(film review) - Dune: Part 2

I wanted to watch this movie for a third time before I started to review it. Why? Well, because I wanted to watch the movie in IMAX and the second time I watched this movie, I did not get to watch it in IMAX but I've decided to review the movie anyway. If I am going to be brutally honest, if I did not see the beautiful cinematography whilst sitting in a super screen and listened to the excellent music accompanying the movie in my viewing experience, I am likely to fail to understand and appreciate that experience times 'x' number of times in an IMAX screening. I have taken onboard that this movie is best viewed on an IMAX screen (and I really believe it is), but this movie is best watched in the cinema full stop. An IMAX screen is only going to heighten the experience. Whilst I'd love my experience to be heightened for this movie, I have to say, superscreen is just as good and that is because, the movie is simply, JUST THAT GOOD! I'll explain.

The movie picks up where part one left off. Paul Atreides and his mother Jessica is with the Fremin to learn about their culture and as his father Leto Atreides mentioned in the first movie, to harness desert power. However, Leto was killed by the Harkonens set up by the Emperor and Paul is being viewed as the prophet from the stories the Fremin were told as children. With the inconsistent visions of death and other, through leadership over the fremin, Paul must find a way to make sense of his visions and learn the Fremin way.

A lot of people are throwing the word 'Masterpiece' around and on my first viewing, I noticed the time (clock-watching) more than I did in the first movie but I feel that was due to me being apprehensive of what was to come next and eagerly interested in what was going to happen next. When I left the cinema, I went home, put netflix on and proceeded to watch part 1 again, like immediately. I fell asleep because it was after 12am, but I watched it the following day. On the second viewing, I had the confirmation I needed. Thoughts I had but could not confirm or any discrepancies I had, were ironed out. I will not say this movie is a sci-fi masterpiece like some but I will say, although Denis has stated he is working on Dune Messiah (Dune Messiah) and I am not sure if you would call that a part 3 or the sequel to a two-parter as these two movies are truly amazing and once Messiah is completed and is as good or better than this movie, we might be looking at the greatest Sci-Fi masterpiece and or "trilogy" in cinema.

Upon watching part 1 after watching part 2, part 2 feeds and elevates part 1 in ways you could not foresee without watching it. And part one feeds into (naturally) part 2 as the story is foretold or alluded to at the beginning of each movie. Crazy. And you will only notice this on the rewatch. The film is soo cleverly directed, it helps to watch the movie two or three times so when this third movie is due out, I am defintely going to rewatch part 1 and 2 again.

I really enjoyed this movie and I really do believe I will watch this movie again and again and not get bored of it. The score, incredible. It hits you, especially at some moments in the movie at particular scenes. You feel like you are actually in the movie with the characters. The acting, great! You get more from Zendeya this time around and more from Xavier Bardem. He is actually the best character in the movie and possibly the franchise at this point. I can only imagine in the third movie, he will die for the cause, especially as his character is very strongly devoted. As it was written. The story of Paul changes from the first movie and the transformation and acting from Timothee is great. Especially the last few scenes. He is a force at this point and his acting demonstrates this.

There is no much more I can say about this film other than, if you like sci-fi you are more than likely going to like this. There are a lot of religious undertones that may rub you up the wrong way or other, but I would be lying if I said the movie did not make me think about religion and how stories are told whether true or not. For Paul it is also a difficult one because he feels he is not the person they all think he is, but then everything he ends up doing pushes him into the person they all think he is, purposefulness or by manipulation. It will be real interesting to see where things go from here, but as a sequel to Dune part 1. This sequel is great and a definite must see!

(trailer review) - Deadpool and Wolverine

First of all, I should be sleeping but I got wind of this trailer and, well...I had to watch it, because, Deadpool? Anyway, this film has been a few years in the making and due to the pandemic and the writer's strike of 2023 (events that have delayed this movie), we have had two CEOs of Disney come in and leave (one left to come back) in the time this movie was thought of, being considered, written and shot, and we have heard nothing but rumours of potential characters, "confirmed" characters, leaks and pictures and videos and finally a teaser trailer is here for what is being called 'Deadpool & Wolverine'. I cannot say I am a fan of the name, but whatever, it still looks pretty decent.

The trailer starts off with a line directed to us, the viewers/audience, that although this is now a Disney movie, this movie is not for kids, and I love it! From what I understand from this teaser trailer is that...a Deadpool from a different timeline has been called by the TVA (Time Variants Authority) to help clean up the timeline to be a hero just like the Avengers, maybe? The biggest of questions become, who from the Loki series (which was all about the TVA) will appear in this movie. As we see the Fox logo in the background, does this imply a fight between Deadpool and the X-Men? And one of the X-Men's most popular characters is Wolverine. As this is a teaser trailer, we don't even see Wolverine, but it would be great to see the first official trailer to understand where we are going with the storyline. Thus far, this looks like it is going to be really really funny. Maybe this movie will knock the MCU out of its slump.

(trailer review) - A Quiet Place: Day One

I think I watched 'A Quiet Place' for the first time at a friend's house. I feel like I remember everything about that week and what led up to me watching it. I remember having not gone to the cinema to watch it for whatever reasons and having such a great weekend, I was starting to have a terrible week. It was December 7th and I had recently seen the trailer to Birdbox. There was a lot of buzz around the Birdbox movie and although I do think Sandra Bullock is a great actress, I was not at all bothered about the movie because I kept hearing how 'A Quiet Place' is a great movie and how it was a better Birdbox movie, I just had not seen it yet. So I am at my friend's house and we are watching it and the staircase scene comes and I swear, I have never been so traumatized. Then you had the bathtub scene. You could cut the tension. From that moment, I knew the film was a winner so when the sequel came out, I did not hesitate to watch it. I loved the sequel also (although I feel the first one is untouchable) so when I heard the guy from WandaVision and Ant-Man *he smiles* was doing a sequel set back to when it all started, I knew I was down.

Phenomenal. This trailer gives me Hollywood big budget horror and somewhat, a catastrophe vibe like a Cloverfield (which is literally the best comparison I can think of actually). Someone is minding their own business, aliens come down and wreck everything and everyone in quick succession. There is a scene in A Quiet Place Part 2 in the town and it is panic and pandemonium, this trailer is that scene turned up to 11. Lupita is a star and to also have D'jimon as well and that scene at the end with all the aliens walking/running (coming down the building) towards everyone whilst they are looking up... if that is not enough to unsettle you, I can only imagine there will be more like this and there will be tension moments like the moment she coughed and he covered her mouth. I honestly do not think I could look forward to anything any more than I am already looking forward to this. I cannot wait.