12-year old superstar, Millie Bobby Brown has earned her first SAG nomination for outstanding performance by a female actor in a drama series for this past summer’s smash hit Stranger Things. Brown stole audience’s heart with her extraordinary performance when she channeled E.T. as Eleven, an abused telekinetic young girl who escaped from captivity to discover friendship, childhood, and love. Brown packs a powerful and emotional punch into every word she speaks. She is able to express more emotion through her eyes than even most adult actors are capable of.
Winona Ryder also scored a SAG nomination for best female actor in a drama series for Stranger Things with her harrowing performance as Joyce Byers, a mother whose child has gone missing and will stop at nothing to prove the supernatural force that took him exists.
The child led series has also been nominated for outstanding performance by an ensemble in a drama series.
The Golden Globe nominations were announced this morning on Facebook Live and Netflix made the cut their two best series of the year.Both the superb The Crown and the smash hit Stranger Things have been nominated for Best Drama Series.
Along with the Best Drama nominations, Winona Ryder scored a nomination for Best Actress in a Television Drama for her harrowing performance in Stranger Things as Joyce Byers. Claire Foy has also been nominated for Best Actress in a Television Drama for her performance as Queen Elizabeth II.
It’s happening! For most people, this is nothing of importance so don’t get too excited but for someone who is counting down the seconds until The Duffer Brothers call action on set, this has me pretty pumped.
Thanks to Reddit user mondaymillionare, we have a look at the trailers set up ready to host the actors as they create what will hopefully be another magical experience for audiences. The photo was taken today in Jackson, Georgia which serves as the fictional settings of Hawkins, Indiana.
What we know:
The second season will pick up a year post the events of season one in the fall of 1984 and will feature the return of the entire original cast plus several new additions, two of which were recently announced. The story will deal directly with the portal that is still open to the upside down and how Will has been affected by his time spent there. Things are still up in the air with the return of Eleven but she’s definitely returning. You don’t create an iconic character like that and kill her off after one season. Plus if she was gone for good, I think the Duffers would be pretty up front about that. Their reluctance whether or not to tell us if Eleven is returning signals to me that we will see her again.
Oh, but Barb is dead. Seriously, she is not coming back, however. The show will deliver some form of ‘Justice For Barb’ to satisfy audiences frustrations with the lack of acknowledgment over the loss of Barb in the first season.
The second season begins production sometime in the next two weeks.
Stranger Things 2 will hit Netflix sometime in 2017.
The ‘Justice For Barb’ phenomenon continues. Spotted all around New York Comic Con are missing flyers for the beloved character from this past summers biggest series Stranger Things.
The ‘Justice For Barb’ phenomenon continues. Spotted all around New York Comic Con are missing flyers for the beloved character played by Shannon Purser from this past summer’s biggest series Stranger Things.
So let’s talk about this for a second. Did everyone but me miss the scene in the cafeteria when Nancy and Mrs. Wheeler were talking to the two local officers? They said the state police found Barb’s car at the bus station making it seem as if she had run away. If the local cops were under that impression then why would they be using up the little resources they have to look for her? Especially with the Will crisis going on.
Don’t get me wrong, I love Barb as well, I mean—we are all Barb and yes, the characters needed to acknowledge what happened to her more but shit like this is why Hollywood has to now force feed exposition down our throats. Get over it people! They showed you what happened to her. She’s dead!
On Sunday, the American Film Institute welcomed artists of the 3rd Annual White House Student Film Festival to premiere over 700 short films all centered on one theme: The World I Want to Live In. The students were joined by special guests by Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer, Executive Producers Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen, and cast member Millie Bobby Brown.
On Sunday, the American Film Institute welcomed artists of the 3rd Annual White House Student Film Festival to premiere over 700 short films all centered on one theme: The World I Want to Live In. The students were joined by special guests Stranger Things creators Matt and Ross Duffer, Executive Producers Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen, and cast member Millie Bobby Brown.
