In the 1890s, when cinema was in its infancy, audiences were enraptured by a particular genre of silent film known as the “phantom ride.” To make these movies, filmmakers attached a camera to the front...

It’s difficult to articulate what exactly makes Denis Villeneuve’s “Dune: Part One” so effective. “Dune” doesn’t seem appealing on paper; it’s a long, dense movie composed mostly of political...