DUNE

[Mankcam]

Given that DUNE is a property of interest to many, I thought this may be of interest:

First Dune Remake Footage Earns Big Praise, Gets Compared to Lord of the Rings

The very first footage from Denis Villeneuve's Dune has been screened for some industry insiders.

movieweb.com

 

[Dumarest]

I dunno, man, without a nearly naked Gordon Sumner can it still be Dune?

​

 

[Necrozius]

Extremely excited about this.

He hasn't let me down yet... I hope that studio executives fuck off and leave the movie alone, though.

 

[TristramEvans]

I'm a huge fan of the books, and thus highly skeptical about this. I've been burned pretty bad twice (and just in general by adaptions of IPS I love) And I really don't know how some parts of that first book are even translatable to the screen, but they are so vital to the story, that it's not really an option to exclude them and for it to still be Dune. I'm not familiar with the director, I remember watching Mad Max Fury Road and thinking "this guy might be able to pull off Dune...", at least visually.

But I'd very much like to be proven wrong.

 

[TristramEvans]

Who is playing Paul?

 

[Necrozius]

I'm not familiar with the director

His other Sci-fi forays include the Arrival and Blade Runner: 2049.

I consider his works to be consistently visually stunning and emotionally strong. I always feel that he's trying REAL hard to make a quality movie. Whether he's successful in that depends on individual taste and box office $$$.

But I think his heart is in the right place... hopefully! Depends on who does the screenplay: if it's yet another drooling manchild whose daddy is a Hollywood exec or a talented ass kisser.

 

[TristramEvans]

I would love if they got Panos Cosmatos to write it, but that wouldn't happen (lol)

 

[TristramEvans]

His other Sci-fi forays include the Arrival and Blade Runner: 2049.

Both of them have been on my to watch list for a long time. I've not heard great things about Bladerunner 2049 though

 

[Necrozius]

Both of them have been on my to watch list for a long time. I've not heard great things about Bladerunner 2049 though

It’s very long. I didn’t mind it, though. It definitely doesn’t shit on the original, though, unlike recent reboots and soft reboots.

 

[Nobby-W]

Who is playing Paul?

I don't know but I hope he likes cherry pies.

 

[TristramEvans]

I don't know but I hope he likes cherry pies.

 

[Nobby-W]

Both of them have been on my to watch list for a long time. I've not heard great things about Bladerunner 2049 though

It's OK but nothing special. There is some interlink with the original (Rachel has a daughter and Deckard makes an appearance towards the end of the film) but it doesn't really assume you've seen it. Some of the visuals are pretty good and it does capture a sort of ecoapocalyptic feel. As Necrozius says, it does't undo any of the happenings in the first.

The events in Bladerunner and Bladerunner 2049 are separated by some sort of apocalyptic event, the nature of which is touched on but not specified in a lot of detail. This separates them quite substantially, although one of the links is a key plot point. However, 2049 is largely a standalone film rather than a part of a story arc.

 

[TristramEvans]

(Rachel has a daughter and Deckard makes an appearance towards the end of the film)

Wait, what?

Spoiler

HOW?

 

[PolarBlues]

I would not claim to be Dune expert, but I like the Dune mini series from a few years back. Book adaptations are hard. The challenge for the screenwriters is to choose wisely what to include and how much prominence to give to the different events and I think the TV series got it very right. The follow up Children of Dune was even better, which is surprising given how complicated the books it was based on where.

Fingers crossed, they'll get this movie adaptation right too.

 

[Nobby-W]

Wait, what?

Spoiler

HOW?

Spoiler: Playing hide the sausage with Deckard.

Presumably through the ususal chain of events started off by playing hide the sausage with Deckard. The film implies that replicants normally can't do it and that successful reproduction is considered a sort of unattainable holy grail in replicant engineering. Rachel died in childbirth.

