S3 – Wrap-Up Episode (finale)

PODCAST:

S3 – Wrap-Up Episode (finale)*

Listen to the podcast here (click to play/right click and select “save target as” to download):

SHOW NOTES:

Ryan in his “robot” mode.

To wrap things up this year we attempted to do a season Wrap-Up Episode. Unlike last year, the conversation quickly devolved from review of the entire Season Three line up and turned more circuitously to reflections on the entire history of the podcast and the trials and tribulations of the hosts as they tried to keep this beast afloat. The discussion is more celebratory and, at times, nonsensical. We brought back two past guests: Mike O’Reilly and John (a/k/a Dole) Doyle to bring in some outside perspective.

Occasionally we did manage to get into the art of literature and film and there were some coherent thoughts that managed to squeak thru. All in all, we hope our jovial spirit puts a nice cap to this podcast and provides some reflective laughter along the way. Apologies for the general absurdity and thank you again for checking us out!

-Ryan

The NDIOS crew: Wilk, Rick and Ryan.

*** * ***

RELATED LINKS:

Hosts:

Ryan Sean O’Reilly

David Wilkinson a/k/a “Wilk”

Rick

 

Guests:

Dole’s band’s website and links to videos of the band: (www.i-decline.com)

Click here for other episodes with Dole.

Mike O’Reilly’s YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/TheMoreilly318

Click here for other episodes with Mike O’Reilly

Wilk’s other podcast with his wife Laura Valle: “How to Avoid Murder …and other awkward situations”

 

RELATED EPISODES:

“Roadside Picnic (1972)” by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky (book)

“Stalker (1979)” by Andrei Tarkovsky (Alexander Kaidanovsky) (movie) – Russian with English subtitles

“Dune (Dune Chronicles #1) (1965)” by Frank Herbert (book)

Film: “Dune (1984)” by David Lynch (Kyle MacLachlan) and SyFy: “Frank Herbert’s Dune (2000)” by John Harrison (William Hurt)

“I Am Legend” by Richard Matheson (book)

“True Detective” by Cary Joji Fukunaga (Matthew McConaughey) (miniseries)

“The Body Snatchers (1955)” by Jack Finney (book)

“Something Wicked This Way Comes” by Ray Bradbury (book)

“The Devil Rides Out (Black Magic #1) (1934)” by Dennis Wheatley (book)

“Nineteen Eighty-Four” by George Orwell (book)

“Watchmen” by Alan Moore (writer) / Dave Gibbons (artist) (graphic novel)

“Naked Lunch” by William S. Burroughs (book)

“Slaughterhouse-Five” by Kurt Vonnegut (book)

 

* DISCLAIMER: Please be advised that the views and opinions of the hosts and guests of NDIOS are completely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and beliefs of the other hosts and guests or that of NDIOS.

Advertisement

Review: “Dune” – David Lynch and “Frank Herbert’s Dune” – John Harrison

PODCAST:

S3E12M – Dune (movie and SyFy)*

SHOW NOTES:

This was easily one of our most decisive episodes. Rick walked off, I did not want to discuss the TV adaptation, and Ryan had to fix our broken home. In the end, Ryan lost the most for caring the most. The heart and soul of our podcast held true and pushed through both movies, with indifference from Wilk and absence from Rick.

If a consensus could be reached it was only that Dune, the movie, was something apart from the mainstream. It was delightfully weird and inaccessible. To a casual viewer, I think it would be unwatchable. Unless you are into that sort of thing.

But out listeners and Ryan deserved better than what they got. For the first time in the history of the show I would like to apologize for my conduct. And most importantly Ricks. Or as I call him, Captain “I walked off the episode I insisted we do” Fantastic.

So, until next time, wash your space balls thoroughly, as there is no deodorant in outer space.

– Wilk

WRITTEN FILM REVIEWS:

Film: “Dune (1984)” by David Lynch (Kyle MacLachlan)

Ryan: 4 Stars “…this captures the soul of the book…a lot more stylized…David Lynch gets a little edge because of the risks that they took …”

Wilk: 3 1/2 Stars “…at some point, odd things happen to you in life that aren’t what you expect, but in the end you get what you want…that’s what Dune is…”

Rick: 4 Stars “…even though David Lynch’s movie doesn’t really follow, technically, everything in the book, it really captures the imagery…”

 

 

*** * ***

SyFy: Frank “Herbert’s Dune (2000)” by John Harrison (William Hurt)

Ryan: 3 1/2 Stars “…they did put a lot of effort into it and its enjoyable if you really want to see something that’s closer to the book…”

Wilk: 3 Stars “…it was more literal than the David Lynch version, but less ambitious…”

Rick: 0 Stars “…it was a waste of time…the acting made it horrible…I saw part of it before I gave up on it…”

 

 

FUN FACTOIDS:

On the show, Ryan mentioned watching a fascinating documentary about a movie version of Dune that never happened, but which likely influenced the science fiction film genre for years due to the various creative teams being assembled by this off-the-wall director (Alejandro Jodorowsky). Though the film never happened, a great deal of work was done in pre-production and the resulting documentary about this director’s journey is a compelling watch of what-might-have-been for Dune fans. If you are a Dune fan you’ll want to check out “Jodorowsky’s Dune.”

