The contents of the Hogwarts Legacy collector’s edition and deluxe edition have appeared online.
As spotted by Reddit user u/BattleDashBR, hidden files on the Hogwarts Legacy website have been spotted that appear to show the various items included in the collectors and deluxe versions of the game.
It is unclear how long this file has been present on the website, however it is attached to links to large US retailers Best Buy and Game Stop, suggesting that the preorder campaign for these items could begin soon.
The majority of the items included in both editions appear to be cosmetics for use within the game. The trailers for the game have shown a wide range of customisation options, but it’s unclear at this stage if these items would be exclusive to these editions or simply early unlockables.
Mounts have been shown as part of the initial trailer and the recent State of Play, however, the Thestral, which is a skeletal horse only visible to people in the Wizarding World who have witnessed death, have yet to be shown as a mount.
The collector’s edition also is said to feature a “Floating Ancient Magic Wand with Book”, which may be a physical item, as it’s not included in the deluxe edition.
In Hogwarts Legacy, the use of “Ancient Magic” is something unique to the player, allowing them to traverse through areas of Hogwarts untouched by normal students. The State of Play presentation suggested this would be the main crux of the game, so an item in the collector’s edition representing that would make sense.
Hogwarts Legacy Collector’s Edition
Hogwarts Legacy Deluxe Edition
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The eagle-eyed members of the Hogwarts Legacy subreddit recently uncovered another secret seemingly hiding in plain sight, a look at the game’s UI.
As posted to the r/HarryPotterGame subreddit, menu elements appear for as little as a few frames.
Due to be published under Warner’s Portkey Games label, it was originally scheduled to be released in 2021 for PS5, PS4, Xbox Series X/S, Xbox One and PC.
How well can you remember the names of cartoon characters from your childhood?
Mickey Mouse, Bugs Bunny and Pikachu are easy enough. But a non-descript cartoon elf seen in a Christmas photo has had the internet stumped for years, with some losing sleep trying to figure out exactly where it came from.
And perhaps none more than Emily Charette, whose dad first took the photo at their Ottawa home in 1992.
Charette stumbled across the photo again some years ago. But that elf, with grey hair, a beard, glasses and overalls, has had her perplexed ever since.
“It just drives you crazy. It’s like when you think you can remember an actor’s name or something is on the tip of your tongue,” she said.
So in 2016, when the marketing agency where she was employed decided to hold an office photo-guessing contest, Charette decided to submit the photo hoping her co-workers would be able to work out the elf’s origins.
Emily Charette, centre, poses in a picture with her older brother and sister in 1992 over the Christmas holidays at their family home in Ottawa. (Submitted by Emily Charette)
No matter who she showed it to, no one seemed to be able to pinpoint where the character was from. Unable to solve the mystery, Charette and her friends turned to the internet, posting an image of the photo online.
That spawned a years-long search by citizen sleuths all over the globe that finally culminated in an answer last week.
‘For a week, this was my full-time job’
What, did you think we’d tell you the answer right away?
In 2016, Sophie Campbell, an illustrator for the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in New York, heard about the elf from some friends at the agency.
Searching for an answer, she posted about the mystery elf on her Tumblr page — even offering a cash reward for anyone who could solve the case with evidence.
“All of these suggestions started coming in and my friend and I were watching all these old terrible cartoons,” Campbell told CBC Toronto.
Sophie Campbell posted about the mystery elf on her Tumblr page in 2016 — even offering a cash reward for anyone who could solve the case with evidence. (Sophie C/Tumblr)
Inundated with tips, Campbell watched more than 30 old cartoons in search of an answer, all to no avail.
“For a week, this was my full-time job … keeping up with this stupid thing on Tumblr,” she said. “And then, it kind of faded.”
But the online posts continued to garner occasional attention over the years, with Campbell getting sporadic messages from strangers inquiring if she’d cracked the case.
Trail goes cold until viral post
Enter Will Sloan, a Toronto writer who first heard about the photo in 2019 from his girlfriend.
Curious about the mystery, Sloan created his own posts on Twitter and Reddit in search of hot leads. Another three years passed with no luck. The trail was cold as ever.
