On being excited to see Dune Two

And pens, plants, a playlist... and a live event!

Dear Friends,

Happy Saturday! In today’s weekend missive, I have a two things to share with you: my surprised enthusiasm for Dune and my strategies for Seasonal Affective Defenses, including plants, pens, a playlist… and a live event!

Let’s start with Dune. I should begin by saying I haven’t seen Dune Part II yet. So my thoughts are in anticipation of the new film and in appreciation of the past film. I watched Dune part one in 2021 with my brother Nathan and his friends in New York City. Back when Nathan lived in New York, he and his Overthinkers cohost Joseph Holmes had a movie club with a few other people (an aside: I was on an Overthinkers episode recently!). There were some real Dune enthusiasts who during the dinner before me were effusing about the book. I appreciate some good nerdery but was a little overwhelmed by what I was being told— 8,000 years in the future and people are still named Jessica?!

Dune, first edition 1965

But to my surprise, I really enjoyed the film. It was pretty long (2 hours 35 minutes!) but I never (and I really mean never!) found myself antsy or bored. I was totally wrapped up in its dark and desert-y world. The costumes were impeccable. The music is other-wordly. And the world itself has a kind of cohesion and mythic quality. It had that quality of a Secondary World as Tolkien describes: