#Jon Spaihts

[stuff-diary]

Dune: Part Two

Movies watched in 2024

Dune: Part Two (2024, USA)

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Writers: Denis Villeneuve & Jon Spaihts (based on the novel by Frank Herbert)

Mini-review:

I don't know if I've said this before on here, but Denis Villeneuve is arguably the greatest science-fiction filmmaker of his generation. He had already proven it before, but Dune: Part Two is yet another sublime reminder. For starters, the cinematography is stunning. And I love to see there are still some people in Hollywood who know how to light the hell out of a movie. The writing is just as superb; there's not a single boring moment, even though the film is almost three hours long. The whole cast is as good as they were in the first one, or even better. In particular, Rebecca Ferguson's performance is chilling in the best of ways, and Timothée Chalamet's work in the final act is quite possibly the best acting he's ever done. In short, this movie more than lived up to my expectations, and I'm really excited to see what they will do next with this franchise.

[adamwatchesmovies]

Dune (2021)

Even upon a rewatch, 2021’s Dune: Part One is spectacular. The memorable, foreboding score by Hans Zimmer, the costumes that bring this world to life, the scale of the action and the unique sets, ship & weapon designs all come together to complement a story of mythical scale. After seeing this film, two thoughts start competing for your brain’s attention. 1) If Frank Herbert’s Dune was adapted this successfully, then no work is unfilmable and 2) the sequel can’t come soon enough.

In 10191, the universe is ruled by an Emperor who assigns the exploitation of planets to powerful ruling houses. Interstellar travel is possible through “spice” a substance found exclusively on the harsh desert planet of Arrakis. For 80 years, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) and his house have overseen the harvest of spice. Now, Duke Leto I (Oscar Isaac) of House Atreides is the new steward of Arrakis but only for as long as the flow of spice continues. This shift puts House Atreides, particularly the Duke’s son, Paul (Timothy Chalamet), in danger.

At 155 minutes, you’d think this movie would feel long, but it doesn’t. One of the reasons is that there’s a lot within to keep your mind busy. What’s a Freman? What’s a Kwisatz Haderach? What’s “the voice”? If director Denis Villeneuve tried to cram this story into 90, or even 120 minutes, it would move so quickly that all these questions would leave you in the dusty sands of Arrakis (that’s the planet, right?). By taking its time while moving at a good pace the film allows you - in time - to answer all of your questions. Since you understand what’s happening, you’re engaged. It helps that if you can’t remember what each name means, the visuals pick up the ball. The grotesque, scheming Baron Vladimir Harkonnen is clearly a villain. It's particularly obvious once you see his nephew, the psychotic and childish Glossu Rabban (Dave Bautista). You know you can’t trust the Bene Gesserit because their leader, Reverend Mother Mohiam (Charlotte Rampling) makes Paul take a painful, life-threatening test to prove he isn’t a threat himself. These are only a few of the many examples I could choose and they show how the story is both complex and easily digestible.

Even without the gripping story filled with backstabbings, political intrigue, violence, quests for revenge and harrowing struggles for survival, Dune would still have you tightly in its grip. Throughout, Paul’s psychic abilities give him visions. They foretell the future… sort of. They give hints of what’s coming but hints are not the same as clear answers. These all tie to this planet he’s on; a world that doesn’t end where the screen does. The details in the dialogue, sets and costumes make you wish the Harkonnens would just chill, and save their grudge for later. This way, you’d have time to see House Atreides befriend the Fremen and familiarize themselves with their customs.

There’s so much happening in this film that some of it you won’t “get” until later. For example, the early assassination attempt on Paul’s life. The would-be killer? A Harkonnen cutthroat, hidden in a bedroom wall. What kind of wealth, power and/or terrifying influence could persuade someone to take on that sort of assignment, knowing they would have to wait in darkness for weeks, slowly starving to death, just to kill a boy?

