THE PROFESSOR WAS LECTURING TO US about the significance of a particular battle during World War II. I glanced at the students sitting around me in the lecture hall, to see if anyone looked like they understood what he was talking about; I for one was having a tough time. To tell you the truth, there was much the professor talked about I found challenging, but I did not care. I had the textbook, which he wrote, to look up the subjects he was expounding on from his own firsthand experiences. Out of that year’s classes, he was my favorite teacher when it came to his lectures. He was animated, using his body and face in wild gestures to prove a point he was making to us. Also, he was the first teacher I ever had who freely used profanity in the classroom. Granted, some of it was uttered in his native tongue, but most of the students, including me, could understand what he was trying to say. Because I found him to be somewhat of a “character” or maybe I should say, not your “run of the mill” teacher, he kept my interest all the time during class. At some point, I started to figure out his style of communication and was able to decipher and digest the things he was telling us. Now, maybe not all of it, but enough for me to expand on what he said and learn something I did not know before.      FOR THAT COLLEGE CLASS, I RECEIVED a grade of “B,” and I was happy about it. At least I was able to find explanations and figure out things and events based on what the professor had been talking about. I could not say the same thing when one of my classes required us to critique artwork in the local art museum. When it came to the more traditional pieces, I was okay with reviewing them. However, the more modern, contemporary pieces were a challenge for me. Abstract art was never my strong suit, and though some of it I found beautiful, for the life of me I could not tell you what it represented or meant. For pieces that are larger with an abundance of color and shapes, I enjoy looking at the patterns that are created to see if I can visualize non-intentional objects or faces among the strokes; it is like me looking for shapes and faces in clouds. I feel I do not have to have a full understanding of what I am looking at. If the piece causes me to have a reaction, whether it is good or bad, then it has done its job. Funny, that is the feeling I had as I began watching this action, adventure drama.      ALL SIGNS POINTED TO PAUL ATREIDES, played by Timothee Chalamet (Beautiful Boy, Lady Bird), being the one talked about in the prophecy. Revenge against those who killed his family was just a bonus. With Zendaya (Malcolm & Marie, Spider-Man franchise) as Chani, Rebecca Ferguson (The Greatest Showman, The Kid Who Would Be King) as Jessica, Javier Bardem (No Country for Old Men, The Little Mermaid) as Stilgar and Josh Brolin (Only the Brave, Inherent Vice) as Gurney Halleck; this science fiction installment is a film that needs to be seen on the big screen. It was breathtaking at times, scene after scene so artistic and beautiful. The first half of the film was slightly slow for me. I felt the characters were more cartoon-like, with little depth. But as the story started to pick up midway, I finally was fully engaged as more action and drama were taking place. With that being said, I had trouble believing Timothee was the hero. On the screen, Zendaya and Javier Bardem had more depth and strength in their handling of their characters. It also was obvious to me that the ending was created to allow the opportunity to continue the adventures in a third installment. I may not have understood everything going on, but I did not care because I enjoyed the beauty of the scenes.

3 stars