Entertainment

Stranger Things 4: 4 Big Things To Expect

Every ending has its new beginning, indeed

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Editor’s Note: The story has been updated to reflect new information.


Writing this specific article makes me remember my early days in GadgetMatch where I wrote two special articles about Stranger Things 3 — especially because I’m the biggest fan of the team (been a fan since Season 1).

After almost three years of (patiently) waiting, we’ll finally be able to watch Stranger Things 4 on our screens again!

Vol.1 Special Screening in Cinema 11

Seven days before the actual release of Stranger Things 4: Volume 1, Netflix Philippines invited us for a special screening of its first episode — right at Power Planet Mall’s last cinema booth, Cinema 11 (y’know, Eleven 🥁).

Wear anything “retro”, they say

The littlest set details outside the cinema made me cherish the good ol’ days of the First Season of Stranger Things from 2016. From those bright neon lights, a retro-styled photobooth, an ST4-branded popcorn box, and a soda cup. Even the “swag set” full of ST4 goodies that imitated the look of the spooky creel house, This also reminded me of how the series (as well as the fanbase) expanded entirely until it became a hit globally.

A single photobooth access plus a single swag set for that single Stranger Things fan, please

Although I went there all by myself, I still enjoyed every bit of the screening. To best describe everything, here’s my Instagram Reel roundup of it:

Vol.2 Special Screening at Glorietta 4

While the first special screening was held at Cinema 11, this time it was at Glorietta 4’s Activity Center — and it’s something any Stranger Things fan wouldn’t want to miss.

Other than the Upside Down “4” logo of the mall itself, what’s special is what you’ll find inside.

Going straight to Glorietta 4’s Activity Center shows you a perfect glimpse of Vecna’s Mind Lair. From the walls to the floors, you can tell that it was a spot-on portrayal of the lair. Kudos to the creative team behind this nerve-wracking installment.

And the star of the show is none other than Vecna himself. While it may be creepy for most (especially to non-fans), for me it was an astonishing feat of art installation right at the heart of Glorietta 4.

Vecna-ception? Well, you’re not wrong. The real Vecna showed up in front of us and did the same iconic scene with Max from one of Stranger Things’ most memorable episodes — Vol.1 Chapter 4: Dear Billy.

Fans and influencers alike flaunted their full-blown Stranger Things-inspired outfits which clearly show that the Netflix series has a huge following in the Philippines.

While I didn’t take any selfies with Vecna, the photo of my foot stepping on one of Vecna’s “mind veins” is enough for me to say “I was at Vecna’s Mind Lair and I survived even if I have a lot of sufferings” 🤣

You can watch a virtual tour of Vecna’s Mind Lair by watching my Instagram Reel:

 

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The Vecna mind projection will be available for the public to see at Glorietta 4 until 2nd of July — just a day after the premiere of Stranger Things 4 Vol.2.

4 big things to expect

After watching the first episode of Stranger Things 4: Volume 1 for about an hour and fifteen minutes, there are four things I think we should expect in the series.

1. Out with the old, in with the new?

After the devastating phenomenon that happened in Hawkins last season, several characters have moved into a new town. The Byers, together with El(even) in mind. That also means Will and El have to deal with a new set of people in a seemingly unfamiliar environment.

Other characters have remained in the OG town, though. From the Wheelers, Sinclairs, Dustin, Joe, Robin, and even Max, they have continued with their lives despite being stuck in the same ol’ town. And oh, as the gang turned from kids to teens, do expect some dramatic changes in the way they act — especially after what happened.

P.S: There’s a new school club, too, that’s hilariously fun and cool despite its degrading image to the eyes of many.

2. Familiar and unfamiliar faces

Other than the remaining original cast from Season 1, a new season also means expecting new characters on the block. Apart from new schoolmates, there are also people that might help the initial set of kiddos who have saved Will from the darker underworld a.k.a the Upside Down.

The first few minutes of the episode was also revealed through Stranger Things’ YouTube channel showing how the Hawkins Laboratory had more than 11 Eleven-like superchildren that are being tested and experimented — until everything fell apart because of one superchild that ruined how things work inside the lab.