The passion within Dune is as clear as its ambition. You’re only getting half of a movie with it, but this choice feels like a necessity, rather than a Breaking Dawn-type of cash-grab or an attempt to start another franchise for a money-hungry studio. It certainly doesn’t feel presumptuous. Everything we see feels important; like it’s building up to not just one, but many bigger character arcs in a world that contains hundreds of stories. You know the threads that are left hanging will be tied up - that’s the kind of confidence all of the artists at work instill in you. Dune/Dune: Part One is a film that’s going to be remembered. (March 1, 2024)

[goodjohnjr]

Dune: Part Two

Dune: Part Two (2024)Javier Bardem, Josh Brolin, Rebecca Ferguson, Dave Bautista, Austin Butler, Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Florence Pugh, and Souheila Yacoub in Dune: Part Two (2024) What Is It? The 2024 American science fiction movie Dune: Part Two. Dune: Part Two | Official Trailer Dune: Part Two | Official Trailer 2 Dune: Part Two | Official Trailer 3 This is how Rotten Tomatoes…

[geekcavepodcast]

Dune: Part Two Trailer 3

Paul Atreides’ journey continues as he “unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.” (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Dune: Part Two stars Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Léa Seydoux, Souheila Yacoub, Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, and Javier Bardem. Denis Villeneuve directs from a screenplay by Villeneuve and Jon Spaihts, based on the novel by Frank Herbert.

Dune: Part 2 hits theaters on March 1, 2024.

[randomrichards]

DUNE: PART 2

Paul plays messiah

To take down Harkonnen House

Sci Fi becomes art

[cinesludge]

Movie #16 of 2024: Dune Part Two

Stunning. The sand broomers deserve an award.

[wornoutspines]

Movie Review Here

Dune is about Paul Atreides, a briliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, who must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people.

Thoughts:

This trailer looks amazing and yet it doesn't give us much about the story which is good because I still plan on reading the books, well at least the first one. The movie looks exciting with a lot of action and bit of humor. The commentaries are obvious and smart.

[blogdemocratesjr]

Muted Light 2. Untitled 3. Radical Love by Marcel Antonio

See the friend. See the friend. The mystery of life isn’t a problem to solve, but a reality to experience. A process that cannot be understood by stopping it. We must move with the flow of the process. We must join it. We must flow with it. Let go.

—Denis Villeneuve, Jon Spaihts and Eric Roth, Dune (2021)

So long as you separate the life of nature from that of the spirit, as modern man loves to do, you do not arrive at concepts that can play a part in historical evolution; you are overpowered by the concepts that are working in historical life.

—Rudolf Steiner, Mysteries of the Sun and of the Threefold Man: Lecture II

The forgiveness! I know it will be freely offered or it won’t, and that is all— and no one may bestow it on himself. If it is to come it will come of itself like a separate being, a mystery, working unseen as a wind causes still leaves or water to move once again. And hide me in the shadow of Your wings.

—Franz Wright, “Reparations” in God’s Silence

[marcovaleyeah]

19.07.24

#Mira-Marathon | MCU

Film Name: Doctor Strange (2016); Production Studios: Walt Disney Pictures, Marvel Studios; Director by: Scott Derrickson; Screenwriter: Jon Spaihts, Scott Derrickson, C. Robert Cargill; Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Tilda Swinton, Mads Mikkelsen, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Rachel McAdams; Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Action, Adventure; Running Time: 1 hour 55 minutes;

"Doctor Strange" is a superhero film where Benedict Cumberbatch plays Stephen Strange, a neurosurgeon who becomes a magician after an accident, learning from the Ancient (Tilda Swinton). He becomes the protector of the Earth from mystical threats. Pros: Impressive visual effects, Exciting and unpredictable plot, Dynamic and inventive fight scenes, Benedict Cumberbatch's charismatic performance, New mystical aspect of the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Cons: Not enough Christine Palmer revealed, Some predictable plot twists, Protracted ending. All in all, "Doctor Strange" is a visually impressive and exciting film with an interesting plot and a charismatic main character.

My rating:

⭐⭐⭐⭐

[milliondollarbaby87]

Dune: Part Two (2024) Review

Paul Atreides must unite with Chani and the Fremen whilst also seeking revenge against those who destroyed his family. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Continue reading Dune: Part Two (2024) Review

[genevieveetguy]

. You are not prepared for what is to come.

