Damn, this is a lot of movies. It really is rather worrisome right now. Each screen of a film I go to is slowly filling up again. More popcorn munchers returning. However, it’s good news for the cinemas I guess, so whatever. That said, most people have been code compliant and it’s been nice for the atmosphere.

Dune

You’ve probably seen Dune advertised as the new Lord of The Rings for the sci-fi age, and in some ways its comparable. Part 1 (the sequel has recently been confirmed) certainly doesn’t live up to LOTR, however it does provide an interesting viewing experience.

Paul is part of a pretty strong family called Atreides. The great emperor offers them the desert planet which everyone likes because it’s full of spice which is the commodity that has people queuing up at pumps as soon as someone says “shortage”. Paul has been having visions about a pretty woman who lives on the planet, mainly because his mother is a part of a cult, but screw that because it turns out the emperor is tricking Team Paul by planning to invade the desert planet he just gave away. Things happen, then we have a desert exploring story as Paul looks to see what his dreams about the pretty girl mean and use his loud voice which makes people do what he wants.

The plot is certainly dense. After 2.5 hours I found myself running out of energy trying to keep track of the moving parts and certainly a fan of the book would get more out of a first watch, although that said I think a second watch would be easier.

Aside from that, Aunt and I went to see the film in the big fancy Dolby screen in Leicester Square (The one where all the previews happen) and it was a brilliant experience. This is a film which needs to be seen on a big screen and is the first true blockbuster we’ve had since 2019. The scenes were great and full of detail. The effects were big and the landscape, no matter how plain was hypnotic. The whole film had an entrancing feel and really did give off big Star Wars vibes. The sound effects were also fantastic. The deep vibrations and explosions could be felt through your seat and it’s been so long since there has been a movie like that. If you can see it in a cinema, with IMAX, do so and you won’t be disappointed in this visual treat. The ships and especially the giant worms were all wonderful to look at and really had a great sense of scale.

However, you might be disappointed in the story. For such a big source material, it is difficult to get everything right, think of the original Dune or even Akira and the world was tough to understand, although that wasn’t helped. Any prophecy or vision was randomly littered when it occurred. It would have been so much better to have any cultish prophecies near the start, then we would have had a brilliant pay-off.

My biggest gripe however, was the ending. Obviously, I won’t spoil anything here, but I was starting to get tired, then thought that we were finally about to get somewhere, however we didn’t. There was one anti-climatic moment of combat in which the hero didn’t even look like they were in danger, then 30 seconds later we just ended. There was no pay-off from this lame moment, it just finished. I know some people don’t like the Fellowship of the Ring ending, but that seemed like a nice wrap up compared to what I saw.

The good news however, is that this film has a solid footing for a good sequel. It’s built a rich world with some interesting threads and certainly suggests part 2 will be much darker and more adventurous. If the soundtrack is anything as good as this one was (Hans Zimmer was brilliant), and the acting remains competent then we’re in for a treat.

Summary

Dune is a really solid blockbuster movie. With big visual and sound effects and a wonderful soundtrack, this film should be seen on as big and loud a screen as possible, and it will make up for some story issues which certainly stopped it from being deserving of legendary status. [Grade: B]

The French Dispatch

There seems to be a stereotype that when I like a film, it’s probably pretentious twaddle. Maybe the stereotype is that I actually like pretentious twaddle among other films. I very much assure you this is not the case and can confirm this as I didn’t really like The French Dispatch because it was pretentious twaddle.

The film isn’t really a movie, but an anthology of three stories all linked by them being written for the French Dispatch, a magazine for people who don’t like comics. This is linked by some narrative about the editor dying, but that really isn’t important. The first story is about a homicidal maniac who is a talented artist told by Tilda Swinton’s character. It’s a bit slow and doesn’t really give much, The second story is about a student protestor who protests and writes a manifesto. he’s a bit pretentious and unlikable, a perfect metaphor for this movie. The third is about a child been taken hostage and a cook having to save him. Again, nothing really big there.

I don’t care and neither should you because the huge problem with the French Dispatch is that it has no heart. Each story and character is there briefly until they’re not. Each speak in a way that makes them sound like intellects. Your new French wave film lover will love it because the character sounds like them, but that’s because they kind of sound like [I’ll allow you to choose your own insult here].

The film is pretty, it’s well shot and is nice to look at. It doesn’t have the grandeur of Grand Budapest Hotel, but it’s much more varied and experimental. The problem here though is that it doesn’t really do any of these techniques for a reason, except to show it can. It sounds good and occasionally leaves a wry smile. It’s too quirky and Wes Anderson forgets how to make a movie.

Summary

The French Dispatch is a very nice looking movie made in Wes Anderson’s trade mark style. Lovers of his movies will gain a lot out of it, however the rest of the world should avoid this nonsense and actually watch something enjoyable. [Grade: D+]

Stray

I also wanted to quickly mention Stray. It had it’s cinema outing earlier this year and I missed it then, however it is now out on BFI Player and other streaming platforms. It’s going to sound like pretentious nonsense, but I like pretentious nonsense.

Turkey is one of very few countries where it is illegal to capture or kill a stray animal. This means cities such as Istanbul, where the film takes place, have loads of stray dogs wandering the streets. Stray is a documentary which follows one dog, Zeytin, around the city documenting his life with no voice over or anything and it’s really brilliant.

I know animal lovers will be apprehensively concerned about this film, but I can assure you that no dogs are harmed during the run time. Zeytin is a beautiful soul who we come to know and love. She doesn’t look to hurt anyone and is friendly with dogs and humans alike. The film is shot without a voiceover, meaning you are just seeing her and watching her face to connect with her. It is also shot often at dog head height meaning you often see humans from the waist down giving you Zeytin’s perspective.

The film gets even stronger when half way through you meet three Syrian refugees who Zeytin essentially lives with. They’re the ones who named her and she goes around with them regularly. They’re in a state of limbo, unable to work and regularly just sniffing glue to pass the time. It’s somewhat poetic as these humans are as lost and stray as Zeytin and much like her just want a sense of love and belonging. From that, we can compare the way refugees are treated to that of animals, and it really doesn’t come out well.

As well as looking great, there is a beautiful violin soundtrack which gives these streets a sense of magic, wonder and grandeur which fully immerses you.

Summary

Stray may be one of the most simple, but one of the best documentaries of the year. It just follows one dog around with little context who you immediately care for and her friends. It shows a snapshot of Istanbul politically in the background as a consequence making it an enjoyable film about a dog and a thought provoking piece of art. [Grade: A-]