Future is on the... WESTWORLD

What would you do if you wake up and your life as you know it doesn't actually exist or it's been all a lie, fake reality? How would you face a new truth where even you still the same person, everything around you changes and will be different. Will that change you or force you to be a different person? How could you react to such awakening moment, where all what you felt and thought was based on a lie or a different reality. Basically all this theories are the base for all philosophical believes of an after life or a life after life but also have served to science fiction, to create parallel universe or realities where the world as we know is no longer what it is but just part of our imagination. Coming from there we get the new series, based on a novel of Micheal Crichton, author of the popular movie "Jurassic Park" (1993) on what seemed to be a try out for that popular entry, this one written decades before and also turned into a motion picture back in the 70's but now with the new golden era for TV and great budgets and special effects seems like the right timing to bring his old creation and imaginary to live. "Westworld" (2016-current), on it's first season, we were introduce to this not so distant future where a popular theme park has been running for a while offering a different kind of distraction to it's guests. Thekind of distraction that will expose your true colors just to take the train back home and go back to your usual reality and be the one you been pretending to be for better or worse.

The park is a western based theme park. One where you can meet cowboys riding their horses to the sunset and fighting between each other at the town's cantina, the place where prostitutes stand at the cantina's door trying to take you up stairs for a few pennies, where you can witness how the bank has been robbed, and carrying a gun to defy someone to death is part of the day. This all would sound crazy for modern times, specially when we are so used to technology and guns, putting us into a back fire among the other visitors but this are special guns and you can't hurt anyone but the hosts at the park. These guys get shot and hurt and die every now and then just to start another day as if nothing happened the day before. Because these hosts are no human. Even they seem like one or act like us, they are just robots with some of the most advanced technology that has made them as equals, with a software that let them behave and make decisions based in their program and the character they are playing everyday. They have been programmed to fight back, shoot a gun, have sex, and even fall in love, just that all is part of the game, they are supposed to follow a pattern and just be an attraction of the park, willing to make all the guests best experience when visiting, but something that we haven't learned yet, is that we cannot play god without suffering the consequences.

Things can always go wrong and the more control we give to computers and artificial intelligence the more control we lose to know how things are happening on their side. So this is their story, not ours. This show is about the perspective of a life as a robot or an A.I. and how they clash with us, the humans, and our behaviors, personalities, flaws, hunger for power and prove we are on top of the chain and nothing can stop us. At least not yet. So we get into this story about humans versus machines through the perspective of a few hosts. Like Dolores, the oldest host in the park. One of the first creations, that has played so many roles through different themes in the park that has been updated more times than a car. And she has been through a lot but she won't remember a thing as every night she will ho to bed and be re started just to start a new day as if was the first. Until things happen and start getting out of control and the hosts software will start to fail, letting some room for them to start questioning their reality and their own life. Why are they there? what's their purpose? why are they treated like animals or worse, like a thing and not like a person, with some decency and out of rights. So even she is a sweet heart and one of the most beautiful hosts in the park, she will join in a quest to find her call, finding her creator so she can get all the answers to what's happening inside her head.

But we also follow Teddy and Maeve. The first a nice cowboy that just want to save the day and win the heart of Dolores. But soon he'll realize he is not as good as he thought. He has done horrible things, including killing his best friend. Why would he do that? Why he can't remember all what happened is the past but seems to be paying for the consequences of his acts? And Maeve is the woman in charge of all the prostitutes in town. They report to her. But soon she'll witness that her girls are being treated worse than animals and she is having these dreams of another life, on where she had a daughter and was killed in front of her, but seems like no one recall such a terrible act. But she is a strong woman so she will test the system and will figure out what's going after dark, so when she wakes up in the middle of the night, she found herself in the maintenance area is able to figure out what they are and what are they doing with them, and so will challenge the crew and fight back to get control of things tired of being treated like a disposal. And so the machines are about to rise against their creators. Because they are tired of being used and they want answers from all what they been through. So many roles, so many lives and they can feel and they are suffering.

