Flick Picks 3/26/13: Lincoln, Les Miserables, Parental Guidance

New This Week:

ENTERTAINMENT: He's not just one of our most exceptional presidents, he's a movie star as well! Steven Spielberg's Lincoln focuses on one particular time period in Abraham Lincoln's presidency, as he tries to pass the 13th Amendment while the Civil War rages. Daniel Day-Lewis won his third Oscar for his remarkable turn as our 16th President and the supporting cast of Sally Field, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and James Spader also shines. We've got it on DVD and Blu-ray. Another slice of history, albeit one with a lot more singing, is covered in Les Miserables, the latest adaptation of the Broadway musical. Russell Crowe is Inspector Javert, hunting down former thief Hugh Jackman, while Anne Hathaway plays poor unwed mother Fantine. Les Mis was nominated for two Oscars, features a new song and is available on both DVD and Blu-ray.

Also this week, Billy Crystal and Bette Midler star in the wacky family comedy Parental Guidance, playing old-fashioned grandparents who get to babysit the grandkids that they barely know. Also, the gritty Killing Them Softly features Brad Pitt as a mob enforcer who is brought in to restore order after a criminal-protected card game is robbed.

SERIES: If you found the most recent Papal conclave a little boring then pick up season 2 of Showtime's The Borgias for some back-stabbing and manipulation. Jeremy Irons is brilliant as the controversial Rodrigo Borgia. For something a little lighter, check out Julia Louis-Dreyfus in her Emmy-winning role as the US Vice-President in Veep.

SUBTITLED: After The Wedding's Mads Mikkelsen returns in A Royal Affair, the true story of an 18th century Danish physician who falls in love with a queen and brings radical ideas to the nation. All Together Now is a French comedy starring Geraldine Chaplin and Jane Fonda (in a French-language role) as members of a group of five seventy-something friends who all decide to move in with one another.

DOCUMENTARY: In Shakespeare Uncovered, a number of Shakespeare aficionados (including Derek Jacobi, Jeremy Irons and Joely Richardson) explore the background behind the creation of some of Shakespeare's greatest plays. It's a six-part series that originally aired on PBS and will be enjoyed by any lover of The Bard.

PERFORMING ARTS: Levon Helm, the drummer from The Band, died nearly a year ago and many of his musician friends got together to perform a tribute/benefit concert in his memory. The resulting Love for Levon features Gregg Allman, John Hiatt, Joe Walsh, Roger Waters, John Mayer and more, performing songs by The Band and others.

Women's History Month

Did you know that March is Women's History Month in the United States? We have many interesting documentary DVDs that explore issues of interest to women (and men too!)

• Explore how advertising's images of women affects society with Miss Representation, which originally appeared on Oprah Winfrey's OWN network. Also available on the same subject is Killing Us Softly 4: Advertising's Image of Women.
• The Bro Code looks at the many ways that our culture produces sexist men.
• It's hard to imagine that it was not until 100 years that women gained the right to vote. Not for Ourselves Alone is the story of  Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan Anthony's fight for equality.
• Half the Sky, a companion to the book of the same name, features six advocates for women's rights who fight for them worldwide.
• The empowerment of Afghan women is explored in The Beauty Academy of Kabul, a look at Western hairstylists who open a beauty school in the title city.
• The pink ribbons campaign against breast cancer is perhaps the most well-known campaign of its kind but it's not without controversy. Pink Ribbons, Inc. explores how corporations have adopted this campaign yet continue to produce products that may contribute to the problem itself.
• Romance novels are eternally popular. Explore the world of the people who read them in Guilty Pleasures.

Flick Picks 3/19/13: The Hobbit, Zero Dark 30, This is 40

New This Week!

ENTERTAINMENT: Zero Dark Thirty was shut out at the Oscars (though it had 5 nominations) but was certainly one of the more buzzed-about and controversial movies of the year. It tells the story of the hunt for Osama Bin Laden, focusing on one CIA officer's (played by Jessica Chastain) persistence. It's available on DVD and Blu-ray. Also this week, everybody's favorite hairy-footed protagonist Bilbo Baggins get his own adventure in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the first part of Peter Jackson's most recent attempt at adapting the J.R.R. Tolkien oeuvre. Martin Freeman is the title character and Ian McKellen reprises his Lord of the Rings role of Gandalf. We've got it on DVD and Blu-ray. The other big release this week is This is 40, Judd Apatow's latest comedic look at adulthood. Paul Rudd and Leslie Mann's Knocked Up characters turn 40 while balancing their careers, children and relationship. It too is available on both DVD and Blu-ray.