Dune: Part Two, Denis Villeneuve (2023)

[adamwatchesmovies]

Dune: Part Two (2024)

2021’s Dune/Dune: Part One was epic. It might’ve ended in a “to be continued” but it didn't feel like it was just setting up a later film. Turns out, it was. This second installment is where the plot is really kicking off. Dune: Part Two is just as grandiose as the first. From the music to the world-building, the cinematography and story, it feels gigantic. The fact that it concludes the story makes this an even more satisfying film.

Thanks to Emperor Shaddam IV (Christopher Walken) and Baron Harkonnen (Stellan Skarsgård) all of House Atreides is gone. Well, almost. Unknown to them both, young Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and his mother, Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) have survived the betrayal and been adopted by the Fremen. Paul’s ability to fit exceptionally well within their society leads some to believe he is their prophecized messiah, an idea he resents because the story of the Lisan al Gaib was planted on Arrakis long ago by the Bene Gesserit. Unfortunately, only a united planet stands a chance against the invading Harkonen. For them to survive what's coming, Paul must lead the people he doesn’t want to lead.

Like its predecessor, there’s a lot going on in this film. You have to pay attention the whole time and if you only have a passing memory of 2021’s Dune, you'll be left behind to be eaten by sandworms. The film may last over two hours but it’s all earned, as there are some complex emotions here. Paul’s mother is part of the Bene Gesserit. She may have given birth to him (instead of a daughter) out of love for his father, but she’s still part of the group that’s been manipulating civilizations for ages. With all of House Atreides destroyed, she’s all he has left, but is she trustworthy? Lady Jessica has an undeniable thirst for power. She’s pushing Paul to embrace the messianic role the Fremen are attributing to him. Is it because she believes it’s what will be best for him? Yes, but how much of that is also the Bene Gesserit talking? The Fremen believe their savior will bring prosperity but Paul’s visions tell him otherwise. Meanwhile, he’s found a new home among the Fremen, which makes things even more complicated. There’s a small part of him (a part that grows as he spends more time on Arrakis) that wonders if maybe the prophecy has some truth to it. If he is the leader the Fremen have been waiting for, he must embrace the role.

You feel like you know Paul quite well but you’re never sure if the prophecy is real or not, where political ambitions end and where truth begins. It gives the romance developing between Paul and Chani (Zendaya) a thriller-like quality. Zendaya and Chalamet have terrific chemistry. You want them to be together, but their love isn't compatible with a Fremen victory. Even if Paul and the Fremen warriors defeat the tyrants from house Harkonnen, the emperor will send someone new to harvest the spice. The only way to free the planet is to go along with all of Lady Jessica's plans.

If I have a criticism for Dune: Part Two it’s that more often than not, the heads of House Harkonnen become cartoonishly evil. Displeased with his nephew Glossu Rabban (Dave Bautista), Baron Harkonnen summons his other nephew, Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler) to Arrakis. Feyd-Ratha is a ghoul. He’s followed by a trio of “harpies”; sexy ladies he feeds with the flesh of subordinates that displease him. The guy kills more of his own minions than Darth Vader, which makes you wonder why anyone would take a job in the Harkonnen military… but from what we see of their homeworld, they’re all depraved sociopaths. The thing is, I wouldn’t dream of cutting him from the picture. The scene that introduces this new villain is stunning. For almost four hours, we’ve seen Arrakis. It’s this giant desert filled with dangers. Then, we step away from the scorching sands. We visit the Harkonnen homeworld, which is this strikingly black-and-white hellhole, a place so visually arresting it's like a nightmare. Then, we go back to Arrakis and now, it seems so beautiful, so full of life. You understand why it’s a place worth fighting for. Paul’s mission is about more than revenge.