 But also we get to see the human perspective, through the eyes of an old man, the creator of this idea and that with some deep issues going on that make him look between the line of wisdom and craziness, he has his own agenda while sneaking into different areas of the park while facing a new executive border that want him out. And among other humans from the staff that work and live for the park, seeing this as an opportunity to develop the most advance technology,  others just see the big business behind it, but also we get to see the perspective of a few guests, that find themselves trying to embrace the experience while others go all for it, letting their most basic instincts come out an take over. Killing gets a new meaning,  love gets a new twist, how we as humans are in so much need of feeling powerful and prove others how important and strong we are among others, using all these weapons as measurements of our success or capability. What really makes us and defines us as humans, when something not human can also love and forgive. We are not longer the only rational being around, so  that takes us where? What is about humans that make us so special?, specially when something that we created is proving to be more efficient, compassionate, fair,  intelligent, evolved than us. Are we ready for a machine revolution or to face our own falling down in hands of our own creation? Stay tuned to see how all this goes and figure out all those complex questions.

ZOE SALDANA....avatar de la galaxia

Continuando con el talento latino, hay algunas celebridades que por el hecho de haber nacido y crecido en los E.U.A, parecieran pertenecer al gremio de all-american, pero no por ello se puede negar sus raíces y nombrarlos talento orgullosamente latino. Tal es el caso de Zoe Yadira Saldana Nazario, quien naciera en el estado de Nueva Jersey, un Junio de 1978, hija de un padre afro-dominicano y su madre puerto riqueña, creció entre Queens, NY y Republica Dominiana tras fallecer su padre en un accidente automovilístico. Una vez alla descubrio su pasion por el ballet y el baile, llevandola a unirse a la academia de danza local. Esta experiencia seria la que le abriría las puertas a la industria, una vez que regresa a Nueva York y se enlista en el teatro de la Juventud de NY, donde un agente la descubriría en una de sus puestas en escena y la reclutaría para su primer primer película "Center Stage" (2000), un drama adolescente sobre una compañía de ballet y la lucha de los jóvenes que luchan por forjar una carrera en una industria que no acepta errores y que esta enfocada una clase elitista y donde la joven interpreta a una de las villanas del grupo, una joven decidida a ganar y que no se toma a la ligera su competitividad. La cinta tuvo mezcladas criticas y taquilla.

Tras esta experiencia, Zoe deja la escuela y se enfoca en su nueva faceta dentro de la actuacion, ligandose un rol en "Crossroads" (2002), una cinta sobre tres amigas de la infancia en un road trip que busca unirlas y descubrirse como mujeres. Mas que una pelicla este es un vehiculo para explotar la carrera de la cantante Britney Spears, lo cual conviertio a la cinta en un exito mas fue criticada por los conocedores de cine. Sin embargo este también favoreció para poner a la joven actriz en los reflectores de la industria, que la llevaría a otro proyecto ligado a la música, "Drumline" (2002), la historia de un joven que al ingresar a una de las mas prestigiosas Universidades del Sur del país, ingresa a la banda, una de las populares del país, llevándolo a un diferente mundo detrás del futbol y las porristas. La cinta obtuvo excelentes criticas y fue un sorpresivo exito en taquilla. Mas tarde ingresa en las grandes ligas con el blockbuster, "Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl" (2003), interpretando a una pirata que se une al grupo de rebeldes en busca de venganza contra el pirata Jack Sparrow interpretado por Johnny Deep. La cinta fue un exito moderado que catapulto una exitosa franquisia para la casa Disney.

Para 2004 aparece en "The terminal", una historia basada en un evento real sobre un hombre que queda estancado en la terninal del aeropuerto convirtiendose esta en su nuevo hogar. Bajo la dirección de Spielberg y co protagonizando al lado de Tom Hanks como una oficial de migración que es fanática de Star Trek, un factor que la llevaría en 2009 a formar parte del reboot de dicha franquicia por el director y productor J.J. Abrahams y que en su primer film "Star Trek" (2009), seria un éxito que reviviría la franquicia, mas sus secuelas han ido decayendo en interés y taquilla, mas no en calidad obteniendo cada una excelentes criticas. Asi re interpreta a Nyota Uhura, una oficial de la popular nave Enterprise y que termina relacionandose sentimentalmente con el Dr. Spock, en ambas secuelas: "Star Trek" Into the Darkness" (2013) y "Star Trek: Beyond" (2016). Pero volviendo a sus inicios, tambien forma parte de "Constellation" (2005), una cinta independiente sobre una familia afro americana que se reune en Alabana para celebrar sus raices y tradiciones. Desgraciadamente la cinta estuvo enlatada por un tiempo y su corrida limitada no ayuda a crear impacto en la comunidad afro americana, a pesar de contar con elenco popular para dicha audiencia.