A couple movies that you might not have heard of also come out this week. The comedy Bachelorette has a great cast of Kirsten Dunst, Lizzy Caplan and Isla Fisher as bridesmaids looking for fun on the night before their friend's wedding. Also this week, the always delightful Parker Posey stars in Price Check as the new boss who pulls one of her executives into her crazy life.

SERIES: A Mind to Kill is a gritty Welsh import about a brilliant detective who seeks to protect his daughter from the criminal world that he knows all too well.

SUBTITLED: Marion Cotillard's latest French language role is in Rust and Bone, about a woman who loses the use of her legs in a tragic accident and becomes romantically involved with a Belgian boxer. The Other Son is a drama about two young men, one Israeli and one Palestinian, whose families must deal with the consequences when they discover that the boys were switched at birth. Finally, Catherine Deneuve fans (and who is not a Deneuve fan?) will enjoy having 1970's Tristana, directed by Luis Bunuel, finally available on DVD. It explores the relationship between Deneuve's character and an older man (Fernando Rey).

DOCUMENTARY: In Search of Memory is the story of Eric Kandel, a neurologist whose pioneering work on memory as well as his personal ties to Judaism are explored. Or try Kumare which follows an American filmmaker who transforms himself into a "guru". Initially simply inspired to teach a lesson about blind faith, he ends up forming bonds with some of his followers which leads him to question his experiment.

Art on DVD
After enjoying our Picasso program this week, you just might feel inspired to learn more about your favorite artists. Luckily we've got a DVD collection that supports your needs!

• Simon Schama is a well-known art historian whose Power of Art series focuses on 8 iconic works and the time in history that helped produce them.
• The Great Courses set The World's Greatest Paintings consists of 24 lectures of 30 minutes each that is like having a college course in your own living room.
• The Landmarks of Western Art series is another long survey of art throughout history.
• Art expert Sister Wendy is well represented the four discs of Sister Wendy: The Complete Collection.
• Explore the history and art within one of the world's great art museums with the Hermitage Masterpieces set.
• There are also many videos on impressionism and post-impressionism, such as From Monet to Van Gogh as well as individual artists such as Monet, Seurat, Rousseau and Cezanne.  

Flick Picks 3/12/13: Life of Pi, Hitchcock, Rise of the Guardians,

New This Week

ENTERTAINMENT: Which film won four Oscars and costars a computer generated Bengal tiger? Life of Pi, which arrives on DVD and Blu-ray this week. Directed by Oscar winner Ang Lee, Life of Pi is mysterious, metaphorical and visually stunning. It's based on the Yann Martel novel and wowed audiences worldwide. In our other major release this week, Anthony Hopkins plays Alfred Hitchcock in the film of the same last name. Helen Mirren stars as his wife Alma and the film is centered on their relationship during the filming of Psycho. We've got it on DVD and Blu-ray.

There are other interesting options this week as well. Smashed has Mary Elizabeth Winstead and Breaking Bad's Aaron Paul in the story of a woman who joins Alcoholics Anonymous and is forced to reevaluate her life and relationships after she becomes sober. This Must be the Place provides an unusual role for Sean Penn as a heavy eyeliner-wearing former glam rocker who launches on a road trip following his father's death. Finally, the kids won't want to miss Rise of the Guardians, the animated tale of a group of characters well-known to children (Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, the Tooth Fairy) who battle the boogeyman.

SERIES: New from the BBC is Ripper Street, in which the toughest group of policemen in Victorian England   try to maintain order in post-Jack the Ripper London and keep organized crime under control. Also new is Thorne, a British import starring David Morrissey as detective Tom Thorne, an out-of-the-box thinker who investigates murders while dealing with his own personal demons. It's based on two novels by Mark Billingham.

DOCUMENTARY: David Grohl, drummer from Foo Fighters and Nirvana, makes his directorial debut with Sound City, which tells about the studio of the same name in which hits from Neil Young, Johnny Cash, Fleetwood Mac and Metallica and more were recorded. Many musicians contributed to this film, which is a must-see for popular music lovers. A can't miss DVD for Downton Abbey lovers is the PBS special Secrets of Highclere Castle, which takes you inside the castle that is the real-life setting for the series.

This is Not a Film is the look at Iraninan director Jafar Panahi's house arrest. Shot clandestinely on an iPhone, the film captures Panahi's day-to-day life. It was smuggled out of Iran (in a cake!) for late entry into Cannes and is a fascinating thought piece on politics and filmmaking. Also, learn the story of Donald Trump's attempt to build a golf course in Scotland and the local homeowners who took him on in You've Been Trumped. Finally, chock full of old photos and recordings, Sholem Aleichem: Laughing in the Darkness tells the story of the great Jewish writer whose words inspired Fiddler on the Roof.

