VPL Film Beat

New this week (1/25/12):

2012-01-26T10:57:00.000-08:00

Boardwalk Empire, the Complete First Season
A lavish period drama set in Atlantic City, following the life and times of Nucky Thompson - the undisputed political and criminal mastermind whose grip on power and control of the city's liquor supply is under constant threat.

50/50
Inspired by personal experiences, an original story about friendship, love, survival, and finding humor in unlikely places. Two best friends' lives change when one of them is diagnosed with cancer.

Knight’s Tale (2001)
The rousing story of lowborn William Thatcher's quest to change his stars, win the heart of an exceedingly fair maiden and rock his medieval world. Follow this fearless squire and his band of medieval misfits as they careen their way toward impossible glory that's part romance, part road trip and part exuberant swashbuckling. If you can, watch the film again with the commentary—it’s just as funny as the film if not funnier! Paul Bettany is hilarious!

Last Lions
This film follows lioness Ma di Tau and her fragile cubs as they take a perilous journey through raging fire, rival prides, croc-infested rivers, and deadly buffalo in order to survive.

Mildred Pierce
An intimate portrait of a uniquely independent woman who finds herself newly divorced during the Depression years and struggles to carve out a new life for herself and her family. The story explores Mildred's unreasonable devotion to her insatiable daughter Veda, as well as the complex relationship she shares with the indolent men in her life, including her polo-playing lover Monty Beragon and ex-husband Bert Pierce.

Real Steel
Charlie Kenton is a washed-up fighter who lost his chance at a title when 2000-pound, 8-foot-tall steel robots took over the ring. Now nothing but a small-time promoter, Charlie earns just enough money piecing together low-end bots from scrap metal to get from one underground boxing venue to the next. When Charlie hits rock bottom, he reluctantly teams up with his estranged son Max to build and train a championship contender.

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986)
Kirk and his crew time travel back to 1986 San Francisco where they encounter the alien life of punk, pizza and exact-change buses while trying to capture two almost-extinct humpback whales to take back with them to the 23rd century.

Whistleblower
When Nebraska cop Kathryn Bolkovac accepts a U.N. peacekeeper position in postwar Bosnia, she discovers a deadly sex trafficking ring. Risking her own life to save the lives of others, she uncovers an international conspiracy that is determined to stop her, no matter the cost. With masterful acting and a heart-racing plot, this is an acclaimed film inspired by actual events.

New this week (1/19/12)

2012-01-19T14:36:00.000-08:00

Courageous
When a tragedy strikes close to home, four police officers struggle with their faith and their roles as husbands and fathers. Together they make a decision that will change all of their lives.

Fright Night
Senior Charley Brewster finally has it all. He's running with the cool kids and dating the hottest girl in high school. But all hell breaks loose when charming Jerry Dandrige moves in next door. Charlie thinks there's something odd about him, although no one, including his mom seems to notice. But after too many of his classmates vanish under bizarre circumstances, Charley comes to an unmistakable conclusion: Jerry is a vampire preying on his neighborhood!

Ides of March
During the frantic last days before a heavily contested Ohio presidential primary, an up-and-coming campaign press secretary finds himself involved in a political scandal that threatens to upend his candidate's shot at the presidency.

Mysteries of Lisbon
This is author Raul Ruiz's masterful adaptation of the eponymous nineteenth-century Portuguese novel. The core story centers on Joao, the bastard child of an ill-fated romance between two members of the aristocracy who are forbidden to marry, and his quest to discover the truth of his parentage. But this is just the start of an engrossing tale that follows a multitude of characters whose fates conjoin, separate and then rejoin again over three decades in Portugal, Spain, France and Italy.

New this week: (1/11/12)

2012-01-14T12:28:00.000-08:00

Crazy Stupid Love
A father's life unravels while he deals with a marital crisis and tries to manage his relationship with his children.

Hangover, Part II
Four friends, Phil, Stu, Alan, and Doug, jet to Thailand for Stu's wedding. Stu's plan for a subdued pre-wedding brunch, however, goes seriously awry.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
In the epic finale, the battle between the good and evil forces of the wizarding world escalates into an all-out war. The stakes have never been higher and no one is safe. But it is Harry who may be called upon to make the ultimate sacrifice as he draws closer to the climactic showdown with Lord Voldemort. It all ends here.

I Don’t Know How She Does It
A comedy centered on the life of Kate Reddy, a finance executive who is the breadwinner for her husband and two kids. When Kate gets handed a major new account that will require frequent trips to New York, Richard also wins the new job he's been hoping for and both will be spreading themselves even thinner. Complicating matters is Kate's charming new business associate Jack Abelhammer, who begins to prove an unexpected source of temptation.

Killer Elite
When two of the world's most elite operatives, Danny, a retired contract killer, and Hunter, his longtime mentor, go up against the cunning leader of a secret military society, their hunt takes them around the globe from Australia to Paris, London, and the Middle East. As the stakes rise along with the body count, Danny and Hunter are soon plunged into an action-packed game of cat and mouse where no one is what they seem.

Margin Call
Set in the high-stakes world of Wall Street, Margin Call is an entangling thriller involving the key players at an investment firm during one perilous 24-hour period in the early stages of the 2008 financial crisis. When an entry-level analyst unlocks information that could prove to be the downfall of the firm, a roller-coaster ride ensues as decisions both financial and moral catapult the lives of all involved to the brink of disaster.

Moneyball
The story of Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to put together a baseball club on a budget by employing computer-generated analysis to draft his players.

Open Road
Minor league baseball player Carlton Garrett takes an unplanned road trip to find his estranged father, legendary baseball player Kyle Garrett, after his mother becomes ill. Knowing that his father is charming, yet extremely immature, he brings along his sometimes girlfriend for support. After father and son are reunited, Carlton must struggle to deal with the misadventures brought on by his father's antics. Frustrations from the past come to a head as the mismatched trio returns home to Houston.

Tempest
This modern retelling of William Shakespeare's final masterpiece is an exciting, mystical, and magical fantasy. Exiled to a magical island, the sorceress Prospera conjures up a storm that shipwrecks her enemies, and then unleashes her powers for revenge.

There Be Dragons
When journalist Robert Torres is assigned to write a book about Josemaria Escriva, the controversial founder of Opus Dei, he hopes it will bring him closer to his father, Escriva's childhood friend. As Torres uncovers more about his father's past, he learns dark secrets that will change his world forever.

30 Years of National Geographic Specials
Relive the most spellbinding scenes from our [National Geographics’s] television documentaries of exploration and delivery.

Lewis & Clark, Great Journey West
Relive one of the greatest tales of adventure and exploration in history, as National Geographic brings to life the epic journey of Lewis, Clark, their guide Sacagawea and the brave Corps of Discovery across the land that would become the United States. Now, two hundred years after the launch of this ambitious expedition, experience first-hand the danger and breathtaking beauty of the unknown West as it unfolded before the eyes of Lewis & Clark.

New this week (1/4/12):

2012-01-11T10:16:00.000-08:00

Big Fish (2003)
William Bloom, is a young man who never really knew his now dying father, Edward - outside of the tall tales his dad told him about growing up. During Edward's last days William and his wife Josephine hold a bedside vigil next to the old man as he recollects elaborate memories of his youth.

Brotherhood of the Wolf (2001)
When a mysterious beast ravages the countryside, two men are called in to fight the evil and end the reign of terror. The only way they can save the land from the unspeakable fright is to unearth a dark power, reveal a deadly secret and face their greatest fears.

Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark
Sally Hurst is going to Rhode Island to live with her father Alex and his new girlfriend Kim in the nineteenth-century mansion they are restoring. While exploring the estate, Sally finds a hidden basement and accidentally lets loose a race of ancient, dark-dwelling creatures who conspire to drag her down into the mysterious house's bottomless depths. Before the evil lurking in the dark consumes them all, Sally must convince Alex and Kim that it's not a fantasy.

Guard
An unorthodox Irish policeman with a confrontational personality is teamed up with an uptight FBI agent to investigate an international drug-smuggling ring.

New last week (12/29/11):

2012-01-05T13:36:00.001-08:00

Apollo 18
Decades-old found footage from NASA's abandoned Apollo 18 mission, where two American astronauts were sent on a secret expedition, reveals the reason the U.S. has never returned to the moon.

Luther Season 2
John Luther, the near-genius detective struggling with his own demons, returns with two distinctive, thrilling crime stories. Devastated by the brutal murder of his wife, John Luther returns to policing in a different world. His old unit has gone and he's working in the newly created Serious and Serial unit, headed by former police complaints officer Martin Schenk. Luther quickly gathers together his team, rescuing his old partner Detective Justin Ripley from uniform.

Ancient Marvels
This PBS Explorer Collection includes: Ghosts of Machu Picchu (NOVA); Riddles of the Sphinx (NOVA); Secrets of Stonehenge (NOVA); Secrets of the Parthenon (NOVA); and Easter Island/ China Bridge (NOVA)

New this week (12/22/11):

2011-12-22T14:54:00.001-08:00

Colombiana
A child grows up to be a hardcore assassin after she witnesses the brutal murder of her parents in Bogotá. Working for her uncle as a professional killer, she remains focused on her ultimate goal: to hunt down and get revenge on the mobster responsible for her parents' deaths.

Midnight in Paris
The movie follows Woody Allen stand-in Owen Wilson as Gil Pender, an American writer on a vacation to Paris with his fiancé and her parents. But something isn't right: between increasingly prickly interactions with the lady friend and annoying forced field trips with her friends, Pender grows weary of the young, engaged socialite life and one night finds himself wandering the streets of the city alone, when something happens: He's swirled into a fantasy time machine, landing him in the company of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, and Salvador Dali.

Page Eight
Johnny Worricker is a long-serving MI5 officer. His boss and best friend Benedict Baron dies suddenly, leaving behind him an inexplicable file, threatening the stability of the organization. Meanwhile, a seemingly chance encounter with Johnny's striking next-door neighbor and political activist Nancy Pierpan seems too good to be true. Johnny is forced to walk out of his job, and then out of his identity to find out the truth.

Pieces of April
Family outcast April lives in a beat-up apartment in New York's Lower East Side with her boyfriend, Bobby. In order to spend some time with her dying mother, April invites her conservative suburban family to her place for a Thanksgiving feast. While she frantically tries to complete the meal, the family drives in from Pennsylvania sharing less-than-pleasant opinions about April's lifestyle. Her dad tries to think positively, while sister Beth flaunts her good-girl status and brother Timmy captures it all on film.

Single-Handed
Sgt. Jack Driscoll had to leave Dublin fast when his affair with a senior officer's wife was discovered. But Jack's father, Gerry, comes to his son's aid. Recently retired from his post as Garda Sergeant in a small Connemara town, Gerry manages to 'swing it' so that Jack inherits the job, so now Jack's on his own, in charge of hundreds of square miles of remote, beautiful rural Ireland, but having to deal with his father as well as some interesting cases.

These Amazing Shadows
Tells the history and importance of the National Film Registry, a roll call of American cinema treasures that reflects the diversity of film, and indeed the American experience itself.

Warrior
An ex-Marine haunted by a tragic past, Tommy Riordan returns to his hometown of Pittsburgh and enlists his father, to train him for an MMA tournament awarding the biggest purse in the history of the sport. As Tommy blazes a violent path towards the title prize, his brother, Brendan, returns to the amateur ring to provide for his family. The two brothers must finally confront the forces that tore them apart, all the while waging the most intense, winner-takes-all battle of their lives.

Prohibition 363.41 PRO
This videodisc explores the extraordinary story of what happens when a freedom-loving nation outlaws the sale of intoxicating liquor, and the disastrous unintended consequences that follow. The utterly relevant cautionary tale raises profound questions about the proper role of government and the limits of legislating morality. When the country goes dry in 1920, after a century of debate, millions of law-abiding Americans become lawbreakers overnight.

New (to the library) Holiday DVDs:

2011-12-16T10:55:00.001-08:00

Just in time for Christmas!

Christmas Snow (1986) (NR-made for TV)
Mrs. Mutterance runs a candy shop and lives with her two adopted children. On Christmas Eve, her mean-spirited landlord, Mr. Snyder, says they must move, as he plans to turn the building into a laundromat. Then a blizzard hits, and Mr. Snyder goes missing. Mrs. Mutterance and her children rescue Mr. Snyder, and he has a change of heart.

Love Actually (2003) R
It's all about love and holiday cheer in London. The Prime Minister is smitten with his caterer; a widower's young son nurses the ultimate schoolboy crush; a writer falls for his Portuguese housekeeper; a devoted wife and mother copes with her potentially unfaithful husband; and a lovelorn American is desperately attracted to a colleague.

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation (1989) PG13
This holiday season Clark Griswold (Chevy Chase) vows his clan will enjoy "the most fun-filled family Christmas ever, that no one will ever forget." Before you can sing "fa-la-la-la-lah," he decks the halls with howls of folly in the perennial favorite National Lampoon's Christmas vacation.

The Nutcracker: the Untold Story PG
Experience the classic holiday tale of the Nutcracker brought to life like you have never seen it before. This all-new film features a highly-acclaimed cast. Join Mary on a magical adventure when her toy nutcracker comes to life and whisks her away to a magical kingdom filled with fantastical toys, sugar plums and dancing fairies. Mary soon discovers the evil Rat King is threatening the kingdom.

Unfortunately, these arrived too late for Thanksgiving but they’re all great movies so maybe you can watch them as just good holiday films.

Hannah and Her Sisters (1986) PG13
A look at three sisters and the relationship they have with one another, and with the men in their lives. (It takes place between two Thanksgivings)

Pieces of April (2003) PG13
Family outcast April lives in a beat-up apartment in New York's Lower East Side with her boyfriend, Bobby. In order to spend some time with her dying mother, April invites her conservative suburban family to her place for a Thanksgiving feast. While she frantically tries to complete the meal, the family drives in from Pennsylvania sharing less-than-pleasant opinions about April's lifestyle. Her dad tries to think positively, while sister Beth flaunts her good-girl status and brother Timmy captures it all on film.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987) R
An uptight businessman faces disaster after disaster as he tries to get back home in time for his family's Thanksgiving dinner, and along the way is joined by an insane traveling salesman that will not leave him alone.

New this week: (12/14/11)

2011-12-15T14:32:00.001-08:00

Cowboys & Aliens
A spaceship arrives in Arizona, 1873, to take over the Earth, starting with the Wild West region. A posse of cowboys and natives are all that stand in their way.

The Debt
The story begins in 1997, as shocking news reaches retired Mossad secret agents Rachel and Stephan about their former colleague David. All three have been venerated for decades by Israel because of the secret mission that they embarked on for their country back in 1965-1966, when the trio tracked down Nazi war criminal Dieter Vogel, the feared Surgeon of Birkenau, in East Berlin. At great risk, and at considerable personal cost, the team's mission was accomplished - or was it?

One Day
After one day together, July 15th, 1988, their college graduation, Emma Morley and Dexter Mayhew begin a friendship that lasts a lifetime. She's a working-class girl who dreams of making the world a better place. He's a wealthy charmer who thinks the world is his playground. Somewhere over the next two decades, these two very different people realize that the love they've been hoping for has been there for them all along.

Rise of the Planet of the Apes
During experiments to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease, a genetically-enhanced chimpanzee uses its greater intelligence to lead other apes to freedom.

The Biggest Loser, the Workout: Power Walk
Walking is one of the easiest and most effective ways to burn calories. Now get moving with four one-mile indoor walks that increase in intensity. Start with Walk 1, a low-impact walking workout, and progress to Walk 4 with added weight and cardio power. Plus, get your chance to achieve your marathon goal like the contestants on the show. Use the progress tracker and your one-mile walking workouts will add up to 26 miles in just three weeks.

Steve Jobs: One Last Thing
This documentary looks not only at how his talent, style and imagination have shaped all of our lives, but also at the influences that shaped and molded the man himself. Through interviews with the people who worked closely with him or chronicled his life, we gain unique insight into what made him tick. In a never before broadcast, exclusive interview, Steve Jobs expounds his own philosophy of life, and offers advice to us all on changing our own lives.

Visions of the Sea
This film offers a glimpse into a dazzling assortment of shapes, rainbow of colors, and amazing variety of sea creatures and features the underwater photographic artistry of Al Giddings. The program pairs stunning imagery and informative narration with a soundtrack that embodies the eclectic rhythms of life in the ocean.

New this week (12/7/11):

2011-12-10T08:56:00.001-08:00

Conan the Barbarian
A quest that begins as a personal vendetta for the fierce Cimmerian warrior soon turns into an epic battle against hulking rivals, horrific monsters, and impossible odds, as Conan realizes he is the only hope of saving the great nations of Hyboria from an encroaching reign of supernatural evil.

