Change Your Image
htnorris-618-165492
Reviews
The Batman (2022)
Whatever the point was, I missed it.
Speaking as someone who read the comics in the 60s, watched the Adam West TV series, and has seen EVERY Batman movie made, my question is,
what were they thinking?
90% of the movie is 15 feet tall faces trying to convey some emotion from behind masks and failing miserably.
Where's Robin?
How about a glimpse of the Batmobile? Just one frame showing the entire car? Anybody?
Batman kissing Catwoman, seriously??
The Wayne family are evil psychopathic manipulators of Gotham??
Any hope, redemption, or positivity here?? Nope.
What was the message?
You can glory in the dark "reimagining" of the franchise, but I think it was an abomination.
I rate it a serious disappointment.
Dune (2021)
Doesn't do the novel justice, but no one has
OK.
A. Frank Herbert's "Dune" is one of my all time favorite books. I have read the entire series and "Dune" multiple times.
B. I have both the David Lynch 1984 movie and the 2000 mini-series on DVD.
Here are my observations:
Casting
Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides - Artfully tousled hair does not Emperor Paul Muad Dib make. Just too wimpy.
Rebecca Ferguson as Jessica - a weak choice with nowhere near the regal beauty, intellect, or grace as described in the novel.
Oscar Isaac as Duke Leto Atreides - surprisingly good, the best Leto yet.
Jason Momoa as Duncan Idaho - a surprisingly excellent choice. A wonderfully natural performance.
Josh Brolin as Guerney Halleck - another excellent choice, but where is his balliset and timely quotations?
Charlotte Rampling as Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam - a short shrouded appearance, but wonderful.
Sharon Duncan-Brewster as Liet-Kines - horrible, horrible choice. The worst bit of casting in the movie. A young woman just doesn't convey the gravitas of the Imperial Planetoligist.
Stephen McKinley Henderson as Thufir Hawat - Poor casting. This pudgy doughboy is not a Mentat assassin.
Zendaya as Chani - while not "elfin" as described in the novel, a superb portrayal. "Tell me of the waters of your homeworld, Usul." How did that line get dropped?
Chang Chen as Dr Wellington Yueh - very good, the best Doctor yet.
Stellan Skarsgård as the Baron Vladimir Harkonnen - Skarsgard has excellent but too brief scenes.
Javier Bardem as Stilgar - very good, but a little over the top. Bardem just can't help himself.
Golda Rosheuvel as Shadout Mapes - minimized and best portrayed by Linda Hunt. How do you drop the line "Killed an old duke, did you?" .
Josh Brolin as Guerney Halleck - another excellent choice, but where is his balliset and timely quotations?
Charlotte Rampling as Reverend Mother Gaius Helen Mohiam - a short shrouded appearance, but vey good.
Dave Bautista as Rabban aka "Beast" - sufficiently nasty, but too little scene time.
David Dastmalchian as Piter de Vries - I just totally missed it. When was he on screen?
Where is Feyd Rautha?
Where is Princess Irulan?
Where is the Count and Lady Fenring?
Where is the Padishah Emperor?
Plot
Where is the dinner scene in Arakeen?
Where are the smugglers?
Total lack of reference to the Bene Gesserit Missionaria Protectiva in preparing Dune.
Where is the Duke's troops being sealed in caves with artillery?
The fight between Paul and Jamis occurred in the Sietch, not in the desert.
Only 2 troopers captured Paul and Jessica. One is deaf? Never happened. Jessica uses The Voice and seduction to make them fight over her.
One blip reference to the Spacing Guild and the Navigators? That's it?
Other
CGI - great
Desert scenery - Great
Ornithopter - best ever
Overall, I give this vesion of Dune a 6.7. It just doesn't do the novel justice.
Madam Secretary: Daisy (2019)
Keith Carradine sings!
Keith gave a pretty good performance on guitar and vocals, really quite good. I was taken back when comparing this to a performance his brother David gave at the Willie Nelson's 1974 4th of July Picnic at the World Speedway in College Station, TX. Apparently he had aspirations of becoming a country western singer following his highly successful TV series Kung Fu. He was terrible! People began leaving in droves, I mean DROVES!