This week in our Watchlist we’ve got the new sci-fi stunner that’s being labelled as this generation’s Lord of the Rings, there’s some freaky clown action in It Chapter 2, a bona fide classic from the vault and much more. It’s that time again people, here’s The Weekend Watchlist.
“I ain’t got time to bleed.” – Jesse Ventura, Predator (1987)
In Cinemas
Dune (12A)
Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel Dune has often been spoken of as ‘unfilmable’. David Lynch found that out to some degree with his adaptation in 1984. Here Canadian director Denis Villeneuve has attempted to break the myth around this rich sci-fi material, and we’re happy to report he has … sort of.
Set in the distant future, this beyond epic movie follows Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), as he and his noble family, the House Atreides, are ordered by the emperor to move from their home planet Caladan to the desert planet Arrakis, and find themselves in a war with the native Fremen tribe and tyrannical invaders from the House Harkonnen.
There’s a lot to like with a huge starry cast that includes Jason Momoa, Stellan Skarsgård and Dave Bautista, all set on a scale rarely seen before, with sumptuous visuals that are a feast for the eyes. If anything lets the side down here it’s Chalamet’s lead character, giving a performance as dry as the vast desert that the characters inhabit. He doesn’t seem like the hero this film needs. But any gripes asides, this is one sci-fi spectacular you can guarantee we’ve not seen the last of.
Stream It
It Chapter Two (Amazon Prime)
Anyone who suffers from coulrophobia (a fear of clowns), look away now. The second serving of this Stephen King penned horror has just landed to stream on Amazon Prime and it’s likely been responsible for plenty of nightmares. This scary sequel sees the children of the Loser’s Club all grown up and facing an intense battle against the evil Pennywise.
Legend has it that evil revisits the town of Derry every 27 years and after a spate of murders the friends are forced to stick to their childhood promise and teaming together again to counter the insidious killer clown. Stream on Amazon Prime now.
Did You Know?
Legendary auteur Stanley Kubrick had his team destroy almost all of his props and sets from 2001: A Space Odyssey after the film was complete. He had fears his work would be exploited by people looking to use them in lesser science fiction films as was the case with what happened to the props from 1956 sci-fi film Forbidden Planet.
From the Vault
Rear Window (1954)
Rear Window is one of Alfred Hitchcock’s finest films. This suspense-filled masterpiece gives the audience a fascinating view into other people’s everyday lives. The dashing James Stewart plays a magazine photographer, wheelchair bound in his New York apartment with a broken leg after an accident. In his boredom he gazes upon the domestic dramas unfolding in each window across the way from his room, which become real-life soap operas he obsesses over. Inside his apartment the main drama centres around his reluctance to marry his fiancee (Grace Kelly).
Tension ramps up when Stewart views one of his neighbours seemingly murdering his wife late one night, leading to a search for the truth. Hitchcock made so many classic films, but for us, Rear Window is hard to beat. Stream it on Hulu.
New Trailer
The Batman
We weren’t sure we could take another reboot of the Batman franchise in our lifetime. Then we watched the new trailer for The Batman and suddenly we were all in. Twilight star Robert Pattinson dons to Batsuit to play Batman/Bruce Wayne as he seeks to uncover corruption in Gotham City while facing off against serial killer the Riddler. It looks dark, dramatic and will seem like a very long wait till its release in March next year.
Quick Question Answer: Last week we asked you whether you knew what Freddy Krueger’s serial killer nickname was before he died? It was ‘The Springwood Slasher’, as revealed by Freddy Krueger’s voiceover in 2003’s Freddy vs. Jason.
This week we’d like to know what is the highest-grossing Star Wars movie? We’ll give you the answer in next week’s Weekend Watchlist.
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