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The noble family Atreides is entrusted with the protection of the harsh planet Arrakis, the source of spice, the most powerful and valuable asset in the known universe. Upon assuming power the Atreides make peace with the local inhabitants known as the Fremen only to be challenged by the opposing family Harkonnen resulting in destruction. Now, it’s up to Paul (Timothée Chalamet), the son of Duke Leto (Oscar Isaac), and Lady Jessica (Rebecca Ferguson) to fulfill his possibly misunderstood destiny and become the savior of Arrakis.Based on the Novel written by Frank Herbert with screenplay by Jon Spaihts, Denis Villeneuve, and Eric Roth and Directed by Denis Villeneuve this masterful and metered sci-fi experience beautifully captures its source material with a fantastically cast ensemble; an ambitious task that’s been attempted several times to varying degrees of success. Thick with plot, setup, development, and rich visuals Villeneuve continues his streak of unrelenting cinematic magic for fans of the genre, this time teaming with cinematographer Greig Fraser, no stranger to galaxies far and away. Further punctuation on the film comes from Hans Zimmer’s ethnically bending dive into the desert. This is the type of cinema that makes for a justified return to theaters (when safe to do so), see this on the biggest screen possible, although with a runtime of two hours and 35 minutes go easy on your beverage for obvious reasons. Dune is rated PG-13.

A male escort ( Shogi Silver) is mysteriously sent to the house of Professor Peter Boyle (Paul Eenhoorn) for one last job– help the professor find a woman in this modern world. But, teaching and navigating the dating scene after being off the market for decades will prove to have lessons for both the teacher and the student.Written by Shogi Silver and Directed by Kahlil Silver this ambitious production serves up a lengthy dialogue between its two principals, but, unfortunately the script never materializes into a full narrative arc. And, while it’s clear best intentions are behind this production, it’s also clear the vast majority of the production crew are still relatively new to their respective trades. Applause for completion of this project and achieving distribution through Amazon Prime, this critic is always a champion for more Washington State film production, keep polishing. In The Company of Women runs 1 hour and 37 minutes and is unrated.

In the time of Charles VI (Alex Lawther), the King of France, two friends on the battlefield, Sir Jean de Carrouges (Matt Damon) and Jacques Le Gris (Adam Driver) would grow further and further apart over politics and social savvy until the final blow, Jean’s wife, Marguerite (Jodie Comer), would accuse Jacques of rape. Now, a matter brought before God and King, Jean and Jacques must settle their disputes in a duel, this is their story. Written by Nicole Holofcener, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon and Directed by Ridley Scott this three chapter story, effectively re-telling perspectives from each party involved, Jean, Jacques, and Marguerite is a test of patience and wills for roughly the first two hours whilst setting up for the actual duel. Which is to say, the concept probably looked great on paper, but all the king’s horsemen and all the king’s men have a hard time keeping this woke white knight seeking justice narrative interesting and compelling once the “gimmick” runs out of gas mid chapter two. Visually, Scott is unquestionably on point and in stride throughout the handful of battle scenes, and that helps fuel the rest of the film’s drive forward; but, sadly, good production design and carnage isn’t enough to make up for the overall lack of narrative. Acting from the ensemble all seems fit, shoulder shrugs all round. At two hours and thirty two minutes of runtime, yawn, The Last Duel is rated R.