Pads & Panels

Title: Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

Format: Blu-ray + DVD + Ultraviolet Digital Copy

MPAA Rating: PG-13

Directed by: Stephen Daldry

Written by: Eric Roth

Starring: Tom Hanks, Thomas Horn, Viola Davis, John Goodman, Jeffrey Wright, Max von Sydow

Studio:Warner Bros. Home Entertainment

Rating:

Review by: Sarah Jones

The Film

Almost everyone remembers where they were and what they were doing when they found out about the tragedy of Sept. 11, 2001. Some were directly affected, knowing someone who was killed in the attacks or in the rescue efforts.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close portrays such a story, but it is also a story about trying to move on after losing a loved one and trying to find meaning in the pieces they leave behind. (more…)

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Title: The Help

Format: Blu-ray Combo Pack

Directed by: Tate Taylor

Screenplay by: Tate Taylor

Starring: Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Bryce Dallas Howard

Studio: Dreamworks

Rating:

Review by: Sarah Jones

Similar to the popular saying that a person should walk a mile in someone else’s shoes before judging them, The Help offers insight into the lives of maids in the early 1960s. These women aren’t just any women; they are black and living in Jackson, Mississippi during the Civil Rights Movement. They are cleaning houses and raising children for white families, and this movie showcases their triumphs and heartbreaks.

Skeeter Phelan is a recent college graduate who moves back to her hometown with hopes of becoming a serious journalist and author. Her first job is to write a housekeeping column for the Jackson Journal, but as she has never done her own housekeeping, she enlists the help of her friend Hilly’s maid, Aibileen. Soon, the project evolves into an idea for a book about the experiences of local maids, even though it is very dangerous. Once the book is published, it becomes a sensational hit, but there is still a lot of risk for the women involved.

(more…)

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