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Nov. 24th, 2017 10:03 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
shadowkat1. Having some serious gastro-intestinal issues, so took it easy for Thanksgiving. And taking prilosec...it's my own fault, been eating the wrong things again. Now off all acids. And drinking lots of broth and priobiotics.
2. Binge-watched Stranger Things ( see last post for vague non-spoilery review). I adored it. It hit some of my story kinks hard -- which is a band of people joining together to defeat the bad guy, using their various strengths to do so, and overcoming the odds. The horror bits -- I was able to ignore for the most part. It's scary but not quite as scary as most horror films. More along the lines of Buffy scary.
I love the characters on the series. Trying to think if I have favorites? Possibly Sheriff Hopper, and Lucas. Also, I'm finding I like Steve Harrington a lot. Nancy was getting on my nerves. Max rocks. Eleven ...is interesting, but I could do without the Eleven/Mike romance. Pre-teen romances sort of bug me.
Also, I found Max's hot nasty sociopathic brother hilarious --- he's a character who thinks he is the lead in the Outsiders or an SE Hinton adaptation, when in reality he's a minor asshole supporting character in a horror film homage to Stephen King. His sister, Max, thought the same thing --- until she saw the monsters. Nope. Not a coming of age drama, it's a horror film. Steve Harrington was sort of that character last season until he discovered the monsters were real and had a change of heart. Poor Billy didn't get that chance, they just knocked him out and went to defeat the monsters without him. Mainly because the Duffer Brothers wanted a human villain/bully. I'm guessing Mathew Modine wasn't enough?
In that respect, last season was better -- but in some respects, I like this season more. We have some interesting new characters, that have been fledged out. Scean Astin's Bob Newell, and Maxine (aka Mad Max), also Steve Harrington, Dustin, and Lucas get a lot more development. Last season it basically just Jonathan, Nancy, Will, Joyce, Sheriff Hopper, Mike and Eleven's show. We've broadened the world a bit more. Including Eleven's family -- or sister, Collee, and her crew, which if the series continues may cause problems in the future. The Underside still exists, and if Eleven could open the gate, someone else can.
3. Also watched on Amazon Prime an independent Scottish film by Charles Martin Smith, starring Kate Mara, Charlie Cox (I didn't know he was Scottish or British - he's Dare Devil), and Robert Carlyle. It's called Stone of Destiney and is about four Scottish students stealing the Scottish Coronation Stone from Westminister Abbey -- to bring it back to Scotland where it belongs. Rather funny in places. Does not paint the British in the best light.
4. Then onto Longmire -- I'm at the tail end of S5. Then on to S6. I don't like S5 very much, it's depressing and rather triggering. Not sure S6 will be much better. It went from being a sort of comforting mystery series with a lovable sheriff and his friends, to a rather dark series with an anti-hero. So I took a break. Decided to come back to see how it ends.
I have about eleven episodes to go. Each season is rather short -- about ten episodes. It has a very strong male lead, Walt Longmire, who is over fifty and portrayed by an Australian actor. He's very good in it. The series starts after Walt has lost his wife, and is mourning her. He's also running for sheriff again, with his deputy, Branch running against him. Vic -- played by Katee Sackoff is his other deputy. Meanwhile his daughter, Cady, is having an affair of sorts with Branch. And Walt has a secret with his friend, a Cheyeen Native American, Henry Standing Bear, portrayed by Lou Diamond Phillips.
It's not a soap opera. It's an episodic/serial hybrid -- where they have an ongoing mystery in the background, and individual mysteries each week. The story takes place in Wyoming. And deal a lot with tribal politics (tribal as in Indian Tribal). Or the politics between Reservation and American Jurisdictions. The Native American insistence on sticking to their tribe is sort of hurting them in the series -- which is an interesting on-going theme. How being intolerant of people outside your tribe will destroy you or developing biases based on someone's allegiance or the tribe they are in, is destructive. Didn't notice that until now. Interesting.
Anyhow...there's some really strong and interesting female and male characters in the series. My favorite is Henry Standing Bear and Cady, Walt's daughter. I also love Walt and Vic, but not as much as I did in the beginning. At the moment I want to kick both upside the head. A Martinez plays an ambigious Cheyenne Developer who runs a Casino.
