Thursday February, 13th 2025! 7PM!
Sci-Fi Double Feature! David Lynch Tribute!
Films to be Screened:
DUNE (1984, directed by David Lynch, 137 minutes)
SLEEP DEALER (2008, directed by Alex Rivera, 90 minutes, U.S./Mexico)
Sci-Fi Double Feature! David Lynch Tribute!
Films to be Screened:
DUNE (1984, directed by David Lynch, 137 minutes)
SLEEP DEALER (2008, directed by Alex Rivera, 90 minutes, U.S./Mexico)
A fascinating one-off in the celebrated career of the late David Lynch. The rich Victorian atmosphere of Lynch's second film THE ELEPHANT MAN, convinced storied producer Dino DeLaurentis that the upstart director should helm the 40 million dollar epic DUNE, based on the beloved sci-fi novel by Frank Herbert.
Kyle MacLachlan is perfectly cast as Paul Altreides, messianic prince of Caladan, born to ride giant sandworms and battle over valuable spices. The sprawling cast includes the unforgettable Kenneth McMillan as the floating Baron Harkonnen, Virginia Madsen as the Princess as well as Max Von Sydow, Sean Young, Brad Dourif, Patrick Stewart and hyperactive Police frontman, Sting.
While outer space adventure may not seem to play to Lynch's strengths, the master's hand is felt in the grotesque production design, the supernatural undertow and appearances by Lynch regulars, Jack “Eraserhead” Nance, TWIN PEAKS Everett McGill and of course Kyle MacLachlan, who would join Lynch for BLUE VELVET before becoming the stoic Agent Dale Cooper of TWIN PEAKS. Seen in the context of Lynch's later work, the original DUNE is a richer experience today than upon its original release.
“David Lynch doesn't direct movies; he dreams them, and this one, the long awaited adaptation of Frank Herbert's pop classic, is a dark and troubling nightmare, whose messianic mysticism is neither pretty nor palatable.”
- Eleanor Ringel Cater, Atlanta Journal Constitution
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Shot throughout Mexico, including in a Tijuana that resembles the Los Angeles of BLADE RUNNER, the Sundance award-winning SLEEP DEALER sees its near-future world through the eyes of a twenty-something Mexican man named Memo (Luiz Fernando Pena). When tragedy strikes his village, he flees to the border where a grueling physical process allows him to use his labor for virtual work sites. He also meets a young woman (Leonor Varela of BLADE 2) who, unbeknown to Memo, is a journalist documenting his story. Hovering outside this scene is the drone pilot who carried out the attack on Memo's village, investigating the consequences of his actions.
- Eleanor Ringel Cater, Atlanta Journal Constitution
- - - -
Shot throughout Mexico, including in a Tijuana that resembles the Los Angeles of BLADE RUNNER, the Sundance award-winning SLEEP DEALER sees its near-future world through the eyes of a twenty-something Mexican man named Memo (Luiz Fernando Pena). When tragedy strikes his village, he flees to the border where a grueling physical process allows him to use his labor for virtual work sites. He also meets a young woman (Leonor Varela of BLADE 2) who, unbeknown to Memo, is a journalist documenting his story. Hovering outside this scene is the drone pilot who carried out the attack on Memo's village, investigating the consequences of his actions.
While Rivera's script has its political points to make, he never loses sight of the drama at its heart. Rivera took advantage of the SLEEP DEALER's long gestation period to finesse all the film's details and its visual scheme, brilliantly portraying the characters' memories in vivid, liquid smears. Rivera lets his love of sci-fi film history show as well, with references to everything from the silent classic METROPOLIS to THE MATRIX. Rivera has also discussed discussed the parallels between his film and STAR WARS, where Luke Skywalker is a rural farmboy whose tragedy forces him to cross borders and confront the empire.
“The combination of rusty amateurism, future technology, and clear-and-present politics creates a trippy time-space kick: This dusty little movie feels like yesterday, today, and tomorrow. ”
- Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
- Wesley Morris, Boston Globe
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