Flick Picks 2/19/13: Argo, Anna Karenina and Game of Thrones

New This Week!

ENTERTAINMENT: Despite not being nominated for a Best Director award at the Oscars, Ben Affleck has been riding high this awards season, pulling in Best Director awards at the BAFTA (British Academy of Film and Television Arts) Awards and Golden Globes for Argo. Argo has been nominated for 7 Academy Awards, including Best Picture, so if you haven't seen it yet your chance has arrived this week! Argo is based on the true story of Tony Mendez (Affleck), a CIA operative who plans a rescue of Iranian hostages by creating a fictional Hollywood film. We've got it on DVD and Blu-ray.

Also out this week, Keira Knightley teams up with director Joe Wright for the third time (following Pride and Prejudice and Atonement) to bring us a new adaptation of Anna Karenina. Jude Law is also on board and the script was written by Tom Stoppard. Finally, Ethan Hawke continues his recent trend of interesting little movies with the scarefest Sinister, about an author who moves his family into a haunted house. It's from the producer of the Paranormal Activity films and is that rarity of a well-reviewed horror film.

SERIES: The last season of Game of Thrones left us with many unanswered questions so it's a good thing that season two is finally here. If you haven't caught this thrilling fantasy series yet you should take out season one to see what the buzz is all about.

DOCUMENTARY: 2011's Oscar winner for Best Documentary finally arrives this week, as Undefeated tells the story of a football team from an impoverished Memphis area and the volunteer coach who tries to help the players excel on and off the field. Even if you have no interest in sports this film is a must-see. Bestiaire is a beautiful, meditative look at animals and their relationship to humans at a Quebec wildlife park. Finally, Paul Williams Still Alive brings us up-to-date on the Academy Award and Grammy winning songwriter, performer and actor.

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

The Presidents On Film

It's Presidents Day this week and nothing brings this elite group of Americans to life like a documentary. Here's some of what we have to offer to help quench your thirst for knowledge about the men who have run the country.

Abraham and Mary Lincoln: A House Divided is a six-part program that examines both Lincoln's presidency and his personal life. A. Lincoln: Attorney at Law focuses on his career as a lawyer, which paved the way to his future presidency. John and Abigail Adams is unique in that it is not just about the president but about his remarkable wife and confidante. Thomas Jefferson: A Film was directed by Ken Burns. The Presidents series from PBS' American Experience series has documentaries on Woodrow Wilson, LBJ, Harry Truman, Richard Nixon, FDR, The Kennedys and Teddy Roosevelt. We also have documentaries on the more recent presidencies of Bill Clinton, George H.W. Bush, Ronald Reagan and Jimmy Carter. For a look at the relationship between presidents throughout history and mass media give Mandate: The President and the People a try.

Flick Picks 2/12/13: Skyfall, Robot and Frank, Weeds and Nurse Jackie

New This Week!

ENTERTAINMENT: Daniel Craig takes a third shot at Bond...James Bond in Skyfall, the highest grossing Bond film in the franchise's 50 year history. Someone is outing MI6 agents and Bond must work with M (Judi Dench) to quash this threat. Ralph Fiennes and Javier Bardem also star in what has been one of the best-reviewed Bond films of all time. We've got it on DVD and Blu-ray.

Also available this week is the charmer Robot and Frank, with Frank Langella as an ex-con who sees an opportunity to put to use the robot that's been assigned to assist him in order pull off one last heist. The Sessions is the well-reviewed drama starring Helen Hunt as the sex therapist hired to provide a paralyzed man (John Hawkes) with a level of physical intimacy that he has never experienced. Finally, The Perks of Being a Wallflower allows Emma Watson to break away from Harry Potter into a contemporary role. This film, based on a popular young adult novel, follows a group of three outsider kids who try to adjust to high school.

SERIES: We've got the final season of Showtime's marijuana comedy-drama Weeds as well as season 4 of the popular Nurse Jackie.

SUBTITLED: Arriving from China is Dangerous Liaisons, a stylish new take on the French novel, now set in Shanghai. Also this week, the surprisingly sweet Teddy Bear is about a bodybuilder from Copenhagen who travels to Thailand in search of true love.

DOCUMENTARIES: Bully is the controversial film that follows five children who are victims of bullying in their schools, with hidden cameras capturing some shocking footage. Filmmaker Ross McElwee, who brought us the entertaining Sherman's March and Bright Leaves, gives us the personal Photographic Memory in which McElwee traces his roots in order to better understand his son. Planet of Snail is a Korean feature about a young poet who can no longer see or hear and his relationship with his wife and the world around him. It's a touching gem, currently sitting at 100% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Monday Night at the Movies
We will be screening the documentary Searching for Sugar Man on February 18th at 1:00 and 7:00 at the Woman's Library Club. Searching for Sugar Man is the story of the little-known Detroit singer Rodriguez whose music was rediscovered by South Africans, which eventually spurred a search for the musician. It was nominated for an Oscar for Best Documentary.

