What's Next for Netflix?

by Evan Deane

In recent years, the popular subscription-based TV streaming service, Netflix, has had great success with creating their own shows rather than hosting other popular shows. Programs such as Orange is the New Black and House of Cards have received several awards such as The Satellite Award for Best Cast and a TCA award for Outstanding New Program. That being said, Netflix newest project is sure to stir up some controversy.

 

In motion is a collaboration between Netflix and popular video game company, Nintendo. Netflix is reportedly working on a live-action TV series based on the Legend of Zelda series. First reported by The Wall Street Journal, the show is still in its very early stages, and has yet to even find a writer for the show.

Nintendo has been weary of film and television adaptations of their intellectual properties since the commercial failure of the “Super Mario Bros.” movie back in the 1990s. Nintendo also had several TV shows back in the 80’s and 90’s. The first of which was a show simply titled “The Legend of Zelda”. It was an animated show, as opposed to the live-action show rumored to be coming to Netflix, and only lasted one season. The other was the “Super Mario Brothers Super Show!” Again, another animated adaptation of Nintendo’s famous mustached plumber. Neither of the two did particularly well.

But having 20 years passed, Nintendo seems to be a bit more willing to experiment with their popular video game franchises. After all, it was confirmed a few months back that Nintendo were ready to take another crack at a Super Mario Bros. movie, this time animated, with the help of Sony, of all companies.

Netflix seems to be describing the new Legend of Zelda series as similar to Game of Thrones but with a more light-hearted, kid-friendly tone. Hopefully, “kid-friendly” doesn’t translate to painfully tame, but in stages as early as this it is difficult to tell. Netflix will reportedly be working very closely with Nintendo and Japanese game developers who have been pumping out games in the Legend of Zelda series for the past 28 years. However, the show playing it too safe isn’t the only potential issue seen by fans of the series.

Now, what makes the Legend of Zelda games so good is the visual aesthetics, immersive gameplay, and expert level-design -- not necessarily the story. Yes, it is true that Zelda games have story-telling elements to them, but I think most fans would agree that the stories are nothing special. They may be memorable, but not stand-alone experiences by any stretch of the imagination.

And the same problem goes for the characters populating the series. The series main character, Link, has been mute for decades now, never seeing so much as a cut scene or voice-over in even his most recent games. The closest our hero has come to speaking has been awkwardly grunting as he gets slashed with a sword. And maybe that’s for the better. At this point in the series, assigning a distinct voice to a character fans have known for nearly 30 years would be very strange.

But apart from Link, are any of the other characters in the Zelda series interesting? Many would say “nope”. We have Zelda, the series’ damsel in distress who is arguably there in most of the series to give Link a purpose to his adventure. Then there’s Ganondorf, who is just the series’ villain and nothing more. There is little to nothing to these characters, and their back stories are almost non-existent. This could pose a big problem for the writers of the show, who would need to write everything from the ground up, having very little to go on.

Portraying the series characters could prove to be challenging too. Because the show is live-action, there would need to be an actor fit enough to play the parts these characters down to a T. I can envision passionate fans of the series being angry that the actor chose to play Link doesn’t resemble like his video-game counterpart.

Also, bringing the world of Zelda to life in a real-world setting would be insanely expensive. There is some serious doubt that Netflix would be able to fund such a large project to bring this vision to fruition without cutting some serious corners. Creating such a lively and fantasy-driven world would rely heavily on costuming and makeup departments, and even more on CGI. The cost of this would certainly be more than any amount of funding Netflix needed to create Orange Is the New Black or House of Cards and possibly even more than HBO uses to produce Game of Thrones.

Finally if this show did become a reality, I can’t imagine Nintendo would be terribly easy to work with. The Mario and Zelda series have already been butchered in the past, so it’s entirely possible that Nintendo would give Netflix complete and total control to the point where they could take any single idea and just run with it, in which case there is the possibility that the show may not resemble the games in the slightest.

On the other hand, Nintendo seems to have been protecting themselves more and more as of late. The company could go and nitpick every single thing the creators try to do with the show. If Nintendo themselves, who haven’t the slightest clue of how to make a TV show, have too much control they could drive the creators absolutely insane, and force them to cut the show before it even comes into its own.

And yet, with everything the show has going against it, I find myself asking, why not? It’s sad to say that most every video game to movie or video game to TV show adaptation has been just okay at best, but who knows, maybe this show could set a new standard for such adaptations. If Netflix wants to sink thousands upon thousands of dollars into a Legend of Zelda inspired TV show, I’m certainly not going to stop them. I think I speak for every fan of the series when I say whether the show is a huge hit or a commercial failure, it wouldn’t tarnish my many years of appreciation I have for the series. In my mind the games would be very separate from the TV show and I am just extremely interested to see how it turns out. The show is an experiment at best, and it would be very difficult to truly “ruin” an entire video game series just because of one bad interpretation.

While Nintendo may have found most of their success with video games, they certainly aren’t afraid to step outside of their comfort zone. Before deciding on video games, they were everything from a playing card company, to a toy company, and even the more scandalous of choices, a love hotel -- so who’s to say they can’t also make a great TV show? Both Netflix and Nintendo have a long way to go before the Legend of Zelda TV show becomes a reality, let’s just hope the project isn’t killed off before then.

