Friday, December 21, 2012

A special invitation from me:

We’re going to try something new in 2013—Movies for a Thursday Afternoon. We’ll be showing a relatively new film on Thursday afternoon January 3rd beginning at 1:30 p.m.: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel starring Judi Dench, Tom Wilkinson, Maggie Smith and other familiar British actors. It is the story of a group of seniors who decide to “outsource” their retirement to a luxury hotel in India. What they find there has a profound effect on each of them and provides us with a charming and entertaining movie-going experience. 

On January 10th we will show the wonderful Frank Capra film from 1934 It Happened One Night starring Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert.  The winner of 5 academy awards including best picture, this romantic comedy is equal parts screwball comedy and a picture of depression-era America. This was one of the most popular films of its time and it’s still fun today. (Interesting bit of trivia found on imdb.com: While shooting the scene where he undresses, Clark Gable had trouble removing his undershirt while keeping his humorous flow going and took too long. As a result the undershirt was abandoned altogether. It then became cool to not wear an undershirt which resulted in a large drop in undershirt sales around the country. Legend has it that in response, some underwear manufacturers tried to sue Columbia.)
January 17th we can fall in love again with the magnificent Casablanca. Humphrey Bogart, Ingrid Bergman and Claude Rains star in this most memorable film. The story takes place during WWII in Morocco where refugees wait hoping to obtain exit visas to Lisbon and on to freedom. When nightclub owner Rick is asked to help Ilsa, with whom he is in love, and Laszlo, a resistance leader, to escape from the Nazis, he must choose between his country and his former love. Full of familiar lines, romantic music, Bogart and Bergman, this old favorite never fails to please.
January 24th brings us to the classic western High Noon starring Gary Cooper and Grace Kelly.  Marshall Will Kane is ready to leave on his honeymoon with his new Quaker wife when the Miller gang comes to town looking for revenge. Kane must take them on alone in one of the greatest cinematic showdowns of all time. Sometimes described as "a western for people who don't like westerns" this film is a brilliant portrait of one man’s courage in a world of bullies and cowards.
 January 31st will find us singing and dancing in the rain (weather permitting of course.) Singin’ in the Rain with Gene Kelly, Debbie Reynolds and Donald O’Connor celebrates sound in a picture about the move from silent film to talkies. This movie is guaranteed to make you smile with its joyous song and dance numbers and is the best musical film according to many critics. All I know is it’s a heckuva lot of fun!
All films are on Thursday afternoon’s beginning at 1:30 so please come, have some popcorn on us, and enjoy these wonderful films with your fellow movie lovers.  And stay tuned for more great movies coming in February!

See you at the movies!
Julie Stump

New this week (12/19/12):

Dark Knight Rises
It has been eight years since Batman vanished into the night, turning, in that instant, from hero to fugitive. Assuming the blame for the death of D.A. Harvey Dent, the Dark Knight sacrificed everything for what he and Commissioner Gordon both hoped was the greater good. For a time the lie worked, as criminal activity in Gotham City was crushed under the weight of the anti-crime Dent Act. 

Sleepwalk With Me
A burgeoning stand-up comedian struggles with the stress of a stalled career, a stale relationship, and the wild spurts of severe sleepwalking he is desperate to ignore. 

Total Recall  
Douglas Quaid begins to suspect he is a spy after visiting a company that implants fake memories, and finds himself on the run from the police.

Thursday, December 20, 2012

New this week (12/12/12):

Beasts of the Southern Wild
Living in "the Bathtub," a marginal Delta community in southern Louisiana, six-year-old Hushpuppy sets out in search of her lost mother on a makeshift raft after her father falls ill and nature seems to unleash its fury in rising floodwaters and attacks from prehistoric creatures called aurochs.

Bourne Legacy
Aaron Cross is an agent groomed by the government program that also unleashed Jason Bourne, but with a few new wrinkles. Cross is busy training in Alaska when he's caught in a tsunami of hurt, thus beginning a frantic search for answers to who and what he is.

Machine Gun Preacher
Sam Childers is a drug-dealing criminal who undergoes an astonishing spiritual transformation and makes a life-changing decision to travel to war-torn East Africa. After witnessing unspeakable horrors faced by innocent children, he vows to save them at any cost, including his own safety. Childers begins waging a relentless battle against the territory's renegade militia, leading harrowing missions behind enemy lines to rescue kidnapped orphans and restore peace to their lives and eventually his own.

