MOVIE REVIEW: DUNE PART TWO

 

Paul Atreides unites with Chani and the Fremen while seeking revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the universe, he must prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Cast: Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Zendaya, Charlotte Rampling, Javier Bardem, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Christopher Walken, Léa Seydoux

Release Date: March 1, 2024

Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi

Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, some suggestive material and brief strong language.

Runtime: 2h 46m

Review:

Denis Villeneuve's Dune Part Two is a sci-fi epic in every sense of the word filled with mesmerizing visuals, a stellar cast and a beefier story than you'd expect from a blockbuster of this size.  Villeneuve, now free of the first film's exposition dump, moves his film at a steadier pace delivering massive action set pieces that are impressively staged and far more engaging than the first film's offers.  Paul's first ride on a sandworm is wonderfully set up and executed to create a thrilling and visceral experience, something the battle sequences can't quite match.  Visually, you can see Villeneuve pulling inspiration from other legendary sci-fi films such as 2001 or Star Wars for Arrakis and contrasting it with the Harkonnen's which clearly draws inspiration from H.R. Giger early work from Jodorowsky’s failed attempt to bring the film to the screen in the 70's.  There are a bevy of shots that are sure to join the pantheon of the memorable shots in cinematic history.  Overall, the film and story move at a brisker pace with the full scale of the story's themes and relationships unfurling at steady pace leaving very few dead spots throughout the film’s hefty runtime.  The film's ensemble cast shines throughout with each delivering strong performances regardless of screen time.  Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya get the lion's share of the screen time with both doing fine work albeit their romantic chemistry isn't quite as strong as it should be likely due to their romance being rushed thru in the opening act.  It’s a minor issue especially with the amount of story they have to work through and both still deliver the goods on the dramatic sides.  Rebecca Ferguson gets a meatier role here as her character takes a darker more ominous tone which she's more than capable of conveying.  Javier Bardem also gets more to do this go around after his extended cameo in the first film.  Bardem is fun every time he's onscreen thanks to his general charisma which works for his character's unwavering zealotry.  Austin Butler proves he doesn't have to be Elvis in everything with an impressive about face as the psychotic Feyd-Rautha Harkonnen.  Florence Pugh does well in her limited screen time even though the character is mainly used for exposition dumps, but you get the sense there's more on the horizon if a third film comes to fruition.  Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Josh Brolin and Charlotte Rampling return from the first film with much smaller but important roles with each making those small moments far more impactful.  It’s a testament to the scale of Dune Two that these actors serve as garnish to its cinematic cornucopia which delivers on multiple fronts while leaving you wanting to see the story's final act.   

A

MOVIE REVIEW: GUARDIANS OF THE GALAXY VOL. 3

Still reeling from the loss of Gamora, Peter Quill must rally his team to defend the universe and protect one of their own. If the mission is not completely successful, it could possibly lead to the end of the Guardians as we know them.

Director: James Gunn

Cast: Chris Pratt, Zoe Saldaña, Dave Bautista, Karen Gillan, Pom Klementieff, Vin Diesel, Bradley Cooper, Sean Gunn, Chukwudi Iwuji, Will Poulter, Elizabeth Debicki, Maria Bakalova, Sylvester Stallone

Release Date: May 5, 2023 

Genre: Action, Adventure, Comedy, Sci-Fi

Rated PG-13 for intense sequences of violence and action, strong language, suggestive/drug references and thematic elements

Runtime: 2h 30m

Review:

I'm not sure if James Gunn set out to make the world's most expense Roger Corman sci-fi epic but that's what his big, messy Marvel swan song, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, ends up being.  His trilogy capper is untethered on multiple levels as he splashes every bit of his sensibilities onscreen which boarders on self indulgent on multiple occasions.  It’s a strange, goofy and overlong conclusion to one of the few Marvel series that definitely carved out its own niche in the overall monolith of a franchise.  This entry is far more engaging and funnier than the second entry which leaned far too heavily into its daddy issues.  Here, it does feel like the director and cast are riffing on what worked in the original by delivering more team banter and emotional arches with the latter never feeling as fresh as it did in the original.  Bradley Cooper's Rocket Racoon serves as the emotional center of this entry as his character gets the spotlight as a series of flashbacks explore his backstory with surprising emotional depth even though it involves more talking animals.  Those sequences intersperse the main action, but they build to a heartbreaking moment which hits with the weight of a sledgehammer.  Unfortunately, the main action doesn't carry that sort of emotional heft as the team moves from one visually impressive action set piece to another.  The main cast of Pratt, Saldaña, Bautista and Klementieff are all solid, but the script seems content with only superficial moments of character growth.  Their familiarity with the characters makes it more enjoyable than it should be with Karen Gillan standing out as she mines more out of her performance than what’s written on the page.  Likewise, Chukwudi Iwuji's performance as The Evolutionary is bigger than what the script affords him.  It’s a Shakespearian level of maniacal evil that should have been expanded on as opposed to other moments or characters like Will Poulter's Adam Warlock and Elizabeth Debicki's Ayesha who could have been excised entirely.  At two and half hours it’s a film that's too choppy to earn that rather lengthy runtime which make its final act feel more like an exercise in attrition even though the battles are impressively staged.  Ultimately, Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3 doesn't quite stick the landing the way it should, but it still delivers the kind of quirky, emotional uniqueness that made it stand out amongst the other cookie cutter films that populate the Marvel Universe.   

