Hidden Figures

JANELLE MONAE: HOW LUCKY CAN A GIRL GET?

When it comes to fashion, Janelle Monae, 31, never disappoints. We were aware of her courageous style long before we heard her music. She frequently appeared at music award shows in variations of a tuxedo – like a modern Marlene Dietrich. In the music biz she’s described as a mini-mogul and it just keeps getting better. Given her beauty, it makes sense that she would get movie offers, and her FIRST acting job was in the excellent “Moonlight!” Believe it or not, her SECOND film is another Oscar contender: Hidden Figures. We can’t say enough good things about Hidden Figures – it’s probably the most fun and satisfaction you can have at the movies today. There are a lot of red carpets in Janelle’s immediate future!

Photo Credit: Pacific Coast News

HIDDEN FIGURES: IT’S MORE THAN ROCKET SCIENCE

The holidays always bring out the best of the movies and this season is a bonanza. Our favorite holiday movie so far is Hidden Figures. It’s the true story of three brilliant black female friends and their amazing – and unheralded – contributions to the NASA Space Race. Taraji P Henson plays a mathematics genius turned physicist and space scientist whose calculations helped John Glenn orbit the earth and return safely. Octavia Spencer plays a forward-thinking computer programmer who worked on the IBM original, and Janelle Monae’s character fought prejudice to earn a degree in engineering. Most of all, this film shows what life was like in the business/government world in Virginia in the 60’s. Women were treated badly and black women faced unimaginable situations, the least of which was bathrooms labeled White Only. White male superiority prevailed and shameful treatment of everyone else was tolerated. Despite the subject, this film is funny and sweet and romantic – entertaining AND important.