It's a well acted and for the most part written series...highly recommend. Although admittedly it gets a bit dark and tough going in the latter seasons.
2. Binge-watched Stranger Things ( see last post for vague non-spoilery review). I adored it. It hit some of my story kinks hard -- which is a band of people joining together to defeat the bad guy, using their various strengths to do so, and overcoming the odds. The horror bits -- I was able to ignore for the most part. It's scary but not quite as scary as most horror films. More along the lines of Buffy scary.
I love the characters on the series. Trying to think if I have favorites? Possibly Sheriff Hopper, and Lucas. Also, I'm finding I like Steve Harrington a lot. Nancy was getting on my nerves. Max rocks. Eleven ...is interesting, but I could do without the Eleven/Mike romance. Pre-teen romances sort of bug me.
Also, I found Max's hot nasty sociopathic brother hilarious --- he's a character who thinks he is the lead in the Outsiders or an SE Hinton adaptation, when in reality he's a minor asshole supporting character in a horror film homage to Stephen King. His sister, Max, thought the same thing --- until she saw the monsters. Nope. Not a coming of age drama, it's a horror film. Steve Harrington was sort of that character last season until he discovered the monsters were real and had a change of heart. Poor Billy didn't get that chance, they just knocked him out and went to defeat the monsters without him. Mainly because the Duffer Brothers wanted a human villain/bully. I'm guessing Mathew Modine wasn't enough?
In that respect, last season was better -- but in some respects, I like this season more. We have some interesting new characters, that have been fledged out. Scean Astin's Bob Newell, and Maxine (aka Mad Max), also Steve Harrington, Dustin, and Lucas get a lot more development. Last season it basically just Jonathan, Nancy, Will, Joyce, Sheriff Hopper, Mike and Eleven's show. We've broadened the world a bit more. Including Eleven's family -- or sister, Collee, and her crew, which if the series continues may cause problems in the future. The Underside still exists, and if Eleven could open the gate, someone else can.
3. Also watched on Amazon Prime an independent Scottish film by Charles Martin Smith, starring Kate Mara, Charlie Cox (I didn't know he was Scottish or British - he's Dare Devil), and Robert Carlyle. It's called Stone of Destiney and is about four Scottish students stealing the Scottish Coronation Stone from Westminister Abbey -- to bring it back to Scotland where it belongs. Rather funny in places. Does not paint the British in the best light.
4. Then onto Longmire -- I'm at the tail end of S5. Then on to S6. I don't like S5 very much, it's depressing and rather triggering. Not sure S6 will be much better. It went from being a sort of comforting mystery series with a lovable sheriff and his friends, to a rather dark series with an anti-hero. So I took a break. Decided to come back to see how it ends.
I have about eleven episodes to go. Each season is rather short -- about ten episodes. It has a very strong male lead, Walt Longmire, who is over fifty and portrayed by an Australian actor. He's very good in it. The series starts after Walt has lost his wife, and is mourning her. He's also running for sheriff again, with his deputy, Branch running against him. Vic -- played by Katee Sackoff is his other deputy. Meanwhile his daughter, Cady, is having an affair of sorts with Branch. And Walt has a secret with his friend, a Cheyeen Native American, Henry Standing Bear, portrayed by Lou Diamond Phillips.
It's not a soap opera. It's an episodic/serial hybrid -- where they have an ongoing mystery in the background, and individual mysteries each week. The story takes place in Wyoming. And deal a lot with tribal politics (tribal as in Indian Tribal). Or the politics between Reservation and American Jurisdictions. The Native American insistence on sticking to their tribe is sort of hurting them in the series -- which is an interesting on-going theme. How being intolerant of people outside your tribe will destroy you or developing biases based on someone's allegiance or the tribe they are in, is destructive. Didn't notice that until now. Interesting.
Anyhow...there's some really strong and interesting female and male characters in the series. My favorite is Henry Standing Bear and Cady, Walt's daughter. I also love Walt and Vic, but not as much as I did in the beginning. At the moment I want to kick both upside the head. A Martinez plays an ambigious Cheyenne Developer who runs a Casino.
It's a well acted and for the most part written series...highly recommend. Although admittedly it gets a bit dark and tough going in the latter seasons.