The Studio

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki

Not just because it’s Earth Day – really. This comic book series and animated feature length film are highly recommended at any time!  Nausicaä has a strong ecological theme. So it seemed appropriate to write about it today. The message is timeless and important. Read the graphic novels, watch the DVD.

My movie review: In the post-apocalyptic future, pacifist and environmental warrior Princess Nausicaa lives in Valley of the Wind, a small rural territory at the edge of an expanding wasteland. When a ship carrying a weapon from a long-gone industrial age crashes nearby and soldiers come to retrieve the cargo, she and the people of the Valley struggle to prevent conflicting nations from destroying one another and the declining planet.  (read more)

See a selected list of environmental-themed documentaries.

The Oscar-nominated films continue to roll out this week, with the release of Ron Howard’s Frost/Nixon and the Mickey Rourke comeback vehicle The Wrestler. We’ve also got the biopic of Christopher Wallace, aka The Notorious B.I.G., in the film Notorious. Place your reserves and watch the trailers below.

Frost/Nixon (watch the original interviews, or read about the backstory)

Notorious (hear the soundtrack, or check out other Notorious B.I.G. albums)

The Wrestler (hear the soundtrack)

In observance of  - Earth Day – here are some DVD suggestions:

Atmospheres:  Earth, Air, Water

Becoming Green – Growing Environmental Awareness

E²: Energy

Grand Canyon Adventure: River at Risk

Heat

An Inconvenient Truth

Jean-Michel Cousteau Ocean Adventures: Return to the Amazon

Planet Earth

Six Degrees Could Change the World

Song of the Salish Sea

SOS Planet

Who Killed the Electric Car?

It’s National Library Week. Do you have a favorite celluloid librarian?

Here is a selected list of movies and TV shows featuring adventuresome (and sometimes wacky) librarians & archivists:

Buffy the Vampire Slayer (television series). Not Rated. 1997-2003.

The Gun in Betty Lou’s Handbag. PG-13. 1992.

The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice. Not Rated. 2008.

The Librarian: The Quest for the Spear. Not Rated. 2004.

The Librarian: Return to King Solomon’s Mines. Not Rated. 2006.

The Mummy. PG-13. 1999.

Party Girl. R. 1994.

Shooting the Past. Not rated. 1999.

Yeah, I’ve seen all of the above and liked everything. If I have to pick a favorite pretend librarian, I guess it’s Flynn Carsen (played by actor Noah Wyle) in the Librarian made-for-TV movies. But Rupert Giles (played by Anthony Head) of Buffy the Vampire fame is an extremely close second!

See my earlier post about The Librarian as an action hero.

This week sees two major releases, running from Kate Winslet’s Oscar-winning turn in the literary adaptation The Reader, and Sin City creater Frank Miller’s stylized comic-book noir The Spirit. Watch the trailers and place your reserves below.

The Reader (also on Blu-ray, or listen to the score, or read the original novel)

The Spirit

The Library will be showing Woody Allen’s latest film, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, on Friday, April 17 at 1:30pm in the Petty Auditorium. Penelope Cruz won Best Supporting Actress for her role in the film.  Check out the soundtrack or read a short annotation here.

The British miniseries Lost in Austen is being broadcast on PBS this month. I hope that I’m not the only one who finds this exciting news. The Library has ordered the DVD. Reserve it now!

For more viewing ideas,  have a look at our film list – Movies Based on the Works of Jane Austen.

I also recommend watching The Jane Austen Book Club.

Here is a short review: For various reasons, five women and one man start a Jane Austen book group. It’s perfect. There are six books and six people. They agree to discuss one novel a month, and each will take a turn to host the gathering. Amid the confusion and complexity of modern-day relationships, the question is: “What would Jane do?” Based on the book by Karen Joy Fowler. (read more)

See a related Bookshelf post.

Three major new releases this week, ranging from the Oscar-nominated Doubt to the T.D. Jakes adaptation Not Easily Broken to Keanu Reeves’ sci-fi remake The Day the Earth Stood Still. A little something for everyone. Watch trailers and place your reserves below:

The Day the Earth Stood Still (watch the original, or hear the soundtrack)

Doubt (also on Blu-ray, or read the original play)

Not Easily Broken (read the book)

The Library is showing the recent Oscar winner for best documentary feature Man on Wire on Monday, April 13 at 7:00pm in the Petty Auditorium.  Be sure to catch this breathtaking account of Philippe Petit’s daring highwire walk between the World Trade Center twin towers in 1974. Here is a short annotation. The DVD also includes the short animated film The Man Who Walked Between the Towers as a bonus feature.  This was based on a children’s book by the same name.  For further information you may read Philippe Petit’s own account, To Reach The Clouds.

When I think about great action scenes, I immediately think of typing! I’m sure you’ll all agree with me that it doesn’t get much better than a well-executed extreme close-up shot of someone frantically typing away on a keyboard when people’s lives or an important mission are on the line! I came across this video on /film and thought I’d share it here with all you movie lovers!

So, let’s take a vote. Which scene is your favorite? Write-in votes for scenes not in the clip are allowed .

1. The Net
2. War Games
3. The Matrix
4. Transformers
5. Swordfish
6. The Italian Job