“Then a couple of days ago my partner said, ‘Hey, you have more Twitter followers than you did in 2019. Could you post it one last time? Maybe we can finally crack this mystery once and for all,'” he said.
Post he did. And this time it went gangbusters, setting off another flurry of attempts at identifying the enigmatic elf.
My gf and her friends have spent years trying to figure out what cartoon (glimpsed in the background of a family photo) is from. Dozens, maybe even hundreds of people have seen this image but nobody knows what it is from. If you recognize this man, please tell me. a href=”https://t.co/nZibSf1QQH”pic.twitter.com/nZibSf1QQH/a
A few days later, the enduring mystery was finally put to rest.
After six years and over 11 million views on social media, two brothers from the U.S. finally solved the case.
‘Oh my God, this is it!’
Lucas and Josh Rastia, from Green Bay, Wis., had no idea an old VHS tape collecting dust in their house would be the key to unlocking the internet mystery.
Josh Rastia — who doesn’t use Twitter or Tumblr and was not previously aware of the photo — learned about the mystery while on YouTube last week.
That’s when the two realized they might know the answer.
By happenstance, a few years ago Lucas Rastia had been in search of a Christmas special that he grew up watching. So he started searching for obscure cartoons.
Lucas Rastia, left, and Joshua Rastia from Green Bay, Wis., say they’re happy to have solved this Canadian cartoon mystery. (CBC)
“I just started going down the rabbit hole,” he said.
After nearly giving up, he finally found the show in a compilation VHS box set he had bought on eBay. Among the tapes was a TV movie called The Soulmates: The Gift of Light, created in 1991 by Canadian screenwriter Gabrielle St. George.
Josh said he looked at Charette’s photo several times to make sure it matched the elf on his brother’s tape.
“Finally, watching this thing all the way through, I’m like, ‘Oh my God, this is it,'” he said.
A VHS copy of The Christmas Gift of Light can be seen here from the Rastia brothers’ collection in Wisconsin. (Submitted by Lucas and Joshua Rastia)
The brothers sent the answer to a friend who posted to Sloan’s Twitter thread, which by that point had several thousand views.
“We found it.… My god in heaven, I can’t believe it,” Sloan replied.
The mystery even caught the attention of the cartoon’s creator, St. George, who said she had no idea her decades-old cartoon elf had become an internet mystery. According to St. George, the special aired on CBC for five years and was sold internationally before it went to video.
‘Definitely’ adding cartoon to Christmas movie list
The Rastias say they’re just happy to preserve a piece of history and solve a mystery that had so many feeling like kids again.
Meanwhile, Charette says she never imagined a family photo taken 30 years ago would become such a phenomenon.
“I was like, ‘Holy crap,'” she said. “I’ve been loving this whole adventure of the elf cartoon mystery. That’s the power of the internet.”
Her family is enjoying the moment too, said Charette.
“My parents just think it’s awesome. We’re definitely adding this movie to my Christmas movie list for years to come.”
Emily Charette says after six years she was shocked to know someone had found the answer to the mystery cartoon. (CBC)
However, a crucial cast member was missing. Michael Gambon, who played Albus Dumbledore in six films, after taking over from the late Richard Harris, didn’t appear in the reunion special at all, beyond footage from the films. In fact, he was barely mentioned in the episode, which led fans to wonder why he had been ‘completely snubbed’. “Why was Michael Gambon completely snubbed? Is there a story there?” one fan asked on Twitter.
Another mentioned how their joy of watching the special was ‘overshadowed’ because of his absence. Also missing were Maggie Smith and even series author JK Rowling. One fan tweeted, “My enjoyment of the Harry Potter 20th anniversary was overshadowed by the missing cast, Maggie Smith, Timothy Spall, Imelda Staunton, David Bradley to name a few. Whatever your thoughts are on JK Rowling, she should have been included.”
Return to Hogwarts was interesting. Overall was pleased and thought it was a nice reunion and homage to the movie universe specifically. I do wish they talked a bit more about key cast members who weren’t there like Maggie Smith and Michael Gambon. Otherwise very well done ✨
Okay, so the most bizarre thing about the Potter reunion is not even the JKR stuff…it’s the fact that they talk SO much about Richard Harris and barely mention Michael Gambon. Who did he piss off?
