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Thread: Stranger Things (Season 2)

  1. #1
    Replacing Luck Since 1984 Dukefrukem's Avatar
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    Stranger Things (Season 2)

    October 27th

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    Quote Quoting D_Davis (view post)
    Uwe Boll movies > all Marvel U movies
    Quote Quoting TGM (view post)
    I work in grocery. I have not gotten sick. My fellow employees have not gotten sick. If the virus were even remotely as contagious as its being presented as, why haven’t entire store staffs who come into contact with hundreds of people per day, thousands per week, all falling ill in mass nationwide?

  2. #2
    Replacing Luck Since 1984 Dukefrukem's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting D_Davis (view post)
    Uwe Boll movies > all Marvel U movies
    Quote Quoting TGM (view post)
    I work in grocery. I have not gotten sick. My fellow employees have not gotten sick. If the virus were even remotely as contagious as its being presented as, why haven’t entire store staffs who come into contact with hundreds of people per day, thousands per week, all falling ill in mass nationwide?

  3. #3
    Sunrise, Sunset Wryan's Avatar
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    Just watched that Thriller trailer again. Goddamn that's a fantastic piece of work. Hoping the second season is a good'un.
    "How is education supposed to make me feel smarter? Besides, every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain. Remember when I took that home wine-making course and forgot how to drive?"

    --Homer

  4. #4
    Sunrise, Sunset Wryan's Avatar
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    Not super excited if [
    ], but I trust them to do something interesting with it. Looks good.
    "How is education supposed to make me feel smarter? Besides, every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain. Remember when I took that home wine-making course and forgot how to drive?"

    --Homer

  5. #5
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    The scariest thing in that trailer is the "Reagan / Bush '84" lawn sign.

  6. #6
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    Also, that's a lotta guns for a show mostly about kids.

  7. #7
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    For all the constant snarks about the show being only nostalgia-bait (amplied by it becoming so popular), it continues to have little moments of subversion that make it so satisfying/gratifying (like how they resolve the possibly trite love triangle in the first season). I just watched the first episode, and apart from the usual fun narrative and great rapport between the kids, I like how [
    ]
    Midnight Run (1988) - 9
    The Smiling Lieutenant (1931) - 8.5
    The Adventures of Robinhood (1938) - 8
    Sisters (1973) - 6.5
    Shin Godzilla (2016) - 7.5

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    Pedantic Comment 1 of 10,362

    Max wouldn't have been able to enter "MADMAX" on Dig Dug's high score screen because early arcade games didn't have the memory space to record more than 3 letters. So, she would have be forced to go with simply "MAX." (Or, more likely, do what most kids did: Enter some variation of "AAA", "BBB", "CCC", "ASS" or "DIK.") It appears the show uses a high score screen from Dig Dug II, but that game wasn't released until March, 1985. (The episode takes place in October, 1984.)

  9. #9
    Sunrise, Sunset Wryan's Avatar
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    Thought it was a very good season. Not as scary as some of the first season's moments of true terror, but good fun. Damn that poor kid. This show has really done a lot of shit to him. Also thought the relationship between Hopper and Eleven got almost a little too dark and intense...but I guess it was sorta needed for that bizarre little Runaways interlude. It's not that that episode was bad, per se--it was fine, I suppose, for what it was trying to accomplish--but it had the misfortune of being sandwiched between two really stellar episodes. Some nice representations of trauma. Thought for sure they were going to do a "don't use hate, use love" kinda thing, but maybe next season. I was sort of giddy to see Paul Reiser as a non-slimeball, tho it occurred to me during one particular episode that they probably secured him for the Aliens frisson. Lots of little lite-metatextual things like that, most of which worked for me. Thought Dacre Montgomery made for the perfect '80s scumbag and a nice foil to Steve. Felt a little odd that Eleven was separated from the group for so much of the season, especially when that's one of the things that made the first season so strong--not sure what she learned was so important that it was worth it. The season got a lot of mileage out of Sean Astin's pure goodness.

    The extended scene in the shed is probably the best thing this show has done to date--virus/host body take-over cliches notwithstanding.
    "How is education supposed to make me feel smarter? Besides, every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain. Remember when I took that home wine-making course and forgot how to drive?"

    --Homer

  10. #10
    Evil mind, evil sword. Ivan Drago's Avatar
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    Four episodes in. Does anybody else feel like the story is moving too fast or that characters are figuring things out too easily? The first season gave us time to ponder over what might be happening, whereas in season two, [
    ] Not only that, but in the second episode, [
    ] I dunno, maybe I'm just bingeing too quickly or I should've revisited the first season beforehand.

