Film at HBPL

More frightening than Halloween

2009-11-06T15:36:00.000-08:00

What could possibly be more frightening than Halloween?? The fact that Christmas is right around the corner and coming at us with a vengeance. It seems to me that we just celebrated this festive holiday and it is back all too soon. Of course, the first hint is all the decorations appearing way too prematurely in the stores but it really hit home when I spied the Trees on the Bay in Long Beach being towed into position! Frightening!!
Fortunately, the holidays also bring with it the release of some very entertaining films. (Just ready for purchasing for Christmas presents!!).
In case you missed these in the theaters, here are some of the big pre- Christmas releases for December:

December 8th :
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince: Does it really seem like the holidays without a Harry Potter on your wish list? We can breathe a sigh of relief this holiday season because Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince will be released in time for Christmas. This latest installment was more about relationships than magic and I, for one, hope the final two films (they are breaking Deathly Hollows into two parts) go back to the magical wonder of the earlier films. Despite that fact, I will be in line waiting to buy my copy when the film is released!

Julie and Julia: Coming out the same day as Harry Potter, is the delightful culinary tale of Julie and Julia. In an earlier post, I have already sang the wonders of Meryl Streep’s performance, she seemed to be channeling the late, great Julia Child for this one. She is joined by the always charming, Amy Adams as the contemporary Julie that tries to cook all of the recipes in Julie Child’s Mastering the Art of French Cooking in one year! You will have to see it if you want to know if she succeeds!

December 15th:
The Hangover: Not typically my kind of film but as so many of my friends have seen and loved it, I will be looking out for it when it hits the shelves. This is a Las Vegas-set comedy about three groomsmen who lose their friend, a soon-to-be-wed groom, during their drunken pre-wedding misadventures. What happens in Vegas, doesn’t necessarily stay in Vegas!

Inglorious Basterds: Although I am usually a Tarantino fan, I thought this one might be better for me on a small screen. Violence on the big screen can be a little much at times. However, from talking to my fellow filmies, I hear that this is an entertaining, not to be missed, addition to the Tarantino legacy.

December 22nd:
500 Days of Summer: My favorite film of the year so far. Of all the young, male actors that are currently making films, my favorite is Joseph Gordon Levitt. The quirky Zooey Deschanel plays Summer, the hearts desire of Tom Hansen (Joseph Gordon Levitt). The film deals with the 500 days of their relationship in a different and very entertaining way. Not your average, schmaltzy relationship flick!

Don’t be afraid! The holidays may be near but we certainly have cinematic wonders to look forward to!

What an Honor!

2009-10-09T16:20:00.000-07:00

Last month the Kennedy Center announced its recipients for their annual Kennedy Center Honors. The five honorees this year are: Bruce Springsteen, Dave Brubeck, Grace Bumbry, Robert De Niro and Mel Brooks. Of course, Bruce, Dave and Grace are well-known in the music world (rock, jazz and opera). I will leave the Music Blog to sing their laurels, but two of the honorees are from the world of film.

I love Robert De Niro! Not for his roles in The Godfather, Mean Streets, GoodFellas, Casino or Taxi Driver. This isn’t the De Niro that I go to see. The De Niro I love is the one that, although well known for his gangster/violent roles, goes beyond that and takes some artistic chances.

Stardust (DVD): This charming action/fantasy film is based on a Neil Gaiman novel. The story takes place in two distinct worlds, one real and the other magical. They exist side by side in mid nineteenth-century England, separated by only a rock wall. Our real world hero takes off into the magical world of course, prompted by a girl! Amazing and frightening things happen there, with one of the highlights being his encounter with Captain Shakespeare (Robert De Niro). The Captain loves to dress in women’s clothing and dance in front of a mirror. De Niro at his eccentric best!

Awakenings (VHS): Robert De Niro stars with Robin Williams in this drama based on the Oliver Sacks non-fiction book of the same name. A new doctor (Williams) starts to work in a ward full of comatose patients. Many have been comatose for decades and it disturbs the doctor that there seems to be no hope for a cure. He discovers an experimental drug that he gets permission to try on some of the patients. To his amazement, they start waking up. DeNiro plays one of the patients and gives a heartbreaking performance filled with delight, hope and despair.

Melvin Kaminsky, aka Mel Brooks, successfully conquered the worlds of film (he won an Oscar for his 1968 screenplay of The Producers.), stage (12 Tonys for the stage version of The Producers) and television (Emmys for writing and for appearances on the comedy series Mad About You). Not bad for a guy that is well known for fart jokes (Blazing Saddles)!

The Producers (DVD): This is one of my favorite films! The original version, that is! Although, I do like Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, they don’t hold a candle to Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder. In previous posts I have already expounded the wonders of Kenneth Mars as Franz Liebkind. Put them all together and it is a hilarious, musical romp. Mel Brooks movies make us laugh even when we really should have be offended.

Young Frankenstein (DVD): Of course, this also made it to Broadway in a stage version. And, although I enjoyed the stage version, I prefer the film. It is probably the most quoted by my circle of friends, “Put... ze candle... *back*!” Gene Wilder, as the grandson of the infamous Baron Victor Frankenstein and Peter Boyle as his “monster” are perfect in their roles. Add the comic brilliance of Madeline Kahn, Marty Feldman, Teri Garr and Cloris Leachman and you have a movie worth watching again and again. Many feel that Young Frankenstein is Mel Brooks best film ever.

Congratulations to all of this years Kennedy Center Honorees!

The People have spoken!

2009-09-23T14:06:00.000-07:00

This years Toronto Film Festival has come to the end (September 10-19) and director Lee Daniels’ Precious, based on the novel Push by Sapphire has taken top honors, becoming the first film in history to win audience awards at both Toronto and Sundance. However, even before winning these prestigious awards, this film had a leg up as Oprah Winfrey is one of its Executive Producers. When Oprah speaks, people listen!
Precious is an overweight, illiterate teen, living in Harlem and is pregnant with her second child. Feeling invisible and rejected, she is invited to enroll in an alternative school in hopes that her life can head in a new direction. Precious is set to be released in November of this year.