In contrast to Richard Harris’ serene take on Dumbledore, Gambon’s more fiery portrayal has always been the subject of debate. His interpretation of the character deviated from how he was described in the books.
Michael Gambon had expressed his excitement to play the role of the headmaster, as he was used to ‘playing crooks and killers’ prior to Dumbledore. “Then Dumbledore is the complete opposite, isn’t he? He’s a nice old man,” he had once said in an interview. He had mentioned how it would ‘always be a happy memory’.
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In 2015, Michael Gambon revealed that he could no longer do stage plays, owing to memory loss. “It’s a horrible thing to admit, but I can’t do it,” he had told the Sunday Times. He said that it took forever for him to ‘learn the script’ and that it was ‘frightening for him’.
“All the Beauty and the Bloodshed,” Laura Poitras’s epic documentary about photographer Nan Goldin and her activism against the Sackler family and their art connections has been awarded the Golden Lion for best film at the 79th Venice International Film Festival.
Poitras, the American filmmaker behind the Oscar-winning Edward Snowden documentary “Citizenfour,” thanked the festival for recognizing that “documentary is cinema” at the ceremony Saturday evening in Venice. Neon is expected to release the film in theaters this fall and HBO Documentary Films recently acquired it for a television run.
Runner up went to Alice Diop’s “Saint Omer,” the narrative debut from the documentarian about a young novelist observing the trial of a woman accused of infanticide.
Cate Blanchett and Colin Farrell won the top acting prizes. Blanchett won for her performance as a renowned conductor in Todd Field’s “TÁR” and Farrell for playing a man who has broken up with by his longtime friend in Martin McDonagh’s “The Banshees of Inisherin.”
“Thank you so much, it’s such an enormous honor,’ Blanchett said, having just flown back to Venice from the Telluride Film Festival where the film also played.
Her performance as a successful woman in the world of international music whose reputation comes under threat has gotten nearly universal acclaim.
“I’m shocked to get this and thrilled,” Farrell said in a live video message. McDonagh was on site to collect the prize before he got one of his own for screenplay.
Luca Guadagnino won the Silver Lion award for best director for the cannibal romance “Bones and All” starring Timothée Chalamet and Taylor Russell, who also was recognized for her performance for best young actress.
“I have a speech prepared because I’m nervous,” Russell said. “I’m grateful beyond belief to be standing here. So many of my heroes are in this room.
Russell also thanked Guadagnino.
“He’s been a great friend to me and I love him so dearly,” Russell said.
The jury also gave a special jury prize to “No Bears,” by imprisoned Iranian director Jafar Panâhi. The acclaimed director was in July ordered by Iran to serve six-year prison sentence from a decade ago that had never been enforced. The order came as the government seeks to silence criticism amid growing economic turmoil and political pressure.
Julianne Moore led the jury that selected Saturday’s winner from a pool of 23 films that included many Oscar hopefuls. The Oscar-winner presided over a jury that included French director Audrey Diwan, whose film “Happening” won the Golden Lion last year, author Kazuo Ishiguro (“Never Let Me Go”), who has been judging from his hotel room after testing positive for COVID-19, and Iranian actor Leila Hatami (“A Separation”). Also on the main jury were Italian director Leonardo Di Costanzo (“The Inner Cage”) Argentinian filmmaker Mariano Cohn (“Official Competition”) and Rodrigo Sorogoyen (“The Candidate”).
Premiering in competition at Venice has launched many successful Oscar campaigns in recent years, leading to nominations and even wins. Seven times in the last nine years the best director Oscar has gone to a film that world premiered at the festival, including Chloé Zhao, Alfonso Cuarón, Alejandro G. Iñarritu, twice, Guillermo del Toro and Damien Chazelle. It’s also debuted a handful future best picture winners like “Nomadland,” “The Shape of Water” and “Birdman.”
Outside of the festival’s acting winners, Venice cemented several films, actors and directors, as strong awards contenders for the season to come. Brendan Fraser moved many to tears for his portrayal of Charlie, a reclusive English teacher who weighs 600 pounds and is attempting to mend things with his estranged, cruel daughter Ellie (Sadie Sink) in Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale.”
