Flick Picks 9/24

New this week!

ENTERTAINMENT: Iron Man! Thor! The Hulk! Captain America! Throw 'em in a blender and what do you have? A superhero smoothie that has also become the highest grossing movie of 2012! Directed with a sure hand and sense of humor by Joss Whedon, The Avengers is a big-budget extravaganza that never forgets that it's supposed to be fun. We have it on DVD and Blu-ray. For something a little bit more low-key try Damsels in Distress, the latest from Metropolitan and Last Days of Disco director Whit Stillman. It's a literate, urbane comedy about the interactions between a group of young women at an Ivy League college.

SERIES: The long-awaited FX series American Horror Story finally premieres on DVD this week. Jessica Lange won a Golden Globe award for her portrayal of the neighbor of the haunted house that welcomes new residents Dylan McDermott and Connie Britton. It was co-created by Ryan Murphy who also had a hand in the creation of Glee. Season 2 of the hipster comedy series Portlandia is also out this week.

There also some quality offerings for fans of British television. The Crimson Petal & The White is a four-part BBC series that approaches Gothic melodrama in tone as it follows a Victorian prostitute as she searches for a better life. Among the exciting cast are Gillian Anderson and Richard E. Grant. Also out this week are 3 episodes of the Kenneth Branagh Wallander series as well as season 8 of the detective drama New Tricks.

SUBTITLED: Arriving from France this week is Goodbye First Love, about a young girl who falls in love with an older boy who then leaves to travel through South America. Eight years later he returns to a much more fully formed woman and their relationship resumes. Or if a bad taste comedy is more of your style, try the Danish film Klown which follows two friends in their raunchy adventures through the Danish countryside.

All of our upcoming releases can be found in Bibliocommons.

Primetime Emmy Winners
It's the time of the year when the best of television is honored! We own many of the winners so this is a great excuse to try a new show! Here are the multiple award winning shows that we own (number of awards in parentheses).

Homeland (6)
Game of Thrones (6)
Modern Family (5)
Hatfields & McCoys (5)
Boardwalk Empire (4)
Frozen Planet (4)
Great Expectations (4)
Downton Abbey (3)
American Horror Story (2)
George Harrison: Living in the Material World (2)

Talking Pictures Program

At our October 3rd Talking Pictures program we'll be screening The Ides of March, followed by a discussion led by Susan Benjamin. The Ides of March stars George Clooney as a presidential candidate and Ryan Gosling as his idealistic press secretary. The program takes place at 1:00.

Flick Picks 9/17

New This Week!

ENTERTAINMENT: There are lots of fun little films coming out this week, some of which may have missed your radar. The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel is the real charmer of the bunch, telling the story of British retirees who decide to move to India. The place they choose to live is the hotel of the title, which is more rundown than advertised. With an all-star British cast of Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson, Maggie Smith and Bill Nighy you are sure to find something to enjoy in this fun film!

If you need something a little more intense you might want to try The Cabin in the Woods, which takes the well worn genre of kids being stalked by a killer in a desolate location and turns it on its head. Joss Whedon, who recently achieved big screen success with The Avengers, produced this film and kept it creative, fun and loyal to the horror/slasher genre.

Also this week, Hysteria is a romantic comedy starring Maggie Gyllenhaal and Hugh Dancy in the story of one of the most important inventions of the 19th century. Detachment stars Adrien Brody as a burned out teacher who becomes a role model to students at an urban high school. Finally, if you enjoyed the quirky and charming Jeff, Who Lives at Home, you might also like Do-Deca-Pentathalon, which was also directed by the same Duplass brothers. It is a comedy about a pair of brothers who compete in their own 25 event Olympics.

SERIES: The third season of the beloved series Modern Family is our one arrival this week.

SUBTITLED: The Italian film We Have a Pope is an insightful gentle comedy about a Cardinal who is promoted to Pope despite not wanting the job. He calls in an unusual psychiatrist to help him work through his doubts. The Salt of Life follows an Italian retiree as he tries to liven up his love life outside of his marriage. It's from the same director as Mid-August Lunch, so if you liked that sweet comedy you should also give this one a try!

PERFORMING ARTS: Katy Perry: Part of Me is an entertaining profile of the popular singer's life, with concert footage as well. The preteens are sure to enjoy it while their parents might even be pleasantly surprised to find out that there is some depth on display here.

All of our new and upcoming releases can be found in Bibliocommons.