The runner-up for the audience award went to Australian director Bruce Beresford’s Mao’s Last Dancer. This film is based on the autobiography by Li Cunxin. At the age of 11, Li was taken from a poor to Beijing to study ballet. In 1979, during a cultural exchange to Texas, he fell in love with an American woman. Two years later, he managed to defect and went on to perform as a principal dancer for the Houston Ballet and as a principal artist with the Australian Ballet. Although I assume this film will get North American distribution, so far distribution has not been announced.

Other winners at TIFF this year included:

Leanne Pooley’s The Topp Twins - which follows New Zealand’s lesbian twin sister country and western singers, won in the documentary category, taking honors over a much more high-profile runner-up, Michael Moore’s Capitalism: A Love Story. The Topp Twins does not currently have North American distribution.

Sean Byrne’s prom-set horror film The Loved Ones won the people’s choice award for Midnight Madness, the midnight screening series at the festival. A gore-filled shocker that goes for laughs by paying homage to the outlandish low-budget films of the '70s and '80s, blending together Misery, Saw, Prom Night, The Evil Dead and Carrie.

Meryl Mia!

2009-09-02T17:05:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I went to see the film Julie and Julia. I am sure many of you have seen it by now so you know that it is funny and delightful. I must admit that I wanted more Julia than Julie; Amy Adams did a fine acting job as Julie but oh that Meryl Streep! This film reminded me what a national treasure she truly is! Meryl is known for embodying her characters and she seemed to be channeling the late, great Julia Child for this one.
If you haven’t seen Julie and Julia, do! If you need more Meryl, here are some titles that are available in the HBPL Media Center:

Sophie’s Choice (DVD)
Meryl Streep received a Best Actress Oscar for her portrayal of Sophie Zawistowska in this heartbreaking film. Set in 1947, post World War II, Holocaust survivor Sophie is living with Nathan (Kevin Kline) in Brooklyn. Stingo (Peter MacNicol), a young writer from the American South, becomes their neighbor and friend. Hidden truths eventually come out and the nature of Sophie’s choice is revealed. This is proof positive that Meryl Streep is one of the finest actors of our age.

Out of Africa (DVD)
In Sophie’s Choice, Meryl’s Polish accent was very convincing. She continues as the “queen of accents” in her portrayal of the Danish writer, Karen Blixen (pen name Isak Dinesen). Based on Blixen’s memoir, this film is set in Kenya and follows the time she spent there on a coffee plantation. For many women, the most remembered scene is when Denys Finch Hatton (Robert Redford) washes Blixen’s hair. For others, the incredible scenery steals the show.

Kramer vs. Kramer (VHS)
Meryl has been nominated for Oscars fifteen times, twelve times for Best Actress and three times for Best Supporting Actress. She has won twice; first for Sophie’s Choice (Best Actress) and secondly for Kramer vs. Kramer (Supporting Actress). Joanna Kramer (Streep) walks out on her workaholic husband Ted (Dustin Hoffman), leaving both husband and young son, Billy. Later, Joanna returns and wants Billy back. Ted however refuses to give him up, so they go to court to fight for the custody of their son.

Silkwood (VHS)
This film is based on the true story of Karen Silkwood (Streep), the Oklahoma nuclear-plant worker who blew the whistle on dangerous practices at the Kerr-McGee plant and who died under circumstances which are still under debate. She was on her way to deliver some documents to a New York Times reporter when her car left the road. The documents were never found. Meryl Streep is very convincing as a blue collar, working class woman. We would expect no less!

The Devil Wears Prada (DVD)
From working class to upper-class! Meryl can play it all! She convincingly terrorizes her assistants as powerful and demanding fashion magazine editor, Miranda Priestly of Runway Magazine. (The character was inspired by the editor of U.S. Vogue, Anna Wintour.) The film follows Andy Sachs (Anne Hathaway), a recent college graduate who goes to New York City and gets a job as a co-assistant to Miranda. She learns to do the impossible and although succeeds in the high energy fashion world, she finds the moral dilemmas attached not quite what she had expected.

Mamma Mia! (DVD)
20-year-old Sophie lives with her mother Donna (Meryl Streep) on the small Greek island, Kalokairi, where Donna runs a hotel. Sophie is planning to marry and wants her father to be present to "give her away," but doesn’t know who he is. After reading Donna's diary from 20 years ago, she concludes he is one of three men. Fun, dancing and music pursue! Many don’t know that before Meryl Streep decided on the acting profession, she was studying to be an opera singer. She shows her singing “chops” in this film and had me smiling and humming all the way home from the theater.

Movies and Facebook

2009-08-06T10:39:00.000-07:00

There is currently a phenomenon cruising around Facebook called 15 Movies (at least it is new to me!). Friends post the top fifteen movies that have affected their lives, trying to do it in 15 minutes. Very hard to do in that amount of time. I am very happy with my list but then I look at my friends movies and always see a movie that could have made my list, too! So many movies, so little time! Here’s my list:

