28 Oct 2017, edited 1 time in total.
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AttenuationHz
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28 Oct 2017

Memories from 80's childhood films I suppose. The adventure of innocence. There is a lot of nostalgia in there it can bring on powerful emotions and memories. Each episode grabs you but the fact that the main cast are children you try to connect with the cast by remembering any adventures you would be on as a child yourself. Mostly for me it reminds me of the buzz you would get as a child from lots of adventure films from the 80's. Off the top of my head Goonies, ET, Indiana Jones, Back to the Future, Willow.
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bxbrkrz
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28 Oct 2017

jappe wrote:
28 Oct 2017
... have happened than me (I? I'm?) not agreeing with the rest of the world on the greatness of Stranger Things.
Watched a few episodes on S1 and found them slightly boring.
Odd since I'm into 80's retro stuff and mystery/sci-fi movies.
Well since the whole world likes it I probably watched it in the wrong mood or something, so I'm going to be an Ash victim and give it another try ☺️

What is it that you like with ST?
I don't dislike the show but I don't get why ripping off ideas is now called "an homage". Spielberg, Scott, Carpenter, Miller, Cronenberg, Raimi, Verhoeven,
Hooper, Barker, Romero, Craven, etc.
if you've never seen the names above then ST is a great show full of amazing new ideas and visuals never seen before.
Carpenter is still alive. He's still making music, he has a studio. Why not call him instead of a weak theme emulation.
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AttenuationHz
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28 Oct 2017

bxbrkrz wrote:
28 Oct 2017
jappe wrote:
28 Oct 2017
... have happened than me (I? I'm?) not agreeing with the rest of the world on the greatness of Stranger Things.
Watched a few episodes on S1 and found them slightly boring.
Odd since I'm into 80's retro stuff and mystery/sci-fi movies.
Well since the whole world likes it I probably watched it in the wrong mood or something, so I'm going to be an Ash victim and give it another try ☺️

What is it that you like with ST?
I don't dislike the show but I don't get why ripping off ideas is now called "an homage". Spielberg, Scott, Carpenter, Miller, Cronenberg, Raimi, Verhoeven,
Hooper, Barker, Romero, Craven, etc.
if you've never seen the names above then ST is a great show full of amazing new ideas and visuals never seen before.
Carpenter is still alive. He's still making music, he has a studio. Why not call him instead of a weak theme emulation.
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28 Oct 2017

I think it's awesome. Have watched the first season twice and enjoyed every second of it. I've watched 2 episodes of season 2 and it gets better and better.

A fantastic show.

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AttenuationHz
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28 Oct 2017

Before the thread gets any more replies PLEASE do not post any spoilers :thumbs_up:
It is not too much of an ask for people or things to be the best version of itself!

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JiggeryPokery
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29 Oct 2017

No real spoilers, but a couple of non-specific comments on a couple of plot points. So... give this one a pass if you really don't even want a hint of a thought of a spoiler... ;)

______

It's on okay show. I do get why a lot of people think it's the best thing ever, so I wouldn't go so far as to say I think it's over-rated simply because I didn't like it that much, but personally I also found season one, especially the first half, really hard work, maybe because even in 1985 I was one of the few kids who really, really hated, and still hates, The Goonies, which Stranger Things is really set up to riff on. Watching groups of young American boys of varying levels of acting ability shouting excitedly at other does about how cool everything is did not a good movie make 30 years ago, and it doesn't make good TV now. ;) (Yes, Stand by Me is the exception that proves the rule!)

I do really like the visual design of the show, the soundtrack, and amusing 80s callbacks do always get a little smile of recognition. The Upside Down is a cool concept. I also think the adult sections of the storyline are mostly excellent (any scenes with Ryder and/or Harbour are the compelling ones which makes the show worth watching imo), although the biggest draw on the show is undoubtedly Milly Bobby Brown, who also utterly brilliant: a real future star there if she continues acting into adulthood. I like the Jonathan character too, although he's still a bit underwritten. The latter half of season one did pick up the pace once every character knew story they were in and actually started working together. So I came away at the end having overall liked the show and feeling it was marginally better than the sum of its numerous flaws.

