Dune I and II

To be fair, I watched the first part of Dune quite a while ago and was not keen to rewatch it. There was so much hype about the second part that I was afraid I would have to watch the first part again to make sense of the second part. The film is essentially about 6 things. 

A vast desert territory, a spice trade, an oppressive ruling class, a resistance and a set of mysterious underground creatures. 

If you want to appreciate the architecture in the movie I suggest that you follow (damileearch) on Instagram for her masterful reviews of the structures that have made their way into our films. 

You could describe it as a coming of age tale about a young prince who must make his way into the desert as he learns about himself and those around him with the hope of finally making his way back home. Did we mention the lack of water which makes this landscape so inhabitable? 

The spices we mentioned earlier seem to relate back to an age in the past where the spice trade dominated a certain stage in world history while the lack of water seems somewhat prophetic as many have predicted a time when nations will go to war for this precious resource. 

I suppose I was a little less interested in the two parts until I realized that Zendaya of Spider-Man fame was part of the cast. Her role in the Euphoria Series though, is what captured my attention as have some portrayals of her with lead character and their unmatched chemistry. 

The second part is therefore in my view a little more attention getting at least if you are interested in the complexities of romance interwoven with interesting takes on religion with mention of The Mahdi. In this regard the film seems to point to certain parts of Islam and the struggle to find redemption in one person on one hand and that to find unity or belief in the whole. It is here that the protagonist splits with his love interest and this is what makes the second part so captivating. Ah I fear I have revealed a little too much. There are several moments in the two parts of this film that tackle the topic of acceptance and the struggle to fit in. I think on the whole there was a lot to learn. 

Euphoria Season 1

People who are smarter than me and that studied literature (read my sister), tell me that romance and eros is often used in literature in critical parts of the story to draw the audience’s attention to particular subjects or ideas. I say this because accross the series Euphoria after someone on twitter mentioned it but emphasized that it was ‘porn’. If you view it through this narrow lense you will miss the point. 

It is a deep dive into the complex lives of teen and pre-teen students in post 911 America. The parents of these children were witnesses of the tragedies of September 11th 2001 and so the series serves as an exploration of these young people. 

First off, the narrative style is really appealing and we have Zendaya (Rue Bennet) of Spiderman fame to thank for that. Everything about this season revolves around her and those who form her inner circle. She is cast as a tomboyish slightly troubled (mentally) young person who goes through life trying to make sense of all the difficulties that she has gone through after the death of her father. In her household is her younger sister played by Storm Reid (Gia Bennet). Gia adores her sister and has every hope of becoming just like her. The trouble is that her ‘mentor’ is really troubled and struggling with addiction challenges. We have a single mum managing the affairs of this household with Nika King (Lesslie Bennet) handling that well. She is supportive and firm performing spot checks (read piss tests) on her daughter but the younger version of herself is often much too smart for mum in that regard. 

Throughout this work, i am amazed at least the writer (Sam Levinson) wants us to realise just how informed this generation is about the medications that exist and what each can provide in terms of fixes. 

The drug related problem is aided in part by two individuals. One surprisingly young and imaginative, is nicknamed Ashtray (played by Javon Walton) but the muscle of the operation is a sentimental and on the surface weak minded Fezco (Angus Cloud). In later parts of the first season there is a sad confrontation between supplier sand addict where name calling and abuse is exchanged but a calm keen minded Fezco responds with maturity in a scene that almost brings you to tears. 

Later one we are introduced to other characters that will make the season as exciting as it is revealing. We have the family that is supposed to have it all together (The Jacobs Family with Eric Dane and Jacob Elordi). The new girl (Hunter Shaefer) from out of town who comes in to shake things up. Her backstory is heart wrenching with neglect and abandonment from noneother than her mother. Later issues she faces will stem from this one incident. 

Then we have the slightly ovwerweight young girl who evolves into a confident person after realising that she has quite an audience online keen to gaze at her semi-dressed pictures and sessions. The writer also labors to read into the psychology of a generation that is getting used to leaking and or sharing nude images in a sense pleading with his audience to be more gentle with our judgements. 

The rest of the season is animated by some difficult but well acted scenes of blackmail and arm twisting that leave you asking for some divine power to intervene in the lives of these young victims. 

All in all a thumbs up for me!