In 1971, just six years after Frank Herbert published his groundbreaking science-fiction novel "Dune," Arthur P. Jacobs' Apjac International obtained the rights to the story for a film adaptation. The producer behind "Planet of the Apes" was ready to craft another world set in a distant future, but with the sequel film "Beneath the Planet of the Apes" on its way, "Dune" was delayed.
Jacobs went through a handful of different directors and screenwriters in early development, but he tragically passed away in 1973. David Lynch would eventually bring "Dune" to the big screen in 1984, but there were multiple failed attempts that paved the way for his film and a remake in his wake that led to Denis Villeneuve's recent adaptations. The messy histories of failed "Dune" adaptations could justify their own feature-length documentaries but allow this to be a crash course on the bizarre "Dune" movies that never came to be.
Jacobs went through a handful of different directors and screenwriters in early development, but he tragically passed away in 1973. David Lynch would eventually bring "Dune" to the big screen in 1984, but there were multiple failed attempts that paved the way for his film and a remake in his wake that led to Denis Villeneuve's recent adaptations. The messy histories of failed "Dune" adaptations could justify their own feature-length documentaries but allow this to be a crash course on the bizarre "Dune" movies that never came to be.
- 3/4/2024
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
Ant-Man And The Wasp: Quantumania Writer Says The Quantum Realm Is 'Jodorowsky's Dune Within Marvel'
After 15 years, more than two dozen feature-length films, eight Disney+ series, and a partridge in a pear tree, the powers that be at the House of Ideas have really nailed down the art of hyping their latest project as "[Insert type of genre movie or TV show] set within the Marvel Cinematic Universe." By that same token, fans ought to know better by now than to take Marvel Studios' marketing lines at face value. Rarely are the MCU offerings quite as weird or inventive as they're hyped, and only a handful feel like they're guided by a unique directorial vision -- and when they are, the results can vary from generally beloved to deeply polarizing.
Take the first two "Ant-Man" movies. The adventures of Scott Lang and his extended fam have many of the same ingredients as breezy caper flicks in the vein of "Ocean's Eleven," yet there's never a point where they truly feel more like heist...
Take the first two "Ant-Man" movies. The adventures of Scott Lang and his extended fam have many of the same ingredients as breezy caper flicks in the vein of "Ocean's Eleven," yet there's never a point where they truly feel more like heist...
- 1/16/2023
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
The holiday season is now upon us, and it seems only right that we’re heading into December with a brand new Christmas-themed genre movie arriving in theaters later this week.
I’m of course talking about the David Harbour-starring Violent Night, which features the “Stranger Things” actor as an ass-kicking version of none other than Santa himself.
But that’s not the only new genre movie arriving this week…
Here’s all the new horror headed down the chimney November 28 – December 4, 2022!
This week is all quiet on the horror front until Thursday, December 1, which kicks off with the release of The Harbinger, which has been favorably compared to Nightmare on Elm Street.
In the film from writer/director Andy Mitton, “Monique ventures out of quarantine to visit an old friend who’s plagued by nightmares. She finds herself drawn into a hellish dreamscape where she must face her...
I’m of course talking about the David Harbour-starring Violent Night, which features the “Stranger Things” actor as an ass-kicking version of none other than Santa himself.
But that’s not the only new genre movie arriving this week…
Here’s all the new horror headed down the chimney November 28 – December 4, 2022!
This week is all quiet on the horror front until Thursday, December 1, which kicks off with the release of The Harbinger, which has been favorably compared to Nightmare on Elm Street.
In the film from writer/director Andy Mitton, “Monique ventures out of quarantine to visit an old friend who’s plagued by nightmares. She finds herself drawn into a hellish dreamscape where she must face her...
- 11/29/2022
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Travis Stevens (Jakob’s Wife) is back this year with brand new horror movie A Wounded Fawn, and we’ve learned that the Shudder Original will premiere on December 1, 2022.
Watch the mind-bending official trailer for A Wounded Fawn below.
The feature film premiered earlier this year at the Tribeca Film Festival to great acclaim, then went on to screen at FrightFest London and Fantastic Fest.
Inspired by surrealist art and Greek mythology, A Wounded Fawn follows the story of Meredith Tanning, a local museum curator who is dipping her toe back into the dating pool, only to be targeted by a charming serial killer. When a fateful romantic getaway between the two becomes a tense game of cat and mouse, both must confront the madness within him.
A Wounded Fawn marks the third feature directed by Stevens, who has long been celebrated for his work as an indie producer with...
Watch the mind-bending official trailer for A Wounded Fawn below.
The feature film premiered earlier this year at the Tribeca Film Festival to great acclaim, then went on to screen at FrightFest London and Fantastic Fest.
Inspired by surrealist art and Greek mythology, A Wounded Fawn follows the story of Meredith Tanning, a local museum curator who is dipping her toe back into the dating pool, only to be targeted by a charming serial killer. When a fateful romantic getaway between the two becomes a tense game of cat and mouse, both must confront the madness within him.
A Wounded Fawn marks the third feature directed by Stevens, who has long been celebrated for his work as an indie producer with...
- 11/10/2022
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
A collective of cryptocurrency investors recently attracted some online ridicule after spending €2.66M on one of Alejandro Jodorowsky’s story bibles detailing the director’s ambitious vision for his unmade “Dune” movie. The organization known as Spice Dao (Dao is short for “decentralized autonomous organization”) recently detailed their plans for the purchase. Now that they own a copy of the book, which Jodorowsky used to pitch his vision to studios, the group announced plans to “make the book public (to the extent permitted by law)” and “produce an original animated limited series inspired by the book and sell it to a streaming service.” It was the latter idea that attracted attention, with critics accusing the investors of falsely believing that they own the rights to “Dune” because they purchased the Hollywood artifact.
The actual story is more complicated. Spice Dao has acknowledged that it does not own any of the “Dune” characters,...
The actual story is more complicated. Spice Dao has acknowledged that it does not own any of the “Dune” characters,...
- 1/23/2022
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
The French-Canadian director of Blade Runner 2049 brings an astonishing visual sensibility to Frank Herbert’s ‘unfilmable’ sci-fi classic
For years, it seemed that the greatest film ever to come from Frank Herbert’s quasi-biblical 1960s sci-fi novel Dune would be a 2013 documentary about the failure to make a great film out of Herbert’s novel. In Jodorowsky’s Dune, director Frank Pavich documented the Chilean-French maverick’s unhinged (and ultimately abortive) effort to mount a screen adaptation with a projected 14-hour running time, featuring a starring role for Salvador Dalí and a burning giraffe. Really.
Crucially, Pavich’s engrossing doc suggested that although Jodorowsky’s film never actually existed, it still cast a long creative shadow, with the pre-production work of the French graphic novelist Moebius and Swiss artist Hr Giger influencing Star Wars, Alien and pretty much all subsequent screen sci-fi, a claim that cannot be made about...
For years, it seemed that the greatest film ever to come from Frank Herbert’s quasi-biblical 1960s sci-fi novel Dune would be a 2013 documentary about the failure to make a great film out of Herbert’s novel. In Jodorowsky’s Dune, director Frank Pavich documented the Chilean-French maverick’s unhinged (and ultimately abortive) effort to mount a screen adaptation with a projected 14-hour running time, featuring a starring role for Salvador Dalí and a burning giraffe. Really.
Crucially, Pavich’s engrossing doc suggested that although Jodorowsky’s film never actually existed, it still cast a long creative shadow, with the pre-production work of the French graphic novelist Moebius and Swiss artist Hr Giger influencing Star Wars, Alien and pretty much all subsequent screen sci-fi, a claim that cannot be made about...
