Logan
GENRE: Action, Drama
TEMPO PREDICTION: 4 stars
Logan cares for a weary Professor from the near future. When the Professor entrusts the care of a young girl named Laura to him, Logan must combat the dark forces wishing to capture her.
THE GOSSIP: This will be Hugh Jackman’s last performance as the fan-favourite Wolverine.
DIRECTED BY: James Mangold
CAST: Hugh Jackman, Patrick Stewart, Doris Morgado
Beauty and the Beast
GENRE: Family, Fantasy
TEMPO PREDICTION: 4 stars
In a live-action adaptation of the beloved Disney film, a woman named Belle finds herself imprisoned by a monstrous-looking prince who has grown bitter and hateful. Through her, he learns the meaning of compassion, and through the prince, Belle learns where true beauty resides.
THE GOSSIP: The original teaser trailer ended up scoring the world record for most views of all time, of a teaser trailer.
DIRECTED BY: Bill Condon
CAST: Emma Watson, Luke Evans, Dan Stevens
Power Rangers
GENRE: Action, Adventure
TEMPO PREDICTION: 3 stars
A group of ordinary high school students are bestowed with extraordinary abilities. Now, they must use their talents to team up and save the world.
THE GOSSIP: This is the first theatrical Power Rangers film to be released in 20 years.
DIRECTED BY: Dean Israelite
CAST: Bryan Cranston, Elizabeth Banks, Becky G.
Nocturama
GENRE: Thriller
TEMPO PREDICTION: 3.5 stars
Tired of the society they live in, a group of French teens plan a bomb attack on Paris.
THE GOSSIP: The metro scenes were shot “guerrilla style.”
DIRECTED BY: Bertrand Bonello
CAST: Finnegan Oldfield, Vincent Rottiers, Hamza Meziani
Tempo Reviews
By Noelle Pope-George
Hidden Figures
An Oscar-nominated tribute to the brilliant and diverse minds of NASA’s space programme, Hidden Figures tells the true story of three POC women who pushed back against the racial and gender-based prejudices of the 1960s, and proved to the world that genius doesn’t discriminate. Katherine Johnson, Mary Jackson, and Dorothy Vaughn all struggle with life in segregated America, especially as computers for a highly-sophisticated scientific programme. With Russia hot on America’s heels in the space race of the Cold War, the pressure is on NASA to send a living, breathing human being into space, but they can’t do that without the numbers. Katherine is a mathematical genius, Mary is gifted in the engineering arts, and Dorothy has the leadership skills needed to command an able-bodied team. Each of them endure hit after hit in their quest to be seen as equals, with dwindling support networks. But their ambition drives them to break the barriers holding them back.
Hidden Figures has been praised as one of the most powerful films of the year, and it’s no wonder why: the striking scenes that reflect the general attitude of the time with all but the three main characters seeing nothing wrong about their discrimination. Viewing this film now, we feel anger and disbelief at the blatant roadblocks they face over something they can’t control. The actors and film crew beautifully portray the social norms of a segregated society. One of the best examples of this is a scene where Dorothy is talking to a white coworker, who turns to Vaughn and says “I have nothing against you people,” to which Dorothy replies “I know you probably believe that.” Hidden Figures is an immensely compelling film whose messages of equality are eloquently presented.
Catch it on Blu-Ray: Masterminds
The Loomis Fargo heist was one of the largest cash robberies ever committed on American soil, and the co-conspirators behind it have their stories told in this crime-comedy. David Ghantt was a trustworthy employee of Loomis Fargo, and a vault supervisor overseeing nearly 18 million dollars in cash. Kelly Campbell, a friend of David’s, convinces him to aid her and her brother in an overnight robbery, instructing him to stuff the money in a company van, destroy the security tapes, leave the money with Kelly and her brother, and escape to Mexico for a few years until the heat wore off. All would have gone according to plan if David hadn’t accidentally left one security tape at the scene, leaving a massive loose end for the team to tie up while the authorities started to investigate.
Something about the crime and comedy genres seem to mix so well together, and Masterminds is a great example of this. The film is solidly entertaining, evenly-paced, and funny enough to entice many laughs. Whether you lean to the comedy or the drama, you can’t really go wrong with this movie.
