tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post3371206993699372896..comments2024-03-27T21:42:56.131-05:00Comments on 1001plus: Sisters are Doing It for ThemselvesSJHoneywellhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comBlogger10125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-12552351102242587792017-05-28T08:23:14.917-05:002017-05-28T08:23:14.917-05:00Yeah, I think that's a completely valid positi...Yeah, I think that's a completely valid position. It didn't bother me as much, but I don't think that response to the film is somehow uncalled for or inappropriate.<br /><br />The glossing over of the science, incidentally, was absolutely my biggest beef with <i>The Theory of Everything</i>, and I called out <i>Madame Curie</i> as being a film I liked specifically because it did stress the science. With <i>The Theory of Everything</i>, the lack of actual science can possibly be put down to the fact that the film was based on his wife's book. Still, to my mind, that's the real story. SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-10297444091042856902017-05-27T21:40:14.215-05:002017-05-27T21:40:14.215-05:00I fully agree about science not selling. It was sa...I fully agree about science not selling. It was sadly noticeable in recent films like The Theory of Everything and The Imitation Game how terrific scientific achievements were glossed over and sidelined to sell the movie. I think I've mentioned before how noticeably more science-oriented I found 1943's Madame Curie. Audiences must have been given more credit back then!<br /><br />I felt Hidden Figures could have had a strong human story about women's achievements in a male-dominated world. It unfortunately chose to go elsewhere. I fully respect the filmmakers' rights to make these artistic and commercial choices; the contrived racial tensions rubbed me the wrong way and took away from my enjoyment.aceblackblog.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08404695143187261837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-16989810148790143602017-05-27T20:30:58.108-05:002017-05-27T20:30:58.108-05:00It's a fair question. Those moments work for t...It's a fair question. Those moments work for the narrative the film wants to tell. Sadly, I think this is a case of needing the drama to sell the science.<br /><br />Sadly, we live in a world where the scientific achievements simply won't get people to come to to theater. The drama of wanting to beat the Russians would have been enough for me--I know the history, and I love the early days of NASA. I'm a space nerd, though, and I don't think I'm the norm. <br /><br />So, in that sense, I think there needed to be some additional, manufactured drama added here to get people to appreciate the real achievement of what was done at NASA. You can't sell people on the science if you can't get them to watch the movie, and I don't know how many people would want to watch a movie where their initial impression is going to be people doing math <i>really hard</i> for a couple of hours. SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-13824603544523359712017-05-27T15:43:32.638-05:002017-05-27T15:43:32.638-05:00I have mixed feelings about this one. An undoubted...I have mixed feelings about this one. An undoubtedly well-made and well-acted film but blatantly manipulative.<br /><br />Katherine's daily treks across the NASA campus to the bathroom, so over-played in the film, never happened, and so neither did the crowbar-to-the-sign climax. <br /><br />Mary's impassioned plea to a judge never happened, either.<br /><br />Hidden Figures manufactured conflicts and drama, and cheapened what should have been a story of women's achievement into a rather trite "break-down the racial barriers!" narrative.<br /><br />Quote from Katharine Johnson: "I didn't feel the segregation at NASA, because everybody there was doing research. You had a mission and you worked on it, and it was important to you to do your job...and play bridge at lunch. I didn't feel any segregation. I knew it was there, but I didn't feel it."<br /><br />Is the real story here, trampled in the name of fake dramatics, how relatively progressive the NASA workplace was?aceblackblog.https://www.blogger.com/profile/08404695143187261837noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-82830846144515973662017-05-23T22:50:04.601-05:002017-05-23T22:50:04.601-05:00It's a really easy film to like. My wife was s...It's a really easy film to like. My wife was sitting on the couch when I put it in the spinner and she said she had no interest in watching it. Ten minutes later, she looked at me and said, "Well, I guess I'm watching this now."<br /><br />I think this is one of those rare films that has something to interest a lot of different people. It really does work on just about every level.SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-55428011071255389632017-05-23T22:26:03.883-05:002017-05-23T22:26:03.883-05:00I took my daughter to see Hidden Figures (she was ...I took my daughter to see Hidden Figures (she was just shy of 8) back in January, and we both really liked it. I wasn't sure what she would think, but she was into the story the whole time. I'm a space fan, especially with the early days, and that made this story even more interesting. However, it also just worked as just a great crowd pleaser. I totally agree that it handled the civil rights part of it well. Even Costner's character is a little more nuanced than I expected. I can't wait to see it again; waiting on my hold from the library!Danhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12351431577484530230noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-72401964718817519802017-05-21T07:48:27.466-05:002017-05-21T07:48:27.466-05:00The natural comparisons here are with The Right St...The natural comparisons here are with <i>The Right Stuff</i> and <i>Apollo 13</i>. In all three cases, I knew the history going in, and in all three films, there is still tension in how things will turn out. This is good filmmaking. When you know the history and still don't know how things are going to turn out, the story has done something really wonderful.<br /><br />I agree with you on the three actresses. My first thought when the credits rolled was that at the very least Taraji P. Henson deserved a nomination somewhere. She's the heart of the movie.<br /><br />I'm of two minds on Katherine's romance. The film doesn't spend too much time on it--we don't even really see the wedding. I think it gives it just enough time without letting it detract from the rest of the story.SJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-54589601615893226752017-05-21T07:41:12.060-05:002017-05-21T07:41:12.060-05:00Loved, loved, loved this movie! All three main cha...Loved, loved, loved this movie! All three main characters were not only well played but were interesting people in challenging situations. <br /><br />As much as I love Octavia Spencer and thought she was deserving I was sorry to see the other two actresses shortchanged acknowledgement wise since they were equally strong. The only part I could have done without was the story of Katherine's romance and eventual marriage. I know it was done to make her more rounded and was part of her actual life story, nor did I really mind it since it was as well played as the rest, but it took time away from the main NASA story and that was what held my interest the most.<br /><br />In a certain way this reminded me of Apollo 13 especially when John Glenn took that initial flight. The result was known as it was in Apollo 13 but thanks to the skill with which it was presented it was an incredibly tense experience that pulled you in. Having seen it in the theatre I could tell I wasn't alone in that, you could feel a palpable tension throughout the audience. joel65913https://www.blogger.com/profile/14526657073681774683noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-80175826585938859592017-05-21T07:37:50.968-05:002017-05-21T07:37:50.968-05:00Well, if the story is going to go for additional d...Well, if the story is going to go for additional drama, it will be in the civil rights stories, most likely. It wouldn't shock me if timelines needed to be adapted and characters combined to make sense in a two-hour drama. Certain things need simplification just for the sake of the medium.<br /><br />People who lived the story liked it, though, and that works for me.<br /><br />http://www.space.com/35145-hidden-figures-right-stuff-history.htmlSJHoneywellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13550007053995112090noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3166297507174717122.post-45911829536396908822017-05-21T07:23:35.054-05:002017-05-21T07:23:35.054-05:00I loved this too, and was glad I went to the cinem...I loved this too, and was glad I went to the cinema to see it. I like the balance it managed between the science of the space race, and the personal lives of the characters, something it has in common with The Right Stuff and Apollo 13. <br /><br />My only bugbear was finding out afterwards that it twisted the real history of segregation at NASA to suit the story. But as a film it is so well made in all aspects, that I decided it didn't matter that much.Julia Machttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09041411551162128922noreply@blogger.com