Creatures from the other side...

Growing up in the late 80's, like many of my fellow friends, I was lucky to be allowed to watch at a young age of 7-8 years old, an assortment horror flicks such as Pet Cemetery, IT, Friday the 13th, Carrie, Nightmare on Elm street and along with these, add classics like Stand by Me, E.T, Alien...the list goes on.

When I heard Netflix Originals series had put out this nice little 8 episode 80's themed extra terrestrial/horror series called "Stranger Things" I was a bit reluctant to give it a watch as Alien series aren't really my thing (and also a genre which truly bring out the scare in me!). After watching the first episode, I was sheerly blown away at the stylization, soundtrack and so much more that it begged me to write this blog post. Enjoy! oh....and warning...there are a few spoilers ;)

Stranger Things - 2016 - Netflix Original 

The year is 1983. 4 young 12 year olds are playing dungeons and dragons in the basement of Mike Wheelers house in a small town in Indiana. They are yet to learn of their fate that evening when they decide to sneak out and go riding on that cold winters night. Track forward to a hidden government institution where you see a young female patient escape. Who is she? And why was she being kept prisoner? Episode then flashes back to Will riding through the woods near this institution in the night, one of the young boys falling off his bike and then a shadow of a creepy "thing" rushing through the forrest appears. Will doesn't come home that night and his mother Joyce (Winona Ryder) knows this is unlike him. We're introduced to a frantic Joyce at the moment when she realises its not normal for Will to just go missing. She makes several attempts to contact the town police and after a day, the police do start to search the woods for Will.

Flashback to the girl who went missing from the government institution. She has the number "11" on her arm. After her trying to take shelter in the local diner and be-friending the owner (of which she can't actually speak because she's been locked in a cell for the last 6 yrs) she make's haste and leaves only to then be taken in by Mike and his friends. They hide Eleven in his basement trying to communicate and figure out who she is. Meanwhile the evil government agents try to track down Eleven after she was spotted at the diner. As the boys and Eleven get to know each other, Mike claims that her nickname will be "El".

There is a little side story going on with Nancy Wheeler (Mikes 16yr old sister) and her new jock boyfriend Steve. This part of the story vaguely reminds me of Donnie Darko, but with Nancy as "Donnie" she's a little bit nerdy and weird but has the attention of the popular guy. Lots of teen romance infused into their relationship, made all the more awkward with Will's older brother Jonathan who attends the same school and has a talent for photography. He's known as an odd ball kid and made fun of by Steve and his friends. It's portrayed that Nancy and Jonathan have a weird chemistry and later on you find out why this is. Nancy has a bestie called Beth, and you find out what happen's to Beth when the teen's decide to have a sneaky night at Steve's home without the parents. I won't spoil it for those who are yet to watch the entire series, but you have to feel bad for Beth.

Meanwhile, missing kid Will is trying to make contact from "the upside down" (the dimension accidentally activated by El when she escapes from the institution) and begins to try and contact his mother through the lights in his house. Will's mum becomes frantic convinced that he is trying to reach her and goes crazy buying strings of Christmas lights trying to contact her whilst hiding from whatever terrors threaten him where he is. The chilling scene from the film echo's something from the Poltergeist where she paints a makeshift Ouija board  on to the wall and strings lights under each letter so that Will can speak to her. At any one moment when the lights go crazy, you can bet that horrid "thing" appears trying to pierce through walls, making Joyce seem more insane. Now that Joyce has seen the "thing" she knows that Will has a chance to survive and at this point we are all left asking, just how she can get to him?

The intensity builds in several more episodes with the Sheriff and Will's mum trying to piece together what has happened, who the mystery "El". I think the reason I and so many people loved this series is because the Duffer brothers (creators and writers of the script) based the feel of the boys friendship on that from the film "Stand By Me" and you see the iconic scene of the boys walking along the train track which instantly brings back that moment from the 80's classic. You can read more about the inception of the Duffer brothers idea on Variety.

The imagery of some of the scene's is sheer art and it's these scenes which stay with you moments after you have watched them. To recap, here is a brilliant take of some of the best moments from the series.

