Taraji P. Henson is an outstanding actress. PROUD MARY shows audiences she has action film star skills. Henson is starting to produce more projects; hopefully there will be more action movies.
PROUD MARY also includes another fine performance by Danny Glover. He is the patriarch of the organized crime family Mary (Henson) works for. Also, Jahi Di'Allo Winston, who plays Danny, the young orphan boy Mary protects after feeling guilty about killing his father, gives an exceptional performance.
HIDDEN FIGURES shows smart, intelligent, educated women. Specifically, the lead characters in the movie are African American women. This is refreshing for cinema and the true story the film is based on is a cultural phenomenon. These incredible women played by Taraji P. Henson (Katherine Goble Johnson), Octavia Spencer (Dorothy Vaughan), and Janelle Monae (Mary Jackson), are mathematicians and an engineer.
Today there is a need for more women in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers. Johnson, Vaughan, and Jackson are three of the first women to work in these fields, which was in 1962, in careers that lasted for several years, and they were segregated. They excelled, despite the circumstances. After learning their story, many people will have even more respect for their employer, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). It is commendable that NASA hired African Americans, even though they were segregated, and recognized the individuals that had pertinent knowledge vital to making the organization even stronger, contributing to the progression of the United States of America in a major way.
Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, and Jim Parsons all play important roles in the film. Their characters are the ones who are colleagues of the three women at NASA who had to humbly recognize their racial bias and overcome it for the greater good of the team and goals of the organization.
Last night I attended a VIP screening of THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON, starring the very talented Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett, along with remarkable performances by Julia Ormond and Taraji P. Henson. I really liked this movie and recommend it, so I will not give too much away. The diversity and realism of the well written, multi-dimensional characters certainly captivated me.
THE CURIOUS CASE OF BENJAMIN BUTTON has more class than I have seen in films for a long time. By class I mean the story is complex, advanced, and respects the viewer’s intelligence. The movie is based on a short story written by F. Scott Fitzgerald and opens in theatres on Christmas Day. I hope you check it out.
