Dune: Part II

 This Thursday, my Mom and I went to the cinema together and watched the second part of Denis Villeneuve's Dune adaptation. Here are my brief (largely spoiler-free) thoughts on it.

As an adaption, Dune: Part II, is not completely accurate to its source material (though that was, perhaps, to be expected). Among other things, it reduces one fairly prominent character to a cameo and drops another completely. The Movie also diverges from the book in some significant ways, particularly in its depiction of Paul's and Chani's relationship. As a result, the film also ends on a different note from the novel.

Would the purist in me have preferred it if the film had stuck closer to its source material? Yes. Did I enjoy the film in spite of these liberties? Absolutely. 

Though I personally believe that the ideal format for a Dune adaptation would be an animated series, Villeneuve's films are the best adaptation of this classic work of science fiction that I can think of. 

Like its predecessor, Dune II looks great (this is a movie that demands to be watched in theaters) and, taken as a whole, the duology does capture the epic scope of Frank Herbert's novel. Acting is uniformly good and the only character who feels significantly different from their literary counterpart is Chani.

One quick final note: Part II does nothing to make sure that the viewer is up to speed. If its been awhile since you've seen part I, I recommend that you either re-watch it, read the novel (or, if you already have, re-read it). Alternatively, if you are feeling lazy, you can just look up a synopsis online.

The Venture Bros. Movie

 Recently, The Venture Bros. movie, bearing the fittingly pulp-y title Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart was released digitally and having, seen the film, I thought I'd offer my take on it.

First of all, let me make one thing clear: If you haven't seen The Venture Bros, then this movie is not a good introduction to the series. Unlike other movies spawned off of TV-Shows that I can mention (South Park: Bigger, Longer and Uncut, the 2017 My Little Pony movie, among others), Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart makes no attempt at being accessible to newcomers, picking up from where the show left off when it was cancelled back in 2018 and being completely steeped in lore. Anyone who comes into this movie without pre-existing knowledge of these characters and their relationships are likely to be left scratching their heads in confusion.

As someone who has seen every episode of The Venture Bros (some emultiple times), did I enjoy the film? Well, before I answer that question, I'm going to address my one major criticism of it.

Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart clocks in at 84 minutes and it packs quite a lot of plot into that relatively brief runtime. To the point, where, at times, the movie feels cramped. Apparently, this was originally going to be the eight season of the show proper, before it was made into a movie and there are times when hat shows. In particular, the antagonist would have benefited if they and their organisation had been built up over multiple episodes rather than making their first appearance in this film.

That aside, I did enjoy the film. My favorite characters (Rusty, the Monarch and Dr. Mrs. Monarch) all got plenty of focus (I could have used more of the Alchemist though and was surprised at how little Brock had to do). Red Death, of course, stole every scene he was in. I really liked how Hank's and Dean's story-line was resolved, showing that these two are probably more emotionally mature than most of the adults they know. Visually, the movie looks good and the voice-actors perform their roles well (as I expected).

Lastly, the movie provides answers to questions that fans of the show have been asking for years. Such as; the identity of Hank's and Dean's mother and whether or not Rusty and the Monarch are related? 

Radiant is the Blood of the Baboon Heart may not join the ranks of my favorite animated features, but it is an entertaining film and, if it is indeed the last Venture Bros. related thing we get (I hope not), a worthy conclusion to a saga that has been going on for nearly two decades.

Go Team Venture!

Oh, and in case you were wondering: Yes, there is a reason for the movie's title.

A Few More Quick Takes

 Note: An asterisk in front of the title indicates that this is a revisit (as you can see, most of them are this time around).

Record of the Lodoss War*

I have a huge soft spot for the original Record of the Lodoss War OVA. Sure, neither the world and the story is exactly brimming with innovation; it's your typical medieval fantasy-setting with elves, dwarfs, dragons, etc. However, the story is told well and most of the characters, while not exactly the deepest that the medium has offered, are engaging to watch. Also, the opening and ending theme are both excellent. Its not one of my absolute favorite anime, but if you're in the mood for some Tolkienesque high-fantasy, than Record of the Lodoss War is well worth checking out.

