Julie and the Phantoms

One of the bigger and more pleasant surprises of 2020 has to be the new Netflix series Julie and the Phantoms. The series hails from famed director and choreographer Kenny Ortega, who has directed such personal faves as Newsies and Hocus Pocus, as well as the High School Musical and Descendants trilogies for the Disney Channel. So, I went into this expecting another fun, frothy musical fantasy and for the most part that's exactly what the show was, but hidden within the show are some moments that pack a very real emotional punch too.

The show centers on Julie (played by Madison Reyes), a young aspiring musician who has been struggling since her mother passed away a year ago. She hasn't been able to perform any music since then and is about to lose her spot in her school's prestigious music program. While she is going through things in her Mom's recording studio, she finds an old demo CD for a band called Sunset Curve. Playing the CD, she unwittingly brings forward the ghosts of three of the four members of the band, Luke (played by Charlie Gillespie), Alex (played by Owen Joyner) and Reggie (played by Jeremy Shada). All three tragically died at the tender age of 17 on the cusp of their first big break in 1995 and now suddenly find themselves in present day. Initially frightened, Julie soon warms up to the three ghosts that only she can see and hear. When she finally takes the plunge and plays a song her Mom wrote for her, they urge her to fight for her spot in her music program and when they decide to accompany her in her performance, they find much to their surprise everyone can see Luke, Alex and Reggie when they all perform together. When people start asking where the other band members suddenly came from, Julie hastily lies that they are actually holograms (which amazingly people actually believe). 

Upon discovering this, Luke proposes that Julie join Sunset Curve and they keep performing. Instead, they form a new band called, you guessed it, Julie and the Phantoms while keeping the cover story that the other band members are holograms. Things hit a snag when Luke, Alex and Reggie discover that their surviving band member Trevor Wilson (played by Steve Bacic) took all the songs Luke wrote when he was alive, passed them off as his own and became super famous in the process, which enrages Luke. While trying to understand everything that is happening to them, Alex meets another ghost, Willie (played by Booboo Stewart) and the two hit it off while Willie helps him understand what it means to be a ghost. Perplexed by why they can be seen when they are performing, Willie takes them to see a much older and more powerful ghost Caleb Covington (played by Cheyenne Jackson), who takes an interest in the band for his own sinister reasons. They are initially interested in Caleb's offer to perform in his Club for Hollywood ghosts because they think he, as a much more powerful ghost, can help them get even with Trevor. Things take a turn when they realize Caleb's true intentions and if they don' go through with their deal it can threaten their very afterlives.           

This show is an adaptation of a Brazillian T.V series of the same name which I have never had the opportunity to see, but apparently has a dedicated following online. But clearly watching this series, which I devoured all nine half hour episodes in pretty much one sitting), Kenny Ortega and his co-creators have very much made the show their own. The show is very much directed at a much more youthful demographic than I happen to fall into, but I still found plenty to enjoy. They pull off a very careful balancing act between the more humorous moments and the more heartfelt moments while keeping everything from becoming too cheesy or cutesy, which was a relief for me (although the show does have a few kinda cheesy moments). The plotting of the season is tight with several plot lines going on at once. Among the ones I didn't mention, Julie's younger brother Carlos's attempts to prove the house is haunted is very cute, something Reggie is only happy to help him prove (Reggie explains he's doing it for all the kids whose parents didn't believe them). Equally sweet is the burgeoning romance between Alex and Willie. After years of having to settle with including coded gay characters in his movies he made with the House of Mouse, it's nice to see the openly gay Kenny Ortega finally able to include a couple of out gay characters in this show that celebrates it. I also love just how inclusive the overall show is, including the fact that the lead character is Latina.    

Still, not everything quite lands in the show, but they are small nitpicks. The resident mean girl at Julie's school, Carrie (played by Savannah Lee May), is irritatingly one note and exists just to antagonize Julie. With a little finessing, she could have been an interesting character, but as it is in this first season, I was just annoyed any time she showed up. The other nitpick is the whole cover story that the band are actually holograms is extremely flimsy and nearly everyone takes it at face value, even Julie's dad (played by Carlos Ponce). I suppose with this one, I could just take it as Buffy logic with everyone just choosing to believe it because the truth is just too much to accept. I did appreciate that Julie's best friend, Flynn (played by Jadah Marie) sees through the ruse immediately, forcing Julie to come clean with the truth. I also find it interesting that it doesn't occur to any of the characters how they are going to explain how Julie is performing with musicians that have been dead for 25 years since it's only a matter of time until someone recognizes them. But like I said, these are but minor quibbles. 

The cast of the show is nothing short of phenomenal. I can pinpoint the exact moment I fell in love with this show and that is when Madison Reyes performs "Wake Up", the song Julie's mom wrote for her. Reyes injects that already great song with so much passion and emotion I was genuinely moved watching her perform it. And she matches that early promise throughout the rest of the season, giving her character such a grounded charm that I loved. She also nails the more emotional side of her character, especially when it comes to Julie' grief over losing her mother. Charlie Gillespie is equally great as Luke. As the series unfolds, the show reveals bits of Luke's backstory that Charlie just nails as the show reveals that Luke had a falling out with his folks that was never resolved before he died, and his deep regrets revealed in the poignant and heartbreaking song "Unsaid Emily". I challenge to watch Charlie Gillespie perform that song while looking into his sorrowful puppy dog eyes and not turn into a weeping wreck. It's a powerful moment in the show that caught me completely off guard because the majority of the show is so upbeat and joyful.  

Owen Joyner brings a lot of heart to the character of Alex, who does a great job portraying his character's anxieties and his discomfort with change. He also played well off Booboo Stewart's far more laid back Willie. Booboo Stewart does a fine job as Willie, who makes a nice counterpoint to Alex as he shows them that as ghosts the usual rules they had to follow when they were alive no longer apply, such as being able to run around a closed art museum. Jeremy Shada is very endearing as Reggie, who provides much of the comic relief among the four characters as he enjoys the simple things in his afterlife, whether it is appreciating that in Caleb's club they can actually eat food or his decidedly one sided friendship with Julie's dad (who can neither see nor hear Reggie). Of course, I also felt for Reggie when he finds out that not only had they made more Star Wars movies in the 25 years the guys were gone, but that they had killed off Han Solo (and laughed when after he left, Luke warned the others, "Please, do not mention JarJar!"). Carlos Ponce as Ray is a refreshingly supportive father to Julie, who only wants the best for her and help her in any way he can. I really liked Jadah Marie as Flynn, who adds a fun spunkiness to her character in every scene she's in and is a dedicated best friend to Julie. She really brings such a goofy and fun energy to all her scenes and I hope the show expands on her character in the next season. Last, but certainly not least is Cheyenne Jackson stealing every scene he is in as the sinister Caleb Covington who conspires to capture the three members of Sunset Curve to be part of his club's house band for eternity. Jackson just relishes every scene as he tries to get the band members to join his club and it is a joy to watch. He has two great musical numbers in the show and they are both amazing, utilizing his singing and dancing skills fantastically.  

I was initially interested in the show based on the trailer and premise and was really looking forward to seeing it as I was in the mood for a fun musical fantasy, only to be caught off guard by the genuine emotional depths contained within. Then they combine this with some genuinely great music performed entirely by the cast themselves makes this a show that is not only fun but also genuinely great. I devoured the entire series yesterday afternoon and evening (with only 9 episodes, each 30 mins long, that wasn't too hard). As with everything, one's mileage can vary, but I loved every minute. My only question left is, when is season 2? Because it can not get here soon enough for me.                 

Anne of Green Gables

When I heard that Netflix, in conjunction with the CBC, were doing a new series based on Anne of Green Gables, inexplicably now titled Anne With an E, part of me wondered why when the beloved 1985 mini-series was readily available. I suppose it is part of our culture to want to remake more and more things, giving others a chance to make their own version. Once I saw the trailer, I found myself wanting to go back and watch the older mini-series all over again. The new show is darker, gritter and apparently "more realistic", like most films and T.V dramas today. It had me diving for my DVD set. I wanted the lighter, more fun, and romantic original series. 

