The last season of Stranger Things

This post was also supposed to be published in January. Beware of spoilers.

I didn't like the acclaimed fourth season of Stranger Things (affiliate link), and especially not that one song, which I think sounds terrible compared to the Placebo version.

I knew before watching that people hadn't liked the fifth season, nor the end of the series. I tried to protect myself from spoilers.

 

 

At the beginning of season 5 it was hard to believe that Dustin didn't die or get seriously injured. And it was a shame that no one cared about his well-being, they just said "why did you get brutally beaten, it's your fault".

Since Will is my favorite character I liked how he rose to the limelight. So the end of episode 4/Volume 1 was the best, although I hated the translation "magician".

 

 

The scene of coming out of the closet has been criticized for a reason. When I realized it was coming, I stopped watching, awkward. I didn't watch the proposal in the last episode either, I skipped it. And I didn't even realize that one couple broke up. Is that what that scene was supposed to mean?

Like many others, I think the last episode should have been half as short, and I guessed the final plot twist an hour before.

People have criticized the fact that the army didn't punish the main characters who killed soldiers in droves. On the contrary, they were even rewarded for it.

 

 

 

Movie review: The Long Walk

Damn, this is bullshit.

That was my first reaction when the changed ending of The Long Walk (affiliate link) movie started to be revealed.

This article contains some plot spoilers.

50 young men participate in a walking race. Only one makes it to the finish line alive.

I had worked hard and painfully to protect myself from spoilers. I knew that the ending had been changed, and that people thought the new ending is crap. But I didn't know what the changed ending would be.

At some point, I first hoped and then feared that the ending would be a dream or hallucination of a character, but no. Fortunately, the very last seconds were faithful to the book, meaning the character's final fate was left open.

Making a character evil (and stupid!) who only thirsts for revenge and corrupts his friend into the same thing is not good. Making everything and everyone's deaths pointless in the end, even the father's. Of course, it was all pointless from the start. The point is that no one ever really wins the Long Walk.

And one character has been made into a saint, representing all that is good in the world. Well, he certainly wasn't like that in the book. On the contrary, he got his scar from trying to rape his girlfriend.

And I didn't think it was believable that the main character would suddenly just give up and betray his mother, especially after he had just realized that she was right. Mothers are always right about everything.

And then there's the fact that an alternate ending has been filmed, because an upcoming home release 4K will have it. 

 

 

Of course, I understand that the book's ending had to be changed. The ending of the book would have been too bland, more drama was needed, and that's certainly what's at the end of the movie.

Besides the ending there are of course a lot of other differences between the book and the movie.  

I'm not a fan of blood, gore, and guts, not to mention (diarrhea) crap. I knew in advance that the movie was going to be incredibly violent, and I kept my eyes closed at many points. There was also a lot of swearing, even the f-word was only used a few hundred times.

I liked it when the major said "Good luck, son" to one of the characters right at the beginning. 

But the true star of the movie was of course the eyeless cat, which I wondered already in the trailer.

 

  

 

The Long Walk is one of my favorite works by Stephen King, and I had been waiting for decades for it to be made into a film. Still, it was hard to find time in my busy schedule to go see it, and it was almost a month after the premiere. There were a total of 8 people in the audience at a Tuesday night screening. 

 

Ps. One of the trailers shown was for The Running Man, which will premiere in November. That's also one of my favorites from King's books, but I don't like the fact that this film has gone in a more comedic direction. And the ending has been changed from the book, apparently because of WTC...

 

Poor person bought expensive socks, and dreams of toothpaste

Clothes just dare to fall apart. I'm talking about the clothes I wear at home. Socks, underwear, t-shirts, pajama pants, leggings, sweatpants. The problem with pajama pants is that they are only available in stores once a year at a certain time of year. The same thing with fluffy socks, of course.

My shoes also fell apart. My only "better" (=non-sneakers) "winter" shoes, ankle boots. The heel started to come off. Luckily, it stayed partially on until I got home. Other similar ones fell apart during the last move. Now I only have sneakers.

The 46-year-old towels are also showing signs of falling apart. Can't you trust anything in this world anymore?

 

 

 

Heat Holders-socks

 

I made a daring move, and bought socks. I only had three pairs of Heat Holders socks (affiliate link), and I need more. I now ordered three new pairs, from the same online store as last time. The socks cost almost 15 euros a pair.

I am against plastic in clothes, and that is why it is sad that the only socks that are warm enough for my feet are made of acrylic, i.e. plastic. I can't even wear acrylic clothes on other parts of my body, they itch and cause red marks on my skin. And of course, I always wear knee-high wool socks over my Heat Holders socks.

 

I also dream of a longer winter jacket. My current one was given to me for free by relatives as a poor relief fund about 15 years ago, and it's otherwise good but too short. Padded trousers could also be nice in the coldest weather. Of course, I do have a pair. It was a good idea to steal them from my aunt, since I've never worn them because they're too short for me.

Durable underwear?