1- Lawrence of Arabia (1962) I can’t believe Peter O’Toole didn’t win the Oscar for this one!
2- Usual Suspects (1994) If anyone ever deserved their Oscar, it was Kevin Spacey as Verbal Kint.
3- Donnie Darko (2001) Culty time travelling mind blower! I love this film!
4- Jaws (1975) Ruined the ocean for everyone of my generation! It is also one of the very few movies that I liked more than the book!
5- Cinema Paradiso (1988)The film that set me on the road of foreign film appreciation.
6-The Miracle (1959) (Carroll Baker and Roger Moore) Corny, yes, but it is the film that my mother and I would watch together every time it was on TV.
7- Truly Madly Deeply (1990). I know very few women that don’t think that Alan Rickman is sexy. If you need some convincing, watch this film!
8- Beauty and the Beast (1991) Not the wise cracking animated films that are now coming out of Disney Studios. This is a lovely, heartfelt film.
9- Glory (1989) Denzel Washington certainly deserved the Oscar for his performance in this film. However, for me, the surprise of this film was how good Matthew Broderick can be if given a great role.
10- Touching the Void (2003) Amazing book! I had the good fortune to see this film at the Toronto Film Festival. In attendance was the author and subject, Joe Simpson. If you want to see a film about mountaineering and the strength of the human spirit…this is the one!
11- Nightmare Before Christmas (1993) This masterful piece of stop motion animation should be on everyone’s favorite film list. Although the plot is engaging, the details in every scene are spectacular!
12- White Christmas (1954) (watch it every year!) Yes, even to this day, a Christmas doesn’t go by that I don’t watch this film.
13-12 Monkeys (1995) Interesting, twisted plot that proves that Bruce Willis has more acting chops than Die Hard. And who knew Brad Pitt could play crazy so well!
14- Cyrano de Bergerac (1990) (Gerard Depardieu) I have already sang this films glory in earlier blog postings. This and Cinema Paradiso brought to life my appreciation of foreign films. I just re-watched it recently and it stands the test of time.
15- The Producers (1968) The original is so much better than the remake. Although I do like Nathan Lane and Matthew Broderick, they don’t hold a candle to Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder. Kenneth Mars as Franz Liebkind brought a comic level to this film that Will Ferrell could never duplicate.

Anyone want to share their 15 movies with us??

Keepin’ Cool

2009-07-17T16:51:00.000-07:00

Of course, one way of keeping cool this summer is by either sitting in the library reading a good book or in a movie theater watching a great flick. However, if you want to stay home there is nothing cooler than these films and the actors that give them their cool status:

Steve McQueen: Bullitt (VHS): You can absolutely not get any cooler than Steve McQueen. Whether he is escaping from a German prisoner of war camp in The Great Escape or saving a village in the Magnificent Seven, he is an actor that oozes cool and confidence. He is most definitely at his coolest in this film! McQueen plays Frank Bullitt, a San Francisco cop assigned as bodyguard to Peter Ross, a syndicate witness. When the Ross gets shot-gunned (but not killed), Bullitt goes after the hit man. Complicating his efforts is a politician who wants to use Ross to further his career. One of the coolest things about Bullitt is an absolutely brilliant chase scene. McQueen (doing his own driving) is chased by, and chases, a couple of gangsters up and down San Francisco's hills. They slam into intersections, bounce halfway down the next hill, scrape by half a dozen near-misses, sideswipe each other, and give you the ride of your life for about 11 minutes. Cool.

Sean Connery: The Untouchables (DVD): Whereas Sean Connery definitely solidified his “cool” credentials with the James Bond films, he won the Academy Award for his role in The Untouchables. This film is about how Eliot Ness (Kevin Costner) and his gang of Untouchables, brought down the gangster, Al Capone (Robert DeNiro). Connery plays the Irish cop that teaches Ness how to play the “Chicago way”.

Bill Murray (DVD): Rushmore: Bill Murray has his own brand of cool. Not Steve McQueen, not Sean Connery, but cool none the less. In Rushmore, he plays Herman Blume, an unhappy millionaire. Blume is befriended by Max. Max is a homely 10th-grader at the Rushmore Academy, a private school where he fails classes but constantly organizes clubs and plays. Max discovers that he and Herman love the same woman (a teacher at Rushmore). War ensues. They both strive to win her affections without thinking of the consequences.

Clint Eastwood (DVD) – The Unforgiven: What else needs to be said…it’s CLINT! Make our day! Do we feel lucky? A man's got to know his limitations (well every man but Clint!).
Of course, these are all quotes from his Dirty Harry films but he didn’t become Oscar cool until the Unforgiven. Eastwood plays William Munny, a former gunslinger, now pig farmer. He is a widower, trying to take care of the farm and two children. When "The Schofield Kid" arrives looking for a partner to accompany him to Big Whiskey to earn a reward being offered, William is initially reluctant. Later, however, after taking a hard look at his prospects, he changes his mind. He's not the man he once was, but he needs the money. So he recruits his old partner, Ned Logan (Morgan Freeman), and sets off after the Schofield Kid.

Samuel L Jackson: Pulp Fiction (DVD): So many cool films to choose from when we talk about Samuel L. The totally campy film, Snakes on a Plane would have been nothing without Jackson’s performance. Star Wars part I, II and III were enhanced by his presence. Die Hard With a Vengeance had double the cool factor Bruce Willis and Samuel L. giving the bad guys trouble. But by far his coolest performance has been in Pulp Fiction. Pulp Fiction follows the lives of two mob hit men, a boxer, a gangster's wife, and a pair of diner bandits whose lives intertwine in four tales of violence and redemption. Samuel L. Jackson plays Jules, one of the hit men, and his partner is Vincent (John Travolta). Their conversation about French Big Macs is priceless! The plot and the language aren’t for the weak of heart but if you can take it, Pulp Fiction is worth the ride!

Other actors to check out that definitely have the cool factor: George Clooney, Christopher Walken, Gregory Peck, Jack Nicholson, Robert DeNiro, Marlon Brando and Paul Newman.
Anyone else that you consider cool?? Let me know!
Keep cool!