The series begins with Anne Shirley (played by Megan Follows), a scrappy young orphan girl is sent from the orphanage to live with an older brother and sister, Marilla (played by Colleen Dewhurst) and Matthew Cuthbert (played by Richard Farnsworth) on Prince Edward Island in Canada. The problem is they were expecting a young boy to help them on their farm, named Green Gables, not a girl. Especially the intelligent, chatty and overly imaginative red-headed Anne. Still, Matthew brings her home and bonds with her immediately on the carriage ride home. Marilla is a tougher sell but agrees to allow Anne to stay on a trial basis rather then see her shipped off back to the orphanage. Soon enough, Anne has worked her way into the stern and practical Marilla's heart as well and is allowed to stay for good. At a Sunday Picnic, Anne meets her soon to be best friend Diana Barry (played by Schuyler Grant) as well as first meeting Gilbert Blythe (played by Jonathan Crombie), who becomes an academic rival in school as well as a potential romantic interest. The film follows Anne's adventures as she grows from a young girl to a young woman and her adventures and the unshakable bonds she forms in between. 

There is so much to love about this mini-series, I'm not sure where to start. So, let's begin with the performances. Megan Follows takes on the task of bringing to life one of Canada's most beloved heroines and does an impressive job of it. Throughout the course of the film, she is portraying Anne from age 13 to age 16 and while that may not seem like much on page, there is a lot of personal growth in those years and Follows pulls it off wonderfully. She does a great job tackling Anne's larger than life character traits and flair for the dramatic with a great deal of charm. Follows also portrays Anne's headstrong desire to blaze her own trail and independence as well. She loves the academics and especially literature that brings about a bit of a rivalry with her school's other top student, Gilbert Blythe. Richard Farnsworth is fantastic as the sweet and shy Matthew, who quickly comes to view Anne as his own daughter, doting on her. In no moment is this clearer than when he goes into town to buy a dress for Anne to wear to the Christmas ball, with Anne's long desired puffed sleeves of course. Now, Matthew being all quiet and shy it takes him a while to work up the courage and winds up buying a rake and 20 pounds of brown sugar first. Colleen Dewhurst's performance as Marilla is probably my favorite of hers. She is able to communicate more with a mere roll of the eyes, usually because of Anne, than most actresses. She also is able to show the layers of Marilla beyond her tough and stern exterior and her growing love for Anne, occasionally letting her serious exterior break with that wonderful cackle of a laugh the Dewhurst had at some antic or another of Anne's.     

Schuyler Grant made a great "bosom friend" Diana Barry for Anne as the two become inseparable friends over the course of the mini-series. It was clear almost from the start that Diana and Anne would become best friends as Anne almost immediately pushed Diana out of her comfort zone to participate in a three legged race, even though they would be the only girls. Grant does a great job portraying Diana as a steady rock for the more free-spirited Anne, while also having fun with her. 

And then there was Jonathan Crombie as Gilbert Blythe. I'm just going to get this out of the way right now. I love Gilbert or more specifically Jonathan Crombie playing Gilbert. He manages to be so utterly charming in the role, it's hard to resist. From the first moment he meets Anne and winks at her at the Sunday Picnic, I just couldn't help it. Even when he was teasing Anne in school and an ill-advised calling her the name "Carrots" led to getting a slate broken over his head, I still liked him in part because he was immediately sorry he did it. From then on, a sort of rivalry develops between him and Anne as they both work towards taking the entrance exams for Queens College. It doesn't even let up until after they've taken the exams and Gil has rescued Anne, unnecessarily she insists, after her attempt to enact the Tennyson poem "The Lady of Shalott" has led to her boat sinking and her stranded on the pilings of a footbridge (it also happens to be my favorite scene). Still, Crombie's performance makes it clear from pretty much the beginning to the end of the film that Gilbert is completely smitten with Anne. As fate would have it, there is also an entire generation of girls whom Crombie was one of their childhood crushes. In fact, Crombie owns the role of Gilbert in the same way Colin Firth will forever be associated with Mr. Darcy. Crombie was so synonymous with the role that he was known to answer to the nickname Gil. When he tragically passed away in April 2015, Gilbert Blythe even trended on Twitter.     

