Warner Bros. Pictures Canada x Mr. Will want to give Readers in Toronto and Vancouver a chance to win passes to an Advance Screening of DUNE: PART TWO.
Screenings take place as follows on February 28, 2024:
Toronto
7:30 PM
CPX Scotiabank
Vancouver
7:30 PM
Scotiabank Theatre Vancouver
SYNOPSIS:
The saga continues as award-winning filmmaker Denis Villeneuve embarks on “Dune: Part Two,” the next chapter of Frank Herbert’s celebrated novel Dune, with an expanded all-star international ensemble cast. The film, from Warner Bros. Pictures and Legendary Pictures, is the highly anticipated follow-up to 2021’s six-time Academy Award-winning “Dune.”
The big-screen epic continues the adaptation of Frank Herbert’s acclaimed bestseller Dune with returning and new stars, including Oscar nominee Timothée Chalamet (“Wonka,” “Call Me by Your Name”), Zendaya (“Spider-Man: No Way Home,” “Malcolm & Marie,” “Euphoria”), Rebecca Ferguson (“Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning”), Oscar nominee Josh Brolin (“Avengers: End Game,” “Milk”), Oscar nominee Austin Butler (“Elvis,” “Once Upon A Time…In Hollywood”), Oscar nominee Florence Pugh (“Black Widow,” “Little Women”), Dave Bautista (the “Guardians of the Galaxy” films, “Thor: Love and Thunder”), Oscar winner Christopher Walken (“The Deer Hunter,” “Hairspray”), Stephen McKinley Henderson (“Fences,” “Lady Bird”), Léa Seydoux (the “James Bond” franchise and “Crimes of the Future”), with Stellan Skarsgård (the “Mamma Mia!” films, “Avengers: Age of Ultron”), with Oscar nominee Charlotte Rampling (“45 Years,” “Assassin’s Creed”), and Oscar winner Javier Bardem (“No Country for Old Men,” “Being the Ricardos”).
“Dune: Part Two” will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family. Facing a choice between the love of his life and the fate of the known universe, he endeavors to prevent a terrible future only he can foresee.
Villeneuve directed from a screenplay he co-wrote with Jon Spaihts based on Herbert’s novel. The film is produced by Mary Parent, Cale Boyter, Villeneuve, Tanya Lapointe and Patrick McCormick. The executive producers are Josh Grode, Herbert W. Gains, Jon Spaihts, Thomas Tull, Brian Herbert, Byron Merritt, Kim Herbert, with Kevin J. Anderson serving as creative consultant.
Villeneuve is again collaborating with his “Dune” creatives: Oscar-winning director of photography Greig Fraser; Oscar-winning production designer Patrice Vermette; Oscar-winning editor Joe Walker; Oscar-winning visual effects supervisor Paul Lambert; Oscar-nominated costume designer Jacqueline West. Oscar-winning composer Hans Zimmer is again on hand to create the score.
“Dune: Part Two” was filmed on location in Budapest, Abu Dhabi, Jordan and Italy. The film is slated for a March 1, 2024 worldwide release from Warner Bros. Pictures.
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Warner Bros. Pictures Canada release DUNE: PART TWO only in theatres March 1, 2024.
(Photo/video credit: Warner Bros. Pictures Canada)
Hot off his Golden Globe nomination, Timothee Chalamet gave Toronto a sweet surprise, arriving at Yorkdale Shopping Centre in support of his upcoming holiday release, WONKA! Taking on the iconic titular role of Willy Wonka, this new re-telling of the classic story by Roald Dahl, directed by Paul King (Paddington), is set to inspire a new generation. The Film is Wonka‘s origin story recounting his rise from a destitute boy to a world-famous Chocolatier.
Toronto was lucky to be a part of the Film’s whirlwind tour, seeing stops in Tokyo, London, New York, Paris, Los Angeles and more. Chalamet made a quick appearance at Yorkdale’s WONKA’S SWEET ESCAPE Pop-Up, greeting fans and posing for photos. He even signed the wall and a life-size chocolate bar! The installation is on till January 2, 2024, giving visitors a chance to win a shopping spree at the luxury mall. And even if they don’t win, there’s a chance to get Wonka treats and pose for some fantastical photo ops!