4th, Food, Firecrackers and Freedom

2009-07-01T17:19:00.000-07:00

July has arrived and I thought it was about darned time for another blog posting. Since it is only 3 days until our nation’s birthday celebration, the no-brainer post would have been patriotic themed movies. Been there, done that…it’s so last year!! (see my July 01, 2008 posting for patriotic film suggestions). Instead I started thinking about what the 4th of July means to me. Words like food and fireworks came to mind…but mainly I think about freedom. That, after all, is what the 4th of July signing of our Declaration of Independence ultimately gave us. Here are a few films about people (and chickens!) and their quest for freedom:

Defiance (DVD): The tagline for this film is: Freedom begins with an act of defiance! Or maybe they should have said keeping your freedom. This film follows three Polish Jewish brothers in Nazi-occupied Eastern Europe who escape into the Belarussian forests. Two of the brothers decide to fight for their freedom in different ways. One joins the Russian partisans and the other stays behind to help the growing population of Jews that have joined them in the forest to escape the Germans.

Wind that Shakes the Barley (DVD): Winner of the PALME D'OR at the 2006 Cannes Film Festival, this film is also about two brothers who are fighting for their freedom in 1920’s Ireland. Damien is a medical student, while his brother Teddy is fighting for Ireland’s freedom from the British. After witnessing atrocities, Damien decides to join his brother’s resistance group. Although agreements are made to stop the violence, the brothers ultimately have their loyalties put to the test.

Chicken Run (DVD): Chicken Run, from the creator’s of Wallace and Gromit, is a comedy escape drama set on a sinister Yorkshire chicken farm in 1950's England. Ginger is one of the chickens and she desperately wants her freedom. Unfortunately she is constantly being held back by her incompetent fellow chickens. One night, while bemoaning her fate in the barnyard, a rooster flies in over the fence. The rooster, Rocky Rhodes, is a cocky American who enjoys freedom - in fact; he was escaping from a circus when he landed in her barnyard. The film follows Rocky and Ginger, who yearn for freedom and their daring 'prisoner of war' style escape.

Shawshank Redemption (DVD): In 1946, a banker named Andy Dufresne (Tim Robbins) is convicted of a double murder, even though he stubbornly proclaims his innocence. He's sentenced to a life term at the Shawshank State Prison in Maine, where he meets another lifer, Ellis "Red" Redding (Morgan Freeman). Through all the harsh times at the prison, Andy never loses hope and strives to make his ultimate dream of freedom come true.

Let Freedom Ring!

Have a great Independence Day!

Celluloid Librarians

2009-06-10T15:24:00.000-07:00

Hopefully many of you know about the BIG Library Centennial party that we will be having this Friday (June 12th) from 4pm-7pm @ the Central Library. Come see yours truly perform in the Book Cart Drill Team!! It should be a fun and festive occasion! The whole library centennial thing got me thinking about librarians and, because I am me, it got me thinking about movies. Librarians and libraries have been portrayed in many ways on the celluloid screen. Here are a few of my favorites:
Party Girl: (DVD)
Mary (Parker Posey)is living the wild bohemian life in New York. She calls her godmother, a librarian, for bail money after being arrested for throwing an illegal party. To repay the loan, she begins working for her godmother in the library. The detail of library work rubs against her flamboyant, live-by-the-moment grain ("Keith Richards would make a better librarian than me!''). After a bit, she learns to groove on the Dewey Decimal System and enjoy the order it gives to her otherwise chaotic life.

The Mummy: (DVD)
Probably my favorite librarian character comes from this film. Rachel Weisz’s Evie takes librarianship to its adventurous best. She drunkenly exclaims, “I am proud to be what I am. I am a LIBRARIAN!” And you believe she is. Adventurous librarian, swashbuckling hero and life sucking mummy, how can you resist!

The Librarian: Quest for the Spear (DVD)
The Librarian: Return to King Solomon’s Mines (DVD)
The Librarian: Curse of the Judas Chalice (DVD)
The Librarian started in 2004 and now has three films in the series. Noah Wyle plays Flynn Carsen, a perpetual college student who has 22 academic degrees. He is compelled to leave academia and get some real world experience so he applies for a position at the Metropolitan Public Library. His job is to protect historical and often magical items in a secret section of the library. Within this collection are artifacts like the Holy Grail and the Ark of the Covenant. Adventures abound for this meek but feisty librarian.

Probably my favorite librarian quote comes from the first film. Noah Wyle is interviewing with Jane Curtain for “The Librarian” position. Curtain asks: What makes you think you could be the Librarian?
Wyle: I know the Dewey Decimal System, Library of Congress, research paper orthodoxy, web searching. I can set up an RSS feed...
Curtain: Everybody knows that. They're librarians.
Maybe it’s Curtains' snarky tone or you have to be a librarian to find it that funny, but it cracks me up every time.

All these titles are available on DVD from our Media Department.

The White Ribbon @Cannes

2009-05-27T14:34:00.000-07:00

While we were celebrating Memorial Day with flags and BBQ, the French were finishing up their annual film extravaganza at Cannes. This year the coveted Palme d’Or went to an Austrian film, The White Ribbon. Filmed in black and white by Austrian director, Michael Haneke, the film follows a sinister series of crimes which rock a village in northern Germany on the eve of World War One, and appears linked to a group of children brutalized and scarred by their parents. Another Austrian, Christoph Waltz, walked away with the Best Actor prize for his flamboyant performance as a SS officer in Quentin Tarantino’s World War II film Inglorious Bastards.
The most controversial film in Cannes was Danish director Lars von Trier’s Antichrist, which sharply divided critics and drew boos and cheers at screenings for its graphic portrayals of sex and violence. France’s Charlotte Gainsbourg, who plays a wife mourning the death of her son, was named Best Actress.

Ooooo lala Gerard!

2009-05-07T16:17:00.000-07:00

It wasn’t until the early ‘90’s that I became enamored by foreign films. Two films, both released in 1990, set me down the path of foreign film appreciation. One was Cinema Paradiso and the other was Cyrano de Bergerac. This Cyrano was spectacularly performed by French actor Gerard Depardieu. It had been quite a while since I had seen this version of Cyrano but fortunately, we have it available in the HBPL Media Department. I watched it last weekend and it still does not disappoint. It just reinforces what a powerful performance Gerard gave as Cyrano. So, if you haven’t seen this version, we have it!! Here are some more Depardieu gems for your consideration:
Jean de Florette (DVD): Jean de Florette is a French film set in Provence in the 1920s. It's the story of how two provincial French farmers systematically destroy the happiness of a man who comes out from the city to till the land. The man from the city is Jean de Florette, a hunchback tax collector played by Gerard Depardieu. A touching performance in a film that shows the dark side of human greed.

