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Netflix’s Marianne – Review

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Marianne-netflix-e1568751912455.jpgNetflix has recently released one of the most terrifying horror originals to date with an eight-episode French horror series called Marianne.

This film kicks things off into high gear right off the bat with very environment rich scary vibes.  Things start off with creaking, old radio sounds, and even a caged crow that sets the tone for how things are going to turn out in this series.  Set in an old fashioned French house things get dark quick but I won’t ruin the first few minutes, so you will have to watch and experience that for yourself.

Our main character of this story Emma Larsimon who is a successful horror novelist is the center of attention in this epic horror that will keep you on the edge.   The horror series that has made her so successful and rich to boot is also probably haunting her and driving her insane.

marianne-bEmma’s books about a demon’s wife are based on her real life nightmares from her teenage years.  Emma now grown up and long moved out of her childhood home goes back to the broken-down coastal town of Elden to check up on her parents.  This checkup quickly turns gruesome for Emma as her past quickly catches up to her and the nightmares she had are now haunting her once again.

As with all horror movies, shows, and stories the delivery is key to bringing a good scare to the audience.  Director Samuel Bodin is a fan boy of the old school eighties horror films so his understanding of how to scare an audience is superb. The eerie coastal setting, mixed with the author of successful horror stories as the main protagonist is genius and extremely well executed in this series.

marianne-review-netflix-676x359This series also had excellent camera footage and great use of drones that were used to grab some amazing shots of the rocky coast line, and dead winter trees that really added a level of suspense to the show.

One of the best parts of the show to me was the main character Emma as she was extremely complex, tough, demanding, and very self-centered.  She has spent most of her life dealing with these nightmares and has used it to become a horror author rock-star per say.  If you are looking for a show with a strong cast, great story and loaded with suspenseful terrifying moments, then you definitely need to check this show out.

Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House: Season 1 Review

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The-Haunting-of-Hill-House-Netflix-Theory-1.jpgOne of my favorite series on Netflix over the last few months has definitely been The Haunting of Hill House.  If you are a huge fan of the novel from Shirley Jackson written back in 1959 then you need to see this adaptation of the popular horror novel.  One of the best parts about this show is the drama it brings to the screen, but also a level of terrifying moments that truly dig deep into the roots of the horror genre.

Following the Crain family and the ghosts of their past in 10 emotional packed episodes left me with needing to see more of this show now.  The show starts with the Crain children, who, after growing apart, are tragically brought back together after one of the siblings dies. The Haunting of Hill House is loaded with a timeline you have to keep up with pretty close as each timeline is impacted throughout the season.

hhhh.jpgWhen the kids are young and still living in Hill House, they continually get visions of ghosts, zombies, and a tall slender man, but these visions follow them into adulthood, but most of these ghosts they face seem to be of their own making.  There’s a complex theme throughout the story concerning the house’s complicity in all of the kids’ failings as adults. This is where the show begins to take a really scary turn as things begin to manifest in the adult’s lives, and the plot really begins to thicken with a rich story.

When the story begins to expand on the children’s lives, Hill House and their father the scares kick off big time.  In the flashbacks with the children, the directory used an amazing slow camera pan technique that really added a dark feeling to the overall story. While the children are the main focus of the narrative for Hill House, a family tale of ghosts and curses wouldn’t be complete without Mom & Dad.  Hugh and Olivia Crane are introduced early on in the show but with a twist that unfolds throughout the entire season.  Carla Gugino plays Olivia Crain, and Hugh Crain is played by Timothy Hutton which the two made a great pair and delivered some amazing performances.

dfb4cae0-be66-11e9-aa95-bfeb4caf612e_800_420.pngOlivia like here children are affected by the house, but you also see a woman who is losing grip on reality which could be due to a troubled marriage, and stress of raising her five children.  The director did something brilliant through the telling of the story and how things unfold to create a doubt in your mind as the viewer.  You truly aren’t sure if what you are watching unfold on screen is because of a crazy family with mental issues, or if this family truly is seeing ghosts and have been living in a haunted house.  Personally, the Haunting of Hill House has been one of the best Netflix original horror series released to date.  Season 2 can’t get here fast enough to continue the unfolding of America’s most haunted family and haunted house.

