"Not all of us can do great things. But we can do small things with great love." - Mother Teresa (1910-1997)
I live in a community that comes alive in the summer.
Beaches, food and outdoor activities are a draw to visitors from all over the world. One of the most popular local highlights is the Neptune Drive-In Theatre. People line up for blocks for the nostalgic experience of watching summer flicks from the comfort of their cars.
Recently, as I was driving by the long line up of cars waiting for admittance to the theatre parking lot, I was reminded of just how much we love to watch movies in the summer.
So for those of you who don’t have a summer Drive In Theatre in your community, I’ve come up with a list and reviews of movies for you to catch up on in the comfort of your own homes.
Here it is! The Violence Prevention Coordinating Council’s, 3rd Annual Summer Movie Review. This year we’ve come up with some great oldies as well as movies that may have fallen under your radar.
Whether fact or fiction, they’re all definitely worth the watch.
So make some time, grab your favourite snacks, your favourite peeps, (or maybe you just want to hang out with yourself)…put your feet up and get ready to be inspired.
#1 JOY
JOY is the wild story of a family across four generations centered on the girl who becomes the woman who founds a business dynasty and becomes a matriarch in her own right. Betrayal, treachery, the loss of innocence and the scars of love, pave the road in this intense emotional and human comedy about becoming a true boss of family and enterprise facing a world of unforgiving commerce. Allies become adversaries and adversaries become allies, both inside and outside the family, as Joy's inner life and fierce imagination carry her through the storm she faces. Jennifer Lawrence stars, with Robert De Niro. (Rotten Tomatoes)
#2 THE BLIND SIDE
Taken in by a well-to-do family and offered a second chance at life, a homeless teen grows to become the star athlete projected to be the first pick at the NFL draft in this sports-themed comedy drama inspired by a true story. Michael Oher was living on the streets when he was welcomed into the home of a conservative suburban family with mom Leigh-Anne Touhy; a power to be reckoned with when it came to influencing his life and helping him to achieve his dreams.
#3 TRUTH
In 2004, Mary Mapes (Cate Blanchett), an award-winning CBS News journalist and Dan Rather's producer, uncovered that a sitting US president may have been AWOL from the United States National Guard for over a year during the Vietnam War. When the story blew up in their face, the ensuing scandal ruined Dan Rather's career, nearly changed a US Presidential election, and almost took down all of CBS News in the process
#4 TEMPLE GRANDIN
This true story of autistic icon Temple Grandin, a woman who refused to let her disorder limit her true potential, allows the audience to experience the world much like she does while recounting her colourful life and remarkable achievements from childhood to adulthood.
#5 FREEDOM WRITERS
A dedicated California teacher finds a way to unify her disadvantaged, racially divided students and to improve their grasp of academics, partly by having them keep journals about their violent, troubled lives. Based on a true story and the diaries of real Long Beach teenagers after the L.A. riots, Freedom Writers is an inspirational tale and testimony to courage hope and the human spirit's triumph over intolerance.
#6 THE WHISTLEBLOWER
Based on the true story of Kathryn Bolkovac, a police officer from Lincoln, Neb., who accepted an offer to join the U.N. peacekeeping mission in Bosnia. While there, she uncovered direct evidence that underage girls were being held captive and bought and sold in a profitable sex trafficking operation. When she presented her evidence to her superiors, it was ignored. When she persisted, she was fired.
You’ll be on the edge of your seat from start to finish.
#7 KNOCK DOWN THE HOUSE
When tragedy struck her family in the midst of the financial crisis, Bronx-born Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez had to work double shifts in a restaurant to save her home from foreclosure. After losing a loved one to a preventable medical condition, Amy Vilela didn't know what to do with the anger she felt about America's broken health care system. Cori Bush was drawn into the streets when the police shooting of an unarmed black man brought protests and tanks into her neighborhood. Paula Jean Swearengin was fed up with watching her friends and family suffer and die from the environmental effects of the coal industry. At a moment of historic volatility in American politics, these four women decide to fight back, setting themselves on a journey that will change their lives and their country forever. Without political experience or corporate money, they build a movement of insurgent candidates challenging powerful incumbents in Congress. Their efforts result in a legendary upset. (Rotten Tomatoes)
That’s it for now! I’m going to make me some popcorn and go on a movie binge. Don’t forget to “like” and share!!
What inspirational movies would you suggest of women who make a difference?
#womenwhomakeadifference #Inspiringfilms #summermovielist