And the main issue for me, and what caused most episodes to be a chore for long stretches, is whenever Mike's sister appears on screen. Doubly-so after she hooked up with bully boy frat dude. (Can't remember either name, and I watched the first three episodes of season two yesterday, in which both appear plenty!). No spoiler details, but her scene with Jonathan, involving a certain tree, in season one is a particularly notable sequence that had me rolling my eyes at the poor writing there. Some of those poor writing moments continue in s2: a sequence with El in e3 had me predicting the obvious plot beat it resulted in a good twenty minutes before it finally occured. Maybe the pay-off in e4 will be unexpected, but within e3 it played out in all too obvious a manner.

It also suffers, badly from what I call Lost Syndrome.

Season 1 could have been 6 tight episodes long if characters had told each other what was going on rather than keeping secrets for no reason other than filling up the episode commission. Season 2 seems to be continuing in that same tradition. Character A discovers something but doesn't tell character B some pertinent piece of information because plot. Then character A does tell character B, but Character B doesn't believe it. Character D has known all along. Then Character B independently determines that maybe Character A was right, but doesn't tell Character A that and they should work together. Character C knows everything characters A, B and D know, but doesn't tell Characters A, B, or D because they're a scientist, and all scientists are either bad, misguided or stupid.

The good bits make it a compelling enough show, but take away the deliberately retro setting and I doubt it would be quite as popular. It's like a decent two-part X-Files or Fringe* episode stretched out across 8 or 9 episodes by padding it out to a large ensemble cast.


*Heresy, but I vastly preferred Fringe ;)

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miscend
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08 Nov 2017

Season 2 is very good. I enjoyed it up to episode 7. Episode 8 and 9 were a let down.


Season 1 I enjoyed too. It starts off kind of slow but if you hang in there it pays off in the end. The real strength of Stranger Things is in the friendship of the lead characters, the little kids are so well cast and have tremendous on screen chemistry. Winona Ryder also pulls out a stunning performance.

Star Trek Discovery and Stranger Things have got me back into watching telly. I hadn’t watched telly for years before I got into these

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miscend
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08 Nov 2017

JiggeryPokery wrote:
29 Oct 2017
Season 1 could have been 6 tight episodes long if characters had told each other what was going on rather than keeping secrets for no reason other than filling up the episode commission. Season 2 seems to be continuing in that same tradition. Character A discovers something but doesn't tell character B some pertinent piece of information because plot. Then character A does tell character B, but Character B doesn't believe it. Character D has known all along. Then Character B independently determines that maybe Character A was right, but doesn't tell Character A that and they should work together. Character C knows everything characters A, B and D know, but doesn't tell Characters A, B, or D because they're a scientist, and all scientists are either bad, misguided or stupid.
To be fair pretty much all tv shows can be accused of padding and or filler material.

Stranger Things closely follows classic horror tropes where characters deliberately make bad decisions which either makes things worse or puts them in immediate danger. That is part of the reason why characters don’t tell each other things and or don’t trust or believe each other. Hopper is the worst character when it comes to to this, he never ever makes a good decision; such as investigating things on his own without backup putting himself in danger and deliberately keeping secrets from the others. His actions directly lead to someone’s death. And in both seasons the government is morally bankrupt, completely incompetent and inept leading to the invasion of our world. You would think they would have learned after the first time.

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Karim
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09 Nov 2017

The same. I apreciate the story and the retro taste (I'm 43 btw) but I don't yell "Omg a masterpiece!"
Breaking Bad IMO is the only and unique masterpiece to my taste.
ST I've seen only one time and it was sufficient.

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Exowildebeest
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09 Nov 2017

I binged S1 & 2 a few days ago. Highly entertaining. Loved the Lovecraftian influences.

Of course it isn't The Sopranos or The Wire level good, but extremely fun to watch nonetheless.

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