Lost in Space – Season 1 Review

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BlaugustRebornLogo2018Hello everyone!

So this week has been quite the blur due to the busy schedule and I had a couple days I wasn’t feeling well.  Needless to say I haven’t felt like writing the last couple days and my mind has been out of it today honestly.

I know this week was supposed to be about connecting and potentially co-working on things with someone….but with not feeling well and my brain being mush tonight’s post is all I could focus on and put together.

This post really has nothing to do with this weeks theme in Blaugust, but like I said my brain has been mush the last couple days and this is fresh on my mind.  My family and I love to binge watch a good show when one does come along which happened just recently with Netflix’s Lost in Space.  In my personal opinion it’s one of the greatest sci-fi remakes of our time and an amazing family adventure series as well!

First off let’s jump in with the….what made the show so great!

Creators Matt Sazama and Burk Sharpless did an absolute amazing job bringing the show back to life and giving it a great 21st century look.  The world was absolutely beautiful and the characters in the story were so like-able….well most of the characters anyways.

Who wouldn’t love the Robinson family which personally was the shows strongest point for sure.  If you’re not familiar with the story…..here’s the what on the story!

If you haven’t seen the show yet, well then ****SPOILERS AHEAD****

Let’s start with the Christmas Star….yes that’s right the Christmas Star!  This object is a mysterious object that crashes into Earth which forces humanity to look for a new habitable world to call home.  Humans have a base ship of sorts called The Resolute which is leading the mission for finding this new home.  They also have smaller jump ships called Jupiter ships, which is what the Robinson family use for a large portion of there exploration.  The Resolute runs into a massive space-time disruption event of some sort which forces an evacuation of the Resolute, and a crash landing from the Robinson’s in one of the Jupiter ships on an unknown world.

The show really starts to take root here and show it’s colors and genius with the Robinson family at the center of it all!  One of the best parts of the show is how the Robinson’s are a dysfunctional mess but they don’t really see it at first and truly just stumble over one another.  Especially when it comes to working together.  The creative writing done in this show was crazy good and the writers used a ton of flashback scens to really tie the story in together. The flashback are what help bring all the information to the table and really allowed you to connect to the Robinson family.

That classic saying from the show so became a hit so many years ago is back as well!  Yes, that’s right, “danger Will Robinson” is back with a very creative new presentation of the beloved robot.  The robot has a very unique story and is quite different from any other that has ever been told to date.  One thing that does remain close to it’s original roots is Will’s relationship with the robot which becomes apparent quite early on of how distant Will’s father has been, and that’s why Will is looking to the robot for friendship.

As far as the Robinson ladies of the show they are pretty amazing when it comes to the dynamic they bring to the table.  Maureen, the mom, ultimately is the leader of the group.  The daughters also bring a weight to the show that really draws you into the family dynamic.  One of my favorite characters in the show is Judy, the oldest daughter which I think has the most baggage and biggest change in the show.  She has a massive weight on her shoulders and has gone through some pretty traumatic experiences in her life already even with only being 18.

Now let’s move on to the worst part of the show for me….the villain!

Dr. Smith played by Parker Posey is one of the most manipulative characters I’ve seen on screen before.  Dr. Smith comes into the good graces of the Robinson’s early on but they don’t understand the evil they just let into the family.  Dr. Smith lacks complexity which is ultimately why I don’t like her, but also because she’s the bad guy and I’m not a bad guy fan…no matter how good the actor is.  The writers even tried to give some backstory on Dr. Smith but I think by the time it happened people were probably already set on the decision of “I Hate This Character” and didn’t care.  Personally in my opinion Dr. Smith’s character added nothing to the story.

Overall though I think this series is a massive win and something you could sit down and enjoy with the family together!  The Robinsons are an amazing family and have a huge story of survival and redemption they tell all along the series.

Castlevania: Season 1 Review

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Castlevania-Netflix-Logo-and-Vlad-1-750x422Hollywood isn’t known for adapting popular video game franchises to film or television that ever become fan favorites.  For the most part over the years video games that have come to the big screen have flopped at best.  Every once in a while though you have a little gem like Castlevania come along that brings life back to this genre.

