Dune (1984)

The story opens with exposition about the universe in the year 10191.  The Emperor (Jose Ferrer) is confronted by members of the Spacing Guild.  The Guild is unhappy with his political machinations that appear to threaten the flow of spice, the life blood of the Guild.  He explains that he is seeking to undermine House Atreides and that House Harkonnen will resume control of spice mining soon after.  Before they leave, the Guild demands that Paul Atreides, the son and heir of the current Duke, be killed.

Meanwhile on Caladan, homeworld of House Atreides, Paul (Kyle MacLachlan) demonstrates his skills.  He has keen senses to know who is approaching simply by the sound of their gait, adept in knife combat, and in use of the sonic weapon of the weirding way.  Next, he is tested by the Reverend Mother of the Bene Gesserit.  The Bene Gesserit are a sisterhood with the power to bend others to their will, not unlike the Jedi Mindtrick.  After surviving the ordeal, Paul joins his father, Leto (Jurgen Prochnow) and the notables of House Atreides in instantaneous travel to Arrakis, the planet of spice.

On Geidi Prime, Baron Vladimir Harkonnen (Kenneth McMillan) plots the destruction of House Atreides.  Among his retinue is Feyd-Rautha (Sting), the heir of House Harkonnen.  The Harkonnens are wildly outlandish.  The baron shrieks and yells, just about his only form of communication.  One might say he has a short fuse, but he doesn't seem to have any fuse at all.  He's a series of emotionally-charged outbursts.  Rabban (Paul Smith) and Feyd-Rautha stand around with wicked grins while the baron berates everyone.  Only Piter De Vries (Brad Dourif) appears to possess a coherent thought.  As a whole, the Harkonnens are portrayed as comically evil.

As the source material is extensive and time is short, the movie is densely packed with exposition and the voice-over inner thoughts of the various characters.  Then there are Paul's enigmatic visions with more narrated thoughts.  Some characters who are obviously important feel tacked on.  Duncan Idaho (Richard Jordan) is greeted warmly by Paul, intimating a strong bond.  Duncan is a great warrior, but, when the Harkonnens attack, he dies after the briefest encounter.  I guess he wasn't that great.  Clearly, he was important in the book but he could easily have been removed from the movie.  Then there was Shadout Mapes (Linda Hunt), a Dune native who serves as housekeeper.  As with Duncan, it feels as if there was more to the character in the novel.

Gurney Halleck (Patrick Stewart) is bizarre.  He is introduced with a musical instrument over his shoulder and called a troubador-warrior.  He even offers some music to the Atreides principals before they travel to Arrakis.  He offers a melodramatic oration after Paul survives an assassination attempt.  During the Harkonnen attack, he charges to battle with a dog tucked in his jacket.  What the heck?  This may have seemed really cool in the book, but he looks like a crackpot here.  It is amazing that Gene Roddenberry cast him in Star Trek after this performance.

The constant reference to prophecy gives the eventual conclusion of the film the feel of inevitability.  Look, Paul has met this part of the prophecy.  Hey, there is yet another sign of prophecy.  The introduction of his younger sister in the climax doesn't fly.  There needed to be a lot more streamlining and editing to fit this much story into 3 hours.

Not terrible but far from good.  Most of the special effects have not aged well, especially the personal shields that make the characters look like Minecraft characters.  The fish-like navigator swimming around to fold space was entirely unnecessary.  However, it is worth seeing now to compare with the Denis Villeneuve version that is currently in release. 

Captain Kirk Boldly Goes to Space

William Shatner took a flight on Blue Origin's New Shepard rocket this morning, ending Wally Funk's brief tenure as the oldest person to go to space; Funk is 82 and Shatner is 90.  Combined with last month's civilian crew of the Inspiration 4 on a SpaceX Dragon and the current Russian film crew on the International Space Station, it is clear that access to space is expanding rapidly.  As with many innovations, the wealthy are the first to enjoy the new technology.  Soon, prices will drop and allow more access to space.  Whereas I tell my kids that there were no iPads when I was a kid, they will tell their kids that there were no space hotels when they were kids.