 

[Nobby-W]

I would not claim to be Dune expert, but I like the Dune mini series from a few years back. Book adaptations are hard. The challenge for the screenwriters is to choose wisely what to include and how much prominence to give to the different events and I think the TV series got it very right. The follow up Children of Dune was even better, which is surprising given how complicated the books it was based on where.

Fingers crossed, they'll get this movie adaptation right too.

I've seen the Syfy series, which was OK, although I haven't seen the Children of Dune production.

Folks hate on the Lynch film a lot, and the theatrical release was pretty badly botched. However, the art direction was superb with its art deco-ish look, and it was very atmospheric. Plus, Francesca Annis - my first adolescent MILF crush for her role as Tuppence in Partners in Crime.

The Michael Warren re-cut improves it out of all recognition, in spite of using potato quality video from rehearsals for some scenes. if you haven't seen it, it's soooo much more coherent than the theatrical release and well worth the 3 hours. Plus, you get to see the baliset and watch Patrick Stewart recite bad poetry. What more could you ask for?

Dune - The Complete Saga (Vimeo) : Michael Warren : Free Download, Borrow, and Streaming : Internet Archive

The now-removed Vimeo-hosted movie Dune - The Complete Saga. Originally found at https://vimeo.com/54644338. More information...

archive.org

 

[TristramEvans]

I like the Lynch film by several orders of magnitude over the SciFi mini series

 

[Necrozius]

I like the Lynch film by several orders of magnitude over the SciFi mini series

It had a lot more character, despite some of Lynch’s... creative liberties.

“you gotta milk this shaved cat for the antidote!” WTF?!

 

[David Johansen]

Did anyone else watch the documentary on Jordwosky's failed attempt?

He had his son drop out of highschool to do martial arts training to play Paul.
They had Orson Wells for the Baron Harkonnen.
Salvador Dali for the Padash Emperor.
Mobius and Giger for art direction.

Sadly it seems very likely that they spent the intitial ten million on drugs and the bank wouldn't give them any more money.

 

[Dumarest]

Who is playing Paul?

Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Zendaya as Chani, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, Stellan Skarsgård as Vladimir Harkonnen, and Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron.

 

[TristramEvans]

Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho

Please tell me that's a joke

 

[Voros]

Both of them have been on my to watch list for a long time. I've not heard great things about Bladerunner 2049 though

I thought it was awesome, not perfect but the feel and look is great much like the original.

Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides, Zendaya as Chani, Rebecca Ferguson as Lady Jessica, Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho, Stellan Skarsgård as Vladimir Harkonnen, and Oscar Isaac as Poe Dameron.

For realz? Outside of Momoa that would be a great cast.

 

[Necrozius]

Weird I though Momoa was going to be one of the Fremen.

 

[Mankcam]

No, I read that Momoa's been having one too many tacos while he's been in LA, so instead they've had to hire him to play a Shai-Hulud

 

[Dumarest]

​

 

[Mankcam]

Yeah, he is at that !!!

 

[TristramEvans]

does he owe her money?

 

[Mankcam]

Well, she married him, so if he did, that was a good move on Momoa's part


( I just realised that I'm responsible for threadjacking my own thread - Only here in the RPG Pub is this considered everyday behaviour, heh heh )

 

[Kilted Rob]

I’ll be happy if he keeps any of the revisionist bullshit spewed forth Kieth and Bobo (Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert) out of the films.

If you ever get the chance, visit the public library in Florence Oregon, they have about 1/5 of Herbert’s personal library in a special collection. I stopped in one day and spent several hours perusing the collection. it was awesome, they unlocked all the cabinets and turned me loose. I have pics of it I will dig up.


Rob


Frank Herbert Collection

 

[Voros]

 

[TristramEvans]

Yeah, 40 years ago she was hot

 

[TristramEvans]

Anyways, takes all kinds.

But back to the subject at hand, Mamoa cast as Idaho has put me from apathetic skepticism to "welp, this is going to be bad" in regards to the Dune film. Mamoa is pure cheese as an actor. I don't even find him believable onscreen as a Conan stand-in. And considering the specific role Idaho plays later on in the Dune books, it's such a painful miscast that it hurts my brain.

