Hidden Figures

With Hidden Figures you get a two-for-one deal. It tells the story of the forgotten black women who worked on the early days of the space program in the US, just like it's advertised as, but it also goes deeper and explores the damaging nature of the segregation laws that were present in many of the southern US states during the 1960s. Those two parts combine to make an impactful and inspirational story.

In 1961, Katherine Goble (Taraji P. Henson) works at NASA, crunching numbers on whatever project she is assigned to. She is one of a larger group of black female mathematicians that do this job that also includes Dorothy Vaughan (Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monaé). One day she is hired by Al Harrison (Kevin Costner) and his Space Task Group in order to put a man into space. There is immense pressure to do so from the government, as the Soviets have not only launched their series of satellites, but they have beaten the US in sending a man into space. Since Katherine is a black woman, she has the twin obstacles in proving that she can actually do the job and gain the respect of her colleagues.

After doing some research, I found out that the segregation of the facility in which they work had been basically non-existent since the 1950s. The reason I mention that fact is that it leaves the film in a strange limbo. The movie is very much about being a black person in the 1960s and the majority of society was subject to these Jim Crow laws, but at the same time the film has to be true to experiences of the people being portrayed in the film. I think that director Theodore Melfi balances these two elements really well and that although the segregation laws may not have affected these women in the ways presented in the film, it allows the audience to extrapolate them into the rest of society.

To make these strong women believable and sympathetic, they need to be backed up by strong performances from the female leads. Luckily this movie has plenty of those. Taraji P. Henson transforms into Katherine Goble so completely it's fantastic. She is able to really convey the strength and confidence that the Goble must have had to work in a completely male environment at a time when women were not at all seen as intelligent beings. I am a huge fan of Octavia Spencer and whenever I see something that she's in, I know that she is going to give the best she can and she doesn't disappoint. Especially when it comes to being the comic relief of the three leads, something that she excels at. It seems that to get your film nominated for best picture you need to put Janelle Monaé in it, because she has been in two Oscar nominated films this year (the other being Moonlight). Her character's struggle against segregation is the more amazing of the three as she became the first qualified black female engineer for NASA, which is no small feat. It's also worth noting that if you want to make a movie set during the Cold War, there is an obligation to put Kevin Costner in it.

Hidden Figures is an incredibly inspirational movie. I know that we don't live in a world that has such open discrimination where racism is acceptable (in most countries at least), it is good to be told a story that you can do whatever you want if you work really hard to go out and get it. This is especially true of a world where the pay gap between the genders is so big when it shouldn't be.

Classic Movie Review: No Way Out (1987)

Political thrillers is a film genre that hasn't much been seen since the end of the Cold War. There may be attempts every now and then, but nothing modern can face up against the tension that existed between the US and USSR. And now one was better suited to star in these movies than Kevin Costner. While his efforts in JFK and Thirteen Days are considered to be among the best, the greatest Cold War political thriller he starred in is undoubtedly No Way Out, which is an amazing movie on its own, but punctuated by one of the best twist endings in cinema history.

After he accidentally kills his mistress, Susan Atwell (Sean Young), Secretary of Defence David Brice (Gene Hackman) attempts a cover-up by suggesting that there is a Russian sleeper agent in the Pentagon and he is responsible for the murder. He puts Lieutenant Tom Farrell (Kevin Costner) in charge of the investigation in finding the mole, codenamed Yuri. But unknown to Brice and his second in command, Scott Pritchard (Will Patton), Tom was actually the boyfriend of Susan and witnessed the Brice at the scene of the murder. Using his position as lead investigator to find the evidence he needs that Brice was the one to do it.

No Way Out is a very engaging and intriguing thriller. Although it takes its time in setting up the characters and all their relationships (Tom Farrell and Scott Pritchard are old friends, Tom wants to work for Brice, Tom and Susan's romance), the effort put in is well worth the payoff. Especially once Brice and Pritchard invent the idea of there being a Russian spy in the Pentagon. The invention is a fantastic idea, but even more so if you know the twist ending of the movie. Yes, this is the one case in which knowing the twist actually makes the movie better, but if you don't want it ruined, stop reading and go watch the movie. In the last five minutes of the film we actually learn that Yuri wasn't just a fabrication by Brice and Pritchard to cover-up, but an actual mole. And that it was Tom Farrell all along. What makes it so great is that they just thought they were making it up and we were watching Tom trying to reveal the truth. It is by far one of the best twists in movie history.

This is hands down Kevin Costner's best performance. While he'll always be remembered for Dances with Wolves, JFK and Robin Hood, nothing holds a flame up to this one. It's almost as if the desperation that Tom is feeling is real and you are absorbed by his character. It's his complete lack of wrongdoing that makes the twist ending so much more powerful. Costner is also great at restraining his emotion when we know that he should be feeling it. We don't need to know his motivation was or the plot that he intended to pull of as a Russian spy (I'm guessing cause a scandal in US politics, both sides always tried to do that) because he is so amazingly believable as both a spy and a loyal American.