Chalamet made his way up to the Cineplex to walk the gold carpet, speaking with select outlets and we were so honoured to be there!
Some highlights from WONKA‘s gold carpet:
Some snaps:
Warner Bros. Pictures Canada release WONKA in theatres December 15, 2023.
(Photo/video credit: Warner Bros. Pictures Canada/Mr. Will Wong)
From November 21, 2023 to January 2, 2024 Wonka’s Sweet Escape will give visitors the opportunity to step into a world of pure imagination with Willy Wonka’s storefront, straight from the big screen! The pop-up activation located at Yorkdale Shopping Centre, near entrance A (by Birks) is an eye-catching, fantastical escape into the world of Wonka, giving fans a reason to be excited for this upcoming Warner Bros. Pictures Canada release, out December 15, 2023 in theatres.
Included at the activation are tons of cool photo ops, including:
-A 30ft tall Wonka chocolate-candy cherry blossom tree
-Lifesize Wonka chocolate bar
-Themed holiday card photo booth
-Visual content displays and replica props
-Exclusive prizes and giveaways including Wonka chocolate, promo items, and a $500 Yorkdale shopping spree
Don’t forget to grab a limited edition Wonka Kinder Surprise too while you’re there! Only while supplies last!
To qualify for the shopping spree all you have to do is share your post from the experience on Instagram, using the hashtag #WonkaMovie, while tagging @YorkdaleStyle and #WarnerBrosCA!
A reel of highlights:
@mrwillwong We had the chance to preview WONKA'S SWEET ESCAPE recently, running through 1.2.24 at Yorkdale in celebration of the eagerly-awaited @WarnerBrosCA release. The activation taking us into Willy Wonka's imaginative mind, contains many fun photo ops, replica props, a 30 ft. Cherry Blossom tree and life-size chocolate bar. Don't forget to grab a limited edition Wonka Kinder Surprise too while supplies last! Located near entrance A right by Birks. Use hashtag #WonkaMovie and tag @yorkdalestyle and @warnerbrosca to enter for a chance to win a $500 shopping spree! WONKA arrives 12.15.23 in theatres. #WonkaMovie #fyp #foryoupage #toronto #timotheechalamet #willywonka ♬ original sound – Mr. Will Wong
You must check this out before it’s gone!
(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)
Many of us are thrilled for WONKA, coming to theatres this Christmas! Today we get a new Canadian Trailer!
Synopsis:
Based on the extraordinary character at the center of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl’s most iconic children’s book and one of the best-selling children’s books of all time, “Wonka” tells the wondrous story of how the world’s greatest inventor, magician and chocolate-maker became the beloved Willy Wonka we know today.
From Paul King, writer/director of the “Paddington” films, David Heyman, producer of “Harry Potter,” “Gravity,” “Fantastic Beasts” and “Paddington,” and producers Alexandra Derbyshire (the “Paddington” films, “Jurassic World: Dominion”) and Luke Kelly (“Roald Dahl’s The Witches”), comes an intoxicating mix of magic and music, mayhem and emotion, all told with fabulous heart and humor. Starring Timothée Chalamet in the title role, this irresistibly vivid and inventive big screen spectacle will introduce audiences to a young Willy Wonka, chock-full of ideas and determined to change the world one delectable bite at a time—proving that the best things in life begin with a dream, and if you’re lucky enough to meet Willy Wonka, anything is possible.
Starring alongside Chalamet are Calah Lane (“The Day Shall Come”), Emmy and Peabody Award winner Keegan-Michael Key (“The Prom,” “Schmigadoon”), Paterson Joseph (“Vigil,” “Noughts + Crosses”), Matt Lucas (“Paddington,” “Little Britain”), Mathew Baynton (“The Wrong Mans,” “Ghosts”), Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins (“The Shape of Water,” the “Paddington” films, “Spencer”), Rowan Atkinson (the “Johnny English” and “Mr. Bean” films, “Love Actually”), Jim Carter (“Downton Abbey”), with Oscar winner Olivia Colman (“The Favourite”). The film also stars Natasha Rothwell (“White Lotus,” “Insecure”), Rich Fulcher (“Marriage Story,” “Disenchantment”), Rakhee Thakrar (“Sex Education,” “Four Weddings and a Funeral”), Tom Davis (“Paddington 2,” “King Gary”) and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (“Paddington 2,” “Zack Snyder’s Justice League,” “Mary Poppins Returns”).