And what would be good underwear? The last time I bought a multipack of Sloggi (years ago), they fell apart in the first wash.

And now, most recently, I bought a multipack of Pierre Roberts. I broke the first one in my anxiety on the day my cat Tabitha died, and I thought it was my fault. But no. The others have also broken in the same place, i.e. the seam. So, not gonna buy again.

So soon (now?) I won't be able to find any panties for me in the supermarkets, for example. They have to be made of cotton, durable and not have itchy lace in them, for example.

Parodontax toothpaste

I have been completely addicted to Parodontax toothpaste for decades. Without it, my gums start to bleed. A few years ago, a big bad company bought Parodontax and ruined it completely. They removed all the active ingredients, so it no longer keeps your gums healthy.

The original Parodontax toothpaste is almost impossible to find anywhere anymore. Only in Holland. It may be that they are running out of stock there too. I ordered "a few" tubes of it through Amazon Germany a couple of years ago. And I had been wondering if I should order it again now, when/if they still have it.

But now I found out that, for example, on Amazon Germany you can get a toothpaste called Paromed, which has the same ingredients as the original Parodontax! Is this what I have been waiting for? A copycat product to save me.

I've been dreaming of a cheaper phone subscription for a long time, and now I found out about a company called Globetel. The cheapest monthly fee is 5.90e. Let's see if it's a scam company. To change the subscription, you should know how to change the SIM card in your cell phone... where are the instructions for my 25-year-old Nokia cell phone? Yeah, I'm just so helpless. I'm afraid that if I open that ancient cell phone, it will break forever.

Movie review: Salem's Lot (2024)

This post contains affiliate links.

 

The movie Salem's Lot, based on Stephen King's book of the same name, was finally released on Max. It was originally supposed to come already in 2022, and to cinemas. So a late release is never a good sign?

 

 

In Salem's Lot shit hits the fan in a small town. I don't know if this is a huge spoiler, but it's about vampires. Bad things happen to children in the story, so if you can't stand it, don't watch this movie. Personally, I don't appreciate the fact that in King's books the main character is always a writer, and this is the case in Salem's Lot as well.

I was surprised that this new Salem's Lot is set in the 1970s (like the original book) and not moved to modern times, as seems to be the trend.

I hear this movie got bad reviews, but I happened to like it. The 70's were executed nicely. Things are moving fast, some say too fast. There really is no idling. In the past, only mini-series have been made about this book, which may be better suited to this story in terms of length.

 

It hasn't even been that many years since I re-read Salem's Lot, so I guess I should be able to tell you how faithful this movie is to the original work. But I can't say that I remember the details of the book very well.

After watching this movie, I would like to change my necklace pendant to a cross...

Movie: Greatest Days

My phone company Elisa sent me an email last week saying that I could watch five movies for free. One of those movies was even on my watch list: the Take That musical Greatest Days.

Then one night I remembered that that movie is only available until Sunday. And then on Friday I watched it.

Greatest days is about friends who were big Take That fans as teens. And in the present, they meet again when one of them wins tickets to the reunion concert.

Greatest days has received bad reviews. Its budget was lower than desired because Take That was never successful in the US, and therefore no funding came from there.

 

 

Some people have not liked the movie's versions of the songs, but I really liked them. There were both my favorite song (Never forget) and my least favorite (Back for good), and everything in between. The best part is recognizing the songs. Great music. Fortunately, the entire soundtrack of the movie can be found on YouTube. I also liked Take That's new version of the song Greatest day, I've never liked the original much.

In one scene, Take That even had a cameo, or the trio that is left of the band. As buskers begging for pennies, very funny.

 

Then we need a NKOTB-musical...

Best products for cat's chronic kidney disease

Believe me, I have tested them all. Two of my three senior cats have renal failure. When my youngest cat Olivia was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease I tried all the CKD products I could get my hands on. So much wasted money!

Most vets only recommend renal diet foods to cats with CKD, but it's even more important to use products which bind phosphate and reduce its absorption from the intestines. If you want the easy way and not to force-feed your cat it's crucial to find renal products that your cat will take willingly, preferably mixed with food. Usually these products need to be given twice a day.

There are surprisingly many CKD products available, but at first I only knew about Pronefra's existence. It's in liquid form, so it's probably the best option for those owners who have to force feed their cat. But since I wanted to avoid that I kept trying others.

 

My cat Olivia is a fussy eater, but she gladly took Ipakitine mixed with her wet food. Unfortunately Ipakitine has lactose as a filler, and that makes absolutely no sense at all because most cats are lactose intolerant. So is my Olivia, and Ipakitine caused her diarrhea. So in conclusion Ipakitine is tasteless and odourless, and most cats will eat it willingly. But it is not suitable for those who can't digest lactose.

 

My oldest cat Kali is now 18 years old, and she was recenly diagnosed with chronic kidney disease aswell. She takes Wepharm's WeNefro voluntarily, mixed with soup wet food. Wenefro seems to be a good product, it has many ingredients which fight against complications renal insuffiency can cause to cats. Where to buy WeNefro? I'm sorry, I haven't been able to find international webstores which would sell it.

