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It’s a new year, with a whole new slate of movies to be excited about. 2017 saw a growing number of female-led films, but since women aren’t a passing trend, that doesn’t look to be slowing down. Here are some of the films we’re excited to see this year. Some we’ve talked about a lot already; others have just recently landed on our radar. Let us know below what you’re excited about this year.

Please Stand By

Dakota Fanning stars as a young woman with autism, on a mission to deliver her Star Trek spec script to Hollywood. This one hits theaters and VOD later this month.

Release date: January 26

Annihilation

Based on the book by Jeff VanderMeer and directed by Alex Garland (Ex Machina), Annihilation follows a group of women exploring some sort of mysterious military-and-maybe-supernaturally-or-something-protected area. Those women are Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Gina Rodriguez, Tuna Novotny, and our light of lights Tessa Thompson.

Release date: February 23

Red Sparrow

Does it look like a flat-out rip-off of Black Widow? Sure it does. And yes, the sexy, seductive spy thing is a bit played out. But I can’t help but hold out some hope that this Jennifer Lawrence vehicle is the smart espionage thriller the book (written by a former CIA operative) was said to be.

Release date: March 2

Tully

I don’t know much about this movie, other than the combination of Charlize Theron and Diablo Cody is cinematic gold. (If you still haven’t seen Young Adult, go ahead. I’ll wait.) There’s no trailer yet, but Theron stars as a mother of three who is gifted the services of a night nanny by her brother. “Hesitant to the extravagance at first, Marlo comes to form a unique bond with the thoughtful, surprising, and sometimes challenging young nanny named Tully,” played by the incredible Mackenzie Davis.

Release date: April 20

Ocean’s 8

A decade after Ocean’s 13, this franchise has a new sequel, this time starring Sandra Bullock (as Danny Ocean’s sister) and seven other badass women: Mindy Kaling, Rihanna, Cate Blanchett, Helena Bonham Carter, Anne Hathaway, Sarah Paulson, and Awkwafina. Yes, you might say we are excited.

Release date: June 8

Ant-Man & The Wasp

I am honoured to be on set today playing #TheWasp on what would be Jack Kirby's 100th birthday.
.#ThankYouJackKirby #AntManAndTheWasp pic.twitter.com/EBsV8jTK34

— Evangeline Lilly (@EvangelineLilly) August 28, 2017

We loved Ant-Man but our biggest gripe with the movie was that there was seriously not enough of Evangeline Lily’s Hope van Dyne. We’re extremely excited to see her finally take on the Wasp mantle.

Release date: July 6

A Wrinkle in Time

CANNOT WAIT. NEED IT NOW.

Release date: July 15

The Spy Who Dumped Me

This is another one I don’t know too much about, other than that it stars Kate McKinnon and Mila Kunis. If that’s not enough to hook you, it’s also written and directed by Susanna Fogel, who made the criminally underseen Life Partners, starring Leighton Meester and Gillian Jacobs a few years ago. The two women embark on an undercover mission after Kunis’ character finds out her ex is a spy. It costars Hasan Minhaj, Justin Theroux, and Gillian Anderson. I’m willing to give that cast a shot at anything.

Release date: August 3

The Nightingale

No, not the 2014 Nightingale starring David Oyelowo, and not the 2019 Nightingale about WWII France. This Nightingale is from Jennifer Kent, the writer and director of The Babadook. Set in 1825 in the British penal colony now known as Tasmania, the film centers on a female convict seeking revenge on the soldier who killed her family.

Release Date: August 10

Furlough
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2018 is set to be the year of Tessa Thompson, as she currently has seven projects in various stages of development. In Furlough–which is a comedy–she plays a woman who lives with her aging mother (Whoopi Goldberg) and works at a prison part-time. She’s assigned to accompany a prisoner (Melissa Leo) on an emergency furlough to visit her dying mother and the trip “does not go as planned.”

Release date: Unknown

Mary Poppins Returns

See a delightful new image from the upcoming #MaryPoppinsReturns: https://t.co/bT7ErH7iF1 pic.twitter.com/aRo8IHaSKm

— Oh My Disney (@OhMyDisney) December 28, 2017

This isn’t a remake, it’s a sequel set 25 years after the original. With new music and a co-starring role from Lin-Manuel Miranda, and Emily Blunt taking over the role of Poppins, we can’t believe we have to wait all year for this one.

Release date: December 25

Anna and the Apocalypse (Hopefully!)

This teen zombie Christmas horror comedy musical was a massive hit at Fantastic Fest in 2017. There’s no news yet for a full cinematic release, but we’re not giving up hope for a zombie-filled Christmas 2018.

Release date: Keep your fingers crossed for December of this year

(image: screencap/Disney/Shutterstock/screencap)

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I’m a huge fan of granny squares. In fact, I might be slightly obsessed with them: I have a huge box of black and white granny squares that I have personally crocheted (they are waiting to be assembled into… something!). Awhile back, I started crocheting tiny little things with embroidery floss and a small steel crochet hook. I love crocheting with embroidery floss because it’s so inexpensive and comes in so many colors. You can get a handful of fun colored “yarn” for just a dollar or two. These tiny granny squares are about an inch and a half, and perfect for a fun little necklace that would make a great homemade gift!

