The Studio

We are excited to be a part of Coming Together in Skokie, the Village’s new community cultural celebration. Through a multi-agency partnership, Coming Together in Skokie seeks to build knowledge, awareness, and appreciation of our diverse backgrounds by highlighting one culture each year in a series of educational, literary, and culinary events. The 2010 focus is the Asian Indian population, with dozens of events scheduled throughout the community until mid-March. As part of the festivities, we’ve got several cinematic offerings over the next month.

On Monday, February 15th, we’ll be showing Bride and Prejudice in the Petty Auditorium at 7PM. A Bollywood-style movie based on Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice. When Lalita Bakshi (played by international star Aishwarya Rai) meets wealthy American businessman William Darcy, sparks begin to fly. Meanwhile, Lalita’s mother is determined to arrange advantageous marriages for all of her daughters. Is it love or not? You decide. Also starring Martin Henderson. Directed by Gurinder Chadha, who directed Bend it Like Beckham.

Jane Austen aficionados, take note: Emma, too, is being remade à la Bollywood. According to The Bollywood Ticket, “Emma” will become “Aisha” and will be set in contemporary Delhi. Aisha will be played by Slumdog Millionaire star Anil Kapoor’s daughter, Sonam Kapoor. (Sorry, no news yet when the movie will be available in the U.S. or at the Library, but you know we’ll keep you posted.)

Speaking of The Bollywood Ticket, We’re bringing site creator Jennifer Hopfinger to the Library on Wednesday, February 10 at 7pm. She’ll be bringing the inside scoop for anyone looking to learn more about India’s incredible (and incredibly prolific) film industry. To register, visit the Library’s events calendar.

Coming Together in Skokie is not just about the movies. We’ve got a host of other programs, performances, and discussions exploring the culture of India. Visit our Coming Together in Skokie website for the full list of programs and how you can participate.

The Big Bang Theory

The more I watch this television series, the more I like it! In a nutshell, roommates Sheldon and Leonard are 20 something Caltech professors/researchers who truly make geekiness very funny. Sheldon was a child prodigy and now is a theoretical physicist. Leonard is an experimental physicist. Their best friends Rajesh, an astrophysicist, and Howard, an engineer, add a lot of quirky humor. Penny, the attractive Cheesecake Factory waitress next door, is a fantastic foil to her oftentimes socially inept, SF/fantasy, comic book loving neighbors. She may not have the type of smarts that Sheldon and Leonard do, but she’s not a dumb bunny either. She can get to the heart of a matter pretty quickly. The relationship triangle is worth many laughs and rings true through all the comedic twists. The series is well written and original.

Coco before Chanel

I suppose that several events and people are fictionalized; nonetheless the life of Coco Chanel is an interesting story. I like the way the movie shows her faults, strengths, failures, successes, and influences. I think that Audrey Tautou is perfectly cast, and all the other actors do a great job. The costumes are excellent, as are the sets. I don’t know anything about the fashion world or clothing styles. But I do like this story about a strong woman, who was a true original, making a success from difficult circumstances.

New York, I Love You

A collection of love stories set in New York, this movie has a light touch. In truth, it has gotten mixed reviews, but for me it struck the right note. I enjoyed all the segments and seeing different directors with varied styles. I liked all the actors and have to say that Julie Christie was a standout. I recommend watching this movie and Paris, Je T’Aime as a double feature.

Ponyo

Loved it! The animation is stunning. The story is sweet and with substance. It’s great that Hayao Miyazaki does not back away from important issues (for example environmental/pollution), but still manages to create a movie that can be enjoyed by young, old, and those in-between. He is a master craftsman & it’s refreshing that Studio Ghibli produces such high quality, hand drawn work amidst all the computer-generated animation out there today. I highly recommend Miyazaki’s other films: Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Porco Rosso, Kiki’s Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, Castle in the Sky, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, and The Castle of Cagliostro.