Devil’s Double
Summoned to Saddam Hussein's palace, Iraqi army lieutenant Latif Yahia is thrust into the highest echelons of the 'royal family' when he's ordered to become the body double to Saddam's son, the notorious 'Black Prince' Uday Hussein, a reckless, sadistic, party-boy with a rabid hunger for sex and brutality. With his and his family's lives at stake, Latif must surrender his former self forever. But nothing could have prepared him for the horror of the Black Prince's psychotic, drug-addled life.

Friends with Benefits
While trying to avoid the clichés of Hollywood romantic comedies, Dylan and Jamie soon discover however that adding the act of sex to their friendship does lead to complications.

The Help
Mississippi during the 1960s: Skeeter, a southern society girl, returns from college determined to become a writer, but turns her friends' lives, and a small Mississippi town, upside down when she decides to interview the black women who have spent their lives taking care of prominent southern families. Aibileen, Skeeter's best friend's housekeeper, is the first to open up, to the dismay of her friends in the tight-knit black community.

Why Quilts Matter
"The series takes a fresh look at quilts and spreads the word about their unique position at the center of a startlingly broad grid of topics, ranging from women's studies to the contemporary art market."--Publisher's website.

Why Quilts Matter: History, Art & Politics

2011-12-01T08:37:00.000-08:00

Shelly Zegart began as a quilt collector but has since become a leading advocate in the promotion of quilts as art and as vital historical records. In this nine episode series which was aired on selected PBS stations, Ms Zegart reveals to us through photographs and interviews just how essential quilts are in studying American culture. Historically, quilts have provided a window into the lives and thoughts of their makers. This is particularly true regarding the lives of women, including women of different classes, races, and religions. Quilting has always been an acceptable outlet for ideas and creativity. Some quilt makers have become well known for their work, becoming accepted as artists. Today there are millions of quilters supporting a hugely profitable business worldwide. Quilts are hung in art museums and command premium prices for collectors. Zegart convinces us absolutely that quilts do matter in this compelling and visually rich series. Beyond the film is the website where information on all of the photographs can be found. This is a wonderful series and will be enjoyed by anyone interested in quilts.

New this week (11/30/11):

2011-12-01T08:27:00.000-08:00

Angel Eyes (2001)
After a startling ambush, one of Chicago's best cops, Officer Sharon Pogue, is looking point blank into the barrel of a scumball's handgun. Then it happens, a mysterious stranger appears out the shadows and saves her life. She discovers that it’s not the first time she and the mystery man have met before. The troubled pasts of these two have led them to build walls around their private lives, but brick by brick, secret after secret, love is going to tear down those walls.

Christmas Snow (1986)
Mrs. Mutterance runs a candy shop and lives with her two adopted children. On Christmas Eve, her mean-spirited landlord, Mr. Snyder, says they must move, as he plans to turn the building into a laundromat. Then a blizzard hits, and Mr. Snyder goes missing. Mrs. Mutterance and her children rescue Mr. Snyder, and he has a change of heart.

Enough (2002)
Slim thought she was entering a life of domestic bliss when she married the man of her dreams. After the arrival of her daughter, Slim begins to see the hidden, abusive side of her husband. Terrified for her and her daughter's safety, Slim flees. But her husband's resources allow him to relentlessly pursue them. Finally Slim fights back, engaging her husband in a physical and psychological battle.

Friday after Next (2002)
Craig and Day-Day have finally gotten jobs as mall security guards and have moved into their own crib. When a fake Santa robs their rundown apartment on Christmas Eve, the two embark on an adventure to track down the bandit and retrieve their stolen loot.

Hannah and Her Sisters (1986)
A look at three sisters and the relationship they have with one another, and with the men in their lives. “Woody Allen's "Hannah and Her Sisters," the best movie he has ever made…”—Roger Ebert

Next Friday (2000)
The suburbs make the 'hood look good, as Craig stays with an uncle to escape a vengeful Debo. Includes a soundtrack featuring Ice Cube, Lil' Zane, Wyclef Jean and the NWA reunion.

Planes, Trains and Automobiles (1987)
An uptight businessman faces disaster after disaster as he tries to get back home in time for his family's Thanksgiving dinner, and along the way is joined by an insane traveling salesman that will not leave him alone.

Tucker & Dale vs. Evil
Two friends on vacation at their dilapidated mountain house are mistaken for murderous backwoods hillbillies by a group of obnoxious, preppy college kids. When one of the students is separated from the group, the boys try to lend a hand, but as the misunderstanding grows, so does the body count and the laughs.

New this week (11/23/11):

2011-11-25T08:23:00.000-08:00

Art of Getting By
Fatalistic teenager George Zingavoy is a master at just barely getting by. In fact, he's practically turned it into an art form--making it through the entire school year without doing a shred of work. But when George meets a beautiful and complicated girl named Sally, he discovers a kindred spirit who turns his slacker world upside down. Their quirky and unexpected romance may just inspire George to do the unthinkable--get off his butt and chase after his dreams.

Case Histories
Jason Isaacs (Harry Potter, The Patriot) stars as private investigator Jackson Brodie, the tough former soldier and policeman with a heart of gold, in this series based on the acclaimed novels by Kate Atkinson. Brodie, haunted by a past family tragedy, struggles to balance his personal and professional life while coming to the rescue of the bereaved, the lost and the dysfunctional in the Scottish city of Edinburgh.

Cave of Forgotten Dreams
A breathtaking new documentary from the incomparable Werner Herzog, follows an exclusive expedition into the nearly inaccessible Chauvet Cave in France, home to the most ancient visual art known to have been created by man. An unforgettable cinematic experience that provides a unique glimpse of pristine artwork dating back to human hands over 30,000 years ago, almost twice as old as any previous discovery.

Our Idiot Brother
A comedy about that one family member who is always just a little bit behind the curve. For sisters Liz, Miranda, and Natalie, that person is their upbeat brother Ned, an organic farmer whose willingness to rely on honesty and trusting of humankind allows for a trouble-free existence. Ned may be utterly lacking in common sense, but he is their brother and after his girlfriend dumps him and boots him off the farm, his sisters once again come to his rescue.

Sarah’s Key
In modern-day Paris, a journalist finds her life becoming entwined with a young girl whose family was torn apart during the notorious Vel d'Hiv round up, which took place in Paris, in 1942. She stumbles upon a family secret which will link her forever to the destiny of a young Jewish girl, Sarah.

Super 8
In the summer of 1979, a group of friends in a small Ohio town witnesses a catastrophic train crash while making a super 8 movie and soon they suspect that it was not an accident. Shortly after, unusual disappearances and inexplicable events begin to take place in town, and the local deputy tries to uncover the truth, something more terrifying than any of them could have imagined.

30 Minutes or Less
Nick is a small town pizza delivery guy whose mundane life collides with the big plans of two wanna-be criminal masterminds. The volatile duo kidnaps Nick and forces him to rob a bank. With mere hours to pull off the impossible task, Nick enlists the help of his ex-best friend, Chet. As the clock ticks, the two must deal with the police, hired assassins, flamethrowers, and their own tumultuous relationship.

Zookeeper
The animals at the Franklin Park Zoo love their kindhearted caretaker, Griffin Keyes. Finding himself more comfortable with a lion than a lady, Griffin decides the only way to get a girl in his life is to leave the zoo and find a more glamorous job. The animals, in a panic, decide to break their time-honored code of silence and reveal their biggest secret: they can talk! To keep Griffin from leaving, they decide to teach him the rules of courtship, animal style.

New this week:

2011-11-17T15:16:00.001-08:00

Beginners
A young man is rocked by two announcements from his elderly father: that he has terminal cancer, and that he has a young male lover. “A buoyant and disarming drama about sons and fathers, death and dying, living and loving and all the ways we find ourselves starting over, hoping to finally get it right.“—Los Angeles Times

Change-Up
Growing up together, Mitch and Dave were inseparable best friends, but slowly drifted apart. While Dave is an overworked lawyer, husband and father of three, Mitch has remained a single, quasi-employed man-child. Both guys seem to think the other has it made. Following a drunken night out together, Mitch and Dave's worlds are turned upside down when they wake up in each other's bodies. The guys soon discover that each other's lives are nowhere near as rosy as they once seemed.

Larry Crowne
When he suddenly finds himself without his long-standing blue-collar job, Larry Crowne enrolls at his local college to start over. There, he becomes part of an eclectic community of students and develops a crush on his teacher. Now this simple guy will discover that when you think everything worth having has passed you by, you just might find your reason to live.

Shunning
As Katie Lapp struggles with the rules that define her Amish community, a woman comes to Lancaster County hoping to find the daughter she gave up for adoption nineteen years ago.

New this week: (11/10/11)

2011-11-15T13:47:00.000-08:00

Life in a Day
Were you one of the more than 80,000 people around the globe who were uploading their personal video of what happened in their lives on July 24th, 2010? Directed by Kevin MacDonald and produced by Ridley Scott, these two filmmakers sifted through over 4,500 hours of footage to create one incredible motion picture event. Created entirely from footage uploaded by YouTube users, 'Life in a Day' is a film first: exhilarating, moving and very, very funny-it is the story of our world.

Pirates of the Caribbean, On Stranger Tides
A tale of truth, betrayal, youth, demise, and mermaids! When Jack crosses paths with a woman from his past, he's not sure if it's love, or if she's a ruthless con artist using him to find the fabled Fountain of Youth. Forced aboard the ship of the most feared pirate ever, Jack doesn't know who to fear more, Blackbeard or the woman from his past.

New 11/3/11:

2011-11-13T11:45:00.000-08:00

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Centuries ago, two 'sworn sisters' are isolated by their families, but stay connected through a secret language written in the folds of a white silk fan. Now in modern-day Shanghai, their descendents must draw inspiration from the past as they struggle to maintain their own eternal bond in the face of life's complications. What unfolds are two stories, generations apart, but everlasting in their universal notion of love, hope and friendship.

Trespass
A husband and wife are kidnapped by extortionists and held for ransom. As the situation gets worse and the pressure gets higher, they begin to uncover a web of deceit and betrayal.

Water for Elephants
Against all odds, a veterinary student and a beautiful circus performer from a bygone era meet and fall in love through their shared compassion for a special elephant. But their secret romance incurs the wrath of her dangerously volatile husband.

Zookeeper
A city zoo in an eastern European country is abandoned when war ravages the city. Ludovic, a cynical ex-communist with a troubled past, and the vet decide to stay and take care of the animals despite the bombing and lack of supplies. Partisans soon take the Indian vet away, leaving Ludovic alone to take care of the animals. That is, until he discovers a wounded 10-year old boy hiding in the compound.

New This Week: (10/26/11)

2011-11-08T13:20:00.001-08:00

Buck
"... a richly textured and visually stunning film, [Buck] follows Buck Brannaman from his abusive childhood to his phenomenally successful approach to horses. A real-life 'horse-whisperer', he eschews the violence of his upbringing and teaches people to communicate with their horses through leadership and sensitivity, not punishment. Buck possesses near magical abilities as he dramatically transforms horses - and people - with his understanding, compassion and respect."

Captain America: the First Avenger
After being deemed unfit for military service, Steve Rogers volunteers to participate in an experimental program that turns him into Captain America, a Super Soldier. Now, as Captain America, Rogers joins forces with Bucky Barnes and Peggy Carter to wage war on the evil HYDRA organization, led by the villainous Red Skull.

Horrible Bosses
For Nick, Kurt and Dale, the only thing that would make the daily grind more tolerable would be to grind their intolerable bosses into dust. Quitting is not an option, so, with the benefit of a few-too-many drinks and some dubious advice from a hustling ex-con, the three friends devise a convoluted and seemingly foolproof plan to rid themselves of their respective employers, permanently. There's only one problem: even the best laid plans are only as foolproof as the brains behind them.

The Hour
This BBC mini-series is a behind-the-scenes drama and espionage thriller in Cold War-era England that centers on a journalist, a producer, and an anchorman for an investigative news program.

New last week (10/19/11):

2011-10-26T12:45:00.000-07:00

Bad Teacher
Elizabeth is a foul-mouthed, ruthless junior high teacher who can't wait to marry her meal ticket and get out of her bogus day job. When she's dumped by her fiance, she begins to woo a rich, handsome substitute. Competing for his affections is overly energetic colleague, Amy. Elizabeth also finds herself fighting off the advances of a sarcastic gym teacher. The consequences of her outrageous schemes give her students, her coworkers and herself an education like no other.

Bored to Death, the Complete Second Season
When we last dropped in on Jonathan Ames – New York writer, romantic, unlicensed private detective – he was taking a pounding in the boxing ring while still licking his (more painful) breakup wounds. Now that his second novel has been completed (and rejected), Jonathan is augmenting his income by moonlighting as a creative-writing teacher, while taking on some new, desperate clients, ranging from a kinky policeman to the publishing rival of his sexagenarian pal, George Christopher. How he solves anything is a mystery.

In a Better World
The lives of two Danish families will become entwined when their sons develop an extraordinary but risky friendship. Unfortunately, loneliness, frailty, and sorrow lie in wait.

The Names of Love
Baya (Sara Forestier) is a young, extroverted liberal who lives by the old hippie slogan 'Make love, not war'. She seduces right-wing men to convert them to her political causes - and so far she's gotten exceptional results. That is, until she meets Arthur (Jacques Gamblin), a middle-aged, middle-of-the road scientist, and the sparks fly. A smart, sexy romantic comedy.

Page One: Inside the New York Times
Behind-the-scenes look at the New York Times newsroom as the paper struggles to stay vital in an increasingly digital news world.

Submarine
Young Oliver Tate's coming of age is coming even sooner than expected. Prone to daydreaming, listening to French crooners, and indulging other self-absorbed fantasies, Oliver suddenly finds himself submerged in real-life, dual challenges, plotting to lose his virginity with a quirky new girlfriend while also struggling to reconcile his parents' marriage, even though his mom seems smitten with the self-help guru next door.

Terri
Life is in session in the year's biggest Sundance hit. Social outcast Terri is stuck caring for his uncle and trying to survive high school. He feels disconnected until his wildly unconventional Vice Principal inspires him to reach out. Now with the help of beautiful misfit Heather, Terri discovers he doesn't have to fit in to belong.

The Tree of Life
The impressionistic story of a Texas family in the 1950s, the film follows the life journey of the eldest son, Jack, through the innocence of childhood to his disillusioned adult years as he tries to reconcile a complicated relationship with his father.

The Trip
When Steve Coogan is asked by The Observer to tour the country's finest restaurants, he envisions it as the perfect getaway with his beautiful girlfriend. But when she backs out on him, he has no one to accompany him but his best friend and source of eternal aggravation, Rob Brydon.

New this week (10/12/11):

2011-10-18T15:28:00.000-07:00

Beautiful Boy
Bill and Kate hopelessly try to find some hint of an explanation after finding out that their only son committed a mass shooting at his university before taking his own life. They struggle numbly through the funeral, the media onslaught, and the awkward pity from relatives and friends. Their already strained marriage is tested as they realize all they have left with each other is their shared grief and confusion, and the unfortunate legacy of their son.

Green Lantern
In a universe as vast as it is mysterious, a small but powerful force has existed for centuries. Protectors of peace and justice, they are called the Green Lantern Corps. A brotherhood of warriors sworn to keep intergalactic order, each Green Lantern wears a ring that grants him superpowers. When a new enemy called Parallax threatens to destroy the balance of power in the Universe, their fate and the fate of Earth lie in the hands of their newest recruit, the first human ever selected.

New this week (10/6/11):

2011-10-07T11:13:00.001-07:00

African Cats
A lion family and a cheetah family make their homes on the African savanna.

Fast Five
After Brian and Mia break Dom out of jail, they find themselves trapped in Rio de Janeiro and on the run from the law. Now one last job stands between them and freedom, but will they make it before the corrupt businessmen, or the feds, catch up to them?

Scream 4
This is the newest installment in the acclaimed franchise that ushered in a new wave of horror in the 1990s. In Scream 4, Sidney Prescott, now the author of a self-help book, returns home to Woodsboro on the last stop of her book tour. There she reconnects with Sheriff Dewey and Gale, who are now married, as well as her cousin Jill. Unfortunately, Sidney's appearance also brings about the return of Ghost Face, putting her friends and the whole town of Woodsboro in danger.

Transformers: Dark of the Moon
The Autobots learn of a Cybertronian spacecraft hidden on the moon and race against the Decepticons to reach it and to learn its secrets.

New last week:

2011-10-06T12:31:00.001-07:00

The Ledge
Gavin is on the ledge. Hollis, who just learned that he is not the biological father of his children, has the task of talking Gavin down. Gavin reveals his deep-rooted conflict with his fundamentalist Christian neighbor Joe, whose theological opposition to Gavin was intensified by Gavin's gay roommate and later by Joe's wife's infidelity. The negotiations take a dramatic turn when Hollis learns that Gavin has a deadline, and his life is not the only one hanging in the balance.

Zen
Aurelio Zen is a formidable detective, but he always puts honesty before advancement. The arrival of clever and ambitious Tania to the team sees Zen's vigor reawakened. Driven by romance, re-energized, and armed with a new confidence, Zen's investigations take him from crowded Rome to the spectacular Italian countryside as he negotiates a complex string of murder cases. This is a Masterpiece Mystery production.