If standing ovation timers are any indication of reception, some of the most beloved of the festival were Andrew Domink’s “Blonde,” an evocative, semi fictional account of Marilyn Monroe’s life, starring Ana de Armas, and “The Banshees of Inisherin.” “Banshees” got a reported 13-minute standing ovation to “Blonde’s” 14 minutes-nearly double that of most other well-liked films.
Other films made also waves but went home from the awards empty handed, like Netflix’s “Athena,” a pulsating French drama about the murder a young boy that incites an all-out war in the community, led by his other brothers. Another, quite different, French film also charmed audiences and critics: Rebecca Zlotowski’s “Other People’s Children,” about a 40-year-old childfree woman (Virinie Efira) dating a man (Roschdy Zem) with a young daughter.
Some were more divisive, like Iñárritu’s “Bardo (or False Chronicles of a Handful of Truths),” a nearly three-hour, surrealist epic about a journalist returning his home country, Mexico, for the first time in 20 years. Loosely based on Iñárritu’s experience of finding success in another country, the film was beloved by some and not by others. Noah Baumbach’s Don DeLillo adaptation “White Noise” also received mixed reviews.
One major surprise was the generally negative reception for “The Son,” Florian Zeller’s follow-up to his Oscar-winner “The Father,” that stars Hugh Jackman and Laura Dern.
Aside from awards, it was a Venice for the books, with high glamour from Timothée Chalamet, who stunned in a red backless halter neck from Haider Ackermann, and Florence Pugh, looking the part of a movie star in a sheer tulle off the shoulder Valentino that slyly evoked both classic romanticism and playful modernity, and high drama, mostly around Olivia Wilde’s “Don’t Worry Darling.” The behind-the-scenes intrigue on Wilde’s film led to some excessive silliness as the world watched the cast’s every move for clues, from where people were seated, to who looked at who during the premiere.
Chris Pine even became an unlikely meme for various shots of him looking zoned out at a press conference. Then came “spit-gate” where onlookers turned into amateur sleuths trying to determine whether or not Harry Styles spit on Pine before the world premiere of the film (he didn’t). As ever, Venice gets people talking.
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Are you still waiting on your Hogwarts letter?
Hogwarts
Well, even if it hasn’t arrived yet, you may have visited Universal Orlando’s Wizarding World of Harry Potter, collected Harry Potter merchandise, like wands and mugs, or just watched allll the Harry Potter movies multiple times! Well, can now get some NEW Harry Potter items to bring a sense of that magic home.
Vera Bradley just released a NEW Harry Potter collection, and it will feature two designs focused on some of Harry Potter’s friends, like Hedwig, Dobby, Cerberus, Fawkes, and more! The Friends of Hogwarts design will also feature the Hogwarts crest.
This Small Vera Tote comes in the Friends at Hogwarts Ditsy print. It comes with lots of pockets for easy organization and it’s made with recycled cotton.
The Harry Potter Campus Backpack comes in two different prints, both the Friends at Hogwarts print and the Ditsy print. This backpack is made with recycled cotton and it features a laptop compartment along with plenty of internal organization and space for all your things.
If you’re looking for a travel bag, this Harry Potter Weekender Travel Bag is available in the Ditsy print, with a detachable strap and five mesh pockets inside.
Bags aren’t the only thing included in this release! There are also home, apparel, and gift items available, like this Harry Potter Hooded Fleece Robe, made with lightweight fleece and raglan sleeves.
And this Harry Potter Throw Blanket features the Hogwarts Crest, but you can also get it in the Ditsy print. It’s a pretty big size at 50 inches wide by 80 inches long.
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At this year’s Toronto Film International Festival, organizers are boasting an increased number of movies over the prior two years’ reduced, hybrid editions.
But along with more movies is more emerging talent, as many of the biggest and most impressive productions at TIFF 2022 star brand-new faces.
CBC News has compiled a list highlighting some of those young actors leading a slate of new titles, what led them to their roles, and where they plan to go from here.
Gabriel LaBelle, The Fabelmans
Gabriel LaBelle, bottom centre, on the poster for The Fabelmans. LaBelle, 19, plays a somewhat fictionalized, younger version of director and co-writer Steven Spielberg. (TIFF)
Nineteen-year-old Canadian-American Gabriel LaBelle is leading one of this festival’s most anticipated and big-ticket titles. In The Fabelmans, LaBelle plays a somewhat fictionalized, younger version of director and co-writer Steven Spielberg, as he falls in love with the craft of movie-making.
