Warner Brothers Issues

I guess this is further thoughts on the Dune movie. The people who do videos about sci-fi content did what they always do after a trailer comes out. They talked about the movie and used the content from the trailer to point things out. 

Warner Brothers is trying to take the money that any of these streamers/vloggers made for what is, essentially, free marketing for them. Not only do these content creators risk losing the revenue, but they are also at risk of getting a strike against their channel. Three strikes and your channel will be deleted. Given that, most people are going to back off from hyping the movie. 

This is disheartening. This is rather evil, honestly.  

Ten Thoughts on the Dune Trailer

The second Dune trailer dropped today. I realize I've talked about how I hate the way trailers have become Events...yeah but I was still happy. I could say a lot of things here. I'll limit it to ten.

1. I love the music. I read somewhere that music is a big deal for this movie. They even invented new instruments for some cultures to get the music to sound a certain way.

2. I don't know how this will play out in the movie, but it seems from the trailer that Chani is actively connecting with Paul through dreams, instead of it just being all on his side. 

3. The trailer also gives the impression that Duncan is the traitor. That's actually a pretty good red herring, given that Duncan is sent to the planet before everyone else. If someone was going to get to a member of Leto's household, Duncan is a logical choice.

4. There are moments of humor in the trailer. I'm not sure how I feel about that. It makes the characters feel more human, of course, but this isn't the kind of story where a lot of humor would work.

5. So far, all of the ships we've seen have been unique and stunning. This is important. Dune has so many separations in it, in terms of cultures and philosophies and social structures. The idea that everyone would have vastly different ideas about ship aesthetics seems right to me. 

6. There is a flash in the bits around the Harkonnens where you see a lot of almost naked people upside down and splayed in some kind of metal wall or a ship. I'm wondering if that is a sacrifice of some kind or a punishment. It's a disturbing sight, but well within the Harkonnen mentality.

7. Speaking of which, I got to see my first visuals of the Baron moving around. His propulsion through the air is a sticking point to a lot of people. In the last movie, it was basically comical and clownish. In this scene, he looms up like some wicked snake. I liked it.

8. We don't see a lot of Jessica, but I'm okay with that. We see fashion bits from her and one instance hinting at how dangerous she really is. I think it's best to kind of work people into the idea how the formidable nature of the Bene Gesserit.  

9. The trailer makes it quite clear we're headed into a tragedy. I'm not sure how much of the desert scenes are Paul's visions and how much will actually be happening in this movie, as the book is split into two movies, but my hope is that most of the desert part happens in the second one. This movie will work better if we have more time to get to know these characters before the majority of them die.   

10. Dune is an exploration of how far humanity can go in evolving on philosophical and physical principles. The clashes and conflicts behind those various positions come together on the planet known as Dune because Dune supplies them with the drug needed to make their paths possible. It's important to explain this or the movie is just going to be confusing to people not familiar with the material. 

Life Landmark

My grandparents bought the house I now live in when I was in elementary school. Crosswise from their home is another rock house. All of these years, it has had a large tree in the side yard.....until today.

A few weeks ago, said tree was still alive. We don't know if it was hit by lightning or what but in the last 14 days or so, the tree completely died. The house is abandoned and has been for several years so the city removed the tree. Apparently, it was more damaged than we realized. It was so decayed on the inside that it came down without them even having to use saws on it.

This is sad for me. That tree has been part of my life landscape for decades. I'll miss it. Two of my other neighbors have trees in their yards that I love dearly and if anything happens to them, it will be heartbreaking. 

I don't know what happens to the spirit of trees when they go, but I hope that one finds a lovely new destiny. It will be missed.  

Dune Movie Thoughts

They released new images from the movie. This is the first time I've seen the Baron and I think I'm pleased. I know he's supposed to be decadent and perverted, but he's also part of an elite breeding program. He's Paul's grandfather for goodness sake. Even if his body is bloated and messed up, the base of who he is should still be beautiful.

I love the font they use for the movie title. I like that it's basically the same curve in just a different direction (with one line through it for the E). I think that's rather fitting.

I'm still not sure about some of the casting. This isn't for whatever purity test reasons some Gatekeepers seem to have. I'm just not sure if some of these people have the magnitude of personality needed for these characters. I am sure about Jessica though. I've seen her work. I anticipate she'll do well. 

I also realize none of this matters because I'll probably love it anyway. That's just how I am with Dune. I get enchanted by the whole of what it is. 

October can't get here soon enough. 

Balance and Lack Of

In the long list of Things that Break, the lid to the litter box broke this morning. We're not even sure how. It was a really strange, jagged break. I don't think it was extreme in the temp because we really haven't had those this summer. My roommate thinks one of the cats did it with misguided cat balancing acts. He's probably correct. In my long history of cats, I've always owned one that THOUGHT they were more graceful than they truly were. 

Anyway, a new litter box is ordered. We're going with a different type now because I wasn't overly fond of this last one and the one before it doesn't seem to be available anymore. That's a pity too. I liked that box a lot. It was a nice fancy red color. The cats got to do their business in style!

I guess my practical goal for the week is to actually learn how to better use my phone. I'm not sure how to transfer calls well (hung up on someone in the process today) and I have no clue about how to put it on speaker. It's probably all very obvious but I've just not looked at the obvious stuff. I will though.

Meds are starting to really cause my brain to bouncy and distracted again. I have like seven tabs open right now and I keep hopping from one to the other. I'm hoping that levels out again. 

Your Brand

We started watching Making the Cut and on the first episode, the judges went into this big discussion about branding and how people needed to be able to explain their brand and clothing.

Do I agree? Yes and no.

I believe your brand should be clear. That is an important part of not only marketing but also of aesthetics. It helps you know how to edit, how to select materials, and how to speak with potential customers. It is easier to win any competition and to create anything if you have a clear idea about your goals and philosophies. 

At the same time, I found the way the judges approached this aspect of the competition to be rather ableist. Not everyone can articulate verbally what they can show you visually. The contestant they put on the spot over this created the best clothing of the night. Could he speak in a charming way about what he made? No. It that take away from the outfits? In my opinion, also no. But the way they approached it was clearly frustrating and difficult for him. He's not personable. That doesn't mean he can't make glorious things. 

I realize that the fashion industry is more than just having a finger on the pulse of where fashion is going. I realize practical skills are required for someone to survive in the industry. But you can hire someone to help you brand yourself. You just need to internally understand what that brand really is.

Strange Weather

We're having these strange storms that don't really cool anything down (much) and basically torture everyone beforehand by being dreary and insanely humid. I'm tired of them.

Pretty sure the cat is tired of them too. I think her hips are acting up. She's taking the paths of least resistance to get around. Normally both cats hop from thing to thing (because the floor is lava, you know) but she's been skulking recently. 

We're halfway through July. Only two and a half more months of summerhell.