The mini-series was directed by Kevin Sullivan and written by Kevin Sullivan and Joe Weisenfeld from the classic novel by Lucy Maud Montgomery. Now, I haven't read the novel so I can't say personally how good of an adaptation it is, but based on it's merits as a film I think they managed to create something beautiful. The mini-series looks great, they got a fantastic cast and the writing was top notch. Sullivan went on to produce three sequel miniseries, of which I have only seen the second one, literally titled Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel. I have not yet watched the third one and am not at all interested in the fourth since none of the original cast returned for it. 

My history with this mini-series is a curious one. I didn't actually see it until college and a conversation with a friend about childhood crushes brought up the subject of this mini-series and her crush on Jonathan Crombie. When I admitted I hadn't seen it, I heard an exclamation I have given many times, "You haven't seen that?!", and this was quickly remedied by a screening shortly thereafter. I really enjoyed it even at that point but life marched on and I kind of forgot about it until a dozen or so years later, I was watching the latest episode of New Girl last spring. In the episode, the main character, Jess, is throwing an intimate bachelorette party for her friend Cece that consists of the two of them lounging around in comfy socks, getting stoned and watching Anne of Green Gables. Of course, shenanigans ensue from there but as they showed clips from the mini-series, it all came back to me again and after an evening of looking up clips online, I ordered the Blu-ray, watched the entire series and fell in love with it all over again.  

Needless to say, I am curious about the new Netflix series but when this one managed to create such a wonderful and loving adaptation it's hard to see this new darker and grittier approach working anywhere near as well. But I will give it a shot and see how it is just out of sheer curiosity. 

Marvel's Iron Fist

The fourth series in Marvel's group of Netflix shows, Iron Fist, arrived this past weekend amid a flurry of poor reviews and controversy. Nonetheless, because I am a Marvel fanboy and because, honestly, the premise of the show intrigued me, I still wanted to watch it. And, to my surprise, I found myself really enjoying it. Yet, I find a need to write about it if only to try and sort out my feelings towards both the show and the conflicting issues with some of it's content and certain tropes that exist within it. 

Danny Rand (played by Finn Jones) had been missing and presumed dead for the past 15 years. He had been flying to China with his parents when their plane crashed in the Himalayas. All that changes when one day he walks into the headquarters of his father's company, Rand Enterprises, asking to see the head of the company and announcing he's Danny Rand.  This comes as a big surprise to the joint heads of the company Joy Meachum (played by Jessica Stroup) and Ward Meachum (played by Tom Pelphrey), who initially assume Danny is a crazy person and certainly not their childhood friend (their father helped Danny's father run Rand Enterprises). It doesn't help that he shows up in a scraggly beard, filthy clothes and bare foot. However, little by little they come to accept that Danny is who he says he is. The big question is, where has Danny been all this time? Well, it turns out that Danny, the sole survivor of the plane crash, was rescued by the warrior monks of K'un-Lun, a mystical temple that only appears on the earthly plane once every 15 years. During his time away, Danny has trained hard in the art of Martial Arts, eventually earning the title and power of the Iron Fist. His return to New York is to fulfill his duty as the Iron Fist and take down the evil organization known only as The Hand, an organization that has infested his family's company. Along the way he gains the assistance of the owner of a local dojo, Colleen Wing (played by Jessica Henwick) and Claire Temple (played by Rosario Dawson)

I went into this series knowing full well the negative reviews that had been released, specifically of the first six episodes. I have to respectfully disagree with the critical consensus as I quite enjoyed the series from beginning to end. Now, Iron Fist is probably not going to satisfy those who are looking for an action packed show. While there are certainly action scenes throughout, the series also does have quite a bit more character development to establish first than the other Netflix Marvel shows had. This is definitely more Jessica Jones than Daredevil or Luke Cage. That said, I was riveted from the first episode. A lot of that credit has to go to the character of Danny Rand. He has a very clear sense of right and wrong and is baffled by a world that doesn't correspond with that. Finn Jones does a good job showing the emotional rollercoaster Danny is going through dealing with everything. At the start of the series, he has this sort of sweet innocence about him that I couldn't help but find really endearing but as the season progresses and Danny sees the true reach of The Hand, there is a sense of overwhelming despair as he tries to figure out his next move and Jones did a great job of portraying that. I couldn't help but relate to that in the way that I often find the moral flexibility of the world we live in today and the toxic apathy that goes with it equally baffling. The show then contrasts this with the current heads of Rand Enterprises, brother and sister Ward and Joy Meachum who face each problem less with what is right or wrong but rather what is good for the company. 