Monday Night at the Movies

We will be showing the French language film Monsieur Lazhar at our next Monday Night at the Movies program, on September 24th at 1:00 and 7:00. It tells the story of an Algerian immigrant who takes over for a popular elementary school teacher in Montreal. Our Monday Night at the Movies are screened at the Women's Library Club at 325 Tudor Court.


Great Courses on DVD
Many of you enjoy listening to our Great Courses series of lectures on CD while you are driving or working out. Unfortunately, when it comes to art lectures you are missing out by not being able to see the works being discussed. We've now solved that problem by offering a number of art-related Great Courses on DVD. Here's what's available:

• The World's Greatest Paintings
• Museum Masterpieces: The Louvre
• Museum Masterpieces: The National Gallery, London
• Museum Masterpieces: The Metropolitan Museum of Art
• Masterworks of American Art: Music and Fine Arts
• The Genius of Michelangelo
• Dutch Masters: The Age of Rembrandt
• Great Artists of the Italian Renaissance
• From Monet to Van Gogh: A History of Impressionism

Flick Picks 9/10

New This Week!

ENTERTAINMENT: It's Snow White as you've never seen her as Snow White and the Huntsman arrives on DVD and Blu-ray. This adult take on the classic fairytale stars Kristen Stewart and Chris Hemsworth in the title roles and was a major box office success. Also available this week is What to Expect When You're Expecting, a romantic comedy with a great comic cast of Cameron Diaz, Jennifer Lopez and Elizabeth Banks.

SERIES: It's another good week for tv series fans as the shows continue to roll out on DVD. If you're looking for a laugh, you might want to grab season six of 30 Rock or season five of The Big Bang Theory. Mystery lovers will want to get their hands on the fourth season of the police comedy-drama Castle, starring Nathan Fillion as mystery-loving author Richard Castle. Also arriving is the police drama second season of Blue Bloods, starring Tom Selleck as the head of a family of New York cops. Finally, the Starz series Spartacus: Vengeance returns with a new actor in the title role.

You can always visit Bibliocommons to see what is new and upcoming!

Remembering 9/11
It's hard to believe that it's been ten years since the attacks of  9/11, as that day remains a vivid memory for most of us. There have been a number of quality films made about the terror attacks in the years since 9/11. United 93, made by the talented Paul Greengrass, is a documentary-like look at the morning of 9/11, even casting many of the people involved as themselves to heighten the reality. Oliver Stone's World Trade Center tells the true story of the firefighters who responded to the twin towers after they were struck. Oscar nominee Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, based on the novel by Jonathan Safran Foer, tells the story of a boy searching for information about a key that he found that belonged his father who was killed in the terrorist attacks. There is also an excellent documentary entitled 102 Minutes That Changed America that uses footage filmed by New Yorkers to immerse its viewers in the chaos of the morning.

Flick Picks 9/3

New This Week

ENTERTAINMENT: The Five-Year Engagement stars Emily Blunt and Jason Segal as a couple who experience nothing but problems on the way to the altar. It was directed by Nicholas Stoller, who made Forgetting Sarah Marshall (also starring Segal) and will appeal to those of you who enjoy Apatovian humor, particularly since Judd Apatow was a producer.

SERIES: It's a fantastic week for those of you who have been waiting for your favorite tv shows to arrive on DVD. The 8th season of the always popular medical melodrama Grey's Anatomy is here, as is season 3 of the courtroom drama The Good Wife. If you're looking for a laugh, you'll want to grab season 4 of Parks and Recreation or season 8 of The Office.

Premium cable is also represented this week with the return of everybody's favorite male prostitute, Ray Drecker, in the third and final season of HBO's Hung. Also wrapping up its run is Bored to Death, the charming private eye comedy starring Jason Schwartzman, Ted Danson and Zach Galifianakis.

Finally, Young James Herriot is a three episode BBC series that traces the early days of veterinary surgeon James Herriot. If you've seen All Creatures Great and Small and you're curious about Herriot's adventures as a veterinary student, you won't want to miss this.

You  can see all of our new and upcoming releases in Bibliocommons.

Labor Day Movies

Did you enjoy your day off? Are you ready to continue celebrating the working man and woman? Why not try one of these films? Office Space is the modern comedy classic story of a man who decides to do nothing at work and is subsequently promoted to management. Horrible Bosses is the hilarious tale of three friends who decide to bump off their employers. On a more serious note, On the Waterfront details the story of longshoremen who try to stand up to their corrupt union bosses. And if you haven't seen The Grapes of Wrath recently this is a great chance to remind yourself of how difficult life was for migrant workers during the Great Depression.