JohnnyCashFan
Well-Known Member
In today's political environment I'm sure there are things they had to tip toe over in plot/script.
Anyone think the worms are scarier in the original movie ?
Not really sure Zimmer's score works either.
Movies
- Thread starter gouis
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Anyone think the worms are scarier in the original movie ?
Not really sure Zimmer's score works either.
The score seemed expected. Not bad but it really wasn’t differentiating, unlike Lynch’s movie. Toto tip-toed towards Flash Gordon, but it created a vibe for the film.
yukbon
Well-Known Member
Agreed that he left the world-building on the cutting room floor largely, but I think this was a logical result of trying to avoid Lynch's error (quoting DF Wallace here,) "trying to provide plot exposition by having characters' thoughts audibilized on the soundtrack while the camera zooms in on the character making a thinking face", so a lot of the world-building has to be insinuated instead of explicitly stated. In the books this is usually either 3rd person omniscient exposition or character's inner dialogue or in this long expository dialogue that wouldn't really work well in a movie -- e.g. the banning of 'thinking machines' -- AI specifically and computers generally, thus the need for guild navigators and mentats and lack of over the top technological fancy gizmotronics with very minimal exceptions (Paul's video education reels, largely mechanical technology like the ornithopters. All this is handled in the background -- the duke asks 'how much did it cost' and Thufir Hawat's eyes go white as he does the math in his head; Reverend Mother meets Paul in a dusty library, only paper and wood visible in the scene. The other options are people talking at each other for like, minutes at a time, as in the book, or the closeup on thinking faces while they talk (again, for m i n u t e s) or lastly like, onscreen titlecards. "It's 10000 years in the future, the Butlerian Jihad was a war in which thinking machines were banned and replaced by the mentat order..."
I like Lynch's Dune, but I think this one is better visually -- not just in effects but oh my god yes the effects are so much better. Casting in this one is better (although yes, no Sting. He was better in Baron Munchausen anyway). I enjoyed the Toto soundtrack but I think Zimmer's soundtrack blows it away. The sound design on this one was something I enjoyed so, so much. Pacing on this one is slow but not like 90s-tv-series glacial-slow. My biggest complaint is (much like @Bull Shannon and @nolalady ) lack of character development. Paul is fleshed out....and that's about it. Jessica, like, the tiniest bit? Everyone else is sort of background. Sometimes really intense background, like Javier Bardem's Stilgar, because he just exudes tiredness and holy shit Jamis again with this will you just shut up plskthx, just by like, blinking slowly and exhaling. Everyone else is just sorta there.
I like Lynch's Dune, but I think this one is better visually -- not just in effects but oh my god yes the effects are so much better. Casting in this one is better (although yes, no Sting. He was better in Baron Munchausen anyway). I enjoyed the Toto soundtrack but I think Zimmer's soundtrack blows it away. The sound design on this one was something I enjoyed so, so much. Pacing on this one is slow but not like 90s-tv-series glacial-slow. My biggest complaint is (much like @Bull Shannon and @nolalady ) lack of character development. Paul is fleshed out....and that's about it. Jessica, like, the tiniest bit? Everyone else is sort of background. Sometimes really intense background, like Javier Bardem's Stilgar, because he just exudes tiredness and holy shit Jamis again with this will you just shut up plskthx, just by like, blinking slowly and exhaling. Everyone else is just sorta there.
folsom_lives
pretty_lil_dirt_boi
Yeah. After the third group of dudes wearing helmets showed up to fight I was just thinking who are you again?
kvetcha
Chet Hanks' Filmography Buff
It’s basically just Harkkonens, Atreides, and Sarduakar, I think. I realize in the novel the Sarduakar were in Harkkonen uniforms to hide the Emperor’s involvement, but the streamlining is understandable.
But it loses the political intrigue.
JohnnyCashFan
Well-Known Member
This is a story you really want to read the book on at some point. Under $10 new.