Dune: Part Two is a satisfying film to watch for several reasons. As a conclusion of the story we started in 2021, it delivers. The only plotlines left untied are done so deliberately and work in the conclusion’s favor. As a revenge story, you love to hate the villains and seeing Paul rise up to challenge them is a delight. It's a magnificent example of filmmaking. Once again, I can't wait to see what's coming next. (Theatrical version on the big screen, March 24, 2024)

[bob-the-movie-man-film-reviews]

Dune: Part 2 (12): "He's Not a Very Naughty Boy. He IS the Messiah!"

#onemannsmovies #filmreview of "Dune: Part 2". An epic sequel that lives up to the hype. The best fantasy epic since Lord of the Rings. 5/5.

A One Mann’s Movies review of “Dune: Part 2” (2024). It’s early in the year to be this bold, but I’d say the 2025 Oscars for Sound, Visual Effects and Score all but wrapped up. And I wouldn’t bet against Denis Villeneuve getting Best Director and “Dune: Part 2” winning Best Picture. Because this is action/adventure Science-Fiction on a scale that I don’t think we’ve seen since “The Lord of the…

[fuckyeahisawthat]

Re-skimmed through a bunch of Dune Messiah last night because why not and now I am having thoughts:

The thing that sticks with me most is the tone. It's melancholy, it's eerie, it's unsettled and weird. Cannot think of a more pitch-perfect director for it than Denis Villeneuve. He's gonna nail it.

There is...not that much...actual story? Denis has referred to it in interviews as "a small book" and I'm like my guy it is 350 pages. But there are actually not that many plot beats. It's just that every. single. scene. is WILDLY overwritten. The real challenge of adapting Dune is not the giant worms or the dense complicated worldbuilding or the fact that actors have to say the name "Duncan Idaho" repeatedly with a straight face. It's that there are pages and pages and PAGES of internal monologue that have to be externalized somehow for film.

After a re-skim my gut instinct for "how much story goes in a feature film" is that if you just wrote out the dialogue and action that happens in every scene in the book in screenplay format you'd end up with...maybe about an hour of material? Which is great, actually, because it means there is room to add stuff. Like a whole new independent plotline for Chani if they decide to do that.

It may seem insane to add things to an adaptation of what's notoriously one of the wordiest series in classic sci-fi but it's worth remembering that they added quite a bit to Dune Part Two. Most of the first hour of the movie--almost everything before the worm ride except for Jessica drinking the Water of Life--is stuff that isn't in the book. And it's the best part of the movie essential to making the movie work as well as it does. Yes, they also cut elements from both parts (the dinner scene, the whole plotline where Gurney thinks Jessica is a Harkonnen spy, Thufir Hawat's fate, Leto II the Elder, murder toddler Alia) but I understand why each of those elements was cut or changed in the service of cinematic storytelling.

There's an interview (can't remember which one) with Jon Spaihts, the other co-writer of the scripts along with Denis, where he talks about how Dune is like a stage play, with so many of what would be the big action set pieces happening off-page. I kept thinking about that comparison while reviewing Dune Messiah because in addition to the scenes that do exist being wordy and internal as fuck, an absolutely insane list of major events/reveals/emotionally significant moments happen off-page. The list of things that we don't actually see in the main action of the story, that we're only told about after they happen, includes:

Chani finding out Irulan has been secretly dosing her with birth control for YEARS

People trying to capture a sandworm and take it off planet

Chani and Paul finding out Chani is pregnant after 12 years of trying to conceive

Paul flying an ornithopter carrying his extremely-about-to-go-into-labor partner while blind

CHANI DYING (first time reading I did NOT know this was coming and damn near threw my Kindle across the room at the way the information was delivered)

Alia executing a bunch of people including a Bene Gesserit Reverend Mother

Paul walking into the desert at the end

You could add all these moments into a scene-for-scene film adaptation of the book and probably still have room to add more material.

The other thing that jumps out is that Paul doesn't really...govern...much. Like there's this whole subgenre of post-Dune/Dune Messiah-era fic that's just some combination of Paul, Chani, Irulan and sometimes Feyd traipsing around the palace having feelings while vague politics happens in the background, but I forgot that Dune Messiah is actually kinda like that??

