Re: Stranger Things (Netflix) -- Season 1 Thread -- S: Winona Ryder
 

My wife was out of town when I watched it. She came back to me pestering to watch it. We got two episodes in and I fell asleep. When I woke up, she had binged the whole thing. And she loved it.

She grew up in China and was born in 1983. Most of the references I know she didn't get, but she probably enjoyed watching on her own without me trying to pause and explain things and show off my vast trivial pop culture knowledge that she doesn't give a shit about anyway! :lol:

Re: Stranger Things (Netflix) -- Season 1 Thread -- S: Winona Ryder
 

Yeah, while it's set in the 80s, it doesn't rely on nostalgia for that era.

It's a bit like asking if people from now can like a period piece, or a film/show actually made in a different era. People still like the movies that inspired this show, like E.T., Close Encounters of the Third Kind, The Thing, Evil Dead, The Goonies, Nightmare on Elm Street, etc.

Re: Stranger Things (Netflix) -- Season 1 Thread -- S: Winona Ryder
 

I finished the show up tonight and really enjoyed it. I tend to generally not like child actors, but this group wasn't all that cloying or hammy. They seemed liked real kids, so good job there. The finale had a nice use of a Moby song I hadn't heard in ages.

Part of me wishes the second season would follow a different group of characters a la True Detective and just let this first season be its own thing. But I'm down for wherever they go next.

While it wasn't played, the Smiths were mentioned and that stuck out to me. From the AV Club: "Jonathan’s really ahead of the curve name-checking The Smiths for that mixtape he gave Will. That scene occurs while their father still lives with them, at least a year before the series opens in November of 1983. So Jonathan is into The Smiths six months or more before their first single is even released. That is one Manchester-savvy rural Midwestern high-schooler."

Exactly. Music anachronisms in period movies get to me (See: a ranting blog post I wrote 10 years ago after I watched 13 Going on 30. :lol: ), but that's because I'm a music geek. I didn't notice the cars that didn't exist in 1983 at all, but my car guy buddy would totally spot that stuff. All that said, the show was good enough that it didn't really take me out of it.

Re: Stranger Things (Netflix) -- Season 1 Thread -- S: Winona Ryder
 

I've written a 14,000 word blog post about how the non "upside-down" universe is also a minor variation on our own - the only differences being several songs and car models, as well as the expression "are you serious right now?".

Re: Stranger Things (Netflix) -- Season 1 Thread -- S: Winona Ryder
 

My 16,14 and 12 year old loved it. I'm sure they didn't get half of the references but it is a good story. My kids are also really into Steven Spielberg so this was right up their alley.

Re: Stranger Things (Netflix) -- Season 1 Thread -- S: Winona Ryder
 

Re: Stranger Things (Netflix) -- Season 1 Thread -- S: Winona Ryder
 

This is second only to Fargo as the best TV show Ive seen in the past year. It was fantastic. The only negative for me was Wynonna Rider's "performance".

I took the scene at the end with the sheriff as him giving Eleven something to eat. As now she lives in the upside down. Maybe by choice as she realized she would never find peace in the normal world. Or maybe shes making sure that no more monsters can pass through to the normal world.

Re: Stranger Things (Netflix) -- Season 1 Thread -- S: Winona Ryder
 

Damn, I'm a nerd. I can't swear to it, but I thought the Millenium Falcon was a newer (than 1983) version. I'm probably wrong. I hope I'm wrong. :)

Re: Stranger Things (Netflix) -- Season 1 Thread -- S: Winona Ryder
 

You know as well as I do that is a newer falcon. Nerd up.

Re: Stranger Things (Netflix) -- Season 1 Thread -- S: Winona Ryder
 

Yep...it wasn't the one released back in the late 70s/early 80s. I have one...it's got red stickers in the back (not blue ones)

Original toy version:

http://farm1.staticflickr.com/44/182...b90eea63_z.jpg

Re: Stranger Things (Netflix) -- Season 1 Thread -- S: Winona Ryder
 

Decals, man. Decals.