Valentine's Day

Looking for idea for something to do on Valentine's Day with your sweetheart? Why not grab a classic romantic film? They're free, fun and timeless.

• Humphrey Bogart and Ingrid Bergman set the bar for moody romance in Casablanca
• The Empire State Building is the place to meet in An Affair to Remember, with Cary Grant and Deborah Kerr
• Taking home Love Story means never having to say you're sorry
• Is there a more charming character in film than Audrey Hepburn's Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady?
• Sabrina is another Audrey Hepburn winner in which she tries to choose between two brothers
• The Shop Around the Corner, later remade as You've Got Mail, is the classic story of coworkers who can't stand each other but unknowingly fall in love as pen pals
• The Lady Eve is a comedy that provides a classic role for Barbara Stanwyck as a con artist who falls in love with her mark

Flick Picks 2/5/13: Flight, Alex Cross, Here Comes the Boom

New This Week

ENTERTAINMENT: One of the best reviewed dramas of the year - Flight - arrives this week. It stars Denzel Washington in the story of a pilot who lands a plane after a mid-air catastrophe but subsequently has to deal with the substance abuse issues that threaten to overshadow his heroic status. It also stars John Goodman and Don Cheadle and was nominated for two Oscars including Best Actor for Washington. We've got it on DVD and Blu-ray.

Also this week, Tyler Perry stashes the dress and stretches his acting chops as the title character in Alex Cross, the latest attempt to bring James Patterson's well-known character to the screen. He chases serial killer Matthew Fox in this creepy thriller. More family friendly is Here Comes the Boom, in which Kevin James attempts mixed martial arts fighting and hilarity ensues. The charming indie relationship drama Celeste and Jesse Forever stars Rashida Jones and Andy Samberg as married high school sweethearts who pursue the idea of divorcing in order to remain friends.

SERIES: Season two of the British police series Above Suspicion comes out this week, as do seasons 3 and 4 of the LA cop series Southland.

SUBTITLED: France's hottest actress Marion Cotillard and Oscar winner Jean Dujardin star in Little White Lies, which has been described as a French Big Chill. Another French import - My Worst Nightmare - stars Isabelle Huppert in an odd couple comedy about an upper-crust intellectual who becomes involved with a lower-class lout. The Pool is an Indian drama about an 18-year old boy who cleans rooms and whose obsession with a swimming pool leads him to becoming friends with the pool's owners. Finally, we've got the gorgeous animated Tales of the Night, a French film shot in shadow puppet style that tells six exotic fables. It will be enjoyed by anyone who enjoys unique animation styles.

DOCUMENTARY: Somewhere Between follows four Chinese-born teens who were adopted by American families and attempt to reconcile their cultural past with their current identity. Diana Vreeland: The Eye Has to Travel profiles one of the 20th Century's fashion icons. New Yorkers of the winged variety are the focus of Birders, which follows many different birdwatchers who take refuge in Central Park to try to spot elusive birds.

Are You Still Ready For Some Football?

The Super Bowl turned out to be an exciting game, even though one of the big questions was whether the power would be restored. Spring training is around the corner and despite a quality Chicago team, strike-shortened hockey just doesn't seem the same. Luckily we've still got some options for those of you who haven't quite been able to accept the fact that football season is over.

Relive the Super Bowls of the past with Greatest Super Bowl Moments. We're not sure when the Bears will make it to the Super Bowl again but you can comfort yourself with Chicago Bears: The Complete History. If you didn't see it at one of our Monday at the Movies screenings, Harvard Beats Yale 29-29 is an entertaining look at a one-of-a-kind game. If you caught Michael Oher playing for the Ravens last night you might also want to see The Blind Side, based on the story of his life. For pure entertainment, how about taking out the Friday Night Lights movie (or its wonderful follow-up series)?

Flick Picks 1/28/13: Downton Abbey Season 3, Seven Psychopaths and More

New This Week

There's really only one release that matters this week and it's season 3 of Downton Abbey. Get your holds in for this one so you don't have to wait!

