Frank Herbert's take on the Lynch adaption. overall he was quite satisfied but would have liked to have had the banquet scene included but understood why it wasn't. What 'Dune' Author Frank Herbert Said About the 1984 David Lynch Adaptation (Flashback) (msn.com)
I had no knowledge of the source material in 1984, so I was pretty blown away by the EPICNESS. It also got me to read the book(s). Obviously, it's been awhile though! I forgot about "genetic memory" - which is now being explored by science.
As a kid, Dune was awesome because every movie and TV show at that age which takes you to another world is awesome, even Spacehunter and Metalstorm. In terms of storytelling, it leaves a lot to be desired, but the production value sure stand out.
It used to take a year or more for a movie to get all the way down here. Was not impressed by the 3D. I spent most of my time looking at the babysitter. Older women are cool.
Bad news. So far Dune is tracking at a $30-$32 mil opening weekend. Advance sales suggested the take would be higher but the thur & fri numbers aren't bearing that out - could be it's the fans booking online in advance and then nobody left just walking in to watch it. https://deadline.com/2021/10/dune-weekend-box-office-1234860683/ For context: Last week the new Halloween movie made $49.4 million. It also opened in digital. The week before Bond made (a disappointing) $55.5. The week before that, Venom pulled in $90. Shang Chi made more money in its *second* weekend than Dune is projected to make in its first. Jungle Cruise opened to $35 mil in the last weekend of July. This is the lowest opening for a major movie since Free Guy in August, which had a budget $40 mil less and Covid was worse. BR 2049 opened to the same numbers with a smaller budget (and undoubtedly a smaller marketing campaign) and is considered a financial failure. Fingers crossed A LOT of people in the US are watching it on HBO Max.
We just watched it on HBO Max and I REALLY hope Villeneuve gets to finish it! Truly stunning. It builds slowly, but I was completely engrossed. Also, I'm not a big movie score person, but I was lucky to be educated by a friend just enough to know when a score does (or doesn't) enhance the experience. Zimmer knocked it *out of the park*! More tomorrow in the spoiler thread.
Yes, this idea was first formulated in the 50s and 60s and has now been revived: Study: Genes could retain 'memory' when passed to offspring | WIRED UK 'Memories' pass between generations - BBC News Memories Can Be Inherited, and Scientists May Have Just Figured out How (futurism.com) It has been suggested that the remarkable abilities of some savants might be explained by genetic memory and epigenetics. It's a mechanism that seems to have evolved to enhance survivability in the face of environmental stress and so increases the likelihood that an organism procreates and passes on this ability to its offspring. However, I very much doubt it extends as far as recording and replaying detailed events that happened to your ancestors as described in the Dune novels.
Indeed. I saw it on IMAX and was completely gobsmacked by the whole experience. This is the kind of film that should be viewed on the big screen (IMAX or not). Sure, some people have home theater systems that work just as well, but most people don't. Hell, I don't even own a TV!
Considering the box office numbers I have a feeling we might see that sentiment expressed by a few others soon. Then again, Halloween Kills made $20 mil more than Dunes projected numbers and it also opened digital the same day If the sequel doesn't get made I anticipate lawsuits that will make ScarJos Disney suit look like small potatoes.
I still don't know anybody personally in my area willing to go to a theatre (though people certainly are). We're not the only ones, so that's money the studios can ONLY get through streaming.
How much does dune cost on pay per view? Nothing? https://www.usatoday.com/story/tech/reviewedcom/2021/02/16/how-watch-dune-hbo-max/6763798002/ The brand new movie is just part of it's ordinary subscription service. How unmercantile.
Chinese box office is also pretty bad. Only $6.5 mil opening day. Looking like $4 mil less than expected for the weekend. https://variety.com/2021/film/news/dune-china-opening-day-box-office-1235095839/
It's not on TV it's on the HBOMax streaming service. It's not pay per view, it's streaming. Well, that depends on your definition of "ordinary", it's only available to people with the second, commercial free tier, so not everybody gets to watch. I actually have that version of HBOMax, but I made the choice to go to the theater because I knew this had to be seen on the biggest screen possible, and our 40'' TV just wasn't going to cut it. Glad I did, I can't imagine it having as much of an impact on the TV as it did in the theater. Not to surprised, it's probably to talky for them. When it comes to American movies, the Chinese audiences tend to go for more action, and less talking.
Villeneuve providing an analysis of the pivotal Gom Jabbar scene ( love these from any director to hear the reasons for certain decisions and the intentions behind it):