New this week: (9/21/11)

2011-09-22T15:23:00.000-07:00

Bridesmaids
Annie's life is a mess. But when she finds out her lifetime best friend is engaged, she simply must serve as Lillian's maid of honor. Though lovelorn and broke, Annie bluffs her way through the expensive and bizarre rituals. With one chance to get it perfect, she'll show Lillian and her bridesmaids just how far you'll go for someone you love.

The Kennedys
This television miniseries chronicles the lives of the Kennedys during the 1960s, dramatizing the scandal, tragedy, public greatness and private frailty of America's first "royal" family during one of the most momentous decades in history.

Kill the Irishman
Over the summer of 1976, thirty-six bombs detonate in the heart of Cleveland while a turf war rages between Irish mobster Danny Greene and the Italian mafia. This film chronicles Greene's heroic rise from a tough Cleveland neighborhood to become an enforcer in the local mob. Turning the tables on loan shark Shondor Birns and allying himself with gangster John Nardi, Greene stops taking orders from the mafia and pursues his own power.

Meek’s Cutoff
eA wagon train of three families has hired mountain man Stephen Meek to guide them over the Cascade Mountains. Claiming to know a shortcut, Meek leads the group on an unmarked path across the high plain desert, only to become lost in the dry rock and sage. Over the coming days, the emigrants face the scourges of hunger, thirst, and their own lack of faith in each other's instincts for survival. When they encounter a Native American, they must choose between following their guide or an 'enemy.'

Music Never Stopped
From the author of Awakenings comes a heartwarming tale of a father and son, who find a connection through the music that embodied the generation gap of the 1960s. An unforgettable soundtrack features the Grateful Dead, Bob Dylan, Crosby Stills and Nash, and many more.

New last week: 9/14/11

2011-09-20T13:49:00.000-07:00

Bill Cunningham New York
Bill Cunningham has been obsessively and inventively chronicling fashion trends and high society charity soirees for the New York Times Style section in his columns On the Street and Evening Hours for decades. Presented is a delicate, funny, and often poignant portrait of a dedicated artist whose only wealth is his own humanity and unassuming grace.

Conan O’Brien Can’t Stop
After a much-publicized departure from hosting NBC's Tonight Show, O'Brien hit the road with a 32-city music and comedy show to exercise his performing chops and exorcise a few demons. An intimate portrait of an artist trained in improvisation, captured at the most improvisational time of his career. It offers a window into the private writers' room and rehearsal halls.

Hanna
A 16-year-old who was raised by her father to be the perfect assassin is dispatched on a mission across Europe, tracked by a ruthless intelligence agent and her operatives.

Henry’s Crime
Released from prison for a crime he didn't commit, an ex-con targets the same bank he was sent away for robbing.

Incendies (French)
After the death of their mother, a set of twins make a life-altering discovery. The pair travels to the Middle East on a mission to uncover the truth about the father they thought was dead who is still very much alive, and the brother they never knew existed. Along the way they will piece together the story of the woman who brought them into the world, discovering a tragic fate as well as the courage of an exceptional woman.

Thor
When the arrogant warrior Thor is banished to Earth from his homeworld of Asgard, he must fight to reclaim his lost powers. Pursued by an invasion force sent to destroy him, the fallen God of Thunder must rise to the battle and learn what it takes to become a true hero.

Winter in Wartime
Nazi-occupied Holland, 1945. In a snow-covered village, thirteen-year-old Michiel ... is drawn into the Resistance when he aids a wounded British paratrooper. Michiel's boyish sense of defiance and adventure soon turns to danger and desperation, as Michiel is forced to act without knowing whom to trust among the adults and townspeople around him. Wartime's harsh reality encroaches on childhood innocence as Michiel confronts good and evil, courage and duplicity, and his own burden of responsibility.

X-Men First Class
Before Charles Xavier and Erik Lensherr took the names Professor X and Magneto, they were two young men discovering their superhuman powers for the first time, working together in a desperate attempt to stop the Hellfire Club and a global nuclear war.

New Last Week:

2011-09-12T11:39:00.000-07:00

Jane Eyre (2011)
When orphaned governess Jane Eyre arrives at imposing Thornfield Hall, she's intrigued by her brooding, wealthy employer, Rochester. His dark moods and the strange occurrences in the house lead her to discover a terrible secret that he had hoped to hide from her forever.

Harvey (1950)
rvey A pleasant and very polite middle-aged drunk is friends with an imaginary white rabbit. His sister, embarrassed by his behavior, tries to have him committed.

Weight Watchers Get Moving Mix
Five weight loss workouts with success stories and bonus tutorial on activity points values. Fat burning basics -- Cardio dance -- Toning -- Pilates/yoga conditioning -- Abs in 10 -- Activity POINTS values tutorial.

What I’ve been watching:

2011-09-07T13:17:00.000-07:00

George Gently
George Gently is a Commander with the Scotland Yard and is about to retire when his wife is killed. In Northumberland for some time off following her death he becomes involved with a local murder investigation. Pairing up with a young, ambitious Sergeant they become an interesting pair of police, with Gently as the teacher and the Sergeant as the sometimes unwilling student. The stories take place in the 1960’s and strongly reflect the era as a time of much social change making for a particularly fascinating British police procedural.

My Dog Tulip
This animated film based on the memoir of J.R. Ackerley was a wonderfully honest yet unsentimental look at a man and his best friend, Tulip the unruly Alsatian. The animation was terrific (I particularly liked when Tulip was in heat she appeared as a girl dog in a dress), the colors beautiful, and the story simply great. Ackerley seemed to understand and to respect dog activities and behavior and it was clear that Tulip was indeed Ackerley’s best friend and the source of the best years of his life.

Queen to Play
I wondered if it was possible to make a movie about chess that would be enjoyable to a non-chess player. The answer is—yes! Helene is a cleaning lady for a hotel and for a local retired American doctor. She becomes interested in learning to play chess and it soon takes over her life. The doctor becomes her chess teacher and soon she is good enough to compete. What is really interesting about this film is that Helene and her husband, who paints boats, are a lower class family while the game of chess is not traditionally a lower class game. Her husband and friends don’t understand her but her daughter, who is a budding feminist, supports her all the way: that it is important for a woman to have something in her life besides being a good wife and mother to make her feel a little bit special. Filmed in Corsica, the scenery was also an armchair travelers’ delight!

New this week: (8/31/11)

2011-09-01T17:24:00.000-07:00

The Beaver
Walter, once a successful and happy family man, has hit rock bottom. But, in his darkest hour, he finds a rather unusual savior: a beaver hand-puppet that takes over Walter's life in an attempt to change things for the better.

Everything Must Go
Nick is a career salesman who loses his wife and his job on the worst day of his life. Faced with his life imploding, Nick puts it all on the line, or, rather, on the lawn, as he moves himself and all his possessions to his front yard.

Priest
A priest disobeys church law to track down the vampires who kidnapped his niece.

Soul Surfer
Teen surfer Bethany Hamilton, loses her arm in a shark attack and courageously overcomes all odds to become a champion again through her sheer determination and unwavering faith.

Win Win
Mike Flaherty is a lovable yet long-suffering lawyer and high school wrestling coach. When he comes across a teenage runaway who also happens to be a champion wrestler, Mike's luck turns around in spectacular fashion. But his win-win situation soon becomes more complicated than he ever imagined when the boy's family affairs come into play.

New to the library:

2011-09-01T12:21:00.001-07:00

Blitz
A tough cop is dispatched to take down a serial killer who has been targeting police officers. A fast-paced thriller set in contemporary London reflects the challenges faced by a group of police officers working in a modern, multicultural society.

Conspirator
Depicts events in Washington after Abraham Lincoln's assassination as seven men and one woman are arrested and charged with conspiring to kill the President, the Vice-President, and the Secretary of State.

Queen to Play
Lovely and quietly intelligent, French chambermaid Hélène ... comes upon a couple ... engaged in an intensely sensual chess match and discovers she has a knack for the game. This obsession, much to the chagrin of her husband and teenage daughter, leads her to seek the clandestine tutelage of a reclusive American doctor ... a liaison that radically transforms both of their lackluster lives.

Something Borrowed
Rachel is a generous and loyal pal to her engaged best friend Darcy. But after celebrating her 30th birthday, perpetual good girl Rachel unexpectedly ends up in the arms of Dex, the guy she's had a crush on since law school, and who happens to be Darcy's fiancé. In the frantic weeks leading up to Darcy's wedding, Rachel finds herself caught between her longtime friendship with Darcy and the prospect of losing the love of her life.

New to the library:

2011-08-31T08:49:00.000-07:00

Barney’s Version
Barney Panofsky is a seemingly ordinary man who lives an extraordinary life. With his father, Izzy as his sidekick, Barney reflects on the many highs, and a few too many lows, of his long and colorful life. Not only does Barney turn out to be a true romantic, he is also capable of all kinds of sneaky acts of gallantry, generosity, and goodness when it is least expected. His gloriously full life is played out on a grand scale all the way through the final chapters.

Beastly
Kyle Kingson has it all, including a wicked cruel streak. He zeroes in on Goth classmate Kendra inviting her to the school's extravagant bash. After she accepts, he blows her off in a very cruel fashion. She retaliates by casting a spell that physically transforms him into everything he hates. Enraged by his horrible appearance he confronts Kendra and learns that the only way to break the curse is to find someone that will love him as he is, which is something he considers impossible.

Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost
While still dealing with drinking and family issues, Jesse Stone is reinstated as chief of police and must investigate a series of murders.

Love Guru (2008)
Guru Pitka is an American-born, Indian-raised guru who was taught to become an expert in matters of love. Now, a world famous spiritual advisor, he guides hundreds of followers. A way for Pitka to increase his popularity is by helping to heal the troubled relationship between Toronto Maple Leafs hockey player Darren Roanoke and his wife, Prudence. Jane Bullard is the owner of the Maple Leafs who wants Pitka to help Darren with his waning skills. When Pitka tells Darren his wife has forgiven him, his shots dramatically improve. Pitka understands that the key to Darren's success is about distraction, not merely about reconciling a feuding couple. Darren begins a strict regiment of spiritual guidance. Darren has to overcome obstacles, including his wife's new boyfriend and his overbearing mother. Intertwined with all of this is the relationship between Pitka and Jane. Jane feels inadequate because of what she calls the Bullard Curse. Everyone in the city blames her for the Maple Leafs' losing streak.

Of Gods and Men
Eight French Christian monks live in harmony with their Muslim brothers in a monastery in the mountains of North Africa in the 1990's. When a crew of foreign workers are massacred by an Islamic fundamentalist group, fear sweeps though the region. The army offers them protection, but the monks refuse. Should they leave? Despite the growing menace in their midst, they slowly realize that they have no choice but to stay, come what may.

Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines (2003)
John Connor is a 20-something living on the streets as a common laborer. His mother has since died, and their earlier efforts did not stop the creation of SkyNet artificial intelligence network. As he will still become the leader of the human resistance, Connor is once again targeted by a Terminator sent from the future by SkyNet. This new Terminator, T-X, is a female and is more powerful than any of her predecessors. To protect Connor, the human resistance sends a new T-101 back from the future.

New week of 8/4:

2011-08-25T12:42:00.000-07:00

Along the way (2007)
Unable to ignore the tragic events that changed the lives of his three best friends, Jocko, Warren and Christian during the summer of 1996, Trevor has decided to write a memoir about it. Chronicling them from their hysterical first meeting in Junior high, 1983, to their last summer together after college.

George Gently. Series 3
Gently evil: Called to a crime scene at a working-class boarding house, Gently and Bacchus find a woman horribly beaten to death, her eyes covered discreetly with a handkerchief. The victim also carried her daughter's birth certificate, with the name of the child's father crossed out and "Satan" penciled in. Following this lead, Gently and Bacchus probe the twisted secrets of a family that seems to harbor pure evil.
Peace & love: When nuclear submarines plan to dock at the local naval base, young peace protesters from Durham University clash with the police. The next morning, the demonstrators' fiery leader, faculty member Fraser Barratt, turns up dead at the dockside. The investigation takes Gently and Bacchus to the campus, where big changes are blowin' in the wind--and the social, political, and sexual tumult brings little peace.

Heavy (1995)
Victor is the overweight under-appreciated cook for a diner. He meets Callie, an enchanting new waitress, and they fall in love.

Junebug (2005)
Junebug is a deceptively simple, deeply resonant story about the inherent loneliness of family, embracing the texture of a world the movies rarely visit. Three years have passed since George has been home, and he is bringing his bride, Chicago art dealer Madeleine. His family--father Eugene, mother Peg, brother Johnny and sister-in-law Ashley--await them with a mixture of excitement, anxiety, and dread. Junebug sounds a paean to yearning, alienation, and endless hope, in the face of the enormous distances that can divide two people, separated by two ways of life.

Last Night
A married couple in New York City is apart for the night. Each will be confronted by temptation that may decide the fate of their marriage.

Mayo Clinic Wellness Solutions for Arthritis 616.722 MAY
Physicians from the esteemed Mayo Clinic of Rochester, Minnesota provide the middle-aged with insights on the most effective means to cope with this all-too-common family of ailments. Sections include Integrative Medicine, Gentle Yoga, and Daily Nutrition.

Passionada (2002)
Celia is a beautiful woman who lost her husband, a fisherman, to an accident at sea. Years later her equally lovely daughter, Vicky, encourages her to start dating again. Unknown to Celia, Vicky goes to a local casino, where she meets a handsome Englishman named Charlie. Vicky urges Charlie to see Celia perform at a local nightclub, where she sings passionate Portuguese songs of the fado style. Charlie is immediately taken with Celia. In time, Charlie's charm eventually conquers Celia's reservations, and a romance begins to bloom.

Paul
Two sci-fi geeks take a pilgrimage to America's UFO heartland. There they meet a smart-ass alien, Paul, who takes them on an insane road trip. As they struggle to return Paul home, the little green man might just take the outcasts from misfits to intergalactic heroes.

Super
When sad-sack loser Frank, a short-order cook, sees his ex-addict wife willingly snatched away by a seductive drug dealer, he finds himself bereft and unable to cope. But he decides to fight back under the guise of a do-it-yourself superhero called Crimson Bolt. With a red handmade suit, a wrench, a crazed sidekick named Boltie, and absolutely nothing in the way of superpowers, Crimson Bolt beats his way through the mean streets of crime in hopes of saving his wife.

Your Highness
Two royal princes, slacker, weed-smoking Thadeous and the noble Fabious, join with an elusive warrior on a quest to free a princess from an evil wizard. Along the way, they'll have to vanquish horrific creatures and traitorous knights in this raunchy trip loaded with footage too outrageous for theaters.

Guest review: Junebug

2011-08-22T11:02:00.000-07:00

I've been out with a bad back but friend and colleague Judie has been busy watching films. Here's a review from her:

Junebug (2005)
An interesting film that draws together a sophisticated, urban art dealer and her husband’s rural, churchgoing family. As the visit unfolds, the tensions and misunderstandings mount and the characters are challenged to understand and accept each other. Amy Adams is wonderful as Ashley, a sweet and simple young wife whose warmth and kindness is the heart of the movie. Not recommended for fans of action films.

What I’ve been watching:

2011-08-01T07:05:00.001-07:00

Biutiful
Javier Bardem is terrific in this film about a man with only a short time to live trying to put his life in order. He lives on the wrong side of the law: finding work for illegal aliens, while raising 2 children by himself. Though he tries to do good, things just don’t turn out the way he hopes. This is a sad film with great performances.

The Concert
When a fax comes to the Bolshoi Orchestra inviting them to play in Paris, it is picked up by Andrei, the former Maestro, now the janitor. Fired during the communist era, he is determined to gather the former orchestra members and to take them to Paris for this concert. What follows is a comedy of errors. This was a wonderful movie and had beautiful music.

Mesrine: Public Enemy #1
This is the 2nd part of Mesrine’s story and I liked it better than the first. This one spent more time developing the personality of Mesrine and less time on his crimes. Vincent Cassel is so natural in the film that you forget that he’s playing a part. I liked this film a lot.

Trial & Retribution, season 1
Voorheesville Library does not own this one but you can get it from another library in the system. It is yet another British mystery mini-series. This one resembles Law & Order in that you follow the crime from the police side to the courtroom side. The series is very well done with interesting characters and crimes. The gap between the trial lawyers who seem to live in a whole different plane from the rest of the world: the difference between the British and American judicial system is fascinating. I thoroughly enjoyed this series.

Unknown
With this film and Taken Liam Neeson has become a really great action hero. In this one, when he wakes up in the hospital having been in a car crash, he finds that someone else has taken over his name, his wife and his life. He has to search to find out who he is with a little help from the crashed taxi driver. This was reminiscent of The Bourne Identity but it was very exciting!

