I think for the longest time I was putting off from watching Dune because I genuinely despise the charisma void that is Zendaya. Her face was plastered across the marketing of the film and that just really threw me off. While I can't stand her in anything, I do also think that some of the reasons for not watching also extended into the length of the film and the fact that I just know precisely what to expect from Denis Villeneuve. If you've seen any of his recent films, then you sort of know what you're getting into. That doesn't mean I'm not a fan of his work, though. But I do think you really need to be in the right mood to jump into something of his. It's slow, it's artistic, and it's certainly made for the big screen even if it's still capable of sending you off into sleep. I've never been a fan of the Dune books, as I've never read them. And the most exposure I've had to the story laughably comes from Lynch's version.
I was recently getting back into a podcast I would usually listen to which features Sir Roger Deakins, in which the famous cinematographer simply grabs people from around the industry and just talks to them for an hour or two. A podcast that speaks to these different known and unknown faces within the industry to understand where they came from and what got them into the film industry. Many of which will ramble on about their processes, their influences, or just various silly stories they have. Some will really open up and speak on their childhoods and how they managed to slowly work their ways in. It was a podcast episode with cinematographer Greig Fraser which finally got me curious about Dune, primarily its second title. This was du(n)e to the lenses he used, of which I have actually been slowly collecting as of late myself. Albeit not rehoused and made for Hollywood production use. To go in and watch the sequel, I figured I'd have to at least check out the first.
Now, this could be a really simple review. I mentioned Denis Villeneuve and his directing, how it's very artistic and everything he does these days is simply a big overpriced arthouse project. If you know, you know. And that would sum up Dune. You know what's coming if you know Denis Villeneuve. Though for a more rare instance, this is a film which is being made in such a manner with pure intentions of setting the stage for a series of big blockbuster hits. It's more a teaser of what is to come. Much like the previous big franchise hits from the years prior and around its release. It was made to be something that is a bit slow, attempts to be a bit captivating here and there, but is ultimately serving the purpose of saying: "Hey, come back in a few years, the sequel will be far more interesting!" This is the first time I've seen that from the director, and Greig Fraser was along for the ride for both titles (and perhaps more).
Denis Villeneuve's visually stunning nothingness comes from a strong reliance on simple colour palettes, sometimes focusing on just two or three colours within the scene, just with different lighting to handle the shadows and colour depth. He's a director which loves to make things look as cinematic as possible. And Dune, a story about a war over a sand-riddled planet that can barely hold human life getting caught up in a greedy resource war, is quite perfect for that. Sandy environments with rich warm tones in the storms. Empty nothingness which focuses on composition and strange structures and designs of vehicles. This is a film which is one big concept art project. Much like his film Blade Runner 2049 was. Now, don't get me wrong, this is no complaint. I actually really like it!
Set in the distant future, Spice is a fundamental resource which helps fuel intergalactic space travel. For others, it's a vital resource in essentially reaching a form of enlightenment. Everyone wants as much Spice as they can get, and this naturally causes a lot of conflict between various factions each with their own interests for it. Humanity is scattered and beaten. And a prophecy speaks of a child to be born that will fix humanity's broken ways and lead it to a better future, and that is Paul, a young adult with a bit of a coming-of-age trope going for him throughout the story as he learns of his abilities. I'm really trying to summarise this story, given how much there is to explain. Anyway, many want him dead for obvious reasons: Spice control. More power.
I really liked how Denis Villeneuve crafted this world. It's a film that does feel quite long, but also features a lot of dedication to expanding upon its environments. From the dark and mysterious interiors to the highly technical side of ships. The mechanical side of the world doesn't look like it's something generic out of science-fiction, but very specific to this universe the story takes place in. It's very distinct. To add, the sound design contributes to this a lot. Sounds are punchy, they sound like they really do belong to these items and contribute to their functions. It's very immersive. And something that many science-fiction films fail to consider enough. This produces a film that doesn't have the most engaging narrative, but has more focus on its substance side of things to immerse you into the aesthetic more.
I didn't expect to like this as much as I did, but it does feel like a film which is setting the stage for the real story to unfold. It feels much like the usual first release that comes these days with intent on telling a much longer story. It's nothing special in that sense, but from a production perspective it's very impressive.
I remember Dune from 1984. I watched it with friends in a small theater on VHS in 1989. At 13, I read a lot of science fiction, and I especially liked space sci-fi.
When I saw Dune in theaters in 2021, I really enjoyed it. At 40+, it's rare that a film leaves me so enthralled.
Probably Dune 2, I'll watch it on TV someday.
The world building is very impressive, and hearing of how they made the decisions of how to portray it all certainly made me more interested in the film(s). Especially knowing I have a Mir 1v arriving any day now ;^)
I do think the second one is better, and I can definitely see how watching it in the cinema would have a bigger impact. But even so, on my laptop in 4k with airpods in, the sound design was very nice. I haven't been that impressed by a film's sound design in a long time
The Mir 1v is a good lens; it once cost half a Soviet engineer's salary. Clarity, sharpness, and color rendition are excellent.
http://hodim-edem.ru/blog/Reviews/785.html
Yeah it's an absolute beauty. Basically a Helios with a wider focal length. I wanted to get the Mir 20m and the Mir 10-A at some point too. They're wider than 37mm but either harder to find or quite expensive. I got the 1v from Ozon from a seller that sells a lot of vintage camera gear.
How's the trading going btw? I'm getting back into it myself after a long hiatus. Realising how much opportunity I've been missing. Just gotta manage the risk properly ;^)
I trade on very rare days, but it's still dangerous; leverage kills most traders.
It's better to invest and increase your holdings of good stocks and top 10 cryptocurrencies during major market corrections. It's safer and more reliable. It's better not to play these games with leverage.
Solana was $260 this year, and $118 last week. It's possible Solana will fall below $100. I'm constantly accumulating it right now. Just like I accumulated ETH at $100-$240 levels in 2018-2020.
Yeah I'm not a fan of leverage, even 5x seems mad to me. I mostly stopped because back in the UK pretty much every exchange got insanely regulated and they removed futures markets entirely for UK clients. I can't even use BitFinex anymore as they straight up just said they won't offer anything to the UK at all.
I was buying up stocks around covid and after but then the decline came with those and it was smarter to just park the cash into the various interest giving options. Coinbase had USDC at 5%, even my bank had 4.2% on USD. Though now I'm constantly getting emails on how rates are declining and the cash seems almost wasted siting in those.