Happy Birthday Christopher!

Christopher Nolan was born in London on this day, forty years ago. Happy 40th b-day to Christopher! At the ripe old age of seven, he was making super 8mm films using his action figures as his stars. He graduated into 16mm films when he attended University College London, studying English Literature. In 1996, one of his short films was screened at the Cambridge Film Festival and that, as they say, was that! His career seemed to progress rather nicely from that point on. Of course he has been in the news a bit lately due to the release of his latest film, Inception. I haven’t seen it yet but hope to in the near future. Between the time of his Cambridge Film Festival success and the release of Inception, he has made some films that are worthy of your consideration:

Memento: Christopher Nolan was only 30 years old when he directed this amazing film. Nolan based Memento on a short story by his brother, Jonathan Nolan, who told it to him during a cross-country road trip. If you have seen it, you will know why the plot is difficult to describe. Basically, it is about a man who has lost his short termed memory after a violent incident where his wife is murdered. Oh and the story is told in reverse! The always brilliant Guy Pearce plays the man and although you have to pay attention during this film, it is indie film at its best and worth the brain cells!


Batman Begins: Finally! Someone got a Batman film right! I can’t say I was a big fan of this franchise until I saw Christopher Nolan’s vision of the caped crusader. Christian Bale was an unusual but genius bit of casting as the ever brooding Bruce Wayne. Instead of the Wham! Pow! cartooniness of the prior films, this one is intelligent and brings to the foreground the demons that haunt and drive Bruce Wayne versus just the escapades of the caped crusader.


The Prestige: Abracadabra! The brothers Nolan (Christopher and Jonathan) wrote this screenplay for Christopher to direct. Nolan, once again, uses Christian Bale to great effect. Bale and Hugh Jackman play magicians in turn-of-the-century London who engage in a devious and deadly no-holds-barred rivalry. As the illusions get more spectacular, these bitterest of rivals rage with enough fury to want to destroy each other's personal as well as professional lives. Look for another brilliant casting turn as David Bowie shows up briefly as Nikola Tesla.

All of these films are available on DVD in the HBPL Media department. So if you want to celebrate Nolan’s birthday tonight, get some cake, get some ice cream, get a DVD of one of his films and celebrate!

Celluloid for the patriot!

I was talking to some fellow library employees about their plans for the holiday weekend. Many have movies in their plans and the usual patriotic fare kept being mentioned: Independence Day, Born on the 4th of July, Saving Private Ryan…all fine films to watch on the 4th. However, the ones that I found most intriguing were the not so obvious ones….the ones that made them feel proud to be Americans without being conspicuously patriotic.

Musicals! How much more American can you get than watching people break into song at measured appropriate times! My favorite Independence Day musical is a very patriotic one: 1776. What fun to watch our Founding Fathers tell bawdy jokes, watch them sing and dance, watch them flirt, watch them fight with walking sticks! Independence has never been so entertaining! But the musical that kept getting mentioned as a 4th of July favorite, without being overly patriotic, was The Music Man. Younger woman, hanging out with older man, getting his wealth when he passed away….Anna Nicole?? No! Marion the Librarian (♫He left River City the library building but he left all the books to her!♫). A story of redemption, of love and most of all, catchy tunes and 76 trombones!

Jaws: When a colleague mentioned that he/she watched this every 4th of July for the last ten years, it only took a few seconds to think “but, of course!!”. What could be more appropriate than a day of fun in the sun at the beach with friends and family and going swimming on our nation’s day of independence? Throw a man eating great white shark into the mix and you have a fine slice of Americana! Man versus Wild has nothing on Roy Scheider as he shows good old American know how in dealing with this underwater nemesis!

Die Hard, Die Harder (aka Die Hard 2), Die Hard with a Vengeance, Live Free or Die Hard: I loved it when I asked my colleague what he/she was going to watch and the answer was: (paraphrased) I am going to sit around all day and watch stuff blow up. That’s right! It is our American right to watch things exploding on the big screen! And who does it better than Sgt. John McClane (Bruce Willis)!! In my past, I lived abroad for many years. After being away from the US of A for almost five years, I spent a month in Thailand on my way home. I stayed in the Khao San Road area of Bangkok and all along the streets were cafes that screened movies in the evening. Travelers would stream in to watch films, drink beer and eat delicious Thai food. Every night one of the café’s would show Die Hard and for several nights I would be there watching it. It made me oddly patriotic and homesick; Stuff blowing up = America=Awesome!