Star Trek

Oh, why not for a year end favorite. In my youth, I was a fan of the original TV series. I even went to a few Star Trek conventions. I’m pleased that the storyline got a back-story, so to speak. Perhaps this is not a “great” movie. But it’s a really, really good movie. I loved that Leonard Nimoy had a part and found many of his scenes quite touching. The casting worked all around. For instance, Karl Urban nailed the part of Bones. Bruce Greenwood was great as Captain Pike. Eric Bana did a noteworthy job as the villain, Nero. It was a stroke of genius to have Simon Pegg play Scotty. Chris Pine made an excellent young Kirk. It took me a little time to get used to Zachary Quinto as Spock. By the middle of the movie, I was OK with it. The movie scores high points for the cinematography, special effects, and overall production.

(Editor’s Note: every year at the Library staff are asked to submit a list of their favorite books, DVDs, and albums. These can be materials that came out before 2009, as long as they came to discover them in the past year. We’ve invited everyone to elaborate on their choices. Look for additional blog pieces in the weeks to come. -TG)

Emma by Jane Austen has been adapted again for the screen. This latest version stars Romola Garai and Jonny Lee Miller. The matchmaking began last night and continues the next two Sundays. After that, Masterpiece Classic on PBS has encore presentations of Northanger Abbey and Persuasion. Check your local TV listings for the broadcast schedule.  Keep in mind that the Library has ordered the DVD for the collection.  You can always find more – see our list of movies based on books by Jane Austen.  And don’t miss the PBS web page for info on the new Emma miniseries.

My thoughts so far – I love it! But I like all the Emmas .

Anybody who doesn’t mind watching movies on a computer screen should navigate over to Speedcine.com.  Speedcine’s purpose is simple, to search  many movie databases to find a particular movie.  Best of all it searches free resources such as Hulu as well as paid ones like Amazon.  Now you are not going to find a free version of recently released movies such as Avatar or movies recently released to DVD such as the Hangover.  But you will find movies such as Supersize Me and The Naked Gun 33 1/3.

My preference is to click on a letter, click on only free movies, and scroll through to till I find something interesting.

Victor Wooten is a bass player extraordinaire.  He regularly plays with Bela Fleck as one of the Flecktones, but he also performs solo. It is the solo outings that are totally innovative and surprising  His true home may be funk, but he can explore in a wide span of genres. Palmystery is his most recent CD.

Pianist Alicia De Larrocha died this past year.  Accomplished in the classical repertory, she is the supreme interpreter of the Spanish composers Granados and Albeniz.  As a tribute to her I’ve been listening to Iberia constantly.

Vijay Iyer has been getting a lot of positive press in the jazz world. I picked Tragicomic as one of my picks for 2009 before The Chicago Tribune chose it as “one of the most significant cultural events of the decade.” If you like jazz, check it out.

(Editor’s Note: every year at the Library staff are asked to submit a list of their favorite books, DVDs, and albums. These can be materials that came out before 2009, as long as they came to discover them in the past year. We’ve invited everyone to elaborate on their choices. Look for additional blog pieces in the weeks to come. -TG)

Cecilia’s DVD picks

Cecilia is a librarian in the AV and Readers’ Services department. Click the links to find the items in the catalog.

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (also available on Blu-ray)

Inspector Lewis: Series 2

Set in Oxford, Lewis is once again on the trail of England’s murderers…but instead of playing foot soldier to Morse…this time, Lewis is the top dog. ALMOST as good as the original.

Incendiary

A strong, powerful film that tells the story of a mother and wife who loses her family in a terrorist bombing in London. The grief…the anger…the loss is almost terrible to watch at times. Based on a novel by Chris Cleave.

WWII Behind Closed Doors: Stalin, the Nazis and the West

A well-done documentary about the days before, during and after WWII…with Stalin leading the Soviet Union with an iron fist. For everyone – not just intense history buffs!

Tell No One

Based on the Harlan Coben book, this French film tells the story of a man who sees his dead wife and vows to get to the bottom of her mysterious and possibly fake death. VERY moving and adapted perfectly.

What are your favorite DVDs of the year? Please let us know in the comments!