And finally, the soundtrack. If you love mysterious synth's which sound John Carpenter-esque, heavy keyboards and deep electronic drums, then the soundtrack will surely bolster your love for this show. Spotify has a playlist created by Netflix with some of the 80's hits featured on the show. There looks to be an official soundtrack being released soon too. A huge 80's music fan myself, it was the era where electronic sounds made a break through, giving new dimensions of sound to music and the birth of "electronic music". This genre and style really emphasises the setting of time period with this series. Everyone who watched and loved Stranger Things are holding their breath for a second series. Something may have given it away in the final episode, but only time will tell whether the Duffer brothers decide to visit the upside down again.

Time travellers

Oh what a fantasy to be a time traveller back to past centuries and decades, disguised as someone from that era only to try have some sort of mission or trying to get back home. Maybe it was Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure which sparked my interest as a young kid back in the 80's. In this blog post I'm going to feature 2 current TV series which I've really taken a liking to which touch on the above mentioned themes, and one cult movie which to this day, remains one of my favourite films of all time.

11.22.63 - Hulu 2016 (TV Series based on the story by Stephen King

James Franco heads the cast of this time travelling drama thriller first set in our modern day millennium but then spins back into 1963. I've always really liked the roles Franco has played, he has a certain old school charm about him, that gracious smile and classic character appeal (maybe it's the fact he's born and raised in Palo Alto! A valley boy at heart). I guess my least favourite movie he starred in was 127 hours (because no one wants to watch a guy saw his arm off!) and his character in that was a bit cocky.

Franco spying on Oswald - 11.22.63

In a nutshell the plot of this series goes something like this: Jake Epping is an everyday school teacher in2016 who's friend Al (Templeton) that owns an old diner, entrusts him with a secret before he passes on due to illness. He shows Jake that he has a very special...broom closet(?) in his diner...which is actually a worm hole which leads back to 1960. Before Al passes, he gives Jake a run down on what he has been trying to achieve for the last 15 years....to try and prevent the assassination of JFK (1963). Without giving too much more away, you kind of then get the idea that Jake now is entrusted a mission and travels back to 1960 and stays there establishing his life as a teacher back in that decade.

There are a number of intense scenes in the lead up to him slowly crossing paths attempting to spy on the accused Lee Harvey Oswald. The one thing I enjoy with this series is that Jake is immersed in staying in the era he's travelled to and the thought of him travelling back to 2015 doesn't really cross his mind too much, enabling the viewer to really get into the plot for him to try and put that curve ball into histories time line. Of course there is a love interest and a few heart stopping moments in episodes 4 and 5 and this is much needed to keep the momentum rolling. Still watching this one but I highly recommend to give it a go if you like the time traveller concept (and US political history).

Outlander - Starz 2014 (TV Series based on the novels by Diana Gabaldon)

Recommended to me by a friend who knew I absolutely adored the drama, mystique and vintage appeal of Downton Abbey, I thought I'd give this english / Scottish series a whirl and I was pleasantly surprised to be hooked by the end of the first episode. This series also follows the time traveller theme and ties in Pagan ritual to attributing to the sacred stones of which act as a wormhole back into the year 1743. The main character Claire (Catrionia Balfe) is a war nurse working on the WW2 front in 1945. The war ends and she returns to her life back in London where she is re-united with her husband Frank (Tobias Menzies) who was an english war captain responsible for arranging the secret missions into Europe. Being separated for 5 yrs thanks to the war, they decide to renew their marriage vows and take to the Scottish countryside to celebrate their second honeymoon. They stay in a quaint village where Frank knows the priest and there are many lazy days spent discussing ancient Scottish history and the victorian era when the English were under the rule of King Arthur and trying to over-throw the Clans to regain Scottish land. 

Jamie and Claire - Season 1: Outlander

While Frank and the priest discuss the history of the countryside, Claire is taken into the kitchen to speak with the priests housekeeper who reads her tea leaves and her palm and reveals an unusual premonition about Claire's future. There are a few more strange instances which follow this encounter and in the middle of the night, Frank and Claire decide to see if the fable of Pagan rituals run true by visiting the ancient rocks of Craig Ne Dun. They secretly discover an ancient female ceremony of dancing in the moonlight within the circle of the rocks and this ritual fascinates Claire to the point where she ventures back there the next day. After hearing a strange thunder role, she is drawn to touch the stones and then is thrown back into time to the year 1743. 