3. Jim isn’t dead

Jim Hopper’s sudden disappearance after the closing of the Upside Down had a lot of fans shaking their heads. Most (including myself) have speculated that he already died. Well, we can’t afford losing one more main character after the death of Bob from Season 2. Plus, Billy and Alexei just last season.

Fortunately, Jim, in his new haircut, appeared on the official trailer of Stranger Things 4. And just as shown in the first episode of the first volume, his presence can be felt — just from another side of the planet.

4. Another monster to kill

The Demogorgon and Mind Flayer are two of the most wicked supervillains ever existed. Whether that may be in the history of Hawkins or just in the eyes of people.

But the two evil creatures aren’t the end of the gang’s fate. A new town means there’s a new monster, too — namely, Vecna.

As shown at the end of the official trailer, the new horrendous creature is in human form. It can manipulate the mind of the affected individual — even the dimension where s/he’s at. While I won’t be specific about what happened, it sure is a powerful, demonic creature. It can truly make someone disturbingly psychotic and literally broken inside and out.

Biggest season ever with super-sized episodes

After watching the first episode of the first volume, I can say it was a rollercoaster ride of emotions. First it was thrilling, then it became a full-on comedy show. Next thing you know, you’re already mindf*cked with what’s happening. I always say this but still, hands-down to the team behind Stranger Things for making the fourth season more exciting to watch (despite being borderline creepy and horrifying).

Image by GadgetMatch

The First Volume of Stranger Things Season 4 was released by Netflix on May 27, 2022 (Friday) with seven episodes. Most episodes are reported to be as long as a full-length film.

On the other hand, Volume 2 with a whopping total of two episodes will be released after two months: exactly July 1st (also a Friday) — just four days before the independence of the United States of America. That makes the series run nine episodes in total.

Entertainment

Linkin Park: Unshatter is the band’s kintsugi

Raw, visceral, honest approach on grief, starting again, and moving forward

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All stills courtesy: Linkin Park

When Linkin Park understandably went on an immediate hiatus in 2017 following the tragic death of its frontman Chester Bennington, it felt to millions of fans as though an important part of their lives had been taken away.

For the longest time, the one thing the rock band did exceptionally well was to put into their songs all the untold, unexpressed feelings, emotions, and thoughts of several generations.

That deep resonance made the music stick. When 2017 happened, many felt that connection was gone for good.

Linkin Park: Unshatter magnifies what handling grief looks like from the inside out. It starts with the band members themselves and radiates outward to the community that carried them.

It goes without saying that grief has no single roadmap. And for band co-founder and co-lead vocalist Mike Shinoda, moving forward began with a simple and almost accidental question put out into the open: “What if Linkin Park didn’t have to end?”

Starting again

The documentary-concert film opens with a cinematic rush: a sweeping shot of the Allianz Parque (now Nubank Parque) in São Paulo, Brazil, where Linkin Park is set to perform as part of their From Zero World Tour.

A quick montage follows, capturing the concert day feel as it commences. Viewers get thrown straight onto the stage as “Somewhere I Belong” ignites the crowd.

Then, the mood then shifts abruptly, pulling everyone backward to late 2022 inside Shinoda’s studio.

Here, alongside original members Joe Hahn and Dave “Phoenix” Farrell, the cinematic scale melts away into an unscripted, intimate creative slate. This is where the true documentary tone takes over.

If you have been preoccupied with everyday undertakings, Unshatter acts as an essential catch-up material for the behind-the-scenes evolution that transpired from 2022 to 2024.

It delivers a wealth of candid footage rarely seen outside of close circles, offering fans a fresh perspective right in the eye of the storm. It’s been billed as such, and it does not disappoint.

Part of what makes it grounded and emotionally connecting is the chronological storytelling. As with starting again, you don’t know what is about to happen yet.

The progression, which includes moving from Shinoda’s private quarters to EastWest Studios, the rehearsals and promotional photoshoot, and everything in between, takes you to the build-up and makes every step feel real before the 2024 breakthrough.