B

MOVIE REVIEW: KNOCK AT THE CABIN

 

While vacationing at a remote cabin in the woods, a young girl and her parents are taken hostage by four armed strangers who demand they make an unthinkable choice to avert the apocalypse. Confused, scared and with limited access to the outside world, the family must decide what they believe before all is lost.

Director: M. Night Shyamalan

Cast: Dave Bautista, Jonathan Groff, Ben Aldridge, Nikki Amuka-Bird, Kristen Cui, Abby Quinn, Rupert Grint

Release Date: February 3, 2023

Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller

Rated R for violence and language

Runtime: 1h 40m

Review:

Knock at the Cabin is the type of film that lays bare all of M. Night Shyamalan pros and cons as a filmmaker.  The concept and set up are well executed with the film wasting very little time to get the plot moving along.  The script, as usual with his films, has its fair share of clunky dialogue but the cast is able to elevate it with committed performances by giving it a tangible urgency and intensity.  Dave Bautista, in particular, delivers a rather impressive turn as one of the main invaders.  Bautista has quietly been putting together a rather diverse acting resume that shows off a concerted effort to be more than movie muscle.  Here, he gives his character a believably tortured vulnerability which works well as a juxtaposition to his imposing figure.  He drives the first half of the film as he lays out the concept and what his group has been tasked to do.  Nikki Amuka-Bird, Abby Quinn and Rupert Grint put in solid supporting turns as the other intruders.  Out of the three, Grint gets the least amount of screen time but he makes the most of it, making you wish the film had made better use of his rather unexpected turn.  Jonathan Groff and Ben Aldridge are saddled with far less interesting roles as the couple being held hostage with their daughter played by Kristen Cui.  Groff and Aldridge do their best to overcome lazy writing by giving their characters more depth than actually on the page.  Kristen Cui, for her part, is the rare child actor that's able to authentically emote throughout while avoiding those annoying child pitfalls.  Even with its noticeable flaws, the film is efficient and engaging enough to keep your attention until the final act hits.  The film sets up a variety of themes which work better had Shyamalan left the ending more ambiguous, something the book does to my understanding, but instead he leans into a cheap and lazy finale that robs the story of its impact. 

C+

MOVIE REVIEW: GLASS ONION: A KNIVES OUT MYSTERY

 

Tech billionaire Miles Bron invites his friends for a getaway on his private Greek island. When someone turns up dead, Detective Benoit Blanc is put on the case.

Director: Rian Johnson

Cast: Daniel Craig, Edward Norton, Janelle Monáe, Kathryn Hahn, Leslie Odom Jr., Jessica Henwick, Madelyn Cline, Kate Hudson, Dave Bautista

Release Date: November 23, 2022 

Genre: Comedy, Crime, Drama, Mystery, Thriller

Rated PG-13 for strong language, some violence, sexual material and drug content

Runtime: 2h 20m

Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery is the kind of film that pulsates with palatable energy from its cast and director that you can't help but be entranced in the murder mystery at play.  Rian Johnson delivers another sharp and playful mystery for his own Hercule Poirot, Detective Benoit Blanc.  Johnson and Daniel Craig clearly love the material and character with their energy gleefully seeping through the screen.  Craig clearly loves playing the character and his Foghorn Leghorn drawl with this entry finding him refining his persona making him more human even with the outsized attitudes.  He's graced with another solid ensemble cast who all bring their own sort of energy.  They, like Blanc, are all oversized personas representing certain kinds of people from eccentric billionaires like Ed Norton's Miles Bron or Kate Hudson's ditzy supermodel Birdie Jay.  Ethan Hawke shows up for a split second before disappearing entirely which leaves you wondering if a subplot was left on the cutting room floor.  Still, Johnson makes solid use of the rest of the supporting cast throughout the film which likes to play with scenes by telling them from different points of view as the story unfolds.  Each character has their own underlying agenda at play with Janelle Monáe's Cassandra Brand being the crux of the story.  In its final act the film feels reminiscent of the 1985's Clue, a game Blanc hates, with character's motivations being dissected.  The final reveal isn't much of a surprise but that doesn't make it any less fun when the cast in front of the camera and director behind it are clearly having so much fun.   