Man in the Iron Mask (VHS): All for one and one for all! Gerard Depardieu plays an aging Porthos in this entertaining rendition of Dumas classic novel. Along with his other Musketeers, Aramis (Jeremy Iron) and Athos (John Malkovich), they come out of retirement to avenge the death of Athos’ son. Unfortunately, the one responsible is King Louis XIV and the King’s bodyguard is led by one time fourth-Musketeer, D'Artagan (Gabriel Byrne). Leonardo DiCaprio does a commendable job in a dual role as King Louis XIV and the pauper that the Musketeers get to impersonate the King.

Green Card (VHS): Gerard plays a Frenchman that wants to stay in the United States. Andie MacDowell plays a single woman that wants a fabulous apartment that will only be rented to a married couple. A marriage of convenience seems the ideal solution to both problems. This charming romantic comedy shows what happens when cultures collide!

The Last Holiday (DVD): A clerk (Queen Latifah) from a New Orleans department store, puts life on hold and denies herself most luxuries of life. This all changes when a CT Scan discloses she has three weeks to live. She cashes her savings and heads to Europe's Grand Hotel Pupp, where Chef Didier presides. She lives life at its fullest to delightful results. Although this is really a Queen Latifah film, Gerard Depardieu’s role as Chef Didier is a scene stealer.

Earth Day Movies

2009-04-18T16:34:00.000-07:00

This Wednesday, April 22nd, is EARTH DAY! What better way to celebrate then to watch a film about the destruction of earth’s resources by we naughty humans. Some say these films are eye openers to our future, like the ghost of Christmas future that visited old Scrooge. They can be seen as eye openers but they are also entertaining and available at the HBPL Media Department.

The Day After Tomorrow: Global warming has caught up with the earth in this catastrophic sci-fi thriller. A special-effects-filled look at what the world would look like if the greenhouse effect and global warming continued at such levels that they resulted in worldwide catastrophe and disaster, including multiple hurricanes, tornadoes, tidal waves, floods and the beginning of the next Ice Age. It is up to climatologist Jack Hall (Dennis Quaid) to save his son Sam (Jake Gyllenhaal), and the world, from the new Ice Age.

Eleventh Hour: documentary narrated by Leonardo DiCaprio that covers global warming, deforestation, mass species extinction, and depletion of the oceans' habitats . The film's over all premises is that the future of humanity is in jeopardy. This is another serious look at how our world is, and another good reminder for earth day that we need to change things.

AI: Artificial Intelligence: Steven Spielberg’s film (based on an idea by Stanley Kubrick) presents a future world affected by melting polar ice caps. Flooding devastates coastal cities, forcing citizens to move towards the center of the continents. Despite the climatic setback, mankind proceeds to make stunning technological leaps forward while stumbling backward by indulging in new forms of prejudice and discrimination.

WALL-E: After decades of environmental degradation, Earth is completely uninhabitable. Humans turn to space, leaving Earth a lifeless wasteland. With a total dependency on technology and instant gratification, humans become lethargic, lazy, and obese. The only thing that will save the species is a trash collecting robot (and Hello Dolly! of course!).

Other Earth Day choices: An Inconvenient Truth, Waterworld, Who Killed the Electric Car?, Encounters at the End of the World
So you should all pop in a film, hug a tree, think about going greener and have an environmentally friendly Earth Day.

Such a Deal!

2009-04-02T12:30:00.000-07:00

Just in case there are some of you out there that don’t know, our Media Department will be closed on Monday April 6th, Tuesday April 7th and Wednesday April 8th. They will be closed down for re-carpeting. What that means is if you check out any new DVD on Saturday, you will be able to keep it until Thursday April 9th! Might be a great opportunity to catch up on your new release viewing!

Take a bite out of Spring!

2009-03-21T15:22:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first official first day of spring; certainly an event in itself. Today, however, marks an even bigger event (at least to some people…)!! Today Twilight comes out on DVD. Of course, the HBPL Media department has multiple copies (Five!!) available for our patrons. But just like the books, the Twilight DVD’s will be very popular. So while you are waiting you might try some other vampire-fare:

The Lost Boys: Before he started saving the world as Jack Bauer, Keifer Sutherland played a punk vampire in this 1987 campy vampire flick. Dianne Weist plays a mother who moves with her sons to a small California coastal town. Of course, suspicious things start happening. The younger son starts hanging out with some teenage vampire hunters (played by the Corey’s – Corey Haim and Corey Feldman) while the older boy starts sleeping days and staying out all night. I always loved the tagline for this film: Sleep all day. Party all night. Never grow old. Never die. It's fun to be a vampire. And that about says it all about this film.

Låt den rätte komma in (aka Let the Right One In): Do you like your vampires Swedish? If so, this is the film for you! Twelve year old Oskar is so wimpy that he's constantly picked on by the other boys at his school. Out of fear, Oskar never fights back. One evening, Oskar notices a new girl about his age and her father moving into the apartment next door to his. Eli, the new girl, is not very friendly, as she tells him right off that she can't be friends with him. What she doesn’t tell him is that she is a vampire. Although there is certainly blood galore in this film, it is ultimately a story of friendship and the difficulties of coming of age.

And if these two aren’t enough for you, there is always the vampire mainstays like Dracula or Interview with the Vampire. The Media department will have many titles that you can sink your teeth into (vampire pun intended!).

