Although not a terrific adaptation of Frank Herbert’s seminal sci-fi tale, David Lynch’s 1984 film version of Dune is a defining moment in oddball cinema — and a candidate for the weirdest mainstream movie ever made. This is a film that includes everything from a spermy-looking alien that lives in a fish tank to a morbidly obese man who frequently needs to get his pustules drained, so yeah, hardly not fun for the entire family. But this didn’t stop marketing people from trying to sell this bonkers flick as the next Star Wars. In this presentation, Chris Cummins (Nerd Nite Philadelphia, Den of Geek, Sci-Fi Explosion) will discuss the crazy ways that Dune was marketed and merchandised, including a card that was given out to moviegoers in an attempt to explain the often incomprehensible events unfolding onscreen as well as the most violent and disturbing/hilarious coloring book ever made. All of this, plus a tribute to everyone’s favorite cinematic canine — Dune Pug! The sleeper has awakened, and he will attempt to make sense of all this strangeness surrounding a true motion picture experience.
Chris Cummins is a Philadelphia-based writer whose work has appeared online at Den of Geek, Uproxx, Philebrity, Geekadelphia, and Topless Robot. He is also one of the Nerd Nite Philadelphia co-bosses, and the producer/host of the travelling comedy video shows Sci-Fi Explosion and Music Video Book Club. For more information, follow him on Twitter at @bionicbigfoot and @scifiexplosion.
Chris did another twisted Nerd Nite presentation – How E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial Made the World Lose Its Mind. See it here: https://youtu.be/zPuzvXVjhz0