MOVIES: SISTERHOOD OF WHIZ WOMEN BEHIND NASA’S SPACE LAUNCH IN “HIDDEN FIGURES”

Prepare for a soaring, inspiring and mentally-challenging ride in the Oscar-nominated movie “Hidden Figures” starring Kevin Costner, Octavia Spencer, Taraji P. Henson, Janelle Monae, Jim Parsons and Kirsten Dunst.

At last, the story of a visionary trio of women who crossed gender, race and professional lines on their way to pioneering cosmic travel comes to the screen in “Hidden Figures” that uncovers the incredible, untold yet true story of a brilliant group of women who changed the foundations of the country for the better -- by aiming for the stars.  The film recounts the vital history of an elite team of black female mathematicians at NASA who helped win the all-out space race against America’s rivals in the Soviet Union and, at the same time, sent the quest for equal rights and opportunity rocketing forwards.

Katherine G. Johnson (played by Henson), Dorothy Vaughan (Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Monae), the chance to use their knowledge, passion and skills opened up just as the demands of their work in NASA.  Whenever NASA is in need of numbers, they call on their team to solve all mathematical problems being faced at such time.  Director Theodore Melfi explains:  “For NASA, at that moment in time, brains were more important than race or sex.  These were brilliant women who could do the math they needed, who were hungry for a chance, who really wanted the opportunity to change their lives – so who else were they going to turn to?”

MOVIES: HISTORY’S GREATEST “HIDDEN FIGURES” BEHIND THE APOLLO MISSIONS

Everyone knows about the Apollo missions.  We can all immediately list the bold male astronauts who took those first giant steps for humankind in space:  John Glenn, Alan Shepard and Neil Armstrong.  Yet, remarkably, Katherine G. Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson’s are names not taught in school or even known to most people -- even though their daring, smarts and powerful roles as NASA’s ingenious “human computers” were indispensable to advances that allowed for human space flight.  These women are the unsung and unlikely heroes of the space race –female mathematicians who blazed multiple trails, trails towards greater diversity in science, equality in America, for human mathematical achievement and to launch John Glenn into mesmerizing orbit at more than 17, 000 miles per hour as he circled three times around the globe in space.
             
“Hidden Figures” uncovers the incredible, untold yet true story of a brilliant group of women who changed the foundations of the country for the better -- by aiming for the stars.  The film recounts the vital history of an elite team of black female mathematicians at NASA who helped win the all-out space race against America’s rivals in the Soviet Union and, at the same time, sent the quest for equal rights and opportunity rocketing forwards.

At last, the story of a visionary trio of women who crossed gender, race and professional lines on their way to pioneering cosmic travel comes to the screen starring Oscar®-nominee Taraji P. Henson (Empire, Benjamin Button, Hustle And Flow), Academy Award® winner Octavia Spencer (Allegiant, Fruitvale Station, The Help), singer Janelle Monáe making her motion picture debut and two time Oscar® winner Kevin Costner (Black Or White, Field Of Dreams, Dancing With Wolves).

MOVIES: KEVIN COSTNER BREAKS CHAINS OF DISCRIMINATION IN THE HIGHLY-INSPIRING “HIDDEN FIGURES”

The legendary Oscar winning actor Kevin Costner stars in the highly-inspiring movie based on the lives of real women who dared the odds in “Hidden Figures” along with Golden Globe winner and Emmy nominated Taraji P. Henson, Oscar winner Octavia Spencer, Grammy nominated Janelle Monáe , Golden Globe nominee Kirsten Dunst and Jim Parsons with a powerful score from multiple Grammy winning musician/composer Pharrell Williams.

In “Hidden Figures” Costner plays the head of NASA’s Space Task Group, (the fictional) Al Harrison, who needs the best possible mathematicians regardless of gender or race.  Harrison wants Katherine Johnson (Henson) to work on John Glenn’s mission, because she has the skills needed to calculate the astronaut’s trajectory, which entails writing new formulas, making sure Glenn returns to Earth safely. As the movie unfolds, we discover that although Johnson is working on the mission, she is given little credit and is hamstrung in her endeavors because of endemic prejudice.