Film Festival Fun

2009-03-07T11:07:00.000-08:00

The thing I like most about going to film festivals is that I get to see incredible films that will never reach our theaters. For every film that makes the American movie theater, there are hundreds that will never get distribution. I just got back from the Cinequest Film Festival (http://www.cinequest.org/ ) up in San Jose, CA. Only a quick three day visit but I was able to see seven films. My favorites were the documentaries.

Living in Emergency: Stories of Doctors Without Borders:
After 15 years of a devastating civil war, Liberia is basically left with no medical infrastructure, while the Congo has collapsed into its own that has left over 4,000,000 people dead. The riveting Living in Emergency follows four members of the Nobel Peace Prize-winning Doctors Without Borders on their missions to “provide emergency medical care to populations in distress.”
and
Rocaterrania:
When Renaldo's father moved his family to a remote Colorado ranch as a child, Renaldo dealt with his isolation by escaping to his private fantasy world and fabricating the fantasy nation of Rocaterrania. What began as the illustrated history of an imaginary world became a lifelong obsession - one that would secretly document the satirically coded story of his life. Now 76, Renaldo spins his spellbinding tale, illustrated by works of art, which delve deep into the psyche of this delightful and complex genius.

Neither of these currently have distribution but might in the future. They were certainly worthy of a wider audience.
You never know what gems you will find when you go to a festival. If you have never been to one, the Newport Beach Film Festival runs from April 23rd to 30th. You can give a festival a try without going far from home!

And the winner is...

2009-02-20T11:14:00.000-08:00

Or at least who I think the winners will be! Here are my picks for this years Academy Awards:
Best Film: Slumdog Millionaire
Best Actor: Sean Penn (You KNOW I would really like to be able to say that Richard Jenkins will win but alas….)
Best Actress: Kate Winslet
Best Director: Danny Boyle
Best Supporting Actor: Heath Ledger (duh!)
Best Supporting Actress: Viola Davis
Adapted Screenplay: Simon Beaufoy - Slumdog Millionaire
Original Screenplay: Dustin Lance Black - Milk
Animated Feature: Wall-E
Art Direction: Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Cinematography: Slumdog Millionaire
Costume Design: The Duchess
Documentary: Man on Wire
Editing: Slumdog Millionaire
Foreign Language: Waltz with Bashir
Make-up: Curious Case of Benjamin Button
Original Score: Slumdog Millionaire
Original Song: Slumdog Millionaire - "Jai Ho"
Sound Editing: The Dark Knight
Sound Mixing: The Dark Knight
Visual Effects: Curious Case of Benjamin Button

The Oscars are on this Sunday night. But for those indie minded folk out there, the Independent Spirit Awards are on Saturday night at 10pm on AMC (or live at 5pm if you have IFC channel). Here is a link to this year’s Independent Spirit nominees (http://spiritawards.com/nominees).
Let the games begin!

Film Forum Cancelled

2009-02-18T17:23:00.000-08:00

Unfortunately, we have to cancel the Watching the Detectives Saturday Film Forum. Major issues came up with the schedule and the library theater and as no satisfactory solution reared its head, we will have to cancel the entire program. Sorry to my loyal Film Forum followers!!

The Guilds have Spoken!

2009-02-10T15:07:00.000-08:00

Recently many of the entertainment guilds have announced their awards for the 2008 film season.
The Producer’s Guild award went to Slumdog Millionaire.
The Writers Guild went to Milk for Original Screenplay and Slumdog Millionaire for Adapted Screenplay.
The Director’s Guild went to Danny Boyle for Slumdog Millionaire.
Hmmmm…could this possible be a trend?
The BAFTA’s (British Film Awards) were announced this weekend and it seems that Slumdog Millionaire is the darling of the BAFTA’s as well! It walked away with Best Film, Best Director (Danny Boyle), Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Score, Best Cinematography, Best Editing and Best Sound. Oddly enough, it didn’t get any BAFTA acting awards. Those went to: Best Actress Kate Winslet for The Reader, Best Actor Mickey Rourke for the Wrestler, Best Supporting Actor Heath Ledger for Dark Knight and Best Supporting Actress Penelope Cruz for Vicky, Cristina Barcelona.

The American Cinematographers will announce their awards on Sunday, February 15th and the Costume Designers Guild announces on Tuesday, February 17th.
The guild awards are always a good indication of who might walk away with an Oscar on February 22nd.

I haven’t seen a release date for Slumdog Millionaire, Frost/Nixon, The Wrestler, Revolutionary Road or Curious Case of Benjamin button on DVD but Frozen River should be in this week, Changeling will be out February 17th, Milk and Rachel Getting Married are coming on March 10th, Doubt on April 7th, The Reader is scheduled for April 14th. Of course, all are on order for the HBPL Media Department!

Let the Games Begin – 2009!

2009-01-22T09:40:00.000-08:00

At the crack of dawn this morning (530am!), the Oscar nominations were announced for this year’s performances. I was particularly pleased to see Richard Jenkins get nominated for his amazing work in The Visitor. Personally, I think he might just take the Oscar home this year. I was also pleased that The Reader got a nod for both Best Picture and for Kate Winslet’s Best Actress performance. (Yes, I know the Golden Globes gave her a Best Supporting Actress for this but it was really a leading role.).
Many of these films are still in the theaters, but not all! Here are the films that are currently available at the HBPL Media Department that received nominations:

The Dark Knight (Best Supporting Actor – Heath Ledger, Best Editing, Make-up, Art Direction, Cinematography, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Visual Effects )
The Duchess (Best Art Direction and Costume)
Encounters at the End of the World (Best Documentary)
Hellboy II (Best Make-Up)
In Bruges (Best Original Screenplay)
Iron Man (Best Sound Editing, Visual Effects)
Kung-Fu Panda (Best Animated Film)
Man On Wire (Best Documentary)
Tropic Thunder (Best Supporting Actor – Robert Downey Jr.) (He's The Dude Playing the Dude Disguised as Another Dude - I love that line!)
The Visitor ( Best Actor – Richard Jenkins)
WALL-E (Best Animated Feature, Original Score, Original Song – Down to Earth, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Original Screenplay)
Wanted (Best Sound Editing and Sound Mixing)

Many of the nominated films are scheduled for DVD release in the very near future. That and my picks for the Oscars will be in the next posts to this blog. I will also be asking for your picks for the top categories, so start thinking!

