Having returned from my Christmas holiday in B.C. I sat down to watch some television on a lazy Saturday. It was a nice visit to the Okanagan to see my mom and my sister and her family and get some nice family time.
After getting home from my flight I was pretty exhausted and ready for some TV. But as you may know there aren't a lot of shows on over the holidays as most network shows are on break. So hey why not head over to Netflix and see what's on.
Some might say Netflix is in a bit of a slump what with the decision of Marvel/Disney to create their own streaming site (some day) and take all those great Marvel/Disney/Star Wars shows over. Not to mention them raising their monthly fees by almost one-third. But after reading some big hype about a couple of Netflix shows, Bird Box and Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, I thought hmm maybe Netflix isn't on its deathbed after all. SOME MILD SPOILERS AHEAD.
Although Netflix usually doesn't put out ratings, they did announce Bird Box had been watched by 45 million viewers. That's a lot. Although reviews have been mixed, I for one enjoyed it. I thought it was a good thriller based on a simple concept: if you go outside and open your eyes you die!!
Yes, it's similar to the recent hit A Quiet Place only instead of not making a sound, it's about being essentially blind. There are some thrilling scenes as our hero, who is played by Oscar winner Sandra Bullock, and her two young charges set out on a two-day raft ride blindfolded. Yeah, I can barely get across my room at night in the dark so I can understand how terrifying it would be.
Granted the movie doesn't really explain what happened and why and much is left to speculation of the viewer. I don't really mind that. It's better than some cheesy low-budget monster and crazy explanation that probably wouldn't make any more sense anyway.
The other big original movie to come out recently on the streaming site was Bandersnatch, which is a stand- alone movie from the Black Mirror people. The big hook is that the movie is a choose-your-own-adventure where the viewer decides what the character on the screen does in any given scene. To be sure it's an interesting concept and pretty well written and executed.
There are multiple endings and apparently thousands of different variations on the story as you decide what to do. Frosted Flakes or Sugar Puffs? Thompson Twins or Now That's what I call Music? The choices get tougher as the story goes on.
To read more about Bandersnatch move on to the next paragraph. To read about the Mountain View Colts turn to page 22.
For those who haven't seen Black Mirror the series (why?), it's an excellent horror/sci-fi anthology series set in the near future, usually with some ironic twist on how bad our reliance on technology is.
Bandersnatch is in that same vein as a young video game producer tries to make a choose-your-own-adventure game (how very meta). Of course, things take some dark and twisted turns as the story develops based on the choices you the viewer makes.
It's certainly a cool technology. Sometimes do you ever wonder when you do something really dumb that makes no sense whether someone is controlling you? No, of course not. That's silly. Will we see choose-your-own-adventures pop up in major TV shows? What if you can decide what Sheldon and Leonard do on Big Bang Theory? Or who wins the Game of Thrones? Some interesting possibilities for sure.
To read more of the Gazette turn to the next article. If you wish to get a sandwich head to the kitchen. Sadly, the mayo went bad. Game over.
– Craig Lindsay is the reporter for the Mountain View Gazette