If you are an 80’s baby you probably played Castlevania as it is one of the most iconic video games ever created!  With the series based off the Castlevania games it draws very heavily from the 1990’s Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse which follows Vlad Dracula Tepes (voiced by Preacher and Outlander’s Graham McTavish) has returned and unleashed a horde of demonic monsters against the peasants and clergymen of 15th Century Wallachia, and only a motley crew band of monster slayers which includes a discraced nobleman Trevor Belmont (The Hobbit’s Richard Armitage), magician/scholar Sypha Belnades (Alejandra Reynoso) and Dracula’s half-breed son Alucard (Battlestar Galactica’s James Callis) have the power to restore peace to the land.

Overall the Castlevania games are exploration in the world than story and plot, and this story isn’t one you’d think of when it comes to making an animated adaptation of. So why makes Castlevania different, and why did it have success? A lot of it had to do with who ran the show and who was in charge.  Executive producer Adi Shankar has sort of built a second career out of crafting unauthorized, adult-oriented reboots of popular franchises, including 2012’s Punisher: Dirty Laundry and 2015’s Power/Rangers. If you want to craft an R-rated overhaul of a popular video game franchise while still retaining the core appeal of that franchise, Shankar is the man you call!

Good shows come down to not only directing, producing, and people in charge but an amazing team of writers as well!  Writer Warren Ellis, a man known for blending high-concept science fiction and black, nihilistic humor in his stories, but he’s primarily known for his comic book work (Planetary, & Transmetropolitan).

Seeing the teaser for Castlevania immediately had me excited, but also cautious at the same time as adaptations like these are almost never done well!  So I waited, and waited, and waited some more before finally parking in front of the screen to hit play and Castlevania starts off on the right foot by focusing not on the Belmont family, but Dracula himself. The series opens with a fateful encounter between the reclusive vampire king and an aspiring scientist named Lisa (The Mentalist’s Emily Swallow). That opening scene nicely sets the tone for the series, establishing Dracula’s tenuous connection to the human world and giving him real motivations for terrorizing the land of Wallachia. While Dracula has little overt presence in the series after the first episode, it’s satisfying to see Ellis treat his main villain with depth.  Dracula has at least a shred of tragedy about him in any incarnation, but that angle is really played up here, and it’s done very well!

In addition to creating a sympathetic villain in Dracula, the early portions of the show help establish the general themes that dominate the episodes.  This adaptation is as much about fear and the reasoning of people, as it is man and monster.  Both Dracula and the monster hunters are forced to choose whether they believe humanity can rise above the dark age this show thrusts you into.  I love how the show pulls you into the live of Trevor Belmont which is the last surviving son of the disgraced family, one who’s tempted to simply sit back and let those who wronged his family suffer their just fate.

Netflix pulled out the stops and spared no expense to get some amazing actors for the voice cast, forgoing the familiar names in the voice acting world in favor of some very big-name actors. For the most part, the actors do justice to their characters. McTavish and Callis in particular stand out as they channel the pathos and suffering of their undead characters. There are times when the actors (Armitage especially) speak too softly and become drowned out by the music and sound effects, but there is a passion to the performances that you don’t always find in projects like this.

Amid all the crazy character drama and clashing between science and superstition, Castlevania never loses sight of the classic appeal to the game series. There’s plenty of action to go around, even though we don’t get to see a lot of the monsters from the game. The series does an amazing job of pulling the world of Castlevania to the screen for our eyes to see. This series may draw mainly from Castlevania III in terms of plot, but it’s far more influenced by games like Symphony of the Night when it comes to the lovely art style.

 

Castlevania: The Animated Series – Coming Later This Year To Netflix

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castlevania netflix.jpgCastlevania The Animated Series was confirmed that it will be coming to Netflix!!! I don’t know about you all but this makes the excitement meter go through the roof, as I’m a huge fan of this game!

As part of Netflix’s new premiere date reveals, Netflix revealed Castlevania Season 1, Part 1 will be arriving this year, though no specific date was revealed. Netflix’s website lists the series as a four-part season, with each episode running for approximately 30 minutes.