ENTERTAINMENT Seven Psychopaths has a scary name but a great cast of Colin Farrell, Woody Harrelson, Sam Rockwell and Christopher Walken in the story of a struggling screenwriter who ends up getting involved with a number of unsavory individuals. It was directed by Martin McDonagh who also directed cult favorite In Bruges. You might have not heard of Hello I Must Be Going but it was the opening film at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and features the wonderful Melanie Lynskey as a recent divorcee who begins an affair with a 19-year old. Fat Kid Rules the World is the adaptation of the young adult novel of the same name that follows a suicidal overweight boy who becomes friends with a punk rocker. It's edgy and definitely not a children's film, in spite of the fat kid in the title. We do have something for the kids though: the animated Hotel Transylvania features Adam Sandler as the voice of Count Dracula, who serves as the host of a resort for monsters and their families.

SERIES Besides the aforementioned Downton Abbey, we've also got everyone's favorite British werewolf, vampire and ghost series Being Human, which is up to series 4. Also, Twenty Twelve is a hilarious mockumentary series about the 2012 British preparations for the Olympic games that any fan of British comedy will not want to miss.

DOCUMENTARY Dean Martin's former partner gets his own documentary in Method to the Madness of Jerry Lewis, which originally screened on the Encore channel.

You can access and place holds on all of our upcoming videos through Bibliocommons!

Talking Pictures
This month Susan Benjamin will be presenting After the Wedding on Thursday, January 31st at 1:00, with a discussion following. After the Wedding is the Oscar nominated film about a manager of an orphanage in India who discovers a family secret when he returns home to Copenhagen.

Screen Actors Guild Awards

Awards season continues with the Screen Actors Guild awards! Here's the list of winners!

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Kevin Costner - Hatfields & McCoys

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Television Movie or Miniseries
Julianne Moore - Game Change

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Comedy Series
Alec Baldwin - 30 Rock

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Comedy Series
Tina Fey - 30 Rock

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Comedy Series
Modern Family

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Drama Series
Claire Danes - Homeland

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Drama Series
Bryan Cranston - Breaking Bad

Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
Downton Abbey, season 2

FILM
Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role
Tommy Lee Jones - Lincoln

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Supporting Role
Anne Hathaway - Les Misérables

Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Leading Role
Daniel Day-Lewis - Lincoln

Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role
Jennifer Lawrence - Silver Linings Playbook

Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture
Argo

Flick Picks 1/21/13

What's New This Week?

ENTERTAINMENT: David Ayer, the writer of Training Day, brings us the gritty End of Watch, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Pena as L.A. cops who get involved with a drug cartel following a routine traffic stop. Also out this week is the southern gothic melodrama The Paperboy, with Matthew McConaughey as a reporter trying to prove the innocence of a man accused of murder. The film also stars Zac Efron, Nicole Kidman and John Cusack.

SUBTITLED: Wim Wenders' Pina is a visually stunning hybrid of documentary and performance as dancers pay tribute to Pina Bausch, the great German choreographer. There's also a moving documentary about Palestine and Israel available this week, as 5 Broken Cameras provides footage from a Palestinian farmer's five cameras, each of which eventually became broken in violence. Eventually the footage was given to an Israeli documentarian who created this unique film. Takashi Miike, the director of the stunning 13 Assassins, brings us Hara-Kiri: Death of a Samurai, which tells the story of an impoverished samurai searching for a place to commit an honorable suicide. The solemn Austrian film Breathing follows a young man who attempts to win parole from prison by working at a morgue.

DOCUMENTARY: The Imposter feels like a thriller as it traces the story of a 13 year old boy from San Antonio who disappears without a trace only to reappear in Spain 3 1/2 years later. We've also received season 2 of the fun Ricky Gervais travel series An Idiot Abroad.

You can see and place holds on all of our new and forthcoming releases in Bibliocommons including next week's release of season 3 of Downton Abbey.

Celebrate Martin Luther King Day

You can honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s memory with these powerful civil rights themed documentaries.

• Tom Brokaw narrates King, originally produced for The History Channel and featuring Bill Clinton, Condaleezza Rice and more speaking to Martin Luther King's legacy and relevancy.
• Booker's Place is the fascinating look at Booker Wright, a waiter in an all-white restaurant in the mid-1960s whose appearance in a documentary led to his being ostracized and murdered.
• Sing Your Song is a profile of musician and civil rights activist Harry Belafonte.
• Freedom Riders tells the story of the 1961 "freedom ride" through the South to challenge segregation through non-violent action.

Flick Picks 1/14/13

New This Week!

ENTERTAINMENT: Liam Neeson is back and he's angry because this time it is he and his wife who have been...TAKEN. Taken 2 is the over-the-top sequel to the successful 2008 action flick and is sure to please those who enjoy seeing Liam take revenge.  A release that's a little more subdued but just as fun is Woody Allen's To Rome With Love. To Rome With Love interweaves various stories set in the title city and has a fantastic cast of Alec Baldwin, Roberto Begnini, Penelope Cruz, Judy Davis, Jesse Eisenberg and Woody himself.

