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Archive for the ‘general’ Category

Nov-6-2009

Off the top

Sometimes it’s fun to make lists. Does anyone have a list to share? We want to know.

My top five foreign films:

Beauty and the Beast

The Best of Youth

Chungking Express

Pan’s Labyrinth

Princess Mononoke

My top five teen flicks:

Gregory’s Girl

Juno

Never Been Kissed

Some Kind of Wonderful

10 Things I Hate About You

My top five movies about food:

Babette’s Feast

Chocolat

Eat Drink Man Woman

Mostly Martha

Tortilla Soup

My top five documentaries:

Ansel Adams

It Might Get Loud

Sicko

The Story of the Weeping Camel

Who Killed the Electric Car?


Posted under Movie, general
Oct-12-2009

With the approach of Halloween …

any favorite horror movies??

Back in my days of undergraduate studies, I remember being freaked out by the movie An American Werewolf in London. True, I had mononucleosis at the time & it probably didn’t take much to rattle me. The Library has the original DVD release and the 2009 “full moon” edition with a bonus disc. Take your pick!

More recently, I totally recommend three films directed by Guillermo del Toro: Cronos, The Devil’s Backbone, and Pan’s Labyrinth.

For a classic movie and a little beyond, try the 1922 vampire film Nosferatu, the 1979 re-make, and then Shadow of the Vampire.

If you’re feeling musical go with Tim Burton’sThe Nightmare Before Christmas and Corpse Bride.

Last but not least, fun for all ages (i.e. 5-year-olds & kids at heart), I loved the DVD Shaun the Sheep: Little Sheep of Horrors.

shaun the sheep

Posted under Movie, directors, general
May-14-2009

Poirot on screen

Which actor do you like as Hercule Poirot?

finney malinasuchet-2ustinov

In June, catch David Suchet on Masterpiece Mystery! in two new Poirot episodes.

poirot-3

Albert Finney

Alfred Molina

David Suchet

Peter Ustinov

Posted under Movie, books to film, general, tv shows
May-11-2009

Award-winning series

wallender

Attention Masterpiece Mystery! fans. Did you catch the first installment of the three-part series, Wallander, starring Kenneth Branagh as the troubled Swedish detective? Any comments?

FYI, these are based on the popular books by Henning Mankell. The first episode, Sidetracked, aired locally on PBS this past Sunday night. It is being re-run Tuesday, May 12th at 2:30am. The next episode is Firewall. It airs Sunday, May 17 at 8:00pm and again Wednesday, May 20th at 2:30am. The third episode, One Step Behind, is scheduled for Sunday, May 31st at 8:00pm. The Library has orderd the DVD. If you missed out, reserve it now.

Posted under Movies & Music, books to film, general, tv shows
May-5-2009

New DVD Releases: Week of May 5th, 2009

Two major releases – both dealing with relationships – come out on DVD this week. We’ve got trailers for you, and links to place your holds.

Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson show off fantastic chemistry in Last Chance Harvey.

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We also have Brad Pitt and Cate Blanchett in David Fincher’s opus The Curious Case of Benjamin Button. This decade-spanning love story is (loosely) based on the short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald, and garnered a whopping 13 Academy Award nominations. (It brought three home.)

YouTube Preview Image

If you can’t wait to see the film, it’s playing at the Library on Friday, May 8th at 1:30. Alexandre Desplat’s sweeping soundtrack is also available.

Posted under events, general
May-3-2009

Miss Marple!

Do you have a favorite cinematic Miss Marple? Check out the possibilities.

marplemcewan1 marplehelenhayesmarple21marplerutherford

Geraldine McEwan

Helen Hayes

Joan Hickson

Margaret Rutherford

Catch new Marple episodes starring Julia McKenzie on PBS, starting this July as part of the Masterpiece Mystery series. (P.S. the Library does not have these yet on DVD. Stay tuned.)

marple3

Posted under Movies & Music, actors, general
Apr-22-2009

Environmental issues explored via graphic novels & animated movie

Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind by Hayao Miyazaki

nausicaa1Not 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.

Posted under Movie, general, reviews
Apr-21-2009

EARTH Day EARTH Day EARTH Day EARTH Day EARTH Day EARTH Day

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?

Posted under general
Apr-14-2009

Librarians in movies and TV shows (we’re everywhere)

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.

Posted under Movie, general, tv shows
Apr-8-2009

A visit to Jane Austen land

lost-in-austen-pic

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.

jane-austen-book-club-pic

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.

Posted under Movies & Music, general, movie news, reviews, view-a-likes