Movies Dune - Official Thread of Spice, Sandworms, and Sleepers Awakening

[TheGreatGamble]

On 1/8/2019 at 10:21 AM, Greatoneshere said:

The book Dune is fantastic.

 

David Lynch's Dune is a terrible fucking film. 

 

The SyFy TV miniseries is solid but very dated.

 

I cannot wait for this movie - Dune is one of my favorite properties. Dave Bautista could make a potentially great Rabban. And he already worked with Denis Villeneueve on Blade Runner 2049.

I remember watching it because Patrick Stewart was in it. I also remember feeling bad for Patrick Stewart. 

[TheGreatGamble]

On 3/6/2019 at 1:07 PM, Keyser_Soze said:

Prisoners was good, Blade Runner was OK and Sicario was bad. Haven't seen the rest!

 

Your opinion on films officially no longer counts. 

[TwinIon]

 

 

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Oh - the logo works when the picture is flipped.

[Brick]

DUNC? 

 

That's not really a great logo. 

[Greatoneshere]

It begins. I am hype. The concept art looks great. 

 

I like the cleverness of using the letter C to be able to spell Dune. It's a small thing, so who cares about the logo anyway, but still. The symmetry of the logo (it working both ways) is always a clever play on some of the thematic ideas in Dune. 

[GeneticBlueprint]

22 hours ago, Brick said:

That's not really a great logo. 

 

Not great, true. But greatest.

[GeneticBlueprint]

God we're in the middle of winter and I can't wait until next winter.

[Bloodporne]

23 hours ago, TwinIon said:

 

 

[Greatoneshere]

Actors on the film have said this film is an "epic, brutalist, weird nightmare" of a film, which is exactly what Dune should be and the concept art at least reinforces that. Also apparently the studio hasn't yet interfered at all with Denis (again, who is a producer on the film as well) so I might not be able to handle this (if it ends up good). 

[Guest]

1 minute ago, Greatoneshere said:

so I might not be able to handle this (if it ends up good). 

This made me actually LOL. You’re so adorable when you talk about things you love 

[CitizenVectron]

This is going to bomb but be brilliant. And then he'll somehow get another awesome franchise.

[Bloodporne]

22 minutes ago, CitizenVectron said:

This is going to bomb but be brilliant. And then he'll somehow get another awesome franchise.

Aka getting Villeneuve'd

[Greatoneshere]

1 hour ago, sblfilms said:

This made me actually LOL. You’re so adorable when you talk about things you love 

 

Awww, you're the best! I admit, even my two younger brothers say that in the last 5-8 years I don't really get excited for things anymore (so it is weird I'm emotional about this project, even I recognize that). Films are good, I enjoy them, and move on. Films are bad, I don't like them, I move on. But I gotta admit (as I did way earlier in this thread) this is a dream project for me. Dune really should be a great franchise everyone loves. It's deep, weird, spiritual, interesting, and awesome sci-fi to boot. I am dying for this to be good, and Denis makes 5 more films.  I can't remember the last time I was so hype for a project, believing it will be good. It helps that Denis and Hanz Zimmer, like myself, are fans of the books from childhood as well. 

 

1 hour ago, CitizenVectron said:

This is going to bomb but be brilliant. And then he'll somehow get another awesome franchise.

 

Hey now! Prisoners, Sicario and Arrival made bank (check BoxOfficeMojo, it's true) It was just Blade Runner 2049 that didn't do amazing, and they never should have expected it too since the original was a bomb too. Plus, a lot of the production costs on that film were pre-production costs since that film was in pre-production hell for a long time. The fact Denis pulled it off at all and that it made as much money as it did is a small miracle, honestly (almost $300 million worldwide).

 

57 minutes ago, Bloodporne said:

Aka getting Villeneuve'd

 

Only Blade Runer 2049 didn't make its money back. Prisoners, Sicario, and Arrival were big box office successes, given their subject matter.

[Brick]

Villeneuve is one of the best working directors of his generation, and just best directors in general right now. He's making Canada proud. 

