Fairly slim pickings this week, as the movie studios take a breather after the pageantry of the Oscars. Click the links to place a hold on any of these items.
Futurama – Into the Wild Green Yonder
The Librarian – Curse of the Judas Chalice
As always, selected trailers after the jump.
Posted under Movie, trailers, tv showsTake a trip down memory lane. Or discover something new from years ago.
Here’s a sample of what you can find in our DVD collection.
The Addams Family: Volume One, Two, Three
The Adventures of Ozzie and Harriet
Alfred Hitchcock Presents: Season One, Two and Three
Bewitched: The Complete First Season through Seventh Season
The Dick Van Dyke Show: Season 1 and 2
The Fugitive: Season One Volume One and Two, Season Two Volume One
I Dream of Jeannie: The Complete First Season, Second, Third, Fourth, and Fifth
I Love Lucy: Seasons 1 through 9
The Munsters: The Complete First Season
My Favorite Martian: The Complete First Season and Second Season
My Three Sons: The First Season, Volume One and Volume Two
Perry Mason: Season 1 vol. 1 and 2, Season 2 vol. 1 and 2, Season 3 vol. 1 and 2
The Twilight Zone: Collection 1, 2, and 3
That Girl: Season One, Two, Three, and 4
Posted under tv showsHave you ever left the cimema wondering just where that beautiful scene was shot? Well now you can find out all you need to know with just a few clicks!
Famous Locations is a great resourse: search by location or by movie to see pictures and find out about all the locations featured in a film or all the movies or TV programmes made at any particular place. You can also add or edit the info and pictures yourself. It’s free to join. Google Mash Up map technology on location pages enables you to view that location and other locations in the area.
Posted under Movie, Websites, tv showsGroundhog predictions and all, eventually we will get some much needed higher temperatures. In the meantime, try some of my personal favorites to remind you of what it’s like to have a beautiful warm day.
Rosalba is a middle aged housewife on vacation in Italy with her entire family. Through a series of missed connections, she is left behind. She stops off in Venice on her seemingly way home and gradually rents a room, gets a job in a flower shop, and befriends a masseuse and a lonely waiter … (read more)
One rainy day Lottie sees an advertisement in the newspaper. The notice says, “To those who appreciate wisteria and sunshine. Small medieval Italian castle on the shores of the Mediterranean to be let furnished for the month of April…” She is immediately entranced. (read more)
The DVD is being released May 5. Until then, the Library has the VHS.
Meggy is about to turn fifteen. She is eager to experience life, actually a little too enthusiastic. Her Aunt Stefania is almost thirty. She has just split from her boyfriend of eight years. Stefania is going in the opposite direction or her young niece. She is cautious and settling into routines, while Meggy is trailblazing through adolescent. Meggy talks her aunt into vacationing on the Greek island Ios. It is the isle of love. (read more)
This is eye candy at its best. Filmed in Lake Como Italy, the scenery is breathtaking. Vanessa Redgrave plays Miss Bentley, an English spinster vacationing at a hotel on Lake Como in the spring of 1937. (read more)
Illia, a beautiful, free-spirited prostitute is the life and soul of Piraeus. A visiting American scholar named Homer Thrace is looking for the classical Greece that he knows from literature, history, and philosophy books. Homer is disturbed by the idea that such an amazing woman is happy working as a lady of the night, and he decides that Illia should be educated. The results are unexpected and entertaining. (read more)
Want more? See our list of Warm Weather Films.
Posted under Movie, reviewsSeveral notable films are coming out on DVD this week. The Library will be showing Flash of Genius on Friday, February 27th, and Changeling on Friday, March 20th. Both will start at 1:30 PM. You can see more upcoming films by checking out our events calendar.
Scheduled Releases for Feburary 17th, 2009:
Body of Lies (read the book!)
How to Lose Friends and Alienate People (read the book!)
Selected trailers after the jump.
Posted under Movie, movie news
I sing in the Skokie Concert Choir on Monday evenings. At the start of a new season we are given new music. We usually muddle through the first reading of our new pieces and I come home eager to hear what they really should sound like. This time I am looking for the Kyrie from Beethoven’s Mass in C major. I can check the Skokie Public Library catalog to see if we own any recordings of the piece, but the library is closed, so I can’t actually listen to the CD right then and there. I can search www.youtube.com for any live recordings, but the sound quality is usually very poor. However, the wonderful database Classical Music Library is available 24/7 from the Movies and Music research page, under classical music. I put in the keywords: Kyrie, Beethoven, Mass and there it is! I can listen for free to beautiful music in the middle of the night!
Posted under MusicCheck out our latest AV newsletter!
It has romantic comedy movie suggestions, View-a-Likes for Twilight, new DVD and CD releases, and Toby’s Can’t Miss Music Column (it’s really good, read it).