Men in Black 3
Agent J must travel back in time to MIB's early years in the 1960s and save his partner, Agent K, from being assassinated by an alien. Along the way, Agent J teams up with young Agent K and learns that there are secrets to the universe that Agent K never told him.

Ted
As the result of a childhood wish, John Bennett's teddy bear, Ted, came to life and has been by John's side ever since. Their friendship is tested when Lori, John's girlfriend of four years, wants more from their relationship.

The Watch
There's trouble brewing in peaceful Glenview, Ohio. That's why four civic-minded citizens, armed with flashlights, walkie-talkies and spiffy new jackets, have teamed up to safeguard their community. But the guys find more than they bargained for when they uncover an alien plot to destroy Earth, and now these bumbling heroes are Glenview's only chance to save the neighborhood and the world from annihilation.

Why Stop Now
Eli Bloom, a piano prodigy, has gotten the most important audition of his life. But before he can go, he must drop his mother off at drug rehab. Since she has to test positive for admission, the two end up at her dealer's door seeking one last score. But problems arise when mom can't pay and dealer is low on product, thus creating a series of comically unfortunate obstacles to each character's goals.

Dust Bowl (978.917 DUS)
Ken Burns documents the worst man-made ecological disaster in American history, when a frenzied wheat boom on the southern Plains, followed by a decade-long drought during the 1930s, nearly swept away the breadbasket of the nation. Vivid interviews, dramatic photographs, and seldom-seen movie footage bring to life incredible stories of human suffering and perseverance.

Friday, December 7, 2012

New this week (12/7/12):

Holiday Inn (1942)
A song and dance man leaves showbiz to run an inn that is open only on holidays. A former partner joins him and the two find themselves competing for the affections of the same lovely lady. 

Hope Springs
Kay and Arnold are a middle-aged couple who have been married for 30 years and now are sleeping in separate rooms and barely interact in any meaningful loving way. Finally, Kay has had enough and finds a book by Dr. Feld which inspires her to sign them up for the doctor's intense week-long marriage counseling session. What follows is an insightful experience as Dr. Feld manages to help the couple understand how they have emotionally drifted apart and what they can do to reignite their passion. 

Odd Life of Timothy Green
When a childless couple buries a box with all of their wishes for an infant in their backyard, their wishes are granted. However, their child, Timothy Green, is not all that he appears. 

Rock of Ages
Drew and Sherrie meet in L.A. while pursuing their dream of life in the big city. Will their love survive the challenges the city throws their way? This musical features songs by Journey, Twisted Sister, Starship, REO Speedwagon, Foreigner, and many more. 

Woman in the Fifth
A college lecturer flees to Paris after a scandal costs him his job. In the City of Light, he meets a widow who might be involved in a series of murders. 

World Without End 
Set in England during the 1300s, the series chronicles the lives of ordinary citizens as the King leads the nation into the Hundred Years' War with France, all while Europe is bracing for the Black Death. Caris, a visionary woman, and her lover Merthin build a community that stands up to the Crown and the church.

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

New this week (11/28/12):

Lawless
The true story of the infamous Bondurant brothers: bootlegging siblings who made a run for the American Dream in Prohibition-era Virginia. In this epic outlaw tale, inspired by true-life tales of author Matt Bondurant's family, the loyalty of three brothers is put to the test against the backdrop of the nation's most notorious crime wave. 

Magic Mike
Mike, an experienced stripper, takes a younger performer under his wing and schools him in the arts of partying, picking up women, and making easy money.

Friday, November 23, 2012

New this week (11/23/12):

Criminal Minds, Season 2
Jason Gideon is the head of the FBI's Behavioral Analysis Unit (BAU) and mentor to an elite team of profilers, including family man Aaron Hotchner, sex-crimes expert Elle Greenaway, hunky Derek Morgan, genius-geek Dr. Spencer Reid, department liaison "JJ" Jareau, and computer whiz Penelope Garcia. Joining them this season is Emily Prentiss who quickly learns there's nothing these agents would rather do than profile murderers and put them away. 

Dalziel and Pascoe, Season 6
In season six of this gritty British crime thriller, grumpy old-school copper Andy Dalziel and his well-mannered university educated partner Peter Pascoe face more perplexing cases: The puzzling death of a schoolboy, the mysterious murder of a Sikh woman, the unexplained killing of a solicitor, and the appearance of a skeleton in a former mining town. On top of which, with Pascoe's wife and daughter now in America, the odd couple find themselves sharing Dalziel's house.