Ryan also talked about another science fiction/fantasy book review podcast that relayed a fairly recent announcement by production company “Legendary Entertainment” to acquire film rights for Dune, so there may be another visual version coming out in the future. That podcast is known as “Sword and Laser” and the relevant episode with a link to a news article can be found here: http://swordandlaser.com/home/2016/11/22/sl-podcast-273-han-solos-big-sister. After recording, Dole, found this article announcing a new director for the possible remake: http://www.cinemablend.com/news/1619960/the-dune-remake-has-its-director-and-we-couldnt-be-more-thrilled.

David Lynch’s depiction of the vile Baron Vladimir Harkonnen reminded Ryan of the infamous Countess Elizabeth Bathory from Hungary whom was rumored to have bathed in the blood of virgins to retain her youth. Here’s the Wikipedia article on her: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_B%C3%A1thory.

In discussing the various members of the cast for the Lynch version of the book, we gave a shout out to a childhood favorite which featured Dune actress Francesca Annis: Krull!

Lastly, the epic production behind David Lynch’s film version of Dune is legendary. At one point crews down in Mexico were combing the desert to remove trash and debris so that the sands would be pure enough for the rich landscape of planet Arrakis. This is all to reminiscent of a classic scene in Mel Brook’s famed Star Wars parody: Space Balls. Please enjoy this clip:

 

 

* DISCLAIMER: Please be advised that the views and opinions of the hosts and guests of NDIOS are completely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and beliefs of the other hosts and guests or that of NDIOS.

Review: “Dune”- Frank Herbert

PODCAST:

S3E12B – Dune (book)*

SHOW NOTES:

Please join us in a disjointed conversation about the greatest story ever told. 

– Rick

WRITTEN BOOK REVIEWS:

Book: “Dune (Dune Chronicles #1) (1965)” by Frank Herbert

Ryan: 5 Stars “…f**king Dune, nuff said…”

Wilk: 5 Stars “…I recognize why people love this and like it and its overall concept, but you kind of gotta stick with it to get that out of it…”

Rick: 5 Stars “…quintessential intergalactic space opera…laden with a lot of political intrigue and a lot of great ideas…”

 

FUN FACTOIDS:

During the show, Ryan talked about Frank Herbert using omniscient point of view. A technique not commonly used in modern literature. He cited an article about this that can be found here: http://www.shmoop.com/dune/narrator-point-of-view.html. An interview conducted years about by Dalton Books with Frank Herbert and director David Lynch, was also cited by Ryan, which can be found on YouTube in multiple parts here:

• Part 1: https://youtu.be/7Zw10o48NoE;
• Part 2: https://youtu.be/_rTvjJxUebA;
• Part 3: https://youtu.be/0IeC2CZ5eYU;
• Part 4: https://youtu.be/w_aBG6vRAsI;
• Part 5: https://youtu.be/gN8lmpXheOc; and
• Part 6: https://youtu.be/-NMOoOD2wp8.

Rick mentioned that hard rock group “Clutch” has a song called “Prison Planet,” from their eponymous album “Clutch.” While the lyrical contest doesn’t seem to be directly inspired by the book “Dune” it is about aliens and other good science fiction type content. Plus it’s just a great rock tune: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=53qeiAVjHQU. Another well-known thrash metal act did take direct inspiration from the book for a song. The English band “Iron Maiden” released a song called “To Tame a Land” which can be found on their album “Piece of Mind.” Check out this tune on Youtube with lyrics at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_y3o4okKXMU. Ironically, the author refused to let the band use the title “Dune” for this song because he wasn’t a fan of their type of music — check it out: http://www.songfacts.com/detail.php?id=2348.

 

* DISCLAIMER: Please be advised that the views and opinions of the hosts and guests of NDIOS are completely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and beliefs of the other hosts and guests or that of NDIOS.

Preview Episode (Dune)

PODCAST:

S3E12P – Preview Episode (Dune)*

SUBJECT MATTER:

Book: “Dune (Dune Chronicles #1) (1965)” by Frank Herbert

“Here is the novel that will be forever considered a triumph of the imagination. Set on the desert planet Arrakis, Dune is the story of the boy Paul Atreides, who would become the mysterious man known as Muad’Dib. He would avenge the traitorous plot against his noble family–and would bring to fruition humankind’s most ancient and unattainable dream.

A stunning blend of adventure and mysticism, environmentalism and politics, Dune won the first Nebula Award, shared the Hugo Award, and formed the basis of what it undoubtedly the grandest epic in science fiction.” (from Amazon.com)

*** * ***

Film: “Dune (1984)” by David Lynch (Kyle MacLachlan)

“Set in a distant future the year 10191 where life in the universe and space travel is dependent upon a spice Melange found only on the desert planet Arrakis or Dune; where the natives of the planet await the arrival of their Messiah who will lead them into a holy war against the evil Harkonnen empire.” (from Amazon.com)

*** * ***

SyFy: “Frank Herbert’s Dune (2000)” by John Harrison (William Hurt)

“A three-part miniseries on politics, betrayal, lust, greed and the coming of a Messiah. Based on Frank Herbert’s classic science fiction novel.” (from IMDB.com)

* DISCLAIMER: Please be advised that the views and opinions of the hosts and guests of NDIOS are completely their own and do not necessarily reflect the views and beliefs of the other hosts and guests or that of NDIOS.