 

I give Olivia Porus One, mixed with wet food once a day, and she eats it willingly most of the time. Porus One is different from many other CKD products. It's black powder, and it looks like gun powder. It's actually activated carbon. It's important to mix it really well with wet food, so the cat won't notice it.

 

Renata is also a powder in single use packets. It smells bad, and neither of my CKD cats wanted to eat food if Renata was mixed in it.

Direne tablets Olivia refused to take, even if I crushed the tablets and hid the powder in her food.

 

What are the symptoms of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in cats? The most scary thing is that there might be no symptoms at all, so it's crucial to take senior cats to annual vet check ups and take the blood tests. A cat with renal failure might pee and/or drink a lot.

Movies watched in 2023

Spiral: From the Book of Saw is a really bad movie, starting with the lead actor and Jigsaw's voice. But I had to watch it just to hear the iconic music. The movie also has one of my favorite actors, Samuel L. Jackson. Who is the murderer was clear right from the start because that's how the characters of that actor always are? And especially when the "death" of that character was not shown, and not even his family. Besides, the so-called bad guy was right! And a Saw movie without Tobin Bell is sacrilege. Ps. Saw X already came.. and it has the real and original Jigsaw.

Alice in Borderland (Netflix) is like a copy of Squid Game except Alice came first. A group of young people find themselves in a reality where deadly games are played in which they have to participate. Is there any way out of this new world? I liked this series surprisingly much, there was enough excitement.

Bullet Train (Viaplay) is an action comedy which is my favorite genre of movies. Few action comedies are funny or entertaining, but Bullet Train is plenty. Brad Pitt plays a criminal who goes on a bullet train to do a simple theft task, but in the end there is nothing simple about it. Warning: the movie has a snake in a big role.

Firestarter (2022) is a remake film adaptation of Stephen King's novel, and it commits the worst possible sin: horrific suffering and death of an innocent cat. The problem with remakes is always that they "have" to do things differently than in the original and therefore the plot moves too far from the source material. I don't remember if I've ever seen the first Firestarter movie, but it's (also) been getting bad reviews.

 

I just happened to notice Ghostface on the home screen of the TV, and had to go back to it quickly. I was surprised that Scream 6 had already appeared on Netflix. I liked the movie surprisingly much. It had a lot of references to previous Screams and other horror movies. I had read the plot description before, but I didn't remember anything about it. Except that one certain character doesn't die. Of course, it was funny that a character named Jason watched a F13 movie.

I started watching Melrose Place on free Pluto TV, which I had thought for years that it would be nice to watch again, I had only seen it once before. Well, first I was disappointed when after the second to last, i.e. sixth season, the first season started, i.e. the last seventh season was completely missing! And then in the first season, at one point, they suddenly jumped forward about four episodes. So it makes no sense if there are episodes missing and not everything is shown. The series itself is quite eventful, at least after the first season. Well, luckily, the last season of MP had also appeared on Pluto later.

 

In October, I started watching Areena's series The Secrets She Keeps, because it had been featured in the media and I had seen clips of it in the mornings on Yle. At the very beginning I realized that I have watched it before, but I thought only the first episode. But at the end of the first season I realized that I had watched it all. Only the second season was new for me, and I think it was better than the first. I was a bit surprised by the changed appearance of one of the characters, but the actor had been recast for some reason. Downton Abbey's Laura Carmichael stars in this series.

Death on the Nile is one of the few Agatha Christie books that I have read, along with Murder on the Orient Express, and both more than once, albeit decades ago. So I didn't remember who dies here and who is the murderer. But while watching this 2022 movie, I thought that there was definitely no lesbianism in the book. And did five characters die in the book? And I only realized after the movie that Arnie Hammer is in it, if I had known that beforehand I wouldn't have watched the movie. And then I remembered that I had read about it before.

Towards the end of the year, Disney plus was on offer and I then watched 24 from there. I started from the third season now. Last time I watched the second season, but not to the end. I've watched the fifth season the most often, it's where the most shocking things happen and according to general opinion, it's the best season of 24. From the sixth season onwards, I wouldn't really even want to watch. I can't stand it when Curtis dies, it's my jump the shark moment. About Curtis's death, it is said that Curtis is out of character. Chloe is the one who is out of character in the sixth season. Heels and a skirt, that's not the Chloe I know.

I was looking forward to the Netflix reality show Squid Game: The Challenge. At least initially, it received only negative reviews. But in my opinion, the drama build up was on point, except for the completely lame ending. I actually stopped watching when there were just 14 minutes left in the last episode. And I could guess the winner just because the appearance of one competitor had become unrecognizable after the race. And I don't remember ever hating a contestant on any reality show as much as one person on this show. I just hoped that this person wouldn't make it to the final. Fortunately, they didn't make it, even though it was really close.