Mortal Engines (2018)

It is the 32nd Century and much of humanity survives in giant mobile cities that hunt the barrens of Europe in search of smaller cities to devour.  London has recently crossed the land bridge to the continent and has spotted a small Bavarian town.  The chase begins.  Thaddeus Valentine (Hugo Weaving) is the prime mover of London though not the political head.  He seems a genial fellow though there are secrets behind him.  No sooner has the little Bavarian town been consumed by London than one of the refugees attacks Valentine!  This is Hester Shaw (Hera Hilmar) and she is out for vengeance.  Tom Natsworthy (Robert Sheehan) intervenes and soon finds himself chasing the would-be assassin.

Though entertaining, it is entirely too ludicrous to not laugh.  London is a mobile mountain that should sink into the earth rather than roll across it.  They find thousand year old technology that they manage to give a nice polish and it works again.  Aircraft appear to be based on Zepplins or anti-gravity.  In the final confrontation, the villain pushes his new weapon to its very limits, risking an overload.  Um, what's your hurry?  Fire again in a few hours.  Well, that wouldn't be as exciting or climactic.  However, I did enjoy that thousand year old Twinkies were still edible.

Just your run-of-the-mill young-adult fiction.  Meh.

Afghanistan

During the Spanish-American War (1898), the United States seized Guantanamo Bay.  A US Naval Station was established there soon after.  That station is still active.

As a result of World War II, the United States established bases throughout Europe and the Pacific, most especially in Germany and Japan.  76 years after the war's conclusion, the United States military maintains bases in England, Germany, Spain, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Belgium, Netherlands, and Japan.  The areas have been peaceful since.  Germany and Japan are economic powerhouses and US allies.  Mostly.

The Korean War ended in an armistice in 1953, 68 years ago.  To this day, the United States maintains a considerable force in South Korea.  Though there have been skirmishes over the decades, peace has brought prosperity to South Korea.

In 2001, the ruling Taliban refused to hand over Al Qaeda terrorists who had plotted the 9/11 attack.  The United States overthrew the Taliban and spent 20 years, billions of dollars, and many American lives to better the condition of the region.  However, it seems that 20 years is too long a commitment for the United States.  No sooner did the United States begin its withdrawal than the Afghan government collapses and the Taliban filled that vacuum in an instant.

Though no fan of nation-building, the US withdrawal is a tactical blunder on the global stage.  This especially true on account of how badly it was done.  This is a huge signal of weakness to both our allies and our enemies.  In the wake of this, is China more or less likely to invade Taiwan and press its claims on the South China Sea?  Is Russia more or less likely to make further advances in Ukraine?  What happened in 2011 when the United States withdrew from Iraq?  ISIS happened, creating vast waves of refugees into Europe and a return to heavy fighting in Iraq and Syria.  No sooner has that been quelled than we repeat that failed strategy in a different place.  I'm sure it will work out well this time.

In 1975, Freshman Senator Joe Biden argued in favor of an immediate withdrawal from Vietnam as it was being overrun.  The Paris Peace Accords of 1973 were a casualty of Watergate.  With Nixon gone and Ford a literal President-Select (he had replaced Agnew by appointment), it was up to a Democratic Congress to hold the line.  Nope.  Joe Biden was also in favor of total withdrawal from Iraq.  And now Afghanistan.  His fingerprints are on several US military failures during his Washington tenure.

The Outpost (2019)

The story opens with a helicopter full of soldiers arriving at their new assignment at a remote outpost in Afghanistan.  Sergeant Clint Romesha (Scott Eastwood) is immediately aghast at the poor placement of the outpost.  It is in a deep valley with towering mountains all around.  He views it as indefensible.  Pot shots are a daily occurrence.  However, Captain Keating (Orlando Bloom) has a good relationship with the locals and manages to keep the conflict at a low simmer.  When his replacement arrives, the heat rises to a boil.  On October 3, 2009, hundreds of Taliban fighters attacked.  But for the tenacity of the soldiers and the arrival of air support, the base would surely have been overrun.

