The Coiled Ferocity of Zendaya

The latest in pop-culture news, recaps, and reviews, plus close reads, profiles, interviews, and more from Vulture.com. [Brand Logo]( please take our survey Thank you for reading the Vulture daily newsletter! We’re conducting a short survey about the newsletter and would love to hear your feedback. It’ll be fast, we promise! [Take the survey here](. performance review [The Coiled Ferocity of Zendaya]( Challengers is the ultimate example to date of what has become a distinctively Zendaya screen energy. Photo: Pari Dukovic for New York Magazine Denis Villeneuve’s two Dune films are bookended by Zendaya’s face. It’s her voice as the Fremen warrior Chani that you see and hear in the opening flash-forward of the first movie, introducing viewers to the universe of 10191 wherein the indigenous warriors of the desert planet Arrakis are battling the evil Harkonnen family. And it’s Zendaya’s face you see at the end of the second Dune film, after her lover, Paul Atreides, scion of House Atreides, the man she trained in the ways of the desert, has thrown Chani over for another woman, the galactic emperor’s daughter, in order to protect his family’s bloodline through marriage. The final scene of the second Dune is an overt nod to the end of The Godfather but with a twist. Francis Coppola’s gangster epic ends with ascendant Mafia don Michael Corleone shutting a door in the face of his wife, Kay, played by Diane Keaton, visually declaring that this is a world of men over which women hold no sway. Villeneuve’s film upends that reading by following Chani beyond her baleful, wounded reaction, into the desert, where she climbs a dune and prepares to ride one of the planet’s gigantic sandworms. The final shot of the film isn’t of the approaching worm but of Zendaya, exhibiting a mix of hurt, anger, and raw determination. [read more]( [Anniversary Sale: Celebrate with $20 off unlimited access, plus get a free anniversary tote.]( [Anniversary Sale: Celebrate with $20 off unlimited access, plus get a free anniversary tote.]( The Latest TV Recaps • Fallout: [Under New Management (Episode 6)](, [Selling the End of the World (Episode 7)]( • Summer House: [Say Yeesh to the Dress]( • Elsbeth: [Catch Me If You Can]( [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Stories We Think You’ll Like [Show Kasamatsu Isn’t Trying to Make Smoking Look So Cool The Michael Corleone of Tokyo Vice on perfecting the cigarette etiquette of the period, Backstreet Boys karaoke, and why he ad-libbed a crucial scene.]( By Roxana Hadadi [How Shrek 2 Blew My Band Up When Frou Frou sent in their “Holding Out for a Hero” cover for the film’s soundtrack, they never expected what followed.]( [John Oates Has ‘Moved On’ From Daryl Hall “We’re old guys. We deserve to be allowed to do whatever we want to do.”]( By Justin Curto [No One’s Watching the Best Comedy on Netflix There’s an easy way to fix this.]( By Jackson McHenry [The Completist’s Guide to Streaming Alex Garland Movies From The Beach to Civil War, we take a closer look at the filmmaker’s fascinating career.]( By Eric Vilas-Boas [Civil War Isn’t the Movie You Think It Is Alex Garland’s war epic is more about how we respond to images of conflict than it is about the conflict itself.]( By Bilge Ebiri [A Hidden Sexual-Assault Scandal at the New York Philharmonic Two musicians were fired for sexual misconduct. Why are they back with the orchestra?]( By Sammy Sussman [Golden Bachelor Marriage Ends in Golden Divorce Gerry Turner and Theresa Nist were married for three months following their live nuptials on The Golden Bachelor.]( By Zoe Guy [All the Sad-Eyed Action Guys Are Doing This Move Why use your own weapon when you can use the one your enemy just stabbed you with?]( By Alison Willmore [Learn more about RevenueStripe...]( Vulture Games [Today’s Crossword]( 22-Down, Four Letters: Nepo babies Jobs and Hewson, for two Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Getty, Everett [Today’s Cinematrix]( Can you name an Oscar-winning Sofia Coppola movie? Photo-Illustration: Vulture; Photos: Getty A newsletter about the perpetual Hollywood awards race, for subscribers only. [Sign up]( to get it every week. [Get the Newsletter]( [logo]( [facebook logo]( [instagram logo]( [twitter logo]( [unsubscribe]( | [privacy notice]( | [update preferences]( This email was sent to {EMAIL}. Was this email forwarded to you? [Sign up now]( to get this newsletter in your inbox. [View this email in your browser.]( You received this email because you have a subscription to New York. Reach the right online audience with us For advertising information on email newsletters, please contact AdOps@nymag.com Vox Media, LLC 1701 Rhode Island Ave NW, Washington, DC 20036 Copyright © 2024, All rights reserved