Flick Picks 10/29

New this week!

ENTERTAINMENT: Before you vote for president, make sure you cast your vote for this week's DVD release The Campaign. Will Ferrell and Zach Galifianakis star as congressional candidates who are not afraid to get down in the mud. The Campaign is hilarious, timely and you can choose DVD or Blu-ray. A couple of small films are also available this week as well. Safety Not Guaranteed tells the story of journalists who investigate a man who is looking for a partner in time travel. It's a sweet and quirky romantic comedy. Ruby Sparks is another unusual film about a novelist played by Paul Dano who writes about his ideal woman only to see her come to life.

SERIES: There's something a little different from the BBC America as Copper, their first original scripted series, arrives on DVD this week. Copper is about an Irish-American cop in 1860s New York City who is investigating the truth about the disappearance of his wife and the death of his daughter.

SUBTITLED: Polisse is a French police procedural about a team working for the Child Protection Unit of the Parisian police. It won the Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival and was nominated for 13 Cesar Awards.

DOCUMENTARY: First Position is a well-reviewed documentary that follows six young ballet dancers as they compete in the Youth America Grand Prix, the world's most prestigious ballet competition.

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

Modern Horror for Halloween

Last week we listed a number of classic horror flicks that would be perfect for Halloween viewing. We certainly did not want to neglect all of the more recent horror films that are scary, well-made and fun to watch any time of year! Here's a list of some of our favorites:

• The Silence of the Lambs - Not the first Hannibal Lecter film but the first one that most people saw, and probably the best.
• Alien - Of all the films in the Alien franchise, the first remains the most horrific.
• 28 Days Later - Among the best and earliest of the films in the current zombie wave.
• The Sixth Sense - Not necessarily scary, but certainly spooky.
• Let Me In - A remake of a Swedish vampire film that manages to do everything right.
• The Cabin in the Woods - The most recent film on this list, it combines horror, humor and monsters to create a delightful mix!
• The Descent - A claustrophobic take on monsters attacking a cave expedition.

Flick Picks 10/22

New this week!

ENTERTAINMENT: Magic Mike comes home this week and despite its saucy subject matter of male strippers it's a well-made film for both sexes! Director Steven Soderbergh always brings a unique creative touch to his films and this one is no exception. It stars Channing Tatum and Matthew McConaughey and is available on DVD and Blu-ray. Also this week, Seeking a Friend for the End of the World stars Steve Carrell, Keira Knightley and a great supporting cast full of recognizable faces in the story of a man's search for companionship as an asteroid dooms the earth. Take This Waltz is the moving new film from actress/director Sarah Polley. It tells the story of a woman (Michelle Williams) who begins to feel dissatisfaction with her marriage. Finally, if the kids are anxious for more backstory on Tinker Bell, you'll want to pick up The Secret of the Wings.

SERIES: It's not Downton Abbey but if you've got the English class drama itch, season 2 of the updated Upstairs Downstairs is available this week. Also new is season 1 of The Kingdom, which stars Stephen Fry as a country solicitor who is searching for clues to his brother's death.

DOCUMENTARY: New this week, Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide follows several celebrities/advocates including Meg Ryan, Eva Mendes and George Clooney as they try to bring attention to the problems faced by women around the world. It was inspired by Nicholas Kristof and Sheryl WuDunn's bestselling book.

CLASSICS: There's a real treat for cinephiles this week as Stanley Kubrick's first feature film Fear and Desire hits DVD this week. Once thought lost, Fear and Desire is a fictitious war story that is essential to anyone interested in learning more about Kubrick's filmic roots. Another obscure gem arriving this week is John Schlesinger's 1971 film Sunday Bloody Sunday, starring Peter Finch and Glenda Jackson as two Londoners sharing a male lover. Rarely seen, its subject matter truly puts it ahead of its time.

Find all new and upcoming DVDs on Bibliocommons!

Try classic horror for Halloween

Old-school horror films are always entertaining when the ghouls and goblins start going from door to door (and any other time of the year as well!) We've got some great spooky choices from our classic movie collection to get you in the Halloween mood. None of these cost anything to check out. And by the way...BOO!

• Frankenstein
• The Bride of Frankenstein
• The Invisible Man
• The Wolf Man
• Invasion of the Body Snatchers
• Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
• The Birds
• The Stepford Wives
• Rosemary's Baby
• The Bad Seed

Flick Picks 10/15

New This Week!

ENTERTAINMENT: On an island off of New England, two 12 year olds fall in love and decide to run away in Moonrise Kingdom, Wes Anderson's latest quirky comic film. Some Anderson regulars return and there are some new faces as well in a cast that includes Bill Murray, Bruce Willis, Tilda Swinton and Edward Norton. Critics are calling it his best film, which is amazing considering that he has created other fabulous films including Rushmore, The Royal Tenenbaums and The Darjeeling Limited. We've got it on DVD and Blu-ray.

Our other big releases this week include that madcap group of exotic animals that return to wreak havoc in Europe in Madagascar 3. And speaking of wreaking havoc, Adam Sandler returns home to meet (and corrupt) his son Andy Sandberg in That's My Boy. Finally, if you're looking for something a little bit out of the mainstream, Last Ride stars the talented Hugo Weaving as a father who is forced to take his 10 year old son on the run after committing a heinous crime.

SERIES: There's only one American series coming out on DVD this week but it's a biggie. Yes, Don Draper and crew return for more retro fun in season 5 of Mad Men.

SUBTITLED: The Forgiveness of Blood is about a carefree Albanian teenager who becomes involved in a village dispute that threatens his life. Also, another great, unusual French thriller arrives in Nobody Else But You, which tells the story of an author's attempt to uncover the truth behind a local beauty's suicide.