Dark Shadows
Imprisoned vampire Barnabas Collins is inadvertently freed from his tomb and emerges into the very changed world of 1972. He returns to Collinwood Manor to find that his once-grand estate has fallen into ruin. The dysfunctional remnants of the Collins family have fared little better and are in need of his protection. 

Delicacy (French)
When a woman loses the love of her life, she struggles to rekindle any kind of passion until she begins an unlikely relationship with a klutzy underling at work. 

Expendables 2
When Mr. Church decides to reunite the Expendables, and one of their men is murdered on the job, their quest for revenge puts them deep in enemy territory and up against an unexpected threat. 

Lucky One
U.S. Marine Sergeant Logan Thibault returns from his third tour of duty in Iraq with the one thing he credits with keeping him alive - a photograph he found of a woman he doesn't even know. Learning her name is Beth and where she lives, he shows up at her door, and ends up taking a job at her family-run local kennel. Despite her initial mistrust and the complications in her life, a romance develops between them, giving Logan hope that Beth could be much more than his good luck charm. 

New Tricks, Season 1
As punishment for messing up a kidnap rescue and shooting a dog in the process, Detective Superintendent Sandra Pullman is re-assigned to the newly created unsolved murder squad. Due to a manpower shortage her team is made up of veteran detectives brought back onto the police force, bringing a 1970's mentality to modern policing. The team's first case is to re-investigate a twenty year old murder conviction which has suddenly come into question due to police corruption. Sifting through the lies, dubious motives and the police cover up during the first investigation, the unorthodox methods of the dinosaur detectives eventually discover what really happened twenty years ago. In the process, the squad clears up two murders and an armed robbery. 

Savages
Laguna Beach entrepreneurs Ben, a peaceful and charitable Buddhist, and his closest friend Chon, a former Navy SEAL and ex-mercenary, run a lucrative, homegrown industry, raising some of the best marijuana ever developed. They also share a one-of-a-kind love with the extraordinary beauty Ophelia. Life is idyllic in their Southern California town, until the Mexican Baja Cartel decides to move in and demands that the trio partners with them. 

Seeking a Friend for the End of the World
As an asteroid nears Earth, a man finds himself alone after his wife leaves in a panic. He decides to take a road trip to reunite with his high school sweetheart. Accompanying him is a neighbor who inadvertently puts a wrench in his plan. 

Upstairs Downstairs, Season 2
Now a well established household in the heart of London, life in Eaton Place has moved on; Lady Agnes and Sir Hallam's family is complete with the addition of two small children and London has settled into an uneasy peace with the apparent aversion of war. Yet below the surface of a well-run household, both upstairs and downstairs are harboring life-changing secrets. As romance, heartbreak and revelation engulf the household; its inhabitants discover that the real threat is closer to home. 

Without Motive, Season 1
DC Jack Mowbray has seen many disturbing things on the job. But the family man has never taken it home with him--until now. The brutal murder of a young woman sets off a chain of events that may change Mowbray forever and tear his family apart.

Thursday, November 15, 2012

New this week (11/14/12):

2 Days in New York
Hip, Manhattan couple Marion and Mingus, each with children from prior relationships, find their comfortable family dynamic jostled by a visit from Marion's quirky relatives from France.

360
Starts in Vienna, weaving stories set in Paris, London, Bratislava, Rio, Denver, and Phoenix into a single narrative. A businessman who is tempted to be unfaithful to his wife sets into motion a series of events which ripple around the globe with dramatic consequences.

Campaign
In order to gain influence over their North Carolina district, two CEOs seize an opportunity to oust long-term congressman Cam Brady by putting up a rival candidate. Their man, naive Marty Huggins, is director of the local Tourism Center.

Dark Horse
Romance blooms between two thirty-somethings in arrested development: an avid toy collector who is the dark horse of his family and a depressed woman on the rebound.

Jumping the Broom
On a weekend wedding in Martha's Vineyard, two African-American families from divergent socioeconomic backgrounds clash during their first meeting before the big event.

Natural Selection
When a dutiful, albeit barren Christian housewife discovers that her devout husband has suffered a stroke at a sperm bank where he's been secretly donating his seed for the past 25 years, she leaves her sheltered world and starts off on a journey to find his eldest biological son - a mullet-headed, foul-mouthed ex-con with whom she develops an odd but meaningful relationship.

Polisse (French)
Based on real child investigation cases, Polisse follows the lives of a tight-knit team of men and women working in the Child Protection Unit of the Parisian police. In the realm of some of society's worst criminals, the pressures of the job are matched only by the pressures in the personal lives of the officers. Only by putting aside their individual differences can they find the strength necessary to make a positive change in the community.

