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Stranger Things Season 2: "The Pollywog" Review

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Well that’s what I needed. The Pollywog is the best episode of Stranger Things season 2 thus far. Not only did we finally get some much needed stakes and story (other than the destruction/poisoning/whatever-the-hell-it-is of the pumpkins) but it was also an unabashed Gremlins clone that had me grinning from ear to ear. This is the episode I have been waiting for Stranger Things Season 2 to produce. The last couple of reviews have started off with the negatives so let’s start this episode off with the positives. First, and for me foremost, I adored that this episode was basically Gremlins redux. From the opening moments with Dustin noticing the light on Dart hurting it, the episode through out little nods to the wonderful 1984 movie. There’s the 3 rules that Hopper lays out for Eleven. There’s Dart growing appendages after he eats. There’s the classroom science lab escape. There’s even an almost exact replica of the Gremlins theme music in one of the scenes. I absolutely adored...
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Star Wars: The Force Awakens Review

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Originally Reviewed December 20th, 2015 Okay, let’s get this out of the way before you read the wrap up and freak out, Star Wars: The Force Awakens is NOT, let me repeat myself, NOT the second coming. Don’t get me wrong, it is glorious and far from the shit show that was the prequel trilogy. Then again, almost everything Star Wars related is better than those films. The Force Awakens was, then, destined to be either the downfall or the redemption of the franchise that has dominated pop culture since the late 70s, and let’s be frank, it was going to take a lot of effort for the film to become either. So where exactly does it stand? In my opinion, it’s somewhere in between. Episode VII starts off bold and yet also familiar. First it lulls you in with the familiar: the Lucas Films Ltd. insignia, the blue text stating “A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…” , then the opening scrawl set to the still stunning John Williams’ score. I literally cheered with giddy anticipatio...
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Batman Vs. Superman: Dawn Of Justice Review

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Originally Reviewed March 25, 2016 What separates the good from the great and the bad from the terrible? Where is the middle ground between good and bad? It’s an interesting question, I think, when you consider the incredibly binary internet culture that we live in. What does any of this have to do with Batman V Superman: Dawn Of Justice? Well, I think it’s necessary to lay this out because I don’t think that this film will have any grey area of cross over. You are either going to love it or hate it. I don’t hate it, there are genuinely fantastic things in here, but I also don’t love it, because there are also some really awful things in here. BVS isn’t the second coming and it’s not hot garbage either. The truth is that it falls somewhere in the middle. What is the one thing that movie are meant to do? Tell a compelling story. That’s their purpose. And Batman V Superman has a story, it’s just no0t a particularly good one. The basic plot, and I won’t spoil any of it here (see...
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Stranger Things Season 2: "Trick Or Treat, Freak" Review

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Halloween is my favorite holiday and I'm so incredibly glad that this episode is centered around the holiday. There was tons of halloween treats here and that really endeared me to the episode in a lot of ways. There are still things that don't quite hold water here though and have me wondering when this season is going to actually move forward because as it stands now Season 2 is sitting in neutral trying to build a bigger world but not necessarily tell a story. Okay, I'm going to get this out of the way first, Episode 2 for me was disappointing in much the same way episode 1 was. For some reason the Duffer Brothers seemed dead set on building bigger and that's to the detriment of the show. The story at this point in Season 1 was already in full force. So far in Season 2, we are just languishing in a world with a story that isn't existing let alone moving. What's even more frustrating, especially as a fan of the show, is that there are really good bits...
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Stranger Things Season 2: "Madmax" Review

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Most sequels have a huge task set in front of them. Not only do they have to tell their own compelling story but they have do so upon the foundation of the original (usually beloved) property. The premiere of Season 2 of Stranger Things sets out to do just that and mostly succeeds. The premiere picks up roughly a year after the events at the end of Season 1 and introduces us back into the world of Hawkins, IN and all of the characters we loved as well as introducing us to new characters. For the most part its done pretty immediately and pretty successfully. The introduction to the boys in the first season did this expertly and then gave us the introduction to the stakes and what we were up against. This is where the first episode falters. All of the character introductions and showcasing of the new status quo that the characters have entered post season 1 are done within the first ten minutes of the season 2 premiere. What the episode is really lacking here are any real ...
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