Amazon product ASIN 0441172717
Amazon product ASIN 0441172717
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kvetcha
Chet Hanks' Filmography Buff
It's there, but I agree it's more on the side of lip service. Then again, given the run time I'm not sure how much more justice they could have done it.
If it were to remain a movie, I think ideally Villeneuve should have had closer to 3.5 hours of run time to work with. I'm curious if we'll see a Peter Jackson style Extended Cut at some point, since I know they shot things like the Banquet sequence that didn't make the final film.
TenderLovingKiller®
Well-Known Member
Not to break of the Dune wankfest too much (who doesn’t enjoy a good wank?) but here’s a nice write up in the NYT on Wes Anderson and his impending French Dispatch.
www.nytimes.com
Reading stuff like this makes me wish I had become a exquisitely pretentious actor.
In the Company of Wes Anderson (Published 2021)
What is it about the director that draws stars like Frances McDormand and Tilda Swinton again and again? There are many reasons, but the nightly feasts don’t hurt.
Reading stuff like this makes me wish I had become a exquisitely pretentious actor.
JohnnyCashFan
Well-Known Member
Nice little vignette about the making of John Carpneter's Halloween
Selaws
Well-Known Member
We recently watched the 2 latest Halloween's.
The 2018 one was decent enough but I found Halloween Kills to be wayyyy over the top. One of those films that are so bad that the horror aspect is removed and it becomes silly rather than scary. It was like they were trying to throw in too many references to the old films.
yukbon
Well-Known Member
that was awesome, i loved hearing about the whole business side of getting the funding together to get it made.
two old favorites, "american nightmare"
and john darnielle (of the mountain goats) talking about texas chainsaw massacre at length
JohnnyCashFan
Well-Known Member
We just do I/II tbh
avecigrec
Well-Known Member
I loved the 2018 one too.
Am still looking forward to being disappointed by the new one sometime. Hopefully soon.
ranbalam
Well-Known Member
Last night I finally did a second watch of Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou. For some reason I remembered not liking it much and had it low on my list of Wes Anderson flicks. I loved it this time through and rate it right up there with Rushmore on my list.
I guess timing is everything; when I saw that it was released in 2004 it made sense...that was a rough year that I learned of my then-wife's infidelity followed by a divorce. I probably didn't like much of anything in 2004.
I guess timing is everything; when I saw that it was released in 2004 it made sense...that was a rough year that I learned of my then-wife's infidelity followed by a divorce. I probably didn't like much of anything in 2004.
kvetcha
Chet Hanks' Filmography Buff
I always thought that movie was kind of under-appreciated.
ayayrawn
Well-Known Member
I still think it's one of his lesser flicks. It's tonally all over the place and way too long. That begin said, it's still like a 7/10. when it is good, it is SO good. The ending scene with the fish and sigur ros is iconic. Anderson has made nothing less than at least okay IMO.
Sort of related, he's me as Steve Zissou for Halloween a few years ago.
MattS
Well-Known Member
Saw French Dispatch yesterday. It was pretty solid—definitely a good time for fans of Wes. I will say, looking back on his career, I can’t help but wish he made more movies like Tennenbaums and Rushmore. I feel like much of his newer work is visually beautiful, but I can’t get nearly as into the characters/stories.
Speaking of Andersons, every time I see the Licorice Pizza trailer I get so excited
Speaking of Andersons, every time I see the Licorice Pizza trailer I get so excited
TenderLovingKiller®
Well-Known Member
Those two have always been my favorite though I have thoroughly enjoyed all of his films. I think Life Aquatic and Darjeeling Ltd. Are both fine works, I just think they are a bit more dour tonally that Bottle Rockets, Rushmore, and Tennenbaums. Not that those films don’t also delve into sadness, I just they are a bit more balanced with an uncynical optimism. I think starting with Moonrise Kingdom she swung back the other direction and probably over corrected a bit before hitting that balance again with Grand Budapest Hotel. I think French Dispatch will be interested in that it’s more of an anthology so I would assume it could be a bit of a mix bag when it comes to to tone similarly to the Coen Brothers The Ballad of Buster Scruggs.