Whether you will be grilling with friends and/or family, hanging out and relaxing, braving the ocean (see second film above) or watching a big old fireworks show (that’ll be me! I LOVE fireworks!), hopefully you will have a safe and sane 4th of July! Now get out there and do your patriotic duty – CELEBRATE!

Saturday Film Forum Going, Going, Gone!

Yes, the Saturday Film Forum will soon be Gone Baby, Gone…in more ways than one. June 26th will be the final film in our Watching the Detectives series and that film will be…Gone Baby, Gone! Come see Ben Affleck’s directorial debut on the big screen in the Library Theater! As usual, we will start at 2pm with a trivia quiz for prizes (the quiz this time will be about books that have been turned into films) and a short lecture about the film.
(Don’t worry, it will be light on the Bennifer references)
This film is R rated, so adults only please!
Hope to see you there!

Triumphant Thai!

This year’s Cannes Film Festival has come to a close and the awards have been announced. One could just imagine that by choosing Tim Burton as the head of the jury, we would be in for some interesting selections. Burton with his fellow judges (including Kate Beckinsale and Benicio Del Toro) have made the Thai people very happy by choosing one of their own to win the coveted Palme d’Or. This year’s top prize went to Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s film Uncle Boonme Who Can Recall His Past Lives, a one-of-a-kind dreamy ghost story about a man who is on speaking terms with all sorts of supernatural entities. The runner-up for the Palme was Xavier Beauvois’ Of God and Men, which garnered the most buzz as a possible Best Foreign Film Oscar contender this year. (stay tuned for that one!)

The festival's jury prize went to A Screaming Man, directed by Mahamat-Saleh Haroun, and the first film ever in the competition from Chad. It is a melancholy film that explores the relationship between a father and son during a civil war in Chad. Well done, Chad!

The top acting nods went to Javier Bardem (Biutiful) and Elio Germano (La Nostra Vida) who tied for best actor. Best actress went to the always wonderful Juliette Binoche (Certified Copy).

Not in competition but also present were Ridley Scott with Robin Hood, Woody Allen and his latest, You Will Meet A Tall Dark Stranger and Oliver Stone with Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps.

Having attended some major film festivals, I know that sometimes it is satisfying to see the big films before they open in the States. However the real joy in attending is discovering those hidden gems; the ones you know won’t ever get distribution here in America. If you haven’t already, give a film festival a try!! (see The Film festival Guide: for filmmakers, film buffs and industry professionals 791.43079LAN @HBPL or there are many websites online with film festival information.)

Forget it Jake, it’s Chinatown

Jake can forget but you shouldn’t! At least you shouldn’t forget to come to this Saturday’s screening of Chinatown! I have another informative talk to give you about the film and there will be a trivia quiz for prizes. The trivia this time will be on films of the seventies, so brush up if you want to win! And, of course, there will be candy! This film is rated R so adults only please! See you @ 2pm in the Library Theater!

Creepy but Cool

Roger Ebert said about this actor that he "seems to have become the latter-day version of Christopher Walken -- not all the time, but when you need him, he's your go-to guy for weirdness". I couldn’t agree more! He first came to my notice in the Green Mile. Who is this creepy but cool, Walken apprentice?? Sam Rockwell! He is slated to be in the upcoming Iron Man 2 with Robert Downey, Jr. But before he took on the super hero, he was delighting and creeping us out in these films:

Moon: See it, see it, see it, see it! Not since Tom Hanks did Castaway has a single actor been able to carry a film (almost) on his own. Rockwell plays Sam Bell, the only occupant of a Moon-based manufacturing facility. His only companion is the “HAL-like” computer, GERTY (voice by Kevin Spacey). He is just a few weeks short of fulfilling his three year contract when then most definitely start going awry!

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford: Creepy and whiney at the same time! Rockwell plays Charley Ford, brother of Robert (Casey Affleck), who introduces him to Jesse James. As a member of the James gang, Rockwell is there to push his brother and ultimately ruin both of their lives. This film would not be as enjoyable without Rockwell’s performance.

