Posters: Stranger Things

Stranger Things arrives on Netflix October 27

Stranger Things kicks off October with a piece of Halloween-theme artwork for its second season, which premieres on October 27 on Netflix. Watch the trailer here.

With the arrival of the ominous poster above, Netflix has announced that Stranger Things’ highly-anticipated second season will premiere on Friday, October 27. Watch the teaser here, then adjust your Halloween plans accordingly!

Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Cara Buono, Matthew Modine, Joe Keery, Sadie Sink, Dacre Montgomery, Paul Reiser, and Sean Astin star.

It’s 1984 and the citizens of Hawkins, Indiana are still reeling from the horrors of the Demogorgon and the secrets of Hawkins Lab. Will Byers has been rescued from the Upside Down but a bigger, sinister entity still threatens those who survived.

Video: Papyrus

"Papyrus" by Saturday Night Live

In the single funniest sketch Saturday Night Live has aired in the past five years, Ryan Gosling tears into the graphic design of Avatar's title.

Video: What Makes Black Mirror So Dark

"What Makes Black Mirror So Dark" by Nerdwriter1

In this excellent video essay on the incredible dystopian Netflix series Black Mirror, Youtuber Evan Puschak aka The Nerdwriter takes a deep look into how the series effects such a dark tone.  Puschak notes that Aristotle defined tragedy as a “safe place to feel pity and fear in a safe environment” resulting a cathartic response.  Due to the show's unique structure, the audience is never allowed to achieve catharsis and is left with only raw feelings towards each character, making them more relatable.

What Charlie Brooker the intensely smart creator of ‘Black Mirror’ has given us our tragedies that are often senseless in other words tragedies that withhold catharsis. The result I think, is that we end up feeling much closer to these stories. The cathartic appreciation that’s meant to transform our pity and our fear never comes and we’re just left with the pity and the fear. So why do we watch Black Mirror if it robs us of the pleasure often associated with tragedy. I think it’s because this feeling is a truly unique one in TV it’s unlike most other shows.

Video: Stranger Things References

"Stranger Things References, Part 1: Spielberg and Oblivious Adults" by ScreenPrism

With season two of Stranger Things just around the corner (October 27th), ScreenPrism posted this two-part series pointing out all of the amazing references, homages, and Easter eggs scattered throughout season one.

"Stranger Things is infused with 80s horror references and updates to the classic tropes of 80s teen movies and music. In Part 2 of our series about the Netflix hit, we explore how the Duffer brothers draw on these pop culture references in the teen strand of the story. Stranger Things Season 2 premieres October 27th."

Video: Mr. Robot: The Art of Framing

"Mr. Robot: The Art of Framing" by Karsten Runquist

In another thought-provoking video essays, filmmaker Karsten Runquist considers the unusual framing employed by Sam Esmail in the first season of the television series Mr. Robot.  In particular, he notes that the director's unique perspectives leave audiences room to draw their own conclusions independent of the series' cinematography.

If you haven't seen this series yet, I can't recommend it highly enough.  Watching this video won't spoil this series, but it will give you a good taste of what makes Mr. Robot so special.

"Now the thing about Mr. Robot is, given the fact that the show is like I said, a show about society. Elliott’s emotions and desires while yes, pretty important, aren’t the main focus of the series and when emotions coming from a single character aren’t the main focus and one of conventional framings main purposes is to enhance the emotions of a character there’s no point in using conventional framing."

Video: Game of Thrones Pallette

"7 seasons of color on Game of Thrones, in one chart" by Vox

Fans of Game of Thrones will know that it is hardly sunshine and daisies in the ‘Seven Kingdoms’, but what fans might not know is how the show’s color palette has been subtly been growing less fiery and more icy to convey that message through the episodes.

Vox recently put together a video color chart featuring the color palettes of every single episode of Game of Thrones. The palettes were achieved by taking the average color of every ten seconds of screen time throughout the show.

It was discovered that the first episode was the lightest and brightest, before turning progressively darker and icier. As winter encroaches upon ‘Westeros,’ the show has become less saturated and the average hue much cooler. The bloodiest battles of the series also make up the darkest episodes.

While the Game of Thrones crew is renowned for its attention to detail, the meticulousness that goes into the color palette adds on to its line of remarkable and impressive feats.

Announcement: TV Premiere Dates 2017

Fall 2017 is looking to be a good season for television.  If you're a geek, I suggest you empty your  DVR, because its hard drive is about to fill up quick.  Not to mention that you Netflix queue is about to get a lot longer.

Whether you’ve been counting down the returns of Game of Thrones without the Dragons (Outlander) and Waffle Quest (Stranger Things) or eagerly anticipating the arrival of Young Sheldon and Star Trek: Discovery, you’ve got a lot of shit to sift through first, so here's a little help navigating your fall television schedule.