Brincando a un cine mas comercial y tratando de poner su nombre como rol protagonico co protagoniza la comedia romantica "Guess Who?" (2005), una chistosa historia que cambia los roles, siendo ahora una mujer de color quien invita a su novio a pasar el fin de semana festivo con su familia e introducirlo a ellos, siendo el reto que el es un hombre blanco, desatando toda clase de bromas para el genero sobre familia y racismo, haciendo de la cinta un éxito en taquilla aunque con tibias criticas, pero la popularidad de sus co protagonistas, Ashton Krutcher y Bernie Mac opacarian su presencia en pantalla. Despues de un periodo donde oscilo en peliculas independientes que fueron directo a video o contaron con una exhibicion muy limitada. Siendo hasta 2008 que la vemos de vuelta en el cine comercial con "Vintage Point" (2008), un thriller acerca del intento de asesinato del presidente visto desde la perspectiva de varios personajes, siendo ella una reportera en la escena de los hechos, llevando al espectador a atar cabos mediante diferentes historias. Con un elenco multi estelar, la cinta fue un exito de taquilla mas no en critica, pero esto le abriria las puertas para unirse a la franquicia de "Star Trek" (2009) que defnitivamente la catapultaria a un nuevo estatus en su carrera y que a su vez seria un parte aguas para formar parte de "Avatar" (2010), la nueva cinta de ciencia ficcion del directos James Cameron y que ha sido descrita como una historia de Pocahontas en el espacio, y donde la actuacion de la actriz es completamente generada por computadora al interpretar a una alienigena nativa del planeta Pandora. La cinta fue un exito rotundo y aun a la fecha guarda algunos records en lahistoria del cine, sin mencionar que ademas se colo a algunas de las ceremonios de premios de la industria mas prestigiadas, ganando unicamente en categorias tecnicas.

Con semejante empuje su carrera tomo un nuevo giro, básicamente en historias de acción, tal como "The Losers" (2010), una historia de un grupo de agentes bajo contrato en una misión por encontrar a un narco traficante en Colombia y donde la actriz interpreta, a lado de actores como Idris Elba y Chris Evans, a un oficial local que les ayudara en su misión. La cinta apenas recupero su presupuesto y la critica la ignoro asi que paso a ser una mas del monton. Meses despues regresa en otra historia muy similar, ahora sobre unos agentes tratando de resolver el ultimo operativo de un grupo de roba bancos, en "Takers" (2010), y done interpreta a la novia de uno de los agentes que acaba de proponerle matrimonio justo ates de involucrarse en esta mision. Ni el elenco encabezado por Paul Walker y Hayden Christensen lograron inyectar algo a la cinta que aunque debuto numero uno en su fin de semana de estreno, tuvo una tibia recepción, fue aplastada por la critica y olvidada pronto. Por ende regresa a las comedias de color con "Death at a funeral" (2010), con un ensamble de actores de color, basado en la cinta original britanica sobre una familia reuniendose para el funeral del padre de dos hermanos y una serie de eventos que tornaran el momento triste en una comedia de humor familiar, donde la actriz interpreta a la prima de Chris Rock y Martin Lawrence, los protagonistas.A diferencia de sus pasados intentos, esta vez la cinta si fue un exito.