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind: Whacky! This film is based on Chuck Barris’s autobiography of the same name. In his book, this once host of The Gong Show, claims to have been an employee of the CIA and assassinated 33 people on their orders. Rockwell’s portrayal of Barris strikes the perfect balance between geek, simmering menace, alluring personality and quirky humor.

Galaxy Quest: Rockwell plays Guy, an actor who was in episode 81 of the cult TV show, Galaxy Quest and died by the first commercial. This film is one of my favorites! Although Rockwell plays a supporting character, anyone who has watched any sci-fi series will get a laugh over his interpretation of the disposable cast member (you know who I mean guys with red shirts on Star Trek).

The Green Mile: Not a lead character but, once again, Rockwell creates a performance to remember. In this case I wish it wasn’t so memorable! He plays the psychotic and violent 'Wild Bill' Wharton who ultimately gets his due at the hands of the equally disturbing Percy Wetmore. Mainly I find the film interpretations of Stephen King novels decidedly lacking; this is certainly an exception. Moving and disturbing at the same time, made even more creepy by Sam Rockwell’s portrayal of Wharton.

On the QT and Very Hush Hush!

How time flies!! It seems like I just screened the first film in my Watching the Detectives film program and it is already time for film number two! This Saturday,
April 10th, I will be talking about and showing the "noir that doesn't look like noir" detective film, L.A. Confidential. I say noir that doesn't look it because that was Curtis Hanson"s (the director) intent. The entire film has a very noir feel to it but it was shot with very contemporary lighting and staging. Come see for yourself! We will be in the Central Library theater at 2pm and since this one is R rated, adult's only please.

See you there!

The Maltese Falcon comes to HBPL

Just a reminder...tomorrow, March 20th will be the start to our detectives film program. I will be screening the Maltese Falcon at 2pm in the Library Theater. I will start with a trivia quiz where you can win (but only with the right answer!) a free DVD rental from the media section and a DVD or book. After that a short talk about the film (by moi) and then on with the show!

Please join us for this fun afternoon.

March Madness

No, not basketball…OSCARS! That’s my kind of madness. This Sunday brings us the 82nd Academy Awards. For more years than I care to admit to, I have made an Oscar bet with a friend. We usually cast our votes right before the telecast, after all the Guild awards have been announced. We also usually differ only on a few categories. This year we decided to vote right after the nominations were announced…it didn’t seem to work as we still only differed on a couple of categories. This is the long way of saying…and the winners are…

Best Film: The Hurt Locker
Best Director: Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker)
Best Actor: Jeff Bridges (Crazy Heart)
Best Actress: Sandra Bullock (The Blind Side)
Best Supporting Actor: Christoph Waltz (Inglourious Basterds)
Best Supporting Actress: Mo'Nique (Precious)
Best Animated Film: Up
Art Direction: Avatar
Cinematography: Avatar
Costume: Young Victoria
Documentary: The Cove
Editing: The Hurt Locker
Foreign Language: The White Ribbon
Makeup: Star Trek
Original Score: Up
Original Song: The Weary Kind (Crazy Heart)
Sound Editing: Avatar
Sound Mixing: Avatar
Visual Effects: Avatar
Adapted Screenplay: Up in the Air
Original Screenplay: Inglourious Basterds

Am I right? Am I wrong? I will have to wait until Sunday to see if I have chosen wisely this year. Let the madness begin!

Saturday Film Forum Returns (We’re Back!)

Yes, it’s true and I wanted those who read this blog to be the first to know! The Saturday Film Forum will return to the Huntington Beach Public Library on March 20th. The detectives will be resurrected and finally given their due. The film program will be as follows:

March 20th - 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.

April 10th - 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.

May 15th – Chinatown: In 1930 Los Angeles, private detective Jake Gittes, at the request of a beautiful bombshell, becomes entangled in a scandal of greed, depravity, and corruption surrounding L.A.’s water supply.

June 26th - Gone Baby, Gone: When a little girl is lost on the tough streets of Dorchester in Boston, two detectives must risk their sanity and even their lives to take on the case.

