Starship Fonzie

I just saw Dune at Movie Tavern in Brookfield, and I'm happy to report that all the hype was worth it, for once. This is no mere repeat of what was done before. This isn't something strictly true to the book, either. This is a project of love which takes some radical departures. As in earlier versions, Paul's dreams take a central part in the opening. Unlike other versions, the Reverend Mother doesn't put Paul's hand in the infamous box right away. That event happens long after Paul has his introspective dialogues with his father's captains, and he finally resigns himself to his fate on a different planet. Almost no attention is paid to the navigators or the folding of space. So many other sci fi franchises have paid attention to the mechanics of how world A reaches world B that audiences have become inured to it, and Denis Villeneuve understands that. So, he skips it entirely. The Navigators are interesting, and their mutatious past adds mystery, but they have ...

Tonight, I saw Needle In A Timestack at the Oriental Theater in Milwaukee. It was a highly anticipated film, because it made our local hometown hero, John Ridley, Jr. the leading producer of Milwaukee home-brewed sci fi. The local showing even included a pre-recorded interview segment by WISN-12 television, in which John Ridley was interviewed by one of the senior staff of MKE Film. This movie was eerily similar to an episode of Black Mirror. Yet it was also a heartfelt movie filled with deep love and meaning. It was time well spent. It was, however, quiet. During nearly the entire film, I didn't even dare eat my M&M's for fear of creating noise for the other viewers. That's how soft it was. The movie starts slow, and stays that way. It may contain a time-travel plot, but don't expect any heart-racing chase scenes with Marty McFly and Doc Brown. This is an artsy-fartsy film from start to finish. It has drama, it has a little bit of suspense, it has deep philosophy,...