According to Netflix’s official description of the series, Castlevania will focus on the game franchise’s Belmont clan, as it follows “the last surviving member of the disgraced Belmont clan, trying to save Eastern Europe from extinction at the hand of Dracula himself.

The History of Castlevania

 

Rumors have it the show will take an adaptation of Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse for the overall plot, though no major details of the plot have been released yet.  Now, the producer of the game said the animated series will be a very dark tone and have a “Game of Thrones” feel to it.  Warren Ellis, who wrote the series is also on board as a producer for the show.

It’s interesting they would choose Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse as a foundation for the story, as there is a lot of meat to the stories previous to this one.  Dracula’s Curse follows Trevor Belmont as he fought to stop Dracula from ravaging Europe in the 1400’s. Those fighting with him included Alucard, which was Dracula’s son….so does that mean we are going to see a step for step in the story brought into the show, or will the producers write new material and just use Dracula’s Curse as a base foundation?

From what I am hearing the series is going to receive an R rating due to the level of violence just as the games were rated M for mature audiences due to the blood and violence.  This series will be geared towards the more adult generation as the kids that played the games in the 80’s and 90’s are now adults and know the story quite well.

Speaking to whether the franchise is aimed at the franchise’s longtime fans or newcomers to the material, I believe if they do this show correctly it will be a huge success.  But they could also break a very fine line of wonderful story already told, and creating some hybrid disaster to try and impress fans.

I have big hopes for this series and can’t wait to see what they bring the fans!

 

Stranger Things Season 2 – Who’s Coming Back?

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stranger-things-season-2-episode-titles

Are you a Stranger Things fan?

I am a huge fan of this show as it’s quite a throwback to the famous movies and shows us 80’s kids grew up with.

Stranger Things season 2 was kicked into gear for production with a lovely new cast photo.

This image was originally released on social media, which contains most of the main cast from the first season.  What I loved about this photo is it also confirmed that Millie Bobbie Brown is back as Eleven.  She was probably my favorite character in the show so super happy she is returning.

 

Along with the original returning cast, there are four new characters coming to season 2. One of those new characters is going to star in the remake of the Power Rangers which looks fantastic as well.

Now the creators of the show put a list of 6 things that we can potentially see in season 2.

  1. Season 2 will be much weirder and much darker!
  2. It will have another self contained plot!
  3. Remember Barb – well the producers said she will have justice in season 2!
  4. Unfolding of Nancy’s little love triangle with Steve and Jonathan!
  5. Dustin will have all the pudding – If you remember in the end of season 1, Dustin found a stash of pudding in the school!
  6. The show has a future and it won’t end with Season 2 but Season 2 will tie up quite a few loose ends!

Season 2 Teaser Trailer

All Things Geekery Podcast Episode 4 – Stranger Things

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In this episode:

  • Iogro talks about some new changes that will be happening to the podcast over the next few months.
  • We talk Netflix and some of it’s original series
  • **Spoiler** about a new Destiny Lore series coming this year
  • We take an in depth look at Netflix’s original series Stranger Things

 

 

Be sure to subscribe to the All Things Geekery Podcast with any of your favorite podcast apps.  Stop by and drop us a review  so we know how we’re doing.  Thanks for listening, and we can’t wait to hear from you!

Subscribe

 

Social Contacts

Iogro Merrybelly / Victus Darkaero

Twitter @iogromerrybelly
Blog @ http://www.ahobbitsjourney.com

Twitter @victus_darkaero

ATG Podcast

Twitter @allthingsgeekry
Blog @ http://www.allthingsgeekery.com

Music Credit Erik Skiff

Stranger Things: Season 1 Review

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Did you grow up in the 80’s, or a fan of the 80’s films?  I sure am and if you haven’t seen Netflix’s new series Stranger Things then you are just flat missing out.  This show was so satisfying to watch, I honestly could watch it over and over again.