- 10/24/2021
- by Mark Kermode, Observer film critic
- The Guardian - Film News
Frank Herbert's "Dune" is a dense, monumental sci-fi tome with several feature film disasters to its name. David Lynch's 1984 "Dune" was such a critical and commercial bomb that the filmmaker disowned it. Alejandro Jodorowsky's failed attempt to adapt the sci-fi classic was so infamous that the entire thing was chronicled in an acclaimed 2013 documentary by Frank Pavich. For a while there, it seemed like "Dune" was destined to be given the label "unfilmable" and left to rot on the shelves of Hollywood's never-made productions. That is, of course, until Denis Villeneuve's upcoming "Dune," which has already racked up heaps of...
The post James McAvoy, Son of Dune, Has Advice for His Father, Dune Star Timothée Chalamet appeared first on /Film.
The post James McAvoy, Son of Dune, Has Advice for His Father, Dune Star Timothée Chalamet appeared first on /Film.
- 9/28/2021
- by Hoai-Tran Bui
- Slash Film
Any director trying to adapt Frank Herbert’s “Dune” has a holy mountain to climb. Alejandro Jodrowsky and David Lynch were revered auteurs when they took it on, and both came up short. Now, it’s Denis Villeneuve’s turn, with the Warner Bros. sci-fi epic opening December 18. As the world awaits first footage, much about Villeneuve’s version remains shrouded in secrecy.
Nobody felt the pain of adapting “Dune” more than Jodorowsky, whose infamous production attempt In the 1970s is detailed in the 2013 documentary “Jodorowsky’s Dune.” In a recent interview with IndieWire, the 90-year-old filmmaker said that despite the pain of that lost project, he still plans to see Villeneuve’s version — but remains unconvinced that anyone can pull it off well.
“‘Dune’ is a book that’s like Proust. It’s science fiction but it’s very, very literary,” Jodorowsky said. “It’s very difficult to find images...
Nobody felt the pain of adapting “Dune” more than Jodorowsky, whose infamous production attempt In the 1970s is detailed in the 2013 documentary “Jodorowsky’s Dune.” In a recent interview with IndieWire, the 90-year-old filmmaker said that despite the pain of that lost project, he still plans to see Villeneuve’s version — but remains unconvinced that anyone can pull it off well.
“‘Dune’ is a book that’s like Proust. It’s science fiction but it’s very, very literary,” Jodorowsky said. “It’s very difficult to find images...
- 8/4/2020
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Filmmaker Alexandre O. Philippe is no stranger to creating compelling documentaries that not only celebrate cultural moments and films that have helped shape the landscape of genre cinema, but also shed some new light on just why these things continue to resonate today. With his previous efforts on Doc of the Dead and 78/52: Hitchcock’s Shower Scene, Philippe thoughtfully delivered up his examination of everything from the influence of zombies on modern horror movies to what a watershed moment Marion Crane’s brutal shower slashing became upon its release in 1960.
And for his latest, Memory – The Origins of Alien, Philippe goes back to where it all started for Ridley Scott’s landmark horror/sci-fi film, which began years prior to the film’s 1979 debut, when Dan O’Bannon found himself struggling with a script entitled They Bite, and from there, history was made once co-writer Ronald Shusett, acclaimed visionary H.R. Giger,...
And for his latest, Memory – The Origins of Alien, Philippe goes back to where it all started for Ridley Scott’s landmark horror/sci-fi film, which began years prior to the film’s 1979 debut, when Dan O’Bannon found himself struggling with a script entitled They Bite, and from there, history was made once co-writer Ronald Shusett, acclaimed visionary H.R. Giger,...
- 1/26/2019
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
Ryan Lambie May 31, 2017
A major exhibition at the Barbican explores the history of the sci-fi genre. We catch up with curator Patrick Gyger to tell us more...
Science fiction is now part of the mainstream. No longer confined to the pages of niche pulp magazines or cheap mass-market novels, no longer the preserve of low-budget B-movies, the genre is just about ubiquitous in modern pop culture. From hit films like Interstellar and Guardians Of The Galaxy to such TV shows as Black Mirror and best-selling novels like The Hunger Games, sci-fi has become a vital means of exploring and making sense of the world around us.
See related John Wick 3 already on the cards John Wick 3: Keanu Reeves confirms his interest
For proof, look no further than Into The Unknown: A Journey Through Science Fiction, a major new exhibition which starts at the Barbican Centre on the 3rd June.
A major exhibition at the Barbican explores the history of the sci-fi genre. We catch up with curator Patrick Gyger to tell us more...
Science fiction is now part of the mainstream. No longer confined to the pages of niche pulp magazines or cheap mass-market novels, no longer the preserve of low-budget B-movies, the genre is just about ubiquitous in modern pop culture. From hit films like Interstellar and Guardians Of The Galaxy to such TV shows as Black Mirror and best-selling novels like The Hunger Games, sci-fi has become a vital means of exploring and making sense of the world around us.
See related John Wick 3 already on the cards John Wick 3: Keanu Reeves confirms his interest
For proof, look no further than Into The Unknown: A Journey Through Science Fiction, a major new exhibition which starts at the Barbican Centre on the 3rd June.
- 5/12/2017
- Den of Geek
The rumors are true: “Arrival” and “Sicario” director Denis Villeneuve will direct Legendary Pictures’ adaptation of Frank Herbert’s 1965 novel, “Dune,” often touted as the best-selling science fiction novel in history. The news was confirmed in the wee hours of Wednesday morning in a tweet by Brian Herbert, son of Frank. The Oscar-nominated director’s name had been floating around the project since last December.
It’s official — Legendary Pictures has signed the very talented Denis Villeneuve to direct the exciting new Dune series film project.
— Brian Herbert (@DuneAuthor) February 1, 2017
The “Dune” franchise has seen its fair share of storied film adaptations. The first time a filmmaker attempted a “Dune” adaptation was in 1973, when eccentric Chilean director Alejandro Jodorowsky notoriously spent $2 million in pre-production on the 14-hour project. None other than Salavador Dalí and Orson Welles were attached, with music by Pink Floyd, but the film never came to fruition.
It’s official — Legendary Pictures has signed the very talented Denis Villeneuve to direct the exciting new Dune series film project.
— Brian Herbert (@DuneAuthor) February 1, 2017
The “Dune” franchise has seen its fair share of storied film adaptations. The first time a filmmaker attempted a “Dune” adaptation was in 1973, when eccentric Chilean director Alejandro Jodorowsky notoriously spent $2 million in pre-production on the 14-hour project. None other than Salavador Dalí and Orson Welles were attached, with music by Pink Floyd, but the film never came to fruition.
- 2/1/2017
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Frank Pavich' documentary Jodorowsky's Dune has a lot of fans in these parts, with our Ryland Aldrich being one of them. Its subject is Jodorowsky's failed quest to create a film based on Frank Herbert's Dune saga, an attempt often considered to be "the greatest film never made". And while you can put some question marks there, pondering the epic that would have been is a fun exercise, one which the documentary fully supports. It's been out on DVD and Blu-ray in several regions already, and this week France added a special edition of their own to the list. What attracted me to it was the inclusion of an art-book, which is always a good thing and Especially with this title. What I didn't expect...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...
- 12/7/2016
- Screen Anarchy
Denis Villeneuve is either trolling sci-fi fans or just really, really ambitious. The Canadian director, who's currently promoting Arrival and in production on the Blade Runner sequel, has just said he'd like to adapt Frank Herbert's Dune. I find myself feeling bad for Villeneuve sometimes (and then I remember he's a well-off director with high-profile gigs). Especially recently when he talked about being rushed off his film Arrival so he could start on Blade Runner. And every time I talk about the movie people get angry. Considering his current work schedule I'm sure none of that negativity is getting to him. Yet. But Ridley Scott's Blade Runner is an untouchable classic to a lot of people and many don't see the point in a sequel at all. Regardless, it's happening and while doing some recent press tours, Villeneuve told Variety he has a great love for sci-fi and revealed...
