DUNE, Part 2 (full review) by TheGodofCities1967, journal
DUNE, Part 2 (full review)
There was a moment early on in Denis Villeneuve's DUNE part two when I actually laughed out loud. It was the moment when Stilgar tells his peers that "Muad Dib is too humble to admit that he's Muad Dib." It was identical to the scene in Monty Python's LIFE OF BRIAN (1979) when a moron from the back says "Only the true Messiah denies his divinity!" Having read the novel in my youth (happily) and sat through the David Lynch version from 1984 repeatedly (unhappily) I'd reached a point where I despaired that Frank Herbert's sci-fi masterpiece would ever be filmed intelligently. Certainly the miniseries from 20+ years ago was as good as we were ever going to get on a cable TV budget...and now here it has finally arrived and ye gods what a spectacle! A feast for both the eyes and ears... Part 2 picks up without missing a beat where the previous film ended. Paul and his mother have embraced the pre-packaged destiny provided by the Bene Gesserit, and so goes the long march for Paul
GODZILLA MINUS ONE (Full Review) by TheGodofCities1967, journal
GODZILLA MINUS ONE (Full Review)
For Gen-Xer's like myself (I'm 56) growing up in the 70's meant watching old Godzilla movies often on Sunday mornings. Those movies were so utterly weird, imaginative and completely different from the reruns of Star Trek and Twilight Zone that was a regular part of my TV viewing experience. The first Godzilla movie I ever watched theatrically was GODZILLA 1985...guess what year it came out? But in all seriousness, I loved it. Sure it was a ripe slice of cheese that seems ridiculous compared to Return of the Jedi, but it was also fun and for my money pretty impressive given what had been done up to that time. Now Toho has given us the 38th Godzilla movie since the franchise began in 1954, GODZILLA MINUS ONE [GMO]. One might well assume that at this late stage the franchise has little to offer but a tired formula we've all seen literally dozens of times. What is so very surprising is just how effective GMO is as not merely a piece of kaiju cinema but as a true science fiction
Barbenheimer! A review of Barbie and Oppenheimer by TheGodofCities1967, journal
Barbenheimer! A review of Barbie and Oppenheimer
As a lover of both culture and trends I decided to ride the #Barbenheimer wave and took the plunge. Why these two movies somehow merged into a single lane of the zeitgeist is as much a mystery to me as it is to anyone else. But lets take a look at both and see where it takes us... Oppenheimer (dir. Christopher Nolan) begins in darkness and fire, as if we are witnessing the beginnings of life on earth in IMAX. Most of us already know who Oppenheimer was but nothing outside of the atom bomb. This was core to my interest in wanting to see the film in the first place. It's an astonishing movie about how a man created the ultimate weapon to end the ultimate war. Imagine if you had been key in the creation of such a device? How would you justify its use at all? How would you propose deploying such a weapon? The movie wrestles with the impossible stakes of 1945 and the various missteps and compromises that ultimately lead to the Cold War™. While the film shows us Oppenheimer at times
Words of Another Misunderstood Stepmother by dbzgal04, literature
Literature
Words of Another Misunderstood Stepmother
The world can be so cruel, especially for women.
Everything is dominated and decided by men.
Here I am now, managing to rule a kingdom in my own right.
There are plenty of injustices I intend to strongly fight.
So many men only value women for physical beauty.
Bringing an end to this closed-mindedness is my first duty.
Being the fairest isn’t exactly what it is cracked to be.
It’s the only thing a woman is noticed for, you see.
Making countless men completely lose their morals and minds.
They forget what else in a woman they could possibly find.
Luckily I’ve proven to be quite a capable leader and decision-maker.
Unlike seve
Words of a Misunderstood Stepmother by dbzgal04, literature
Literature
Words of a Misunderstood Stepmother
Myself and my daughters had Cinderella do housework, that is true.
However the story has been greatly twisted and exaggerated, so please allow me to start anew.
Cinderella’s father was a genuine gentleman and truly loved his daughter, the greatest husband a woman could find.
Unfortunately, his devotion to darling Cinderella caused him to become blind.
He pampered the girl with gifts and service, which led to her becoming spoiled.
That isn’t the end of it, what comes next would make anyone recoil.
My stepdaughter would scream and curse for no obvious reason.
