Movie Review: ****^Hidden Figures (2016)

This is a fabulous movie which shows the plight of the African American women working for NASA.  The were involved at many levels, including being ready to use computers, and advanced engineering.  There is a particular series of scenes in which one African American woman, Katherine Johnson (Taraji P. Henson) who is working on advanced calculations, but restroom were segregated.  There are no African American restrooms in that area.  She had to walk across campus to use the restroom.  The other staff were upset at her long breaks, not realizing why she was gone for so long.  However, when the cause was discovered, her boss, Al Harrison (Kevin Costner) ended segregated restrooms.  It shows how at times, we can discriminate without realizing it.  Dorothy Vaughn (Octavia Spencer) had enough foresight to study computer languages, and to have her staff also trained.  This gave them a jump up when typewriters were replaced by computers.  Mary Jackson (Janelle Monae) fights discrimination in university classes, as she needs more education to become a NASA engineer, but the school is limited to Whites.  Her case goes to court and she prevails. 

Movie Review: ***^The Help

This movie was very enjoyable, during the Kennedy years, and start of the civil rights movement.  It took a lot of courage in those days to confront your environment, especially in the South under Jim Crow laws. When segregation is the law, it is hard to stand up.  This move has Emma Stone as a young author, writing about the injustices she sees, and through time recruits a group of "Help" to tell her stories; positive stories and stories of injustices.  Viola Davis and Octovia Spencer are "The Help" first help with the book.  Bryce Dallas Howard portrays the worse of the racists.  She is just evil, wanting to pass a law requiring extra bathrooms for "Black Help."  It is fun how the book comes out, and how they are able to do just enough so they can publish the book without being arrested.