- 9/12/2016
- by Jill Pantozzi
- Hitfix
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50 fabulous documentary films, covering hard politics through to music, money and films that never were...
Thanks to streaming services such as Netflix, we’ve never had better access to documentaries. A whole new audience can discover that these real life stories are just as thrilling, entertaining, and incredible as the latest big-budget blockbuster. What’s more, they’re all true too. But with a new found glut of them comes the ever more impossible choice, what’s worth your time? Below is my pick of the 50 best modern feature length documentaries.
I’ve defined modern as being from 2000 onwards, which means some of the greatest documentaries ever made will not feature here. I’m looking at you Hoop Dreams.
50. McConkey (2013)
d. Rob Bruce, Scott Gaffney, Murray Wais, Steve Winter, David Zieff
Shane McConkey was an extreme skier and Base jumper who lived life on the edge, and very much to the full.
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50 fabulous documentary films, covering hard politics through to music, money and films that never were...
Thanks to streaming services such as Netflix, we’ve never had better access to documentaries. A whole new audience can discover that these real life stories are just as thrilling, entertaining, and incredible as the latest big-budget blockbuster. What’s more, they’re all true too. But with a new found glut of them comes the ever more impossible choice, what’s worth your time? Below is my pick of the 50 best modern feature length documentaries.
I’ve defined modern as being from 2000 onwards, which means some of the greatest documentaries ever made will not feature here. I’m looking at you Hoop Dreams.
50. McConkey (2013)
d. Rob Bruce, Scott Gaffney, Murray Wais, Steve Winter, David Zieff
Shane McConkey was an extreme skier and Base jumper who lived life on the edge, and very much to the full.
- 11/12/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
★★★★☆ It's been more than two decades since audiences last got to see a new film from visionary Chilean director Alejandro Jodorowsky, with Frank Pavich's documentary on an abandoned sci-fi epic - Jodorowsky's Dune (2013) - looking like being the closet they might get. Now comes The Dance of Reality (2013), an absurdist dreamscape of a biopic that begins with the director himself addressing the camera extolling the the life-giving power of money; presumably by way of an explanation for his twenty-five year absence and its abrupt end. While still a carnival of politics and sex, in keeping with his most famous work, it's significantly more sincere story of myth and memory.
The edges of his provocation have been rounded and wilful obfuscation is less of a hurdle than viewers may have had to leap in the past; though this may not be surprising for a film that purports to tell of his family history.
The edges of his provocation have been rounded and wilful obfuscation is less of a hurdle than viewers may have had to leap in the past; though this may not be surprising for a film that purports to tell of his family history.
- 9/13/2015
- by CineVue UK
- CineVue
We look at the films that slipped through Hollywood's net, from biblical epics to a time travelling Gladiator sequel...
This article contains a spoiler for Gladiator.
If you're one of those frustrated over the quality of many of the blockbusters that make it to the inside of a multiplex, then ponder the following. For each of these were supposed to be major projects, that for one reason or another, stalled on their way to the big screen. Some still may make it. But for many others, the journey is over. Here are the big blockbusters that never were...
1. Airframe
The late Michael Crichton scored another residential on the bestseller list with his impressive thriller, Airframe. It was published in 1996, just after films of Crichton works such as Jurassic Park, Rising Sun, Disclosure and the immortal Congo had proven to be hits of various sizes.
So: a hit book, another techno thriller,...
This article contains a spoiler for Gladiator.
If you're one of those frustrated over the quality of many of the blockbusters that make it to the inside of a multiplex, then ponder the following. For each of these were supposed to be major projects, that for one reason or another, stalled on their way to the big screen. Some still may make it. But for many others, the journey is over. Here are the big blockbusters that never were...
1. Airframe
The late Michael Crichton scored another residential on the bestseller list with his impressive thriller, Airframe. It was published in 1996, just after films of Crichton works such as Jurassic Park, Rising Sun, Disclosure and the immortal Congo had proven to be hits of various sizes.
So: a hit book, another techno thriller,...
- 6/11/2015
- by simonbrew
- Den of Geek
One of the unlikeliest “comebacks” in recent history was that of Alejandro Jodorowsky, who at age eighty-five last year had two new movies in cinemas: One a documentary in which he was the subject, the other his first feature as writer-director in nearly fifteen years. Frank Pavich’s Jodorowsky's Dune drew on voluminous archival materials to chronicle the Chilean-French surrealist’s failed (yet still influential) attempt to make a mid-1970s film of Frank Herbert’s science-fiction epic, which would have utilized such disparate talents as Salvador Dalí, Pink Floyd, H.R. Giger, Mick Jagger and Orson Welles. The filmmaker’s own The Dance of Reality was an autobiographical phantasmagoria that cast several of his family members. It showed his distinctively outrageous, poetical imagination as vigorous as ever. But a look back at 1989's Santa Sangre... >> - Dennis Harvey...
- 5/22/2015
- Fandor: Keyframe
One of the unlikeliest “comebacks” in recent history was that of Alejandro Jodorowsky, who at age eighty-five last year had two new movies in cinemas: One a documentary in which he was the subject, the other his first feature as writer-director in nearly fifteen years. Frank Pavich’s Jodorowsky's Dune drew on voluminous archival materials to chronicle the Chilean-French surrealist’s failed (yet still influential) attempt to make a mid-1970s film of Frank Herbert’s science-fiction epic, which would have utilized such disparate talents as Salvador Dalí, Pink Floyd, H.R. Giger, Mick Jagger and Orson Welles. The filmmaker’s own The Dance of Reality was an autobiographical phantasmagoria that cast several of his family members. It showed his distinctively outrageous, poetical imagination as vigorous as ever. But a look back at 1989's Santa Sangre... >> - Dennis Harvey...
- 5/22/2015
- Keyframe
In addition to the first-ever Audience Award, which was announced at the Closing Gala on Sunday 1st March, Glasgow Film Festival have today announced their inaugural Critics’ Choice: a list of the ten films which scored most highly in a vote from Gff’s accredited press corps. All accredited reviewers attending the festival were invited to submit their three favourite films from the whole programme, with numerical values assigned to each vote depending on the number of press tickets each participant had used at the festival. 40 writers eventually took part – a full list of participants is included below. Votes were collected both on Twitter and via email.
Glasgow Film Festival Critics’ Choice 2015 list in full:
It Follows (Us, dir. David Robert Mitchell) An intelligent take on the teen horror genre that works on a number of levels and has already enjoyed great success at Cannes Film Festival. Mitchell visited the festival this year.
Glasgow Film Festival Critics’ Choice 2015 list in full:
It Follows (Us, dir. David Robert Mitchell) An intelligent take on the teen horror genre that works on a number of levels and has already enjoyed great success at Cannes Film Festival. Mitchell visited the festival this year.
- 3/6/2015
- by Phil Wheat
- Nerdly
After tying for best film with The Water Diviner at the Aacta Awards, Jennifer Kent.s The Babadook has won the major prizes at the Australian Film Critics Association annual film and writing awards.
The horror movie took the awards for best film, director, lead actress Essie Davis and supporting actor Noah Wiseman.
Emulating his Aacta Award, David Gulpilil was named best actor for Charlie.s Country. Sarah Snook (who was recognised as best actress for Predestination at the AACTAs) was the surprise winner for best supporting actress for These Final Hours.
Gulpilil and Rolf de Heer collected the original screenplay award and Charlie.s Country.s Ian Jones was feted as best DoP. Gulpilil received his best actor statue on Friday evening from Aaron Pedersen (last year's Afca best actor winner for Mystery Road) during the BlakNite event at Treasury Gardens. He dedicated the award to .the spirit of the country and his family.