Stranger Things Season One Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWxyRG_tckY

Set in the early 80s, the show is an 80’s influence and nostalgic throwback of the good old days when I grew up.  The series centers around a mysterious disappearance of a young boy, Will (Noah Schnapp), and the finding of a young girl known as Eleven (Millie Brown). Will is one of a group of four friends who make up a very tight knit and adventurous bunch.  When Will’s friends Mike (Finn Wolfhard), Dustin (Gaten Matarazzo), and Lucas (Caleb McLaughlin) find out he’s missing they go on a desperate quest to find him.  They are also the ones who discover the young mysterious girl only known as Eleven and quickly find out she’s not a normal girl.

Will’s friends aren’t the only one’s looking for him as his mother, Joyce (Winona Ryder), and older brother, Jonathan (Charlie Heaton), are also trying to find him.  Along the way both Will’s friends and his family discover some very dangerous and disturbing moments that this small Illinois town has potentially been hiding.

As soon as Stranger Things begins it sucks you right into the story line, nostalgia of the 80’s and drops you right into a very familiar place with the 80’s films we once enjoyed. The creators of the show Matt and Ross Duffer bring the 80’s influence to this show brilliantly and bring us something new we haven’t seen in a long time…originality!  The depiction of these young kids and the way they speak, interact and, yep, ride bikes together when it’s dark outside, feels just like an old Spielberg movie!  As soon as I saw the kids on their bikes after dark it sparked the childhood memories of E.T. and the adventure scenes of one of my favorite films to date The Goonies, which was also produced by Spielberg.

Stranger Things doesn’t just bring an influence of the 80’s like Spielberg moments, but a much larger cast of our favorite childhood influences!  My favorite thing about the show is the overall feel they gave it with the opening credits, music, and vibes!  You get to see a John Carpenter mash-up of intense suspenseful music and opening scenes which brings a scariness to the show.  This show brings the horror fans of us out as we do get to see some gore and very intense scary moments for one unfortunate soul in the opening.  The Duffer Brothers have even said that Stephen King, Carpenter and Spielberg were very much a primary influences on them and it sure shows in all it’s magical Stranger Things glory!

What I like the best about the show is that it’s not just a copy cat of famous 80’s script writers and directors as the show creates a very intriguing and eye catching world of it’s own.  Well written and thought out, the show is centered around a great group of likable characters which is in part to how well the kids themselves interact and work as a group. The Duffer brothers did a fantastic job of finding a cast who wasn’t a polished set of actors, but brought a realness to the show which helps draw the audience even closer.

So this is showcasing the great 80’s right, well you can’t do that without having some teen drama in the show.  Nancy (Natalia Dyer) is the older sister of Mike who is one of Will’s friends and she also brings a very real feeling to the screen.  The one person who I felt stand out in performance was (Wynona Ryder) as Joynce, which plays the single mother who through the eight episode season grows worrisome, estranged at times, and very volatile with her emotions, understandably of course.  One of my favorite roles in the show is (David Harbour) which plays the local arrogant tough guy police chief.  He’s a very complex character once you get to see his part unfold in the story.

If the show had one area it’s lacking, I would say tying things up from a story standpoint was the only minus I’d give the show.  The show had so many mysteries that unfolded in this season it kept you on edge most of the show, but I just wish it felt more fully formed! But I’m not a director and this may have been done on purpose so they could pull that story line into season 2 if Netflix decides to pick them up for season 2 that is.  This show had so much going on, and they came from all sorts of angles it always kept you guessing as to what was coming next, just like a good horror / suspense film would have.  Some of those things included government and scientific conspiracies, to the growth of relationships the boys had to go through while looking for their friend. All in all at the end of the show I felt we were left with an unsatisfied question of what just happened, but at the same time enjoyment and awe of what comes next.

Overall this series get’s an A+ in my book as the love for the works of all the great 80’s directors that brought us so much joy and excitement in the horror, science fiction realms. The Duffer Brothers have done an amazing job combining all of these different tones and genres together to make us feel right at home.  The show goes from moments of questionable actions to moments of absolute terror all set among a very curious bunch of of kids and does it without making you feel like it’s a knockoff 80’s horror film!

Go check it out and let me know what you thought of the show in the comments.  Would love to hear your feedback on the show, and what you did or didn’t like about it.

Until next time!