We also have the addition of Colleen Wing, who operates a small dojo in Manhattan and is one of the first people to help Danny upon his return to New York. She is initially resistant to getting involved in Danny's life and all the potential problems that come with it, preferring to keep her focus on her students. But, the two continue to come together until Colleen realizes Danny needs her help in his battle against The Hand and that like it or not, their fates are now intertwined. They make for an interesting pair as Danny was first drawn to her as she represented, in his mind anyway, a cultural touchstone to the world he had been inhabiting for the past 15 years, yet to her Danny's experiences are at least somewhat foreign to her, but yet draw her to him all the same. At first she seems unsure if she can trust him or if she should let him into her life, but yet the more she learns about Danny, the harder she finds it to walk away. It's also through her that we see franchise staple Claire Temple pulled into the story as well. Claire has been with the Netflix shows ever since the first season of Daredevil and continued to pop up in the other shows as well. Here, she's taking martial arts lessons from Colleen as a result of her misadventures with Matt Murdock, Luke Cage, and Jessica Jones. She becomes a welcome ally not only because of her background as a nurse but from her past dealings with The Hand in season 2 of Daredevil.  

There has been a lot stated in the past week between critics and viewers who called the series boring and uninteresting. I can understand how some people may feel that way, but I found the series to being the exact opposite and was riveted throughout. So, clearly one's mileage may vary with this one. For myself, I was intrigued by the story it was telling a specifically the character of Danny Rand was an interesting one for me. He was born a rich kid who lived a privileged life until the age of 10, when he suffered a traumatic plane crash that claimed the lives of both his parents (which we see in flashback a few times throughout the season). He found himself alone and injured in the Himalaya mountains when he was rescued by a pair of monks from K'un Lun. He was taken back to their village where he lived for the next 15 years. As Danny explains in the series, he tried to replace the emptiness and sense of loss he felt from the death of his parents by learning all he could in terms of Martial Arts, working towards and eventually being chosen to become the Iron Fist, the protector of K'un Lun and sworn enemy of The Hand. 

It's this part of the series that perhaps grabbed my attention the most, the story of a kid who was completely foreign to the land of K'un Lun and not only embracing it but flourishing with in it really captured my imagination. Now, I can see how this plot line can be problematic and is something I will touch on further down, but at the same time what I responded to the most. It's funny how there are significant similarities between Iron Fist and CW's Arrow but I hated the flashbacks on Arrow and craved them on Iron Fist, but yet there are very few in the latter series. This was probably for a number of reasons, but most likely, A. They just didn't have the time in the limited 13 episodes, which is already cramped with plot lines and B. They didn't have the budget to properly show K'un Lun as they would've liked to. It was a disappointment for me as a viewer and hopefully something they will revisit in future seasons. But even without it, I really liked the character of Danny Rand and his journey of trying to rejoin a world he hadn't been a part of for the past fifteen years. That, more than anything, is really what appealed to me. The team of writers and directors managed to keep the plot lines of the series moving forward at a brisk pace and keeping things reasonably focused. They did have a lot more set-up that they needed to get established than the previous Marvel Series, which more or less were able to hit the ground running. Here, they had to reintroduce Danny to the modern world, have him re-establish and prove his identity and re-take his place in Rand Enterprises (with some nice assistance from Jessica Jones' Jeri Hogarth (played by Carrie-Anne Moss)). 