There is a whole thread of Paul feeling kind of abstractly bad about being Space Hitler but he does not, in fact, actually do anything about it. And like yes both bureaucracies and religious movements can grow to have a life of their own that seems beyond the control of any one person. But also my dude you are the Emperor of the Known Universe. Someone is signing those space checks for the Endless War budget. You are not powerless here.

The one thing that really, clearly drives Paul to actively do things in the plot is not feeling guilty about having unleashed catastrophic religious war on the universe. It is protecting his family. Chani, Alia, his unborn children, and you could probably throw in Duncan by the end. That is what motivates him to act at key moments, and to want to hold on to power. And hey, y'know, if I'd experienced almost everyone I'd ever known getting murdered in a single night, I would probably get a bit intense about that too! It makes sense from a character point of view!

I'm very curious to see how these threads interweave with each other in the film, because the Villeneuve films put a lot of emphasis on Paul's agency and the fact that he may be constrained by shitty circumstances thousands of years in the making, but he still makes choices within that context. I can't see the narrative allowing film!Paul to get away with the same Poor Little Dictator routine as in the book. There are a few ways they could play this but I think the most interesting one is kinda the way they started going at the end of Part Two. Which is that as soon as you start reaching for that kind of power, then power becomes its own end and you will end up doing increasingly horrific things to maintain it. I think it would be quite interesting if the film shows us Paul not just being like "woe is me" but actively choosing to make the world worse because his trauma-driven fear of losing the people he loves makes him cling ever more desperately to power for its own sake.

If they went this route I think it would make Paul's decision at the end hit even harder. FWIW I actually really like Paul walking off into the desert at the end of the book. I think it brings things full circle with his relationship to the Fremen and creates this beautiful arc going back to the duel with Jamis. He first won a place among the Fremen through respecting their customs even though he really did not want to fight and kill someone he had no beef with. And by respecting the Fremen custom of the blind walking off into the desert, he proves himself to be fully Fremen and protects his children not by making them heirs to the throne but by making them Fremen.

And yeah, to a modern audience here on Earth it can look like "Paul conveniently fucks off and doesn't have to raise his newly-motherless children." And we can have a whole discussion about the unexamined ableism of the idea of someone who's gone blind voluntarily choosing death so as to "not be a burden" on their community. But neither of those readings is really the point here. Within the logic of Fremen cultural values, where the survival of the group as a whole is more important than the life of any one individual ("your water belongs to the tribe" etc.) Paul's choice is a willing and intentional self-sacrifice (see also: fedaykin) that wins him huge respect. There's a line in the book about Paul that's like "He would be one of them forever now" and damn if that didn't give me shivers. Like!! The political-symbolic implications!!! Which maybe I'm particularly attuned to because I just wrote a whole fic about what does it mean for an outsider to become Fremen but hmm something something Paul's final* act not being an exercise of Imperial power but an expression of kinship with an oppressed group and that being the thing that's needed to keep his family safe even if he is not physically present with them...IT IS RICH SYMBOLIC TERRITORY.

(*Yes yes I know about events in the next book. Shush.)

This kind of stuff is why I tend to think Chani may start out in a very different place in the story but the end will still be pretty close to what's in the book. It's too thematically powerful and tragic to go any other way.

But also...if they change things around enough that she is still alive at the end of the movie...I won't be sad about it.

[geekcavepodcast]

Dune: Part Two Trailer 2

Paul Atreides’ journey continues as he “unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.” (Warner Bros. Pictures)

Dune: Part Two stars Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Léa Seydoux, Stellan Skarsgård, Charlotte Rampling, and Javier Bardem. Denis Villeneuve directs from a screenplay by Villeneuve and Jon Spaihts, based on the novel by Frank Herbert.

Dune: Part 2 hits theaters on November 3, 2023.

