Dune has been a decent pair of movies, but it's just the soundtrack du jour in figure skating right now, more than the character being cool, IMO. The music is dramatic and recognizable with that bleating yodeling motif. Non-male skaters (Wakaba, Smart/Dieck) are using this music too.
2024 GP France: Men's Thoughts?
- Thread starter gsk8
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- Joined
- May 25, 2014
I have very mixed feelings about the Men's competition. I enjoyed it because it featured many skaters I was looking forward to seeing -Torgashev, A. Selevko, Britschgi, Tomono, Pulkinen, Siao Him Fa, Economides...but it was painful because the SP was such a mess with Jin being the only one really going clean. And the FS was rather error ridden as well.
Torgashev's SP error was fortunately not on an element -- otherwise his program was outstanding. His FS was pretty well done, but I'm not sold on it yet. I think I'm used to "edgier" Torgashev so it needs more fire for me. Selevko's SP, while a bit messy, was still very good as well. Although I certainly enjoy a good rock 'n roll program from him, it was great to see him branch out with the blues, especially since he is doing very well with it. I liked his Spanish-themed FS as well, but its messiness kept me from really getting into it. Britschgi's SP was...a brave choice, as some would say, but I liked it. Even in its messiness, I could see its potential, and I liked the concept. His FS though fell flat for me and made me long for him to go back to one of his rock 'n roll or pop choices. I'm happy he's stretching himself, but two "esoteric" programs just seemed too much somehow - more than anything, I just don't think his FS works. Hopefully it will get better as the season progresses. Pulkinen...ouch. Like Roman Sadowsky, his skating is just so good you want him to do well so he - and you and the rest of the audience - can truly enjoy it, but you rarely get your wish.
Other highlights for me: the nice sized crowds and cool vibe in Angers. I noticed it with the crowd shots from there last year as well. People seem to be genuinely having fun, and it seems like a laid-back, friendly crowd of all different ages. Also finally getting Mark Hanretty commentary on the World feed was very welcome.
Torgashev's SP error was fortunately not on an element -- otherwise his program was outstanding. His FS was pretty well done, but I'm not sold on it yet. I think I'm used to "edgier" Torgashev so it needs more fire for me. Selevko's SP, while a bit messy, was still very good as well. Although I certainly enjoy a good rock 'n roll program from him, it was great to see him branch out with the blues, especially since he is doing very well with it. I liked his Spanish-themed FS as well, but its messiness kept me from really getting into it. Britschgi's SP was...a brave choice, as some would say, but I liked it. Even in its messiness, I could see its potential, and I liked the concept. His FS though fell flat for me and made me long for him to go back to one of his rock 'n roll or pop choices. I'm happy he's stretching himself, but two "esoteric" programs just seemed too much somehow - more than anything, I just don't think his FS works. Hopefully it will get better as the season progresses. Pulkinen...ouch. Like Roman Sadowsky, his skating is just so good you want him to do well so he - and you and the rest of the audience - can truly enjoy it, but you rarely get your wish.
Other highlights for me: the nice sized crowds and cool vibe in Angers. I noticed it with the crowd shots from there last year as well. People seem to be genuinely having fun, and it seems like a laid-back, friendly crowd of all different ages. Also finally getting Mark Hanretty commentary on the World feed was very welcome.
- Joined
- Jan 17, 2022
I didn't like what they did with plot and characters in Dune part 2, but in part 1 the visuals combined with the music created a really alien, otherworldly vibe. It made you feel that the humans in this world don't have much in common with us anymore at all, mentally and culturally. I can understand that this could be an interesting basis for a figure skatingprigram. Or maybe it's just a popular movie xd
And I think Olivia and Tim manage to portray that really well, because the otherwordlyness and mysticism is built in the choreography, the way they get entangled and disentangle, Olivia's power but also delicacy of movement etc.
Whereas in the other Dune programs I've seen so far, the music just wails on in the background and there is some vague drama about Paul.
I don't think the movies captured the themes of environmentalism and political philosophy well at all that are a huge part of the first (and only good) book btw.
And I think Olivia and Tim manage to portray that really well, because the otherwordlyness and mysticism is built in the choreography, the way they get entangled and disentangle, Olivia's power but also delicacy of movement etc.
Whereas in the other Dune programs I've seen so far, the music just wails on in the background and there is some vague drama about Paul.
I don't think the movies captured the themes of environmentalism and political philosophy well at all that are a huge part of the first (and only good) book btw.
- Joined
- Aug 16, 2018
To be fair, I think Wakaba's Dune program is "look mysterious to hide that you're focusing on the jumps" in the first half + "kill the step sequence even though the volume of the music weirdly quiets down" second half and nothing to do with Dune, both the book and the movie.
It really is just the cool new soundtrack on trend. And it really makes a lot of the "LISAN AL GHAIB!!!" memes which I appreciate.
- Joined
- May 15, 2024
Yep deffinetlyProbablybut the book Dune is very overrated being big, self-importantly portentous and very very dull. It has weathered the years better than it deserves, probably because the other big, self-importantly portentous and very very dull SF super-classic is even bigger, more self-important and portentous, and dull to the point of stupefaction and makes Dune look good.
but let me praise your knowledge and taste in literature 
Still, music is good and very B E N O I T ...
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2019
Honestly, Dune is so hilariously, openly, autrociusly bad on anything real science related that it can only irreparably damage the reputation amd credibility of the environmental science.
Or... maybe modern skaters respond to the ecological/environmental theme. Way back in 1966, this was one of the first books tp preach on the sermon of the responsibility of the human race to come to accommodation with their planet's interdepemdent biospere -- a topic that has received renewed attention in the last couple of decades.
