Entertainment News Roundup: Critics say 'Dune' movie will thrill ardent fans, may mystify others; Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac get intimate for new TV miniseries and more

The movie is adapted from Frank Herbert's 1965 novel about an intergalactic battle to control a precious resource. Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac get intimate for new TV miniseries Actors Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac have known each other for years, but being old friends was a mixed blessing when it came to playing a married couple in new television miniseries "Scenes from a Marriage", the pair said on Saturday.

Following is a summary of current entertainment news briefs.

Critics say 'Dune' movie will thrill ardent fans, may mystify others

The much-anticipated movie remake of the science-fiction epic "Dune" won praise from critics on Friday for its stunning visual spectacle, though some of the initial reviews said that only the most hard-core fans would enjoy the storytelling. "Dune" debuted at the Venice Film Festival on Friday and will hit theaters and the HBO Max streaming service on Oct. 22. The movie is adapted from Frank Herbert's 1965 novel about an intergalactic battle to control a precious resource.

Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac get intimate for new TV miniseries

Actors Jessica Chastain and Oscar Isaac have known each other for years, but being old friends was a mixed blessing when it came to playing a married couple in the new television miniseries "Scenes from a Marriage", the pair said on Saturday. Chastain, 44, and Isaac, 42, who both studied at the Juilliard arts school and have been friends since college days, portray Mira and Jonathan in the HBO series, an adaptation of acclaimed Swedish director Ingmar Bergman's miniseries of the same title.

Willard Scott, rollicking weatherman of TV's 'Today' show 35 years, dies at 87

Willard Scott, the ebullient former "Today" show weatherman, venerator of centenarians, pitchman extraordinaire and the original hamburger-hawking Ronald McDonald, died on Saturday, his successor on the morning show Al Roker said. He was 87. Scott's chatty, folksy manner covered up his lack of meteorological training during his time as American television's most popular weatherman.

Kristen Stewart's turn as Princess Diana wows Venice

U.S. actress Kristen Stewart's interpretation of Princess Diana in "Spencer" got a warm reception at the Venice Film Festival, where it premiered on Friday, with some critics already tipping her as an Oscar favorite. Chilean director Pablo Larrain follows a transformative Stewart as the troubled princess reluctantly joining the royals for a three-day Christmas gathering at Sandringham House as her marriage to Prince Charles breaks down.

R. Kelly accuser says she reached $200,000 settlement after herpes diagnosis

A woman testified at R. Kelly's sex abuse trial on Friday that she reached a $200,000 settlement with the R&B singer after she contracted herpes. Prosecutors have been trying to show jurors in Brooklyn federal court that Kelly was careless toward alleged victims of his sexual practices, including multiple victims who claim he kept silent about transmitting disease through intercourse.

Director Villeneuve says science fiction epic 'Dune' more relevant today

Tackling politics, religion, the fight for precious resources, and the environment, Frank Herbert's 1965 epic science fiction novel "Dune" is more relevant to today's audiences, director Denis Villeneuve said on Friday as he brought his ambitious adaptation to the Venice Film Festival. An ensemble cast led by Timothee Chalamet stars in the mammoth project, set in the future where noble families rule planetary fiefs.

Anya Taylor-Joy travels back in time in thriller 'Last Night in Soho'

British film-maker Edgar Wright said he drew inspiration from the likes of Alfred Hitchcock and Italian horror director Dario Argento to depict the dark side of London in his psychological thriller "Last Night in Soho". The film, premiering out of competition at the Venice Film Festival on Saturday, follows Eloise (Thomasin McKenzie), a student enamored with the 1960s who heads to London from the countryside intent on becoming a fashion designer.

As the 20th anniversary of 9/11 rolls around, filmmakers take different approaches

A slew of new films and TV series are being released around the 20th anniversary of September 11, 2001, attacks, taking different approaches as the United States looks back on that day that changed everything. One of the more high-profile projects being released is "Worth." A Netflix film, "Worth" tells the story of mediator Kenneth Feinberg, played by Michael Keaton, who was tasked with developing and administering the September 11th Victims Compensation Fund.

Maggie Gyllenhaal picks Ferrante novel for her directing debut

Maggie Gyllenhaal picked an unconventional novel about motherhood for her debut as a director in "The Lost Daughter", which premiered at the Venice Film Festival on Friday. In the film, Olivia Colman plays Leda, a middle-aged British literature professor vacationing on her own in Greece who becomes transfixed with a young mother (Dakota Johnson) and her daughter on the same beach.

Argentine satire on film-making lightens up Venice festival

The Venice Film Festival got a break from its anguish-filled line-up with Saturday's premiere of "Official Competition", a behind-the-curtains Argentine satire about film-making that had the audience laughing out loud. In it, an 80-year old billionaire businessman in search of social prestige decides to make a movie to leave his mark.