Stranger Things

jp_nyc said:
Me too. I’ll be happy when Piper and Alex finally get out of prison and the show focuses on more interesting characters.
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Ehhhhhh... I dunno if the show would be as interesting with them out of prison. Piper's transformation and realization as to what she'd become has been what's carried the show for me. The rest of it has been more or less noise; some of it entertaining, but noise. I've found some of the other characters interesting, such as Poussey, Suzanne and Lolly.

Season 4 was the best so far, imo.

Also, I think it was you who said that Sons of Anarchy could go from insipid to sublime (which was spot on), and I think that applies to Orange is the new black as well.
 
wagdog said:
Also, I think it was you who said that Sons of Anarchy could go from insipid to sublime (which was spot on), and I think that applies to Orange is the new black as well.
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My problem with Piper and Alex is that when the show is insipid it usually involves them. The writers have generally shifted from a black comedy to a serious show with some humor, but Piper’s silly panty-smuggling plot just doesn’t work in that context. And whenever Alex talks she sounds like a suburban girl who pretends to be a drug dealer but really just sells bags of oregano to high school kids. To me it just doesn’t fit the overall tone of the series.
 
gtrjunior said:
That's another one that I tried to like but ultimately didn't. I only watched 2-3 episodes though. Maybe I didn't give it enough time. ??
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Maybe. I dunno, I recall watching the first season and asking myself why. I think the second season was better and the 4th was definitely the best.
 
Just finished the first season of Stranger Things.

I'll give it a meh, to s'ok.

Looking forward to getting back binge watching The Office.
 
smorgdonkey said:
I love Better Call Saul. I found that it got better each episode and when people tell me that they just lost interest after a couple of episodes I feel like they must not have been paying attention.
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That scene in episode 4-5 where Mike comes clear with his Daughter in Law about what happened in Philly was one of the best heartfelt acted scenes I've ever seen of television. Jonathan Banks nailed that shit. Such an understated scene, but that's exactly what made it great, nowhere to hide.
 
smorgdonkey said:
I love Better Call Saul. I found that it got better each episode and when people tell me that they just lost interest after a couple of episodes I feel like they must not have been paying attention.
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That reminds me, I have the second season recorded but haven't watched any yet. I need to do something about that.

And I will reiterate- '80s pop culture is my private hell. I have no desire to revisit it in any way, shape or form- no way, no how. Discovering underground "college rock" in the early '80s was like joining the French Resistance fighting the Germans to me. I know I take it way too seriously, but if you didn't go to school with kids wearing parachute pants and girls with huge hair and everyone wearing Reeboks you can't understand.
 
I was really enjoying Stranger Things for the first few episodes. I can't say I was disappointed by the last few episodes, but by the end, I don't think the quality was nearly what it was in the beginning.

For those out there who haven't yet watched, but are considering it, Stranger Things is a mashup of Alien, Predator, ET, Goonies, Species, Pumpkin Head and several other like movies. It is still a pretty good story about things that go bump in the night, cheesy CGI bogey notwithstanding.
 
GomezAddams said:
…cheesy CGI bogey notwithstanding.
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In most shots it was a practical effect. The head was a robot that opened and closed the weird mouth parts. The Duffer Brothers used practical effects as much as possible, because they didn’t have the time or the budget for much CGI.
 
I finished it last night. Loved it.

Yes, it's derivative, but it's done so well that it doesn't matter. It's better than 99% of the material that it's channeling and paying homage to.

Love the attention to detail in the sets, props, and costumes. Everything feels terrific.

And finally, pretty much every character in the show is incredibly likeable; you root for them, want to spend more time with them, etc. Just like the series as a whole. Not saying that it's perfect, but that's high-praise, and most genre fiction could benefit from that kind of heart.
 
I love the character of Hopper--at first, you think he's just a big, dumb lug, but he totally evolves.
And I've never thought much of Winona Ryder, but I think she's doing an excellent job here.
And the girl playing Eleven is incredibly convincing.
 
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