Simon Farnaby (“Paddington 2”) & Paul King wrote the screenplay, based on a story by King and characters created by Roald Dahl. Michael Siegel, Cate Adams, Rosie Alison and Tim Wellspring are serving as executive producers. King’s behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Chung-Hoon Chung (“Last Night in Soho,” “Ah-ga-ssi”); Oscar-nominated production designer Nathan Crowley (“Tenet,” “Dunkirk”); editor Mark Everson (the “Paddington” films); Oscar-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming (the “Paddington” films, “Topsy-Turvy”); and composer Joby Talbot (the “Sing” films). Neil Hannon of the band The Divine Comedy is writing original songs for the film.
Warner Bros. Pictures Presents, in Association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a Heyday Films Production, a Paul King Confection, “Wonka,” set to open in theatres and in IMAX internationally beginning in December 2023 and in North America on December 15, 2023; it will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Today we get a first glimpse of the Trailer for WONKA starring Timothée Chalamet.
Synopsis:
Based on the extraordinary character at the center of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Roald Dahl’s most iconic children’s book and one of the best-selling children’s books of all time, “Wonka” tells the wondrous story of how the world’s greatest inventor, magician and chocolate-maker became the beloved Willy Wonka we know today.
From Paul King, writer/director of the “Paddington” films, David Heyman, producer of “Harry Potter,” “Gravity,” “Fantastic Beasts” and “Paddington,” and producers Alexandra Derbyshire (the “Paddington” films, “Jurassic World: Dominion”) and Luke Kelly (“Roald Dahl’s The Witches”), comes an intoxicating mix of magic and music, mayhem and emotion, all told with fabulous heart and humor. Starring Timothée Chalamet in the title role, this irresistibly vivid and inventive big screen spectacle will introduce audiences to a young Willy Wonka, chock-full of ideas and determined to change the world one delectable bite at a time—proving that the best things in life begin with a dream, and if you’re lucky enough to meet Willy Wonka, anything is possible.
Starring alongside Chalamet are Calah Lane (“The Day Shall Come”), Emmy and Peabody Award winner Keegan-Michael Key (“The Prom,” “Schmigadoon”), Paterson Joseph (“Vigil,” “Noughts + Crosses”), Matt Lucas (“Paddington,” “Little Britain”), Mathew Baynton (“The Wrong Mans,” “Ghosts”), Oscar nominee Sally Hawkins (“The Shape of Water,” the “Paddington” films, “Spencer”), Rowan Atkinson (the “Johnny English” and “Mr. Bean” films, “Love Actually”), Jim Carter (“Downton Abbey”), with Oscar winner Olivia Colman (“The Favourite”). The film also stars Natasha Rothwell (“White Lotus,” “Insecure”), Rich Fulcher (“Marriage Story,” “Disenchantment”), Rakhee Thakrar (“Sex Education,” “Four Weddings and a Funeral”), Tom Davis (“Paddington 2,” “King Gary”) and Kobna Holdbrook-Smith (“Paddington 2,” “Zack Snyder’s Justice League,” “Mary Poppins Returns”).
Simon Farnaby (“Paddington 2”) & Paul King wrote the screenplay, based on a story by King and characters created by Roald Dahl. Michael Siegel, Cate Adams, Rosie Alison and Tim Wellspring are serving as executive producers. King’s behind-the-scenes creative team includes director of photography Chung-Hoon Chung (“Last Night in Soho,” “Ah-ga-ssi”); Oscar-nominated production designer Nathan Crowley (“Tenet,” “Dunkirk”); editor Mark Everson (the “Paddington” films); Oscar-winning costume designer Lindy Hemming (the “Paddington” films, “Topsy-Turvy”); and composer Joby Talbot (the “Sing” films). Neil Hannon of the band The Divine Comedy is writing original songs for the film.