Chernobyl

I came into Chernobyl with high expectations, having heard almost nothing but positive things about it, since it first came out. I was not disappointed: This is a splendid mini-series, which had me captivated throughout its six episodes. Visually it looks great and Jared Harris, Emily Watson and the always reliable Stellan Skarsgard, delivers top-notch performances. Listening to the official podcast, its also clear that the writers have done their research and have made sure to depict this catastrophe with all the weight it deserves (though obviously some artistic license have been taken for the sake of the story). All this combines to make Chernobyl one of the best things to come out of HBO, if not the best.

Hook*

Back when my age was in the single-digits, this was one of my two favorite movies (the other being The Adventures of Baron Münchhausen, my first Terry Gilliam film). As an adult, no, its not one of my  favorites, but I do maintain that its an enjoyable film, with an interesting premise (what if the boy who never grew up, actually grew up?) and  featuring some entertaining performances from Robin Williams, Bob Hopkins and Dustin Hoffman (incidentally, this movie's depictions of Smee and Captain Hook are much closer to Barrie's original versions of these characters than Disney's, especially Smee). A very underrated movie.

Wicked City*

 Yoshihaki Kawajiri's solo debut as an anime director is as stylish and atmospheric as his later works. Unfortunately, Wicked City is marred significantly by its treatment of its female lead, Makie. Initially presented as a skilled warrior, the equal to the male protagonist, Taki, most of her screen-time consists of being perved on by the lecherous old diplomat she and Taki have been assigned to protect, or sexually assaulted by the villains. These aspects of the film comes across as incredibly gratuitous and makes it hard for me to recommend Wicked City to anyone but the most hardcore of Kawajiri fans

The Lives of Others*

I remember liking this German movie back when I first saw it, some years ago. However, a re-watch really elevated it in my estimation and I now rank The Lives of Others among my favorite movies. 

At its core, its a powerful redemption story, about a man who discovers his humanity after years of being a willing cog in the machine. Ulrich Mühe delivers a fantastic performance as the Stasi-agent Wiesler. Oh, and the ending is one of the best I've seen in a movie. It actually made me tear up a bit, I admit.

Changes In Taste

When it comes to entertainment, no person's taste is completely set in stone and Yours Truly is no exception to this rule. Certainly, there are plenty  works of fiction whose plots, characters, themes, etc will always resonate deeply with me and which I revisit regularly without finding that the love and admiration I felt for them when I first encountered them, has in any way faded. That said, there are also plenty of works of which is not the case. These are the works that I used to be really into at various points in my life, but that do not resonate as strongly as they used to back in the day. "The Day" in question can refer to any time in my life, from childhood and adolescence to just a few years ago.

TV-shows, whether animated or live-action are particularly prone to falling victim to this, especially long-running ones, which is why the majority of my favorite shows tend to be comparatively short, either by design or due to cancellation. Now, there are of course long-running shows that avoid this, Mad Men being the first example to come to mind. I actually thought that that show got more interesting in its later seasons, but again, its an exception.

Then there are shows like The Simpsons, South Park, Archer, Adventure Time and Steven Universe, among others. All of them clear-cut examples of this. Out of these, Steven Universe is the only one that I'm caught up with and even there, I can't say that I'm as invested in the show as I used to be.

Moving away from television, there is the Star Wars franchise. Now, I'm too young to have seen the original trilogy when it came out, but it  was nonetheless a part of my childhood. As time went on though, my interest in Star Wars as a whole, became more and more casual. These days, I've come to the realization that I find the setting in which Star Wars takes place more interesting than any of the actual movies or shows. This also applies to the Harry Potter books, by the way.

Let me provide one final example, this time from the 9th artform. Jacques Tardi's Adele Blanc-Sec comics was a favorite of mine when I was in my teens, but upon revisiting some of the albums recently, I found that it didn't quite hold up to me. Still entertaining, but not in the same class as some of Tardi's other work.

There are other examples I could mention, but I'll stop here. I should point out though, that I do not dislike any of the works I listed here. No, at worst, I'm simply indifferent towards them and even when that's the case, there are parts of them that I will always be fond of, but none of them are works that I consider to be indispensable to me, even though, at some point, they might have been.

The Favourite

I don't go to the movies as often as perhaps I ought to. Mostly because its rare that the local cinema shows a movie that I am actually really interested in seeing on the big screen. However, every once in a while, a movie like that comes out. One such film was The Favourite which originally came out in 2018 and had its Swedish premiere fairly recently. I read some reviews of the film (such as this one), saw the trailer on YouTube and said to myself: "Well, this looks like it should be right up my alley" and so, I went to see the movie in question, accompanied by my mother and sister.