Blu-Ray Comes to HBPL

2009-01-15T09:54:00.000-08:00

Did you know that the HBPL Media Department now has a selection of Blu-Ray DVD’s? Well, we do! Now that the price of Blu-Ray players has come down, we have decided to offer some titles to our patrons.
Now available on Blu-Ray:
Kung-Fu Panda, Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian, The Dark Knight, Wanted, Hancock, The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor, Eagle Eye, Iron Man, WALL-E, Horton Hears a Who, Tropic Thunder, and Mamma Mia!

Blu-Ray DVD’s can be played on Blu-Ray players and Playstation3 but cannot be played on a regular DVD player. But if you have the right equipment, these DVD’s offer an incredible visual experience!

Saturday Film Forum Returns!

2009-01-07T14:50:00.000-08:00

Yes, it is official! As some of you may (or may not) know, our director, Ron Hayden, retired after over 20 years at the helm of HBPL. We now have a new leader! Welcome Stephanie Beverage as the new director of our library. Welcome, because just today she gave the go-ahead for the Saturday Film Forum! This time I will take you to the seedy, noir and animated world of detectives! The official title: On the QT and Very Hush-Hush: Watching the Detectives.

Here are the films and the dates:
February 28th - The Maltese Falcon: After the murder of his business partner, private detective Sam Spade takes on a case that involves him with three eccentric criminals, a gorgeous liar, and their quest for a priceless statuette, the jeweled Falcon of Malta.

March 28th - L.A. Confidential: 1950's Los Angeles is the seedy backdrop for this intricate noir tale of police corruption and Hollywood sleaze. Based on James Ellroy’s crime novel, the film follows three detectives that try to find the truth; each in their own way.

April 18th – Chinatown: In 1930 Los Angeles, private eye "Jake" Gittes (Jack Nicholson), at the request of a beautiful bombshell (Faye Dunaway), becomes entangled in a scandal of greed, depravity, and corruption surrounding L.A.’s water supply.

May 16th - Who Framed Roger Rabbit? : Roger, an animated rabbit with big feet, long ears and a polka-dot tie, enlists the help of a second-rate gumshoe in an adventure that has murder, mayhem, and lots of fun! Roger thinks his wife is two-timing him, but he uncovers something much more menacing in this 1940s Hollywood adventure.

I had wanted to screen Blade Runner as the fourth film, but alas! I was unable to get the screening rights so, Who Framed Roger Rabbit? it is!! Not that I am disappointed! If you haven’t seen Roger Rabbit or if you haven’t seen it for awhile, it is a mix of animation and live action and a Zemeckis tour-de force!
All screenings will be at 2p, on Saturdays, in the Library Theater and, of course, are FREE!
I hope to see you and “as many of your adult friends that you can drag along” there!

Happy Award Season!!

2008-12-19T13:56:00.000-08:00

Of course we all know that we are in the holiday season but we are also just starting the big awards season! Many organizations have already announced their top film and acting awards/nominees:

National Board of Review, Los Angeles Film Critics, New York Film Critics, Golden Globe Awards and the Screen Actors Guild Awards have all been announced. There seems to be a few films that every group agrees on! Across the board, Man on Wire gets best documentary nods. This fascinating documentary follows the high wire walks of Philippe Petit, including his infamous walk between the twin towers of the World Trade Center in New York. It is currently available on DVD in the HBPL Media center. Another, which is also now out on DVD and available at HBPL, is the Best Animated Film, Wall-E. For my money, Pixar makes the best animated films that are currently being released. This is no exception; a smart, funny, charming animated adventure of a lonely waste management robot. Who knew trash could be so loveable?

It seems that Josh Brolin is fated to be at the Oscars again this year. Although not nominated for his portrayal in No Country For Old Men, from all the accolades he has already received for his supporting actor role of Dan White in Milk, it would be a great surprise if an Oscar nomination didn’t come his way as well. And speaking of Milk, another actor whose performance is recognized by the critics is Sean Penn in Milk as Harvey Milk. From every group he is either their pick as best actor or in the nominated group.

The other films that seem to be getting multiple nominations are The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, Doubt, Slumdog Millionaire (an amazing film that should not be missed!) and Frost/Nixon. Of course, all will eventually be available on DVD and will make their way onto the shelves at HBPL.

In the new year I will write more on the films that are getting recognized. The award season culminates with the Oscars on February 22, 2009 (with Hugh Jackman as host…but that will be a post in itself!). But until then have a wonderful holiday season and I will be back in 2009!

Holiday Madness

2008-12-02T20:12:00.000-08:00

Yes yes! Tis the season that we all go crazy. We are running around trying to make a fun and festive holiday for our friends and family. What a better way to relax than with a hot chocolate/toddy and a favorite movie. You would think that Christmas movies would be the first movies I would reach for this time of year. Of course, I have my favorites among the Christmas films but when I want to relax, my thoughts turn to Alan Rickman. Contemporary audiences know him as Snape in the Harry Potter films. Unfortunately, my favorite Rickman film, Truly, Madly, Deeply is hard to find and not in our media department. But we certainly have other Rickman fare to offer:

Galaxy Quest: It has been 17 years since the "Galaxy Quest'' TV series was canceled, and the actors' careers have been reduced to appearances at annual conventions. Alan Rickman plays a Spock-like character who hates the direction that his career has taken and his co-stars. Aliens show up after watching years of the series, thinking they have been watching historical documents. They want the intrepid crew of Galaxy Quest to help them defeat their enemies. So funny, so campy, so galactic!

