Cinema and Movie Thread: coming at you at 24fps

[Gorgon]

On 2/28/2024 at 8:41 PM, HoonDing said:

They lost me when they turned Sardaukar into completely pansies.

Yeah they were built up like crazy and then they were just knocked aside like they were nothing. It's a symptom of the same thing I think, clearly the final confrontation with the emperor and the Harkonen should have been the main mountain to climb, but for some reason the wanted to be done with it in 15 minutes.

[Malcador]

On 3/9/2024 at 7:21 PM, Sarex said:

Again I am wondering if he is crazy enough to try and do book 4.

Well, I suppose people would want to attend a lecture in IMAX...

[Keyrock]

The Aftermath (1982) - After a pair of astronauts crash land on Earth they discover that the planet has recently suffered an apocalypse. The few remaining survivors have to contend with mutants and a marauding gang of murderers and rapists led by Sid Haig.

Last year I watched a vanity project called Empire of the Dark written, directed, and starring dad bod champion Steve Barkett. This is the second vanity project of his I've watched, although this one was made first. Very much like Empire of the Dark, this is just a classic enjoyable adventure B movie and way better than most vanity projects I watch. Better as in more technically sound, not necessarily more fun to watch. This movie is competently made; it's cheap and cheesy and the acting ranges from bad to mediocre, except Sid Haig, who's an order of magnitude better an actor than everybody else, but there's a plot I can follow, characters act reasonably sensibly most of the time, the shots are properly framed, and the subjects are in focus, that's more than I can say for many many vanity projects.

I've enjoyed Steve Barkett's vanity projects, they're both cheap and cheesy but enjoyable solid B movies. Of the two I think I like The Aftermath better. The ending is rather dark and brutal, which I found pleasantly surprising. Typically in a vanity project our heroic star/writer/director saves the day and gets the girl, the same can be said for a typical adventure movie. Not here.

Edited March 12 by Keyrock

[LadyCrimson]

A Bridge Too Far. Still good, if a little overlong.
What I always remember when I think of the film is Anthony Hopkins, and ... "hail Mary, full of grace!"

 

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

Night of the Comet (1984) - Chakotay plays an 80s horror movie in the holodeck.

It's not bad, there's several well done scenes and it's genuinely a more interesting take on zombies than I've seen in most films, but it is extremely 80s in every way but the obligatory nude scenes most other 80s horror flicks have.

[Amentep]

 

[Gfted1]

 

[Lexx]

25 minutes ago, Gfted1 said:

 

This looks dumb. Not gonna watch it.

[Gfted1]

Did you ever watch the original with Brandon Lee?

[Raithe]

The original had a sense of style and emotion to it. I'm not really picking up either vibe from that trailer.

Plus, Michael Wincott was a most excellently drippingly evil villain.

[Lexx]

1 hour ago, Gfted1 said:

Did you ever watch the original with Brandon Lee?

Yes, in fact I watched it just last week. CGI is terrible, but other than that still holds up, imo.

[Keyrock]

9 hours ago, Gfted1 said:

 

After watching the trailer, I am now neither more nor less interested in seeing this movie.

[Bartimaeus]

Dune...

. . .

. . .

. . .

...(1984), by David Lynch.

What a weird, clunky, messy film. It's like David Lynch couldn't make the narrative Lynchian enough, so he decided to Lynch it up in other ways. But it was vaguely entertaining somehow (sometimes in unintentional ways...), so I guess you could do worse than watch this nonsense. I assume it's probably for the best that I'm pretty much not at all familiar with the Dune books - while some of the sets certainly look cool enough, I can't think the film quite captures the spirit of whatever the heck the books were supposed to be about.

Kyle MacLachlan has the most unsightly chin - a chin I daresay made for a villain of some nature, and certainly not a messiah.

Edited March 15 by Bartimaeus

[LadyCrimson]

1 - That Crow remake looks like it's tossing anything that made the original at least a little impactful, outside of fun/otp violence/mayhem, away. Zero interest.

2 - never really noticed/thought about it before, but Kyle MacLachlan's chin does seem like it has extraextra bone protrusion or something. Certain lighting/shadowing makes it really stand out. The guy in the new movies is a little less "weird", but it seems to still be fairly prominent/deep dent between chin and lower lip. Maybe it's considered a requirement for the role.    

[Bartimaeus]

It's especially noticeable whenever you see him from the side - the guy looks like he had to be the inspiration for the Crimson Chin. Features that go just a little too far beyond normal proportions seems to usually have the effect of freaking my brain out...see also Julia Roberts and her very frightening mouth/smile. Her jaw is going to unhinge and she's going to chomp my poor little head off in one bite.

I have been told that my fear of Julia Roberts is irrational and not based in reality, but I still dread the snake people among us...

[Raithe]

To be fair to the 1984 version, it's not the cut that Lynch wanted. He's pretty much refused to talk about the Dune film because of how much interference the studio gave and messed around with what was kept and cut from the film. So he filmed it for a specific vision and then didn't get to edit it to that vision.

Such is the joy of battles between Directors and Studio films.