LaBelle, who co-stars with Seth Rogan, Paul Dano and David Lynch, has been in a few other productions though his role in Fabelmans will be his first lead in a studio film. His first credited role was in CTV’s Motive in 2013 — a series developed by his father, actor and producer Rob LaBelle.
Keris Hope Hill, Rosie
Keris Hope Hill, left, works behind the scenes of Rosie with director Gail Maurice. (GAT Productions)
At only seven years old, six during filming, Keris Hope Hill is one of the youngest actors leading a film at this year’s festival. The Kanien’kehá:ka girl from the Six Nations of the Grand River in southern Ontario stars as the titular character in Rosie, an ensemble film touching on family, childhood, the Sixties Scoop and Indigenous identity.
Having never acted before, Hill largely learned on set after being discovered in a provincewide talent search by writer and director Gail Maurice. She’s currently working on another production, Jennifer Podemski’s Little Bird, which similarly follows an Indigenous woman searching for her birth family after being removed during the Sixties Scoop.
Dohyun Noel Hwang and Ethan Hwang, Riceboy Sleeps
Dohyun Noel Hwang, far left, and Ethan Hwang, far right, portray the same character at different ages in Anthony Shim’s Riceboy Sleeps. (TIFF)
Like The Fabelmans, Riceboy Sleeps presents its child protagonist at different stages of his life. And in the Anthony Shim-directed film, that role is split between two Canadian actors: 17-year-old Ethan Hwang and eight-year-old Dohyun Noel Hwang (no relation).
The two share the role of Dong-hyun, a South Korean boy brought to Canada by his mother after the death of his father. Ethan has acted in a few projects before this — most notably appearing as “young Ben” in Netflix’s The Umbrella Academy. For Dohyun, who hails from New Westminster, B.C., it is his first role.
Isaiah Lehtinen, I Like Movies
Isaiah Lehtinen stars as Lawrence in I Like Movies, the feature debut from Toronto’s Chandler Levack. (TIFF)
Born and raised in Nanaimo, B.C., and having spent considerable time in Vancouver, Isaiah Lehtinen had to brush up on his Onatrio-isms for his role in I Like Movies. The film, by first-time feature director Chandler Levack, follows a cinemaphile and video-rental clerk growing up in Burlington, Ont., in the early 2000s.
At 24, he had only small experience in that time period. He has had experience acting before, though, with roles in The Good Doctor, the Russo brothers’ Deadly Class and — like LaBelle — he has been named a TIFF Rising Star at this year’s festival. Outside of acting, Lehtinen is a rapper who performs under the name Hermit.
Zion Matheson, Matteus Lunot and Harlow Joy, Soft
From left, Zion Matheson, Matteus Lunot and Harlow Joy. The three teenagers all make their feature film debuts in Soft. (Kirk Lisaj)
Though slightly under the radar, Soft (previously announced as Pussy) announces the arrival of three young talents to Canadian film: Harlow Joy and Matteus Lunot, both 14, and 13-year-old Zion Matheson.
Soft details the unique experiences of growing up as a queer kid in Canada, though without a typical focus on self-discovery: the kids of Soft all know their identities.
The three stars were discovered after a year-and-a-half search by director and writer Joseph Amenta, who auditioned 300 actors. Lunot of White Rock, B.C., whose father appears as a background actor in the film, appeared previously in a Hallmark TV movie in 2021, though this is his first feature film. Joy, a fan of fashion and basketball from Toronto, has appeared in a number of short films. Matheson, a trans girl also from Toronto, previously appeared in a music video by Dutch DJ Bakermat and Canadian singer Kiesza — and says she now spends her time learning music and “awaiting [her] first Oscar.”