Warner Bros. Pictures Presents, in Association with Village Roadshow Pictures, a Heyday Films Production, a Paul King Confection, “Wonka,” set to open in theatres and in IMAX internationally beginning in December 2023 and in North America on December 15, 2023; it will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.
(Photo/video credit: Warner Bros. Pictures Canada)
The internet is lit afire! See Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell in Luca Guadagnino‘s BONES AND ALL, which is coming out of Venice and New York Film Festival with all the acclaim! Here is a first look at the Canadian Trailer.
Synopsis:
From Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures comes “Bones and All,” a movie about love, directed by Luca Guadagnino (“Call Me by Your Name”), who recently won the Silver Lion for Best Director at the 2022 Venice Film Festival for the film.
“Bones and All” is a story of first love between Maren (Taylor Russell), a young woman learning how to survive on the margins of society, and Lee (Timothée Chalamet), an intense and disenfranchised drifter… as they meet and join together for a thousand-mile odyssey which takes them through the back roads, hidden passages and trap doors of Ronald Reagan’s America. But despite their best efforts, all roads lead back to their terrifying pasts and to a final stand that will determine whether their love can survive their otherness.
“Bones and All” stars Taylor Russell (“Waves,” “The Heart Still Hums,”), who won the Marcello Mastroianni Award for Best Young Actor at this year’s Venice Film Festival; Timothée Chalamet (Oscar-nominated for “Call Me by Your Name,” “Dune”); Michael Stuhlbarg (“Call Me by Your Name,” “The Shape of Water”); André Holland (“Passing,” “Moonlight”); Chloë Sevigny (“We Are Who We Are,” “American Horror Story”); David Gordon Green (“Halloween Ends,” “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent”); Jessica Harper (“Suspiria,” “Minority Report”); Jake Horowitz (“Adam Bloom,” “The Vast of Night”); and Mark Rylance (Oscar winner for “Bridge of Spies,” “Wolf Hall”). The screenplay is by David Kajganich (“Suspiria,” “A Bigger Splash”), based on the novel by Camille DeAngelis. It is produced by Luca Guadagnino, Theresa Park, Marco Morabito, David Kajganich, Francesco Melzi d’Eril, Lorenzo Mieli, Gabriele Moratti, Peter Spears and Timothée Chalamet. The executive producers are Giovanni Corrado, Raffaella Viscardi, Moreno Zani, Marco Colombo and Jonathan Montepare.
Guadagnino is joined behind the camera by director of photography Arseni Khatchaturan (“Eyimofe (This Is My Desire),” “The Idol”), production designer Elliot Hostetter (“Beckett,” “Waves”), editor Marco Costa (“We Are Who We Are,” “Suspiria”), costume designer Giulia Piersanti (“Suspiria,” “Call Me by Your Name”) and composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross (“Soul,” “Mank”).
Warner Bros. Pictures Canada release BONES AND ALL November 23, 2022.
(Photo/video credit: MGM)
By David Baldwin for Mr. Will Wong
I was not supposed to see DUNE at TIFF ’21. I had my schedule planned and practically laminated going into Labour Day weekend. So when I received a message regarding seeing DUNE and potentially having the opportunity to interview Director Denis Villeneuve, I had to stop what I was doing and re-evaluate that meticulously planned schedule. It is not every day that you have the chance to interview the beloved Canadian Director and Oscar-nominee behind films such as Blade Runner 2049, Arrival, Sicario and Incendies after all.
When I finally caught my breath and arrived at an early screening of the Film a few days later, all I could think about was the years of anticipation and fan excitement that came along with it. I had never read the book and only had a passing knowledge of David Lynch’s film from 1984. I was unsure what to expect, but knew I was in the hands of a master Filmmaker whose exquisite attention to detail and epic scope made for one of the must-see films of the Fall. Villeneuve has not just made his knockout Science Fiction opus with DUNE so much as he has created a fascinating piece of art that will please die-hard fans and newbies to the story.
