@mattcolville Regardless of whether I agree with you or not. It must be surreal and probably more frustrating than cool to have a subreddit named after you full of people posting comments starting with things like… “Matt thinks this”. You handle it very well, much better than I would.
"THERE IS NO ONE IN THIS ROOM WHO CAN STAND AGAINST ME. YOUR MOTHERS WARNED YOU ABOUT MY COMING. FEAR THE MOMENT. BUT- YOU THINK YOU COULD HAVE A CHANCE. BUT YOU ARE AFRAID, WHAT IF I COULD BE THE ONE? THIS COULD BE THE MOMENT YOU’VE BEEN PRAYING FOR ALL YOUR LIFE!"
We HAVE to talk about Stilgar.
In all three of my screenings, he got the best reactions from the audience. He is genuinely funny, but in a way that fits so perfectly with the film's tone. There is gravitas to his humorous moments. When he quotes the prophecy for everything that Paul does, it's not a joke to him. It's a reflection of his deepest beliefs.
Villeneuve's and Bardem's choice to make it funny for the audience is powerful to me. Playing it as a joke for the first two acts makes him seem like the nice, crazy uncle who rambles about religion after a few too many beers.
When the third act hits, it becomes clear that there is nothing funny about it. The Holy War takes off under his leadership. Stilgar is such a poignant exploration of the problem of religious indoctrination, messianic worship and blindly following charismatic leaders. To me, using humor to convey this was a brilliant decision. People remember what they laughed about.