On her travel back to the 1700's and in a daze, she comes across the english army who think of her as a spy and the Captain tries to rape Claire in the process until the handsome red haired Jamie (Sam Heughan) appears. A fight ensues and Jamie is able to fight off the captain but is hurt by gun-fire. Claire is able to rescue him and treat several war wounds he attains from the English "redcoats" or soldiers. And from there....the story is born. I adore the antique styling and edict of the time. The sexism for me is highly confronting (I am feminist in nature) so the way the men treat the women in this time is appalling (and Claire seems to think so too!) yet she is vocal about this and does call it out (much to the dismay of the men) and makes you realise how forward 1945 actually was for women's rights (even though to this very day us ladies are still fighting for some pretty basic equality). The romantic chemistry between Claire and Jamie is intense and when telling my husband about the unfolding plot, he seemed a little jealous of my newfound "man crush" on the red head hehe. I highly recommend this series, especially now Game of Thrones has made its Season 6 appearance. It's a nice little filler in between waiting for other series to commence. Amazon has the entire 16 episode first season available for a small fee. Season 2 has commenced but I am yet to watch. You will find watching this show that every episode will be more intense than the last. 

Donnie Darko - 2001 (Flower films) 

Not sure what other folks think of this, but I hail Donnie Darko as one of the epic cult movies of the early millennium. The cast of a few familiar faces (Barrymore and Swayze) joins the brother and sister team Gyllenhaal's. They actually play brother and sister in the movie so this adds a real raw dynamic to the relationship between Donnie and Elizabeth. This film boasts of a timeless and haunting movie soundtrack which stays with you long after the film has ended. Set in the year 1988, the setting and scenes are strangely futuristic yet still have that 80's charm about them without being too over the top. Donnie isn't your run of the mill typical teenager. He's not a jock, a bit weird and has a number of different talents. He could even be mistaken for slightly autistic but this doesn't stop him from embarking on a series of unfortunate events which ultimately pave the way for him discovering the power of time. His parents think he needs psychiatric help as he references an imaginary friend "Frank" who when he sees him is dressed as a scary bunny rabbit.

Donnie and Gretchen  - Donnie Darko 2001

It's a movie with so many symbols and sub plots which fit together like a broken puzzle that I found myself needing to watch it a second time after my first viewing as there were so many scenes where if you blinked, you would miss something essential to figuring out. You learn about Donnie's alter ego, his visions, flashbacks and early in the plot, an aeroplanes engine actually falls through his bedroom ceiling. From there the story then spirals into weirdness with Donnie trying to piece together clues to why all these things are happening to him under the guidance of his imaginary friend "Frank" and some of the clues provided pointing to time and how it can be altered.

Barrymore plays Donnie's english teacher and her role in the movie is one of support for Donnie and his weird teen behaviour. Swayze makes an appearance as a do-gooder motivational speaker sent in to talk to the students about life and his cameo role is actually quite comical, as he explains to the teens about the 2 extreme's of life - "Love and fear". Donnie in his quest for protecting those he loves and holds dear, finds he needs to complete his search to be able to 'edit' time. Once with the help of 'Frank' he realises he has the power to do this and brings the tale of these 2 teen star crossed lovers to its finale.

When I first watched this film, I actually thought it was a twisted love story. Donnie has a love interest Gretchen in the film...she's the "new girl" at school and is almost as weird as Donnie. They both hit it off straight away and she becomes embroiled in Donnie's world. The emphasis on their teen connection is so strong that I guess that's what drove me to think of it as a twisted kind of love story, until I watched the directors cut which came out shortly after the main film and there are added scenes in it which then really reveal the "time travel" theme. Without rambling on too much more, this is really a film you have to see with your own eyes. There are a crazy amount of awesome one liners in it too and there are moments of comedy, sadness and disbelief. All the big emotions you would expect from this kind of cult film. Grab the popcorn and really enjoy it!