PERFORMING ARTS: Director Jonathan Demme captures introspective interviews and solo live performances in Neil Young: Journeys.

You can find all of our new and forthcoming DVDs in Bibliocommons!

Remembering the Holocaust

On Sunday, October 21st at 3:00 at we will be screening the film Refuge: Stories of the Selfhelp Home, which tells about the last generation of Holocaust survivors in Chicago. We have a number of outstanding, powerful documentaries about Holocaust survivors in our collection that are also worth your time.

• Last Stop Kew Gardens profiles an area in the heart of New York City that became the American home for Holocaust survivors.
• Shanghai Ghetto is the story of thousands of Jews who escaped the Nazis by heading to Shanghai.
• Steal a Pencil for Me shows how a concentration camp prisoner attempts to keep his emotional strength by writing love letters.
• A Small Act tells of a Holocaust survivor who became a sponsor of a young Kenyan student.
• Into the Arms of Strangers is about the 10,000 children rescued from the Holocaust and brought to Great Britain.

There are many more well made Holocaust documentaries available in Bibliocommons.

Flick Picks 10/8

New This Week!

ENTERTAINMENT: This week's new releases will blow your mind and your speakers. Prometheus was one of the most talked about and controversial movies of the summer. A prequel to the Alien franchise, Prometheus follows a group of space explorers as they attempt to find the origins of humanity. Director Ridley Scott has created a visually stunning film that is available on DVD and Blu-ray. If sci-fi is not your cup of tea you might enjoy Rock of Ages, based on the rock and roll stage show. Tom Cruise leads and all-star cast in a film that works in a bit of plot in-between extravagant recreations of hair metal classics.

Also available this week is The Raven, starring John Cusack in a fictionalized account of Edgar Allan Poe as a murder investigator. The Giant Mechanical Man is a charming indie love story starring The Office's Jenna Fischer as a a woman who falls in love with a street performer and struggles to make the relationship work and overcome her meddling sister. Finally, if you're an animation fan or francophile you'll want to see A Cat in Paris, a beautiful hand-drawn film that earned an Oscar nomination for best animated feature.

SERIES: Our sole tv release this week is the seventh season of the long-running forensic investigator show Bones.

You can find all of our new releases in our Bibliocommons catalog.

It's Opera Season!

We've been anxiously tapping our toes, playing our cds and waiting for the new season of Lyric Opera. And now it's finally here! But if you can't make a show, need a refresher or want an encore then we offer DVD performances of most of the shows. Here's the list:

Elektra
Simon Boccanegra
Werther
Don Pasquale
Hansel and Gretel
La Boheme
Die Meistersinger von Nürnberg
Rigoletto
A Streetcar Named Desire
Oklahoma!

Monday at the Movies
The Kid With a Bike is the story of a troubled 11-year old boy, abandoned by his father, whose search for his stolen bike brings him into the life of a kind hairdresser. It was the winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival and a Golden Globe nominee for Best Foreign Language Film. We'll be showing The Kid With a Bike on October 15th at 1:00 and 7:00 at the Women's Library Club at 325 Tudor Court.

Flick Picks 10/1

New This Week!

ENTERTAINMENT: This week, Tim Burton rehabilitates another old television show with his tongue-in-cheek remake of Dark Shadows. Johnny Depp stars as vampire Barnabas Collins, waking from his eternal slumber in 1972. He joins up with his remaining descendants (including Michelle Pfeiffer and Jonny Lee Miller) and combats his former lover who entombed him in the first place. It dances between funny and dark in what can only be described as a Burtonesque way. We've got it on DVD and Blu-ray. Also out this week is People Like Us, starring Chris Pine and Elizabeth Banks as estranged siblings who reconnect when their father dies.

SERIES:
There are two brand new British imports this week for you to explore. Vexed is a British take on the buddy cop series, with two bickering police officers investigating a variety of cases. A darker series is Kidnap and Ransom which revolves around a brash kidnapping negotiator who uses unconventional tactics to bring victims home.

The acclaimed new Emmy-nominated series New Girl, starring Zooey Deschanel, also arrives on DVD this week as does season 7 of How I Met Your Mother. Finally, if you can't get enough of slaves to fashion Edina and Patsy, you'll want to pick up the brand new Absolutely Fabulous: 20th Anniversary Specials. It contains three brand new episodes including one that takes on the 2012 Olympics.

SUBTITLED: Free Men tells the little known story of a Mosque in Paris that sheltered Jews in World War II. It's suspenseful and gritty as it tells a truly unique piece of history.

Be sure to check out Bibliocommons for all of our upcoming releases!

Can't Get Enough of Politics?

The Ides of March, shown at our most recent Talking Pictures program, is one of the best political thrillers we've seen in recent years. After you watch the debate, you just might be hungry for some more movies about American politics. Here are some of the best that we carry:

The Manchurian Candidate - stars Frank Sinatra as a political candidate who becomes brainwashed to be an assassin.
All The President's Men - the classic true story of the reporters who dug up the Watergate scandal.
Absolute Power - Clint Eastwood directed and stars in this thriller about a reporter who sees a crime involving the president. Based on a David Baldacci book.
All the King's Men - Based on the real-life Louisiana governor Huey Long, this tells the story of a politician's rise to power.
Thirteen Days - the story of the Cuban Missile Crisis from the perspective of one of his aides.
The Contender - following the death of the vice-president, a female senator is nominated as his replacement. Her political enemies try to bring her down with a sex scandal.
Advise and Consent - Henry Fonda is the newly nominated secretary of state who must first survive the nomination process, in the process of which much dirt is dug up.