Big Hero 6
Directed by Don Hall, Chris Williams
Starring: Genesis Rodriguez, Jamie Chung, Alan Tudyk, T.J. Miller
Disney
PG, 108 min.
If I only see one movie next month, it will probably be about brilliant robotics prodigy Hiro Hamada. I love animated movies. I love Marvel comics. So an animated movie based on a Marvel comic has my name written all over it. To be fair, I’ve never actually read Big Hero 6, but I know they spun out of Alpha Flight (the Canadian superhero team) and that at one point Chris Claremont wrote a six-issue miniseries (which I hope to read before the movie comes out) which is more than enough to get me on bored.
Since it’s being billed as “inspired by the Marvel comics of the same name,” it seems unlikely that it will be adhering to the original comic stories that closely. But it is nice to see Disney once again gambling on some of the more obscure Marvel properties. Plus, the animation looks incredible and the characters adorable. I can already say with some certainty that I will need a stuffed version of Baymax the robot.
— Christa
Theory of Everything
Directed by James Marsh
Starring: Eddie Redmayne, Felicity Jones, Emily Watson, David Thewlis, Harry Lloyd, Maxine Peake
Working Title Films
PG-13, 123 min.
I read Hawking’s The Grand Design in college. I would say that it definitely falls into the “PopSci” category of books, and I was not the biggest fan. However, Stephen Hawking is a household name for a reason as one of the most brilliant, influential scientists of our time. Being a sci-fi nerd makes me a bit of a science nerd by necessity, but I am also a big romance softie, and this movie wants to play to every angle of my nerdy heart.
The movie is loosely based on the memoir Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen by Jane Hawking, Stephen Hawking’s ex-wife. The plot revolves around Hawking and Jane Wilde’s romance; a love story that is troubled by ambition, illness, and so much science. My hope is that this movie will outshine 2004’s Hawking starring Benedict Cumberbatch.
— Al Rosenberg
The Imitation Game
Directed by Morten Tyldum
Starring: Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley, Matthew Goode, Rory Kinnear, Allen Leech, Matthew Beard, Charles Dance, Mark Strong
Black Bear Pictures
PG-13, 114 min.
Speaking of Cumberbatch, here he is again portraying a famous scientist! Now, there’s been a lot of Cumberhatred recently with the announcement of his role as Doctor Strange, and some rude things about my Cumberboy have been said. Reserve your judgement, I plead with you! Have you seen August: Osage County? No? Well, first step is to go get it, watch his supporting role in the film, and then join me in my Cumberlove. No? Well, anyway: Cumberbatch will be starring as Alan Turing, a super important mathematician and cryptologist who helped win World War II.
Turing led a hard, unsettling life, and the plot will not only cover the amazing advances he made in computer science, but also the turn of events after the war during which he was prosecuted for illegal homosexual acts by the UK government. Getting my tissues ready for this science sobfest.
— Al Rosenberg
Food Chains
Directed by Sanjay Rawal
Documentary
Illumine Group, Two Moon Productions
83 min.
As a Floridian, a food-lover, and a Publix devotee, this documentary holds special interest for me, but it is an incredibly important story for everyone. From their website: “Fast food is big, but supermarkets are bigger – earning $4 trillion globally….Over the past 3 decades they have drained revenue from their supply chain leaving farmworkers in poverty and forced to work under subhuman conditions. Yet many take no responsibility for this. The narrative of the film focuses on an intrepid and highly lauded group of tomato pickers from Southern Florida – the Coalition of Immokalee Workers or CIW – who are revolutionizing farm labor. Their story is one of hope and promise for the triumph of morality over corporate greed – to ensure a dignified life for farm workers and a more humane, transparent food chain.”
Unfortunately, Publix is among the institutions who are refusing to join with the CIW in their efforts to fix the problems with modern agriculture. I look forward to becoming more informed about this issue and will have to seriously think about my Publix obsession if they are indeed part of the problem.
