Film News

Does "Dune" (2021) Have the Hottest Cast of All Time?

How are we even supposed to tell if the movie is good when the cast is this hot?!

Dune 2021

By FlickDirect Inc (Shutterstock)

The second trailer for Dune (2021) dropped on Thursday morning, and things are looking good.

The haunting, muted tone, and touches of spiritual mystery. The surreal visuals, and the flashes of intense violence. And let's not forget that incredible sandworm!

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WCW

On March 26, 2001, World Championship Wrestling went out of business.

The Atlanta-based promotion, acquired by media mogul Ted Turner from the Crockett family in 1988, reignited mainstream America's interest in professional wrestling throughout the '90s. WCW gained its popularity by signing former high-profile WWE talents like Hulk Hogan and Macho Man Randy Savage. But it became the leader in professional wrestling with the creation of its Monday night WWE alternative WCW Monday Nitro, which aired at the same time as WWE's Monday Night Raw.

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FILM

An Early Look at Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides in "Dune"

The indie-movie heartthrob will be bringing his jawline to a sci-fi classic this December

Dune 2 Trailer - KinoCheck.com

via YouTube.com

Frank Herbert's Dune trilogy has received multiple screen adaptations over the years.

But with Denis Villeneuve—the visionary director of Arrival and Blade Runner 2049—teaming up with indie-movie heartthrob Timothée Chalamet for a new take on the sci-fi classic, a whole new generation is about to be introduced to sandworms and the spice. The first sneak peak of Chalamet in costume—dressed all in black, with spaceship in the sky behind him—has just been released, and is already hinting at the menace and ambiguity of the film. With that in mind (and with spoilers ahead) let's look at the universe of Dune and the character of Paul Atreides, whom Chalamet will be portraying in the new film, scheduled for release in December.

When the series begins, the known universe is ruled over by Emperor Shaddam IV, and Paul Atreides is a privileged teenage member of an aristocratic family that is about to be exiled from their home planet to rule over the desert world of Arrakis, commonly known as Dune. Little does Paul know, this upheaval of his spoiled life is actually part of a secret plot against his family. Before long Paul is left to fend for himself in the wastelands of Dune, and he must develop skills in strategy and combat in order to survive, while exposing himself to the dangerous, addictive drug melange (the spice) to unlock his psychic powers.

While Paul's story invites us to side with him as he avenges his family and frees Dune and its spice mines from the hold of the cruel empire, Paul's ascension to political power as an unquestioned, godlike figure opens questions about the role of charismatic leaders in global (or interstellar) events. Is Paul actually the hero that he seems to be—a super-powered savior? Or is he a drug-addicted, genocidal fascist? As Herbert said of his epic saga, "The bottom line of the Dune trilogy is: beware of heroes."

While Dune is a big budget sci-fi adventure and marks a distinct break from Call Me By Your Name and the kind of movie Chalamet has become known for, the nuance of the original novels and the directorial subtlety that Villeneuve brings to the table should make for a film that is much more than just a simple blockbuster. That said, it will never live up to Sting in a metallic speedo.

Still, Vanity Fairhas released preview pictures that hint it's trying.

MUSIC

What's the Point of Releasing a Sting - Shaggy Album?

Because the 90s? "Don't Make Me Wait" Video

When Sting performed at the Grammys, it felt like a missed opportunity. In a year where hip-hop overwhelmingly dominated the culture (and, often, the top charts), four minutes of valuable stage time that could've gone to Migos instead deferred to a bland, old guard decision towards the come-and-gone. That feeling transitioned into something new when Sting brought on Shaggy, to perform the new single off their upcoming joint album, '44/876' (due April 20th). That feeling landed somewhere in between IRL Mad Lib and "Wait, what?".

Of course, there's a logic to a collaboration between these two. Since his days with The Police, Sting has occasionally forayed into what you might call pop-reggae fusion (or, as one AllMusic critic put it in 2010, "reggae-injected" rock).

Shaggy, then, plays the medium—his iconic Mista Lova-Lova voice adding an authentic flare Sting wouldn't have on his own. Evidently, this song and its upcoming album are a sort of tribute to reggae and Jamaican culture. The 'Don't Make Me Wait' music video projects as much: featuring those classic slow-mo shots of cute Jamaican kids playing soccer and having fun, inter-cut between Shaggy's reserved cool and Sting's weak attempts at facial expressiveness.

At a relaxed 90 bpm, Don't Make Me Wait didn't do anything to save its performers on the Grammys stage, though. Those nearest in the crowd did their best to add energy by clapping along, while the rest of Madison Square Garden sat idly by wondering what food would be served at the after party, or whether, if Shaggy and Sting could produce offspring together, the baby would look like that other Shaggy from 'Scooby-Doo'.

Perhaps.

For as good as their intentions may have been, this single feels a bit...ersatz. The glossy video, the poppy feel (the whole song contains only six chords), especially the lyrics, project less of a true honoring of a worthy genre than a passing attempt at milking that genre for some leftover pop value. Here, for instance, is the most lyrically involved section of the entire song:

"It didn't take me long to fall in love with your mind
And I won't even mention the way your body perfectly design, so fine
And judging from your outlook on life, I knew this would be more than just one night
But now I'm ready for the next level and you're telling me you need more time, no crime
Nothing wrong with waiting a little bit, yuh know this is more to me than just hittin' it
But only get a love like this once inna life time and if this is our change I ain't missing it
My whole life I never felt like this, just wanna run where I don't wanna fight this
I ain't rushing yuh to make up yo mind, just wanna put some more quality in a we time
Come on, girl"

There wasn't an audience member as MSG that night who couldn't have written this verse. It appears to have very little to do with Jamaica. It's the sort of thing that makes the chorus--"Don't make me wait, don't make me wait/To love, to love, to love you"--sound more like "Don't make me wait, don't make me wait/To bang, to bang, to bang you." The music underneath isn't any more complex than the lyrical content, though it is quite catchy (in an ear worm way).

Giphy

So we're now in wait-and-see mode. As Sting told Rolling Stone last month: "The most important thing to me in any kind of music is surprise. And everybody is surprised by this collaboration – by what they're hearing. We're surprising." Surprise they've very much achieved already, though surprise isn't known to cash checks. These performers will have to prove why, in 2018, they still belong on stage besides the likes of Bruno Mars and Kendrick Lamar.


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