Jacob Collier

As someone coming from the book to the movie, I can in good conscience add to the roar of praise for how well the film was able to capture the essence of the book without losing its way wading through "unwieldy source material", as I've heard and agreed elsewhere (though IMO the source material is superb and makes ample room for deep, deep reflection). To me, it really felt like Hollywood was saving new sound and video design concepts for this release; that's how fresh and massive the scope here really is. The enormity of the film's visuals and ambitions really cannot be overstated. The book is absolutely fantastic and if you are open to delving into matters of spirituality or unitive consciousness, Frank Herbert (the author) has a history with Zen Buddhism and it is reflected heavily in this story. The masterpiece is not only a cultivated garden of insight and introspection - it is also a pointed commentary into the evil nature of enterprise when it aims to remove us from our connection to nature and spirit. The parallels between the empire, the Harkonnens, the Fremen and Spice (a resource purposefully tied directly to transportation and the facilitation of commerce) with our current tensions involving global governing powers, Islamic holy land and **oil** are very, very hard to miss. Here we have one of the few movies adapted from a book that most of us would feel we could equally recommend starting with either the film or the book itself. They each compliment each other very well and will work together to deepen your understanding of the world created for you by Frank Herbert. 11/10

Ghost of Tsushima is the perfect example of video games as works of art, as commentary on life itself and as a walk through a varied story with ethical lessons to teach. Not only is it masterfully designed as a "game" with linear objectives (and a plethora of methods by which to achieve those objectives), but it is a master class in complex storytelling that grabs at the preconceived notions of the player, and absolutely twists us into knots. If you're ready for a gaming experience that will gratify you at every level possible, this is it. 10/10, one of the very best I've ever laid hand on, including the Souls series.