Villeneuve graciously took some time to take myself and other roundtable Journalists through his process over a Zoom call during the first weekend of TIFF. He discussed how French Comic Artists and childhood heroes Jean-Pierre Dionnet and Philippe Druillet, who brought him to tears when he met them at DUNE’s Premiere in Paris, inspired his visual sense and style. He also assured us that there was no Director’s Cut of the Film, but admitted that he is “a bit tired” planning the next parts of the DUNE series, which include potential follow-up films and a TV Show.
Here are a few other things we learned during our group chat:
What was your biggest challenge in creating DUNE and doing Frank Herbert’s Novel justice?
VILLENEUVE: “I think the biggest challenge was to make sure that someone who read the Book will recognize the world they saw in their mind as they were reading the Book, a bit like when I saw Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings for the first time. I was like how did [he do it]? I had the impression that he had brought a Documentary film crew into my mind, shooting the images I had seen as I was reading the Book. I was very impressed by The Lord of the Rings, and…the goal [in making DUNE] was to try to bring some of the description from Frank Herbert [to life and] be as close to the spirit of the Book. To feel that at least have one image that some hardcore fan will say ‘Oh, that looks close to what I had in mind!’ I feel like we made an act of humility, trying not to bring our vision but more bring Frank Herbert’s vision to the screen. That’s what the big challenge was [as well as wanting] to make sure that someone who had never read the Book will not feel lost and will feel that they are welcome in the Movie and that it will be understandable to a wide audience.”.
“To find that equilibrium between those two [groups] was not easy to do and that was one of the most difficult things to do for this adaptation. I will say the fact that we split the Movie in two parts makes it easier because it means [I was able to] keep elements for the [potential] second movie, but I had to make strong choices. One of them was that my adaptation would focus on Paul Atreides (played by Timothée Chalamet) and his mother, and that it would be at the very heart of the movie and will make other characters less present. I could not bring everything or the Movie would get crushed under the pressure of so much information.”
What themes and ideas inspired you to adapt the novel now?
VILLENEUVE: “Good Science Fiction means that it necessarily will be a criticism of reality, or at least a mirror of reality. There are several topics being explored by the Novel that I feel became more relevant as time passed by. I think the novel is more relevant to today’s world than it was when it was written [in 1965]. The impact of Colonialism is still totally relevant to today’s world, the overexploitation of natural resources, the danger of blending politics and religion together – it’s all subjects that are very relevant…and more importantly, the environmental crisis. It’s something that Frank Herbert foresaw in the ’60s. He was worried about the change in climate at that time. You can still find interviews of Herbert’s concern about the change and impact of humans on the environment.”
What was the process you and your team took to create the visuals of DUNE?
VILLENEUVE: “I asked my team to do an impossible task – to at least at first, dream about the Movie, to try to go back to the roots of what they saw when they read the Book. To try to be more within the relationship of the subconscious, the dream state, rather than to go and do research on the Internet or be influenced by other artists. Of course, in saying this, it is a bit impossible because we are the product of multiple influences and we are filled with images coming from the outside but I tried…to say to my close partners, ‘Let’s dream together. Let’s try not to find references. Let’s try as much as possible to go deep inside ourselves.’ At least, that’s what I did at the beginning in order to try and find something that will feel kind of new to the audience.”.
What are your thoughts on the current theatrical landscape and if we will get to see a Dune: Part II?
VILLENEUVE: “I am very optimistic about the future of Theatrical Cinema – we shouldn’t say Theatrical Cinema, we should just say Cinema. [The big screen is] part of the language. It’s not being nostalgic talking about the big screen, it’s at the very centre of what Cinema is which is to receive a visual story in the most immersive way [by] bringing a group of human beings together. I hope the first movie will be well-received and will trigger enough enthusiasm to convince Warner Bros. and Legendary to do the second part, but I’m no prophet…I think that in the long term we will [still] be watching [movies in] theatres. As long as Cinema is with us, there will be theatres to show it.”
We also had the opportunity to speak to the incredibly candid and lovely Rebecca Ferguson, who plays Chalamet’s mother Lady Jessica Atreides in the Film. She spoke highly of her Director, the behind-the-scenes team who designed the sets and costumes, and expressed to everyone in our roundtable just how much she “really, really wants to do” Dune: Part II.