Home inspiration!

Fixer Upper - HGTV 2014 - ongoing

I've recently caught on to the TV series "Fixer Upper" where a Texan couple whose business is to renovate and restore dumps of houses. I stumbled across it on Netflix around 3 weeks ago and have been hooked every since. Interior decorating is a small passion of mine, and I thought that watching this show would give me a little inspiration.

We're introduced to Chip and Joanna (JoJo) Gaines and their business Magnolia designs. They have 4 kids who you meet through out the series, mainly on their farm which they are also building and renovating their own house through out the first series. What I love about this show is the fact that the Waco couples who come to Chip and JoJo have some kind of idea what they want, but then get the choice of usually 3 houses (mainly dumps or weirdly out-dated homes in the Waco area) and then they place their trust in both of them to spruce the place up. When I watched the first series, houses were going for a song! $80K - $150K. It looks like $200K + in Waco gets you some kind of mini mansion so I don't even want to know what $600K would buy you (considering that's the median house price range here in San Jose California and also back home in Perth Australia the Texan's have it pretty darn good!)

I came across this funny Mashable article on what 21 things you can expect from every episode of watching this series and it pretty much hits the nail on the head so to speak hehe.

You realise that Chip is a bit of a goofball in the first series but then his dorkiness really takes off in the second series, along with many reveals of his rotund belly lol. He's really cheesy, but get's away with it because JoJo just thinks he's hilarious. There is also always the dreaded phone call to the prospective new owners on something that has potentially "thrown" the budget out by a bit of money. It seems to be the added "suspense" theme on every episode and after almost 2 seasons becomes quite predictable. 

There are a few things that I love about JoJo's design style and a few which grate on me a little. 

I love is her ability to take furniture junk and transform it into gorgeous rustic pieces of gold. I really like her idea's on removing walls and raising ceilings, adding windows etc. Those are all difficult things to do back in Australia as we build our houses with brick and concrete so it's more difficult to effect the overall houses structure and support. She also likes to simplify things to make translating changes to her customers easy to understand. Some of the husbands in the couples they do work for simply don't have the imagination to picture JoJo's updates, and watching her express these with her expert computer design software and their delight, is always entertaining to watch. Another enjoyment is seeing some "left over budget" options and then trying to predict which one the home owners will go with. Sometimes I found their decisions not ideal but Magnolia's finished end product really never lets the viewer or the home owner down.

The downsides to JoJo's style: I find her rustic and somewhat antique vintage style doesn't sway or vary away from the same kinds of colour palette's, room layouts, kitchen layouts and styles. There is always a metal plaque here, crown mouldings in the ceilings and hard wood floors. Where I understand it must be "the in thing" to want a fireplace, dark wood floors, mint green or grey everything on the walls and those large roman clocks / rustic and victorian up-cycled furniture, we are yet to see her transform a house using some modern flare, primary bold colours and modern furniture. I think my favourite 2 episodes emerged in season 2 where JoJo's home buyers pick a very awesome 1960's mod house which looks like a trailer from outside and inside is like an open shell. Even Chip and her expressed how they never had taken on something so retro future modern before and the final reveal was pretty awesome. The other favourite for me (which I think was episode 12 season 2) was the large 2 story house with entry on the second floor, being made into a "beach house" look and feel, with modern wrought iron stairwell and wiring, more modern furniture and kitchen. That house even had my husband gasping on the re-work they did.

It's also obvious that the "customers" coming to them are people they know, whether friends or families from schools their kids go to, I don't see a variation away from couples. I saw one episode where it was a mother and her older daughter, but how about throwing in a gay couple or friends who may be buying the property as an investment. Those would be interesting to see and also the couples offering more to do with the overall colour template. And those farmhouse sinks. Really? Every house needs one? Or a kitchen isle bench? Black counter tops? All starting to look the same as the episodes roll on. 

I look forward though to watching the last few episodes I have of season 2 on Netflix and look forward to season 3 this year. Hopefully there will be some sway in the styles they use to keep all of us home decor nuts inspired :)