New this week:

2011-07-29T08:05:00.000-07:00

Are You Being Served? The Movie. (1977)
The staff of Grace Brothers is sent on a European holiday, while the store is being remodeled. Based on the BBC television series of the same name.

Life During Wartime
With her ex-husband Bill a convicted pedophile and in jail, Trish is happy to remarry and provide a normal father figure for her two sons, but when Bill is released, Trish and the boys must decide whether or not to forgive him.

Mao’s Last Dancer
Based on an inspiring true story, this emotionally powerful crowd-pleaser emerged as one of the year's most talked-about independent films. It's the fascinating and epic tale of Li Cunxin, a peasant boy from rural China who beats impossible odds to become a world-renowned ballet dancer. Through breathtaking talent and sheer determination, Li makes his way to the United States; but when he falls in love with an American woman, he must risk everything to remain in the land of the free.

My Dog Tulip
The story of a man who rescues a German shepherd and how the two become fast friends. “Cordially constructed, witty, and surprisingly insightful, "My Dog Tulip" is an odd picture, but one of immense personality, seizing a tone of companionship that's honest and real. It's a film that drops the coos and the sweetness to present dogs as they typically stand: filled with barks, waste matter, and protection for their beloved masters.”—DVD Talk

Small Act
When Hilde Back sponsored a young, rural Kenyan student, she thought nothing of it. She never imagined her quarterly donation of $15 would pave the way for Chris Mburu's journey to Harvard Law School. Years later, Chris has become a United Nations human rights lawyer working to combat genocide and discrimination. He decides to seek out the stranger who dramatically transformed his life and is astonished to learn his benefactor, Hilde, is a Holocaust survivor.

Source Code
When Captain Colter Stevens wakes up in the body of an unknown man, he discovers he's part of an experimental government program called the 'Source Code' that enables him to cross over into another man's identity in the last eight minutes of his life. Armed with the task of identifying the bomber of a Chicago commuter train, Colter must relive the incident over and over again, gathering clues until he can solve the mystery and prevent an even deadlier second terrorist attack.

300 Spartans (1962)
[The] true story of how Spartan king Leonidas led an extremely small army of Greek Soldiers (300 of them his personal body guards from Sparta) to hold off an invading Persian army now thought to have numbered 250,000. The actual heroism of those who stood (and ultimately died) with Leonidas helped shape the course of Western Civilization, allowing the Greek city states time to organize an army which repelled the Persians. Set in 480 BC.

Trust
When a young girl is assaulted by an older man she meets on the Internet, her family's bonds are ripped apart as her father searches across the country in an effort to track down her attacker and exact revenge.

Donations added to the collection:

2011-07-23T07:13:00.000-07:00

(Yes, we always take donated DVDs. If we want them, we keep them for the collection. If we don't want them they go to the booksale. Just bring them to the Reference desk. We take CDs too!)

Beat the Devil
1953. Directed by John Huston. Starring Humphrey Bogart, Jennifer Jones, Gina Lollabrigida and Peter Lorre. Screenplay by Truman Capote.
Beat the Devil is a witty, dry-humored, and well-plotted spoof of the classic capers popular at the time. The film, written by famed author Truman Capote, is centered on a group of four crooks, all of whom are traveling to Africa under the guise of selling vacuum cleaners. Their true motivation for the trip is to get rich off uranium by smuggling it out of East Africa.

Entrapment
1999. Directed by Jon Amiel. Starring Sean Connery, Catherine Zeta-Jones and Ving Rhames.
When a priceless Rembrandt is stolen in New York, the evidence points to a solitary master thief (Connery), who is about to meet the insurance company's most cunning - and seductive - investigator (Zeta-Jones). Following a nerve-racking game of cat and mouse, the two join forces, or so it seems, to attempt a daring multibillion-dollar heist tied to the dawn of the new millennium.

The Fifth Element
1997. Directed by Luc Besson. Starring Bruce Willis, Gary Oldman, Chris Tucker, and Milla Jovovich.
Ancient curses, all-powerful monsters, shape-changing assassins, scantily-clad stewardesses, laser battles, huge explosions, a perfect woman, a malcontent hero--what more can you ask of a big-budget science fiction movie? Luc Besson's high-octane film incorporates presidents, rock stars, and cab drivers into its peculiar plot, traversing worlds and encountering some pretty wild aliens. Bruce Willis stars as a down-and-out cabbie who must win the love of Leeloo (Milla Jovovich) to save Earth from destruction by Jean-Baptiste Emmanuel Zorg (Gary Oldman) and a dark, unearthly force that makes Darth Vader look like an Ewok.

Grand Canyon
1991. Directed by Lawrence Kasdan. Starring Danny Glover, Kevin Kline, Steve Martin, Mary McDonnell, Mary-Louise Parker and Alfre Woodard.
When a lawyer's (Kevin Kline) car breaks down in a dangerous Los Angeles neighborhood, a tow-truck driver (Danny Glover) arrives just in time to save his life. The two men begin a deep friendship that sets off a chain of unsettling and surprising events involving their families and friends for years to come. Lawrence Kasdan's powerful, uplifting film about the harsh realities of contemporary urban life co-stars Steve Martin, Mary McDonnell, Mary-Louise Parker and Alfre Woodard.

Guilty Conscience
1985. Directed by David Greene. Starring Blythe Danner, Anthony Hopkins and Swoosie Kurtz.
Anthony Hopkins stars in this mystery revolving around a successful criminal lawyer who decides to bump off his wife due to the sizable alimony demands she made in their divorce proceedings.

The Jackal
1997. Directed by Michael Caton-Jones. Starring Bruce Willis, Richard Gere, Sidney Poitier and Diane Venora.
Russian mobster Terek Murad has declared open season on the Russian militia and the United States FBI over the shooting of his brother in a Moscow nightclub. He hires "The Jackal" -- an elusive, nasty assassin -- to kill FBI Director Donald Brown. Present at the shooting of Murad's brother were FBI Deputy Director Carter Preston and Major Valentina Koslova of the Russian militia. Nearly no one has ever seen The Jackal, save for Declan Mulqueen, an imprisoned IRA sniper. Upon learning that the Director Brown is a target, Preston and Koslova enlist the services of the reluctant Mulqueen to track down the Jackal before he can assassinate Brown.

Murder on the Orient Express
1974. Directed by Sidney Lumet. Starring Albert Finney, Lauren Bacall, Martin Balsam, Ingrid Bergman, Jacqueline Bisset, Sean Connery, Vanessa Redgrave and Michael York.
Just the name "Orient Express" conjures images of a bygone era. Add an all-star cast (including Sean Connery, Ingrid Bergman, Jacqueline Bisset, and Lauren Bacall, to name a few) and Agatha Christie's delicious plot and how can you go wrong? Particularly if you add in Albert Finney as Christie's delightfully persnickety sleuth, Hercule Poirot. Someone has knocked off nasty Richard Widmark on this train trip and, to Poirot's puzzlement, everyone seems to have a motive--just the setup for a terrific whodunit. Though it seems like an ensemble film, director Sidney Lumet gives each of his stars their own solo and each makes the most of it. Bergman went so far as to win an Oscar for her role. But the real scene-stealer is the ever-reliable Finney as the eccentric detective who never misses a trick.

The Peacemaker
1997. Directed by Mimi Leder. Starring George Clooney, Nicole Kidman and Armin Mueller-Stahl.
Two trains crash somewhere in Russia, one carrying a nuclear payload. A nuclear explosion follows the crash and the world is on alert... However, White House nuclear expert Dr. Julia Kelly doesn't think it was an accident... Special Operations Intelligence Officer Colonel Thomas Devoe doesn't think so either... Together they must unravel a conspiracy that goes from Europe to New York, to stop a terrorist who has no demands...

Presumed Innocent
1990. Directed by Alan J. Pakula. Starring Harrison Ford, Brian Dennehy and Raul Julia.
After his former girlfriend is killed and he becomes the prime suspect, D.A. Rusty Sabich goes on a search to find the real killer and finds out he/she may be closer to him than he thinks.

Ramblin’ Man
1979. Directed by Burt Kennedy. Starring Tom Selleck, Jerry Reed, Morgan Fairchild, Barbara Mandrell and Claude Akins.
Two adventure-seeking Montana cowboys find themselves in Nashville. To make some extra money, they pose as private investigators and accept a case searching for a woman's missing sister. The case becomes more than they bargained for when they are caught in the middle of murder, blackmail, and extortion.

The Thomas Crown Affair
1999. Directed by John McTiernan. Starring Pierce Brosnan, Rene Russo and Denis Leary.
Thrill-seeking billionaire Thomas Crown (Brosnan) loves nothing more than courting disaster and winning! So when his world becomes too stiflingly safe, he pulls off his boldest stunt ever: stealing a priceless painting in broad daylight from one of Manhattan's most heavily guarded museums. But his post-heist excitement soon pales beside an even greater challenge: Catherine Banning (Russo). A beautiful insurance investigator hired to retrieve the artwork, Catherine's every bit as intelligent, cunning and hungry for adventure as he is. And just when Thomas realizes he's finally met his match, she skillfully leads him into a daring game of cat and mouse that's more intoxicating and dangerous than anything either of them has ever experienced before!

A View to a Kill
1985. Directed by John Glen. Starring Roger Moore, Grace Jones and Christopher Walken.
An investigation of a horse-racing scam leads 007 to a mad industrialist who plans to create a worldwide microchip monopoly by destroying California's Silicon Valley.

New this week:

2011-07-22T10:50:00.001-07:00

Arthur
Lovable billionaire Arthur Bach has always relied on his limitless fortune and nanny Hobson to keep him out of trouble. Now he faces his biggest challenge. He must choose between an arranged marriage that will ensure his lavish lifestyle or an uncertain future with the one thing money can't buy, Naomi, the only woman he has ever loved. With Naomi's inspiration and some unconventional help from Hobson, Arthur will finally learn what it means to become a man.

George Gently, Series 2
Bringing an air of world-weary dignity to his role, Martin Shaw returns as Inspector George Gently, a former Scotland Yard sleuth now tracking murderers in Britain’s North Country. Far from London, these once-quiet counties are just beginning to feel the social and political changes of the 1960s. The menacing crimes test even Gently’s big-city experience and hard-won wisdom. And his impulsive young protégé, Sergeant John Bacchus, tests nearly all of his patience.

Limitless
Eddie Morra, a burnt-out writer, discovers a top-secret pill that unlocks 100% of his brain's capacity. He instantly acquires mind-bending talents and mesmerizing visions that bring him big money, beautiful women, and limitless success. But his dream life soon becomes a waking nightmare, as the drug's brutal side effects take their toll and Eddie finds himself entangled with a cunning Wall Street power broker who wants everything Eddie has, and more.

Potiche
A housebound trophy housewife steps in to manage the umbrella factory run by her tyrannical husband after the workers go on strike. To everyone's surprise, Suzanne proves herself a competent and assertive woman of action.

Rango
Rango, a kooky pet chameleon, accidentally winds up in the gritty, gun-slinging town of Dirt, a lawless outpost populated by the desert's most wily and whimsical creatures. Welcomed as the last hope the town has been waiting for, new Sheriff Rango is forced to play his new role to the hilt, until he starts to become the hero he once only pretended to be.

Sherlock, Season 1
A contemporary take on the classic Arthur Conan Doyle stories, Sherlock is a thrilling, funny, fast-paced adventure series set in present-day London. The iconic details from Conan Doyle's original books remain: they live at the same address, have the same names, and, somewhere out there, Moriarty is waiting for them. And so across three thrilling, scary, action-packed, and highly modern adventures, Sherlock and John navigate a maze of cryptic clues and lethal killers to get at the truth.

Take Me Home Tonight
When Matt Franklin's high-school crush Tori shows up at his dead-end mall job, he and his buddy Barry devise a wild scheme for Matt to finally win the girl of his dreams. But only time will tell if Matt can seduce this gorgeous goddess at a wild party and survive an outrageous night of seduction, destruction and debauchery.

Last Stand of the 300
It is almost impossible to understand how 300 Spartans managed to hold off the million-man Persian army, but with transporting dramatizations and incisive graphics that put you in the heat of battle, learn the strategies and more in this historic battle.

New last week:

2011-07-20T08:09:00.000-07:00

Adjustment Bureau
A man glimpses the future fate has planned for him and chooses to fight for his own destiny. Battling the powerful Adjustment Bureau across, under, and through the streets of New York, he risks his destined greatness to be with the only woman he's ever loved.

Berkeley Square
Three young nannies grow to be close friends as they manage the unpredictable road to love and happiness in the posh world of turn-of-the-century, upper-crust London.

Eagle
In 140 AD, twenty years after the unexplained disappearance of the entire Ninth Legion in the mountains of Scotland, young centurion Marcus Aquila arrives from Rome to solve the mystery and restore the reputation of his father, the commander of the Ninth. Accompanied only by his British slave Esca, Marcus sets out across Hadrian's Wall into the uncharted highlands of Caledonia to confront its savage tribes, make peace with his father's memory, and retrieve the lost legion's golden emblem.

Insidious
Josh and Renai have a happy family, until tragedy strikes their young son, and he begins to experience things that science cannot explain. Now they must try to prevent evil spirits from trapping their comatose child in a realm called The Further.

Lincoln Lawyer
Michael 'Mick' Haller is a slick, charismatic Los Angeles criminal defense attorney who operates out of the back of his Lincoln Town Car. Having spent most of his career defending petty, gutter-variety criminals, Mick unexpectedly lands the case of a lifetime. However, what initially appears to be a straightforward case with a big money payoff swiftly develops into a deadly match between two masters of manipulation and a crisis of conscience for Haller.

Red Riding Hood
Valerie is a beautiful young woman torn between two men. She is in love with a brooding outsider, Peter, but her parents have arranged for her to marry the wealthy Henry. Unwilling to lose each other, Valerie and Peter are planning to run away together when they learn that Valerie's older sister has been killed by the werewolf that prowls the dark forest surrounding their village.

Road to Coronation Street
"The Road to Coronation Street is the dramatized story of how Coronation Street, Britain's best-loved series, was created - and how it almost never made it on air. Set in Manchester's Granada TV Studios circa 1960, passionate young scriptwriter Tony Warren had a vision of bringing to life a program about real people and everyday situations on the streets of working-class Manchester. Portraying Tony's boardroom battles to convince network executives that his idea for a dramatic series would be both popular and commercially successful - and the gamble executives took to bring this show to the screen - this film marks the milestone 50 Year Anniversary of Coronation Street"

Roommate
After college student Sara discovers that her roommate has become obsessed with her, things quickly take a violent turn.

Sanctum
A thrilling underwater adventure based on true events. Master diver Frank McGuire leads a team-including his 17-year-old son-to explore the largest, most beautiful and least accessible cave system on Earth. But when a tropical storm cuts off their only escape route, the team must work together to find their way through an uncharted and dangerous underwater labyrinth to make it out alive. With time running out, can they survive, or will they be trapped forever?

Private detective films:

2011-07-06T11:14:00.000-07:00

I love a good mystery. Whether it’s a book or a movie, it’s by far my favorite genre. I recently ran across a movie blog called Tipping My Fedora which gave a list of their choices for “the top 20 private eye movies” (http://bloodymurder.wordpress.com/2011/06/19/top-20-private-eye-movies/#more-2307). The library owns 4 of their picks they are definitely 4 good ones. Of course, there are also a couple of titles that I would have put on this list, for example, The Late Show with Art Carney and Lily Tomlin and the comedy TV series Bored to Death.

The Big Sleep (1946)
This is the classic adaptation of the Chandler novel even though the Michael Winner remake from 1978 is more literally faithful. produced on a bog budget, the second classic pairing of husband-and-wife team Bogart and Bacall works like a charm even if the original story and characters have been largely filleted and generally mucked around with. More of a comedy than a thriller, but great fun just the same. From the novel by Raymond Chandler.

Harper (1966)
The classic PI genre gets a glossy 60s makeover in this hugely entertaining movie with a cast to die for and some fine dialogue by William Goldman from the first of Ross Macdonald’s Lew Archer series.

Night Moves (1975)
Quite possibly the most oblique film on this list, and quite possibly the most powerful precisely because it is wants to be impenetrable. Gene Hackman is the detective investigating a missing person in the Hollywood community who gets involved in a deadly smuggling case – this is a highly sophisticated look at the genre which delights in not giving anything away – its closing image, of a boat going round and round in circles perfectly sums up a film full of questions and no easy answers, though everything you need is in fact all in plain sight.

Brick (2005)
It would easy and not entirely inaccurate to simply summarise this indie sleeper hit as a teenage slacker re-telling of The Maltese Falcon but this is also a beautifully made film with Joseph Gordon-Levitt truly impressive as the smart college student who sets out to solve the death of his girlfriend amongst the rich and wealthy California youth. Their tribal world of secret linguistic codes and brutally hierarchical cliques is just as enthralling, and potentially dangerous, as the mean 1930s streets of Hammett and Chandler – a minor classic.