What was it like acting alongside this incredible Cast that includes Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya?
FERGUSON: “Zendaya is huge and hopefully if we do a second one, she will appear more in it. But of the Cast list, I have to say I was in awe of Javier Bardem, Charlotte Rampling, Josh Brolin, Oscar Isaac and I mean, David Dastmalchian and Stellan Skarsgård and there are many more to [add to] that list. [It was] an honour. An absolute honour. But I think also, doing a film with Denis without knowing the Cast – you know it’s going to be good. It was more a matter of unravelling little Christmas gifts. So Timmy [Chalamet] was the first who was cast. I think I was the second, and then gradually it was sort of a ‘And look who we have here! And look who we have here!’ It was just wonderful.”.
How would you describe the balance between masculinity and femininity in the film?
FERGUSON: “We need to break down what masculinity and femininity is in 2021…Women had no power [in older times] as they do now and yet we’re not even close to what it is to be equal. But they were seen as [being] much more powerful, right? We needed to create the balance and the structure [in DUNE]…it couldn’t be equal. I keep saying this as well, which is an odd thing to say, but the film wouldn’t work with an equal gender neutral position. It is about motherhood. It is about the men making the decisions. But overall, the women are the umbrella. Look at The War of the Roses. Look at the Medieval Times. The men were out in the battlefields, you know slashing and having their jolly old time. The women were plotting the household to create stronger alliances. And this is an on-going theme, isn’t it? What I think Denis did and what he wanted to do was defibrillate the fact that these human beings had powers because of necessity and reason. One of the things we talked about was the gender neutralness of the stillsuit and what it represents. I love that it serves purpose and that it doesn’t just look feminine [or] masculine – it is just a suit for survival.”
How did your acting process on DUNE differ from films like Mission: Impossible and Doctor Sleep?
FERGUSON: “I want different things all the time, otherwise I’d be bored…My process changes because I’m working with new directors. [They] ask of new energies. Tom [Cruise] has such an energy and rush about him that with Mission, it’s a huge film with huge sets, huge stunts and huge energy, and it is just go, go, go all the time. And character-driven as well. But there’s no stillness. You’re never really breathing, which is why they’re so amazing. Denis’ process is finding that complete stillness, finding the drama within character and just dropping them in a set that could eat them up. He finds the juxtapositions of scope and scale. So that just becomes a very different process. And on Doctor Sleep, I just ate kids you know?”
Stay tuned later this week for our full review of DUNE!
Warner Bros. Canada release DUNE in theatres on Friday, October 22, 2021.
*Please exercise caution observing COVID-19 protocols if seeing this in-theatre*
Searchlight Pictures x Mr. Will want to give Readers in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary and Montreal a chance to see Wes Anderson’s star-studded opus, THE FRENCH DISPATCH!
Screenings take place as follows:
October 20:
October 27:
October 28:
Synopsis:
THE FRENCH DISPATCH brings to life a collection of stories from the final issue of an American magazine published in a fictional 20th-century French city. It stars Benicio del Toro, Adrien Brody, Tilda Swinton, Léa Seydoux, Frances McDormand, Timothée Chalamet, Lyna Khoudri, Jeffrey Wright, Mathieu Amalric, Stephen Park, Bill Murray and Owen Wilson.
To enter for a chance to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK and indicate your City there. Re-Tweet this Contest Tweet below for an extra chance.
We've got your shot to win Advance Passes in Toronto, Montreal, Calgary and Vancouver to see #TheFrenchDispatch!
— MR. WILL WONG 📸 (@mrwillw) October 13, 2021
Details: https://t.co/1tuu6hRk70 pic.twitter.com/7isj3lNHrm
NOTE: Winners will only be contacted from the official account above. Please do not accept friend requests from other accounts asking you to input your personal information on a link. We will never ask you for credit card information with our contests.
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Searchlight Pictures release THE FRENCH DISPATCH October 22, 2021 in Toronto, with additional cities to follow.