The Duffers discussed the challenges they faced for years in Hollywood and how they eventually came to develop the pilot script for Stranger Things:
Matt:
You’re going to all these studios and these producers and you’re pitching. And you know, all we got was no, no, no… And people are super rude in Hollywood. There’s a ton of no’s and a lot of rejection. Because you come out really excited and it’s just doors getting slammed in your face over and over again and we started to freak out a little bit because it felt for a moment it felt actually impossible.
Ross:
We had like a month of money left. And we huddled in our small apartment and we decided to do something we haven’t done. Which is like, we’re just going to write something that we would want to see. Not what we think other people want or what other people think is cool, or what what’s the in-thing in the industry right now. We’re like lets just write something for ourselves.
It would still be some time before The Duffers would find success. Their passion project, Hidden was not received well by the studio resulting in The Duffers having to go back to the drawing board.
The Duffers went on to add that even after they developed the script, look book, and a fake trailer for Stranger (formerly known as Montauk), they still had a hard time getting network executives to see the project the way they saw it but the brothers didn’t give up.
Matt:
The reason we’re telling you all of this is to try, as much as possible, to tell stories that mean something to you. That matter to you. Tell stories that you want to see out in the world. And I know it sounds easy now but as you get out there in Los Angeles or New York, it’s very easy to kind of lose your way. I mean the phrase ‘chase your dream,’ I don’t think you should chase the dream at all. I think you should chase the feeling you have when you’re making these movies. The way that makes you feel when you’re making something that you love, you should chase that feeling. And I really believe if you do that and you stay true to yourself, and stay true to that then the dream will then follow.
The two then were joined by Executive Producers Shawn Levy and Dan Cohen. The script resonated for Cohen immediately in the same way it did for audiences. Levy described what it was like when Cohen walked into his office with the script for Stranger Things:
You need to stop what you’re doing. You need to read this script. Because there is something special here. These are voices that need to be heard.
Last but not least, Millie Bobby Brown came on stage and talked about what it was it was like to play the intensely emotional character of Eleven with such little dialogue.
You have to express yourself without talking. There would be times where I didn’t know what to do with the scene. I couldn’t cry sometimes and I’d ask the Duffers to just tell me something to make me cry!
Levy also mentioned how Millie had the courage to ask to do another take after production had already began to move on from a scene:
Thats really rare. For an actor to have the kind of strength to stop and slow down the train to say ‘I think I can do better.’ But even at this young age Millie had a sense of her powers and her abilities as an actor and we who directed the show were smart enough to follow the talent and the instincts of the performer and those are the takes that ended up in the show.
Unfortunately, we didn’t learn any new information regarding Stranger Things 2 beyond what we already know. The story will take place a year later in the fall of 1984 and will deal with the portal that is still open to the upside down.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Noah Schnapp dishes on what it was like to film some of Wills biggest scenes, the fan response, and what he would like to see for Will in season two.
In an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, Noah Schnapp who played Will Byers in Stranger Things dishes on what it was like to film some of Will’s biggest scenes, the fan response, and what he would like to see for Will in season two.
My guess is that maybe he’s going to become evil in the next season. If he’s coughing up these baby Demogorgons, or eggs, or something, maybe he’s incubating or holding these eggs inside of him and he’s trying to fight his good side against his bad side in the next season. That would be cool to see, to see him become evil.
What do you guys think? Does Will have powers like Eleven? How long will it be before we see him use his powers? Or is it possible that we already did when the wall opened up revealing Will in the upside down?
Noah also spoke of his relationship with his co-stars and what it was like to work with Winona Ryder.
From the start, I knew she was a great person. There were so many moments where she was like my real mom. We were doing a CPR scene and she came up to me with a packet of gum. She gave me a piece, looked me right in the eye and said, “This is so our breath doesn’t smell bad.” Mr. [David] Harbour [who plays Chief Jim Hopper] had to push really hard on my chest, and she went up to my mom to make sure that it was okay. She was just really sweet.
In the weeks following its debut, Stranger Things rose to the top of the most popular shows on IMDB. The internet exploded with fan art, reaction videos on YouTube, and a plethora of unofficial T-shirts on sites like Teefury and TeePublic. Noah talked a little bit about what it’s like to now be recognized on the street. It’s so nice to see these little stars achieve their dreams while remaining humble and grateful for their early success.