Raw, visceral, honest

You can feel the complete absence of a script in these early studio sessions. Shinoda spent the latter half of the previous decade performing on his own, and speaks candidly about how exhausting it was to constantly look backward or perform for “tributes.”

There was no sudden lightbulb moment either. Three veterans simply chose to gather and think things through with a level of organic randomness.

This mirrors how processing grief unfolds in the real world. For Shinoda, much like how he would later describe new new vocalist Emily Armstrong’s voice and personality, the core approach was about being raw, visceral, and honest.

All three knew grief was there. It had been enveloping them all these years and they thought moving away from what defined their lives would do good.

At some point, survival meant acknowledging reality first and then carrying on from there.

Triple lenses

The documentary’s narrative spine relies on three distinct lenses: the OG holdovers, the new members and the uniqueness of Brad Delson’s dynamic with this new iteration.

After the opening third of the film heavily focuses on the OG trio, the arrival of Armstrong and Brittain in the middle act expands the horizon.

Brittain, particularly, initially stepped in as a guitarist to complement Shinoda’s structural ideas. He bares his lifelong fandom on camera, and even offers a striking thought which Shinoda mentions towards the end: that the music industry and the world in general is simply better with Linkin Park in it.

Much like newcomers finding their footing in a sports franchise, Emily and Colin quickly worked together often to hasten the integration process.

Later, Delson is introduced as someone initially reluctant to the thought of restarting Linkin Park. Such resistance was acknowledged though he warms up to the idea and rejoins the fold in the latter stages.

His role changes to an anchor, as if a coaching consultant helping run a franchise at the highest level without necessarily being on the sidelines every single night.

Shinoda was open about the tension this could have caused, weighing whether a non-touring lead guitarist might disrupt the momentum and progress of the comeback build-up.

Yet the film consistently highlights how mature, open, and thoughtful those internal conversations were.

Delson’s eventual return made Colin slide into the drummer role. The transition was handled with surprising economy on screen, much like the brief, respectful nod given to former drummer Rob Bourdon’s departure.

Emily rises From Zero

Armstrong shares the middle act with Brittain, but her journey demands its own lens. And the documentary captures this duality of carrying the inherent weight of stepping into the shoes left by an icon and her energetic personality in the studio as she dances, vocalizes, and throws her soul into the process.

Much has been chronicled about Armstrong’s electrifying voice and the shoes she has had to fill, but the documentary chose to present her entry in a more natural manner.

Rather than being angled towards succession, the documentary spends a huge chunk showing her fit with her new bandmates. There is also a side to it where she is driven to prove herself coming from Dead Sara as a relative “unknown” before the 2024 surprise comeback.

A particular solemn moment captures this stripped down feel, as with the movie in general, even further: Emily singing a radically different rendition of “Heavy Is The Crown” with Shinoda playing the piano.

It’s far different from the high energy final version that has been out for years now, showing the fragile baby steps the band took.

Mike asking Emily at one point if she is open to touring also forces you to reflect on how differently the comeback could have unfolded.

This lens tackles the setlist realities. Songs from One More Light were basically untouchable. The meticulous work required to adjust keys and match Armstrong’s skill set were also shown.

Unshatter is the band’s kintsugi

One neat inclusion features blink-182’s Mark Hoppus, listening to a freshly completed mix of “Unshatter.” Having an industry contemporary validate in real-time that something special has clicked adds massive weight to the proceedings.

You can visibly see how genuinely flattered Shinoda gets when Hoppus tells him he got goosebumps.

The moment acts as the emotional bridge to the film’s ultimate metaphor, as expounded on by Delson towards the end: Linkin Park’s comeback is the band’s kintsugi.

This is, of course, the Japanese pottery tradition of putting broken pieces back together using a gold filling.

Though “Unshatter” wasn’t officially released until 2025, it served as the blueprint for the secret work Linkin Park poured years into.

In one of its most artfully executed transition moments, the film cuts right at the chorus of “The Emptiness Machine” from the high-stakes, breathless tension of their 2024 comeback launch event at Warner Studios, throwing viewers right back into the roaring Allianz Parque.

