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[Wolkenkrabber]

Seen Dune part 2 today.
Guy working in imax turned up the volume to the max.
It was fantastic. 

Saw it in a regular cinema about a week ago, and the sound was very loud there too. Must have been a choice by the film-makers.
I realise that these Dune films are a higher quality than the campy original 80s version, but at least David Lynch kept it down to one film. This thing is split over THREE films. I feel like we were all catfished with the first one when we realise at the end: "oh there's another one coming". And then at the end of the second one: "oh it's still not over..."

it's interesting how 30-40 year old franchises are being revived. I never would have expected it.

Speaking of old franchises, I see that the Screen Junkies people have just released a compilation of all their Ghostbusters Honest Trailers to date. And as it happens, I stumbled upon Ghostbusters 2 (1989) on TV a few days ago. Perhaps because I watched it with zero expectations (I vaguely remembered it being a re-tread of the first one), I actually managed to enjoy it. The film also reminded me of an old thread on the (old?) forum where somebody posted Jackie Wilson's (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher without comment. At the time it didn't occurr to me that anyone woudn't already know the track, as it's really famous (unlike most Chemical samples/influences). But I guess if you're young, it's possible that you may have heard Snow by The Chems without ever having heard this Jackie Wilson classic. And as if to prove the point (that it's famous) the song pops up not once but TWICE in Ghostbusters 2.

The story here is supposedly that inanimate objects covered in slime will be able to move because the slime picks up on good (or bad) vibes around it, and um, reacts to those vibes... or something.

So slime + uplifiting song makes toaster dance
Or slime + uplifting song makes Statue of Liberty walk (why doesn't it dance too?).
(volume levels vary here)

(jump to 1:07)

Dune 2 is the first thing I've seen in the cinema since Mission Impossible 7 last September. Did we really need a 7th MI film? Nah, but who else is making films with action quite like this? Yeah Tom Cruise is weird, but you can't fault his dedication to almost killing himself in the name of a cool stunt. 
Speaking of Cruise, I was surprised to see that Top Gun Maverick got a regular TV airing here recently. It doesn't seem like that long since it came out. As the Pitch Meeting guy said "they did a Star Wars". Yeah they kinda did. I think with a hint of Firefox - a Clint Eastwood military plane stealing movie from 1982, which I've always thought was more fun than the stuffy critics suggested it was. Check it out kids!

Other recent-ish films I've watched:

Road House: Once Conor McGregor popped up I found myself saying: "Oh Jake (Gyllenhaal), what were you thinking? The money must have been good". The first half was quite enjoyable though, even if Billy Magnussen's bad guy is a bit too dumb.
The Covenant (2023): Ah, Jake Gylenhaal in a better movie here. I've pretty much had my fill of US military guys in Iraq/Afghanistan etc, but this just goes to show that if you do something well enough, it can be worthwhile. Fair play to director Guy Ritchie who released TWO films in 2023 (I guess catching up with releases post-pandemic). This was the better of the two. Ritchie's Operation Fortune: Ruse de Guerre was...watchable but silly.
Bob Marley: One Love: I actually would have liked more songs in the film. There were two or three songs in the closing credits and I wondered why they weren't in the film proper. Watchable but somehow a bit by-the-numbers. Missing a bit of sparkle, I think.
American Fiction: Very funny in places. Give Jeffey Wright more leading roles!
Madame Web: Ok it's underwhelming, but 3.8 on IMDB? I guess this is mostly from "comic book" fans who expected more. It's OK for watching on TV. Dakota Johnson is quite likable, and Sydney Sweeney was less annoying than usual.
Sometimes I Think About Dying (but hold on cause Rey is on the waaaay). Daisy Ridley goes low key. At one point there's a conversation about a staple remover. OK you can go back to Star Wars now Daisy.
Poor Things: good. I'm not surprised Emma Stone won the best actress Oscar. Could have been about 20 minutes shorter though.
The Beekeeper: If you like Jason Statham action movies, you'll like this. Otherwise...you won't.
The Killer: Directed by David Fincher, starring Michael Fassbender. This was bound to be....um ok. Maybe not as good as might have been hoped. But any contract killer who listens to The Smiths on headphones whilst lining up his sniper shot is ok by me. A future cult classic?
Saltburn: This felt like a film that might win oscars, but apparently Amazon couldn't be bothered to get it nominated. It made "Murder On The Dancefloor" a hit again. I never really liked that song, but I'll always think of this movie now when I hear it.
The Holdovers: Wasn't crazy about the ending but I can see why it won an Oscar. A good low key movie.
Oppenheimer: Long but Good. Oscar-central! Fun fact: Cilian Murphy is the first Irish born actor to win a best leading actor Oscar. Ever.
Pistol(mini series): Entertaining series about the Sex Pistols directed by Danny Boyle. Additional music score by Underworld (!).
Snack Shack. Brand new film; I watched half of it last night. So far, so good...

[Bosco]

where somebody posted Jackie Wilson's (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher & Higher without comment. At the time it didn't occurr to me that anyone woudn't already know the track, as it's really famous (unlike most Chemical samples/influences). But I guess if you're young, it's possible that you may have heard Snow by The Chems without ever having heard this Jackie Wilson classic. And as if to prove the point (that it's famous) the song pops up not once but TWICE in Ghostbusters 2.

better use of song here:

legitimately a great ending scene for this type of dark comedy. I haven't seen this movie in a really long time, but I forever remember this clip whenever Robin Williams comes into conversation. Love it.

[Enjoyed]

Dune 2 is the first thing I've seen in the cinema since Mission Impossible 7 last September.

Same! There was some kid behind my seat sniffing the whole time and I decided that I really do prefer watching movies at home. Though I think for future MI and James Bond (soon please, Mrs Broccoli), I will go see it BIG.

I loved Dune Part Two, and also had the ear blasting IMAX experience, which I've been recommending to everyone. Some scenes felt truly elevated by the cacophony of sound filling the auditorium.

The Killer: Directed by David Fincher, starring Michael Fassbender. This was bound to be....um ok. Maybe not as good as might have been hoped. But any contract killer who listens to The Smiths on headphones whilst lining up his sniper shot is ok by me. A future cult classic?

I enjoyed this one. Darkly funny in places. And beautiful to look at in that grainy Fincher way. Not up there with his best, but still a good time.

I also finally got round to watching Barbie, which I thought was great. The Photoshop joke in the last act really resonated with me. Very funny and super enjoyable.

Also saw The Green Knight recently. I love Dev Patel, and have missed seeing Alicia Vikander on screen (I would have watched another Tomb Raider 2.0!). This was another beautiful film with a captivating, yet simple story. Very A24 in the ways I very much enjoy.

Wife and I are watching 3 Body Problem too. Still a few episodes to go, but it's been fun. Gruff, down to earth Benedict Wong has been the most enjoyable part of the show. The CGI, less so.