Dune: Part Two

• Director: Denis Villeneuve
• Writers: Denis Villeneuve, Josh Spaihts
• Starring: Timothée Chalamet, Zendaya, Rebecca Ferguson, Dave Bautista, Austin Butler, Florence Pugh, Léa Seydoux, Stellan Skarsgård, Christopher Walken

Grade: A

For the past two decades, there’s been a myriad of genre blockbusters that have tried to emulate the epic scope of Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings trilogy. There have been some films that made a noble effort, but none have been able to successfully capture that lightning in the bottle. Enter Denis Villeneuve’s Dune films, a franchise that once felt like it would never actually get made after David Lynch’s ill-fated 1984 movie. 

Io Capitone

• Director: Matteo Garrone
• Writer: Matteo Garrone, Massino Gaudioso, Massimo Ceccherini, Andrea Tagliaferri
• Starring: Seydou Sarr, Moustapha Fall, Issaka Sawadogo

Grade: B

Rarely has the immigrant experience been as harrowingly fictionalized on film as in Matteo Garrone’s Io Capitano. There have been a number of films throughout history that depict a story of immigration – that unquantifiable desire to find a better life – but it’s perhaps just as important to show the incredibly difficult journey many immigrants embark on. In the case of Garrone’s film, which he directs and co-wrote with Massimo Gaudioso, Massimo Ceccherini, and Andrea Tagliaferri, it’s a journey across multiple countries, and its young protagonists are setting off on their own, multiplying the dangers.

Lisa Frankenstein

• Director: Zelda Williams
• Writer: Diablo Cody
• Starring: Kathryn Newton, Cole Sprouse, Henry Eikenberry, Carla Gugino

Grade: B+

Diablo Cody is one of the few remaining superstar screenwriters left in Hollywood today. The Oscar winner has done tremendous work on various projects, from critically acclaimed films like Juno to cult classics like Jennifer’s Body. Her signature dry humor and skillfully written dialogue makes her an auteur writer, placing her among the ranks of Charlie Kaufman or Tony Kushner.