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Stranger Things. The Full Series in Review

After a long rewatch of Stranger Things, I look at what worked and what did not when creating the threat that would manifest in the small town of Hawkins. Thankfully, for those in the know, no foothold was made, but is this truly the end?

When Stranger Things first arrived on Netflix, it began with something wonderfully small. It seemed to be simply about a group of kids playing a game of Dungeons and Dragons, and not expecting that world to manifest around them! After the sudden absence of Will (Noah Schnapp), they had to learn how to become heroes for real. Even though the adults didn’t believe what they’ve encountered is real, what they managed to do was the impossible: to show that dangers lurk in every corner. The shadows are alive, and the necrophagous shadows, well….

From that moment, the series evolved naturally from childhood rituals into becoming adults. As for the fantasy characters they wanted to become, all the visual motifs (including a garbage can lid modified to become a shield) came into place. And the monsters they had to face weren’t just creatures. They were metaphors to something greater shaped by the kids’ references to concepts and entities from this role playing world. Some worked, and others did not, but overall, unless the viewer was in the know, the tie-ins were more than surface level references.

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From Past to Future: Revisiting Pac-Man Cartoons and The Uncertain Fate of the Movie

Pac-Man Movie De-Rezzing Back in August 2022, The Hollywood Reporter announced that Wayfarer Studios and Bandai Namco Entertainment were developing a live-action Pac-Man movie. Sonic the Hedgehog producer Chuck Williams originated the idea, with Justin Baldoni (Clouds, Jane the Virgin) joining as producer.

Since then, updates have been scarce. By early 2023, news went silent, and by 2025, the project appears stalled. Industry chatter suggests Wayfarer has put it on “internal hold.” Baldoni’s recent legal controversies have added uncertainty. While no official cancellation exists, this movie risks becoming another Hollywood vapourware unless Wayfarer or Bandai Namco retool it.

With the film’s future in doubt, revisiting Pac-Man’s past media ventures feels timely. Do we really need a live-action feature about a spherical alien in our world? Pixels (2015) tried and fell short, with Adam Sandler’s nostalgia trip earning more groans than cheers.

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After Watching The Grocery List Show, To Say “Who’s Hungry” Goes Without Saying….

The Grocery List Show is coming to PBS soon, and we got a preview! Although this series run is very short, let’s hope this miniseries will grow and show why buying local matters!

The Grocery List Show World Premiere

I’m spending my time checking out the short films being played at the Los Angeles Asian Film Festival and when there’s “food” involved, I have to begin with The Grocery List Show. This five-part series hosted by Chef Chrissy Camba will be available on May 28 on PBS YouTube channel and their app, and it’s an impressive look at what keeps some mom-and-pop type operations alive.

Quite often, after school, I’d stop by my local corner store for a snack and maybe a comic book. They had some essential groceries too, since not everyone wanted to make a longer trip to the market for a jug of milk. Although today’s stores are not like that, the reason is because of how times have changed. Instead of finding next month’s Spider-Man here, it’s only Archie these days. Sometimes, those personalities behind the counter are people I know from either down the street or they live in the suite upstairs.

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When Assassination Classroom is Making A Comeback in Japan, There’s A New Soundtrack Attached (not Attacked) To It!

Fans of the anime Assassination Classroom might want to check out the upgrade! As for whether Crunchyroll will also replace their vaults with this new broadcast, it’s all about the music here!

Assassination Classroom Manga Cover A Japanese television network is rerunning the anime series Assassination Classroom using new opening and closing songs. This wonky science fiction comedy manga series created by Yūsei Matsui has quite the following because it’s about saving Earth from destruction.

This series is about an alien octopus teaching tweens the finer points in what goes on in their galaxy and encouraging them to put a stop to his nefarious plans by any means necessary. Honestly, I think he looks more like Pumpkinhead Sam from Trick ‘r Treat, but I digress. While he doesn’t hide the fact he’s targeting their home world for destruction, they’ll have to halt his plans. On my first impression, this high school series may well be digging up ideas which predate Baby Assassins and include concepts from Nightmare on Elm Street on top.

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Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man is Amazing! But Will Pete Get A Day Off like Ferris Bueller?

The producers behind this latest take on Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man have a lot of unique twists and turns planned on what’s familiar. When this story takes place in a much distinct reality from what we know, the different relationships elevate the mythos to an edgy new level.

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Your Friendly Neighbourhood Spider-Man is a refreshingly different take about our favourite wall-crawler. And as for who are his worst enemies, it is slowly developing. Without it, I doubt I’d care about the antihero Tombstone as much. Unlike other animated series which cut to the chase, the best part concerns Lonnie (Eugene Byrd) before his fall and Miko (Grace Song) her transition. Their side stories develop along with the hero’s, but as for if they will be his amazing friends, that’s debatable.

Here, Peter Parker (Hudson Thames) is learning the ropes in what it takes to be a hero. Here, he doesn’t meet the Avengers or even get recruited. The random reference to those events from the Captain America films is just that! As for where the other superheroes are, we only catch two in action, and hear about others.

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When PBS’ NOVA Tries to Explain “What Are UFOs?” We Should Pay Attention!

Although one-third of the episode is repeating old information, the final third is worth paying attention to for the public to help UFOlogists study What Are UFOs?

NOVA What Are UFOs? General Poster When America’s most beloved popular science television program decides it’s time to deal with the UFO phenomenon, a lot of viewers are going to take notice. That’s because the answer to “What Are UFOs?” actually offers a few bits of information that’s absolutely new to me, and the 50-minute program is not simply regurgitating information that’s already well known to Ufologists.

The December 2024 timestamp on the most recent footage surprised even me. I notice that much information in television productions is usually outdated by broadcast time. Sometimes, the footage doesn’t make it to the mainstream until years later. Cellphone footage is difficult to validate, but the producers’ prompt action shows they take this subject seriously.

While the program’s first third covers familiar material, it successfully acquaints newcomers with the phenomenon’s beginnings and explains the preference for using “Unidentified Aerial Phenomena” (UAP) over the old term. And to recap the incident that really catapulted interest and put “closure” to the Roswell incident, even I’m skeptical. That’s because while Project Mogul is a plausible explanation, there’s still the question if aliens bodies were also found.

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