Please check Bibliocommons for all of our new and upcoming releases!

Monday at the Movies
At our next Monday at the Movies, we'll be showing A Late Quartet, with Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener and Christoper Walken in the story of a classical music group that is forced to deal with long-contained emotions when they receive unexpected news about their cellist's health. We will be showing the film at 1:00 and 7:00 on March 18th at the Women's Library Club, 325 Tudor Ct.

Erin Go Bragh!

We may not have corned beef and green beer at the library but we've got plenty of great Irish themed videos to help you celebrate St. Patrick's Day this Sunday. Cead Mile Failte!!!

• Start by getting your history straight with The Story of Ireland, a five part miniseries from the BBC. 
• The Irish Tenors with the Chicagoland Pops Orchestra presents many of your favorite Irish musical favorites performed by a top-notch group of musicians. 
• American boxer John Wayne retires to his Irish homeland in John Ford's The Quiet Man. 
• The charming Once is the story of an Irish street musician who teams up with a Czech immigrant in music and love. 
• The Guard stars Brendan Gleeson as an Irish police officer who teams up with an American FBI agent (Don Cheadle) to take down drug smugglers.
• Acclaimed director Paul Greengrass made Bloody Sunday, the story of the events of that infamous day, feel more like a documentary than the reenactment that it is.
• Veronica Guerin is based on the real life character of the same name who was murdered while investigating the Irish drug trade.
• The Secret of Roan Inish is a mystical film about a young girl who is convinced that her missing brother is being raised by selkies, or seals that can shed their skins to become human. 
• The Secret of Kells is the Oscar-nominated animated tale of the fictionalized creation of the Book of Kells, an illuminated manuscript of the Bible which has become a national treasure in Ireland.

Flick Picks 3/5/13: Wreck-It Ralph, The Intouchables

New This Week

ENTERTAINMENT: Wreck-It Ralph, the newest animated hit from Disney, is possibly even more fun for adults than for kids due to its affectionate take on old-school videogames like Donkey Kong and Pac-Man. John C. Reilly stars as the voice of Ralph, who wishes to escape the confines of his videogame where he has been cast as the villain. We own this on DVD and Blu-ray. Also this week, California Solo stars the entertaining Robert Carlyle as a former rock star living a quiet life in California who must confront his past and his family relationships when he is threatened with deportation. Finally, the intellectual thriller Collaborator stars Martin Donovan (who also wrote and directed the film) as a playwright whose ex-con former neighbor (David Morse) holds him hostage.

SUBTITLED: The Intouchables is the feel-good French import about the relationship between a wealthy quadriplegic and his Senegalese caretaker. It was a huge hit in France and eventually became a major word-of-mouth success in the United States as well. If you're interested in something well-reviewed but surreal and bizarrre, the French Holy Motors follows a few hours in the life of a man whose identity is unclear.

SERIES: Season 5 of the Canadian police procedural Murdoch Mysteries crosses the border this week.

DOCUMENTARIES: We've got the newest breathtaking documentary from the producers of Planet Earth and Frozen Planet: Africa.

America's Musical Theater Legends...on DVD!

We know that you love our America's Musical Theater Legends program, hosted by Susan Benjamin. Luckily, the fun doesn't have to end when you leave the library. We've got your favorite legends available on DVD, most of which go out for free! Here are some of the musical legends covered most recently in our series:

Harold Arlen: My Blue Heaven, A Star is Born, The Wizard of Oz
Vic Damone: Deep in My Heart, Hit the Deck, Kismet
Jimmy Durante: The Man Who Came to Dinner, On an Island With You
Judy Garland: Duets, Meet Me in St. Louis, A Star is Born, The Wizard of Oz and more.
Ira Gershwin: An American in Paris, The Barkleys of Broadway, Funny Face, Shall We Dance
Oscar Hammerstein: Carousel, The King and I, Oklahoma!, South Pacific and more.
Dean Martin: Bells are Ringing, Rio Bravo
Liza Minnelli: Cabaret, Liza With a "Z", New York, New York
Johnny Mercer: Dangerous When Wet, The Harvey Girls
Cole Porter: High Society, Night and Day, You're the Top and more.
Frank Sinatra: Anything Goes, Concert Collection, Guys and Dolls, The Man and the Myth and more.