More Horror
I'm not feeling all that inspired to write anything. Here are some brief copy and paste comments from the end of my bgg horror challenge:
October 24th: It Comes at Night (2017, Trey Edward Shults)
Basic plot: A mysterious plague has killed off almost everyone. Which is worse, death or survival?
Seen before? N
Recommend? Yes
This film is a slow burn, focused on characters and relationships. Then it is frustrating (enjoyably so) in that what is revealed about the characters is often as mystifying as it is revealing. It is much more about human behavior than it is about unknown monsters threatening us (though it has an element of that too). I can't really talk about what I like about the film without going into deep spoilers (though there is no real twist or deep surprise, just a constant thrum of despair). It's probably my favorite film so far of an otherwise mostly disappointing 2017. That said, I think it's only good, not great.
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Well, I finished out the month with only 7 films watched. Not too bad, I guess. I also watched one non-horror film, getting out to the cinema to catch Blade Runner 2049 (eh, ok). And over the course of the month, I probably watched a few hours of board game media videos. And parts of episodes of kids stuff (Voltron, Ronja) with my kids.
I finished out the month by watching Stranger Things 2. It took me 5 days to "binge watch" the whole season. After seeing the trailer, I was prepared to be disappointed as it looked like the show had gone in a much bigger, blockbuster direction. It's true that the show is bigger and more expansive, but it also stayed true to what makes it so special, capturing perfectly the feeling of childhood friendships, the kind of magic bonds that some of us were lucky enough to experience firsthand in the 80s, providing some relief as it seemed like much of the world was hostile to outsiders and freaks like us.
Anyhow, Stranger Things 2. Highly Recommended.
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Reflecting on Stranger Things 2 with a little distance now, I'll add my usual disclaimer that films starring kids make me uneasy. I think that there's almost always an element of exploitation going on. This is most evident in the presentation of sexuality (there's one scene in Moonrise Kindom for example that definitely crosses the line and tarnishes the film); this is a minor spoiler-- there are a couple of kisses at the end of ST2. The one female star was not told about this kiss until the day of filming. The male star as well. It was a "first kiss" for both of them. "It's just a kiss," but it's also disturbing to see these children engaging in something they otherwise would have discovered in an organic way for the sake of entertainment. The actress playing El commented that she was emotionally distraught during one psychologically harrowing scene in the film. That's another example.
The thing is that Stranger Things is not a kids show. Some elements of childhood are fantastically displayed in the show, but it is highly crafted (the artifice is clear; there is at least no attempt at deception in this regard) by ADULT hands.
Acting involves masks, putting on personas, becoming a person. The difference between the stage and "real life" is that the mask is always imposed from without. I guess that this can be good or bad, depending on the quality of the mask. Overall, I guess that I do believe that the roles that the Duffers have created for the child actors are positive ones, heroic and self-sacrificing. The real life children will learn to he noble by "acting" noble. But I still have a few reservations.