The horror movie took the awards for best film, director, lead actress Essie Davis and supporting actor Noah Wiseman.
Emulating his Aacta Award, David Gulpilil was named best actor for Charlie.s Country. Sarah Snook (who was recognised as best actress for Predestination at the AACTAs) was the surprise winner for best supporting actress for These Final Hours.
Gulpilil and Rolf de Heer collected the original screenplay award and Charlie.s Country.s Ian Jones was feted as best DoP. Gulpilil received his best actor statue on Friday evening from Aaron Pedersen (last year's Afca best actor winner for Mystery Road) during the BlakNite event at Treasury Gardens. He dedicated the award to .the spirit of the country and his family.
- 2/8/2015
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Feature marks first co-production between Chile, Japan and France.
Chilean filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky is launching a Kickstarter campaign for his upcoming feature Endless Poetry (Poesia Sin Fin), which marks the first ever co-production between Chile, Japan and France.
Paris-based Satori Films is joining forces with Chile’s Le Soleil Films and Japan’s Uplink Co on the Spanish-language project, a continuation of Jodorowsky’s autobiographical The Dance Of Reality, which premiered in Cannes’ Directors Fortnight in 2013.
The Kickstarter campaign will be launched on February 15, with an announcement by Jodorowsky on YouTube Live (http://www.poesiasinfin.com).
While The Dance Of Reality focused on Jodorowsky’s unhappy childhood in Tocopilla, on the edge of the Atacama Desert, Endless Poetry revolves around his life as a poet in Santiago during the 1940s.
His sons, Adan and Brontis Jodorowsky, will star in the film, which Jodorowsky plans to shoot in Chile this summer. His partner...
Chilean filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky is launching a Kickstarter campaign for his upcoming feature Endless Poetry (Poesia Sin Fin), which marks the first ever co-production between Chile, Japan and France.
Paris-based Satori Films is joining forces with Chile’s Le Soleil Films and Japan’s Uplink Co on the Spanish-language project, a continuation of Jodorowsky’s autobiographical The Dance Of Reality, which premiered in Cannes’ Directors Fortnight in 2013.
The Kickstarter campaign will be launched on February 15, with an announcement by Jodorowsky on YouTube Live (http://www.poesiasinfin.com).
While The Dance Of Reality focused on Jodorowsky’s unhappy childhood in Tocopilla, on the edge of the Atacama Desert, Endless Poetry revolves around his life as a poet in Santiago during the 1940s.
His sons, Adan and Brontis Jodorowsky, will star in the film, which Jodorowsky plans to shoot in Chile this summer. His partner...
- 2/5/2015
- by lizshackleton@gmail.com (Liz Shackleton)
- ScreenDaily
Hollywood’s sound pros nominated Birdman and Dawn of the Planet of the Apes for three awards apiece as the Motion Picture Sound Editors unveiled nods for its 62nd Mpse Golden Reel Awards, honoring the best feature film, television, animation and computer entertainment work of the year.
“2014 was a fantastic year for sound,” said Mpse president Frank Morrone. “The advent of new distribution channels, streaming services and gaming platforms is creating additional opportunities for sound artists to practice their craft beyond the traditional venues of film and television. This year’s nominations reflect that change, spanning an amazing diversity of mediums and genres, all executed at the highest level of creativity. We are truly inspired and impressed by the work of our colleagues.”
This year’s Golden Reels will additionally honor Noah director Darren Aronofsky with the Mpse’s annual Filmmaker Award. Oscar winner Skip Lievsay, known for his work...
“2014 was a fantastic year for sound,” said Mpse president Frank Morrone. “The advent of new distribution channels, streaming services and gaming platforms is creating additional opportunities for sound artists to practice their craft beyond the traditional venues of film and television. This year’s nominations reflect that change, spanning an amazing diversity of mediums and genres, all executed at the highest level of creativity. We are truly inspired and impressed by the work of our colleagues.”
This year’s Golden Reels will additionally honor Noah director Darren Aronofsky with the Mpse’s annual Filmmaker Award. Oscar winner Skip Lievsay, known for his work...
- 1/14/2015
- by Jen Yamato
- Deadline
The Alliance of Women Film Journalists has announced the nominees for its eighth-annual Eda Awards.
Birdman leads the pack with 10 nominations. Boyhood and Gone Girl got five each and The Grand Budapest Hotel four.
In the best film category, the nominees are Boyhood, Birdman, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Only Lovers Left Alive and Selma.
The nominees for the Female Icon of the Year, to honour a woman whose work in film and/or in life made a difference, are Selma director Ava DuVernay, Unbroken director Angelina Jolie and Citizenfour director Laura Poitras.
The full list of nominees is below, in categories for both men and women, and some women-only awards as well.
Awfj Best Of Awards (presented to men and women)
Best Film
Boyhood
Birdman
Grand Budapest Hotel
Only Lovers Left Alive
Selma
Best Director
Wes Anderson for The Grand Budapest Hotel
Ava DuVernay for Selma
Alejandro G Inarritu for Birdman
Jim Jarmusch for Only Lovers Left Alive
[link...
Birdman leads the pack with 10 nominations. Boyhood and Gone Girl got five each and The Grand Budapest Hotel four.
In the best film category, the nominees are Boyhood, Birdman, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Only Lovers Left Alive and Selma.
The nominees for the Female Icon of the Year, to honour a woman whose work in film and/or in life made a difference, are Selma director Ava DuVernay, Unbroken director Angelina Jolie and Citizenfour director Laura Poitras.
The full list of nominees is below, in categories for both men and women, and some women-only awards as well.
Awfj Best Of Awards (presented to men and women)
Best Film
Boyhood
Birdman
Grand Budapest Hotel
Only Lovers Left Alive
Selma
Best Director
Wes Anderson for The Grand Budapest Hotel
Ava DuVernay for Selma
Alejandro G Inarritu for Birdman
Jim Jarmusch for Only Lovers Left Alive
[link...
- 1/9/2015
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
My look at 2014 continues as I review the best documentaries of 2014. Documentaries can serve a multitude of purposes. You will have your change the world docs that pick a certain cause and attempt to spread the word so people will rise up and do something. You have those that are just about a particular story that is just too incredible to believe. You also have those experimental docs that are all about playing with the perimeters with film and experience. My list covers those categories and much more. It shows documentaries can really be used to do just about anything.
10. Kids for Cash Directed By: Robert May
Synopsis: Kids For Cash is a riveting look behind the notorious judicial scandal that rocked the nation. Beyond the millions paid and high stakes corruption, Kids For Cash exposes a shocking American secret. In the wake of the shootings at Columbine, a small...
10. Kids for Cash Directed By: Robert May
Synopsis: Kids For Cash is a riveting look behind the notorious judicial scandal that rocked the nation. Beyond the millions paid and high stakes corruption, Kids For Cash exposes a shocking American secret. In the wake of the shootings at Columbine, a small...
- 1/6/2015
- by Dan Clark
- Nerdly
Nightbreed: The Cabal Cut (Scream Factory)
This limited special edition of Clive Barker’s heavily discussed alternate cut has finally arrived. For fans of the film, this version is everything you wanted. More monsters and more narrative allow the film to progress more fitting to Barker’s intention and style.
Godzilla by Akira Ifukube (Death Waltz Records)
Beautiful. The guys from Death Waltz have again given genre fans something to be excited about. The 1954 soundtrack of Toho’s “Godzilla” is stunning, a true pleasure to hear on vinyl.
