Dune - December 18th, 2020

[stocker08]

Trailer finally released. Looks good....which doesn't say much. Hopefully they'll be able to do it justice. Still think that the only reasonable way to adapt an epic like this is via a mini-series. Hard to adapt a complex book like this without trimming it down to the bones and abandoning any meaningful narrative. But as one of my two favourite books of all time....I am excited to see this.


And once again....on the mini-series thing....I thought the Sci-fi channel's mini-series for Dune (and Children of Dune) were better than the 1984 film. Much lower budget....but simply being able to use more of the content due to time constraints of a two to three hour movie....I think they did a fairly decent job.

Still gives me hope that an adaptation of Hyperion (other favourite book) is coming someday. Rumor from a few years back is that it is Bradley Cooper's favourite book, and that he's been trying to get it made into a mini-series. Lastly....on the topic of Dan Simmons books....I'd also like to see Carrion Comfort.

 

[short ornery norwegian]

As I understand it, the new version of "Dune" is being done in two parts - so the movie coming out this year covers the first half of the 1st book, and a second movie will be done to cover the 2nd half of the 1st book.

I also liked the Sci-Fi mini-series. the Lynch movie took too many liberties with the book for my taste.

there are a lot of Sci-Fi books that I would like to see made into movies - but only if they do the book justice. "Childhood's End," "Stranger in a Strange Land," and "The Puppet Masters" - my favorite Heinlein book.

 

[stocker08]

As I understand it, the new version of "Dune" is being done in two parts - so the movie coming out this year covers the first half of the 1st book, and a second movie will be done to cover the 2nd half of the 1st book.

I also liked the Sci-Fi mini-series. the Lynch movie took too many liberties with the book for my taste.

there are a lot of Sci-Fi books that I would like to see made into movies - but only if they do the book justice. "Childhood's End," "Stranger in a Strange Land," and "The Puppet Masters" - my favorite Heinlein book.

Yeah....the Lynch film wasn't too good. But again....considering the budget for the early 00's mini-series.....I thought they did a pretty good job. The Children of Dune mini-series that they did in '03 featured a younger James McAvoy, btw.

I am happy to hear that they are breaking it up into two parts. There are a few midway points in the book that could be logical places to break it up. I wonder if they'll incorporate Dune Messiah into the second movie. It was always meant to be part of the original novel. It would make sense as a third if they have that plan at all.

 

[KD6-3.7]

dune is book for 17-year olds. like sidhartha and go ask alice, every 17-year old who reads them think they have been enlightened. worth the read, but not worth dwelling on.

ill probably watch this though in a couple years

 

[stocker08]

dune is book for 17-year olds. like sidhartha and go ask alice, every 17-year old who reads them think they have been enlightened. worth the read, but not worth dwelling on.

ill probably watch this though in a couple years

A book for 17 year olds? That's highly subjective. I'm guessing that you only read non-fiction in that case.

 

[KD6-3.7]

A book for 17 year olds? That's highly subjective. I'm guessing that you only read non-fiction in that case.

it is highly subjective. i remember liking it when i was 17 and then, 20 years later when my tastes had matured, i tried to read it again. i thought it was weird that the author would take banal and mundane themes and turn them into an epic. not that that is wrong, just not my cup of tea.

i do read a lot of non-fiction. mostly early medieval chroniclers. but i also read a lot of 17th - 18th century poetry.

 

[stocker08]

it is highly subjective. i remember liking it when i was 17 and then, 20 years later when my tastes had matured, i tried to read it again. i thought it was weird that the author would take banal and mundane themes and turn them into an epic. not that that is wrong, just not my cup of tea.

i do read a lot of non-fiction. mostly early medieval chroniclers. but i also read a lot of 17th - 18th century poetry.

Odd to say that a novel written in the 60's is "banal". Dune has been replicated and ripped off many times over....and still nothing has come close, imo.

And medieval chronicles and 17th - 18th century poetry? You've got an interesting taste in literature. I'm guessing that fiction just isn't really your thing?

 

[KD6-3.7]

Odd to say that a novel written in the 60's is "banal". Dune has been replicated and ripped off many times over....and still nothing has come close, imo.

And medieval chronicles and 17th - 18th century poetry? You've got an interesting taste in literature. I'm guessing that fiction just isn't really your thing?

depends on your definition of fiction. if non-fiction is writing that purports to be real life and fiction is everything else, then fiction is my thing.

sometimes fiction has a narrower scope meaning something like "popular novels" as opposed to literature. if that is the case, then fiction is not my thing.

i dont think dune is banal, i think the themes are. and that is just my opinion. dune is worth the read. ill leave it at that.

the lynch adaption is interesting. but like you said, one two-to-three hour movie cant capture a sweeping epic. i am of the mind that a filmmaker should not try to imitate, but instead retell. the lord of the rings movies were interesting visually, but they tried to simply put the book on the screen. and that makes them, ultimately, boring. the hobbit was even worse.

say what you will about sylvester stallone. he retold the story of first blood. the movie isnt better than the book and the book isnt better than the movie. they both tell versions of the story. i like them both for what they are. i think the book told a better story, but the movie was more riveting. i think the only way to tell the story of dune is to retell it. movies that try to be the book usually suck when the book is more than just fiction (in the second definition above).

 

[stocker08]

depends on your definition of fiction. if non-fiction is writing that purports to be real life and fiction is everything else, then fiction is my thing.

sometimes fiction has a narrower scope meaning something like "popular novels" as opposed to literature. if that is the case, then fiction is not my thing.

i dont think dune is banal, i think the themes are. and that is just my opinion. dune is worth the read. ill leave it at that.

the lynch adaption is interesting. but like you said, one two-to-three hour movie cant capture a sweeping epic. i am of the mind that a filmmaker should not try to imitate, but instead retell. the lord of the rings movies were interesting visually, but they tried to simply put the book on the screen. and that makes them, ultimately, boring. the hobbit was even worse.

say what you will about sylvester stallone. he retold the story of first blood. the movie isnt better than the book and the book isnt better than the movie. they both tell versions of the story. i like them both for what they are. i think the book told a better story, but the movie was more riveting. i think the only way to tell the story of dune is to retell it. movies that try to be the book usually suck when the book is more than just fiction (in the second definition above).

Fiction is definitely not everything else. For example....you said you like poetry. It doesn't even fall into one of those two categories, imo.

I'm just confused by your characterization of Dune as a "book for 17-year olds". I'd say that many of the concepts are quite a bit deeper than you'd expect an average teenager to even consider.

But since you only provided medieval chronicles and 17th/18th century poetry up as things you enjoy....I have little context of what you consider to be novels for adults. I just kind of figured that fictional novels as a whole were something that you consider to be trivial.