One of the biggest points of contention with the series was that the fight sequences were not up to scratch to the high standard that had been set by previous series, especially Daredevil. While it is true that the action isn't quite as cracking as the previous Marvel series, I didn't find it to be completely terrible either. Part of the issue is that Iron Fist had a rushed production schedule that did not give either the cast nor the crew the proper time to choreograph truly spectacular action sequences. That being said, there are a few memorable fight scenes, in particular one that I'm fairly certain was an homage to the Kung Fu classic The Legend of Drunken Master (you'll know it when you see it). In fact, in many ways Iron Fist is as much a nod to 80's and 90's Kung Fu movies as Luke Cage was to 70's blaxploitation or Jessica Jones was to film noir. The action sequences do get more impressive and intense as the series goes along, with a great hallway fight scene in Episode four that spills over into an elevator, making for some memorable close quarters combat as well as a couple real cracking good ones in the last two episodes. But the series never relies on it's action sequences anyway, with the story and it's various twists and turns as Danny and his allies learn, often the hard way, just who they can and cannot trust.  

Now, we get to the controversy that has surrounded the show from it's announcement. The main bone of contention is with the character of Danny Rand himself with people calling it whitewashing. I take issue with this because it is a misuse of the term. Whitewashing is when a minority character is played by a white actor. Danny Rand has always been a white character. Therefore, him being played by a white actor (Finn Jones) fits. Some said that they should have broken from the comics and cast an Asian American actor. I can certainly see that perspective, but it would be trading one controversy for another with racial stereotyping in place of (perceived) whitewashing. It's a quagmire of a situation that was never going to 100% satisfy everyone. While I don't feel that Iron Fist is guilty of whitewashing, the claims of cultural appropriation and white savior tropes are a little harder to defend. Anyone who had issues with the show on those grounds I would absolutely concede to them on that matter. Personally, as far as being a white boy from Midwest America whose knowledge on the subject doesn't expand far beyond Jet Li and Jackie Chan movies, I felt like they were being reasonably respectful towards Chinese culture within the confines of a fantasy television show and the intention was not to offend at all. If anyone had a different response to that than I did, I would be very interested to hear their thoughts though. As for white savior tropes, yes the show is guilty of it to an extent. In the show's defense though, Danny Rand is not very good at being anyone's savior, let alone his own. He relies on help at most turns from Colleen and Claire, has a tendency to charge into situations without thinking things through and at one point a character literally calls Danny, "The worst Iron Fist, ever." 

There has also been some criticism towards the character of Colleen Wing and to a certain extent it is fair. The show infers that she is of both Chinese and Japanese heritage at the start when Danny first talks to her, he talks to her in Mandarin, which she shoots down saying she's more comfortable speaking in English or Japanese. This is an interesting part of her character that remains frustratingly underdeveloped. We learn a bit more about her background, but I feel like there was room for more. As it stands, she basically becomes the all-purpose good Asian character, able to fill any role needed to help Danny on his mission against The Hand, which is genuinely disappointing for someone who in many ways is every bit as interesting a character as Danny Rand. That being said, Jessica Henwick does a great job with her character and gives a great performance. I also loved her partnering with Claire throughout the season, with Claire being the voice of reason to the far more impulsive Danny and Colleen.   

Despite it's flaws, I still really loved Iron Fist. I mean really, really loved it. I was in my squeeing happy place all through it. Granted, I may be a bit biased as I have been a Finn Jones fan since, well basically since that scene of him and Renly in season 1 of Game of Thrones (you know, the shaving scene). But even beyond that, it was the characters and the story that drew me in. Yeah, it had it's faults but I was able to look beyond them and find a genuinely entertaining show that I, much to my surprise, really enjoyed. It was a show that focused as much on intrigue and power plays as it did on traditional superhero action. It might not be everyone's cup of tea and clearly people's mileage has varied with this one, but I thought it was a blast.                        

Stranger Things: Season 1

What do you get when you take classic eighties Spielberg films such as E.T: The Extra-Terrestrial, The Goonies, Gremlins and Poltergeist (the latter three were only produced by Spielberg and directed by Richard Donner, Joe Dante and Tobe Hooper, respectively) and throw it in a blender with classic Stephen King, vintage John Carpenter, some H.P Lovecraft and a dash of Tangerine Dream for good measure? You get Stranger Things, the shamelessly nostalgic, thoroughly engrossing and gripping new series from Netflix that I fell in love with roughly five minutes after starting it. Much like J.J Abrams' Super 8, it felt like something made just for me.