(Photo/video credit: Searchlight Pictures)
Review by David Baldwin
After years of anticipation and fan hype, Co-Writer/Director Denis Villeneuve’s take on DUNE has finally arrived. The tale of warring house factions and the native Fremen people over spice on the planet Arrakis is dense to say the least, but fans and novices like myself will equally find something to enjoy in this science fiction epic for the ages.
Long thought unfilmable (though there have been a few attempts to differing results), Villeneuve has taken everything he has learned as a Filmmaker over the past decade and has created something truly breathtaking. The world (or worlds in this case) are fully realized through incredible Production Design and Cinematography. The Visual Effects are spectacular, as are the Makeup Effects and Costuming. Hans Zimmer’s Score is legendary. I do not even have words to describe the sound design; it really is that great. Every single detail is precise, specific and may find you losing focus on the story just to take in everything Villeneuve has packed into the frame. This is not actors playing dress up in front of a green screen – this is next level filmmaking on a grand scale with everyone behind the scenes firing on all cylinders.
While I soaked in every single minute of Villeneuve’s take on DUNE, I found myself held back from truly adoring it because it is only half a story. People who have been following its development will not be surprised to see it called DUNE Part 1 in the opening reel, though some casual audience members may not be particularly pleased to see the Film end on a cliffhanger (nor the multiple false stopping points that make up the Film’s last half hour). I found myself increasingly annoyed by the prophetic visions lead character Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) because I knew I would need to wait until Part 2 in order to see them come to fruition. Moreover, being only half a story takes away from the magnificent performances given by the entire cast because they are not fully formed whatsoever. Zendaya is very clearly pivotal to this story, yet only hovers in the background as an enigmatic presence for the majority of the Film.
All of that may sound like a pan, but it is actually quite the opposite. I was so taken by the story of DUNE and what Villeneuve created that I really did not want to see it end. I wanted to see the next part of the story immediately and genuinely hope the film finds its audience in order to make Part 2 become a reality. Like every great artist, Villeneuve left me wanting more. So believe the hype. DUNE is everything you hoped it would be. Villeneuve is at the top of his game here and this just might be his finest hour.
DUNE screens at TIFF ’21:
Sat, Sep 11 Ontario Place Cinesphere 7:15 PM
Sun, Sep 12 Ontario Place Cinesphere 7:30 PM
Mon, Sep 13 Scotiabank 12 8:00 PM
Sat, Sep 18 Ontario Place Cinesphere 8:00 PM
By Mr. Will Wong
We are thrilled to have attended an exclusive unveiling of the new Trailer for DUNE, coming to theatres this October. As part of the event, select Media got to preview approximately 20 minutes of this Fall’s most eagerly-awaited cinematic event.
We got a sense of the world that Canadian Director Denis Villeneuve had built for this Film and the central themes the Film explores. Our first impression is that the Film goes to even darker, more intense places than we might have thought initially. The Film explores life on the planet Dune, inhabited originally by the Arrakis. Duke Leto Atreides (Oscar Isaac) acts as steward of the land, which is the source of the world’s most valuable substance called Spice, which can extend lives, provide great enlightenment and fast travel. Sandworms make the task rather challenging for them and with Leto‘s son and heir Paul (Timothée Chalamet) in line for succession, we see him doubting his ability to carry-on his father’s legacy as he becomes fixated seeing Chani (Zendaya), an Arraki native, in his dreams. Which side will Paul and his Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson), his father’s concubine, take?
The central themes of right to land and resources eerily is coming to the forefront at an opportune time, as we reflect on and confront some uncomfortable truths right here in Canada.
Celebrated Composer Hans Zimmer has the important role of crafting the world this Film takes place in with Villeneuve through music and sound. He notes that a primary focus of the Film was to draw strength to the powerfulness and richness of the female characters. “We spent months defining sounds, creating new sounds and pushing the envelope, doing crazy experiments with crazy instruments”, says Zimmer. “Denis and I are trying to invite the audience to come experience something and have their own personal experience. That was for us the reason to make this Film.”.
New Trailer:
Warner Bros. Canada release DUNE October 22, 2021.
(Photo/video credit: Warner Bros. Canada)
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