loved stranger things! Spoiler the way all the different characters started off dwelving seperately into the strange happenings and then ending up together at the climax was very deen koontz-y also, all the 80's sci-fi referencces were great! caught most of them. here's a little video with side-by-sides of the references:
Incomplete, but very well done. Coupla Carpenter flicks, a little De Palma, some Davey Cronenberg, a pinch of Lynch, etc, and that edit would have been gold. Commando, though? Hmm. Or perhaps you should just resist the urge to click back over here until you've given the show a watch? After 2 weeks I'd say it's fair game for full-on discussion.
And how exactly did you determine that? People watch stuff at different paces. Normally, a season of a show would take something like 2/3 of a year to complete, so I don't think it's crazy for some people to not shotgun whole seasons or series in a couple weeks or days. But, yeah, you're right, I'll probably have to avoid the thread. I'm used to posting about shows on AV Club where there's strict delineation as to what you can about a show discuss and where you can discuss it. Disregard, @Lalo.
And some of those comparisons they make are a stretch. I mean, flashlights in the forest is practically de rigueur for sci-fi/horror.
@Odibex The AV Club reviews programs on an episode by episode basis, so it stands to reason that it's not appropriate to discuss specifics about later installments in an earlier recap there. Here it's just a general chat, and with the finale having been available since the 15th, I'm comfortable in suggesting that, if we don't want to chance being spoiled, we're on our own to avoid the discussion thread until we've caught up. It's a little different here with series that air on a week-to-week basis, but the trend is that we only use the spoiler tag for the first couple of days after an episode drops. Beware! @Lttr Prssd No doubt, and those spots of repetition are where our fair editor can fill in with all of the clips he missed!
@toothaction I wasn't really suggesting that everyone should adhere to AVC's protocol, just that that's what I'd become accustomed to. People (and the media) are pretty inconsiderate about revealing spoilers in general, so one can tend to get a little edgy/reactionary about it. I've definitely learned I need to be a little more careful around here, especially seeings as I seem to share a lot of my tastes with you guys. And AV Club does sometimes do season reviews in addition to their ep by ep coverage. I think they've also done dual formats for certain shows, so people who have seen the show in question can discuss future developments. I think it's kind of dependent on the reviewer as to how they want to handle it and how vigilante they are about policing the discussion. OK, I should probably head for the exit at this point. I probably wont finish ST for a month or a so. I don't really like to watch more than an episode of a given show every three days or so. I realize I'm in the minority on that.
my bad... i thought it was fair game, and didn't see what i said as too much of a specific spoiler. i'll be more careful. i'm pretty good about not checking out threads until i've seen the show/movie, so i wasn't thinking.
Late to the party . . . i watched the first two episodes last night. (i skipped most of this thread to avoid spoilers) Its cool so far, i dont understand people's dislike for Ryder. I think she's doing a good job as the frazzled, stressed-out mother. I've never been a huge fan of hers but i liked her in A Scanner Darkly and i think she's fine in this. So far i'd say obvious influences are Spielberg-ian. E.T / Goonies / Close Encounters / Poltergeist
I think the problem with Ryder is that as the show goes forward you will see lots of wonderful performances but many of the actors/actresses in the series and she simply can't keep up. In what is essentially an 8 hour long movie that can really pull you into it's world one meh performance can pull you right back out and in this cast she is the weak link.
So I'm about up to episode 5 and I'm enjoying most of the show, particularly the atmosphere, music and monster stuff. I think most of the performances are really good, too. What I can't stand is the stupid 80's bullying trope. I understand that it's an essential part of the 80's references in the show, but shit, the bullying I went through as a kid and young adult was enough for me. I don't need reminders of it, even if the underdogs get their day in the end. I wonder how other people feel about that, though. I always want to just put it all behind me, because as an adult, no one is confronting me with taunts and physical violence. But maybe other people want that catharsis of seeing the bullies get their wrist broke. Also, just wanted to point out that the girl who plays 11 was also in the single season of The Intruders. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt3552166/ I thought her performance was really good in that show, just like Stranger Things. She played a girl who had been colonized by a sociopathic 70 year old man. So at various times she was the old man, the old man pretending to be a little girl, and the little girl breaking through the grip of the old man. Good stuff.
Episode 4 and Ryder is still not bugging me . . . . we shall see, there's time yet for her to get on my tits. I agree the girl who plays 11 is particularly good. I think all the kid actors are doing good work on this show . . . One influence is Katsuhiro Otomo. Domu and definitely Akira. The kid in a government laboratory. tattooed number on arm. Authorative father-figure. Burgeoning telekinetic powers . . . The scene where she kills the two attendants was so Tetsuo . . . .
Honestly, if she didn't bug you in the beginning I think you're in the clear. I initially found it difficult to get past the fact that it was Winona Ryder, but not so much because of her acting but because it's Winona Ryder. While her performance isn't great, I also think a lot of the flack she's received is undeserved - how else would a mother respond in that scenario!?!
For me it wasn't so much that she was distraught, it's just that Ryder comes off as unconvincing and forced to me. The one kid, Lucas, kinda had the same problem. Too forced, not as natural as the rest of the cast.
Sure, I agree on both counts - acting wasn't great from those two. But I'm not expecting to be wowed by the acting in any sci-fi show/movie...especially an '80s period piece! Or by Winona Ryder!
I feel the same way...a stretch on a bunch of this. While they didn't ruin it for me I did feel the same way about these two characters compared to the others. The sheriff lost it for a bit for me too toward the end when he was being interrogated but overall he did a good job.
Still on the third ep (this going to take a while), just popping in to provide link. AV Club also was an interview up with Winona and the actress who plays the short-haired girl if you're interested.
Y'all see these? Not personally a huge fan, but figured I'd share. http://www.dreadcentral.com/news/182601/fan-turns-stranger-things-characters-awesome-vinyl-toys/