Link Round-Up: Orphan Black

"Helena" by Mellifera38

There are few prominent roles for women in the television today, and Tatiana Maslany was lucky enough to play nine of them on Orphan Black, which has just recently concluded with its 50th episode.  While the series was never a ratings darling what with airing on the BBC, it did have boast a devout following (the #CloneClub) for its sophisticated portrayals of feminism and femininity.

The show garnered praise and buzz for (previously unknown) lead actress Tatiana Maslany.  EW proclaimed early in the show's run that "There's no better special effect on television right now than Tatiana Maslany playing a variety of clones."  In fact many critics are currently of the opinion that Tatiana Maslany is the Best Actress on TV.

Video: Game of Thrones Logo

"DIY Game of Thrones Logo" by Daniel Kántor

Illustration: American Gods

"American Gods" by David M Buisán

Prints available for purchase from Society6.

Does anyone else feel like American Gods isn't getting the overwhelming surge of fan art tributes it deserves?  This is certainly a worthy start, but I hope we'll be seeing more very soon.

Posters: American Gods

"American Gods poster" by Russia-based Theoretical Part

This is rapidly becoming one of my favorite shows on television.  It's not quite as good as Game of Thrones or Westworld, but it's a breath of fresh air to sit down to a series that doesn't involve knights, robots, superheroes, or zombies.

Illustration: Twin Peaks Postcards

"Twin Peaks Postcards" by London-based Paul Willoughby

Part of the 20th Anniversary Art Exhibition at the Menier Gallery in London

Get a load of these beautiful Twin Peaks character illustrations.  They've been drawn of the backs of a lovely set of vintage postcards befitting the characters on their reverse side.

Illustration: Twin Peaks Tarot Cards

Twin Peaks-themed Tarot Cards by Arizona-based Benjamin Mackey

Prints available for purchase from Society6.

These incredible Twin Peaks-themed tarot cards were created by Twin Peaks superfan Benjamin Mackey, co-creator of the ongoing SAINTS comic book series. Mackey recently started working his way through the 22 Major Arcana of the tarot. Styled after the popular Rider-Waite-Smith deck, Mackey carefully selected imagery from David Lynch’s cult TV series that best suit the symbolism of each card.

Link Round-Up: IronFist

Binged Ironfist this weekend not expecting much after all the critical reviews.  The plot wasn't as intense as Daredevil, a lot of plot points were unintentionally hilarious, and the fight scenes were a bit lackluster.  However, the series beat the hell out of the majority of small screen comic series.  I was pleasantly surprised.

Interviews

Finn Jones on ‘Problematic’ Internet Outrage
Iron Fist creator discusses casting controversy
Interview With IRON FIST Stunt Coordinator Brett Chan
Jessica Henwick On Asian Stereotype Concerns
Q&A with Iron Fist Creator Scott Buck & Producer Jeph Loeb
Tom Pelphrey & David Wenham on Meachum Family Dynamics

Video: Paper Game of Thrones Intro

"Paper Epicness. Moleskine & Game of Thrones" from Moleskine

The recognizable opening of Game of Thrones just got a makeover, as Moleskine commemorates the premiere of the sixth season with their own version of the riveting title sequence. Westeros comes to life as a paper version of King’s Landing is recreated with more than 7,600 individual paper cutouts, complete with turning cogs and gears. Delicate turrets and spires magically start to move until the fortress retreats, leaving you with a peek of the new Game of Thrones Limited Edition Collection notebooks from Moleskine.

"A collection of four themed notebooks with previously unreleased silkscreen prints by graphic designer Levente Szabò. Each cover features symbolic references to the three dominant families – Stark, Lannister and Targaryen."

Link Round-Up: Game of Thrones

A Song of Ice and Fire Logo Design by ertacaltinoz

5 Messed Up Backstories Lurking in Game of Thrones Lore

5 possible scientific explanations for Westeros' variable seasons in Game of Thrones.

6 Filmmaking Tips From the Creators of Game of Thrones

10 Lessons Our Favorite Game of Thrones Characters Taught Us

12 book series that are the sci-fi equivalent of A Game of Thrones

15 Reasons why every Game of Thrones fan should watch Downton Abbey

15 Secrets Hiding in the World of Game of Thrones

Posters: Great X-pectations

"Great X-pectations" by David M. Buisán

Posters: Post-Modern Prometheus

"The Post-Modern Prometheus" by Chile-based Carlos Valenzuela

Posters: Government Denies Knowledge

"Government Denies Knowledge" by Chile-based Carlos Valenzuela

Posters: 221b Baker Street

"221b Baker Street" by Tracie Ching

Prints available for purchase from Hero Complex Gallery.