By Chloe Cornell
A Wrinkle in Time
AWrinkle In Time – Based on Madeleine L’Engle’s 1962 book, a sci-fi/fantasy classic which is one of the most popular and also one of the most banned books in American literature. The Disney movie is directed by Ava DuVernay and stars Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon and Mindy Kaling as the three Mrs. – guardian angels who help a young girl named Meg Murry time travel to rescue her scientist father. Winfrey admitted to the pressure she felt bringing such an important book to film saying, “I felt like we were making the new Wizard of Oz for another generation.” Fourteen year old Storm Reid, who plays Meg, described her character’s lesson to Time Magazine as, “about knowing that you’re going to go through dark spaces in your life. You’re not going to be perfect, but the most important thing is not trying to please anybody. It’s loving yourself inside out.” Sounds like a valuable life lesson for everyone. (Theatrical release date March 9)
Tomb Raider
Tomb Raider – Alicia Vikander stars as Lara Croft who goes on a search for her adventurer father, risking her life along the way. Vikander, who grew up playing the video game Tomb Raider, was particularly happy to take on the role of Lara Croft as she sees it as an extension of the Times Up Movement which she helped create. Showing “a strong female lead character who is not a love interest or a sidekick” is part of what the movement is about for her, and she is so proud to be a part of that changing perspective. (Theatrical release date March 16th)
Seeing Allred
Seeing Allred – The amazing and well-timed Netflix documentary about famed feminist and civil rights lawyer Gloria Allred reveals intimate details about her personal trauma which explains her tireless passion for women’s rights and her mission to expose and punish sexual harassment. Allred is shown from the beginning of her career taking on toy stores and dry cleaners for gender discrimination, through the present day fighting sexual harassment claims against Harvey Weinstein and Donald Trump. It is amazing to see how media savvy Allred has always been, even before the age of the internet and social media, and how that innate understanding has led to her success, as well as criticism from her detractors. Regardless, it is clear that she has been a trailblazer for her entire career, and it is shocking and uncomfortable to watch how chauvinistic society was not so long ago.
(On Netflix now)