Posted under general, view-a-likes
I tend to enjoy a pretty eclectic mix of films, and my top-5 staff picks do a pretty good job of reflecting that. Whether it’s the critically acclaimed crime drama The Wire, Danny Boyle’s little-seen, strangely meditative sci-fi thriller Sunshine, the hilarious and heartbreaking In Bruges, and the stark black-and-white imagery in Anton Corbjin’s biopic of singer Ian Curtis, Control.
But they all seem downright pedestrian compared to Brand Upon the Brain!, the latest DVD from Canadian auteur Guy Maddin. Please note the exclamation point, because that pretty much describes my reaction to the film.
Maddin presents a wholly handmade sensibility to his work, one that harkens back to the earliest days of cinema. Effects are practical, film speeds are varied, and his use of live foley, orchestration, and title cards create something that feels both timeless and otherworldly.
The story focuses on Maddin’s “remembrance” of his childhood growing up on a small island outside of Winnipeg, where his parents ran an orphanage. Before you start thinking this is a maudlin coming-of-age tale, bear in mind that Maddin’s father is a mad scientist harvesting the orphans’ spinal fluid to create an eternal youth serum for his wife, an attention-starved disciplinarian who communicates with Maddin and his sister via a device that resembles a mix between an early-model shoulder-bag cellular phone and a Victrola.
And did I mention the narration? As a largely silent film, Brand Upon the Brain! features several narration tracks, including Isabella Rossellini, Laurie Anderson, Crispin Glover, and Guy Maddin himself. Suffice it to say, it’s a little strange. But it’s a wholly rewarding cinematic experience.
Posted under MovieQuite a few literary adaptations this week. I’ve included links to the catalog for your convenience.
Set to Release February 10th, 2009:
Miracle at St. Anna (Read the book!)
Nights in Rodanthe (Blu-ray | Soundtrack | Read the book!)
What Just Happened (Read the book!)
Trailers, as always, after the jump.
Posted under Movie, trailersSince Annabelle threw down the gauntlet to blog about our annual “favorite” movie selections, I feel that I must write a few words.
I listed: Flight of the Red Balloon, Frozen River, Happy-Go-Lucky, Nick & Norah’s Infinite Playlist, and Tell No One.
First of all, I decided to include only movies that played in theaters during the year 2008 and released (or pre-ordered) on DVD prior to late December 2008. I did this because I found it almost impossible to make only five selections.
Two titles that I thought were fantastic, but did not include on my picks list are the British mini-series State of Play and the French drama I’ve Loved You So Long. Although State of Play was released on DVD April 2008, it was originally broadcast on Brit TV in 2003. IMHO, this is one the best political/mystery/drama series that I have ever seen. I think that I was on cloud nine for the entire 350 minutes that I watched this. It will be interesting to see how the U.S. feature film starring Russell Crowe and Ben Affleck compares. It will open in theaters this coming April. In regards to the movie I’ve Loved You So Long, the DVD release date (which is 2/10/09) was announced after I submitted my selections. When I saw this movie in the theater, I thought that Kristin Scott Thomas was – well – just incredible. Also, I was completely interested in the plot and the characters. The movie hit all high marks.
Now to what I actually listed:
Flight of the Red Balloon (Le Voyage du Ballon Rouge) – In a way this is a sentimental choice. It pays tribute to the 1956 short film The Red Balloon, something I saw dozens of times as an elementary student. Probably the most recognizable actor in Flight of the Red Balloon is the wonderful Juliette Binoche. But the story mostly focuses on her young son and his babysitter (a student filmmaker), as they create a sort of imaginary world involving a red balloon. Here is the IMDB link, if you want to read a summary or reviews. I liked the story, was intrigued by the characters, and enjoyed the cinematography.
Frozen River – I think that this is independent film making at its best. Here is the IMDB link. The storyline is absorbing and the characters layered. The resolution rings true and not as bleak as one might suppose given the direction of most of the film. Although I read reviews before seeing this movie, my expectations were far exceeded. It really surprised me.
Happy-Go-Lucky - I loved the main character (Poppy) and Sally Hawkins in the title role. Hawkins is fantastic. She maintains so much energy all through the movie, that I wondered how she managed it. She made Poppy, a potentially annoying personality, endearing and vulnerable. The story arc is interesting, well paced, and worthwhile. Here is the IMDB link.
Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist – A smart teen romantic comedy, talented young actors, well-written script with lots of music references, a cool soundtrack … Yeah, that’s why I liked this movie. I enjoyed getting a peek at the independent/underground music/club scene. Also, I’m a fan of the book. So I’m recommending that also. Link to IMDB for more info.
Tell No One (Ne le Dis a Personne) - another French movie. It’s just the way it happened because I don’t necessarily like French films over other foreign language movies. This one is a superb modern film noir. I think that the script, and entire movie for that matter, is near perfect. I was at the edge of my seat, totally engaged through out. This movie is based on Harlan Coben’s mystery. There are a few notable changes from the book, e.g. the ending. I read that the author approved of the film adaptation and liked the changes. I think that it worked terrifically well. Kudos to the director et al! Link to IMDB for more info.
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