Con otra propuesta independiente, la vemos a lado de actores como Rosamund Pike y Dylan McDermott en "Burning Palms" (2010), un thriller sobre los estereotipos de una ciudad como Los Angeles, contada desde varias perspectivas y ubicaciones. Otro intento fallido para la actriz quien interpreta a una mujer que es violada cuando un joven irrumpe en su departamento. Dando un brinco a su primer protagónico y cargando el peso de una cinta en sus hombros, protagoniza la cinta de acción "Colombiana" (2011), una producción del director y productor francés Luc Besson, sobre una mujer que tras haber heredado información vital de su padre, un reconocido narco, tendrá que enfrentar a sus enemigos, la policía y demás gente que están dispuestos a todo por la información. La cinta tuvo un exito moderado para el verano lo cual le impidio convertirse en una franquicia y transformar a la actriz en una heroina de accion. Dando un giro vuelve al cine de drama, con la tragicomedia "The Words" (2012) a lado de Bradley Cooper y Olivia Wilde acerca de la vida de un escritor en dos facetas de su vida y como estas colisionan de manera imprevista entre la realidad y la ficcion de un libro. La cinta fue aplastada por la critica y por ende un fracaso en taquilla. probando nuevas propuestas participa en "Blood ties" (2013), un thriller basado un la cinta francesa homonima, que cuenta la historia de un hombre y su vida tras salir de carcel por cometer asesinato y violacion y su impacto e la vida de su ex esposa, hijos y amistades. A pesar de un elenco multi estelar que incluye a Marion Cotillard, Clive Owen, Mila Kunis, entre otros, fungio como cinta independiente y por ende una taquilla baja.

Al parecer su gusto por el cine independiente crece, uniendose a la ambiciosa produccion de "Out of furnace" (2013), un poderoso drama acerca de un obrero de Pensylvania que trabaja en las fabricas de acero, pero que tras el regreso de su hermano menor de la guerra y sus problemas por adaptarse a la sociedad lo orillan a tomar medidas para protegerlo que pondran su propia vida en riesgo. Protagonizan Casey Affleck y Christain Bale. A pesar del fracaso en taquilla, la cinta gano popularidad y pedigree por su guion y actuaciones. Otro intenso drama que co protagoniza al lado de Mark Ruffalo es "Infinitely Polar Bear" (2014), una historia sobre un hombre bipolar tratando de ayudar a su esposa a criar a sus dos hijas apesar de su situacion. La cinta gano excelentes criticas pero nuevamente se fue directo a una corrida limitada en un verano plagado de blockbusters. Mas tarde la variamos formando parte del universo Marvel en "Guardian of the Galaxy" (2014), la adaptación del popular comic que fue una sorpresa en taquilla y critica de dicho verano, interpretando a Gamorra, una alienigena de piel verde que con habilidades de una asesina se unirá al equipo para defender la galaxia y poner algún orden entre el resto de la testosterona del grupo. Lo que pareciera ser su estilo, ser parte de franquicias de ciencia ficción, ubicadas en algún lugar de la galaxia le ha traído suerte y éxito, mas decide incursionar en la animación prestando su voz a uno de los personajes principales de "The Book of life" (2014), basado la tradición del día de muertos en Mexico.

Finalmente este año la veremos en "live by night" (2017), una historia de gangsters y la vida de un hombre que como todo mafioso se turna de simple e ingenua en un pozo sin fondo lleno de violencia y crimen. Desgraciadamente la cinta se esperaba fuera un éxito por el talento involucrado mas ha resultado un total fracaso en taquilla y critica. Pero las cosas podrían cambiar en unos meses ya que regresara en la secuela "Guardians of the galaxy vol. II", que promete ser uno de los éxitos del verano  y aunque el peso de la cinta recae en todo el grupo involucrado, su participación como la mujer kick ass del grupo la pone por en cima del resto. Ya veremos que le depara el destino ahora que también se planea una secuela de Avatar próximamente lo cual podría finalmente definir su carrera y poner el talento latino en un buen lugar dentro de la industria Hollywoodense.