After a night of playing Dungeons and Dragons with his friends in 1983 Indiana, young Will Byers (played by Noah Schnapp) is chased by a strange, monstrous being. He runs home, tries to call for help but can't due to the phone malfunctioning and comes face to face with the monster before both disappear without a trace. The following morning, his mother Joyce (played by Winona Ryder) and brother Jonathan (played by Charlie Heaton) search frantically for Will when they realize he never came home that night. Joyce goes straight to the police station to report he's missing to Sheriff Hopper (played by David Harbour), who tries to calm the hysterical Joyce down and figure out where Will could be. He suspects that Will may be with his stepdad, the scummy Lonnie (played by Ross Partridge), but Joyce doesn't think so and suspects something more sinister.

Meanwhile, Will's friends, Mike (played by Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (played by Gaten Matarazzo) and Lucas (played by Caleb McLaughlin) are equally devastated that their friend has gone missing and set out to find him themselves. While they don't find Lucas, they stumble across the mysterious Eleven (played by Millie Bobby Brown), a young girl with a buzz cut and a pretty awesome set of telekinetic and telepathic powers. She has a connection with Will though and is able to use her powers to contact Will where he is. She agrees to help them try and find their missing friend. As both the adult and kids investigations progress, the path seems to lead to a mysterious lab outside of town run by the shady Dr. Martin Brenner (played by Matthew Modine).   

To say any more than that would risk spoiling all the wonderful and creepy surprises this show has in store. This show was clearly designed with the binge-watching nature of Netflix in mind as one episode leads right into the next, enticing you to keep going and before you know it you've watched all eight episodes. The show was created by Matt and Ross Duffer (credited as The Duffer Brothers) and manage to intricately replicate the feel of early to mid eighties sci-fi, fantasy and horror films while also creating something entirely original. There are just little nods and Easter Eggs throughout that had me readily identifying their influences. I loved the way the series developed and all the storylines come together wonderfully as the series progresses towards it's climax. The season is only eight episodes long and they keep the pace moving briskly throughout. The mystery of what is going on and how all the pieces fit together is an intriguing one that had me devouring the series as fast as I possibly could. 

The acting is top notch across the board. Both Winona Ryder and David Harbour are great. Ryder in particular is fantastic as Joyce and really sells the stress and anxiety that Joyce is feeling when Will goes missing, trying to find help wherever she can. She finds an ally in Hopper, who recently lost his daughter to cancer. Not wanting to see another parent go through that, he begins his own investigation, Joyce by his side for much of it as their path leads to Dr. Brenner and his mysterious lab. 

The four kids, played by Millie Bobby Brown, Dustin Matarazzo, Finn Wolfhard, and Caleb McLaughlin, are really great too and the friendship that develops between the three boys and Eleven as they try to find out what happened to Will and the way they looked after each other was really touching. There were a lot of nods to the likes of E.T, The Goonies, and Stand by Me throughout the series with these and I think I caught all of them. There is also Mike's older sister Nancy (played by Natalia Dyer) and Will's brother Jonathan that find the two of them drawn into the ongoing mystery as well as they have their own encounters with the monster. 

I also have to make special mention of the soundtrack. It's synthesiser score by Kyle Dixon and Michael Stein recaptures the feeling of films of the era, especially the likes of John Carpenter. It is then mixed in with choice song selections from a variety of artists including Joy Division, The Clash, The Bangles, Jefferson Airplane, Echo and the Bunnymen, New Order and the aforementioned Tangerine Dream among others. It just adds to both the series as a whole and adds an authenticity to the time period and mood they are trying to recapture. 

Stranger Things is a fun, scary and creepy slice of 80's nostalgia that also stands on it's own as a compelling and thrilling series all it's own. With a great story and acting to match from a top notch cast, I think this may be my favorite series on the service thus far. But then again, as I said earlier, it feels like it was made just for me.