During the turbulent 60s, battling discrimination at home and in the workplace, Katherine Johnson, (Golden Globe winner and Emmy nominated Taraji P. Henson) Dorothy Vaughan (Oscar winner Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Grammy nominated Janelle Monáe), all stellar mathematicians, were undeterred in their pursuit of academic excellence. Instrumental in helping America to eventually win the space race, they broke down barriers, laying the groundwork for future generations.  

MOVIES: 20th CENTURY FOX’S 2017 MOVIE LINEUP AND TRAILER REVEALS

20th Century Fox welcomes 2017 with a loud crow heralding its thrilling movie line-up set to immerse the audience anew in a series of unprecedented movie viewing experience.

From game to movie, “Assassin’s Creed” stars highly-acclaimed Michael Fassbender and Academy Award® winner Marion Cotillard in a visionary new take on the action-adventure genre. “ASSASSIN’S Creed” is a worlds-spanning tale of one man who finds himself at the center of an ancient battle between two powerful sects—only by harnessing the memories of his ancestor, which are contained within his own DNA, can he end the conflict and claim his own redemption.  Trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=AcC9xkqHbU4&t=15s  

An endearing R-rated hilarious comedy, “Why Him?” sees a billionaire meeting his girlfriend’s family for the first time.  Over the holidays, loving but overprotective dad Ned Fleming (Bryan Cranston) travels to California to visit his daughter at Stanford—where he meets his biggest nightmare: her well-meaning but socially awkward Silicon Valley billionaire boyfriend, Laird Mayhew (James Franco). Ned thinks Laird, who has absolutely no filter, is a wildly inappropriate match for the apple of his eye. Ned’s panic level escalates when the straight-laced Midwesterner, who finds himself increasingly out of step in Laird’s glamorous high-tech world, learns that Laird is about to pop the question.  Trailer link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=GZ_XZVeCeRc&t=49s

How do you find “A Cure for Wellness”? Find out in Gore Verbinski’s horrifying psychological thriller starring Dane DeHaan and Jason Isaacs as it takes the audience to a seemingly serene “wellness spa” in a picturesque remote location in the Swiss Alps.   The facility promises a cure for what ails modern society, but all is not as it seems, as an ambitious young executive (played by DeHaan) uncovers its terrifying secrets and fights to save his life – and sanity.   Trailer link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=WWYMBrv_v4g&t=25s 

Meet the women who did the math on America’s launch into space in “Hidden Figures.”  Starring Octavia Spencer, Taraji P. Henson, Janelle Monae, Kevin Costner and Kirsten Dunst, “Hidden Figures” tells the inspiring story of Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson, pioneers in their field, who had a momentous impact on rocket science during the explosive 60s in America, at the height of the Cold War. Fiercely academic, all three mathematicians were overcoming social injustice, while also making formidable contributions to society. Their influence is far reaching. What’s astonishing is that until now, very few people had even heard their names.   Trailer link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=9pZZbkf8wcU&t=7s 

Touted to be Hugh Jackman’s last donning of the Wolverine, “Logan” is set in the future of the revised timeline, after the events of “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” Logan's Healing Factor is still functioning but at a substantially lesser degree; fading as he has aged, his face and body are scarred from past injuries and battles. The X-Men and all other mutants have disappeared, allowing Nathaniel Essex and his Reavers to destroy the world. Professor Charles Xavier has survived in the care and company of Logan, as he is slowly being afflicted with Alzheimer's disease. Now, Logan and Xavier must find a way to defeat Essex together, while protecting a young girl named Laura, a female clone of Logan himself.  Trailer link: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=FBnt-46B5NE

Movies: OSCAR WINNER OCTAVIA SPENCER IN THE FACE OF PREJUDICE IN “HIDDEN FIGURES”

Octavia Spencer whose powerful performance in “The Help” won her a Best Supporting Actress in the Oscars stars in another riveting role in the inspiring story of women of courage in “Hidden Figures.”

Spencer plays one of the three brilliant mathematicians working in NASA at a time when prejudice and discrimination in the early 1960s ran high.  Based on the stories of real life women, Spencer’s role, Dorothy Vaughan, Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe) and Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson) made remarkable accomplishments against all odds and breaking barriers when they  helped America win the space race that paved the way for future generations.