This was preceded of course by one of the final resonant glimpses of unsuspecting long-time fans transported to Warner Studios in anticipation of what was then only billed as a private gathering.

Proper documentary-concert film

Linkin Park: Unshatter strikes a wonderful balance between candid moments and electrifying concert sequence.

The live performance scenes were woven in seamlessly. Cinematography looked sharp: quick cuts, drone shots, sheer fan emotion. Towards the end, Hahn has his own immersive on-stage camera angles of his teammates.

Yet it never stretches too thin. You wouldn’t want to watch just a live concert. Make no mistake, in a large screen format and with accompanying cinematic audio, the energy just reverberates harder.

The film ends with the aftermath of the live performance of “Bleed it Out” as fireworks erupt across the stadium sky, before it fades into a final line to cap the comeback journey.

An old archival clip of Chester and Mike performing “Esaul”, the earlier version of “A Place For My Head” with lyrics still different also plays as a final touch.

That clip encapsulates the beginnings of one of the century’s most successful rock bands. Decades after, a restart happened.

It was about moving forward, acknowledging grief, but realizing you can make something beautiful while carrying that history with you. The only way to “unshatter” was to be raw, visceral, and honest about what’s going on.

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Computers

Lenovo tech behind DreamWorks Animation hit ‘Forgotten Island’

Partnership powers modern demands of animation production

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DreamWorks Animation’s Forgotten Island has definitely become a big screen hit, debuting with a 100% Rotten Tomatoes score and being well received particularly by a large Filipino fanbase.

And behind the movie is DreamWorks Animation’s partnership with tech giant, Lenovo. The collaboration is helping power the former’s production slate, including the studio’s animated feature inspired by Filipino culture, mythology, and experiences.

In 2025, DreamWorks expanded its relationship with Lenovo by naming the company its preferred compute services, workstation, and solutions provider.

Such partnership brings together Lenovo workstations, high-performance infrastructure, data center technology, and services to support the demanding needs of modern animation production.

It is a collaboration that builds on years of work between the two companies. DreamWorks has used Lenovo workstations as part of workflows across the studio.

Lenovo infrastructure has also supported the large-scale computing requirements involved in creating animated worlds and characters.

Still in cinemas, Forgotten Island follows lifelong best friends Jo and Raissa, voiced by Grammy and Academy Award winner H.E.R. and Filipino actress Liza Soberano.

As the two prepare to take different paths after high school, they unexpectedly find themselves transported to Nakali, a fantastical island populated by magical and mythological creatures rooted in stories from their Filipino families.

The film is written and directed by Academy Award nominee Joel Crawford and Januel Mercado and produced by Academy Award nominee Mark Swift, the filmmaking team behind Puss in Boots: The Last Wish.

Its voice cast also includes Dave Franco, Jenny Slate, Manny Jacinto, Dolly de Leon, Jo Koy, Ronny Chieng, and Lea Salonga.

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Entertainment

SEGA, Netflix announce Crazy Taxi film adaptation

1st in planned slate of film adaptations, including Sonic and STRANGER THAN HEAVEN

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SEGA and Netflix have announced a new Crazy Taxi film adaptation. This will usher in a new collaboration era with the parties also developing adaptations for Sonic and STRANGER THAN HEAVEN.

Such a slate of future adaptations reflects the range of SEGA’s library as it draws on Netflix’s experience bringing beloved game worlds to new audiences.

The first project features Crazy Taxi, which will be written by Dan Gregor and Doug Mand. The beloved writing duo was behind the 2025 reboot of The Naked Gun.

Also on board to help helm the production are the same visionaries behind the Sonic franchise: Neal H. Moritz, Toby Ascher, and Toru Nakahara.

Crazy Taxi has been an arcade hit since 1999, putting players behind the wheel of a fearless cabbie racing the clock through chaotic city streets.

There’s flying off ramps, dodging traffic, and chasing tips with punk-rock energy that has become the series’ signature.

The latest title in the franchise, Crazy Taxi: World Tour, is set for a 2027 release. You can watch its trailer below:

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