River Price-Maenpaa, North of Normal
River Price-Maenpaa, left, and Sarah Gadon star in Carly Stone’s North of Normal. The film is an adaptation of Cea Sunrise Person’s 2014 memoir. (TIFF)
At just eight, Windsor, Ont.’s River Price-Maenpaa leads North of Normal alongside actor Sarah Gadon, in an adaptation of the memoirs by Canadian author Cea Sunrise Person. And Price-Maenpaa’s success in the film industry at such a young age is perhaps a bit unsurprising: both her mother and father are actors, while she has already appeared in Tales from the Loop and Blue’s Clues.
The film, directed by Carly Stone, follows Person (played as a child by Price-Maenpaa) as she searches for stability and safety — something her mother can’t provide.
Sara Montpetit, Falcon Lake
Sara Montpetit, right, appears in Falcon Lake. The 21-year-old actor is back at the festival for her second time. (TIFF)
Quebec’s Sara Montpetit, 21, had her first role and TIFF debut only a year ago, with the titular role in Maria Chapdelaine — an adaptation of the novel by the same name.
Now she’s back with Falcon Lake, a contemplative feature from writer/director Charlotte Le Bon. It follows teens coming of age, and lightly terrorizing each other, in rural Quebec, and is adapted from the graphic novel Une soeur, Falcon Lake by Bastien Vivès.
While Montpetit is establishing herself as an actor, in other circles she was already well known. As a student at Montreal’s Robert-Gravel High School, she co-founded a student collective for climate change action and launched Fridays for Future marches, modelled after those of Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg.
Enzo Desmeules Saint-Hilaire, Coyote
Enzo Desmeules Saint-Hilaire appears in a still from Coyote, the new film from Katherine Jerkovic. (TIFF)
Also from Montreal — and grandson of late documentary filmmaker Alain Saint-Hilaire — 8-year-old Enzo Desmeules Saint-Hilaire stars in Coyote as Zachary, the estranged relative of a man down on his luck who is forced to care for him. From director and writer Katherine Jerkovic — whose film Roads in February won TIFF’s best Canadian first feature prize in 2018 — the film is described as a “affecting tale of a family trying to reconstruct itself.”
Despite the emotional subject matter, Saint-Hilaire says for his next role he’d like to perform in a comedy.
The episode is so charming mainly because of how the parody songwriter-slash-accordionist fails to fit into the classic rock-star mold. Whereas most installments of the VH1 series are laden with drama and drug use, Weird Al’s is about a smart boy who loved dorky comedy and somehow miraculously made an entire career out of it.
Weird, co-written by Yankovic and director Eric Appel, is not that story. It’s essentially a Weird Al parody of a biopic that happens to be about Weird Al. But in recasting Weird Al as a troubled genius with demons aplenty, it loses the absolute charm of its subject and creator. Sure, it’s clever at first, but after a while it starts to feel like you’re watching yet another tiresome biopic that hits the same beats as every other biopic—except this one is supposed to be fake and funny.
Yes, there’s the former Harry Potter in a curly wig baring his (shockingly) ripped chest in an open Hawaiian shirt. And, yes, there are cameos aplenty, some more delightful than others. But the conceit of “What If Al Yankovic Was Actually a Jerk” is not strong enough to carry a movie that lasts nearly an hour and 40 minutes, and the laughs never really amount to more than a chuckle.
In the weird Weird version of Yankovic’s story, Yankovic comes from a family where the idea of writing silly new lyrics to preexisting songs is shunned by his father (the hilarious Toby Huss), who wants him to work in his factory. (What does the factory make? Don’t worry about it. All you need to know is that people get maimed.)
When an accordion salesman (actual Al friend Thomas Lennon) comes to the door, the young Al is captivated by the instrument, but his dad beats the shit out of the peddler. His mother (Julianne Nicholson, always wonderful) buys it for him to play in secret. A scene where Al lets his talents loose at a teenage polka party is particularly inspired. These early scenes are where Appel finds the best alchemy of homage and playful skewering, but even then he’s competing with the masterpiece of fake rock biopics, Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story.
By the time Radcliffe takes over playing Al, his ascension to fame is quick. He improvises the words to his “My Sharona” knock off “My Bologna” while making sandwiches for his dopey roommates. He’s taken under the wing of his idol Dr. Demento (Rainn Wilson)—a real person who influenced Yankovic’s career, if you didn’t know—who invites him over to his house for a soiree that’s like the pool bash scene in Boogie Nights, if it were populated by a bunch of famous people playing slightly more niche famous people. (Think: Conan O’Brien as Andy Warhol; Jack Black as Wolfman Jack.)