Anyway, The Favourite is a British historical drama film, made by the Greek director Yorgos Lanthimos after a script by Debora Davis and Tony MacNamara and starring Emma Stone, Rachel Weisz and Olivia Colman. The Movie takes place in England at the court of Queen Anne during the early years of the 18th Century and concerns the rivalry between two women for the position of being, well, the Queen's Favourite.

The First of these two women is Sarah, wife to the Duke of Marlborough and Anne's current Favourite. Anne, being a nice, but not exactly what you'd call emotionally stable lady, Sarah and her husband has more or less been running things, much to the chagrin of Robert Harley, who is the leader of the opposition.
(Quick sidenote: Sarah and her husband are both ancestors of Winston Churchill, something I was completely unaware of going into the movie. In my defense, I will point out that the name Churchill is never mentioned in the film itself).

The Other woman is Abigial, a younger cousin of Sarah's who arrives at court looking for a job. Initially relegated to the kitchen, circumstances lead to Sarah taking Abigail under her wing. A decision she soon comes to regret as Abigail soon catches Anne's eye and grows closer to the Queen, threatening Sarah's position.

Watching The Favourite the movie that came to mind the most for me was The Lion in Winter.
Granted, Lanthimos' film features is a lot grimier and more lurid than Lion, but the similarities are definitely there. Both movies takes place in a historical setting and features a cast of characters who, when they are not trading barbs, are busy plotting to stab each other in the back. This is of course, very entertaining to watch.

Last, but certainly not least, one can't talk about The Favourite without mentioning its trio of lead actresses, who all bring their characters to life wonderfully. The Three women this film revolves around must surely count among the most memorable characters in contemporary cinema. I also like the fact that the movie subverted expectations in the way the two rivals were portrayed. Basically, when they are first introduced Abigail comes off as the spirited, plucky heroine to Sarah's calculating villain, but as the film progresses we learn that things are not so clear cut.

In conclusion, I found The Favourite to be a terrific movie that well lived up to my expectations and it made me interested in checking out more of Lanthimos' filmography. There's one movie of his in particular that I'm interested in: The Killing of a Sacred Deer, which is apparently a modern day re-telling of the Iphgenia myth. Sounds like it could be up my alley.

On Heroes and Villains (though mostly the latter)

Had you asked me when I was a child which I preferred, heroes or villains, my answer would definitely have been in favor of the latter. From Dr. Claw to  The Phantom Blot, Captain Hook (the Dustin Hoffman version), Bowser, Ganon and a wide assortment of Disney-villains, the bad guys in stories almost always seemed cooler, more interesting and more charismatic than their goody-goody counterparts.
These days, however, things are a bit different. Yes, I do still think that there's nothing like a truly great villain and there have been instances when I decided to check out some work of fiction, solely on the basis that the villain seemed interesting. I would most likely never have watched Star vs. the Forces of Evil if it wasn't for Toffee, to name one example.

That said, I can also come up with plenty of stories in which the hero is an engaging, complex character and the villain is simply just there because the story needed a villain. Take Casablanca for example; one of the greatest movies of all time, to be sure and yet, does anyone actually think Major Strasser is more interesting than Rick Blaine?

While we're at it, I must confess that as I grow older I like the concept of the endlessly recurring arch-villain less and less. Olrik from the Blake &  Mortimer comics is a particularly flagrant example of this kind of character. Now, I haven't bought any new Blake & Mortimer in years, but out of the albums I own, there are only two in which Olrik is not present in some capacity. There are twenty-two Blake & Mortimer albums on my shelf. That means that twenty of those feature the same villain. To be fair, some of these albums tells a continuing story over two or three installments, but that's still a lot.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying that every villain should perish at the end of their first appearance. If you've managed to create a good villain, than I can certainly understand wanting to bring them back for a re-match or two in order to further flesh out their character. However, after awhile it starts to become forced and trite. Plus, it risks hurting the villain's credibility: After all, he didn't manage to kill the hero and take over the world the other umpteenth times they fought, so why should this time be any different?

Ultimately, I prefer to judge a character based on how interesting they are as a character, regardless of what role they have in the story. If the villain's the most compelling character, than that's great and if that honor goes to the hero...well, that's great too.