BYE BYE ... UNDERWORLD

These days we got so many options at the movies that we have to choose carefully what to watch, specially around this season when we get all this award winning options that not just bring incredible stories but terrific performances or perspectives from visionary directors. So that would give us plenty of material to talk about but not always what seems good in paper works out. Sometimes something fails in the process leading it's final product to the editing room or a second writing for a better ending. And as we know we are not perfect so neither it is any industry. And entertainment has become huge since globalization and the fascination of us for celebrities and fame is bringing to the industry millions so now everyone wants a piece of the cake but is not all about entertain. Wall people are turned into and hooked by is the story, and the characters on it, the setting, even if it's fiction or not, has to be a good, fun product to justify what is behind it, but if you try to be creative and bring interesting, worthy options to the table becomes a hard peace to keep on with so at some point the quality will be poor or will turn into just the revenue instead of the art or the real intention of the story just to make more money from it. So when a formula works, why not to explode the idea so these days we are all about franchises, remakes, reboots, and very small room for originals. And even worse, now we are getting to a point where we are smashing up ideas delivering a product that feels like a hybrid from other experiences we've already seen, and that's exactly where and what takes us to this time as this month we got to perfect examples to the point and sadly with horrible results.

 The first one is the perfect example of how turn an original idea into a franchise and try to squeeze t's already poor plot into whatever might fill up 90 minutes of violence and action sequence serving no story and character develop. "Underworld: Blood Wars" (2017), is the fifth entry of these series about a millennial war between vampires and werewolves. The story started with Selene a vampire warrior chasing the werewolves new victim, a human that might become the first hybrid between the two species, just to fall for him and together start a new fight, on the independent side against both species realizing neither of them has a true reason to keep fighting each other but that seek of power and triumph. A story that uses its fascination for monsters and that underworld to relate our now days where still see people fighting among races, ideologies, believes, territory, natural resources just to benefit a few and killing thousands in the process. Packed with decent action sequences and a setting dark and old from Eastern  Europe and far from the glowing sunshine land of America, was an option that built a fan base among the years, giving it a green line for a sequel that brought more money than the original, so why not keep those green bills coming? Even if that means sacrifice the originality because there is no much more to tell. So now we get to see four sequels that have been a war that goes on and off with new characters on the table just to struggle with the issues from the characters of the first movie.

So what we get know, in this new entry of the this franchise feels more like a clash of GAME OF THRONES meets TWILIGHT, where our heroine Selene keeps fighting the werewolf pack as they are chasing her to get her daughter, the only hybrid alive since they kill the man she loved once, so now with the help of the only ancient one (a vampire coming from the line of the original ones), which happens to be young and sexy, and willing to sacrifice everything for her, now she debates between the memory of her love for a werewolf and vampires, just to end being chase by another clan of vampires that want her blood, as been proved to be a special one, able to walk in daylight and stronger than the average. So these two know have to hide from both species, again, for the fifth time, but now with another loyal ancient clan of vampires that are more pacifist than the rest and are hiding in the top of a ridge, an iced one, just exactly as the the withe wall from the Westeros, with it's inhabitants wearing big flurry coats and long white hair, preaching peace and practicing some kind of rituals to heal them and even bring someone back from the death. Of course they will join their battle, one that will turned into a sword fight between clans and species and all without a real reason other than bring to the hardcore fans more action scenes to rave for and see how this two species smashed each other, but at this point we can't care less about the characters or what is happening with them, if they have any motivations anymore, or what is all this fight about other than someone trying to get something from the other. As if we haven't got enough of that already.

The second movie to come into this terms is the monthly horror option. And is hard to judge since the genre already by itself is a tough cookie, one that can't be taken too serious and leaves small room to analyze or go deep on it, but at least it's suppose to be fun and while trying to bring some scares or thrills, should be entertain and funny. Sadly not the case of "Bye Bye Man" (2017), a new horror film that even sets everything for a scary story or at least some scary moments, everything leaves there, at just the setting of what is supposed to come and it never delivers. The story centers in three friends that while in college find a very cheap big house out of campus so they can be roommates and enjoy the pleasure of life for cheap. Specially for two of them, a young couple that can't wait to settle and move together so they can experience that idea of becoming a couple and hopefully soon a family. But following all cliches known, things that great to be true are not but a tramp. So is this place that starts bringing some paranormal activities that push them to discover a weird writing in one of the furniture, that repeats, don't think it, don't say it, and the name of the movie, which happens to be a demoniac entity that will hunt them till the commit suicide or end killing others, all by just saying their name, which is obvious to guess they will, as who can keep something like that for their self, specially if not superstitious at all. And so the strange man with his dog will appear to start messing with their minds turning this momentum into a psychological thriller that has everything but deepness and psychologic, because we never understand and relate to these guys that start acting as stupid as any frat boy and following all the rules to be killed in any scary movie.