[victoriajanssen]

Nebula Award Finalists for 2024 works:

Nebula Award for Novel

Sleeping Worlds Have No Memory, Yaroslav Barsukov (Caezik SF & Fantasy) 

Rakesfall, Vajra Chandrasekera (Tordotcom)

Asunder, Kerstin Hall (Tordotcom) 

A Sorceress Comes to Call, T. Kingfisher (Tor; Titan UK)

The Book of Love, Kelly Link (Random House; Ad Astra UK)

Someone You Can Build a Nest In, John Wiswell (DAW; Arcadia UK)

Nebula Award for Novella

The Butcher of the Forest, Premee Mohamed (Tordotcom)

The Tusks of Extinction, Ray Nayler (Tordotcom)

Lost Ark Dreaming, Suyi Davies Okungbowa (Tordotcom)

Countess, Suzan Palumbo (ECW)

The Practice, the Horizon, and the Chain, Sofia Samatar (Tordotcom)

The Dragonfly Gambit, A.D. Sui (Neon Hemlock)

Nebula Award for Novelette

The Brotherhood of Montague St. Video, Thomas Ha (Clarkesworld 5/24)

Katya Vasilievna and the Second Drowning of Baba Rechka, Christine Hanolsy (Beneath Ceaseless Skies 4/18/24)

Another Girl Under the Iron Bell, Angela Liu (Uncanny 9-10/24)

What Any Dead Thing Wants, Aimee Ogden (Psychopomp 2/24)

Negative Scholarship on the Fifth State of Being, A.W. Prihandita (Clarkesworld 11/24)

Joanna’s Bodies, Eugenia Triantafyllou (Psychopomp 7/1/24)

Loneliness Universe, Eugenia Triantafyllou (Uncanny 5-6/24)

Nebula Award for Short Story

The Witch Trap, Jennifer Hudak (Lady Churchill’s Rosebud Wristlet 9/24)

Five Views of the Planet Tartarus, Rachael K. Jones (Lightspeed 1/24)

Why Don’t We Just Kill the Kid in the Omelas Hole, Isabel J. Kim (Clarkesworld 2/24)

Evan: A Remainder, Jordan Kurella (Reactor 1/31/24)

The V*mpire, PH Lee (Reactor 10/23/24)

We Will Teach You How to Read | We Will Teach You How to Read, Caroline M. Yoachim (Lightspeed 5/24)

Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction

Daydreamer, Rob Cameron (Labyrinth Road)

Braided, Leah Cypess (Delacorte)

Benny Ramírez and the Nearly Departed, José Pablo Iriarte (Knopf)

Moonstorm, Yoon Ha Lee (Delacorte; Solaris UK)

Puzzleheart, Jenn Reese (Henry Holt)

The Young Necromancer’s Guide to Ghosts, Vanessa Ricci-Thode (self-published)

Nebula Award for Game Writing

A Death in Hyperspace, Stewart C Baker, Phoebe Barton, James Beamon, Kate Heartfield, Isabel J. Kim, Sara S. Messenger, Naca Rat, Natalia Theodoridou, M. Darusha Wehm, Merc Fenn Wolfmoor (Infomancy.net)

Elden Ring: Shadow of the Erdtree, Hidetaka Miyazaki (From Software)

The Ghost and the Golem, Benjamin Rosenbaum (Choice of Games)

1000xRESIST, Remy Siu, Pinki Li, Conor Wylie (Fellow Traveller Games)

Pacific Drive, Karrie Shao, Paul Dean (Ironwood Studios)

Restore, Reflect, Retry, Natalia Theodoridou (Choice of Games)

Slay the Princess -- The Pristine Cut, Tony Howard-Arias, Abby Howard (Black Tabby Games)

Yazeba's Bed & Breakfast, Jay Dragon, M Veselak, Mercedes Acosta, Lillie J. Harris (Possum Creek Games)

Ray Bradbury Nebula Award for Outstanding Dramatic Presentation

Doctor Who: "Dot and Bubble" by Russell T. Davies (BBC)

Dune: Part Two by Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve (Warner Bros)

I Saw the TV Glow by Jane Schoenbrun (A24 Films LLC)

KAOS by Charlie Covell, Georgia Christou (Netflix)

Star Trek: Lower Decks Season 5 by Mike McMahan (Paramount+)

Wicked by Winnie Holzman, Dana Fox (Universal Pictures)