Phantom of the Opera by Rupert Julian (One Way Static Records)
The septet UK group The Laze released their accompaniment for 1925’s “Phantom of the Opera” off One Way Static Records. Styled with a range of musical influences the group makes a worthy companion score to the classic film.
The Innocents (1961) directed by Jack Clayton (Criterion Collection)
One of the greatest classic...
This limited special edition of Clive Barker’s heavily discussed alternate cut has finally arrived. For fans of the film, this version is everything you wanted. More monsters and more narrative allow the film to progress more fitting to Barker’s intention and style.
Godzilla by Akira Ifukube (Death Waltz Records)
Beautiful. The guys from Death Waltz have again given genre fans something to be excited about. The 1954 soundtrack of Toho’s “Godzilla” is stunning, a true pleasure to hear on vinyl.
Phantom of the Opera by Rupert Julian (One Way Static Records)
The septet UK group The Laze released their accompaniment for 1925’s “Phantom of the Opera” off One Way Static Records. Styled with a range of musical influences the group makes a worthy companion score to the classic film.
The Innocents (1961) directed by Jack Clayton (Criterion Collection)
One of the greatest classic...
- 1/3/2015
- by Monte Yazzie
- DailyDead
We here at Sound On Sight like to release our list as late as possible in the year. The way I look at it, the list is meant to represent what our writers have watched and championed throughout the year, and so we allow our writers until the 28th of December to submit votes for their 15 favourite films in the hope of coming up with a list that truly represents the wide spectrum of movies we cover year-round. This late in the game, it is safe to assume that just about every other website has released their top picks, but we believe our list holds value, if only because it is comprised of over 50 hardcore cinephiles worldwide. That said, since our writers are spread out across the globe, it makes it difficult for a movie like Inherent Vice (which was released in only two North American cities during 2014 itself) to crack our year-end list.
- 12/28/2014
- by Staff
- SoundOnSight
Welcome back for Daily Dead’s final Holiday Gift Guide entry for this week (don’t worry- we’ll be back on Monday!). For today, I’ve decided to dig up some resources for you vinyl-lovers out there and found a bunch of Doctor Who-themed accessories as well.
Also, be sure to submit your answer for our Holiday Horrors Trivia question below too for an opportunity to win some of the awesome prizes we snagged from our fantastic sponsors at HorrorDecor.net, Scream Factory and Anchor Bay Entertainment.
Vendor Spotlight: SoundStage Direct
If you’re on the lookout for obscure and random vinyl recordings, SoundStage Direct is absolutely the first website you’ll want to check. They carry pretty much anything you could possibly hope for including hundreds of various soundtracks from the last several decades and classic pop music albums as well.
SoundStage Direct also sells turntables and...
Also, be sure to submit your answer for our Holiday Horrors Trivia question below too for an opportunity to win some of the awesome prizes we snagged from our fantastic sponsors at HorrorDecor.net, Scream Factory and Anchor Bay Entertainment.
Vendor Spotlight: SoundStage Direct
If you’re on the lookout for obscure and random vinyl recordings, SoundStage Direct is absolutely the first website you’ll want to check. They carry pretty much anything you could possibly hope for including hundreds of various soundtracks from the last several decades and classic pop music albums as well.
SoundStage Direct also sells turntables and...
- 12/5/2014
- by Heather Wixson
- DailyDead
By Anjelica Oswald
Managing Editor
Yesterday, the Academy’s documentary branch narrowed down the list of 134 documentaries to 15 for the shortlist. Of these 15, five will be announced Jan. 15 as the nominees for the 87th Academy Awards, which will be held on Feb. 22.
Over the past few months, I wrote about three documentaries and the precedent past nominees set for them: Rory Kennedy’s Last Days in Vietnam, John Maloof and Charlie Siskel’s Finding Vivian Maier and Orlando von Einsiedel’s Virunga. All three films made the shortlist. The lists of related documentaries that landed nominations for best documentary consist of eleven Vietnam documentaries, six photography-related documentaries and eight documentaries about the animal world.
Two weeks ago, I looked at ten of the top documentary contenders that debuted at Sundance, and five made the shortlist: The Case Against 8, about the battle to overturn California’s Proposition 8; Last Days in Vietnam,...
Managing Editor
Yesterday, the Academy’s documentary branch narrowed down the list of 134 documentaries to 15 for the shortlist. Of these 15, five will be announced Jan. 15 as the nominees for the 87th Academy Awards, which will be held on Feb. 22.
Over the past few months, I wrote about three documentaries and the precedent past nominees set for them: Rory Kennedy’s Last Days in Vietnam, John Maloof and Charlie Siskel’s Finding Vivian Maier and Orlando von Einsiedel’s Virunga. All three films made the shortlist. The lists of related documentaries that landed nominations for best documentary consist of eleven Vietnam documentaries, six photography-related documentaries and eight documentaries about the animal world.
Two weeks ago, I looked at ten of the top documentary contenders that debuted at Sundance, and five made the shortlist: The Case Against 8, about the battle to overturn California’s Proposition 8; Last Days in Vietnam,...
- 12/3/2014
- by Anjelica Oswald
- Scott Feinberg
Virunga director Orlando von Einsiedel celebrating Leonardo DiCaprio as executive producer at the 21 Club in New York Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences' Oscar documentary shortlist of 15 films was announced today. The final cut down to five nominations will be announced on January 15, 2015.
Sam Cullman, Jennifer Grausman and Mark Becker's Art And Craft; Ben Cotner and Ryan White's The Case Against 8; Tia Lessin and Carl Deal's Citizen Koch; Laura Poitras' Citizenfour; Charlie Siskel and John Maloof's Finding Vivian Maier; Brian Knappenberger's The Internet’s Own Boy; Frank Pavich's Jodorowsky’s Dune; Alan Hicks' Keep On Keepin’ On; Dan Krauss' The Kill Team; Rory Kennedy's Last Days In Vietnam; Steve James' Life Itself; Jesse Moss' The Overnighters; Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado's The Salt Of The Earth; Nick Broomfield's Tales Of The Grim Sleeper...
The Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences' Oscar documentary shortlist of 15 films was announced today. The final cut down to five nominations will be announced on January 15, 2015.
Sam Cullman, Jennifer Grausman and Mark Becker's Art And Craft; Ben Cotner and Ryan White's The Case Against 8; Tia Lessin and Carl Deal's Citizen Koch; Laura Poitras' Citizenfour; Charlie Siskel and John Maloof's Finding Vivian Maier; Brian Knappenberger's The Internet’s Own Boy; Frank Pavich's Jodorowsky’s Dune; Alan Hicks' Keep On Keepin’ On; Dan Krauss' The Kill Team; Rory Kennedy's Last Days In Vietnam; Steve James' Life Itself; Jesse Moss' The Overnighters; Wim Wenders and Juliano Ribeiro Salgado's The Salt Of The Earth; Nick Broomfield's Tales Of The Grim Sleeper...
- 12/2/2014
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
In preparation for the Oscars, the Academy has chosen its short list of documentaries. Originally based on a list of 134 films, 15 have been selected, and from that, it'll choose the final five nominees. Notable films that made the list include: Steve James's remembrance of film critic Roger Ebert, Life Itself; docs about internet revolutionaries Aaron Swartz (Brian Knappenberger's The Internet's Own Boy) and Edward Snowden (Laura Poitras's Citizenfour); Charles's Siskel's doc about mysterious photographer Vivian Maier, Finding Vivian Maier; Rory Kennedy's enlightening Last Days in Vietnam; and Frank Pavich's obsessive deep-dive into Jodorowsky’s Dune. The full list is below.Art and Craft The Case Against 8 Citizen KochCitizenfourFinding Vivian MaierThe Internet’s Own BoyJodorowsky’s DuneKeep On Keepin’ OnThe Kill TeamLast Days in VietnamLife ItselfThe OvernightersThe Salt of the EarthTales of the Grim SleeperVirunga In the list of films skipped over that you still might...
