Dune - Resurrected

 In a huge improvement from David Lynch's version, Denis Villeneuve brings the realpolitik of Dune back to the big screen. Uncluttered and far more nuanced than the likes of Star Wars, with none of the pedantic Star Trek genre nor the incessant intrigue of Game of Thrones, Dune is faithful to the storyline. Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) and Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) flee from the aftermath of a Harkonnen plus Federation attack, to regroup and reclaim what is owed to him, through an alliance with the Fremen. After a long time, a movie thats definitely a must watch

16/20

A Lesser Bond

 

 

Skyfall questions the need for a 007 almost from the word go. Knocks him off a train roof – a shot gone astray, and one that goes unrepented – on the outskirts of Istanbul. Dumps him in London, with his eponymous boss M under threat, and a world of clunky gadgetry replaced with the simple elegance of tracking devices and technology. Age and a declining constitution do not help either. Bond picks up his bearings and chases his quarry – agent gone rogue Silva (Javier Bardem) – into Shanghai, and then Macau. And finally back to good old England, where M liberally borrows from Ulyysses and frankly admits that “we are not the strength that in old days moved earth and heaven…” but promises to continue to “strive to seek to find and not to yield”… even as the climactic scenes drift towards the Scottish moors and the hints of a bleak history. Skyfall is interesting – disconcerting at first, because of its deliberate eschewing of flamboyance, but in the end fairly successful at keeping the franchise relevant

 

14.5/20

Charmed
Vicky Christina Barcelona, like good food or fine wine, lingers in the senses long after the movie. Vignettes stick in one’s mind – in no particular order:
- The beautiful sights and sounds of Barcelona, in a lovely yellow tint. Last time I remember it is the no less beautiful French countryside in A Good Year
- A strictly right-side-of-the-brain movie with art and spontaneity and passion
- Vicky’s confused affections that cannot reconcile till the very end
- Christina’s clarity about choosing ambiguity in relationships
- The torrid Hispanic Elena
- The matter-of-fact narration that lets you draw you own conclusions, unhindered
Watch the movie as a strictly sensory pleasure without judgement. With of course Woody Allen’s masterful hand at depicting relationships

14/20