If you haven’t seen these films stop by and pick them up. Check out the rest of the “Tipping My Fedora” list for more titles to request from another library.

What I've been watching:

2011-06-29T07:54:00.001-07:00

Another Year
I like director Mike Leigh’s films because he always offers a no-holds-barred truthful examination of his characters lives. This film shows a happily married couple and their interactions with friends who are not so happy.

Company Men
This is the story of what happens to upper middle class executives when they get laid off. Ben Affleck plays the exec who is in total denial until forced into working a construction job for his brother-in-law. The movie has great performances by all involved but it takes place in a white man’s world—there is only 1 woman who is not a nurse, secretary or homemaker and only 1 black person in the whole movie. A little clichéd but worth watching.

Undertow
This is a Peruvian gay film. A fisherman with a pregnant wife is in love with an artist visiting his seaside town. What is most fascinating about this film is that it asks the question: what does it mean to be a man? I found the film to be sweet, sympathetic and thoughtful.

New to the library:

2011-06-23T10:34:00.000-07:00

Biutiful
Uxbal is a man on the wrong side of the law who struggles to provide for his children on the dangerous streets of Barcelona. As fate encircles him, Uxbal learns to accept the realities of life, whether bright, bad, or biutiful.

Drive Angry
An undead criminal escapes from hell to avenge his daughter's murder and rescue her kidnapped baby from a cult.

I Am Number Four
Three are dead. Who is number four? John Smith is an extraordinary teen masking his true identity to elude a deadly enemy sent to destroy him. Living with his guardian in the small town he now calls home John encounters unexpected life-changing events, his first love, powerful new abilities, and a secret connection to the others who share his incredible destiny.

New to the library:

2011-06-22T12:03:00.001-07:00

Battle: Los Angeles
For years, there have been documented cases of UFO sightings around the world. But in 2011, what were once just sightings will become a terrifying reality when Earth is attacked by unknown forces. As people everywhere watch the world's great cities fall, Los Angeles becomes the last stand for mankind in a battle no one expected. It's up to a Marine staff sergeant and his new platoon to draw a line in the sand as they take on an enemy unlike any they've ever encountered before.

The Concert (French)
Thirty years ago, Andrei Simoniovich Filipov, conductor of the Bolshoi orchestra, was fired for hiring Jewish musicians. Now a cleaning man at the Bolshoi, he hears the Chatelet Theater in Paris has invited the Bolshoi orchestra to play there. He gathers together his former musicians and a young solo violin virtuoso to perform in Paris in the place of the current Bolshoi orchestra. If they all overcome the hardships ahead this very special concert will be a triumph.

Hall Pass
Rick and Fred are best friends who have a lot in common, including the fact that they have each been married for many years. But when the two men begin to show signs of restlessness at home, their wives take a bold approach to revitalizing their individual marriages: granting them a 'hall pass,' one week of freedom to do whatever they want, no questions asked.

New this week: 6/8/11

2011-06-13T07:21:00.000-07:00

Another Year
A married couple that has managed to remain blissfully happy into their autumn years are surrounded over the course of the four seasons of one average year by friends, colleagues, and family who all seem to suffer some degree of unhappiness.

Any Human Heart
Every life is ordinary and extraordinary. Logan Mountstuart's is a rich tapestry of both. The viewer experiences Logan at different points in his life in this provocative glimpse at one man's quest for glory and bliss. Any Human Heart is the story of a full life, lived with passion; expansive, rich, unsentimental, comic, and profoundly moving.

Company Men
Bobby Walker is living the proverbial American dream: great job, beautiful family, shiny Porsche in the garage. When corporate downsizing leaves him and co-workers Phil Woodward and Gene McClary jobless, the three men are forced to re-define their lives as men, husbands, and fathers. Bobby soon finds himself enduring enthusiastic life coaching, a job building houses for his brother-in-law that does not play to his executive skill set, and finding that perhaps there is more to life.

George Gently
Stubborn, incorruptible old cop George Gently partners with a young, ambitious protégé to tackle cases in the North East of England during the turbulent 1960s.

Just Go with It
A plastic surgeon who is romancing a much younger schoolteacher enlists his loyal assistant to pretend to be his soon-to-be ex-wife in order to cover up a careless lie. When more lies backfire, the assistant's kids become involved, and everyone heads off for a weekend in Hawaii that will change all their lives.

Marriage Italian Style (1964)
Domenico first meets 17-year-old prostitute Filumena in a Neapolitan brothel in the 2nd World War. After the war they become lovers on and off for 22 years. Domenico eventually rents an apartment for Filumena and even lets her run his shop but is always chasing other women. Finally Filumena asks Domenico to marry her on her deathbed, just before he had planned to marry his young cashier, and admits she had his legitimate child. Dominico uses different subterfuges trying to find which teenager might be his son.

Sunflower (1970)
The story of a married Italian couple who are separated by World War II and then meet again years later in Russia only to realize that they cannot recapture the past.

True Grit
Mattie Ross is determined to avenge her father's blood by capturing Tom Chaney, the man who shot and killed him for two pieces of gold. Just fourteen, she enlists the help of Rooster Cogburn, a one-eyed, trigger-happy U.S. Marshal with an affinity for drinking, and hardened Texas Ranger LaBoeuf to track the fleeing Chaney. Despite their differences, their ruthless determination leads them on a perilous adventure that can only have one outcome: retribution.

Undertow
Miguel, a respected Peruvian fisherman, is expecting his first child with his beautiful wife, Mariela. However, their peaceful existence is threatened by Miguel's love for Santiago, a visiting artist whose presence is viewed as a threat by the villagers. When a fatal accident befalls the community, Miguel is faced with hiding his true feelings or coming to terms with who he is and risk losing everything, including those he loves.

Upstairs Downstairs: the complete series
This is the saga of the aristocratic Bellamy family and their loyal and lively servants. Real-life events from 1903-1930 are incorporated into the stories of the Bellamy household.

Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow (1963)
Three tales of women who use sex to get what they want out of the self-centered men in their lives.

New to the library

2011-06-10T09:48:00.000-07:00

Mechanic
Arthur Bishop is an assassin with a unique talent for cleanly eliminating targets. It's a job that requires professional perfection and he is the best in the business. But when Harry, his mentor and friend is murdered, Bishop wants those responsible dead. After Harry's son approaches him with the same vengeful goal, Bishop takes the impulsive student deep into his world and a deadly partnership is born. However, deceptions will surface, and those hired to fix problems soon become the problem.

Other Woman
Emilia, a law school graduate, falls in love with her married boss, Jack. After they marry, her happiness turns unexpectedly to grief following the death of her infant daughter. Devastated, Emilia nonetheless carries on, attempting to forge a connection with her stepson William and to resist the interference of Jack's jealous ex-wife.

Rite
Inspired by true events, this supernatural thriller follows a seminary student sent to study exorcism at the Vatican in spite of his own doubts about the controversial practice and even his own faith. Only when sent to apprentice with legendary Father Lucas, who has performed thousand of exorcisms, does his armor of skepticism begin to fall. Drawn into a troubling case that transcends even Father Lucas's skill, the young seminarian glimpses a phenomenon science can't explain or control.

South Riding
When Sarah Burton returns to her hometown as headmistress, she is full of ambition, determined to create a great school and to inspire her girls to take all they can from life. But in the aftermath of the First World War, the country is in depression and ideals are hard won. Lydia Holly, the scholarship girl from the shacks, is the most brilliant student Sarah has ever taught, but when her mother's health fails, her education must be sacrificed - there is nobody else to care for the children.

New to the library:

2011-06-08T07:46:00.000-07:00

I've gotten way behind in my blogging. Too many vacations. These titles were added to our collection during the week of May 11.

Blue Valentine
This film is an honest, moving and uninhibited love story. It is an uncompromising portrait of Dean and Cindy, a young married couple who have grown apart, taking one night away from their daughter to try to save their relationship. Highlighted by provocative scenes alternately intimate and intense, the film captured audiences and critics alike.

Cherry Blossoms
Only Trudi knows that her husband Rudi is suffering from a terminal illness. She decides not to tell him and convinces him to visit their family in Berlin. When Trudi dies suddenly, Rudi vows to make up for her lost life and takes his last journey to Tokyo in the midst of the cherry blossom festival.

Client 9: the Rise and Fall of Eliot Spitzer
When he was NY's Attorney General, Eliot Spitzer prosecuted crimes by America's largest financial institutions and some of the most powerful executives in the country. After his election as governor, with the largest margin in the state's history, many believed Spitzer was on his way to becoming the nation's first Jewish president. Then, shockingly, Spitzer's meteoric rise turned into a precipitous fall when the New York Times revealed that Spitzer had been caught seeing prostitutes.

Dogtooth
A darkly surreal look at three teenagers confined to an isolated country estate and kept under strict rule and regimen by their parents - an alternately hilarious and nightmarish experiment of manipulation and oppression.

Illusionist
A French illusionist finds himself out of work and travels to Scotland. While performing in a village pub, he encounters Alice, an innocent young girl, who will change his life forever.

Last Train Home
Every spring, China's cities are plunged into chaos as an astonishing 130 million migrant workers journey to their home villages for the New Year's holiday. This mass exodus is the largest human migration on the planet, an epic spectacle that reveals a country tragically caught between its rural past and industrial future. Working over several years in classic verite, Chinese-Canadian filmmaker Lixin Fan travels with one couple who have embarked on this annual trek for almost two decades.

No Strings Attached
Emma and Adam are life-long friends who almost ruin everything by having sex one morning. To protect their friendship, they make a pact to keep their relationship strictly 'no strings attached.' That means no jealousy, no expectations, no fighting, no flowers, and no baby voices. They can do whatever they want, whenever they want, wherever they want, as long as they don't fall in love. The question becomes: who's going to fall first? And can their friendship survive?

Two in the Wave

2011-06-07T14:06:00.000-07:00

The film Two in the Wave is about the relationship between French film directors François Truffaut and Jean Luc Godard, both of whom were largely responsible for the New Wave movement in French films of the 60’s. Their films reflect the social and political turmoil of the times and demonstrate experimentation with visual and narrative styles of storytelling. If you are a fan of film history like I am you’ll be interested in this film, and, after watching, you’ll want to watch films by both directors. Voorheesville library owns Jules and Jim one of Truffaut’s most important films plus Day for Night, a fun film about making a movie. Although we don’t own any Godard films you can request them from other libraries. Some titles you might want to get are Breathless, Pierrot le Fou, or Band of Outsiders. Just for fun, you can also catch Truffaut as an actor in Close Encounters of the Third Kind.

What I've been watching:

2011-06-03T08:26:00.000-07:00

I have taken a lot of vacation days this month so have missed many blog posts. Sorry. I'll try to catch up next week. Even though I was on vacation I didn't watch too many films. Here are the two I did watch:

Farewell
This film is based on a true story about the fall of the Soviet bloc. A Russian KGB agent passed on important documents regarding the Russians’ knowledge of American CIA activities to the French, who then passed it on to the Americans. Reagan declared it “one of the most important espionage cases of the twentieth century.” The two men involved, an ordinary French engineer (whose boss had ties to military intelligence) & the KGB agent who wanted a better life for his son, were both sympathetically portrayed & the story, as it followed them, was fascinating. As things began to fall apart for the Soviets, the plot got a little confusing. Nevertheless, it was a fascinating spy story because of the two individuals involved.

Switch
Jason Bateman, who is always appealing, and Jennifer Aniston play best friends. She decides to have a baby by herself and through a comedy of errors ends up having a baby whose biological father is her best friend. The relationship between the child and Bateman was especially endearing. I was expecting a romantic comedy but what I got was a sweet story so I was definitely not disappointed.

New this week (5/4/11):

2011-05-04T10:02:00.000-07:00

Dilemma
Ronny's world is turned upside down when he inadvertently sees something he should not have and makes it his mission to get answers. As the amateur investigation dissolves his world into comic mayhem, he learns that his best friend Nick has a few secrets of his own. Now, Ronny must decide what will happen if he reveals the truth.

Farewell (French)
In 1981 after the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan U.S.-Soviet relations are at their lowest point in more than a decade. A French businessman based in Moscow, Pierre Froment, makes an unlikely connection with Grigoriev, a senior KGB officer disenchanted with what the Communist ideal has become under Brezhney. Grigoriev begins passing him highly sensitive information about the Soviet spy network in the U.S.

Green Hornet
Britt Reid is a rich playboy with a direction-less life. After his father dies, Britt inherits his vast media empire where he meets employee Kato. The two realize that they have a chance to do something worthwhile with their lives by fighting crime so Britt becomes the Green Hornet. With the help of Britt's secretary, the two begin hunting down Benjamin Chudnofsky, the man who controls LA's gritty underworld. But Chudnofsky has plans of his own: to swat down The Green Hornet once and for all.

Legend (1985)
A young man must stop the Lord of Darkness from both destroying daylight and marrying the woman he loves.

Somewhat Gentle Man (Swedish)
Ulrik is a somewhat gentle man, as far as gangsters go. Reluctantly back on the streets following a stint in prison, Ulrik's boss greets him with open arms and a plan to settle an old score. With a demented sense of professional pride, Ulrik's boss sets in motion a plan to right the wrong done to his star employee. The problem is, Ulrik would rather go about his own business, however mundane, than get involved with his ragtag colleagues again.

What I've been watching:

2011-04-29T11:49:00.000-07:00

Coach
Recommended by one of my patrons, this was a sweet little sports film. Hugh Dancy stars as a young man whose inherited wealth has left him with little ambition in life but to have fun. When his girlfriend leaves him because his life is going nowhere he sets out to find a job. Having no qualifications for anything but with a love of soccer he takes a job as a middle school soccer coach. Surprisingly enough, the job is a good fit. There are a lot of clichés in this film but Dancy is extremely likeable as are the kids and the clichés are not too offensive so it was an enjoyable way to spend time.

Compassionate Sex
Recommended by the same patron, this film was on the crazy side. The film opens with Manolo leaving his wife Dolores because she is too perfect—she spends her days doing good deeds. She seeks help from the priest: she doesn’t know how to sin. She sets to work in her friends bar when a troubled man comes in. His wife has cheated on him; he can’t understand what she has done and he thinks his marriage is doomed. So Dolores tells him that if he cheated on his wife then he would understand and could forgive her thereby saving their marriage. She helps him with this solution and so begins her new life as Lolita: the woman who helps troubled men by providing compassionate sex. Wild enough for you?! It’s a bit silly but it was a fun film.

Fair Game
This political thriller was about the life and marriage of exposed CIA agent Valerie Plame. It started out slow and a bit confusing showing the woman at her job but built up in suspense and interest once she was exposed, let go, and her husband begins a public protest against the government. As political thrillers go you’d be better off watching All the Presidents Men again or one of my other favorites, Enemy of the State.

I Love You Phillip Morris
This is an interesting little film. It’s a bit like a cross between Catch Me if You Can and Love Story (a gay version). Jim Carrey (who I normally don’t like because I think he overacts) is quite good as Steven Russell, a con artist. In jail he meets the love of his life, Phillip Morris, downplayed by Ewan McGregor (who I really do like). The film is based on a true story. Russell, as played by Carrey, is such a good con man that you never really know who or what the real Steven Russell is which makes Phillip Morris very sympathetic because he doesn’t know either. In fact, Russell himself doesn’t know who he is; all he knows is that he loves Phillip Morris. Because all of his crimes are victimless, Russell truly is a loveable guy who is just able to take advantage of every situation in which he finds himself. It’s hard to not like him, and Phillip, a sensitive guy who has been used and abused by many a lover is also likeable. In the end, that makes this a rather bittersweet love story. I liked it.

New to the library

2011-04-28T11:39:00.000-07:00

Somewhere along the way I missed a week--an important week because we received The King's Speech, the academy award winner that everyone wants to see! I promise that I've caught up now and I'll try to not get behind in my reporting again.

Canaan
Colors have scent. Sounds possess images. In a future world, where biochemical weapons have changed the game, an unlucky few have their senses blended.

Country Strong
Soon after a rising young singer-songwriter gets involved with a fallen, emotionally unstable country star, the pair embark on a career resurrection tour steered by her husband/manager, that includes a beauty-queen-turned-singer. Between the concerts, romantic entanglements and old demons threaten to derail them all.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, part 1
Part 1 begins as Harry, Ron and Hermione set out on their perilous mission to track down and destroy the secret to Voldemort's immortality and destruction--the Horcruxes. On their own, without the guidance of their professors or the protection of Professor Dumbledore, the three friends must now rely on one another more than ever. But there are Dark Forces in their midst that threaten to tear them apart. Harry's only hope is to find the Horcruxes before Voldemort finds him.

Irreversible (French)
Alex and Marcus are a couple whose story is told in reverse-chronological order over the course of a fateful evening in a series of long takes. This film is an emotional odyssey that unspools in reverse from gut-wrenching violence to sweetly observed moments of sublime tenderness.