- 12/2/2014
- by Lindsey Weber
- Vulture
Ari Folman, who has earned a great deal of acclaim as the the director of the psychedelic science fiction adventure, The Congress, and the animated feature, Waltz With Bashir, would be up for turning Alejandro Jodorowsky.s Dune into an animated feature. Can we just all take a second to appreciate how cool something like that could be? Unfortunately, there isn.t anything confirmed, but that's not stopping us from imaging the possibilities. An animated Dune is really more of a twinkle in Folman.s eye. After seeing Frank Pavich.s 2013 documentary, Jodorowsky.s Dune, a film about Jodorowsky.s ambitious but ultimately doomed attempt to bring the novel to the big screen in the 70.s, Ari Folman recently admitted that he was interested in bringing Jodorowsky.s vision to life. While Jodorowsky wasn.t ever interested in turning his vision for Dune into an animated film, he did say...
- 11/25/2014
- cinemablend.com
Exclusive: Waltz With Bashir and The Congress director Ari Folman talks about his desire to make an animated version of Jodorowsky's Dune...
December sees the home release of The Congress, Ari Folman's sprawling, psychedelic science fiction film which mixes live-action and animation to hypnotic effect. Director Ari Folman previously made Waltz With Bashir, the animated film about his life as a soldier during the Lebanon War in 1982.
During a recent interview with the director, we asked whether he'd be making another science fiction film like The Congress in the future, given that he's been quite vocal about his love of the genre in the past.
"I'd love to make another one," he said, before going on to talk about Jodorowsky's Dune - Frank Pavich's 2013 documentary about director Alejandro Jodorowsky's ambitious but ultimately doomed attempt to adapt Frank Herbert's seminal sci-fi novel back in the 1970s.
Inspired by Pavich's film,...
December sees the home release of The Congress, Ari Folman's sprawling, psychedelic science fiction film which mixes live-action and animation to hypnotic effect. Director Ari Folman previously made Waltz With Bashir, the animated film about his life as a soldier during the Lebanon War in 1982.
During a recent interview with the director, we asked whether he'd be making another science fiction film like The Congress in the future, given that he's been quite vocal about his love of the genre in the past.
"I'd love to make another one," he said, before going on to talk about Jodorowsky's Dune - Frank Pavich's 2013 documentary about director Alejandro Jodorowsky's ambitious but ultimately doomed attempt to adapt Frank Herbert's seminal sci-fi novel back in the 1970s.
Inspired by Pavich's film,...
- 11/20/2014
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
Other leading nominees are Life Itself and 20,000 Days on Earth.
Laura Poitras’ Citizenfour, about Nsa whistleblower Edward Snowden, leads the pack at the Cinema Eye Awards nominations, with six nods.
Steve James’ Life Itself about Roger Ebert and Iain Forsythe and Jane Pollard’s 20,000 Days on Earth about Nick Cave followed close behind with five nominations each.
The nominees for the awards, which recognise exemplary craft and innovation in nonfiction film, were announced last night at an industry party at Cph: Dox in Copenhagen.
In addition to those three, the other nominations for the Nonfiction Feature Film were Jesse Moss’ The Overnighters and Orlando von Einsiedel’s Virunga.
Poitras and James are also nominated in the Direction category, and each has previously won that Cinema Eye prize, Poitras with The Oath in 2011 and James in 2012 with The Interrupters. Poitras becomes the most nominated filmmaker in Cinema Eye history with nine nominations.
Other films nominated...
Laura Poitras’ Citizenfour, about Nsa whistleblower Edward Snowden, leads the pack at the Cinema Eye Awards nominations, with six nods.
Steve James’ Life Itself about Roger Ebert and Iain Forsythe and Jane Pollard’s 20,000 Days on Earth about Nick Cave followed close behind with five nominations each.
The nominees for the awards, which recognise exemplary craft and innovation in nonfiction film, were announced last night at an industry party at Cph: Dox in Copenhagen.
In addition to those three, the other nominations for the Nonfiction Feature Film were Jesse Moss’ The Overnighters and Orlando von Einsiedel’s Virunga.
Poitras and James are also nominated in the Direction category, and each has previously won that Cinema Eye prize, Poitras with The Oath in 2011 and James in 2012 with The Interrupters. Poitras becomes the most nominated filmmaker in Cinema Eye history with nine nominations.
Other films nominated...
- 11/13/2014
- by wendy.mitchell@screendaily.com (Wendy Mitchell)
- ScreenDaily
Often it is the one that gets away that leaves the biggest impact. For director Alejandro Jodorowsky his white whale was his dream of adapting the literary classic Dune. It was a dream he came inches close of achieving only to see it disintegrate in a cloud of dry dust. Although the movie was never made it left cinematic ripples that still affect the movies we see today. Now generations later we all have an opportunity to see what could have been in Frank Pavich’s documentary Jodorowsky‘s Dune.
Not only does Jodorowsky’s Dune operate as a piece of hidden Hollywood history it also shows how passion does not falter even after generations of failure. This absorbing story encapsulates the encompassing power of enthusiastic inspiration, and the frustrating nuisance of bureaucratic movie making. In the case of, “Who Killed Originality in Mainstream Movies” this should be used as Exhibit A.
Not only does Jodorowsky’s Dune operate as a piece of hidden Hollywood history it also shows how passion does not falter even after generations of failure. This absorbing story encapsulates the encompassing power of enthusiastic inspiration, and the frustrating nuisance of bureaucratic movie making. In the case of, “Who Killed Originality in Mainstream Movies” this should be used as Exhibit A.
- 10/29/2014
- by Dan Clark
- Nerdly
The Dance of Reality
Written and directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky
Chile, 2013
If Alejandro Jodorowsky’s name has been in the news as of late, it’s largely thanks to Frank Pavich’s excellent documentary Jodorowsky’s Dune. While this is a fascinating and tantalizing examination of what might have been a stunning feature in the filmmaker’s rather limited body of work, it should not distract from the films Jodorowsky actually made since the Dune debacle. This includes the 85-year-old’s latest feature (which is teased at the end of the documentary), the autobiographical The Dance of Reality, out now on blu-ray. This Felliniesque chronicle of occasionally inflated childhood reminisces and the sociopolitical factors that form one’s identity is a beautiful film, lovingly crafted, episodic though at times meandering, and certainly a passion project for its director.
We first see Jodorowsky himself in the present day, directly addressing the...
Written and directed by Alejandro Jodorowsky
Chile, 2013
If Alejandro Jodorowsky’s name has been in the news as of late, it’s largely thanks to Frank Pavich’s excellent documentary Jodorowsky’s Dune. While this is a fascinating and tantalizing examination of what might have been a stunning feature in the filmmaker’s rather limited body of work, it should not distract from the films Jodorowsky actually made since the Dune debacle. This includes the 85-year-old’s latest feature (which is teased at the end of the documentary), the autobiographical The Dance of Reality, out now on blu-ray. This Felliniesque chronicle of occasionally inflated childhood reminisces and the sociopolitical factors that form one’s identity is a beautiful film, lovingly crafted, episodic though at times meandering, and certainly a passion project for its director.
We first see Jodorowsky himself in the present day, directly addressing the...
- 9/2/2014
- by Jeremy Carr
- SoundOnSight
Presenting a marvelous banquet of fantastic titles with their first announcement, Utopia: The Tel-Aviv International Festival of Science Fiction and Fantastic Film has, in the proverbial sense, something for everyone -- as long as you have good taste in genre films! Kicking things off on September 13 will be Terry Gilliam's The Zero Theorem, which, as always with Gilliam, means a must-see title, no matter the reaction to it. What We Do in the Shadows, which tickled the fancy of our own Ryland Aldrich when he saw it earlier this year, will serve as the closing night presentation on September 20. In between are plenty of tasty titles, including some that are well-known to the Twitch readership -- Frank Pavich's documentary Jodorowsky's Dune -- and...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...
