Dune: Part Two released

Dune: Part Two Released: February 6, 2024 Studio: Warner Bros. Pictures Genre: sci-fi Box Office (numbers in millions): Domestic: 282.14 Worldwide: 714.64 Adjusted for Inflation: Domestic: -- Worldwide: --

Directing: Denis Villenueve Screenwriting: Denis Villenueve, Jon Spaihts Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Zendaya, Josh Brolin, Javier Bardem, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Christopher Walken Review: When director Denis Villenueve took on the daunting task of adapting Frank Herbert’s classic 1965 sci-fi novel Dune, he made the wise choice to stretch the complicated story line over two movies. The first movie, released in 2021 (see that review here), focused on the House Atreides arrival on the planet Arrakis and the assassination of their leader, Duke Leto. That forced his son, Paul (Chalamet) and his mother (Ferguson) to retreat to the desert and the primitive world of its native people, the Fremen. That leaves the second part to focus on Paul ingratiating himself into the Fremen’s way of life, being accepted by their leader Stilgar (Bardem) and becoming romantically entangled with Chani (Zendaya). Paul finds himself at the center of a prophecy to become a messiah figure for the Fremen as he rises up to lead the attack against the House Harkonnen responsible for killing his father. Like the original story, the movie focuses on the danger of charismatic leaders who become too power-hungry. In Paul’s bid to oppose the evil Harkonnen’s, there is a lingering threat that he could also succumb to the same temptations. The movie does tend to subscribe to the “‘natives good, white colonialists evil’ narrative” RN in depicting Fremen culture “as largely good, its problems caused almost entirely by evil outsiders.” RN For example, the book depicts the Fremen as a hierarchical, male-led society but the movie downplays these aspects. Regardless of any reservations about the movie, the result is “an impressive film version of one of the most famous of all science fiction novels.” RN “The acting, storytelling, and visual images are all top notch.” RN Sources: RN Reason.com movie review by Ilya Somin WK Wikipedia

Awards/Honors/Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Lists: Eras: Oscars: Wins: ? Nominations: 5, including Best Picture, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Sound, Best Visual Effects Lists: First posted 3/2/2025.

The Deer Hunter with its unforgettable Russian Roulette scenes, is released

The Deer Hunter Released: December 8, 1978 Studio: Universal Genre: war epic Box Office (numbers in millions): Domestic: 48.98 Worldwide: ? Adjusted for Inflation: Domestic: 176.50 Worldwide: ?

Directing: Michael Cimino Screenwriting: Michael Cimino, Louis Garfinkle, Quinn K. Redeker, Deric Washburn Starring: Robert De Niro, John Cazale, John Savage, Christopher Walken, Meryl Streep Directing: Michael Cimino Review: This is a “disturbing, emotionally powerful film” FS is “still America’s most controversial (and affecting) movie about the U.S. experience of the Vietnam War.” T98 “This sensitive, painful, evocative work packs an emotional wallop.” LM The story focuses specifically on Michael (De Niro), Nick (Walken), and Steven (Savage), three Pittsburgh steelworker buddies “who hang out in bars and hunt deer.” FS “Steven is getting married while Michael and Nick compete over the affections of Linda (Streep).” FS Their “lives are irrevocably changed by a tour of duty in Vietnam” A98 in which they are captured by the enemy and “among other things, …are forced to endure a game of Russian Roulette in the P.O.W. camp.” FS “De Niro is classic as the force that gets them out of a sadistic Vietnamese riverside prison.” VD He returns to Vietnam to try to rescue his “estranged friend Walken” A07 who regularly plays Russian Roulette “in a back alley of Saigon.” A07 This was director Michael Cimino’s second film. He’d debuted in 1974 with Thunderbolt & Lightfoot, “a cult crime caper starring Clint Eastwood and Jeff Bridges as the titular characters.” FS However, his career was destroyed by the disastrous epic Heaven’s Gate (1980).” FS Sources: A98 American Film Institute (1998). “AFI’s 100 Years, 100 Movies” A07 American Film Institute (2007). “AFI’s 100 Years…100 Movies – 10th Anniversary Edition” FS Filmsite.org “100 Greatest Films” LM Leonard Maltin “100 Must-See Films of the 20th Century” T98 Time Out (1998). “Readers’ Top 100 Films” VD Video Detective (1997). “Top 100 Films of All Time”

Awards/Honors/Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Lists: Dave’s Movie Database Genre Lists: Awards: Oscars: Wins: 5 – including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor (Walken), Best Film Editing, Best Sound Nominations: 9 – including Best Actor (De Niro), Best Supporting Actress (Streep), Best Cinematography, Best Original Screenplay Other Lists/Honors: Critics’ Picks: Leonard Maltin First posted 5/31/2023.