Saint Ralph (2004) 
Ralph, a 14-year-old boy, has lost his father and his grandparents. His mother is also very ill. At school he is forced to join the track team, only to discover he has a talent for running. Soon he sets the goal of winning the 1954 Boston Marathon.

Thursday, November 8, 2012

New this week (11/7/12):

Amazing Spider-Man    PG13
Peter Parker finds a clue that might help him understand why his parents disappeared when he was young. His path puts him on a collision course with Dr. Curt Connors, his father's former partner. 

Copper, Season 1
Copper is BBC America's first original scripted series. Set in 1860s New York City, the drama is centered on Kevin Corcoran, an intense, rugged, Irish-American cop working in the city's notorious Five Points neighborhood. He struggles to maintain his moral compass while embarking on a quest to learn the truth about the disappearance of his wife and the death of his daughter. 

Dalziel and Pascoe, Season 5
This series follows a politically incorrect veteran detective and his well-educated soft-spoken rookie partner as they solve crimes in Yorkshire. 

Elena  (Russian)
This is the story of Elena and Vladimir, an older couple. The wealthy but stingy Vladimir treats Elena more like a servant than a wife. They each have children from their first marriages, a son and a daughter. Elena's son is unemployed and can't feed his wife and two children; they live only on the money Elena provides them, while Vladimir's daughter lives a bohemian life. In the hospital following a heart attack, Vladimir's daughter visits him. Their time together strengthens their usually distant relationship. Upon leaving the hospital, Vladimir declares that he's decided to change his will so that his daughter will receive all his money, leaving Elena with only a meager annuity. This will make it impossible for Elena to help her son financially. Humble and obedient, Elena then resorts to a desperate step. 

Harry & Tonto  (1974)  R
Comedy about a man evicted from his apartment who decides to take his cat, Tonto, and head cross country to live with one of his children. He has many 'encounters' with an assortment of people he meets on the way. 

Heroes, Season 1
Niki harbors a secret dark side, cheerleader Claire heals from any injury, Japanese Dilbert Hiro can bend time and space, Senatorial candidate Nathan is able to fly, his brother Peter can copy others' powers, Matt is a cop who can read minds, and junkie artist Isaac sees the future. While Claire and Hiro explore the potential of their new powers, Niki and her son try to elude some hired thugs and end up overwhelmed by her dark side. Suresh searches for the answer to his father's death; Hiro takes a trip, five weeks into the future, to New York and sees the city destroyed by a massive blast; Isaac sees the same, but through his paintings. The Heroes begin slowly coming into contact through a haze of dreams, visions, murder, swords and death. They need to stop the serial killer and save New York. 

New Tricks, Season 5
New Tricks follows a team of semi-retired and somewhat curmudgeonly detectives as they reinvestigate cold cases. The fifth season returns with more sharp writing, dry humor, and engrossing mysteries. Guest stars include Claire Bloom, James Fox, David Troughton, and Ronald Pickup. 

Ruby Sparks     R
Struggling with writer's block and a lackluster love life, once-famous novelist Calvin creates a beautiful fictitious character named Ruby who inspires him. But not only does this bring his work to life, it also brings Ruby to life, literally. Face-to-face with an actual relationship with his once virtual girlfriend, Calvin must now decide whether to pen this love story or let it write itself. 

Safety Not Guaranteed    R
Three co-workers at a magazine seek to interview someone who placed an ad for time travel companionship. 

Shield, the Complete First Season
The story of in inner-city Los Angeles police precinct where some of the cops aren't above breaking the rules or working against their associates to both keep the streets safe and their self-interests intact. 

Your Sister’s Sister    R
A year after the death of his brother Tom, Jack is having trouble coming to terms with his loss and has hit a wall, both personally and professionally. An intervention in the guise of his best friend Iris results in a planned week of solitude in the country at her family's cabin. The problem is, Iris's sister Hannah, raw from a breakup with her longtime girlfriend, had the same idea and she and Jack inadvertently have a night of drunken confessions and shared experiences. 

I Have Tourette’s But Tourette’s Doesn’t Have Me (616.83 I) 
"In every school in America, it's likely that at least one child may have Tourette Syndrome. Many of their parents, teachers, and those close to them are unaware. These children are often stigmatized and almost always misunderstood. HBO and the Tourette Syndrome Association present 'I have Tourette's but Tourette's doesn't have me': a documentary that dispels the myths of Tourette Syndrome through the experiences of young people."