Sense and Sensibility: Rickman in Austen! What a great combination. The screenplay for this version was written by Emma Thompson, who also stars in the film. Rickman plays the love struck Colonel Brandon who eventually ends up with the girl (Kate Winslet, no less)!

Harry Potters: Alan Rickman is superbly cast as Severus Snape in the Harry Potter films. The voice, the sneer, the hair! A decidedly misunderstood character! We who have read the entire Harry Potter series, know that Snape is somewhat redeemed in the final act. I can’t wait to see Rickman’s portrayal in the film version of the Deathly Hallows.

Bottle Shock: This delightful film was based on a true story and was just out in the theaters. Rickman plays a British wine connoisseur, owner of a wine shop in France. He sets up blind wine tasting in Paris, pitting California wines against the French ones. This 1976 event shocked the wine community when a small California vineyard was triumphant against the French. For those that missed this film in the theaters, it will be available on DVD in February (02/03/09).

You are never too old!

2008-11-19T15:13:00.000-08:00

I have always had an interest in the arts. Of course, I love film but, for my entire life, I have also been involved with music. One of my musical pursuits was singing, for ten years, with a jazz choir. This is but one reason that I couldn’t wait to see the documentary Young @ Heart. This documentary was the darling of the festivals last year and a big hit at Sundance in January of this year.

Young @ Heart is a geriatric rock 'n roll singing choir from Northampton, Massachusetts which you've got to see (and hear) to believe. If you are a fan of “The Ramones”, just wait until you've seen a 92-year-old woman steady herself with her cane as she walks to the microphone and belts out "I Wanna Be Sedated". It gives a whole new twist to punk music!

This is a documentary about how music can enrich your life at any age. It is also about twisting your perspective and appreciating that getting old doesn’t mean you have to stop enjoying life. Young @ Heart is a thoroughly enjoyable documentary filled with humor, affection, irony, fascination and toe-tapping music.
It is available on DVD from the HBPL Media Department.

Less than a Week!

2008-10-30T14:04:00.000-07:00

Yes it is less than a week to go to see who will be at the helm of America for the next four years. So my second (and last) installment of recommended political films are:

Bulworth (DVD)
Bulworth is a disillusioned, Democratic senator. He hates his job and his life, and has just lost millions in the market. So he puts out a contract on his own life and has only three days to live. But in those three days he decides that, for once, he is free to say exactly what he thinks, and that's what he does. Warren Beatty, who directed, produced, co- wrote and stars in this film, deserves huge credit for pulling off an enterprise as audacious and risky as Bulworth.

Dr Strangelove (DVD)
For me, Dr. Strangelove is the best political satire film ever made. The film starts with a deranged General Ripper declaring a "Code Red", sealing off his Air Force base, and ordering a nuclear attack on Russia. What follows is political satire at it’s finest as President Merkin Muffley (Peter Sellers), hawkish General Turgidson (George C. Scott) and Dr. Strangelove (Peter Sellers), an ex-Nazi scientist are called to determine how to react to the crisis. Hilarious and frightening, all at the same time!

All the President’s Men (VHS)
This film is based on the non-fiction book written by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward. It starts with the investigation of a seemingly minor break-in which leads Bernstein and Woodward all the way to the White House. Their investigation of the Watergate incident was instrumental in the resignation of Richard Nixon.

Bob Roberts (VHS)
Documentary-style look at the fictional Senatorial campaign of Bob Roberts (Tim Robbins), an arch-conservative, self-made millionaire, folk singer turned politician. Although Roberts has the look of a home town Woody Guthrie, his message is that greed is good, the bottom line is the only line and winning is everything.

And remember, if you haven’t voted early…make sure and vote on November 4th!!

It’s going to be a bumpy ride!

2008-10-07T20:15:00.000-07:00

Although my “political films” Saturday Film Forum couldn’t happen this autumn, I did promise you that I would post some political film titles to get you through to November 4th. So here is your first installment. These are the four films I would have shown as my film program:

The Manchurian Candidate
And when I say Manchurian Candidate, I mean the original Frank Sinatra, 1962 version of this film. (Despite the excellent cast, the 2004 remake just wasn’t anywhere near the quality of this version). The plot: an American patrol is captured by Chinese communists during the Korean War, and one soldier is programmed to become an assassin; two years later, he's ordered to kill a presidential candidate. This is a minimalist view of this complex and intriguing film. After its release in 1962, Pauline Kael wrote, "It may be the most sophisticated political satire ever made in Hollywood". A must see for political film fans. Or those that want to see what real acting chops Angela Lansbury has!

Dave
Ivan Reitman directed this gem of a film. When the president falls into a coma, Dave Kovic (Kevin Kline) a dead-ringer look alike for the president is asked to temporarily step in. The White House chief of staff, an evil genius played by Frank Langella, decides not to turn over the reins of power to the vice president (Ben Kingsley) but instead to use Dave as a permanent front man, with him pulling the strings. Problems begin, however, when Dave starts to act like a leader – a compassionate and intelligent one -- instead of the puppet that his Chief of Staff wants him to be.

The Contender
The always wonderful Joan Allen portrays a senator who is nominated to become Vice President following the death of the previous office holder. The President (Jeff Bridges) who is near the end of his final term, decides to leave a legacy by selecting a woman to fill the position. Unfortunately, there are those that don’t’ think this is a wise choice and they dig up things from the senator’s past that have her fighting for her good name.

Election
One of my favorite films! This is most certainly about politics; the politics of a high school election. Based on the Tom Perrotta novel of the same name, Election is about the eternally perky, Tracy Flick’s (Reese Witherspoon) bid for class president. Flick’s exuberance rubs teacher, Jim McAllister (Matthew Broderick), the wrong way and he sets out to foil her election plans. Cynical, dark comedy at its best!