Project Materials:

• 3 skeins of embroidery floss, on hand or about $1
• Size 12 (US) crochet hook, on hand or about $1
• Chain or thread to string, on hand
• (optional) Jump rings and hardware, if you are using a chain, on hand

Total: FREE and upIf you are a beginning crocheter, I recommend making a couple granny squares with regular yarn and hooks just to get the hang of it. After you make a few, you will memorize the pattern, and it will be the perfect thing to crochet on auto-pilot (and a great way to use up your small leftover balls of yarn.

Crocheting with embroidery floss is a little bit challenging. One, it’s small, so it’s a bit harder to work with, and to get a comfortable hand position and work flow. The good news is that it doesn’t take too long to adjust to the reduced scale. Two, the six strands of floss aren’t twisted together like yarn, so the individual strands can get caught in your work a lot more. You can combat this by slightly twisting the floss with your index finger and thumb as you go. You can also pull out the offending stitches as you go and redo them, or pull the loops through your work to hide them.

Hook: My crochet hook was a steel hook, size 12 US (.70mm/size 5 UK). A hook a couple sizes larger would probably be fine!

Pattern:I just used a classic granny square pattern. I don’t need to re-write it for you! If you want to learn how to crochet a granny square, here is an excellent visual tutorial at The Purl Bee: [how to crochet a granny square]

Homemade Simple Gifts

I have always been a huge fan of handmade gifts. As a crafter, it’s only natural, right? I am lucky to be part of a family that also appreciates handmade gifts and makes it a practice to exchange gifts that aren’t store-bought. I know, I’m so spoiled!

While not all handmade gifts exchanged in our family are smash hits, they are all appreciated and they somehow seem more meaningful than something purchased in the $10 or less aisle of a big box store.

The best handmade gifts I’ve given or received have been: duct tape wallets (for the guys), hand-roasted coffee (yum!), quilts, and special items decorated by my three boys (always a win for the mommies, right?).

.

The post Make a Tiny Granny Square Necklace appeared first on Dollar Store Crafts.

Will Smith hasn't been on Instagram for long, but he's already mastered the art of writing a caption to make all of social media swoon. Twenty years ago, on New Year's Eve, Smith and his wife, actress Jada Pinkett-Smith, exchanged vows and in honor of their 20th wedding anniversary, Smith shared a throwback wedding photo with the sweetest caption ever. He shared some marriage wisdom for the masses too. Smith broke down some of the most important lessons marriage has taught him over the years, and of course, they're major marriage gems. Smith revealed that he has learned that focusing on his wife's growth is far more important than demanding that she change anything to match his own needs. Gem! He goes on to discuss the importance of couples listening to one another and supporting and fueling each other's dreams. The post already has one-million likes and counting.     Smith doesn't speak about the intimate details of their marriage publicly very often, but when he does, he almost always drops a gem, or three to live by. In 2011, Will and Jada stopped by the ESSENCE offices and while he was waiting on her to finish a video taping, he shared some marriage advice with me -- I was a newlywed at the time. The one that stuck with me was about the importance of giving each other space when you get home from work. You can read the other gems he gave me here. Don't you just love their love?

Writer: Peter J. Tomasi, Patrick Gleason/ Artist: Sergio Davila, Vicente Cifuentes / DC Comics

Minor Spoilers for Teen Titans #15

This Super Sons of Tomorrow crossover has been exhilarating as it has been unrelenting. Last week in Teen Titans #15, Tomasi and Gleason gleefully showed Tim Drake’s transformation from the Batman of Tomorrow to Savior, and his personal crusade against Jon Kent will likely be the highlight of your pull list’s this week.

The continuity lock out that existed in Superman #37 served its purpose in setting the stage, and unburdened by the buildup, everything escalates beautifully. The Teen Titans race against time to find the Supers Sons in their new Fortress of Attitude before Savior finds his way there. And when they breach the doors, Jon and Damian give one hell of a grand entrance.

In an issue full of inter- and intra-team conflict and a timeline constantly in flux, Davila and Cifuentes really sell the emotive expressions of the increasingly large cast of characters. The tiniest details, whether the small curl of a smile, enlarged eyes, or gritted teeth, create a guttural reaction and you could still see what was happening in the story even if you removed the stellar dialog from Tomasi and Gleason.

The two writers need to be commended for creating one of the most believable young superhero dynamics I’ve ever had the pleasure of reading. Jon and Damian aren’t just Super Sons, they’re kids trying to make sense of the world and are brave enough to look past themselves and keep each other safe. They fight like brothers. They banter like the best of them. They remind you of that one childhood rival that became your dearest friend because they pushed you to the limit.

And counterpoint to that comradery and the comradery between the Teen Titans and Titans of Tomorrow, we have Tim Drake as Savior. That scrawled S on his belt a tantalizing question. He truly believes what he is doing is right and has such flare following through, he is one of the finest antagonist a miniseries could ask for.

The penultimate issue of the Super Sons of Tomorrow event weaves together all of the disparate elements that led up to it. Much like Tim Drake, it has evolved into something else entirely than what its start seemed to indicate and has this reviewer more hyped than ever for the finale.

9.2 “Dramatic Entrances” out of 10

Reading Superman? Find BNP’s coverage of the Man of Steel here.

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