No Way Out is an amazing classic that should be watched by everyone. If you're a fan of political thrillers, murder mysteries or twist endings, this has something for everyone. While it comes from a distinctly Cold War period, it really has stood the test of time because there is no real knowledge of the US/USSR tensions required. Give it a watch, you won't be disappointed (even if I did ruin the twist).

3 Days To Kill

3 Days To Kill is my favourite kind of action film. It's not too over the top and almost has the sensibilities of an independent film. Indeed it's writer and producer Luc Besson is known for making some of the more popular action films, such as Leon and Taken. But this film is more reminiscent of 2010's From Paris With Love, which I think gave John Travolta a second second chance at a career. Likewise, 3 Days To Kill might reinvigorate Kevin Costner.

In the early to mid-90s, Costner was the go-to leading man. That was until he was in both Waterworld (1995) and The Postman (1997). After those two films, he rarely got big parts in blockbusters, but I think this performance might change that. Costner plays Ethan Renner, an experienced CIA agent, who recently discovers that he has terminal brain cancer and is given three months to live. Renner returns to Paris in order to reunite with his estranged daughter, Zoey (Hailee Steinfeld).

Following Ethan is elite CIA agent Vivi Delay (Amber Heard), who offers Ethan an experimental drug to help his cancer in return for hunting down an arms trafficker who only Ethan can identify. Ethan has to choose between living what's left of his life with his family or a chance at a longer life.

When I saw McG's name in the credits I felt somewhat unsure about this film. For those unaware of who McG is, left me fill you in. He is a much maligned Hollywood director whose main credits include the Charlie's Angels movies and Terminator Salvation. He also has a stupid name. So you can understand when I say I felt scared to see him attached to a Luc Besson movie, because he doesn't understand subtlety.

Boy was I wrong. The movie flows perfectly (a main part of the director's job) and he really understood how to play up the comedic moments. And this film is filled aplenty with those. The combination of Besson's writing and McG's direction are actually pretty dynamic.

Both Amber Heard and Hailee Steinfeld carry themselves well in the movie. We don't see much of Heard throughout, but when we do, they are some pretty memorable scenes for her femme fatale character. Steinfeld is growing to become a competent young actor and has come a long way since her breakout role in True Grit.

Verdict: A funny, smart action film that might prove to bring Kevin Costner to a new audience.

Man of Steel

Did you ever wonder who pays for the reconstruction of a city after superbeings have destroyed it? Have you ever wondered why people don't recognise Clark Kent as Superman with glasses? If you answered no to both of those questions, then Man of Steel is the movie for you.

After a lengthy sequence on the world of Krypton, Jor-El (Russell Crowe), a scientist, sends his firstborn child (and first naturally born child of Krypton in a thousand years) away in a spaceship due to the imminent destruction of his home planet. Meanwhile, leader of a military coup, General Zod (Michael Shannon) fails to obtain a codex containing the DNA structure and ends up getting banished to The Phantom Zone (a type of black hole).

Thirty-three years later on Earth, Kal-El (Henry Cavill), after being brought up as Clark Kent in a small town in Kansas (never referred to as Smallville in this movie), is a drifter, floating from job to job, saving people where necessary. When he hears about a possible discovery of an alien spaceship in Canada, Kent travels there and finds the ship, resurrects his father's consciousness with a key and learns about his origins.

In doing so, Kent alerts Zod, who has been searching for Kent/Kal-El, bringing him to Earth. Zod realises that Earth is a prime location for beginning a new Krypton, thus dooming this film to the Superman curse of all these films being about real estate (seriously, look it up, every superman film has a plot or subplot about real estate).

Although the plot of this film is weak, both the superb acting and striking visuals and action sequences redeem the film. Henry Cavill (The Tudors) brings a depth to Superman that was missing in Brandon Routh's hollow performance. He has a certain charm that I believe Superman should possess and there is a true chemistry between him and his Earth parents, Jonathan and Martha Kent (Kevin Costner and Diane Lane). Amy Adams (Doubt) is the perfect choice for Lois Lane. She is believable enough to play such a strong and independent reporter to Lawrence Fishburne's Perry White.

I found Michael Shannon's (Revolutionary Road) performance as General Zod to be good, although at times I felt his character was annoying, especially at his most persistent moments. On the other hand, Russell Crowe was fantastic at playing a role made famous by Marlon Brando. His gruff Aussie accent was not out of place as the Kryptonian accent was all over the place.

Zack Snyder (director of Watchmen, 300) is great at comic book adaptions and here he does another fantastic job, especially with the backing of Christopher Nolan, fresh of the back of his Dark Knight trilogy.

The action in this movie, especially the fighting scenes between Kent and the other Kryptonians, was believable and enjoyable to watch, although as I mentioned before, someone is going to pay a lot of cash to rebuild Metropolis.

Verdict: An all in all enjoyable movie to watch despite some weak points. I look forward to see what Warner Bros is going to do with the other DC characters ahead of an Avengers-style JLA movie.