Oh well, other things I want to see.

 

[PolarBlues]

I am sure Mamoa's Duncan Idaho will be at least more memorable than Richard Jordan's. It's not Jordans fault, but his role in Lynch's movie is 3 seconds at the start to say "Hello, it is me, Dunacan Idaho!" followed by 3 seconds towards the end when he appears to say "Ah, I've been hit, So dies Duncan Idaho".

 

[David Johansen]

The issue is that Duncan Idaho is deliberately that great white hero. He's John Wayne and Clint Eastwood and James Bond all rolled into one. He's the square jawed, cleft chinned, guy that the Great Westley parodys in The Amazing Race.

He's a great fighter and a ladies man and largely unconsequential to the plot beyond your expectation of him being there. In the later books, he's a curiousity brought back from a lost age for his genetic potential who is slower and weaker than most in those times. In the ultimate end he's the super weapon against female sexuality.

 

[Bunch]

The issue is that Duncan Idaho is deliberately that great white hero. He's John Wayne and Clint Eastwood and James Bond all rolled into one. He's the square jawed, cleft chinned, guy that the Great Westley parodys in The Amazing Race.

He's a great fighter and a ladies man and largely unconsequential to the plot beyond your expectation of him being there. In the later books, he's a curiousity brought back from a lost age for his genetic potential who is slower and weaker than most in those times. In the ultimate end he's the super weapon against female sexuality.

Seems like a good fit...

 

[Stevethulhu]

The issue is that Duncan Idaho is deliberately that great white hero. He's John Wayne and Clint Eastwood and James Bond all rolled into one. He's the square jawed, cleft chinned, guy that the Great Westley parodys in The Amazing Race.

He's a great fighter and a ladies man and largely unconsequential to the plot beyond your expectation of him being there. In the later books, he's a curiousity brought back from a lost age for his genetic potential who is slower and weaker than most in those times. In the ultimate end he's the super weapon against female sexuality.

Dune really does go to some weird places. Places that you probably didn't realise you didn't want it to go until it went there. And by then, it was too late.

 

[Necrozius]

I admit that I only devoured the first book (multiple times). I've tried getting through book 2 at least twice and always gave up halfway through.

There was an awful lot of focus on teenage Atia's exercise routines and... <AWKARD-CRINGE>physical states</AWKWARD-CRINGE>. And of course she falls for Duncan "Arrakis' man's man".

MEH

 

[TristramEvans]

I admit that I only devoured the first book (multiple times). I've tried getting through book 2 at least twice and always gave up halfway through.

There was an awful lot of focus on teenage Atia's exercise routines and... <AWKARD-CRINGE>physical states</AWKWARD-CRINGE>. And of course she falls for Duncan "Arrakis' man's man".

MEH

It's the third book in the series I have the hardest time with, I don't like any of the characters, and the plot seems to be "treading water" (no pun intended). The 4th book in the series is my absolute favourite, and I've reread it more times than the original.

 

[David Johansen]

The problem as I see it, Dune and Dune Messiah were intended as a single novel. Dune is reduced to an adolescent empowerment fantasy in which the chosen one is stripped of moral restrictions and thus able to triumph over the universe. It's an empowering action fantasy much like Star Wars or Conan, albeit in a compelling setting. That leaves Dune Messiah feeling a bit like half a book and a derailment. But that's because the original intent was to show the weakness and emptiness of the first book's power fantasy. The third book is mainly setting up the fourth book and like Dune Messiah feels like half a book. God Emperor of Dune is about the utter failure of totalitarian states, god emperors, and social engineering.

Oh well, I love them all. But if you want more of that action power fantasy from the first book, you'll never find it.

 

[Necrozius]

Funny enough, Paul’s action power fantasy was the least compelling part of book 1 for me.