Re: Stranger Things (Netflix) -- Season 1 Thread -- S: Winona Ryder
 

Netflix's newest hit show was rejected at least 15 times by other networks — here's why that's important

http://finance.yahoo.com/news/netfli...135743882.html

Re: Stranger Things (Netflix) -- Season 1 Thread -- S: Winona Ryder
 

In the 70s, they were still called "stickers." ;)

Re: Stranger Things (Netflix) -- Season 1 Thread -- S: Winona Ryder
 

That's interesting but glad it ended up on Netflix. NF seems to be one of the few outlets for new shows that give complete creative control to the ones who should have it. And don't let the suits decide what they think people will 'get'.

Re: Stranger Things (Netflix) -- Season 1 Thread -- S: Winona Ryder
 

I occasionally wish Netflix would set some stricter guidelines (ie - Sitcom runtimes) but otherwise yeah, they give almost completely creative control to the team producing it.

Re: Stranger Things (Netflix) -- Season 1 Thread -- S: Winona Ryder
 

This was pretty good. Nowhere near Fargo for me, but still up there for Netflix.

Interesting fact - M. Night Shyamalan hired/mentored them on Wayward Pines.

Re: Stranger Things (Netflix) -- Season 1 Thread -- S: Winona Ryder
 

no.

Re: Stranger Things (Netflix) -- Season 1 Thread -- S: Winona Ryder
 

I really hope this comes back...

Re: Stranger Things (Netflix) -- Season 1 Thread -- S: Winona Ryder
 

Please, don't just regurgitate click-bait headlines. It's not a rule or anything, it's just really fucking annoying.

Re: Stranger Things (Netflix) -- Season 1 Thread -- S: Winona Ryder
 

Binged it on a flight to France and finished up the last episode at night in my hotel. Enjoyed it immensely, and like others said it was great having kids that weren't annoying and the weak link as far as acting goes. All the kids in this were great.

Re: Stranger Things (Netflix) -- Season 1 Thread -- S: Winona Ryder
 

Dustin (food loving kid) was my favorite, he was hilarious and talked some sense to Lucas/Mike when they needed it. Glad this wrap up nicely with a few open things for next season. It is funny that Nancy turned into

Re: Stranger Things (Netflix) -- Season 1 Thread -- S: Winona Ryder
 

Arrested S4 would have been stronger with slightly shorter episodes. Some constraints can be good. Mostly I think they would have benefitted from being roughly the same length.

But to each their own.

Re: Stranger Things (Netflix) -- Season 1 Thread -- S: Winona Ryder
 

It's hard to say. I think most of people's issues with Arrested Development S4 had more to do with the fracturing of the storylines and the focusing of each episode on certain characters. Part of the fun of the first 3 seasons was seeing the various characters storylines in parallel and watching how they collide with each other by the end of the episode. S4 was like that, but over the course of the entire season instead of each episode.

Also, I always loved the deleted scenes from S1-3 on the DVD, and remember feeling that some would've made the episodes better. So strict constraints can also be a bad thing.

To me, the time limit on TV episodes on Network TV have far more to do with fitting in commercials and conforming to strict 30 or 60 minute time slots than anything to do with creativity. That certain shows are able to do so well within those constraints is remarkable, but it feels like it's more likely in spite of those constraints rather than because of.

If certain Netflix show episodes seem bloated, it's because they're not properly edited, not because they don't fit an arbitrary time limit.

Re: Stranger Things (Netflix) -- Season 1 Thread -- S: Winona Ryder
 

Eh, I don't fully agree or disagree, my issue with AD wasn't the fragmented approach so much as the episodes just dragged on, whereas the original 3 season were rapid fire -- the rhythm seemed altered.

But that said, I'm glad that Netflix basically lets the creative teams do as they please.

Re: Stranger Things (Netflix) -- Season 1 Thread -- S: Winona Ryder
 

And again, I'm arguing the altered rhythm was a result more of the altered structure than just the extended runtimes. I noticed while watching AD S4 that the first episodes were setting up things that were only getting paid off in later episodes, which altered the rhythm of the jokes.

And even if the editing on individual episodes was too loose, that's not to say that 22 minutes is the ideal length of an AD episode. It could be that the earlier FOX seasons had episodes that were hampered by being so short, and it's a bit presumptuous to think that the ideal length for every episode of every sitcom is an arbitrary length networks came up with to fill time slots and load in commercials.