Flick Picks 9/16/14: Godzilla, The Fault in Our Stars

New at the Library This Week

ENTERTAINMENT: They say he's got to go go go Godzilla! The rubber suit is closeted but the big lizard is back in a big budget blockbuster starring Bryan Cranston, Aaron-Taylor Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen. In this new origin story Godzilla helps out humanity by fighting off some radioactive baddies while trying not to step on anything too important. We've got it on DVD and Blu-ray! Also this week, The Fault in Our Stars is the newest John Green adaptation, telling the story of a teenager diagnosed with cancer (Shailene Woodley) who falls in love with a young man at her cancer support group. It's available on DVD and Blu-ray.

SERIES: We are OVERWHELMED with new series this week! Take some out so our shelves don't collapse under their weight! We'll start out with some British imports. Based on the G.K. Chesterton novels, Father Brown is about a priest in a small 1950s English village who enjoys solving crimes. The miniseries 37 Days brings us the events following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand, as the world powers attempted to avoid going to war. Also this week are the second seasons of Caribbean cop drama Death in Paradise, police procedural DCI Banks and the female cop story Scott and Bailey. Our other import this week is season 2 of Prisoners of War, the Israeli series that served as the inspiration for Homeland.

If you're a Garry Trudeau fan you've probably been wondering what he's been up to as Doonesbury remains on vacation. The answer is that he's been creating the John Goodman-fronted political comedy Alpha House, about four U.S. senators sharing a house in Washington DC. It's also interesting in that the show was produced specifically for Amazon's video service rather than an established network. A variety of chestnuts including season 6 of Castle, season 9 of Bones and season 7 of Big Bang Theory also appear this week.

DOCUMENTARIES: Ken Burns offers up another comprehensive piece of history with The Roosevelts: An Intimate History, a 14-hour study of one of our fascinating American families. Also this week, The Galapagos Affair tells the story of a 1930s murder mystery involving a doctor, his mistress and an uninhabited island.

SUBTITLED: An Argentine family welcomes a German doctor into their home, not realizing that he is a war criminal being hunted by Israeli agents in The German Doctor. Polish filmmaking great Agnieszka Holland directed Burning Bush, which shows the political turmoil of Czechoslovakia in the late 1960s. A Filipino housekeeper bonds with a Singapore family's child while facing an uncertain economy in Ilo Ilo.

You can find all of our new DVDs in Enterprise!

BANNED Films

We will be celebrating the freedom to read as Banned Books Week approaches, with a return of Books on the Chopping Block on Sunday at 2:00. Of course books are not the only types of art that have been banned around the world. Check out this list of movies that have been banned around the world for various and sometimes surprising reasons.

• Avatar - BANNED in China due to fear of the film inspiring revolt among its people (as well as hurting its own film industry due to its massive success).
• Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom - BANNED in India due to a negative portrayal of Indians.
• Da Vinci Code - BANNED in multiple countries, including Jordan and Pakistan, due to its negative portrayal of religion.
• Noah - BANNED in multiple Muslim countries for its visual portrayal of a prophet.
• 300 - BANNED in Iran as propaganda due to its portrayal of Persians.
• The Exorcist - BANNED on home video and television in the UK until the late 90s.
• The Tin Drum - BANNED as child pornography in Canada.
• Life of Brian - BANNED by several British town councils due to blasphemy.
• The Wild One - BANNED in the UK for 14 years due to its being a "spectacle of unbridled hooliganism".
• All Quiet on the Western Front - BANNED by the Nazis due to its anti-war message.