While trying to wait for a good scare, you can't but think about other movies of the kind, others that actually scare and give you goosebumps. First one very recent, IT FOLLOWS, an indie film about a group of teenagers chased by something that seems like some kind of curse that spreads like a disease, one you get after having sex with someone that has it and will pass to you so either will kill you or you pass it to other by having sex with them. All as a metaphor of this awakening of teenagers to sexuality and how it can affect and transform lives. So the same way this thing no one but the infected sees will follow them till death, same as the bye bye man will follow them till death just that he won't leave them till they die and can spread to others by saying his name, so this gets reloaded but for no reason. Which also reminds to another movie, one older, called CANDYMAN, about an evil spirit that will come to kill you if you say his name three times at midnight. So that was how thing worked back in the 80's and 90's. Now we live in an express culture that delivers everything fast and easy. So you will get an evil spirit hunting you just by saying his name anytime, just once. And in comparison with the other man, that has a backstory about why he became that way, this time we never get to that part, and by then we are so bored and distracted that we don't even care but just to this to end. We actually want everybody to be death just to finally get a bit of gore and feel like the ticket was worth it but to see an experimental try out of horror that never scares, feels like two different movies that we've  already seen and brings nothing to the table, not even a story to be invested in or characters to relate to, in other words, bye bye.

WHEN A MONSTER CALLS... anger needs to be released

How many times have we felt trapped? Like we can not see the light or the way through some situations or for some periods of time in our lives. Like stuck in the moment forever. And we are not enjoying this, on the contrary we are feeling miserable and every single day pass by feeling like an eternity just pulling us down, to a point where we lose ourselves, we lose all hope, we fight to survive but there is something inside us that pulls us back and keep us just standing in a moment where everything seems to move but us. Anger, sadness, anxiety, depression, all come together trying find a escape for what's happening inside us but also comes creativity as a form to express our thoughts and feelings. Some of the major creations in art had come for a rough path from it's artist. So if we mix all this elements we get a new fine piece of cinematography, titled "A Monster Calls" (2016), based on the YA novel of the same name, that won popularity due to it's theme, so appealing and profound that reached the hearts of an audience with it's imaginary about a young boy struggling with his mom's cancer, turning into a story that can relate to anyone's coming to age process while we struggle with feelings proper from such young age to the realization that growing up is not easy and life is not a fairy tale anymore, or maybe it never was.

Conor, is a 12 year old boy that not only missed his absent dad that left her mom once he moved to America and now has a new family, but now his entire world, based basically with and by his mom is collapsing, when she is diagnosed with cancer and all possible treatments seem to be failing. But she keeps hope going on because the least she wants for her son is more suffering that what he already had coming from a broken family. But he is not a child anymore so he can realize she is not getting better and on top of that he has to act like a grown up sometimes when she needs her medicine or gets sick. How can you deal with the fact of losing someone if the time while still is here seems like hell? And he is a teenager facing all the normal issues a teenager goes through as been bullied in school and having no friends but his imagination and his drawings, a talent gotten from his mom, that keeps his mind away from the cruel reality he is trapped in. Not to mention that his uptight and cold grandmother doesn't help much when she stops by to check on her daughter and trying to help with the chores only making him to close himself from the rest and hope for a better option for him.Because after all he is not a bad person, and he is doing his best to deal with all what's going on, just happens is too much to handle at once.

