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Photo: Warner Bros

Dune

DIRECTOR: Denis Villeneuve CAST: Timothée Chalamet, Oscar Isaac, Zendaya, Jason Momoa

American epic science fiction film (finally) makes it to the silver screen

This philosophical sci-fi caper is director Denis Villeneuve’s interpretation of the classic Frank Herbert science fiction novel of the same name and serves as a reboot to the 1984 movie. The cast of this version is headed up by the brilliant Timothée Chalamet. The story follows Paul Atreides (Chalamet), a young man thrust into a power struggle on the distant planet of Arrakis, home to giant murderous sandworms, scheming ne’er-do-wells, indigenous ecowarriors and a battleground for control of the galaxy’s most precious resource, a performance-enhancing ‘spice’ called Melange. But will this version be able to satisfy the notoriously finicky Herbert fans? From the trailer it certainly looks like the required epic and bleak quotas are being met head-on, the casting seems absolutely inspired and it genuinely left us with a lingering case of anticipatory goosebumps.

Dune: On set in Abu Dhabi

In talks with UAE-based Epic Films’ Robbie McAree, one of the Servicing Producers heading up the local unit on Dune, part of which was filmed in Abu Dhabi...

How important is Dune to the UAE’s reputation as a shoot location for movies?

Having a film like Dune really raises the bar. The Abu Dhabi portion was a colossal success, and that will only lead to more international producers choosing the UAE. Word of mouth within the industry is so important.

Liwa filming took place in summer. That must have been a challenge…

There was a specific reason for filming then. We tend to have greyer skies, and more haze, which can give desert landscapes an ‘out-of-thisworld’ look. To combat the heat, our filming days were split. Even still, the heat was difficult for cast, crew and our equipment. Thankfully, Qasr Al Sarab was our production base and was extremely comfortable.

Are there more filming projects coming to Abu Dhabi?

It’s become an extremely popular filming destination, especially with Abu Dhabi’s 30 per cent rebate scheme, and the incredibly-talented crew and locations that the country offers. So without saying too much, there are certainly a few projects in the pipeline...

Photo: Sony Pictures

NO TIME TO DIE ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

DIRECTOR: Cary Joji Fukunaga CAST: Daniel Craig, Rami Malek, Naomie Harris Daniel Craig is set to return to our for a fifth and final (or so we’re told) time as James Bond. After director Danny Boyle left the project over ‘artistic differences’ (that may or may not have been about ‘killing Bond off’), Cary Joji Fukunaga was selected to helm the film. Fukunaga was the man behind the first season of True Detective, arguably one of the finest bits of television in the modern era. No Time to Die begins with Bond (Craig) out of active service, only to be lured back by long-time friend and CIA agent, Felix Leiter in search for a missing scientist. In the trailer we get a brief glimpse of Rami Malek as the movie’s socially-awkward antagonist, alongside Christoph Waltz in his reprised role of Ernst Blofeld AKA Bond’s stepbrother AKA the OG Dr Evil.

No Time to Die

Photo: MGM Venom: Let There Be Carnage

VENOM: LET THERE BE CARNAGE ★ ★ ★ ★

DIRECTOR: Andy Serkis CAST: Tom Hardy, Woody Harrelson, Michelle Williams, J K Simmons The critics and audience were split down the middle on whether 2018’s Venom was any good. We’re unashamed to say we found it highly enjoyable. This time around, journalist Eddie Brock (Tom Hardy) and his cantankerous lobsterswallowing interstellar symbiote Venom will have to face off against comic book nemesis Carnage (Woody Harrelson). If it follows the core formula of the first movie, with its fun injection of dark humour, we just can’t envisage the movie being screen poison. Expect chaos, expect venom, expect carnage, and expect, with resolute certainty, delightfully cringey laugh-out-loud moments.

Photo: Warner Bros

THE LAST DUEL ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

DIRECTOR: Ridley Scott CAST: Jodie Comer, Matt Damon, Ben Affleck, Adam Driver On paper, this movie has got ‘Oscar’ written all over it. Ridley Scott is about to enter a sixth decade of making movies, and his cinematic CV will likely echo in eternity. He was the helmsman for Alien, Blade Runner, Gladiator, American Gangster, The Martian, and a pretty trippy advert for Apple back in the 80s. The concept of ‘duels’ has been a reoccurring theme throughout Scott’s movies, but the name of this, his latest one, The Last Duel, bears a noteworthy resemblance to his 1977 Cannes Film Festival best debut-winning piece The Duellists. This feature is actually based on a book, The Last Duel: A True Story of Trial by Combat in Medieval France by Eric Jager. The screenplay was penned by Ben Affleck, Matt Damon (tempting us to build Good Will expectations), and Nicole Holofcener, with a cast list that includes Affleck, Damon, Jodie ‘Villanelle’ Cormer, and Adam Driver. The Last Duel is a historical

THE MANY SAINTS OF NEWARK ★ ★ ★ ★

The Many Saints of Newark

drama examining the last legally sanctioned duel in France’s history, a brutal tale of honour, betrayal, war and country music haircuts.

THE ADDAMS FAMILY 2 ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

DIRECTORS: Greg Tiernan, Conrad Vernon CAST: Oscar Issac, Charlize Theron, Chloe Grace Moretz The 2019 animated reboot of The Adams Family, had its faults — “you know what won’t fix those?” we remember thinking at the time “a sequel”. But here we are again. This time around we’re offered a ghoul’s eye view of the emo movement’s most famous family on a road trip. Sadly, from the trailer, it looks like much of the baggage that caused the unenthusiastic reception of the first movie has gone with them. It’s a strong voice cast, and the animation style fits the content — but our beef with the original, and what we can see of this sequel, was never and is not about that. It’s more concerned with the shallow plotline and dialogue that tried too hard to resuscitate and venerate the comedy of the original 60s sitcom. A humour, ironically, that is well and truly dead. DIRECTOR: Alan Taylor CAST: Michael Gandolfini, Ray Liotta, Vera Farmiga We feel about The Sopranos, the same way Tony Soprano feels about cannolis, which explains the profound absence that’s resided within us ever since the blackout at the end of the cult TV series. The mourning only deepened, with the reallife passing of the show’s charismatic lead, James Gandolfini, in 2013. But, in keeping with one of the ongoing themes of David Chase’s mob masterpiece, there is a twist to this story. In 2018, New Line Cinema acquired the rights to create a prequel to the series, and later that year, Alan Taylor, who directed several episodes of The Sopranos, was attached to direct. The Many Saints of Newark is an antihero origin story, following a tumultuous turn of events that help transform an impressionable young Tony Soprano, into the mob boss he is destined to become. But our favourite aspect of this whole project is that Michael Gandolfini, James’ actual son, was cast to play the younger version of his father’s iconic character. And from the trailer, it looks like the cannoli hasn’t fallen far from the cannoli tree.

The French Dispatch

THE FRENCH DISPATCH ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

DIRECTOR: Wes Anderson CAST: Timothée Chalamet, Tilda Swinton, Bill Murray, Benicio del Toro The French Dispatch is a comedy drama described as a “love letter to journalists” set at an outpost of an American newspaper in a fictional 20th-century French city. The movie follows three storylines from different journalists, forming a collection of tales published in The French Dispatch newspaper. Like many of Anderson’s stylistically distinct works, it features an ensemble cast that’s arguably the best the director has ever assembled, including Chalamet, Swinton and Murray. Anderson fans will no doubt eat it all up with a spoon.

SPORT + WELL-BEING + TRAVEL

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