Dune is the quintessential teenage male fantasy, and that summs up its appeal and value. If anyone had patience to watch Wheel of Time, we'd knee-deep in Rand Al'Thors and Lan Madrogorans too, since it is basically the same book with cast expanded beyond all reason. Though, I suppose, Paul boasts the conventionally masculine father who quickly (relative to Dune's glacial pacing) and spectacularly fails in his traditional masculine approach which might give him a leg over Rand. Plus Paul is hyperfocused on personal dueling versus defeating the Ancient Evil, and they can all be pretty much cast as Paul.
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- Mar 3, 2015
This is magic!
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- Jan 17, 2022
I can feel a real appreciation for the book here...If you think Paul is supposed to be a teenage male fantasy, then you didn't understand the book. You wouldn't be alone apparently.
- Joined
- Jan 14, 2014
I love the music of Dune and I would be happy if it's still a popular choice for the Olympic season next year.
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2019
well, I love the white savior vibe too and enjoyed how the movie made on the nose attempts to course-correct with omigosh! two entire very pointed dialogue lines (those people should be doing it themselves! WOW!). And, ah! Those randomly tossed in exotic words from foreign languages with just a smidge of Orientalism... good stuff, it made me laugh even when I read it first when it was still okay to culture-borrow for window-dressing real peoples as elves. Some pseudo-philosophy that would make the Planscape:Torment audience go wild...okay, we are back to teenage males fantasies here... lol.
Heh a few weeks ago, a coworker was puzzled by how the book where every character has this complicated fantasy'ish name has the main character named Paul. I asked her if she noticed the name of the man who wrote the book. That's right, when a guy named Frank writes a self-insert quintessential male fantasy he is going to call his self-insert...wait for it... lol.
Really, anyone who reads any book is free to see whatever they want in it. They can tell others what they see freely and with as much details as they want. But telling others what they should see in it and how to read it right is what the Russians do. We don't like the Russians, do we?
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- Jan 17, 2022
Are you taking the piss? 
The book was a deliberate critique of the white saviour myth. The second movie did a shit job at depicting it though.
The book was a deliberate critique of the white saviour myth. The second movie did a shit job at depicting it though.
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2019
You can view it that way. But lol, the guy triumphs, not fails at the end of it. Nobody cares what the sequels say. One Dune is really enough of Dune.Are you taking the piss?
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Director's intent
Denis Villeneuve, the director of the 2021 film Dune, has said that the movie is a criticism of the idea of a savior coming to tell another population what to believe and how to be.
I have to go. Barack Obama is saying hello to me on my voice mail as I type this, asking me to get the hell out of my house. Now.
Denis Villeneuve, the director of the 2021 film Dune, has said that the movie is a criticism of the idea of a savior coming to tell another population what to believe and how to be.
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- Subverting the narrative
Dune: Part Two subverts the white savior narrative in a number of ways, including:- Paul's character: Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) is not a conventional white, male savior. He is agnostic and refuses to claim to be a messiah, unless his mother or unborn sister's life is in danger.
- Paul's character: Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet) is not a conventional white, male savior. He is agnostic and refuses to claim to be a messiah, unless his mother or unborn sister's life is in danger.
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- Chani's perspective: The movie includes changes from the book that show the white savior narrative from the perspective of Chani, Paul's love interest who is skeptical of his mother's intentions.
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- Paul's choice: Paul chooses to ignore his birthright and live a simpler life among the Fremen.
I have to go. Barack Obama is saying hello to me on my voice mail as I type this, asking me to get the hell out of my house. Now.
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- Jan 31, 2019
I mean sequel books, Children of the Dune and the rest. The part 2 of the movie covers the events of the first book. It ends with Paul defeating the rival Harkonen Faction, marrying the Emperor's daughter and telling her in no uncertain terms that she's nothing to him--he goes on and on to detail his future unavailability to her and his disdain for her just in case she has a sliver of hope for some sort of amicability--and his sand wife is his one true love. The brave and loyal gal Chani accepts that.
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- Joined
- May 15, 2024
Or you put too much meaning in the book. The thing with Dune is that some parts are boring, repetitive and naive (Paul and Freemen and love plot with Chani) and other are boring, edgy and also naive (these that are praised to be deep and philosophical and in fact are just long and waffly expositions). It's praised for the worldbuilding and I found it hilarious, especially borrowing random names and words from random languages and croocking the form and the meaning the way Herbert probably thought would be appealing to English speaking readers. And that's it, not a great book although significant for the genre. Maybe the moovie deals with book's most annoying flaws but I don't have enough time to find out.
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- May 15, 2024
If I read the book as a teenager, I'd be amazed how faithful he is to Chani. But I was adult, so I wasn't amazed at all and though Paul is AH that would fit whole worm without stretching...
- Joined
- Jan 31, 2019
Yeah, I read it in my early twenties, and my reaction to this outstanding monologue was 'what a colossal jerk!' I think the only character who peeved me more in my life was Bakker's Kellhus. Bakker's books, however, offer more than Kellhus and his portrayal of towering mental capabilities and manipulation is far more nuanced.
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- Jan 17, 2022
It's RIGHT there in the first book. His inner monologie can be annoying but the author basically hits you over the head with the fact that Paul's thriumph is bad for him, the Fremen and the rest of the universe.
And I agree, one book was enough
- Joined
- Apr 23, 2018
Back to skating and the music - yes, Dune has already become a stale music choice this year but to be fair, when they all chose it before season started, they probably each thought it would be a new and unique and refreshing choice.
- Joined
- Sep 7, 2023
Except for the Korean skater who's reused his Dune program for a third season.