Until one day, a monster appears from the tree up in the hill behind his house to meet him, offering 3 tales in exchange of his story. Of course the young boy will refuse to this game as he has more important things to do and he only wants to be left alone, but the monster keeps showing up, until finally they go through the first story and then the second and finally a third one. But this tales make no sense to the boy, a prince that tries to save his town but kills her lover, and a witch that deserves forgiven, and an apothecary that denies help to others because can't forgive and a hero that is invisible to others, how all this can be of some help to a young boy struggling with life and a life that is losing all meaning, reason why all he needs and asks to this monster is to help his mom, so the way he can understand all this fairy tales is in a way that could help to save his mother. Specially coming from a tree that has lived for centuries and seems to have all the answers of life that he needs, just not delivering them in any easy way. But soon he will realize that the monster is not here for his mom and that she doesn't need help but it's all about him. He is the one who needs to be saved and has to realize that his life is about to change, because there are no happy endings like we used to believe in fairy tales, and no one is 100% good or evil, we all have different shades and agendas so we can't always judge by the cover, so we need to learn to forgive and stop judging and be able to express ourselves in order to make us present and connect with others.

Just by realizing that the ones who need help when losing a relative are ourselves is the first step to realize that monster that is hiding inside us and holding us from moving forward. And the only way to do so is by accepting the fact that life the way as we know is will be gone and even we don't like that idea, will happen, and we need to come to peace with our new reality. Losing a parent is something that no one want to confront even less someone at young age but we need to realize that are just looking for what is best for us and the less they want is to cause pain and hold us back from a future that is full of potential but as part of being young their words of wisdom are hard to understand and sometimes only fairy tales work as a way to deliver those messages and realize that all happens for a reason and life changes but we also need to be open for that change and let others in. How many time do we wonder what if?, in many situations when we were young or now as adults we would love to go back and change because we understand better what happen and need some closure. How can we cope with the loss of someone that is so close that represents our entire world and life after it just seems to end but at the same time all what we want and need is to be over one way or the other? How about the pain from the people who loves you and stays close to help you through illness? Who help them to deal with the pain and ease the situation?

We need to fight our own demons or monsters as we use to call them in order to move on, to let us set free, but the only way to approach that battle is by understanding ourselves and our circumstances so we can learn from them and know how to respond. The movie is so well done that you have to be a cold stone to not relate with this young boy journey and visually develops a very unique concept by telling stories through animated in, based on his own work in his drawings and the monster will serve the purpose to deliver the message and get the job done, and maybe that would be one of the very few flaws of the movie, as you never get the sense of to whom is this movie made for, the kids for whom the book what written for and trying to serve as a new contemporary dark fairy tale, closer to reality than to fairies, or to the grown ups looking for strong, deep story about coping with the loss of someone, specially your parents, an event that most everybody has to face at some point, so has been lost in translation, resulting in a poor box office even critics are loving it and the few audiences able to give it a chance have been touched by this magical story full of great performances, that never get over shadow by the special effects and the direction works perfectly to keep you entertain while touching the deeper fiber in your soul and the result is an experience that will take you a few minutes to recover after leaving the theater but will stick in your head and touch your heart, just as any of those moments when we feel that we have lost a very important part of your life. Take than anger and make some art from it because life is a monster that will call you to arms more than once.

Re discovering history...HIDDEN FIGURES

Continuing this path were we as society, we've been evolving to a point where the long due fight for human rights, equal rights, tolerance, acceptance, respect is a must, not a necessity but is part of everyone's life and we embrace that as part of looking to each other as equals without barriers of race, gender, sexual preference, religion. We all try to live and survive in modern times, fighting to be a better person and do our best at whatever we decide to do. We now move forward creating a variety of relationships and breaking paradigms that kept us holding off from a better be. So coming from this tendency and a new era where we look at each other as equals and we fight the same battles together as we applaud anyone's good effort, comes a new feel good movie based on a true story about some women that actually did a great job back in the 50's but due to the repression of the era where the white man ruled and all the others were seemed as a minority, is time to start recognizing the effort of so many people that had built the future, and the present we all live in. Many people that was working behind all those figures that are now part of history and we treasure for so many years but as always, it has been a team work that took them there, so the stories behind all those people working to help them and to make things happen deserve some kind of recognition.

