Hidden figures....a Hidden Gem

Hidden Figures is a hidden gem in 2017's movie lineup 

I just got home from watching Hidden Figures. This film is a beautiful commentary on how diverse our space program truly was. I loved seeing that men and women were working side by side on that project. Back then women were not as respected as they are today, what I mean is they were expected to be wives and mothers and the man would be the "breadwinner." 

That's until you meet the three brilliant women of color who worked on the space capsule program at NASA. Those three amazing, incredibly intelligent, and inspiring women really made their mark on history working as "computers" for NASA. I'd been itching to see this movie since I'd seen the preview. I love movies set in that time because I look at it as a commentary on how one minded this world can truly, and how far we've come since then. 

These three hardworking women really made the white men and women on the program see their equality and even at times surpassed them with their incredible knowledge of mathematics equations. I give them a lot of credit, I can't do higher math it makes my brain blurt out expletives. Seeing these women write out the equations AND figure them out was so incredible, knowing that these were real women that did just that. 

I loved this movie, the sass the women had and the balance between home, work, friends, and romance really lightened the topic and the acting and writing on this movie was amazing. I highly recommend it and give it 5+ stars Taraji P Henson, Octavia Spencer, and Janelle Monae are a dynamic trio of women that really bring the story to life through their portrayals of the characters. This will be added to my collection when it comes to video.

Jem and The Holograms

Ok, so if you're like any 80's kid you watched Jem on Saturday morning with your cocoa puffs....or in my case my rice krispies. If you walk into this movie thinking that it's going to be a remake of the Saturday morning cartoon then you probably shouldn't watch this movie. If you are like the 9 billion of us that loved movies like Juneau, Saved!, and so many other quirky coming of age movies, then you're going to love Jem and The Holograms. This movie is a far cry from the Saturday morning cartoon in many wonderful ways. It's about Jem and her sisters of course, and their true and beautiful bond of love and friendship that only sisters can have. It's about finding yourself and helping others do the same. I left that movie feeling inspired and with a smile on my face. I give it a four out of five for the only purpose that I wish there was more. I was totally into watching this movie after it flopped at the box office, and I can't understand why. It's got a great feel to it and it's just a light fun movie to watch. 

Sully....What can I say? This movie is inspiring, no that's not a good word for it. Incredible...no that's not it. There are no words to describe this movie. The whole event was a miracle in itself and it was at the hands of the two men piloting that plane. I was astounded at all that happened, how just by happenstance those people were on that plain, and how incredible their stories were and how everyone made it. I was so moved by the response by the ferries in the water and the coast guard. This movie really is a movie about the indomitable human spirit. The only complaint I had, too short it could have gone so much further. The writing and acting was amazing and Hanks and Eckhardt did a great job of telling the story of these two incredible men. This movie cannot be reviewed on the acting abilities of one actor, not even by two actors, it's a great ensemble piece.  My favorite part was seeing the real people at the end it was so awesome. Highly recommended. 

The Shadowhunters Codex Cassandra Clare and Joshua Lewis

First off....the artwork....oh my gosh....there are various artworks in this book and they are all beautiful however what struck me is the artwork under the front cover and under the back cover it is so beautiful and you really see the two different storylines from the Infernal Devices and from the Mortal Instruments. 

The words are clear and concise and very different from Cassie's creative style, however it is supposed to be because this book was written by the Clave for the use of future Shadowhunters. So you can truly see the way the Clave looks at things and it really ties everything together. You see how they look at it and see things from the different series of books and things that happen and you go..."Oh I know what that is" (eg...Demon Pox nuff said). 

The little comments by Clary, Jace, and Simon are hilarious. Simon, I love his comedic remarks and Clary's answers. I personally love when she shows the book to Luke and takes notes. There's a point where Luke is mad and pacing around the room and I just rolled laughing because I understood the Clave's one mindedness and I agreed with Luke. He was taught all of this before he became a werewolf and now he's seeing how one minded the Clave is and he sees how ridiculous it is. 

It's a dry read but it's meant to be and it really is so descriptive and "in the world" of this incredible series. Cassandra Clare's writing is one of a kind and so beautiful and amazing and special. She's created this wonderfully frightening world of angels and demons and good and evil and the fine line that we all walk between the two. This is just an overall awesome read and I highly recommend it. 

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them is a classic in its own right

Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them... It's not Harry Potter, however it is a classic in its own right. I loved the creature creations for this movie including of course those greedy goblins which I was so very happy to see in this film as well. Eddie Redmayne did such a wonderful job as Newt Scamander and his cast of creatures was breathtaking. They were all created differently and beautifully in their own right. His deep connection and understanding of the creatures was so well done by Redmayne who seemed to be a little Autistic with his lack of eye contact most of the time while talking, which if it was done on purpose, I love it. It gives the character even more depth and beauty. The other wizards were amazing, I think my favorite was Queenie Goldstein she was so endearing and such a wonderfully played character. She had a lot of heart and that endeared her to the audience even more.

It was cool to see the differences between the American and British Ministries of Magic and the difference in terminologies between the two countries. All in all this movie gets 5 enthusiastic stars from me. The continuity was incredible and I highly recommend it.

Hacksaw Ridge is an amazing movie. Sarah and I went to see it this afternoon and it was really true to life. I became wrapped in the storyline right from the beginning and the fact that this is a true story had me amazed at the happenings. They were very careful about making everything look authentic right down to the buttons on the uniforms. This is the story of a true hero, and I don't want to spoil it for you. Let me say that Desmond Doss is probably one of the most unsung brave heroes I've ever read about the things he did during the war are incredible.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Desmond_Doss

This man with strong faith was braver than anyone can imagine. You must see this movie it was excellent!

Nerve

This movie is incredible, I can totally see an underground game going on like this. It truly could be considered a cautionary tale in my book. The game of Nerve as described in the movie is truth or dare without the truth. People run around doing dares for cash driven by people hiding behind a keyboard. In real life people are very brave behind a keyboard but if you call them out they back down. It is very similar in this movie. With plot twists a plenty it will definitely test your nerve and put you on the edge of your seats for this action packed ride. This is for a more mature audience and definitely needs the parental, just because they do it in the movies doesn't mean that you should try it in real life.