King’s Speech
The story of King George VI of Britain, his impromptu ascension to the throne and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch become worthy of it.

Rabbit Hole
Becca and Howie Corbett are returning to their everyday existence in the wake of a shocking, sudden loss. Just eight months ago, they were a happy suburban family with everything they wanted. Now, they are caught in a maze of memory, longing, guilt, recrimination, sarcasm and tightly controlled rage from which they cannot escape. The journey is an intimate glimpse into two people learning to re-engage with each other and a world that has been tilted off its axis.

Tron (1982)
When a brilliant video game maker named Flynn hacks the mainframe of his ex-employer, he is beamed inside an astonishing digital world and becomes part of the very game he is designing.

Way Back
Inspired by an incredible true story beginning in 1940 when seven prisoners attempt the impossible: escape from a brutal Siberian gulag. Thus begins a treacherous 4,500-mile trek to freedom across the world's most merciless landscapes. They have little food and few supplies. They don't know or trust each other. But together, they must withstand nature at its most extreme. Their humanity is further tested when they meet a teenage runaway who begs to join them on their quest.

White Material (French)
Maria is an entitled white woman living in Africa, desperately unwilling to give up her family's crumbling coffee plantation despite the civil war closing in on her. A gripping evocation of the death throes of European colonialism and a fascinating look at a woman lost in her own mind.

Child Sexual Predators: the Familiar Stranger (362.7 CHI)
A bill enacted by the New York State Legislature required the Division of Criminal Justice Services to produce an instructional video to help parents protect their children from sexual predators, and to distribute the video to libraries across the State. This extraordinary program features interviews with four convicted child molesters who reveal what they do and how they do it, and three survivors of childhood sexual abuse. A professor of psychology at the University at Albany takes viewers on a guided tour through the troubled mind of a pedophile, and offers insight into how child molesters operate, how they manipulate children and families, and why, all too frequently, parents refuse to believe their own children. The program is narrated by Tina M. Stanford, Director of the New York State Office of Victim Services.

Great Rift: Africa’s Greatest Story (551.136 GRE)
"The producers of Life, Galapagos and Yellowstone bring us The Great Rift. Visible from space, Africa’s Great Rift Valley runs four thousand miles from the Red Sea to the mouth of the Zambezi – a diverse landscape of erupting volcanoes, forest-clad mountains, spectacular valleys, rich grasslands, vast lakes and mighty rivers. Home to the greatest concentration of animals on earth – lions, crocodiles, elephants, hippos and flocks of flamingos – and pastoralists such as the Maasi – this is a land of constant geographical turmoil. It will take you to another world – a world of exotic extremes, where the forces of nature have shaped the landscape and so created a hotbed of evolution. It is the very cradle of mankind."

Incredible Human Journey (591.38 INC)
"How did we get here? ...Using the evidence from genetics, fossils, archaeology and climatology, Dr. Alice Roberts uncovers five epic routes our ancestors took across the globe and the obstacles and brutal challenges they encountered along the way. It reveals how our family tree grew and spread out across the world, producing all the variety we see in the human species today -- but despite all that diversity, Dr. Roberts reveals how astonishingly closely related we all are."

And now this week's new DVDs:

2011-04-28T11:02:00.000-07:00

Mesrine: Public Enemy #1 (French)
In the climactic second part of the Mesrine saga, Jacques Mesrine is back in France after his brazen assault on the maximum-security prison from which he daringly escaped. Once again in police custody and facing stern justice for his crime, 'the man of a thousand faces' escapes directly from the courtroom after kidnapping the judge at gunpoint. The life of Jacques comes once and for all to a full bloody circle.

True Grit (1969)
U.S. Marshal Rooster Cogburn helps a headstrong young girl find the man who murdered her father in Native American territory and fled with the family savings. When Rooster's employer insists on accompanying the old gunfighter, sparks fly. The situation goes from troubled to disastrous when an inexperienced Texas Ranger joins the party.

Upstairs Downstairs (2011)
One of the most loved television series of all time is brought back to life with a fresh cast and sumptuous production values. It's 1936, and six years since parlor maid Rose left 165 Eaton Place, when fate brings her back as housekeeper to its new owners: Sir Hallam, his wife Lady Agnes, and Maud, Lady Holland, his mother. Rose soon finds she has her work cut out as she recruits a new 'downstairs' family to help run the elegance and finery of the 'upstairs' world.

New to the library

2011-04-28T10:58:00.000-07:00

These were new the week of 4/13/11:

3 Idiots (Hindi)
Rascal. Joker. Dreamer. Genius. You've never met a college student quite like 'Rancho.' From the moment he arrives at India's most prestigious university, Rancho's outlandish schemes turn the campus upside down-along with the lives of his two newfound best friends. Together, they make life miserable for 'Virus, ' the school's uptight and heartless dean. But when Rancho catches the eye of the dean's sexy daughter, Virus sets his sights on flunking out the '3 idiots, once and for all.

Lovely Still
With the approach of Christmas causing him to feel lonely in life and love, Robert Malone braves the wintery snow to arrive home from his job at the grocery store only to find a stranger standing in his home. What begins as an odd and awkward encounter quickly blossoms into what appears to be a romantic late life love affair that takes a heartfelt and wonderful journey with an unexpected turn.

Switch
Kassie, a smart, fun-loving single woman, despite her neurotic best friend Wally's objections, decides it's time to have a baby, even if it means doing it herself, with a little help from a charming sperm donor. But, unbeknownst to her, Kassie's plans go awry because of a last-minute switch that isn't discovered until seven years later, when Wally gets acquainted with Kassie's cute, though slightly neurotic, son.

New to the library

2011-04-28T10:51:00.000-07:00

I've really gotten behind in my blogging. So this is what was new the week of 4/6/11:

Casino Jack
Jack Abramoff, the real-life Washington power player, resorted to jaw-dropping levels of fraud and corruption. High-rolling excess and outrageous escapades are all in a day's work for Abramoff as he goes to outrageous lengths to promote the Indian gambling industry, earning him the nickname 'Casino Jack.' But when Jack and his womanizing protege Michael Scanlon enlist a dimwitted business partner for an illegal scheme, they find themselves ensnared in a web of greed and murder.

Gasland
In 2009, filmmaker Josh Fox learned his land was on top of the Marcellus Shale, a giant reservoir of natural gas, and that he would be paid to lease his land for natural gas extraction. Fox documented his cross-country trek to find out if the controversial process of hydraulic fracking is actually safe. What he unearthed was a shocking discovery about a practice that is understudied and inadequately regulated, and raced to find answers about fracking before it was too late.

I Love You Phillip Morris
This film is a true story of a spectacularly charismatic con man's journey from small-town businessman to flamboyant white-collar criminal, who repeatedly finds himself in trouble with the law and on the lam, all in the name of love.

Little Fockers
Greg Focker has finally begun to earn the respect of his ex-CIA father-in-law, Jack Byrnes but one important test still lies ahead: will Greg prove that he has what it takes to be the family's next 'Godfocker', or will the circle of trust be broken for good?

Quiet Chaos
Pietro has just lost his wife, and he is left alone with their young daughter. He promises the girl that he will wait for her in the car when she returns to school for the first time, but then his temporary offer turns into habit. Now Pietro spends his days in his car, watching the world around him and grieving in his own way.

Tron: Legacy
When Flynn, the world's greatest video game creator, sends out a secret signal from an amazing digital realm, his son discovers the clue and embarks on a personal journey to save his long-lost father. With the help of the fearless female warrior Quorra, father and son venture through an incredible cyber universe and wage the ultimate battle of good versus evil.

What I’ve been watching:

2011-04-01T09:29:00.000-07:00

Exit Through the Gift Shop
This is a film about graffiti artists. A Frenchman from L.A. who was an avid videographer travelled around the U.S. and Europe filming graffiti artists at work. He attempted to put his footage together into a documentary but what he made was an ADD mess. So Banksy, a famous British graffiti artist, suggested he put down his camera and create his own art which is what he did. You can decide whether or not he gives graffiti artists a bad name. I found this to be a thoroughly entertaining and enlightening film.

Love the Beast
This film was made by actor Eric Bana about the love of his life—his first car, a Ford XB Falcon Coupe, “The Beast.” He spent his adolescence working on the car with his mates (he’s Australian) and continues to work on the car, to prepare it for racing in the Targa Tasmania, again with his mates. I love watching people talk about their passions and that’s what this film does—it is a film full of passion. Whether you like cars and racing or not you can’t help but share his joy for his beloved Beast.

Two in the Wave
I have loved foreign films since I saw my first one when I was a senior in high school and French films are my favorite--particularly the films of François Truffaut. This film is about the relationship between Truffaut and director Jean Luc Godard, both of whom were largely responsible for the New Wave movement in French films of the 60’s. This film is particularly relevant for those interested in the history of film. I found it fascinating.

New this week (3/29/11):

2011-03-31T16:57:00.000-07:00

Framed
When the National Gallery is flooded, the stuffy curator is forced to flee to the mountains of Wales, along with the paintings. He gets more than he bargained for when he meets the townspeople.

How Do You Know
A professional softball player discovers she is in the middle of a love triangle after she falls for two different men and wonders when it comes to love, how do you know?

Megamind
Over the years, Megamind, has tried to conquer Metro City in every imaginable way. Each attempt is a colossal failure thanks to the caped superhero known as 'Metro Man, ' until the day Megamind actually defeats him in the throes of one of his botched evil plans. Suddenly, the fate of Metro City is threatened when a new villain arrives and chaos runs rampant leaving everyone to wonder if the world's biggest 'mind' can actually be the one to save the day?

Set It Off (1996)
Four poor black women try to get some payback from the social system which has abused them by a staging a series of bank robberies.

Trigun:
the Complete Series
Vash the Stampede is a wanted man with a habit of turning entire towns into rubble. The price on his head is a fortune, and his path of destruction reaches across the arid wastelands of a desert planet. Unfortunately, most encounters with the spiky-haired gunslinger don't end well for the bounty hunters who catch up with him, someone almost always gets hurt, and it's never Vash.

New this week (3/23/11):

2011-03-24T15:57:00.000-07:00

All Good Things
A love story and a murder mystery set against the backdrop of a New York real estate dynasty in the 1980s. The story was inspired by the story of Robert Durst, scion of the wealthy Durst family. Durst was suspected, but never tried, of murdering his wife who disappeared in 1982 and was never found.

Black Swan
A psychological thriller set in the world of New York City ballet. An insecure ballet dancer wins the lead in Swan Lake but slowly loses her grip on sanity when a seductive newcomer is out to steal her role.

Fair Game
A suspense-filled glimpse into the dark corridors of political power, a riveting action-thriller based on the autobiography of real-life undercover CIA operative Valerie Plame, whose career was destroyed and marriage strained to its limits when her covert identity was exposed.

Love Finds a Home
When Belinda's pregnant friend Annie comes to stay and Annie's meddlesome mother-in-law gives Belinda unwanted advice about her medical practice, Belinda looks to a higher power for strength, wisdom, and diplomacy. The final chapter in the Love comes softly series.

Made in Dagenham
In 1968, the female workers at the Ford Dagenham car plant, walked out in protest against sexual discrimination. Their actions played a major role in the battle for equal pay, both nationally and internationally.

Tourist
During an impromptu trip to Europe to mend a broken heart, Frank unexpectedly finds himself in a flirtatious encounter with Elise, an extraordinary woman who deliberately crosses his path. Against the breathtaking backdrop of Paris and Venice, their whirlwind romance quickly evolves as they find themselves unwittingly thrust into a deadly game of cat and mouse.

French Riviera (914.49 FRE)
Cote d'Azur features beautiful beaches, amazing landscapes, immense cultural relics and luxury which has made it a symbol of the high life, being the millionaire's holiday resort for more than 100 years. Menton is famous for its Lemon Festival, and it also has the best climate. The tiny duchy of Monaco is hallmarked by Monte Carlo casinos and the Formula-1 Grand Prix, while the Saint Jean peninsula has the highest rate of aristocrats and celebrities per square meter.

The Greek Islands (914.95 GRE)
Tour the jewels of the Greek Islands including Corfu, Crete, Rodos, Kos, Patmos, Santorini, Ios, Myconos, Delos, Naxos, Paros, and Tinos.

Michoacan Mexico (917.237 COM)
Michoacan has great colonial cities, ancient crafts and spectacular natural events. In Sierra Chincua 40 million butterflies sleep on top of each other in the winter to save energy. In spring they wake up and mate. All males die after mating. Females travel 3000 miles back to Canada to drop their eggs and also die. This alone is worth a visit! Morelia is a UNESCO World Heritage site with 1000 historic buildings. At Villa Montana' spa compulsive travelers can de-stress with a special chocolate bath.

New This Week (3/16/11):

2011-03-18T14:12:00.001-07:00

The Fighter
Micky Ward is a struggling boxer long overshadowed by his older brother and trainer, Dicky, a local legend battling his own demons. Their explosive relationship threatens to take them both down. However, the bond of blood may be their only chance to redeem their pasts, and, at last, give their hard-luck town what it's been waiting for: pride.

Hereafter
George is a blue-collar American with a special connection to the afterlife dating from his childhood. French journalist Marie has a near-death experience that shakes her reality. When London schoolboy Marcus loses the person closest to him, he desperately needs answers. Each seeking the truth, their lives intersect; forever changed by what they believe might, or must, exist in the hereafter.

Welcome to the Rileys
Doug and Louise have been married for many years, but their marriage began to grow cold after their teenage daughter was killed in a car accident. When Doug goes to New Orleans to attend a convention, he meets Mallory, a teenage stripper/prostitute who is on a path to self-destruction. Doug decides to help her whether she appreciates it or not. This act will help to heal his marriage.

10 Things I Hate About You (1999)
Cameron is the new kid in school who becomes smitten with the beautiful Bianca. But Bianca's overprotective and domineering father forbids Bianca to date unless her older sister Kat, a surly and hostile senior, does. In a bid to get Kat a boyfriend, Cameron sets up a plan to have the school stud, Joey Donnar, bribe Patrick Verona, an outcast senior with a rumor-filled past, to take Kat out on dates so he can go to the school's homecoming dance with Bianca. However, neither Patrick nor Kat expect their relationship to lead to something so much more.

New last week (3/9/11):

2011-03-18T14:02:00.000-07:00

Dalziel & Pascoe. Season three
The crime-busting odd couple of British law enforcement are back to solve more gripping murder mysteries. This series is as action-packed as ever, although two investigations affect the pair a bit too personally. Pascoe's wife, Ellie, puts her life and her marriage at risk when she gets perilously involved in a murder inquiry. Meanwhile, Dalziel becomes involved in a psychological game with a dangerous killer.

Four Lions
This is a whip-smart, laugh-out-loud comedy that takes aim at the war on terror. Follow five clueless buffoons as they plan to strike a blow on their own turf, showing that while terrorism is supposed to be about ideology, it can also be about idiots.

Inside Job
Provided is an analysis of the global financial crisis of 2008, which at a cost over $20 trillion, caused millions of people to lose their jobs and homes in the worst recession since the Great Depression, and nearly resulted in a global financial collapse. Through exhaustive research, and extensive interviews with key financial insiders, politicians, journalists, and academics, traces the rise of a rogue industry which has corrupted politics, regulation, and academia.

Morning Glory
For Becky, running a TV show in New York City was the big break she dreamed of, until star co-anchors Mike and Colleen declare an all-out, on-air war. Making the show work with its cast of eccentric characters and outrageous story angles will take a major miracle, but Becky is ready to rise and outshine.

The Next Three days
Life seems perfect for John Brennan until his wife, Lara, is arrested for a murder she says she didn't commit. Three years into her sentence, John is struggling to hold his family together, raising their son and teaching at college while he pursues every means available to prove her innocence. With the rejection of their final appeal, Lara becomes suicidal and John decides there is only one possible, bearable solution: to break his wife out of prison.

New This Week (3-3-11)

2011-03-08T12:35:00.000-08:00

127 Hours
This is a powerfully uplifting true story of one man's struggle to survive against mountainous odds. Aron Ralston has a passion for all things outdoors. But when a falling boulder traps him in a remote Utah canyon, a thrill-seeker's adventure becomes the challenge of a lifetime. Over the next five days, Ralston embarks on a remarkable personal journey in which he relies on the memories of family and friends as well as his own courage and ingenuity to turn adversity into triumph!

Buried
Paul Conroy is not ready to die. But when he wakes up six feet underground with no idea of who put him there or why, life for the truck driver and family man instantly becomes a hellish struggle for survival. Buried with only a cell phone and a lighter, his contact with the outside world and ability to piece together clues that could help him discover his location are maddeningly limited. Paul has only ninety minutes to be rescued before his worst nightmare comes true.

Burlesque
Ali is a small-town girl with a big voice who escapes hardship to follow her dreams to LA. After stumbling upon The Burlesque Lounge, a majestic but ailing theater that is home to an inspired musical revue, Ali lands a job as a cocktail waitress from Tess, the club's proprietor and headliner. After Ali finally makes her way from the bar to the stage, things take a dramatic turn when her larger than life voice causes a charismatic entrepreneur to make an enticing proposal.