    That being said, it's still a good show. The characters are coalescing from tropes of the 80s into their own beings (particularly Nancy and Officer Hopper), the score is still sublime, the new cast members are solid additions, all the plot threads are engaging and entertaining to watch play out, and episodes are briskly paced (which is a both a compliment and a detriment for the reasons stated above). Also, for a show with something for the whole family, it goes to frightening places, particularly with [
    ] Can't wait to see how it all wraps up, even with my quibbles.
    Last Five Films I've Seen (Out of 5)

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    Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (Crawford, 2022) 4
    Confess, Fletch (Mottola, 2022) 3.5
    M3GAN (Johnstone, 2023) 3.5
    Turning Red (Shi, 2022) 4.5
    Tokyo Story (Ozu, 1953) 5

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    I'm three episodes in but huh, the common complaint I've been seeing about this season is that it moves too slow compared to the first. Not that I agree one way or another yet without the whole season (although the second episode feels a bit that way, even if it's still engaging).
    Midnight Run (1988) - 9
    The Smiling Lieutenant (1931) - 8.5
    The Adventures of Robinhood (1938) - 8
    Sisters (1973) - 6.5
    Shin Godzilla (2016) - 7.5

  12. #12
    Only two eps in. I like Stranger Things, but never lost my mind with enthusiasm for it. I admired the first season for its enjoyable performances, genre savvy, and its incredible forward momentum. The show occasionally has some really off moments--a bit of dialogue that sounds unhumanly weird, a scene that doesn't quite seem to play out the way it's supposed to, hackneyed deployment of well-worn tropes instead of lively or smart implementations--but that has generally been compensated for by a healthy, fast pace set by discoveries, cliffhangers, and good character moments. Having gotten through the second episode, it has been much more content to let scenes just play out without these, which has me noticing what I see as some of the show's faults. Still enjoying it, and I'd imagine it'll pick up the pace, but it doesn't always seem to be playing to its strengths. Perhaps not surprisingly, this feels like a sequel. Or perhaps more accurately, while the previous series felt like a mini-series or a long film chopped up into eight segments, this feels like a television series that could run indefinitely.

  13. #13
    Sunrise, Sunset Wryan's Avatar
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    Thought Ryder was also very strong this season.
    "How is education supposed to make me feel smarter? Besides, every time I learn something new, it pushes some old stuff out of my brain. Remember when I took that home wine-making course and forgot how to drive?"

    --Homer

  14. #14
    Evil mind, evil sword. Ivan Drago's Avatar
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    Quote Quoting Peng (view post)
    I'm three episodes in but huh, the common complaint I've been seeing about this season is that it moves too slow compared to the first. Not that I agree one way or another yet without the whole season (although the second episode feels a bit that way, even if it's still engaging).
    Maybe I need to revisit it on a slower timeline once I finish binging it. I do admit this initial watch is to let the story hit me before someone inevitably posts spoilers on my Facebook feed.

    Anyway, just started episode 5 (directed by Andrew Stanton!!). Dustin is just the best.
    Last Five Films I've Seen (Out of 5)

    The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse (Mackesy, 2022) 4.5
    Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (Crawford, 2022) 4
    Confess, Fletch (Mottola, 2022) 3.5
    M3GAN (Johnstone, 2023) 3.5
    Turning Red (Shi, 2022) 4.5
    Tokyo Story (Ozu, 1953) 5

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  15. #15
    Okay, so can anybody tell me what the really plain-looking costumes Nancy and Steven spent "way too much time" making were supposed to be?

  16. #16
    Evil mind, evil sword. Ivan Drago's Avatar
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    Finished it today and it got better and better after episode four. It feels less like a hodgepodge of 80s references this season and more like it's own thing. Truly great stuff.
    Last Five Films I've Seen (Out of 5)

    The Boy, The Mole, The Fox and the Horse (Mackesy, 2022) 4.5
    Puss In Boots: The Last Wish (Crawford, 2022) 4
    Confess, Fletch (Mottola, 2022) 3.5
    M3GAN (Johnstone, 2023) 3.5
    Turning Red (Shi, 2022) 4.5
    Tokyo Story (Ozu, 1953) 5

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    Letterboxd

  17. #17
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    I'm five episodes in and I'm thinking this is better than season 1.
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    Quote Quoting D_Davis (view post)
    Uwe Boll movies > all Marvel U movies
    Quote Quoting TGM (view post)
    I work in grocery. I have not gotten sick. My fellow employees have not gotten sick. If the virus were even remotely as contagious as its being presented as, why haven’t entire store staffs who come into contact with hundreds of people per day, thousands per week, all falling ill in mass nationwide?