 

The Buzz About Blizzards

by Elizabeth Harrington

As I sit in my house wrapped in my fuzzy blanket, drinking hot cocoa and catching up on missed episodes of Downtown Abbey, I bask in the relaxation that snow days bring. The blizzard of 2015, which I am currently hiding out from has given me two days to relax much needed after midyears week.

 

But with this relaxation comes pure chaos between closed roads and power outages, just a few of the dire effects of blizzards. Supermarkets fill up, as people get ready to stock there refrigerators full of goods in preparation for being snowed in for days on end. The so called “Blizzard” of 2015 has been feeble compared to the famous blizzard of 1978 which began on February 5, 1978, dissipated February 7, and resulted in 1.88 billion dollars in damage. About 100 people were killed and 4,500 were injured during the blizzard where Boston received 23.6 inches of snow. If you are unsure about just how horrific the blizzard conditions were, you can surely ask either your parents or your grandparents and they can tell you all about it.

My inspiration for writing this blog came after my mom, Lauren Harrington, told me about her experience with the blizzard of ‘78. Students in Woburn were out of school for two weeks.  Harrington commented on the impact of all that snow.

 “If you were in your basement and looked out the window all you would see was snow…[and] sleds came in handy during those few weeks,” recalled Harrington.

 The extent of the damage seemed almost unimaginable as tens of thousands of people were forced to move to temporary emergency shelters. About twenty-five thousand houses were seriously damaged. About fifty four people were killed, mostly by falling power lines. A state of emergency was put into effect and the United States National Guard was brought in to help clear the roads so that transportation could start again. In total, it took six full days to clear the roads.

Cross Country skiing became extremely popular during those few days as it was the only way to get around. My mom explained to me that the only way to get down her driveway was to take a sled, then using temporary snow shoes that my grandpa made out of tennis rackets to walk on, despite that there was nowhere to go.

As much as I love to sit in and relax, it does get quite boring being trapped in the basement. After a few snow days, it’s always important to take into account just how dangerous these extreme storms can be. As I press play on the next episode, I wonder what it would have been like to be stuck in the blizzard of ‘78 and if the blizzard of 2015 is even close to a glimpse of what it was like.

Sources:

 

Sachtelben, Marilisa.“Winter storm Juno to hit on blizzard of 1978 anniversary.” Examiner.com.

27 Jan 2015.

Sakata, John. “Storm mirrors the blizzard of ‘78”. Eagle-Tribune. Eagletribute.com. 28 Jan 2015.

 

Have no fear for Valentines Day

by Julie O'Melia

The month of February is once again upon us. It seems that just yesterday we were all decorating our Christmas tree while A Christmas Story was being played in a never-ending marathon. February may be the shortest month, but it should not be looked over. February 14^th is the ominous date marked on everyone’s calendar. Some try to overlook it, only to fail because Valentine’s Day is seriously unavoidable. You can’t walk into a store without having your eyes blinded by a sea of Pepto-Bismol colored candy, balloons and stuffed animals. Everywhere, men are panicking because the upcoming holiday has slipped from their minds. They’re all thinking: wasn’t Christmas just yesterday? Suddenly you realize that not only have you forgotten about the ever-important holiday, you are also broke from spending so much on Christmas presents. If you fall into any of these categories, fear not, because there is hope for you.  There are plenty of easy and cheap Valentine’s Day ideas. They might not include a diamond necklace, but they should suffice.

No time to book a reservation? No problem. The best restaurant is your kitchen. Surprise your partner by cooking their favorite dinner, or baking some delicious treats. If you’re not into surprises, work together and make something that you both love. That way if it ends up tasting horrible, nobody’s to blame!

This idea is great for all of the busybodies out there that have no time to cook a meal. If you and your significant other are always stuck at work or practice, there’s nothing like coming out of a grueling practice or shift to a sweet surprise. Leave your partners favorite candy and a real Valentine’s Day card in the windshield of their car. This sweet and simple gesture is quick and easy, so you won’t be late for your own practice. If your partner doesn’t drive then that’s an easy fix. Simply leave your small surprise on their doorstep and make something to come home to.

For those of you who love the outdoors, ice-skating is the most perfect and romantic date idea. Venture to the scenic Frog Pond in Boston, and lace up. Not only is Frog Pond cheap, it’s also fun and little different from the typical movies-and popcorn type of dates. After spending hours in the freezing cold, grab a hot chocolate to end the night.

Everyone loves the beach, and just because it’s February doesn’t mean that you can’t enjoy it! Beaches are deserted during these cold months, so you will have the entire area to yourselves. Bundle up and take a walk down the shore, and look for any little sea creatures that might have washed up. After your little adventure drive until you find an open spot to eat. For example, Brown’s in Hampton Beach New Hampshire is open on the weekends all winter long. Not only is it cheap, it’s also fresh and delicious seafood.

Valentine’s Day is always marketed as a holiday about spending money, and trying to prove to someone how much you love them depending on the amount of money that you are willing to spend on them. Some find that the best way to show you love someone is to simply put in a little effort to show them that you care. By remembering that your partner happens to love Kit Kats, or taking time out of your busy day to leave them a surprise is something that they will keep with them longer than they would a piece of jewelry. Senior Lauren McCarthy shares her point of view on Valentine’s Day,

“I think the best gifts are the simplest ones. I’m not really interested in fancy things. Simple gifts are the kind that only people who really know you get you and that’s what makes them special,” said McCarthy.

Valentine’s Day is a day about appreciation, and you shouldn’t have to spend a ton of money to be appreciated.