By the time Evan Rachel Wood enters as her gum-popping version of Madonna, the movie spirals off the rails. It’s not that Wood’s impression is not good. She’s clearly having a great time emulating the pop star’s put-on quasi Brooklynese, but the fictional spin on Madonna is uncomfortably retrograde. Framing the pioneering musician as a money grubber who seduces Al so he’ll parody one of her songs and make her even more famous just starts to feel icky the longer it goes on. It eventually takes up the back half of the runtime.
Weird isn’t quite savvy enough to actually comment on the trope of the femme fatale bringing down a talented man, so instead the joke becomes, “Wasn’t Madonna horny and fame hungry?”
There’s a similar issue that works against Radcliffe’s go for broke performance as Al himself. The screenplay never finds a personality for this Weird Al beyond the stereotypes that it’s making fun of. You start to long for the real, sweetly nerdy Al instead of this alternate universe version you’re watching. Radcliffe is basically playing Jim Morrison in oversized glasses—nothing resembling the actual reason you’re probably watching this in the first place.
Weird Al’s whole deal works because it’s unrepentantly goofy. There’s no commentary in replacing the lyrics to “Beat It” with “Eat It” or making a version of “American Pie” about the Star Wars prequels. Weird, which will eventually premiere on the Roku Channel, gets too bogged down in the genre it’s spoofing that it forgets to be light and random. In short: It’s just not weird enough.
The real world just felt too small when I stepped out of Denis Villeneuve’s Dune. There weren’t any enormous spaceships ready to rocket off to planets in distant galaxies. No Brutalist palaces amid endless desert vistas. No building-sized sandworms roaming about, eager to devour anyone who disturbed them. Just me and traffic on Atlanta’s I-285.
This latest Dune adaptation isn’t perfect — it’s at times emotionally empty, and it’s basically set up for a second movie we may never see — but it successfully transported me to the universe Frank Herbert created over half a century ago. The film focuses on half of the novel, telling the story of Paul Atreides (Timothée Chalamet), a sheltered baron’s son who moves to the desert planet of Arrakis. It’s an important post, since it’s the only world that produces the melange, or spice, which powers interstellar travel. But as Paul quickly learns, it’s also a dangerous place for his elite family, and it’s where he learns he may also be a potential messiah. You know, typical teen boy stuff.
After being wowed by Dune in the theater, I plan to rewatch it at home on HBO Max, where it’s also being released today. But I’m certain the experience won’t be the same, even on my 120-inch projector screen. This Dune demands to be seen on something even bigger—a place where your very sense of being can be dwarfed. Dune made me feel like Paul Atreides standing in front of a skyscraper-sized sandworm, waiting to be consumed. And I welcomed it.
Of course, it’s no simple thing to trek out to the cinema these days, not with coronavirus still raging and fellow theatergoers refusing to take basic safety precautions. (The vaccines are safe. Masks work. Please protect yourself and others.) But if you can manage to safely see it in theaters — perhaps by renting out a private screen with friends — you’ll be reminded of what makes that experience so special. I watched it in the second row of a fairly typical multiplex theater, and it still floored me. I can only imagine what it would be like on a full-sized IMAX screen, which can reach up to 98 feet tall.
Dune is at its best when Villeneuve and cinematographer Greig Fraser let you soak in the vistas, the regal-yet-alien costumes and the wealth of background details. It’s pure visual world-building. At one point, a character’s eyes briefly flash white when he’s asked to compute the cost of an imperial envoy’s trek through the stars. It’s never explained, but you get it. This style of slow burn sci-fi isn’t for everyone, but if you enjoyed Arrival or Blade Runner 2049, Villeneuve’s previous genre forays, there’s a good chance you’re primed for this brand of storytelling.
Even before I saw anything on the screen, though, I felt Dune in my gut. As I waited for my screening to begin, an alien voice began speaking out of nowhere, sounding like it came entirely from the theater’s subwoofers. It posed a question about the power of dreams, but really, it was as if the movie was saying, “Sit up, pay attention, you’re not on Earth anymore.”