The program will be in the Library Theatre starting at 2pm. As before, we will start with a short talk about the film, then move on to the trivia quiz. There will be prizes for the quiz and candy for all! Three out of the four films are R rated so all patrons over the age of 17 are welcome!
Hope to meet all of you there!

Fabulous Foreign Film!

It’s about time! I have been waiting way too long to see last year’s winner of the Oscar for Best Foreign Film, Departures. This Japanese film shocked me by beating Waltz With Bashir in last year’s ceremony. It is finally available on DVD and, having seen it, I now get why it won.


Departures - Daigo Kobayashi is a devoted cellist in an orchestra that has just been dissolved and now finds himself without a job. Daigo decides to move back to his old hometown with his wife to look for work and start over. He answers a classified ad entitled "Departures" thinking it is an advertisement for a travel agency only to discover that the job is actually for a "Nokanshi" or "encoffineer," a funeral professional who prepares deceased bodies for burial and entry into the next life.

This film only had a very limited release here in southern California, but fortunately, you can now check it out from the HBPL Media Department. And check it out, you should! (Hmmmm I am sounding a bit like Yoda, but like Yoda, I am giving you very good advice!)

Happy Award Season!

For me, this time of year is better than the Christmas holidays. Film Award Season!! The awards actually start at the end of December with some of the critics groups giving their “best” lists. The New York Film Critics proclaimed the following: Best Picture - The Hurt Locker; Best Director - Kathryn Bigelow, The Hurt Locker; Best Screenplay - In the Loop; Best Actress - Meryl Streep - Julie & Julia; Best Actor - George Clooney - Up In The Air; Best Supporting Actor - Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds; Best Supporting Actress - Mo'Nique – Precious. (for a complete list of NYFC winners: http://www.nyfcc.com/awards.php)

Not to be outdone, the Los Angeles Film Critics announced their picks: Best Picture – The Hurt Locker; Best Director - Kathryn Bigelow – The Hurt Locker; Best Screenplay – Up in the Air; Best Actor – Jeff Bridges – Crazy Heart; Best Actress – Yolande Moreau (Who?) – Seraphine; Best Supporting Actor - Christoph Waltz - Inglourious Basterds; Best Supporting Actress - Mo'Nique – Precious. (for complete list of LAFC winners: http://www.lafca.net/years/2009.html)


After these awards, The Hurt Locker and Kathryn Bigelow seemed to be running away with the awards of the season. Then came the Golden Globe Awards. The big winner of the night was Avatar, taking Best Picture and Best Director for James Cameron. Even Cameron acknowledged that he thought Bigelow would win (although I am sure he is glad she didn’t!). (Golden Globe winners: http://www.goldenglobes.org/nominations/) Both are nominated for the Directors Guild award but we will have to wait until January 30th to find out who will win. (Director’s Guild nominees: http://www.dga.org/index2.php3) The Guild award is usually the best indicator as to which director will win the Oscar. The Oscar front runners for the best screenplay awards (original and adapted) will become clearer after the Writers Guild announces it’s winners on February 20th. (Writer’s Guild nominees: http://www.wga.org/content/default.aspx?id=3904)

Tonight the actors will celebrate themselves (as they do so well!). The Screen Actors Guild Awards (full list of nominations: http://www.sagawards.org/nominations) are entertaining and also an indicator of the Oscar favorites.

For those that didn’t get a chance to see The Hurt Locker or Inglourious Basterds in the theaters, they are currently out on DVD and available in our Media department.

Let the games begin!

Tis the season to be…Dysfunctional!

I am sure most of you have perfectly lovely families and are on the verge of having the best Christmas EVER! Beautifully wrapped presents, sparkling and meaningful conversations and delicious foods made with care. Ahhhhhh, the glory of the holidays! But for the rest of us, I thought I would suggest some great films that make us glad for the families we have. You think your family is dysfunctional!? Watch these films and you will be glad to be with your family over the holidays!

Grey Gardens (DVD): Money doesn’t matter where dysfunction is involved! Edith and “Little Edie" Beale, the aunt and cousin of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, live their eccentric lives in a filthy, decaying mansion in East Hampton. Whether you watch the 1975 documentary of the actual Beales or the 2009 movie starring Jessica Lange and Drew Barrymore, this is dysfunction at its entertaining best!