Faster
A veteran cop and an egocentric hit man, are on the trail of an ex-con who is determined to avenge the death of his brother that occurred during a bank robbery years ago.

Love and Other Drugs
Free-spirited Maggie meets her match in a charming Viagra salesman named Jamie. Maggie and Jamie leap into a no-strings-attached affair, but no matter how hard they try to keep things 'casual,' they can't help falling under the influence of the ultimate drug: love!

Mesrine: Killer Instinct (French)
The first of two parts charts the outlaw odyssey of Jacques Mesrine, the legendary French gangster of the 1960s and 1970s who came to be known as French Public Enemy No. 1 and the Man of a Thousand Faces. Infamous for his bravado and outrageously daring prison escapes, Mesrine carried out numerous robberies, kidnappings, and murders in a criminal career that spanned continents until he was shot dead in 1979 by France's notorious anti-gang unit.

You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger
After Alfie leaves his wife, Helena, to pursue his lost youth with a free-spirited call girl named Charmaine, Helena abandons rationality and surrenders her life to the loopy advice of a charlatan fortune teller. Meanwhile, daughter Sally develops a crush on her handsome boss, Greg, while her husband, Roy, becomes moonstruck over Dia, a mystery woman who catches his gaze through a nearby window. These four will find out how easy it is for their illusions to make fools of them.

What I've been watching:

2011-03-04T11:44:00.000-08:00

A Certain Justice
P.D. James’ D.I. Adam Dalgliesh is on the case of a very successful and much hated female barrister found murdered in her office. There is no shortage of suspects in this intriguing case which is complicated by the barristers’ success in getting murderers off “not guilty.”

Downton Abbey
The Grantham family is in trouble. When their heir is lost and presumed dead in the sinking of the Titanic they must find a suitable match for their older daughter while introducing the new heir, a lowly solicitor, to his future estate. This is an upstairs/downstairs kind of drama which leaves you eager for more. Thankfully, the next season is now in production.

The Guilty
An attractive young woman goes to work for a prominent lawyer who, after an evening of celebration and inebriation, accompanies her to her apartment and rapes her. Being a very powerful man, he thinks of this affair as a drunken indiscretion; she thinks its rape. Meanwhile, a young man just released from prison sets out to find his biological father and ends up making a deal with horrific results. This is the beginning of the British psychological drama The Guilty starring Michael Kitchen who is fabulous as the supercilious lawyer. The two stories intertwine and intersect bringing the characters’ lives together effectively, producing a highly suspenseful and provocative film. Originally aired on television in the 1990s, The Guilty is exciting, intense and entertaining.

Heat of the Sun : Private Lives; Hide in Plain Sight; Sport of Kings
This is a great series! It takes place in Kenya when it was a British colony. Trevor Eve is fantastic as the police superintendent who was sent to Kenya as punishment for being a rogue Scotland Yard detective. Here he has to solve cases in the native and the British communities while dealing with his obnoxious boss.

Kinky Boots
When a young man inherits his fathers’ bankrupt shoe factory he discovers that the one thing he hates more than the shoe factory is laying people off (or making them redundant—this is British after all). Through a comedy of errors he decides that the way to keep the factory going is to find a niche market that’s not being served: boots for drag queens! This was a funny, sweet and very enjoyable film.

Machete
A corrupt politician (De Niro), rednecks, and just general bad guys are working with a major Mexican drug lord (Steven Seagal) to build an electric fence along the border of Texas which the drug lord will control. Fighting against these villains is Machete, a seemingly indestructible, mythical man who destroys anyone blocking his path. You need a strong stomach and a sense of humor for this film—it is blood-splattering, limb flying fun!

Man in a Suitcase
McGill is an intelligence agent wrongfully accused of treason and dismissed by the Americans, now working as an investigator for hire. As played by Richard Bradford, he is a very appealing persona: cynical but honest. His job takes him around Europe allowing for many international settings. The episodes vary from spy thrillers to straight detective jobs; some of the episodes giving mention to the Cold War. There is lots of action—McGill gets as good as he gives. The style is very 1960’s: the apartments, cars, clothes, hairstyles making it particularly fun to watch. The series debuted in 1968 in England but it has a timeless appeal and is wonderfully entertaining and a lot of fun to watch.

Salt
I’m not a big Angelina Jolie fan but I have to admit that this was a very exciting movie. I don’t know how probable the plot is—Salt was orphaned as a child and raised by the Russians to be a mole within the CIA. Director Noyce, in the interview in the special features, claims that it is very possible. All I know is that it was entertaining, exciting and you could pick out some Albany landmarks along 787.

Soul Kitchen
A young Greek man in Hamburg owns a restaurant which is basically a fast food joint. He loves it though because it’s his but the health inspectors and tax inspectors are both after him plus an unscrupulous real estate agent who wants to tear down the place. Through a comedy of errors he pays off the inspectors, loses the restaurant but then re-buys it, loses one girlfriend and gains another. This was a charming, enjoyable film.

New this week (2/26/11):

2011-02-26T13:34:00.000-08:00

Catfish
In late 2007, filmmakers Ariel Schulman and Henry Joost sensed a story unfolding as they began to film the life of Ariel's brother, Nev. They had no idea that their project would lead to the most exhilarating and unsettling months of their lives. A reality thriller that is a shocking product of our times, Catfish is a riveting story of love, deception and grace within a labyrinth of online intrigue.

Due Date
Expectant first-time father Peter Highman (Robert Downey, Jr.) looks forward to his new child's due date five days away. As Peter hurries to catch a flight home from Atlanta to be at his wife's side for the birth, his best intentions go completely awry when an encounter with aspiring actor Ethan Tremblay (Zach Galifianakis) forces Peter to hitch a ride with Ethan on a cross-country trip that will ultimately destroy several cars, many friendships and Peter's last nerve.

Exit through the Gift Shop
An eccentric French shopkeeper turned documentary maker attempted to locate and befriend Banksy, only to have the artist turn the camera back on its owner with spectacular results. Banksy is a graffiti artist with a global reputation whose work can be seen on walls from post-hurricane New Orleans to the Palestinian segregation wall in the West Bank. Fiercely guarding his anonymity to avoid prosecution, Banksy has so far resisted all attempts to be captured on film.

Fish Tank
Mia... lives with her mother and sister in the housing projects of Essex. Mia's adolescent conflicts and emerging sexuality reach a boiling point when her mother's new boyfriend... enters the picture. “A fantastic symphony of characters making poor decisions, "Fish Tank" is a depiction of innocence lost, set against a common backdrop of working-class England, with its claustrophobic habitats and perpetual ambiance of hostility.”—dvdtalk.com

Get Low
Felix Bush, a Tennessee hermit, is either feared or hated by most of the people that live in the town. One day, he gets the idea to throw one big bash before he kicks the bucket. While he is still alive and kickin' he plans his very own rollicking funeral party.

Great Migrations (591.568)
Takes viewers around the world on the arduous journeys millions of animals undertake to ensure the survival of their species. Shot from land and air, in trees and cliff-blinds, on ice floes and underwater, this collection tells the formidable, powerful stories of many of the planet’s species and their movements, while revealing new scientific insights with breathtaking high-definition clarity.

Love the Beast
Eric Bana's directorial debut explores the importance of his 25-year-long love affair with his first car- a Ford XB Falcon Coupe "The Beast". Obsessed with cars and racing since he was a child, Eric takes us on a journey that spans a lifetime and culminates in The Beast's untimely death in one of the world's most dangerous races, the Targa Tasmania.

Man in a Suitcase
Formerly a U.S. intelligence agent, McGill was based in London. He was thrown out of the agency for something he did not do, and now finds his 'false' reputation has preceded him everywhere he goes. While trying to clear his name, he takes odd and intriguing 'private eye' jobs all over Europe, to make ends meet.

Two in the Wave
Directors Jean-Luc Godard and François Truffaut changed the face of cinema forever as members of the French New Wave. They also happened to be best friends. This film documents their combative and creative relationship during their time as writers for the Cahiers du cinema, their work on The 400 blows and Breathless, and their dramatic falling out following the worker and student strikes of May 1968. It also presents the unique bond both filmmakers shared with the actor Jean-Pierre Léaud, who started his career as a child and grew up with Godard and Truffaut as brilliantly bickering father figures.

Waiting for “Superman”
This documentary has helped launch a movement to achieve a real and lasting change through the compelling stories of five unforgettable students such as Emily, a Silicon Valley eighth-grader who is afraid of being labeled as unfit for college, and Francisco, a Bronx first-grader whose mom will do anything to give him a shot at a better life. It is an engaging and inspiring look at public education in the United States.

New last week:

2011-02-22T13:31:00.001-08:00

Unstoppable
A runaway train transporting deadly, toxic chemicals is barreling down on Scranton, Pennsylvania, and only two men can stop it: a veteran engineer and a young conductor. Thousands of lives hang in the balance as these ordinary heroes attempt to chase down one million tons of hurtling steel and prevent an epic disaster.

2011-02-17T16:47:00.000-08:00

Charles Dickens is one of the most popular and most important writers in all of English literature. He is as much beloved today for his colorful characters and cliffhanger stories as he was during his lifetime. It is no surprise then that films made from his novels are also popular. Immerse yourself in the injustices of the 19th century legal system in Bleak House or do a little time traveling with Ebenezer Scrooge in A Christmas Carol. Overcome adversity with Dickens’ own favorite child, David Copperfield or join Fagin’s’ waifs in Oliver Twist. Explore “the conflict between doing what society expects of you, or being true to yourself” in Our Mutual Friend or the subject of arranged marriages in Dombey and Son. Or, if you want something lighter take a look at the more humorous side of Dickens in The Pickwick Papers. Whichever film you choose you know you will be seeing the work of a master storyteller so you know it will be good. Many of these films were originally made for Masterpiece Theatre so if you’re a fan of that BBC production be sure to check out these titles.

New this week (2/9/11):

2011-02-10T17:29:00.000-08:00

Conviction
Betty Anne Waters is a young woman whose world is shattered when her beloved brother Kenny is convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison. Steadfastly convinced of his innocence, Betty Anne embarks on an 18-year journey to set Kenny free, using state-of-the-art forensic technology. The unshakable bond between a brother and sister, at the heart of this real-life drama, will stir your emotions and inspire you.

Hideaway (French)
Mousse and Louis are young, beautiful, rich, and in love, but drugs have invaded their lives. After Louis' fatal overdose, Mousse soon learns she is pregnant. Feeling lost, Mousse escapes to a beautiful beach house far from Paris and is soon joined in her refuge by Louis' gay brother, Paul. The two strangers gradually develop an unusual and deeply moving relationship as Ozon continues his unique exploration of the nature of family and blood ties.

It’s Kind of a Funny Story
Sometimes what's in your head isn't as crazy as you think ... that's certainly true for Craig, a stressed-out teenager who checks himself into a mental health clinic for some time out. What he finds instead is an unlikely mentor, a potential new romance and an opportunity to begin anew. Charming, witty and smart, it's a coming-of-age story that's kind of a funny story.

Let Me In
Abby, an eerily self-possessed young girl, emerges from her heavily curtained apartment only at night and always barefoot, seemingly immune to the bitter winter elements. Owen, an alienated 12-year-old boy, recognizes a fellow outcast and opens up to her, forming a unique bond. But as a string of grisly murders occupy his town, Owen has to confront the reality that this seemingly innocent girl might be hiding an unthinkable secret.

Life as We Know It
Holly is an up-and-coming caterer and Messer is a promising network sports director. After a disastrous first date, all they have in common is their dislike for each other and their love for their goddaughter Sophie. But when they suddenly become all Sophie has in this world, Holly and Messer must set their differences aside. Juggling career ambitions and competing social calendars, they'll have to find common ground while living under the same roof.

Never Let Me Go
Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy are best friends who grow up together at an English boarding school with a chilling secret. When they learn the shocking truth that they are genetically engineered clones raised to be organ donors, they embrace their fleeting chance to live and love. Based on the acclaimed novel by Kazuo Ishiguro.

Paranormal Activity 2
Security cameras capture the torment as a demonic presence terrorizes new parents Dan and Kristi, tearing apart their seemingly perfect world and turning it into an inescapable nightmare.

Romantics
Alliances are tested when seven college pals reunite to watch two of their own say 'I do' at a seaside wedding. But the maid of honor and the groom share a passionate history, and the bride isn't the only one who's wondering if it's all in the past, proving that nothing complicates friendship like love.

Stone
Jack Mabry, a parole officer days away from retirement, is asked to review the case of Gerald 'Stone' Creeson, in prison for arson. Now eligible for early release, Stone needs to convince Jack he has reformed, but his attempts to influence the older man's decision with his wife Lucetta have profound and unexpected effects on them both.

Superman/Superman II/Superman III/Superman IV—on 2 discs
This is a 2-disc set that includes the four Superman films starring Christopher Reeve.

You Again
For Marnie, high school was a horror movie, and her brother's wedding is the sequel when her archrival comes back to haunt her as his bride. It's nice girl versus mean girl in this hysterical reunion with the one person Marnie would really like to forget. And if that weren't enough, Marnie's mom reunites with her own high school nemesis.

Quebec: C’est Magnifique (917.14 QUE)
We visit Quebec's world-class metropolis, Montreal, then its captivating capital, Quebec City, and journey northward into just a few of its many-splendored places

Toronto: Diverse and Delicious (917.135 TOR)
Toronto is as dynamic, diverse, and delicious as nearly any city in North America. Culinary Travels with Dave Eckert will take viewers inside Ontario's capital for a look at the chefs, markets, and culinary creations that make Toronto a favorite destination.

New this week (2/3/11):

2011-02-09T13:26:00.000-08:00

Downton Abbey
Set in an Edwardian country house in 1912, Downton Abbey portrays the lives of the Crawley family and the servants who work for them. In the drawing rooms, library, and beautiful bedrooms, with their tall windows looking across the park, lives the family, but below stairs are other residents, the servants, as fiercely possessive of their ranks as anyone above.

The Guilty
London attorney Steven Vey has a brilliant career, a beautiful wife, and money to burn. To top it off, he's about to be named Britain's youngest-ever judge. But one night a celebration with his pretty secretary, Nicky, goes too far. He calls it a drunken indiscretion; she calls it rape. Meanwhile, Birmingham punk Eddy Doyle is fresh out of prison with no prospects. After learning that the stuffy vicar who raised him isn't his real dad, Eddie goes in search of his father.

Heart breaker (French)
Alex is a romantic for hire. If your daughter or sister or friend is falling for the wrong man, Alex will get her to fall for him, watch her dump the loser, and then break her heart by walking away. She'll be sad but wiser and lucky to have avoided a bad relationship. It's a highly profitable business with one rule: don't fall in love. When Alex is hired to woo Juliette, he breaks her heart, and his own rule.

My Own Worst Enemy
Henry is a middle-class efficiency expert living a humdrum life in the suburbs with his wife, Angelica, their two kids, a dog, and a minivan. Edward is an operative who speaks 13 languages, runs a four-minute mile, and is trained to kill. Henry and Edward share only one thing in common: the same body.

Nowhere Boy
Set in Liverpool in 1955, the adolescent years of John Lennon are chronicled. Raised by his Aunt Mimi, his world is turned inside-out when his free spirited mother re-enters his life, opening up old wounds that release pain, anger, frustration, and his artistry.

Sister Act (1992) / Sister Act 2: Back in the Habit (1993)
A nightclub singer is forced to take refuge from the mob in a convent. While there she turns the convent choir into a "soulful chorus of swingin' sisters." The sudden celebrity of the choir jeopardizes her identity. / Whoopi Goldberg returns as the lounge singer who goes undercover as a nun to help an ailing inner-city school.

Soul Kitchen (Greek)
When Zinos hires a gourmet chef for his struggling restaurant, it drives away his low-life regulars. In the meantime, his girlfriend, Nadine, moves back to China, but a hip new clientele brings the restaurant back to life. When he goes to China to get Nadine back, he leaves the restaurant in the hands of his criminal brother. When Zinos discovers that Nadine has a new boyfriend, and his brother has gambled away his restaurant, he knows he must work with his brother if he is to get it back.

What I've been watching:

2011-01-28T09:56:00.000-08:00

Babies
I saw this one in the theatre and watched it again over the holiday. I think it’s an absolutely wonderful, joyous film and insisted that my family watch it. On second viewing I still thought it was wonderful and joyous. My family, on the other hand, said “what was the point: just to show the differences in the different countries?” Well, it’s true that there is no plot, no story. This is just a film showing babies in 4 different countries from birth to age 1. But for me seeing the differences and the similarities in the lives of babies in different countries and different cultures is enough to keep me interested. Just watching babies be babies is enough to keep me hanging on for more.

