How did MY Beautiful Launderette age? I was blown away by it when it was in theaters. Saw it several times.
Hard to say. It is definitely very much of its time, but also very ahead of its time and so still fairly relevant topic-wise. I can see why it was popular, but I thought it was just okay. It's very unpolished. More like a first film than it should have been. I didn't dislike it, and I'm glad I saw it, but it's closer to the bottom of my August rankings than the top. That said, I read that Kumail Nanjiani is supposed to be making a television series out of it and I would be very interested to see what he does with it.
Speaking of things being of their time or out of their time, we watched two fascinating documentaries this week:
Class Action Park,
on HBO Max, and
California Typewriter,
on Criterion. The first is a wild look at an incredibly dangerous New Jersey water park in the 80s. The second is a meditative look at typewriters and their place in the modern world. I wasn't intending to watch the first, but the MG put it on and I just got sucked in by the insanity of it all. The latter had me wishing we were in normal times so that I could cross the Bay and buy a typewriter at California Typewriter.
Action Park is so legendary in its disregard for safety we've even heard of it down here in "Y'all Watch This!" country.
Wouldn't mind if the palette of that were a little brighter: it's all pretty gray.
I forget who Momoa is playing: Gurney or Duncan?
Momoa is Duncan Idaho
The palette doesn't surprise me because I'm honestly not sure Villeneuve knows about other colors? (I loved Arrival a LOT but it was also very, very, very gray.)
I remain all-in on this movie because DUNE but I can't tell what this trailer is trying to make me feel excited about.
oh, so he could be
immortal!
Neat.
wow ... I remember reading Dune when it first came out - a serial in ... Analog? I remember the cover of one, with a sandworm on it ... I think I have the magazines packed in a box (I've been hauling my father's books, including old issues of Analog, Galaxy, F&SF, around for years).
Hell yeah to that trailer!
I know it's set in the desert and all, but boy, is that ever so grey and brown. I know Villeneuve favours muted palette but Blade Runner 2046 was vibrant and stunning to look at (well, not everyone could be Roger Deakins, I guess) and this... might as well be shot in sepia.
I've never read the book and all I know about this universe is some acid flashback to the David Lynch version from the '80s, and the Children of Dune adaptation from 20-something years ago starring baby James McAvoy (with the weird incest vibe with his sister). Maybe I should try my hand at reading the first book at least.
I guess Paul's Chosen One-ness is not so much with him being a warrior, but more of a spiritual thing? 'Cause I can probably go on a hand-to-hand combat with Chalamet and knock him down. I thought they'd bulk him up a bit, but no, he remains his willowy self.