[Bloodporne]

41 minutes ago, Greatoneshere said:

Only Blade Runer 2049 didn't make it's money back. Prisoners, Sicario, and Arrival were big box office successes, given their subject matter.

Yeah, well, I don't always let reality interfere with my zingers. 

[Greatoneshere]

1 minute ago, Bloodporne said:

Yeah, well, I don't always let reality interfere with my zingers. 

 

You and Trump both.  

[Bloodporne]

9 minutes ago, Greatoneshere said:

 

You and Trump both.  

HE SAID TRUMP!

[legend]

I like it. My optimism is remaining steady. If he pulls this off, I feel like he should just get a blank check for all future endeavors.

[CitizenVectron]

Apparently a script leaked and impressions are positive. It covers the first 2/3 or so of the book, and is much more true to it than previous efforts. A big focus is on the mysticism (and the exploitation) of the Fremen. They will include the walking without rhythm, more details on the Mentats, the Butlerian Jihad, etc.

[Commissar SFLUFAN]

Ornithopters on the set:

 

[Bloodporne]

14 hours ago, CitizenVectron said:

Apparently a script leaked and impressions are positive. It covers the first 2/3 or so of the book, and is much more true to it than previous efforts. A big focus is on the mysticism (and the exploitation) of the Fremen. They will include the walking without rhythm, more details on the Mentats, the Butlerian Jihad, etc.

I've never read the books but you had me at the word 'mysticism'. I love mystical shit. 

[CitizenVectron]

2 hours ago, Bloodporne said:

I've never read the books but you had me at the word 'mysticism'. I love mystical shit. 

 

The Bene Gesserit in the Dune universe are like a group of women who control the future through selective breeding, and trying to manipulate society. One of their tools is Missionaria Protectiva. It is a process by which they seed the universe with myths about themselves (and their future plans) so as to be seen as fulfilling prophecies. This lets them control people more easily, by exploiting people's existing beliefs. 

 

Quote

The Bene Gesserit practice "religious engineering" through a faction called the Missionaria Protectiva, which spreads "infectious superstitions on primitive worlds, thus opening those regions to exploitation by the Bene Gesserit."[17] Collectively known as Panoplia Prophetica, these myths, prophecies, and superstitions provide the opportunity for a Bene Gesserit to later cast herself as a guide, protector, or some other figure in fulfillment of a prophecy in order to manipulate the religious subjects for protection or other purposes. These myths also exploit religion as a powerful force in human society; by controlling the particulars of religion, the Bene Gesserit have a manipulative lever on society in general. The Bene Gesserit also employ the Missionaria Protectiva to prepare the Empire for its Kwisatz Haderach.

 

The Kwisatz Haderach is basically the Jesus figure they are preparing the galaxy for. The Bene Gesserit have unlocked genetic memory, allowing them to manipulate women into giving birth to other women which remember everything their mothers (and previous generations) knew. This lets them more easily control things. However, they cannot see into the future, and must create the Haderach (who must be male) who can. So they've been seeding the universe with myths to prepare for his arrival, which they have been selective breeding for. It's an interesting plot issue, that women must create a male which is more powerful than them. They won't be able to fully trust him since men don't have genetic memory in the Dune universe, but they need him to fully see into the future and control it. These events of course slowly unfold over the Dune books.

 

The mythology of Dune is VERY cool, and very complicated. Many people describe it (correctly) as Star Wars for adults.

 

[Bloodporne]

17 minutes ago, CitizenVectron said:

 

The Bene Gesserit in the Dune universe are like a group of women who control the future through selective breeding, and trying to manipulate society. One of their tools is Missionaria Protectiva. It is a process by which they seed the universe with myths about themselves (and their future plans) so as to be seen as fulfilling prophecies. This lets them control people more easily, by exploiting people's existing beliefs. 

 

 

The Kwisatz Haderach is basically the Jesus figure they are preparing the galaxy for. The Bene Gesserit have unlocked genetic memory, allowing them to manipulate women into giving birth to other women which remember everything their mothers (and previous generations) knew. This lets them more easily control things. However, they cannot see into the future, and must create the Haderach (who must be male) who can. So they've been seeding the universe with myths to prepare for his arrival, which they have been selective breeding for. It's an interesting plot issue, that women must create a male which is more powerful than them. They won't be able to fully trust him since men don't have genetic memory in the Dune universe, but they need him to fully see into the future and control it. These events of course slowly unfold over the Dune books.

