Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Flick Picks 8/6/13: Oblivion, The Place Beyond the Pines, The Sapphires

New on DVD at the library this week!
ENTERTAINMENT: There's something for everyone in this week's batch of feature film releases! The Tom Cruise sci-fi extravaganza Oblivion leads the pack of new releases in DVD and Blu-ray. Set in 2077, after the Moon has been destroyed and Earth has been rendered uninhabitable, Cruise has two weeks left to patrol the skies before he can settle down with the remaining earthling settlers on a base on Saturn's moon Titan. However, he soon meets up with a woman who challenges everything he knows about Earth's past. Meanwhile, the atmospheric and ambitious The Place Beyond the Pines features Ryan Gosling as a bank robber who crosses paths with cop Bradley Cooper. Their conflict leads to repercussions that span generations. We've got it on DVD and Blu-ray.  For something a little lighter, try The Sapphires, which follows an Australian aboriginal girl group trying to make it big in the 60s with help from their manager Chris O'Dowd. The combination of great music, a good-time vibe and the always entertaining O'Dowd makes this one a winner.

You read the book when you were a teen so why not catch the movie now? On the Road stars Kristen Stewart and features cameos by the likes of Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst and Amy Adams as it follows Sal Paradise and Dean Moriarty on their trip across America. Despite a cast that includes Ben Affleck, Rachel McAdams and Javier Bardem, To the Wonder did not garner anywhere near the attention that director Terence Malick's previous film The Tree of Life received. In this film, a couple moves to Oklahoma after meeting in France and struggles with their relationship. The Scapegoat is a made-for-BBC film starring Matthew Rhys in the adaptation of the Daphne du Maurier novel about a man who takes the place of his doppelganger, a troubled businessman.

Finally, in our indie pick for the week, 1976 Wales is the setting for the heartwarming Hunky Dory, a film that follows a teacher (Minnie Driver) as she tries to create the best school musical ever. This delightful film from the producers of Billy Elliot features the music of David Bowie, ELO, The Beach Boys and many other great bands.

SERIES: Did you catch the news that Peter Capaldi will be taking the reins as the newest Doctor Who? Luckily his showcase role in The Thick of It as an assistant to a bumbling minister in the UK government is finally arriving on DVD. It's darkly comedic, profane and served as the basis for the very entertaining film In the Loop. Fans of Showtime's Shameless will want to pick up the first two seasons of the UK series that served as the inspiration, and which is also called Shameless.

This week also brings us new seasons of the Showtime historical drama The Borgias (season 3), yet another season (22) of the seemingly endless Midsomer Murders as well as the 4th season of the metacomedic Community, and season 2 of the musical theater drama Smash.

SUBTITLED: Late Chilean director Raoul Ruiz's final film is the dreamlike Night Across the Street, which follows an office worker on the verge of retirement who finds himself lost in real and imagined memories.

DOCUMENTARIES: Whether or not you've seen the Paradise Lost series that tracks the conviction and future release of the "Memphis 3", you'll want to catch West of Memphis, which covers the story of the three teenagers convicted for murder. It was co-produced by Hobbit and Lord of the Rings director Peter Jackson and ties together the information from the three Paradise Lost documentaries to offer a fresh look at the case.

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

Movies on the Green
Join us on Friday the 9th at dusk on Wyman Green to enjoy a screening of the 1971 musical Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, starring Gene Wilder. In case of rain the screening will be held in the council chambers in Village Hall. Movies on the Green is co-sponsored by The Glencoe Chamber of Commerce, Glencoe Youth Services, Glencoe Public Library, Friends of the Glencoe Public Library, Glencoe Park District, and the Village of Glencoe.

Get smart about art!
Did you enjoy the Glencoe Festival of Art last weekend? Perhaps seeing all those great works has given you a thirst to learn more about the ones hanging in museums? We've got some great art DVDs to help you out!



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