  18. #18
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    Quote Quoting Sycophant (view post)
    Okay, so can anybody tell me what the really plain-looking costumes Nancy and Steven spent "way too much time" making were supposed to be?
    Maybe you already learned this somewhere else, but Risky Business.

    Finished it. A drop from the first season but still fun.
    Midnight Run (1988) - 9
    The Smiling Lieutenant (1931) - 8.5
    The Adventures of Robinhood (1938) - 8
    Sisters (1973) - 6.5
    Shin Godzilla (2016) - 7.5

  19. #19
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    Episode 7 was godawful.

    But the last two saved it.

    Not as good as season 1, but still pretty darn good.

    The freaking dance. *melts*
    "All right, that's too hot. Anything we can do about that heat?"

    "Rick...it's a flamethrower."

  20. #20
    Replacing Luck Since 1984 Dukefrukem's Avatar
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    Loved this season. It's improved on every aspect of Season 1.
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    Quote Quoting D_Davis (view post)
    Uwe Boll movies > all Marvel U movies
    Quote Quoting TGM (view post)
    I work in grocery. I have not gotten sick. My fellow employees have not gotten sick. If the virus were even remotely as contagious as its being presented as, why haven’t entire store staffs who come into contact with hundreds of people per day, thousands per week, all falling ill in mass nationwide?

  21. #21

    Stranger Things (Season 2)

    I thought this was much worse, and I wasn't that huge a fan of the first season. Some of the plotting here is so half-arsed as to be laughable. It simply has no idea how to handle such a large cast of characters or to get them interacting in meaningful ways (I mean, the writers' answer to getting Steve involved is basically "Uh, he just coincidentally runs into one of the young kids and then just follows along. Why? Because if he didn't we'd actually have to think of an organic, satisfying way to get him involved, and no-ones got time for that shit.")

    And why is there a scene of Max's brother flirting creepily with Nancy's mother and why the hell does it go on for so long? This season was full of padding and junk.

    EDIT: The moment when I truly knew that we weren’t in safe hands storywise was when Eleven goes to the school and they foist a sub-sitcomesque scene of poor/coincidental timing and misunderstanding to drive the entire rest of her story. I mean, at least TRY.
    Last edited by transmogrifier; 11-05-2017 at 02:52 PM.
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  22. #22
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    I wasn't the biggest fan of season one, but I felt this season was much better. *shrug*

  23. #23
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    Quote Quoting transmogrifier (view post)
    EDIT: The moment when I truly knew that we weren’t in safe hands storywise was when Eleven goes to the school and they foist a sub-sitcomesque scene of poor/coincidental timing and misunderstanding to drive the entire rest of her story. I mean, at least TRY.
    Worst scene in the entire show. I HATED that so very very much.

  24. #24
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    Agreed. I hated that scene too. Actually forgot about it until now.

    I also forgot that they never really wrapped up the brother character.
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    Quote Quoting D_Davis (view post)
    Uwe Boll movies > all Marvel U movies
    Quote Quoting TGM (view post)
    I work in grocery. I have not gotten sick. My fellow employees have not gotten sick. If the virus were even remotely as contagious as its being presented as, why haven’t entire store staffs who come into contact with hundreds of people per day, thousands per week, all falling ill in mass nationwide?

  25. #25
    Quote Quoting Dukefrukem (view post)
    Agreed. I hated that scene too. Actually forgot about it until now.

    I also forgot that they never really wrapped up the brother character.
    Max's brother was genuinely useless as a character. You could see they were trying to add a bit of depth to Steve's character by giving him a rival of sorts, but it amounts to a couple of sweaty basketball scenes and a random fight scene at the end when they realized "Hey, we better do something with this character. I know, let's have him flirt with one of the mothers and then go fight Steve!"
    Last 10 Movies Seen
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    Run
    (2020) 64
    The Whistlers
    (2019
    ) 55
    Pawn (2020) 62
    Matilda (1996) 37
    The Town that Dreaded Sundown
    (1976) 61
    Moby Dick (2011) 50

    Soul
    (2020) 64

    Heroic Duo
    (2003) 55
    A Moment of Romance (1990) 61
    As Tears Go By (1988) 65

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    Listening Habits at LastFM

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