Ordinary People (DVD): A young Timothy Hutton plays Conrad, the son of Calvin and Beth Jarrett, two of the most disconnected parents you’ll ever see. Conrad was involved in an accident which caused his brother’s death leaving him with various mental disorders stemming from the event. Both parents clearly loved their other son more and in a way resent Conrad for still being alive. Instead of properly grieving, they shut off their emotions and act as if everything is normal.

The Ref (DVD): Anything with Denis Leary in it is pretty unorthodox, isn't it? Well, add to the mix a bumbling thief, a married couple (Kevin Spacey and Judy Davis) who can't stand each other, and a hostage situation on Christmas Eve and you get the most dysfunctional Christmas film of all time.

Royal Tenenbaums (DVD): Royal and Etheline Tenenbaum are the separated parents of two sons and an adopted daughter. Richie (Luke Wilson) is a tennis playing artist who has an affinity for hawks, Chas (Ben Stiller) is a paranoid father of two who constantly thinks death is at his door, and Margot (Gwyneth Paltrow) is a playwright with a missing finger, and a secret smoking habit. Royal was a terrible husband and an even worse father, so how does he make it up to his family? He lies about having cancer to try and reconnect with his family. Dysfunction with a capital D (One of my favorite films! Oh so amusing!)

May your days be merry and bright….and all your family events NOT be like the ones in these films! Happy holidays!

For Your Holiday Viewing Pleasure

The National Board of Review has just announced its film awards for the year, kicking off the film frenzy that leads up to the Academy Awards in March (Sunday, March 7th). Leading the charge are several films that will get wider release over the Christmas holidays. The National Board gave the top film prize to Up in the Air with its star, George Clooney named as Best Actor (which he co-shared with Morgan Freeman for Invictus). It also won best adapted screenplay and Anna Kendrick won for best supporting actress.
Best director went to Invictus director, Clint Eastwood. I have heard nothing but glowing reviews for the film, An Education, and its star Carey Mulligan took best actress award. Woody Harrelson won best supporting actor for The Messenger (he plays a captain who is given the job of informing the families of fallen soldiers.)
Rounding out the awards are Up (currently available in HBPL Media) for best animated film, The Cove (available 12/8 from HBPL Media) for best documentary and The Prophet for best foreign film.

So what should you see over the holidays?? I would put Up in the Air, An Education and Invictus at the top of your list:

Up in the Air: George Clooney take on the role of a management consultant, a harbinger of doom whose job is primarily firing people for companies that are downsizing. His work takes him around the country, helping him pursue his private goal of accumulating ten million miles in his frequent flyer account and with it, entry to an elite club. Enter a new recruit that introduces video conferencing that would ground his operation. The film is based on a novel by the same name written Walter Kirn (available at HBPL). Another indie feather in the cap of Juno director, Jason Reitman.

An Education: Based on the memoir of British journalist Lynn Barber (book not available in the US), this film follows the relationship of a sixteen year old school girl (Carey Mulligan) with a 35 year old man (Peter Sarsgaard). Carey Mulligan, who in her first major feature role is being compared by everyone with Audrey Hepburn and was the darling of this year’s film festival circuit. You think you have seen this before but this screenplay by Nick Hornby (About a Boy and High Fidelity) is a fresh, funny and moving look at a young girl's journey from innocence to experience.

Invictus: The film, based upon the non-fiction book "Playing the Enemy" by John Carlin (available at HBPL, also available under the title Invictus) follows Nelson Mandela’s ambitious plan to use the national rugby team, the Springboks -- long an embodiment of white-supremacist rule -- to grip the new South Africa as the team prepares to host the 1995 World Cup. Matt Damon plays the captain of the Springboks and Morgan Freeman plays Nelson Mandela. One more film to add to the impressive directing career of Clint Eastwood.

So take a break from your busy holiday schedule to catch a film. Be it one of next year’s award considerations or just light holiday fare, it will take you away for a few hours. Films can make you laugh, make you cry and/or make you think.Then you can leave the dark and return to the celebrations of the season.

More frightening than Halloween

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!

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!

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!

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

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??