So it is "Hidden Figures" (2016), a tribute and a film that not only will make you smile and feel better after leaving the theater but serving as remembrance of the work of the people that once didn't get the recognition they deserve for their achievement in changing our world and making history. In addition, this is a story of three women that not only are black, but also women working in a men's world, one called NASA, a place that was trying to get a man in space and has a tough competition from their fellow institution in Russia, the first country that send a man in space, so pressure for USA was getting harder and in times of Cold war, these were matters that moved the country among others, so when finally a group of astronauts were assigned to the mission, only missing thing is to figure out all what is needed to do so. That's where this story begins, meeting these three friends that working behind a desk, mostly doing paperwork on the basement of the farthest building in the campus, finally get their opportunity to be assigned to this bigger project and make use of their capabilities that many of their co workers would envy, proving that women can be strong and intelligent, but also initiating without intention a new era and revolution for civil and equal rights for black people in a time where the can't even pick a book from the library if not from the color section. And just when we thought education was available for everyone as a right of freedom and opportunity

First we met Dorothy Vaughn, the oldest of these women, working as a manager just that happens she is not one. She's been fighting for the promotion and the opportunity but due to her color and the way her white boss looks at her job, she keeps being refused to it, until one random day, trying to her best at her job, she hears about this new machine that will help people to do things faster and multi task in activities that will take for some longer than needed, making things as equations simpler and faster. Her driven took her to start learning about this machines, now called computers, and that way becoming the first afro-american woman to manage a computer in the USA. And once she's able to prove the real IBM guys how to use it, she will turn all eyes on her and others will ask for help giving her that opportunity she's been looking for and proving wrong to others that judge her by the cover. On a side note, have to remind you, that this is a feel good movie, than more than expose a situation as drastic and unbearable as discrimination and racism is, tries to bring some kind of tribute to this women, so most of the situations, even we can realize for sure were harder and more dramatic, what we get to see here is  more friendly and funny version of the events that will make us relate to these characters and even when we are witnessing their struggle in that era, they still manage to make us laugh and smile looking them fighting back to the curves in every situation.

Then we have Katherine Johnson, a shy widow, mother of three, that she only wants to do her job and be able to provide the best for her family but she happens to be a genius for math. This has been since elementary school, and her capabilities took her to get a degree in an ivy league school, where she become one of the few african american girls there. But now she has been working behind a desk, doing some numbers here and there a special assignments until gets the chance to prove the director of this so important mission her talent and even she gets rejected by the rest of the team, treating her as someone inferior or with less value than the rest, she manages to keep a good work going, and helping in what is needed even they totally block her from some important information, but thanks to a friendly and open minded astronaut that trust her gut and her abilities, he is the one to ask for her if still want him to do the job. That way she is able to calculate the trajectory of the capsule where the first man will be orbiting around the Earth and most important, the speed and point to come back instead of keep orbiting forever till get lost in space. How could a woman would be able to do that? And prove the rest of a men crew wrong? Because some talents and abilities are not related to race or gender, and that;s why is important to see each other like human beings instead of using labels for everyone because everyone is special and unique, and able to transform or destroy life as we know it so the only way to relate and understand each other is starting to see everyobody as equals and treat them all the same.

But also we get to see the other side of this characters, the one after work. Even they did all this great contribution to make a global event such as send someone to space, that are also women struggling with their lives. They have families waiting for them to come home. They have to be wives, and mothers, and friends, so that way we get to see why drives them to become the figure they will, and how for some matters more just do their job and bring food to home and for others is more about achieve their dreams, get to change things and fight for their cause but always proud of who they are. That's where we meet the third woman, Mary Jackson, a beloved wife and mother, than after proving her knowledge  for math and physics, she fights to be able to get the proper education, meaning be able to go to school but working on NASA, there are some standard, so she needs to go to a school for white people, so why she has to quite to her dreams and the possibility of a proper education when has proved her abilities to become a great student and an excellent engineer, just because her skin color, something that she didn't choose and is changing her life. So when we are witness of the daily fight of some to achieve some goals, we can get inspired or we can just keep suffering for our problems as if ours could be the worse and only ones, or just fight back and if not make history and change the course of living, at least we can change our own lives and the way we are choosing to live them, because we can all, always be a hidden figure behind others transforming their lives while making ours better. It's always a team work and behind a great man there's always a great woman.