Movies - First Quarter 2017

[fauxklore]

Just a few:

1. Hidden Figures: This was a must-see, given its subject (technical women, related to space), so I got myself to a an actual movie theatre. It was excellent and well worth that effort. Yes, not every single moment in it was absolute fact, e.g. it was only Mary Jackson who had to seek out a "colored" bathroom to use, while Katherine Johnson just ignored the signs all along. And, while John Glenn did insist on Johnson's calculations, that was actually quite a bit before the launch, not at the last minute. But those are nits. The movie rang true, with plenty of inspiring moments. Highly recommended.
   
   
2. Hunt for the Wilderpeople: This was a rather odd movie from New Zealand, involving a child running from child protective services, who are trying to take him from his foster father after the death of his foster mother. It won me over from the beginning with an interesting soundtrack and quirky characters. I thought this was genuinely funny and was mildly embarrassed to laugh out loud on an airplane. It probably isn't everyone's cup of tea, but if you like character-based humor, give it a look-see.
   
   
3. The Maltese Falcon: I'm sure I must have seen this before, but it had been a while and it was about the right length for the plane trip I watched it on. It's a classic of the noir genre and justly famous. But a lot of that has to do with the performances (especially Humphrey Bogart as Sam Spade), since a fair amount of the plot is unconvincing.