Dune: Part 2 (2024): Reading back upon my thoughts on the first part of however many parts this Dune story will have, I feel hard-pressed to not just copy-paste. That said, it does read rather rather critical, more critical than it perhaps has to be – which is probably how this one will read as well. Jumping into the second part felt easy enough even without doing a rewatch. We’re back to see Paul becoming embedded into the fremen way of life and embracing (or not) the hagiography about him. At the same time, his love life proves considerably better than mine and Villeneuve takes some time to develop this. Arguably too much time. While the Harkonnen make their own chess moves, featuring a deliciously brutal Feyd-Rautha (Austin Butler) and we’re introduced to the Padishah Emperor (Christopher Walken), I was felt with a distinct feeling that there’s no chance the story would finish within this second part. But things speed up considerably in the last half hour (again, arguably too much) and the matter is somewhat cleared up, with a lot left to be resolved in…however many sequels audiences will want to see the saga go for. Paul’s development and its framing are particularly interesting, even as they do seem to parallel real-world situations rather closely. What left me a tad irritated was Zendaya’s plain interpretation of Chani’s inner turmoil, transmitted via sledgehammer, not paintbrush. That said, the movie pays its dues, it is grand and intensely intimate at the same time, with a Fury Road-esque tinge and Hans Zimmer’s bombastic score setting the mood. 8
Hai, România! (2024): The 1994 World Cup was a big thing for Romania. Not just for the football watching part of the country, but for pretty much everyone. It was the first time the country really took center stage in a positive way after the 1989 Revolution. The national team’s performance had a wide ranging impact. And it has since become a footballing reference point we look back upon with affection and melancholy. With the advantage of time passing on its side, the documentary coaxes more intimate introspection and revelation from those involved. This is something that usually eludes modern day sports documentaries, with active athletes loathe to say anything controversial. I would have also liked more of a parallel with the state of Romanian society, a deeper look into what it really meant at that time for people in the country. As it stands, the movie doesn’t aim to do more than highlight the elation of victories. But oh, were those victories sweet. 7
The Death of Dick Long (2019): Before Everything, Everywhere, All at Once (2022), Daniel Scheinert directed this little trick – a less palatable offering of otherness. The movie starts off with three bandmates having practice, which then turns into a kind of party, which then cuts to one of them being dumped in front of a hospital – solid, no? With two somewhat dim-witted protagonists, who ultimately prove more mundane than just dim, the movie is not very sure what it wants to be, but that’s alright. While the first half of it is definitely more engaging than the second (as all the internet seems to agree), I think there’s still enough character to it to make for a different kind of watch. It’s all perhaps too serious in the end, but that also adds to the unique approach Scheinert and writer Billy Chew had going into this. 7
Hard Target (1993): I went to Brussels last week and I got a craving for mussels. Sorry, muscles. So why not this campy action flick with the muscles himself, Jean Claude Van Damme, directed by the usually exciting John Woo. It’s really not something to take very seriously, but the movie actually fits very well into this decade’s eat-the-rich theme. Lance Henriksen makes for an unhinged villain who organizes man-hunts for those with money and Arnold Vosloo plays his exotically accent-heavy right-hand man. The cast is rounded out by Yancy Butler, whose reaction shots verge on caricature, but ultimately make for a good fit in this flick. The movie really works when things go kapow, which is not to say that I didn’t like many of Woo’s flourishes along the way. Fun enough watch. 6
The Running Man (1987): So how about a Stephen King penned 80s sci-fi featuring two future governors of the United States? To be fair, Schwarzenegger and Ventura also teamed up the same year in Predator, but in this despotic future society (set in 2017, sigh), they are on opposite sides. Arnie, framed for a crime he did not commit by a government that keeps its people under severe restrictions and maintains their bonheur through a gladiatorial contest running on TV (another of the prime evils) entitled, well, “The Running Man”. Richard Dawson plays the host of the show, taking on a darker role than his usual Family Feud job required the decade before, and the movie seems content on making the most of the Arnie one-liners. Still, it’s a smooth, fun ride, although different to Hard Target, still enjoyable, in spite of its kitschy aesthetic. 6
tributary stu 