Her mind often wandered and she couldn’t pay attention, so unpredict
BLACK ADAM: A Review by TheGodofCities1967, journal
BLACK ADAM: A Review
It is often tempting to compare Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson to Arnold Schwarzenegger. Both men began their careers not as actors but as performers who relied entirely on their raw physicality. In Schwarzenegger's case it was body building while in Dwayne Johnson's it was of course professional wrestling. Both are certainly noted for their one-liners, and both have proven to have a self-effacing sense of humor. But for me the similarity ends there. Both men have vastly different styles as far as acting and they both have a completely different screen presence. Arnold Schwarzenegger always came across to me as barely human (Terminator) or as a bit too self-serious (Conan the barbarian). By contrast Dwayne Johnson always had the easy smile of a man who forever seems to be saying "I'm just kidding, dude." It is all the more surprising to see him here playing Black Adam, a man with a dark past who finds himself in the year 2022 with the limitless powers of not merely one god but
Hellraiser (2022): A Review by TheGodofCities1967, journal
Hellraiser (2022): A Review
Speaking for myself, "Hellraiser" feels as much a part of me as my own feet. As a dedicated Gen-Xer I vividly remember watching the first Hellraiser in 1987 with my college buddies and loving every frame of it. It was original, stylish, and unlike those other franchises we were used to like Friday the 13th and the endless litany of Nightmare on Elmstreet movies that were a staple of the time. I had few if any expectations for a Hellraiser reboot. To be honest I've become fatigued by sequels and reboots. I came into this with all the hopes of a meal at MacDonald's™. Imagine my surprise when I realized what I was in store for. Let us dispense with the first point: Jamie Clayton is a more than worthy successor to the role of Priest (Pinhead) that was formerly played by the great Doug Bradley. Like Doug, she brings a powerful air of authority to the role, and really what more is required than that? To my mind what she's doing here is no different than when Christopher Lee
Blonde (2022): A Review by TheGodofCities1967, journal
Blonde (2022): A Review
I suppose before getting into this mess of a movie I should state from the beginning that I am not a fan of Marilyn Monroe, and certainly not a fan of Joyce Carol Oates fictionalized biography that is the basis of the film which I am reviewing here. Taken at face value Monroe was a largely unremarkable breathy actress that was very typical of the 50's and early 60's. "But Dan, she was The Most Beautiful Woman That Ever Lived!" I can't deny that she was beautiful, but you'll never convince me that she was more beautiful than Bettie Page, Lauren Bacall, or Catherine Deneuve. All of whom were contemporaries of Marilyn. Fortunately 'beauty' is subjective as is so much in life, but I digress. Blonde (2022) is a nearly three hour slog through the endless misery and sufferings of the late Marilyn as told to us by Aussie film maker Andrew Dominik. Andrew seems to have graduated from the David Lynch school of narrative wherein we are treated to overlong shots of roads, walls, and
The Haters Guide to Elon Musk by TheGodofCities1967, journal
The Haters Guide to Elon Musk
"I put the art in fart." ~ Elon Musk (Jan. 9th 2020, twitter) I think it's time we had a frank conversation about the sentient cyst known as Elon Musk. Elon seems to think that he's a time-spanning ambassador from the future here to save the human race and right all the wrongs. He tries to come across as a weird blend of Tony Stark and Captain Kirk. The problem is that Elon is not a super-genius like Stark and not a master strategist like Kirk. He has no sense of style, wit or tact. Elon's an idiot. A moron. A top-flight dunce. A dullard. A lowlife punk with a thick wallet and a thicker skull. A man-baby who spends his every waking hour cosplaying at what he believes it is to be a "man". Hence the childish stunts, the constant bragging (lying), the endless need for attention, the brazen disregard for manners or decorum of any kind and his continued obsession with his own image. A man with more money than the Vatican who apparently doesn't own a comb. Let us all take
The Tale of Locker 22: Gender Bend! by dbzgal04, literature
Literature
The Tale of Locker 22: Gender Bend!
The year was 1993, in an American town called Darby. Sixteen-year-old Julien Dufaux had just immigrated from France with his parents. To say he was nervous about being at a new school, and in a new country at that, was an understatement. The assistant principal of Darby High School, Mrs. Shaffner was showing the new student his locker. Mrs. Shaffner was a grump, to put it lightly. Julien’s locker was in a basically abandoned room, which hadn’t been cleaned in a while. She told the new boy “We haven’t used this this room in years. I don’t know where all the new kids keep coming from. Anyway, here’s locker 22.” He said, “This place is dirty, and it’s a long walk from my classes.” The graying, middle-aged woman took off her glasses and squinted at Julien. “Are you complaining, Mr. Dufaux?” The boy protested “No, just-“ Before he could finish, Mrs. Shaffner stated “Good! Then get ready for your first class of the day, and I hope you enjoy Darby High School,”