By Melissa Chapman, Warsaw Community Public Library Cataloging Supervisor

WARSAW — When something memorable happens in the world you can pretty much go ahead and begin casting the movie in your head. 2016 was full of biopic films. Here are two excellent films that have recently arrived at Warsaw Community Public Library.

If you turned on a TV in January 2009, you’ll have some memory of Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger, the silver haired hero who magnificently landed an Airbus A320 on New York’s Hudson River saving all 155 passengers. I knew a movie would be made about this miraculous day. “Sully” is that film.

No one can play a no-nonsense hero like Tom Hanks! Clint Eastwood, director, decided not to concentrate on the story leading up to the miracle on the Hudson, instead he decided to tell the story of the less inspiring aftermath. In the aftermath Sully goes through scrutiny when his Airline bosses, the FAA and the NTSB all try to pin the blame on him and his crew. Sully is criticized for landing in the Hudson River. A flight simulator shows that he had time to return to the airport and save the multi- million dollar Jet as well as the passengers. Sully, never wavering, takes on the panel and shows them that the simulator does not take into account the pilots checklist they have to follow as well as factoring in the human emotion and thought process of the human brain. When a 30 second delay is added, the simulator crashes on its return to the airport proving that a hero was made and a miracle did happen on January 15, 2009.

The film “Snowden” questions at what level of immoral and/or illegal activity will you risk your own life to “Blow the whistle”? It is based on the story of the US intelligence analyst (Edward Snowden) who in 2014 went public about our government’s spying and data mining: the abolition of privacy. Joseph Gordon-Leavitt is very convincing as Edward Snowden.

The film serves as a cautionary tale, with Snowden emerging as something of a modern-day martyr. This is a compelling and relevant drama that will have you nervously covering your laptop webcam. Whether you see Snowden as hero or traitor you will find “Snowden” a thought provoking film.