 

And yes, on the Crow, the original had it's own rich embrace of the gothic ambience of the 90's, it had a vibe and tone that it cheerfully ran with to provide a specific unique feel. That trailer for the new version looks lacking in atmosphere and emotion. Whether it's my age talking, but it looks like an attempt of a glossy, gen-z action film in an attempt to do a John Wick under the guise of The Crow.

And while Danny Huston is a good actor and has done some good villains, nothing in that trailer of him provides any of the character or compelling nature of Michael Wincott's Top Dollar.

[majestic]

What are you talking about, Dune (1984) was directed by Alan Smithee and written by Judas Booth.

Well, at least the version broadcast on TV. Heh.

10 hours ago, Bartimaeus said:

Kyle MacLachlan

 

 

[LadyCrimson]

7 hours ago, Bartimaeus said:

see also Julia Roberts and her very frightening mouth/smile.

I think she's very beautiful but I don't disagree re: disproportion vs. average. I've (initially/first glance) reacted similarly when someone has the opposite - a very tiny mouth vs. rest of face - as well. We tend to expect certain average measurement points (ratios?) in faces, seemingly beyond only culture bias. It's why a haircut can sometimes dramatically change what others think of appearance - the hairstyle changes perceived ratios.  All kinds of videos/articles/studies on that stuff.

[PK htiw klaw eriF]

I dunno, maybe Lynch understood Dune better than all of us and Kyle MacLaughlin's Paul Atreidis is a villain. While I haven't read the books but from what I've seen Space Lawrence of Arabia who manipulates the religious beliefs of a colonized people in order to take revenge and seize power certainly is a legit read on Paul and is undoubtedly villainous. That's certainly a more interesting story than the conventional heroes journey.

Timothee Chamalet (I don't know if I mispelled it and I don't care tbh) looks like a grown up starving Victorian child. I would have cast Kristen Stewart or Lakeith Stanfield as Paul Atreidis.

[rjshae]

I know this won't be a popular opinion, but I still find the Dune (2000) mini-series was the most faithful to the actual novels. It doesn't have the visual fireworks you see in the films, of course, but a longer TV series can cover the more mental aspects that made the books work.

[Sarex]

On 2/28/2024 at 8:41 PM, HoonDing said:

They lost me when they turned Sardaukar into completely pansies.

I am going through the books again, they pretty much say outright that Fremen manhandle the Sardaukar.

57 minutes ago, rjshae said:

I know this won't be a popular opinion, but I still find the Dune (2000) mini-series was the most faithful to the actual novels. It doesn't have the visual fireworks you see in the films, of course, but a longer TV series can cover the more mental aspects that made the books work.

Until these recent movies, Children of Dune of was my favorite rendition of it.

Edited March 15 by Sarex

[majestic]

2 hours ago, PK htiw klaw eriF said:

I dunno, maybe Lynch understood Dune better than all of us and Kyle MacLaughlin's Paul Atreidis is a villain. While I haven't read the books but from what I've seen Space Lawrence of Arabia who manipulates the religious beliefs of a colonized people in order to take revenge and seize power certainly is a legit read on Paul and is undoubtedly villainous. That's certainly a more interesting story than the conventional heroes journey.

Frank Herbert on Dune in an interview with Charles Platt:

The first book is a classical hero's journey, indeed, but even then Paul has visions of what his jihad will cause. It becomes much clearer with Dune Messiah.

[Hurlshort]

Damsel - I sat down to watch this after a long day, and was just looking for something easy to watch for a bit while I ate dinner. It looked like a generic fantasy flick, and it definitely fit that bill. Early on it was pretty, but a bit wooden. The acting was very meh. But then it got better. It wasn't unpredictable, per se, but the twists were carried out well and a bit darker than expected. The buildup and pacing was well done, and I found myself unable to turn it off. Millie Bobby Brown went from a wooden princess to a badass and it was a solid progression. It ended on a high note (despite the last 20 seconds or so.) 

Anyways, I'm sure it won't be majestic enough for everyone here, but I was pleasantly surprised by it. Also, Angela Bassett also seemed out of place at first, but then she flipped the script and become my favorite character.

[Malcador]

2 hours ago, rjshae said:

I know this won't be a popular opinion, but I still find the Dune (2000) mini-series was the most faithful to the actual novels. It doesn't have the visual fireworks you see in the films, of course, but a longer TV series can cover the more mental aspects that made the books work.

I am rewatching that now, and agree.  For some reason every rendition can't include Fenring as he was in the novel, 1984 omits him - same with the new one I think ? and in 2001 they do away with Margot and him as well to have Irulan handle that, as well as having a larger role.   

Shame the costumes really get in the way, the CGI is out of a Westwood game but that is just budget.  Good to know Arrakis is Czechia in space.

[Sarex]

On 3/10/2024 at 4:52 PM, Gorgon said:

Yeah they were built up like crazy and then they were just knocked aside like they were nothing. It's a symptom of the same thing I think, clearly the final confrontation with the emperor and the Harkonen should have been the main mountain to climb, but for some reason the wanted to be done with it in 15 minutes.

It was pretty similar in the book too, if anything they showed more of the battles in the movie.