SERIES: If you've been missing The Sopranos you should give Australia's Underbelly a try. Each of Underbelly's series are based on an individual true crime incident Down Under, most of which involved the gangland underworld. Or for something a little lighter, HBO's Life Too Short is its newest Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant series. It profiles a fictional version of Warwick Davis and follows his career as he attempts to become more than Hollywood's go-to "little man". Gervais and Merchant play his agents while there are cameos by Liam Neeson, Johnny Depp, Sting and more.

SUBTITLED: If you're looking for a gorgeous piece of historical drama, the French production Farewell My Queen covers the end of Marie Antoinette's reign, from the perspective of one of her ladies-in-waiting. Much of the film was actually shot at Versailles. Another more contemporary French film out this week is 17 Girls, which takes the true story of a number of Massachusetts high school girls who made a pact to get pregnant, and sets it in Brittany. Found Memories is a quiet and surreal portrait of a fictional village in Brazil where time seems to stand still. A young photographer arrives and has an impact on an old woman and the rest of the residents of the town.

DOCUMENTARY: The Other Dream Team is the story of the 1992 Lithuanian Olympic basketball team that rose from the ashes of Communism (and were aided by the Grateful Dead who helped pay for their Olympic journey and provided their tie-dye jerseys!)

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

Monday Night at the Movies
Our next Monday Night at the Movies screening is Ai Weiwei: Never Sorry, which tells the story of Chinese artist, filmmaker and activist Ai Weiwei. It screens on Monday, January 21st at 1:00 and 7:00 at the Women's Library Club located at 325 Tudor Ct.

Golden Globes Awards

Did the Golden Globes inspire you to see some quality movies and television? Here's a list of the nominees and winners. The movie nominees that we own on DVD are as follows:

• Arbitrage
• Bernie
• The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel
• Brave
• The Deep Blue Sea
• Frankenweenie
• Hope Springs
• Hotel Transylvania
• Intouchables
• Moonrise Kingdom
• Salmon Fishing in the Yemen

And here are series nominees:

• American Horror Story
• The Big Bang Theory
• Boardwalk Empire
• Breaking Bad
• Damages
• Downton Abbey
• Episodes
• Game Change
• Girls
• The Good Wife
• Hatfields and McCoys
• Homeland
• The Hour
• House of Lies
• Louie
• Mad Men
• Modern Family
• New Girl
• Parks and Recreation
• Smash

Flick Picks 1/7/13

New This Week!
There's a treasure trove of cool and unique movies and series coming out this week. Start your new year off right with some (or all) of these!

ENTERTAINMENT: It's not exactly striking while the iron is hot but the HBO adaptation of Game Change, the story of the 2008 presidential campaign, finally comes to DVD this week. The film stars Ed Harris as John McCain and Julianne Moore as Sarah Palin and won 4 Emmy awards. Also out this week is Dredd, another dark comic book adaptation that did not perform as well as some of the other major comic book films this year but received surprisingly strong reviews (currently 78% at Rotten Tomatoes). It stars Karl Urban as the title character who attempts to rid his city of a drug epidemic.

Also out this week is the controversial and disturbing Compliance, a film that split audiences wherever it played. It's based on the true story of a teenage girl working at a fast food restaurant who was subject to abuse from supervisors due to a phone caller who claimed to be a police officer. It received fabulous reviews and is certain to provoke some sort of emotional reaction. Also sure to bring out emotions (from the kids) is Frankenweenie, the animated Tim Burton/Disney tale of a beloved dog brought back to life.

SERIES: Laura Dern won a Golden Globe award for her performance in Enlightened, an HBO series about an executive who tries to get her life back together following a nervous breakdown. Diane Ladd, her real-life mother, co-stars. Another highly anticipated series, NBC's Smash, arrives this week, bringing us the story of the creation of a Broadway musical. Also this week, Showtime gives us season 2 of Episodes, the entertaining tale of the American adaptation of a British tv show, starring Matt LeBlanc.

We've also got season 2 of British import The Hour, the drama about tv production in 1950s Britain as well as season 21 of the seemingly endless Midsomer Murders.

DOCUMENTARY: If you enjoy the New Age Koyaanisqatsi style of filmmaking then you should check out Samsara, a dialogue-free beautifully filmed attempt to connect various parts of our world.

What's Your New Year's Resolution?

We've got lots of videos that will help you with that New Year's resolution. Are you looking to get into shape? We've got yoga, dance workout, Zumba, P90-X and more! Or maybe you'd like to become rich (or richer). How about learning to cook, repair the house or knit. Or you can just watch some conversations with some smart people and become enlightened!