 

The mythology of Dune is VERY cool, and very complicated. Many people describe it (correctly) as Star Wars for adults.

 

My book backlog is so, so huge...why'd you do this to me?

[CitizenVectron]

The first three  four books are generally considered the best, though of course you can stop after the first and be satisfied with a well-contained story. 

[Iculus]

I read (most) of the books and saw the movie when I was around 10 years old. All that I remember are giant worms, spice, "fear is the mind killer", Sting, (and maybe?) weird flying fat men.

[Greatoneshere]

38 minutes ago, CitizenVectron said:

The first three books are generally considered the best, though of course you can stop after the first and be satisfied with a well-contained story. 

 

No way - the fourth book is the best and I know at least some other Dune fans that think the same. The first four books comprise the full story of the Atreides household - reading the first three and stopping would be . . . weird.  After the first four, the last two are also good but not as connected. 

[Greatoneshere]

23 minutes ago, Iculus said:

I read (most) of the books and saw the movie when I was around 10 years old. All that I remember are giant worms, spice, "fear is the mind killer", Sting, (and maybe?) weird flying fat men.

 

All accurate, including the fat Baron Harkonnen flying around via a machine harness because of his weight.

[CitizenVectron]

24 minutes ago, Greatoneshere said:

 

No way - the fourth book is the best and I know at least some other Dune fans that think the same. The first four books comprise the full story of the Atreides household - reading the first three and stopping would be . . . weird.  After the first four, the last two are also good but not as connected. 

 

Sorry I will edit, I meant the first book plus the next three!

[TwinIon]

I've read Dune a few times, and really enjoyed my most recent re-read, but I've never gone any further. Getting hyped for this movie makes me reconsider.

[Greatoneshere]

1 hour ago, TwinIon said:

I've read Dune a few times, and really enjoyed my most recent re-read, but I've never gone any further. Getting hyped for this movie makes me reconsider.

 

You definitely should read the others! They're much more complex and strange and complicated. Dune, by comparison, is the traditional hero's journey. In fact, people disliked the second book initially when it came out (the short book Dune Messiah) because it overturned all the tropes of the hero - which was the point, since Frank Herbert always felt one should be wary of "heroes". 

[Brick]

I thought it was just one book, not a series. 

[Greatoneshere]

1 hour ago, Brick said:

I thought it was just one book, not a series. 

 

It's 6 books written by Frank Herbert, then after his death in 1986 his son Brian Herbert and writer Kevin J. Anderson wrote two more sequels and a bunch of prequels. The sequels are based on Frank Herbert's left over notes (his 6th book ends on a cliffhanger) are are okay but nowhere near the greatness of the original 6 books. The prequels are just okay to not worth your time. I'd stick to just reading the first 6, the only ones that really matter.

[Brick]

1 hour ago, Greatoneshere said:

 

It's 6 books written by Frank Herbert, then after his death in 1986 his son Brian Herbert and writer Kevin J. Anderson wrote two more sequels and a bunch of prequels. The sequels are based on Frank Herbert's left over notes (his 6th book ends on a cliffhanger) are are okay but nowhere near the greatness of the original 6 books. The prequels are just okay to not worth your time. I'd stick to just reading the first 6, the only ones that really matter.

 

If I ever decide to read them 

 

Why do so many consider it to be unfilmable though? 

[Greatoneshere]

2 hours ago, Brick said:

 

If I ever decide to read them 

 

Why do so many consider it to be unfilmable though? 

 

I think because a lot of the ideas aren't inherently cinematic. A lot of it is trippy, spiritual stuff via novelistic descriptions rather than plot, dialogue, and action. The book luxuriates in atmosphere and tone and as a result it's not something that can be done easily. It's very cinematic in overall structure, but the weird stuff needs to be weird for it to be done right, if that makes sense? Without going into spoiler territory that is.