- 8/28/2014
- Screen Anarchy
Frank Pavich's documentary takes a tour of a classic sci-fi film that never was. Jules-Pierre takes a look at Jodorowsky's Dune...
Feature
"There are more unmade movies than there are made movies," says Frank Pavich, director of Jodorowsky's Dune, the documentary chronicling director Alejandro Jodorowsky's efforts to adapt Frank Herbert's seminal science fiction novel for the big screen. His effort began almost a decade before the generally unsatisfying David Lynch version hit theatres in 1984.
Back in the mid 70s, widely credited as the creator of the Midnight Film genre with the release of El Topo (which caused a riot during its viewing at a film festival in Mexico), and fresh from the success of The Holy Mountain, Jodorowsky was given his choice of subject for his next movie. He elected to adapt Dune, even though he had never even read the book.
"Dune will be the coming of a god,...
Feature
"There are more unmade movies than there are made movies," says Frank Pavich, director of Jodorowsky's Dune, the documentary chronicling director Alejandro Jodorowsky's efforts to adapt Frank Herbert's seminal science fiction novel for the big screen. His effort began almost a decade before the generally unsatisfying David Lynch version hit theatres in 1984.
Back in the mid 70s, widely credited as the creator of the Midnight Film genre with the release of El Topo (which caused a riot during its viewing at a film festival in Mexico), and fresh from the success of The Holy Mountain, Jodorowsky was given his choice of subject for his next movie. He elected to adapt Dune, even though he had never even read the book.
"Dune will be the coming of a god,...
- 7/25/2014
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
If Frank Pavich's wonderful Jodorowsky's Dune exposes even one person to the director's legacy of work then I consider it a success. Whether anyone thinks that Jodorowsky's version of Dune would have been the transcendent experience that he believes it would have been, I think we can all agree that it would have been something unique indeed and the world is kind of a worse place for the lack of it. Personally, I'm a fan of Lynch's Dune, warts and all. Not so much the Toto soundtrack, but that's another story.
We saw this film and [Continued ...]...
We saw this film and [Continued ...]...
- 7/8/2014
- QuietEarth.us
Picking the best movies that come out in any given year is no easy feat. For film fans, a quality feature can come out at any time, from any one, and discovering an enjoyable and well-crafted feature is truly a pleasure. As we reach the halfway point of the year, many excellent films have already made their way to theatres, films that are well worth a watch. Below, you shall find the list of the top 30 films of 2014 to date, a list that ranges from science fiction thrillers to period dramas.
A few notes to keep in mind when reading our entry: Certain films from our 2013 list make a second appearance on this list. This is because the movies, while technically released this year, were seen by a select few in time for last year’s list, due to the benefit of film festivals and press screenings. The list itself is in no particular order,...
A few notes to keep in mind when reading our entry: Certain films from our 2013 list make a second appearance on this list. This is because the movies, while technically released this year, were seen by a select few in time for last year’s list, due to the benefit of film festivals and press screenings. The list itself is in no particular order,...
- 7/1/2014
- by Ricky
- SoundOnSight
Long gone is the ‘70s golden age of midnight movies, psychedelic surrealism, and film industries’ deistic attitudes towards auteurs. Perhaps no filmmaker’s career has suffered more from this change in commercial and cultural sensibilities than Alejandro Jodorowsky, who birthed the successive cult staples El Topo and The Holy Mountain in the 1970s but has only seen the realization of sporadic (if no less brilliant) productions since. All of which makes it all the more amazing that Jodorowsky has experienced something of a quiet career renaissance in 2014 as the subject of Frank Pavich’s documentary Jodorowsky’s Dune and as the director of The Dance of Reality, the filmmaker’s first completed feature in nearly a quarter century. Yet for the never-not-great-news of new Jodorowsky, these two films hardly feel like a collective appreciation for an underappreciated artist in the twilight of his career, despite the direct relationship they share (Jodorowsky’s Dune reunited the filmmaker with...
- 5/27/2014
- by Landon Palmer
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Perhaps the most surreal aspect of “The Dance of Reality” is that Alejandro Jodorowsky's name is in the news at all. The 85-year-old Chilean-born, cult-favorite director has made an unexpected comeback in recent years, thanks to a number of unlikely circumstances. First, his cult classic art films from the 1960s and '70s, “El Topo” and “The Holy Mountain,” were finally released on DVD after years of being buried due to a disagreement with famous music manager (and financier) Allen Klein. Also read: Alejandro Jodorowsky to Make ‘Son of El Topo,’ ‘King Shot’ Into Comic Books (Exclusive) Second, Frank Pavich's hit 2013 documentary “Jodorowsky's.
- 5/23/2014
- by Jordan Zakarin
- The Wrap
For students of cinema, several films-that-were-never-made have been the subject of articles, books, and documentaries. Historians enjoy imagining just what movie delights almost happened, that were stopped by different circumstances, often budgetary. I recall seeing production art for Willis O’Brien’s teaming of titans in “King Kong Meets Frankenstein”. Before George Pal produced the definitive big screen version, Ray Harryhausen shot test footage for a proposed “War of the Worlds”. And animation buffs have wondered at the pencil test sequences Looney Tunes wildman Bob Clampett whipped up to try to sell MGM on a cartoon short series based on “John Carter of Mars”. And in this “what if” study, there would need to be a sizable sidebar on the unfilmed works of Orson Welles. Years before Coppola, Welles tried to adapt Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” for the movies along with comics’ “Batman” and “Don Quixote” (Terry Gilliam’s...
- 5/8/2014
- by Jim Batts
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
In the mid-Seventies, Chilean director Alejandro Jodorowsky, who was known for his radical arthouse films El Topo and Holy Mountain, took on the greatest challenge of his film career -- adapting for the screen one of the most classic sci-fi novels in history, Frank Herbert's Dune.
For two years, Jodorowsky worked an overwhelming number of hours with his creative team, including French comic-book artist Jean "Moebius" Giraud, screenwriter Dan O'Bannon (Dark Star, Alien), artist H.R. Giger (Alien), and sci-fi paperback illustrator Chris Foss to create over 3,000 storyboards and dozens of paintings along with incredibly detailed costumes and a tome of a script the size of a large phone book.
The film was to star Jodorowsky's own 12-year-old son, Brontis, who endured two years of daily martial arts training in preparation for his starring role alongside icons such as Orson Welles, Mick Jagger, David Carradine and Salvador Dali. Although the film was never made,...
For two years, Jodorowsky worked an overwhelming number of hours with his creative team, including French comic-book artist Jean "Moebius" Giraud, screenwriter Dan O'Bannon (Dark Star, Alien), artist H.R. Giger (Alien), and sci-fi paperback illustrator Chris Foss to create over 3,000 storyboards and dozens of paintings along with incredibly detailed costumes and a tome of a script the size of a large phone book.
The film was to star Jodorowsky's own 12-year-old son, Brontis, who endured two years of daily martial arts training in preparation for his starring role alongside icons such as Orson Welles, Mick Jagger, David Carradine and Salvador Dali. Although the film was never made,...
- 5/8/2014
- by Debbie Cerda
- Slackerwood
One of the most critically panned science-fiction films in history is Dune, directed by David Lynch in 1981. The rights to the film version of Frank Herbert's novel changed hands several times before Lynch's adaptation, with potential producers including Arthur P. Jacobs (Planet of the Apes) and Dino De Laurentiis.
