THE REVIEW CORNER

Starring: Taraji P. Henson, Octavia Spencer, Janelle Monáe, Kevin Costner, Kirsten Dunst, and Jim Parsons Directed by: Theodore Melfi Screenplay by: Allison Schroeder and Theodore Melfi Based on the book by: Margot Lee Shetterly     This is the story of three African American women who had extremely important roles at NASA in getting the program's first successful space missions off the ground.     Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson), Dorothy Vaughn (Octavia Spencer), and Mary Jackson (Janelle Monáe), are all extremely smart women who work at NASA as it prepares to launch men into space for the first time, in the early 1960s.  Jim Crow is in full effect all around the South, and NASA in Virginia is no exception.  These three women, in addition to being brilliant minds, also face terrible adversity when trying to rise the ranks at NASA.  It is very hard for them to get the jobs they rightly deserve.  They are all math geniuses and would be very valuable to the missions NAS

Starring: Andrew Garfield, Adam Driver, and Liam Neeson Directed by: Martin Scorsese Screenplay by: Jay Cocks and Martin Scorsese Based on the novel by Shûsaku Endô     1633 Japan.  Japan is a country at this time closed to much of the world, rejecting many European influences.  One such influence the country is trying to reject at this time is Christianity.  Priests and Friars have traveled there for years to try to spread the gospel, and many have been met with persecution.  We first meet Father  Cristóvão Ferreira (Liam Neeson) in the opening scene as he watches his fellow friars being tortured at the hands of the Japanese persecutors.  Ferreira narrates this scene as it transitions to a scene that takes place years later.  The events are described in a letter that has reached another Jesuit priest (Ciaran Hinds).  He reads this letter to two other priests, Father Rodrigues (Andrew Garfield) and Father Garrpe (Adam Driver).       Word has spread throughout the Christian wor

Starring: Jennifer Lawrence, Chris Pratt, Michael Sheen, and Laurence Fishburne Directed by: Morten Tyldum Screenplay by: Jon Spaihts      It's a long journey from one planet to another.  What could possibly go wrong?  I mean, nothing ever goes wrong in movies like this, right?      The starship Avalon is making a 120-year journey from an overcrowded, center of everything Earth, to a colony world, Homestead II.  The crew is asleep in hibernation pods, along with 5,000 passengers hoping to create new lives for themselves on Homestead II.  All have left everything and everyone they've ever known behind on Earth.  So, for 120 years, the Avalon is on autopilot.      The film opens up to the ship already in trouble.  It flies through an asteroid field (in a quite beautiful scene) and this causes the Avalon to have a few malfunctions.  One of the problems is one of the hibernation pods waking up one passenger early.  90 years early to be precise.  That passenger is Jim Prest

Starring: Natalie Portman, Peter Sarsgaard, Greta Gerwig, Billy Crudup, and John Hurt Directed by: Pablo Larraín Screenplay by: Noah Oppenheim      Told through flashback, this is the story of Jackie Kennedy (Natalie Portman) in the days after the assassination of her husband, the President of the United States, John F. Kennedy.  This is the story of the First Lady navigating this horrible tragedy through grief, helping her children through it, regaining her faith, and defining her husband's legacy as President.      I went into this movie thinking it would be a biopic of Jackie Kennedy's life, encompassing as much of her life as possible, the way many biopics do.  But this film is interesting.  It only tells the story of about one week in her life, a very important week in her life.  We only see this part of her life.  She is interviewed by a journalist (Billy Crudup) and everything else we see is through flashback.  It is entirely from her point of view.      This i

Starring: Felicity Jones, Diego Luna, Ben Mendelsohn, Donnie Yen, Mads Mikkelsen, Alan Tudyk, Riz Ahmed, and Forest Whitaker Directed by: Gareth Edwards Screenplay by: Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy      Like so many Hollywood sagas these days, it seems that Star Wars as of last year has become an annual event.  Each year around the holidays for the foreseeable future, people will flock to the movie theaters to see the newest installment in the ever so popular series.  Last year it was The Force Awakens, and this year, it's not one of the "episodes", but a spinoff, Rogue One.        Taking place before the first Star Wars movie, A New Hope, the Rebel Alliance has received word that the Empire has a new weapon.  This weapon has incredible power and is feared throughout the galaxy so the Empire can maintain control.  This weapon has the power to destroy an entire planet.  Wait, could it be...the Death Star?      Jyn Erso (Felicity Jones) is the daughter of Galen Erso

Starring: Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Rosemary DeWitt, and J.K. Simmons Directed by: Damien Chazelle Written by: Damien Chazelle      LA folks rejoice!  Yet another movie set in our beloved city!      This is the story about a young couple in modern day Los Angeles (one a jazz piano player and the other an aspiring actress).  As both become increasingly successful, they are faced with decisions that may threaten their relationship.  Honestly folks, there's not much new here with the story.      Let me just begin by saying that despite that last sentence, this is my favorite movie of the year.  There are a number of movies that have been about this good, like  Nocturnal Animals, Lion,  or even  Arrival,  but  La La Land  takes the cake.  It's refreshing to see a new musical on the screen, especially one that's done in the style of a musical from decades past.      The film opens up to a wonderful number atop one of Los Angeles's more famous freeway interchanges.