I'm somewhat stunned that they used the music of (Canadian) Corey Hart in the opening sequences. Was he even a minor thing in the USA?! And I got a kick out of the Sam Goody record store in the mall. Does Sam Goody exist at all anymore?
He was. He had two top 10 hits and one top 20 and three top 40 hits during the 80's. His biggest two were "Sunglasses At Night" and "Never Surrender" which came out in 1985. He had a pretty good run for a while with two gold and 1 platinum album.
Finished watching the first 2 seasons with my 9 year old. We love the show, they did an excellent job giving it that 80’s vibe.
There's homage, there's a rip-off, and then there's Stranger Things. They crossed the line so much, I'm dizzy. Did we count all the in-jokes? The Thing, The Blob, Goonies, Gremlins, Explorers, Labyrinth, E.T., Poltergeist (lotta stuff with the TV set filled with static), V, Jurassic Park, Alien, Monster House, Men in Black, Raiders of the Lost Ark, Adventures in Babysitting, some Matrix-y stuff, a great deal of "The Spielberg Face" (classic slack-jawed, wide-eyed actor pose while the camera dollies into the face)... to say the show is a bit derivative is like saying that we need a bit of air to breathe. [If I left out any rip-offs, let me know and I'll add them to the list.] I think a proper homage is a moment, not the entire visual style & overall story arc for an 8-hour mini-series... at which point it becomes a rip-off. And don't forget...
Biz, Prell, Hi & Dri paper towels, Mr. T cereal. And the multiplex wasn't just full of blockbusters: D.A.R.Y.L lost a boatload of money.
Such as...? "Baba O'Riley" got a remix for the trailer but everything else sounded to me like "original hits by the original stars". The REO track sounded a little odd but I'm pretty sure that was because it was processed so sound like it was coming from a cheap boombox.
Well they'd used the Spoiler Eleven sticks out her arms and screams and gets a nosebleed schtick up so the fact that Spoiler she loses her powers is a new direction. I'm kind of concerned about the post-E08-credits setup of Spoiler Hopper's not really dead and the demogorgons are back .
Without reading any of the post-7/4/19 comments before writing this, I just finished watching season 3 with my girls over the course of two days (interrupted last night by a little earthquake activity). In a nutshell, we loved it. My 14 y/o gave it an 11 out of 10 and I'd have a hard time arguing with her. It pulled in a classic eighties threat with the Soviets and created a plausible storyline (with the exception of why everyone hadn't moved away after not only one but two run-ins with this stuff). Season 1 was classic. Season 2 was highly enjoyable but a half-step back (kept us coming back for more). #3 has us eagerly awaiting what comes next. Now to read what y'all thought... EDIT: It may have been derivative as hell but we found it to be supremely enjoyable. I'm glad I'm not such a student of cinema that I can enjoy dumb entertainment without over-analyzing. I guess that is what comes with being more of a music-head than movie-head.
I binged on the first four episodes on Thursday night & the last four episodes last night. I loved it!!! I have one wish though. I hope the last two episodes are either two hours long each or the last episode be a four hour finale. I also think it would be cool if the names of the whole cast & crew could be spread all over the final episode. Example: Eleven could come across a display in a store of Eggo waffles with the promo ad "Free with three box purchase: "The Adventures Of Millie Bobby Brown" comic book. My opinion.
And don't forget The Stuff! With Mr. Blue eyes, Scott Bloom. Even the candy wrappers were 1985. Great attention to detail.
I just read that the actress who played Robin is Uma Thurman and Ethan Hawke's daughter. I thought she looked familiar, but I couldn't place her. She looks like a perfect blend of both her parents. I really liked her character. I hope she is back for Season 4.
I don't mind seeing Priah Ferguson/Erica in small doses, but they gave her entirely too much airtime this season. I hope she's not on next season as nearly as much as she was this season.
Really enjoyed season 3. Preferred it to season 2. Thought the story was tighter, loved the comedy moments. Roll on season 4!
I thought there was a definite James Bond vibe as well with the whole 'bad guys build an underground base/lair' trope - I mean, how the hell did they manage to build that thing!
The same way Bruce Wayne managed to build the Batcave underneath stately Wayne Manor. I thought she was one of the few characters who could actually act worth a damn. The little revelation about her worked perfectly and I thought added another dimension to the show. Finished watching the final episode tonight and I'm kinda "eh" about the whole thing. Not terrible, not great, but overall predictable and not impressive to me. A few surprises here and there, but nothing like the first couple of seasons. It's crystal clear where season 4 will go. As Jack Bauer used to say on "24": "If he's dead, then show me the body!"