The story is told primarily from the views of Sgt. Romesha and Specialist Ty Carter (Caleb Landry Jones).  Romesha is a highly respected soldier who is competent and willing to speak his mind.  By contrast, Carter is a loner who has not bonded well with his fellow soldiers.  When the fight comes and Romesha repeatedly takes charge and presses the attack, that is expected.  When Carter repeatedly puts himself at risk to aid soldiers, one cannot help but admire him.  Caleb Landry Jones is amazing in the role, clearly the stand out performance.

All the soldiers are real and at least one played himself in this movie.  The Battle of Kamdesh resulted in the death of eight US soldiers and the abandonment of the outpost.  Both Romesha and Carter were awarded the Medal of Honor for their actions during the battle.

Highly recommended.

The Burning Room

The Open-Unsolved Unit has doubled in size.  All the partner pairs have been split to welcome aboard a slate of rookies.  Bosch has been paired with Lucy Soto, a young officer who was promoted to detective in the wake of a shootout that killed her partner.  Bosch has doubts about her, thinking her elevation is more of a political move than a meritorious one.  She bypassed a lot of officers with more experience.  On this particular day, Bosch is at the autopsy of a man who was shot 10 years earlier.  Despite living 10 years after his injury, his death is classified a homicide.  Though originally assumed to be a random drive-by shooting, the recovery of the bullet that was lodged in the victim's spine leads to a different conclusion.  There other case involved an arson from 1993.  This is the inspiration for the most recent - and final - season of the TV series.  However, beyond the initial setup of an arson and dead residents, there are no similarities.  The book storyline is much more satisfying.  Of note, Rachel Walling makes a brief appearance, hinting at what Jack McAvoy has been doing since leaving the LA Times.

Bosch has had a series of unappealing partners since he left Jerry Edger.  Lucy Soto proved to be a nice change of pace and an excellent partner.  All in all, another great book by Connelly.  Highly recommended.

Iron Fist, Season 1

Fifteen years ago, Danny Rand (Finn Jones) was on a private plane with his parents en route to a city in China.  The plane went down in the mountains where Danny was the sole survivor.  He was rescued by monks from the reclusive ancient city of K'un-Lun, a place that was accessible only once every 15 years.  Today, Danny is in New York and trying to recapture his old life and join the Rand Corporation - the company that his father and Harold Meachum established.  Though Harold has since died, his children - who were also Danny's childhood friends - now run the company.  Both Ward (Tom Pelphrey) and Joy (Jessica Stroup) are doubtful that this young martial artist is really Danny Rand.

Danny is aided in his efforts to reclaim his birthright by Colleen Wing (Jessica Henwick), the master of a local dojo who occasionally fights in cage matches.  Then there is Clare Temple (Rosario Dawson), who joined Colleen's dojo on account of all the recent trouble she had encounter with Daredevil, Jessica Jones, and Luke Cage.  There is also Jeri Hogarth (Carrie-Anne Moss), Jessica Jones' lawyer, who manages Danny's legal affairs and provides sound - though usually ignored - advice.

Though the story arc is interesting and the villains are formidable, Danny is a sad excuse for a protagonist.  The trope about martial artists - especially the ones who could achieve the Iron Fist - is that they are even-tempered and unflappable.  Self-control and discipline are requirements.  However, Danny is a hothead, a guy with a short-fuse and no ability to stop and think.  The character made no sense.  He's this walking contradiction and it doesn't work.  Often, he does really stupid things because he can't control his emotions.

Some parts were particularly irksome.  In fact, after a couple, I abandoned the show completely for 2 years.  First, Danny is in a board meeting at the Rand Corp and argues that a drug should be sold at cost.  This is obviously stupid but not one of the board members is able to explain why beyond "This is how business is done."  Yes, corporations are evil.  Mwhahahahaha.  Then there was Colleen in the cage matches.  She isn't Wonder Woman or Captain Marvel, just an ordinary woman with extensive martial arts training.  If she meets some random goons in an alley, I have no problem excepting her pounding them to a pulp.  However, when she enters a cage match against two experienced fighters who tower over her and outweigh her by 50 to 80 pounds each, that's too much.

Easily the weakest of the Netflix MCU shows.  However, it does provide the foundation for the team-up series, The Defenders, in which Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, and Iron Fist combine forces against the Hand.