When I’m with the other cast, going to interviews, like we did in New York City, people do recognize us. I like meeting fans. It’s amazing to me. Without them, the show wouldn’t be what it is. It’s amazing to meet them and see what they’re all like.
It will be a while before us fans have any concrete information regarding the next season. Stranger Things 2 is set to start filming towards the end of October, early November set for a release sometime in 2017.
In an interview posted this past Tuesday by Take Two, Executive Producer Shawn Levy discusses his experience producing the Netflix Original Series Stranger Things and why the show has become a pop-culture phenomenon.
In an interview posted this past Tuesday by Take Two, Executive Producer Shawn Levy discusses his experience producing the Netflix Original Series Stranger Things and why the show has become a pop-culture phenomenon.
The world felt safer. The world, and it breaks my heart to say this, but the world was safer. And I know that a lot of us yearn for the relative innocence of that– And I do think that the show transports us back to a cultural and global climate that was fundamentally more comforting. It was fundamentally less scary.
Levy also describes season two as “next level” but will still service the shows core characters. The show will grow along with its young cast.
It’s clear Levy was inspired by The Duffer Brothers and the pilot script for Stranger Things immediately. Inspiration seems to be the word coming from everyones mouth involved with the show. From the editors to the production designer, The Duffers brought out the best in everyone resulting in the magical experience that is Stranger Things.
To listen to the full interview head on over to Take Two.
The Duffer Brothers have managed to blend 80’s nostalgia into an exciting and heartfelt supernatural thriller. The series doesn’t just echo the classic films of the 80’s, it’s DNA is made up of them.
The Duffer Brothers have managed to blend 80’s nostalgia into an exciting and heartfelt supernatural thriller. The series doesn’t just echo the classic films of the 80’s, it’s DNA is made up of them. What is most impressive might be how it all blends together into something unique and refreshing.
The series opens with the vanishing of Will Byers and the launching of the investigation into his disappearance. Stranger Things earns its title as things quickly get strange and we discover there is a larger conspiracy at play in this small town after a young girl escapes from an experimental government facility. A young girl who recognizes Will when she sees a picture of him.
Stranger Things biggest strength is its characters. Hats off to the casting director for putting together a group of kids whose chemistry rivals that of The Goonies. Winona Ryder and David Harbour lead the series with fantastic performances but the series’ core is the friendship between the group of children, most notably the connection between Mike and Eleven. A relationship that mirrors E.T. and Elliot without becoming a rehash.
Millie Bobby Brown is a superstar. She delivers an extraordinary performance that steals the show and your heart. Millie packs a powerful and emotional punch into every word she speaks. She is able to express more emotion through her eyes than even most adult actors are capable of.
Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven in Stranger Things. (Netflix)
Stranger Things is so fantastic that its weaknesses feel more like nitpicks than actual weaknesses. There are a few scenes involving visual effects that could have benefited from a larger budget and/or more time, but they are easily forgivable. The series proves if you have great characters and a great story complemented by nearly masterful directing you can easily get away with less than stellar visual effects. The only real negative is the thin layer of cheese that comes with Nancy’s storyline. The teen drama could have been dialed back a bit but like the visual effects the series does not suffer from it. There’s just a few beats between Nancy and her Mother that don’t land right. You could argue there are plot holes in the overall explanation of what exactly is happening with the upside down but science isn’t always clear and Matthew Modine even admits they do not understand the monster they are dealing with.
In a time when we have an abundance of formulaic television series its refreshing to have a show that doesn’t waste any time with filler. The story is thoroughly engaging and constantly pushing forward building momentum to its satisfying finale. Stranger Things could easily have suffered from a lack of originality and seemed like a rip off of almost every classic 80’s film there is. But the production comes together forming something exciting and unique. From the directing to the music to the production design, StrangerThings captivates the mind and the heart taking you back to the simpler times of the 80’s when movies were hopeful and full of adventure.
Alternate World 