A-

Cindy Prascik's Review of Dune

My dear reader(s), this weekend gave me a rare bit of time for watching and writing, so I decided to check out Denis Villeneuve's latest, Dune.

Spoiler level here will be mild, nothing you wouldn't know from the trailers.

Chronicling the grim interplanetary shenanigans of some absurdly beautiful people.

I will surprise no one by admitting I did not: a) revisit the source material, or b) revisit the original, before diving into Dune 2021. In fact, I remembered so little about the 1984 movie that I had to resort to IMDB to remember who was in it. No, this weekend's choices came down to going to the cinema for over two and a half hours of James Bond, or staying home for over two and a half hours of Dune. I was equally excited (or not) for both, so - as is my norm these days - I opted to stay home. Having said that, I really wanted to like Dune, and was disappointed to find that impossible.

First, though, the good.

Dune boasts a magnificent score by Hans Zimmer. It grabbed me from the very first minute and never let go. The film is visually stunning, the special effects are nifty, and the fight choreography is quite sharp. The cast features a bunch of folks you probably know and love from other things, which leads us to...

...the bad.

Bad acting that is. With the exception of Jason Momoa, who always manages to entertain, everyone is either wooden as a marionette or overacting wildly. No real in-between. (And, no, I'm not saying Momoa is the best actor here by any means, just that he fares best with what he's got to work with.) It's nice to see David Dastmalchian turning up in everything these days, though. The movie is pretentious and far too long. I imagine you're meant to be entranced by the relationships and conflicts among characters and groups, but...nah. I was bored by the 30-minute mark, and completely checked out with about 45 minutes left. With a mighty display of will, I finished it, but it definitely didn't have anything close to my full attention for that last third(ish). Maybe James Bond could have done better.

Dune clocks in at a bloated 155 minutes and is rated PG13 for "sequences of strong violence, some disturbing images, and suggestive material."

Dune is a feast for the eyes, but fails to engage otherwise. Of a possible nine Weasleys, Dune gets three.

Dune is now playing in cinemas worldwide, and streaming on HBO Max until mid-November.

MOVIE REVIEW: DUNE

 

Paul Atreides, a brilliant and gifted young man born into a great destiny beyond his understanding, must travel to the most dangerous planet in the universe to ensure the future of his family and his people. As malevolent forces explode into conflict over the planet's exclusive supply of the most precious resource in existence, only those who can conquer their own fear will survive.

Director: Denis Villeneuve

Cast:  Timothée Chalamet, Rebecca Ferguson, Oscar Isaac, Josh Brolin, Stellan Skarsgård, Dave Bautista, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Zendaya, David Dastmalchian, Chang Chen, Sharon Duncan-Brewster, Charlotte Rampling, Jason Momoa, Javier Bardem

Release Date: October 22, 2021

Genre: Action, Adventure, Drama, Sci-Fi

Rated PG-13 for sequences of strong violence, some disturbing images and suggestive material

Runtime: 2h 35min

Review:

Denis Villeneuve's Dune is a massive movie in everyway shape and form.  This second attempt at adapting Frank Herbert's notoriously dense tome is an opulent feast for the eyes with each scene and sequence leaving a lasting impression due to sheer amount of craftsmanship on display.  It's the kind of cinematic worldbuilding that is bound to leave plenty of people in awe due to the visual bounty on screen.  The cast is peppered with A list talent across the board with each delivering strong if self serious performances.  Oscar Isaac's stoic but loving father/general plays perfectly into his wheelhouse.  Likewise, Josh Brolin's stern solider fits him perfectly just like Jason Momoa's Duncan the caring but fierce warrior.  Dave Bautista's animalistic Harkonnen savage and Stellan Skarsgård's nefarious Baron Vladimir Harkonnen serve as the primary villain's in what amounts to an origin story for Timothée Chalamet's Paul.  Chalamet's performance is strong but subdued landing somewhere in the Hamlet territory.  Rebecca Ferguson though is the real life blood of film as her character and performance is always the most interesting thing on screen even in the mist of the visual cornucopia.  There's an air of Shakespearian tragedy to the story and overall approach.  It's all very self serious and methodical in it's approach which might be off putting to people who aren't pulled immediately into the story which is admittedly dense.  There is also a Kubrick like clinical distance from the characters on screen making it difficult to connect to them on an emotional level.  Additionally, Dune is merely setting the table for the real action to kick off in it's sequel.  That doesn't make it any less of a cinematic achievement that's sure enrapture and dazzle audiences.