In 1975, arthouse cult filmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky secured the rights the Frank Herbert's Dune and began working on what would have been the most epic science fiction film ever created. Jodorowsky assembled creative geniuses and cultural icons from all over the world for the cast and music, creating his personal group of "spiritual warriors" for a two-year massive undertaking. Unfortunately, Jodorowsky's planned film and his story never truly made it beyond the storyboards until now.
At Fantastic Fest 2013, I met and spoke with director Frank Pavich, who brings to light the story of Alejandro Jodorowsky and his failed attempt to tell...
In 1975, arthouse cult filmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky secured the rights the Frank Herbert's Dune and began working on what would have been the most epic science fiction film ever created. Jodorowsky assembled creative geniuses and cultural icons from all over the world for the cast and music, creating his personal group of "spiritual warriors" for a two-year massive undertaking. Unfortunately, Jodorowsky's planned film and his story never truly made it beyond the storyboards until now.
At Fantastic Fest 2013, I met and spoke with director Frank Pavich, who brings to light the story of Alejandro Jodorowsky and his failed attempt to tell...
- 5/7/2014
- by Debbie Cerda
- Slackerwood
Joining us for the 20th episode of the Hey You Geeks podcast is director Frank Pavich, here to discuss his incredible, hit documentary, Jodorowsky’s Dune. We discuss the film, the enigma of Jodorowsky, alternate timelines and so much more. Pavich shares fascinating stories about first meeting the legendary Jodorowsky, H.R. Giger and Michel Seydoux. From Jodorowsky’s Paris apartment and Giger’s museum to Cannes, Pavich takes us on a journey through the creation of the documentary, and what could have been if Jodorowsky’s visionary epic made it to the big screen. With names like David Carradine, Orson Welles, Dali, Pink Floyd and Mick Jagger attached to Jodorowsky’s adaptation of Dune, the doc is full of fascinating casting stories and a visual tour through a unique vision in film. Give a listen, and don’t forget to share your reviews of Hey You Geeks on iTunes!
Playlist:...
Playlist:...
- 4/12/2014
- by Tony Nunes
- SoundOnSight
All he said is, "I want to change the world." One of the year's must-see documentaries is Jodorowsky's Dune, profiling the Chilean filmmaker and his ambitious attempt to adapt Frank Herbert's Dune in the 70s. Jodorowsky amassed one of the most insane casts ever: Salvador Dalí, Orson Welles, Gloria Swanson, David Carradine and Mick Jagger of all people. This outstanding documentary, directed by Frank Pavich of the music doc N.Y.H.C. previously, debuted at last year's Cannes Film Festival where I first caught it and fell in love with it. I finally spoke with Pavich over the phone in March for a fun discussion on this excellent doc. As always, I prefer interviews in-person where I can speak directly with the subject, but I could only arrange time with Frank via the phone. I decided to chat with him anyway, being such a big fan of the film, and it...
- 4/4/2014
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Chicago – Should Alejandro Jodorowsky have been able to direct his psychedelic adaptation of Frank Herbert’s “Dune”, the results would’ve been less of our planet compared to films like “Blade Runner” or “Star Wars”. Prismatic spacecrafts and golden landscapes would have filled Jodorowsky’s mad canvas, as created by stargazing designers like Jean Giraud and H.R. Giger.
A famous actor/director, pleasantly plump in his later years, would have floated through the air, while another renowned artist shares his expensive cameo time with the image of a flaming giraffe. Inspired by the dynamism of science fiction book covers, “Dune” was also due to have an original soundtrack by Pink Floyd. Could such ambition actually have come true? The $5 million that the project failed to procure has prevented us from ever knowing. Until recently, Jodorowsky’s version of “Dune” remained a dream, a quixotic collision of transcendental imagination with multiplex intent.
A famous actor/director, pleasantly plump in his later years, would have floated through the air, while another renowned artist shares his expensive cameo time with the image of a flaming giraffe. Inspired by the dynamism of science fiction book covers, “Dune” was also due to have an original soundtrack by Pink Floyd. Could such ambition actually have come true? The $5 million that the project failed to procure has prevented us from ever knowing. Until recently, Jodorowsky’s version of “Dune” remained a dream, a quixotic collision of transcendental imagination with multiplex intent.
- 3/29/2014
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Jodorowsky’s Dune
Directed by: Frank Pavich
Documentary
Running Time: 1 hr 45 mins
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: March 28, 2014
Plot: The story of cult filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky trying to make a science-fiction epic in a time pre-Star Wars.
Who’S It For? Knowledge of Jodorowsky’s work isn’t necessary, this is for movie fans of all levels.
Overall
Should Alejandro Jodorowsky have been able to direct his psychedelic adaptation of Frank Herbert’s “Dune”, the results would’ve been less of our planet compared to films like Blade Runner or “Star Wars“. Prismatic spacecrafts and golden landscapes would have filled Jodorowsky’s mad canvas, as created by stargazing designers like Jean Giraud and H.R. Giger. A famous actor/director, pleasantly plump in his later years, would have floated through the air, while another renowned artist shares his expensive cameo time with the image of a flaming giraffe. Inspired by the...
Directed by: Frank Pavich
Documentary
Running Time: 1 hr 45 mins
Rating: PG-13
Release Date: March 28, 2014
Plot: The story of cult filmmaker Alejandro Jodorowsky trying to make a science-fiction epic in a time pre-Star Wars.
Who’S It For? Knowledge of Jodorowsky’s work isn’t necessary, this is for movie fans of all levels.
Overall
Should Alejandro Jodorowsky have been able to direct his psychedelic adaptation of Frank Herbert’s “Dune”, the results would’ve been less of our planet compared to films like Blade Runner or “Star Wars“. Prismatic spacecrafts and golden landscapes would have filled Jodorowsky’s mad canvas, as created by stargazing designers like Jean Giraud and H.R. Giger. A famous actor/director, pleasantly plump in his later years, would have floated through the air, while another renowned artist shares his expensive cameo time with the image of a flaming giraffe. Inspired by the...
- 3/28/2014
- by Nick Allen
- The Scorecard Review
Jodorowsky's Dune -- a film that was supposed to have starred the likes of Orson Welles, Mick Jagger, Sting, Dali, and David Carradine, with a soundtrack by Pink Floyd, art by H.R. Giger, storyboards by Moebius, effects by Dan O'Bannon, and directed by psychedelic cult auteur Alejandro Jodorowsky -- never got made. But is it any surprise? With all of these heavyweight egos involved, it's not terribly difficult to see that if the smallest thing went wrong -- if one person didn't approve of the script, costume, co-star, etc., or if one was offended by the slightest provocation -- that it could all fall apart. Which it did. However, director Frank Pavich took all that might have been and crafted a hilarious (hear Richard Stanley...
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- 3/27/2014
- Screen Anarchy
The grass is always greener on the other side. We always covet what we can never attain. Last week, Sony Pictures Classics' must-see documentary “Jodorowsky's Dune” opened in limited release; director Frank Pavich's funny, affectionate tale of Alejandro Jodorowsky's doomed attempt at adapting Frank Herbert's indispensable sci-fi classic for the big screen (our review). So ambitious and grand—legends like Pink Floyd, Mick Jagger, H.R. Giger, Moebius, VFX wizard Dan O'Bannon, Salvador Dali and Orson Welles were some of the names mooted to be involved—perhaps Jodorowsky’s version was so insane it never could have really happened, or perhaps if it had, it would have been a epic fail (indeed David Lynch's version, which would eventually bring the story to the big screen in 1984, was itself one of that visionary director's biggest stumbles, even according to Lynch himself). The documentary, loving and insightful, also...
- 3/25/2014
- by The Playlist Staff
- The Playlist
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