"Hidden Figures” is an exciting film about courage, resilience and empowerment, focusing on a trio of gifted women whose excellent work in the fields of mathematics and aerospace engineering was of crucial importance in turning around the space race. It is also an emotional story about the friendship that developed between the three women and the challenges they faced in their families and communities, who were forging ahead in their extraordinary careers, while dealing with segregation.

Known as ‘colored computers’, they crossed racial and gender boundaries at NASA (America’s National Aeronautics and Space Administration), where they proved to be indispensable—the best at their jobs. The black mathematicians had to eat separately from their white counterparts and use ‘colored’ restrooms. Yet as the movie relates, everyone set aside prejudice and differences, joining forces to do groundbreaking work. 

 

Katherine Johnson’s mathematical calculations were key to the success of John Glenn’s historic ‘Friendship 7’ mission, which made him the first American to orbit the Earth in 1962.  Mary Jackson (musician Janelle Monáe in her first major film role) was a dynamic and brilliant young woman who found herself in an untenable position. She became the first woman of any color to be an engineer at NASA. Dorothy Vaughan, played by Octavia Spencer, was in charge of the black computers. At the time, the first electronic IBM computer had been introduced at NASA. Vaughan was one of the few who understood its significance.

“Octavia is one of the best actresses in the world,” says director Ted Melfi, who made last year’s acclaimed film, “St. Vincent.”  So for her to play the rock of the movie was great. She guides the computing group. She's the maternal figure for her friends. She's the one with all the wisdom and Octavia was the perfect choice for me.”

For Spencer, who will also be seen in the upcoming “Gifted” with Chris Evans, “Hidden Figures” offered an interesting role she couldn’t resist.  “It was amazing that so many women who were integral to the space race were somehow omitted from history. I'm not just talking about African American women; I'm talking about all the women involved; there were black and white female computers at NASA. It is so interesting when you start thinking about who the ‘computers’ were; they were human beings who actually sat down and did all these crucial mathematical calculations. I love the fact that their journey is now a Hollywood story. The women who were involved in the space program would change history in a way that nobody could ever imagine, and it is amazing that nobody knew about them until now. It is really exciting. I wanted to be a part of a story that celebrates those contributions and that empowers women, so I’m very happy to be involved.”

 

                Opening January 25 in cinemas (Phils.) from 20^th Century Fox to be distributed  by Warner Bros., “Hidden Figures” also stars Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst and Jim Parsons. With a score from multiple Grammy winning musician Pharrell Williams, the film is compelling and highly entertaining.

Movies: “HIDDEN FIGURES” TRAILER REVEAL MATH WHIZ WOMEN BEHIND AMERICA’S WIN IN SPACE CONQUEST

    “Hidden Figures” tells the remarkable story of three brilliant women who accomplished the extraordinary against all odds. During the turbulent 60s, battling discrimination at home and in the workplace, Katherine Johnson, (Golden Globe winner and Emmy nominated Taraji P. Henson) Dorothy Vaughan (Oscar winner Octavia Spencer) and Mary Jackson (Grammy nominated Janelle Monáe), all stellar mathematicians, were undeterred in their pursuit of academic excellence. Instrumental in helping America to eventually win the space race, they broke down barriers, laying the groundwork for future generations. 

                Oscar winner, Kevin Costner, plays their supervisor at NASA. The exciting and engrossing film was directed by Ted Melfi and features a strong supporting cast, including Kirsten Dunst and Jim Parsons. The movie’s powerful score from multiple Grammy winning musician/composer Pharrell Williams.

               

Discover the inspiring story of the momentous impact of these women on rocket science during the explosive 60s in America when “Hidden Figures” opens January 2017 in cinemas nationwide from 20^th Century Fox to be distributed by Warner Bros.

                Trailer link:  https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=9pZZbkf8wcU

I've always had this weird relationship with Math. We both hate each other. I am what some might call "Numerically Challenged" -can't you tell with me writing reviews and all? 

But I think I'm going to have a different relationship with Math after seeing this film.