Documentary On Alejandro Jodorowsky’s Unmade Dune Film

Twitch Film has posted a preview of a documentary that is currently in production on the unmade 1974 Alejandro Jodorowsky version of Dune. It is nice to see a man talk about making something the way Jodorowsky does in this short clip.  When I see that kind of open enthusiasm I want to be in the same room.  Quite frankly, I would much rather have the Jodorowsky film of Dune than the piece of vapid nonsense that was actually made by David Lynch.  The general rule is if you see a movie with Sting in it… run for the exits. Documentaries are wonderful, but Jodorowsky really should make his version of the book now.

Artificial: A Short Science Fiction Film by Mónia Camacho

Mónia Camacho of Portugal made this short science fiction piece about a fragmentary broadcast from an alien artificial intelligence. There’s some talent here. The film is made in the simplest possible fashion but conveys some interesting emotions and ideas. I think the film should be expanded into something quite a bit longer. The odd, almost out of place expressions of the character make me curious. I want the AI to ramble on for a while. That final landscape shot is fantastic. You could almost take this short film and drop it right into a Tarkovsky film like Solaris. It would fit.

Solaris: 1972 Science Fiction Classic by Andrei Tarkovsky

Have you ever watched Andrei Tarkovsky’s brilliant 1972 Russian science fiction film, Solaris? Well, you should. It’s long and it moves at its own leisure, but you’ll be richly rewarded with an unforgettable cinematic experience. When I was a kid I was a huge fan of Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey. So when I went to see this film I was very cranky about it because it just didn’t have the same look as 2001. But Tarkovsky was not interested in spaceships or realistic zero gravity. He was looking for the soul. Solaris is a deeply emotional film that points the way toward a science fiction that does not rely on science or technology for its visuals.  If you have seen the recent version of Solaris by Steven Soderbergh, you really should consider watching this one.  Tarkovsky was not afraid to dismantle the normal narrative drive and pacing of the majority of Hollywood films.  He allowed time to play itself out in his films.  No scene was ever cut to spare an audience’s attention span.  Soderbergh, for all his efforts to look independent, is completely at the mercy of the prevailing winds of Hollywood and makes every film to suit the intellectual capacities of a thirteen year old audience. This is usually apparent in the editing, not the writing. Hollywood filmmakers edit films as if they are flashcards for the slow learners.  You can’t call yourself an independent filmmaker if you are really just a prostitute.  Tarkovsky was, in spite of the constant oversight by the authoritarian Soviet government, a true unbending independent.

The film is an adaptation of the novel by the great Polish science fiction writer, Stanislaw Lem.

It has been made available by Mosfilm for free viewing on their new YouTube channel.

 

Part 1:

 

Part 2:

Blinky – Science Fiction Film by Ruairi Robinson

This short science fiction film about a robot playmate/servant by Ruairi Robinson is disturbing because it forces the viewer to be shocked by what happens to a repellent leading character. Personally, I cannot watch the film without silently cheering the little robot on.  In fact, more robots should be programmed just like him.