B+

MOVIE REVIEW: ARMY OF THE DEAD

 

After a zombie outbreak in Las Vegas, a group of mercenaries takes the ultimate gamble by venturing into the quarantine zone for the greatest heist ever.

Director: Zack Snyder

Cast:  Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera, Theo Rossi, Matthias Schweighöfer, Nora Arnezeder, Hiroyuki Sanada, Tig Notaro, Raúl Castillo, Huma Qureshi, Garret Dillahunt

Release Date: May 21, 2021

Genre: Action, Crime, Horror 

Rated R for strong bloody violence, gore and language throughout, some sexual content and brief nudity/graphic nudity

Runtime: 2h 28min

Review:

Army of the Dead represents a return to the genre that made Zack Snyder a name in the movie business.  His remake of Dawn of the Dead is a film that shouldn’t have worked on multiple levels but ended up becoming something special.  It was enough to make him a marketable director so his return, after his somewhat grueling trek through the DC Extended Universe, to genre is intriguing enough.  Freed of having to navigate established character, you can feel Snyder clear his palette on screen.  In doing so, he channels a slew of sources like Michael Bay’s Armageddon, James Cameron’s Aliens, Romero’s Day of the Dead and Land of the Dead with a splash of Peter Jackson’s Dead Alive for good measure.  It is all draped in a heist film with larger splatter effects and for a large chunk of its runtime works even with some readily apparent pacing issues.  The characters are sufficiently fleshed out, so they don’t feel like fodder for meat grinder.  Dave Bautista leads his motley crew effectively even if he’s given one too many dramatic sequences which he can’t quite nail.  He does have a specific sort of quiet, pensive intensity that gives him a level of authenticity which works well for his character.  He has solid chemistry with his on-screen daughter, Ella Purnell, and love interest, Ana de la Reguera.  Each storyline is given enough time to play out even with some unexpected surprises.   Omari Hardwick and Matthias Schweighöfer also make a fun onscreen duo of lethal philosopher and safecracker who have some of the best comedic moments.  Theo Rossi and Garret Dillahunt both turn in mustache twirling levels of villainy which is fine, but you’re left feeling that the film could have used them to better effect.  The large ensemble keeps the whole thing moving even during some of its slower moments but there some obvious fat that could have been cut.  Zack Snyder’s Army of the Dead feels refreshing but it also displays some of his directorial excesses in this love letter to genre filmmaking.

B-

MOVIE REVIEW: STUBER

When a mild-mannered Uber driver named Stu (Kumail Nanjiani) picks up a passenger (Dave Bautista) who turns out to be a cop hot on the trail of a brutal killer, he’s thrust into a harrowing ordeal where he desperately tries to hold onto his wits, his life and his five-star rating. Directed by Michael Dowse, this action-comedy from 20th Century Fox also stars Iko Uwais, Natalie Morales, Betty Gilpin, Jimmy Tatro, Mira Sorvino and Karen Gillan.

Director: Michael Dowse

Cast: Dave Bautista, Kumail Nanjiani, Iko Uwais, Natalie Morales, Betty Gilpin, Jimmy Tatro, Mira Sorvino, Karen Gillan

Release Date: June 28, 2019

Action, Comedy, Crime

Rated R for violence and language throughout, some sexual references and brief graphic nudity

Runtime: 1 h 33 min

Review:

Stuber is one of those stupid mindless action comedies that seemingly pops up every summer.  Michael Dowse’s film knows what it is and never really pretends to be anything else especially anything resembling serious.  The action is loud, kinetic and surprisingly bloody for some reason.  Still it all carries very little weight in terms of gravitas.  It’s all played for fun and both the leads are more than ready to go all in.  Dave Bautista, aka Mr Monotone, uses a schtick similar to his Guardians of the Galaxy routine which works well here.  His massive size compared to Kumail Nanjiani’s plays right into the film’s general hook.  Nanjiani is perfectly neurotic as the hapless uber driver who’s commandeered for the drive around the city.  Together they make for a fun pair delivering a low rent 48 Hrs. or Running Scared.  Ultimately, the film does sort of feel like a throwback to those 80’s buddy comedies even if doesn’t quite reach classic status.


B-