Phyllis and Harold
Since childhood director Cindy Kleine wondered how her parents ever managed to get together: they seemed like such an unlikely couple. In conversations with her parents, looking at old family movies and reading old love letters she pieces together their relationship from their courtship through her parents’ deaths. The film could not be released until after her fathers’ death so that she could explore her mothers’ relationship with another man, the love of her life. Kleine’s film is an honest, illuminating and ultimately melancholy portrayal of her parents’ lives and relationship. While it is captivating to watch, and has in fact won awards at some film festivals, it is a film that will have a hard time finding its audience. Although providing profound insight into a marriage, this small, personal film is rather narrow in its subject matter.

Disappearance of Alice Creed
This was a very interesting film. It only had 3 characters and very few settings: it had to have been cheap to make. Given that, it didn’t look or feel like a low budget film at all. The acting was very good, the story, which is about a kidnapping, is full of twists and turns. Surprisingly good!

A Dog Year
Author Jon Katz, who is suffering from writer’s block, has adopted a rescue dog who he quickly names “the dog from hell!” The dog wreaks havoc on his already troubled life but he vows to not let the dog win. He moves to a farm in the middle of nowhere and takes some lessons in life and in understanding dogs from a farm woman/sheep herder. I was afraid that this movie would be a tear jerker but instead it was a nice, inspirational film. Watch it with your dog. If you don’t have a dog, you’ll want one after watching this movie.

Heat of the Sun
I am a total sucker for BBC mystery series and this one didn’t disappoint. This is an historical series taking place in Kenya during the time of British rule. In Private Lives, the detective investigates the disappearance of a wealthy British woman.

New on 1/19/11:

2011-01-27T15:49:00.000-08:00

Takers
A notorious group of criminals continue to baffle police by pulling off one perfectly executed bank robbery after another. They are in and out like clockwork, leaving no evidence behind, and laying low between heists. But when they attempt to pull off one last job with more money at stake than ever before, the crew may find their plans interrupted by a hardened detective who is hell-bent on solving the case.

All of the following are Masterpiece Theatre presentations:

Bertie & Elizabeth
James Wilby and Juliet Aubrey portray the reluctant royals who became king and queen of England when Edward VIII gave up the throne for the woman he loved.

Certain Justice
Explores the true meaning of justice when a brilliant, but widely unpopular, defense attorney is found stabbed to death, a barrister's wig on her head, and her body drenched in blood that is not her own.

God on Trial
Following the harrowing ritual of selection for death or hard labor, a group of new inmates unsure of their appointed fates begins asking how God could allow for so much suffering. Impulsively, the men decide to put God on trial for abandoning His chosen people. Amid the outside sounds of prisoners being marched to the gas chamber, the trial unfolds. They group address the question: How can there be evil in a universe ruled by an all-powerful, benevolent God?

Goodnight Mister Tom
As Britain stands on the brink of WWII, Tom Oakley, a cantankerous old man living a solitary life in a small village becomes the guardian of an 11-year-old evacuee of London. The two develop a bond of friendship that gives them both new hopes.

Northanger Abbey
Romance novel addict Catherine Morland is taken to Bath, England by the wealthy Mr. and Mrs. Allen and introduced to Georgian society. She meets the social-climbing Isabella and John Thorpe. She also meets the handsome Henry Tilney and his elegant sister, Eleanor. After making an impression on Henry and Eleanor's father, the Tilneys invite her to their country mansion, Northanger Abbey. Catherine falls in love with Henry but soon realizes that love can be fickle and that money is a more important consideration in the marriage business than love alone.

Rebecca
A timid young girl marries a troubled widower only to find her new home is haunted by the memory of Rebecca, the first wife.

Small Island
This series explores the lives of two couples, one Jamaican and the other English, whose worlds intertwine in post-World War II Britain, at a turning point in the long relationship between the two countries. It is a story of tender emotion and sparkling wit, of crossings taken and passages lost, of shattering compassion and of reckless optimism in the face of insurmountable barriers.

Woman in White
A sane woman is locked up in an asylum by a fraudulent English aristocrat who is afraid she may expose his 'secret.' Escaping while wearing a white gown, she runs into a youthful hero who becomes haunted by his brief meeting with this 'woman in white.' This is based on the book by Wilkie Collins.

Heat of the Sun. Private Lives ; Hide in Plain Sight ; Sport of Kings

There are plenty of reasons to praise PBS' long-standing "Mystery!" series, and now lovers of whodunits can be thankful for "Heat of the Sun," a five-part, six-hour mini …. Like so many of "Mystery!'s" best efforts, "Heat" revolves around a rumpled detective -- in this case, Superintendent Albert Tyburn (Trevor Eve). But though "Heat's" action occurs in the 1930s -- a familiar period for this genre -- the series' setting is something altogether new. Instead of foggy London, Tyburn solves cases in Kenya.

New this week:

2011-01-13T16:25:00.000-08:00

Cairo Time
Juliette, a magazine editor, arrives in Cairo to meet her husband Mark, a U.N. official in Gaza. When he is unavoidably delayed, Mark sends his friend and former security officer Tareq to show her around the city. As she gets used to the customs and rhythm of life in Cairo, she finds herself falling not only for the city's charms, but for Tareq as well.

Dombey and Son
Set amid the teeming bustle of Victorian England, Dombey and Son is Dickens's story of a powerful man whose coldhearted neglect of his family causes his professional and personal downfall.

Love’s Unending Legacy
Two years after the death of her husband, Missie knows that it is time to move on. She heads home with her son to be near her parents and to return to teaching. Certain she will never find love again, Missie redirects her feelings and when the "orphan train" arrives in town, she adopts Belinda, a feisty young teenager who's arrived with a secret. As Missie struggles with raising Belinda, she finds she is falling for the local sheriff who might be the only man who can help her save Belinda... and herself.

‘Round Midnight (1986)
‘Round Midnight dramatizes the friendship between an aging alcoholic jazz musician and a young French jazz fan and is inspired by the real-life friendship between jazz pianist Budd Powell and Francis Paudras. “The film's beautiful original score was composed by jazz giant Herbie Hancock (who rightly won an Oscar for his work). Its interpretation by non-actor/musician extraordinaire Dexter Gordon is what makes Round Midnight truly special. Tavernier understands how momentous it is to have a real jazz legend playing real music in his film instead of an actor aping a performance to a recorded track….More than simply the tragic story of a man rapidly approaching his own midnight, Tavernier's movie is about jazz itself.”—dvdverdict.com

New this week:

2011-01-05T13:40:00.000-08:00

The American
After a job ends more violently than expected, Jack, an assassin, retreats to the Italian countryside and accepts one last assignment to construct a deadly weapon for a mysterious contact, but risks discovery when he pursues a relationship with a beautiful local woman.

Ed Wood (1994)
This is a stranger-than-fiction true story of the early career of Edward D. Wood, Jr., the undisputed worst movie director of all time. Wood was the auteur behind Glen or Glenda? and of Plan 9 from Outer Space, and it is during the making of these two no-budget flicks that Wood is profiled.

Love’s Abiding Joy
Missie and Willie have set up a homestead and are starting a family. The new railroad will make it possible for Missie's father to visit. When the reunion is interrupted by tragedy, this family's faith and love are once again challenged.
Based on the book by Janette Oke.

The Man Who Cried (2000)
Set against a romantic Parisian backdrop, the lives of four strangers, an innocent woman with a dangerous secret, a seductive cabaret dancer, a mysterious stranger, and an unscrupulous operatic tenor, collide on one fateful evening when secrecy is a matter of survival.

New this week:

2010-12-23T15:34:00.000-08:00

Citizen X (1995)
This acclaimed drama, starring Irish actor Stephen Rea, tells the true story of one Soviet policeman's crusasde to capture a serial killer. But Detective Burakov has a problem: according to the government bureaucrats, communist Russia doesn't spawn such murderers -- that distinction belongs solely to the capitalist west. So they hinder every one of Burakov's efforts, which include contacting FBI experts who have worked extensively on such cases. Meanwhile, even as the frustrated detective continues to fight the entrenched powers, victims -- often youngsters -- continue to die...

Harper (1966)
Lew Harper, a cool private investigator, is hired by a wealthy California matron to locate her kidnapped husband. “Lew Harper is a private eye in the best tradition of Philip Marlowe and Sam Spade, and the story could easily have been written by Raymond Chandler or Dashiell Hammett. Paul Newman is perfect for the role: he plays his cards close to the chest and has a way of exuding toughness and vulnerability at the same time.”—At-a-glance film reviews.

Kids are All Right
Nic and Jules are in a long term, committed, loving but by no means perfect relationship. Nic, a physician, needs to wield what she believes is control, whereas Jules, under that control, is less self-assured. They have two teen-aged children, Joni, who is Nic's biological child, and Laser, who is Jules' biological child. A big-hearted, sexy and uproariously funny movie that combines comedic surprise with poignant emotional truth.

Night Moves (1975)
A self-styled detective scrounging a living out of divorce actions, missing persons, and runaway kids finally gets his first big case. Unraveling his mystery, he's always one step behind. “Night Moves is one of the best psychological thrillers in a long time… It has an ending that comes not only as a complete surprise -- which would be easy enough -- but that also pulls everything together in a new way, one we hadn't thought of before, one that's almost unbearably poignant.”—Roger Ebert

Our Mutual Friend
“Our Mutual Friend, a sumptuous six-hour adaption of Charles Dickens' last novel, easily establishes itself among the very best of the long-form British adaptations. Visually stunning, with an opulent budget, no other series more accurately captures the feeling of Dickens' England, from the waterfront sets to the huge ensemble cast of oddballs, scum, slime, and heroes.”—imdb.com

Salt
As a CIA officer, Evelyn Salt swore an oath to duty, honor and country. Her loyalty will be tested when a defector accuses her of being a Russian spy. Salt goes on the run, using all her skills and years of experience as a covert operative to elude capture. Her efforts to prove her innocence only serve to cast doubt on her motives, as the hunt to uncover the truth behind her identity continues.

The Town
Doug MacRay, leader of a Boston bank robber gang, decides he wants to leave town and the life of crime behind when he falls in love with the bank manager briefly taken hostage in their last heist, but he finds the choices he has to make more difficult than he imagined.

Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps
Following a lengthy prison term, Gordon Gekko finds himself on the outside looking in at a world he once commanded. Hoping to repair his relationship with his daughter, Winnie, Gekko forges an alliance with her fiance, Jake. But Winnie and Jake learn the hard way that Gekko is still a master manipulator who will stop at nothing to reclaim his rightful place at the top of Wall Street.

Wallander
Returns with Wallander in the next set of thrilling tales set in the beautiful landscape of southern Sweden. These stories follow Kurt Wallander, a sensitive but brilliant detective, a man who takes each murder case he works on personally and will stop at nothing in his search for the truth, even at the expense of his health and his family life. Beautifully filmed, Wallander is a compelling series featuring an extremely likeable and entirely believable character and bold, powerful stories. Includes the titles: Faceless killer -- The man who smiled -- The fifth woman.

New this week:

2010-12-15T13:16:00.001-08:00

Mademoiselle Chambon (French)
Jean is a burly and happily married housing contractor. One fateful afternoon, he picks up his son from school and meets the teacher, a willowy beauty named Mademoiselle Chambon. Their flirtation slowly builds over lingering glances and an impromptu violin solo in Chambon's apartment. Jean soon comes to a crossroads, having to choose between the intensity of his bond with Chambon or the responsibility and care he feels for his wife and child.

You may have noticed the name of the blog has changed to Film Beat. We did this to match the blog with the film articles I write for the Bookworm. Don't let this name change fool you--it's still the same Voorheesville Library movie blog!

New this week:

2010-12-10T07:58:00.000-08:00

A Dog Year
Jon Katz is a writer at a mid-life crossroads who decides to adopt and train a high-strung border collie named Devon, only to discover it's he himself who has the real lessons to learn. Based on a true story.

The Twilight Saga. Eclipse
It all begins with a choice. In the third chapter of Stephanie Meyer's phenomenal Twilight series, Bella Swan is surrounded by danger as Seattle is hit by a string of murders and an evil vampire continues her quest for revenge. In the midst of it all, Bella is forced to choose between her love, Edward Cullen, and her friend, Jacob Black, knowing that her decision may ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf.

Inception
Dom Cobb is the best there is at extraction; stealing valuable secrets inside the subconscious during the minds’ vulnerable dream state. His skill has made him a coveted player in industrial espionage, but also has made him a fugitive and cost him dearly. Now he may get a second chance if he can do the impossible; inception, planting an idea rather than stealing one. If they succeed, Cobb and his team could pull off the perfect crime.

The Lightkeepers
The year is 1912. Vowing to swear off women for good, curmudgeonly Seth Atkins takes refuge tending a remote Cape Cod lighthouse. Then, a mysterious stranger literally washes up in Seth's life, with a past full of secrets and a similar aversion to females. But the arrival of two beautiful, spirited women will test the men's resolve, and send all four of them sailing into uncharted romantic waters!

My Family and Other Animals
When the dreary English weather of 1935 gets to be too much for the eccentric Durrell family, they set off for the rustic, sun-drenched Greek island of Corfu, and the unknown. Based on on Gerald Durrell's childhood memoir.

What About Bob?
Bob Wiley, a troubled but lovable therapy patient, seeks help from noted psychiatrist Dr. Leo Marvin. When the doctor leaves town to go on a quiet family vacation, Bob, afraid of being alone, follows--showing up unexpectedly at the therapist's lakeside retreat. Bob becomes the houseguest that just won't leave.

New this week:

2010-12-03T10:45:00.000-08:00

Going the Distance
Erin's wry wit and unfiltered frankness charms newly single Garrett over beer, bar trivia and breakfast the next morning. Their chemistry sparks a full-fledged summer fling, but neither expects it to last once Erin heads home to San Francisco and Garrett stays behind for his job in New York City. But when six weeks of romping through the city inadvertently become meaningful, neither is sure they want it to end.

Handful of Dust
Tony and Brenda Last and their son, John Andrew, live an idyllic life in the huge Victorian house that is the symbol of Tony's family pride. The chance arrival of a penniless scrounger irrevocably shatters the gentle balance of their lives.

Lover Come Back
Madison Avenue is the hard-hit target in this satiric comedy. Hudson and Day are rival advertising account executives competing for the right to represent VIP, a product Hudson dreams up and Day doesn't know is nonexistent.

Pickwick Papers
The high-spirited work of a young Dickens, The Pickwick Papers is the remarkable first novel that made its author famous and that has remained one of the best-known books in the world. In it the inimitable Samuel Pickwick, his well-fed body and unsinkable good spirits clad in tights and gaiters, sallies forth through the noisy streets of London and into the colorful country inns of rural England for a series of sparkling encounters with love and misadventure. From the wit of cockney bootblack Sam Weller to the unforgettable Fat Boy and rascals like the amorous Mr. Jingle and the unscrupulous lawyers Dodson and Fogg, The Pickwick Papers reels with joyous fantasy, infectious good humor, and a touch of the macabre--a classic work that G. K. Chesterton called "the great example of everything that made Dickens great... [a] supreme masterpiece."

Pillow Talk
A carefree bachelor and a carefree career girl share a party line over which they develop an intense dislike for one another. But when Brad eventually matches Jan's voice to her face and figure, the events that follow give a new meaning to the phrase "All's fair in love and war".

Send Me No Flowers
When he overhears a doctor discussing the imminent death of a patient, hypochondriac George believes the doctor is referring to him. Convinced he's living on borrowed time, he enlists his best friend Arnold to help him find a new husband for his soon-to-be-widowed wife Judy.

Documentary Films at Voorheesville Public Library

2010-12-02T10:24:00.000-08:00

The High School had an assignment to watch a documentary. Here is our response:
The Adirondacks (2008)
American Blackout (2006)
Examines the contemporary tactics used to control our democratic process and silence political dissent.
Anvil (2009) (***I've seen this one and it's really good)
Musical journey of Canadian band, Anvil, from 1980s to present
Babies (2010) (Fantastic!!!)
Follows 4 babies from around the globe
Bowling for Columbine (2003)
Gun control – Michael Moore
Broadway, the Golden Age: By the Legends Who Were There (2004)
History of NY Broadway Theatre
Capitalism (2009)
Michael Moore investigates capitalistic greed.
Capturing the Friedmans (2003)
Justice, family and truth about a “typical” Long Island family
The Cartoonist (2009)
Jeff Smith and Bone
Children Underground (2002)
Documents a year in lives of 5 Romanian homeless children
Control Room (2004)
Iraq War
The Corporation (2005)
Michael Moore’s take on global conglomerates
The Cove (2009)
Follows animal rights activist Richard O’Barry
Crude (2009)
Legal drama set against environmentalism.
Deadline (2004)
Death penalty and clemency in Illinois
Death by Design (2005)
Microbiology – invisible world of cells
The Devil Came on Horseback (2007)
Darfur through an American witness
Emmanuel’s Gift (2006)
A deformed young man brings political and social change to Ghana.
Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room (2006) Corporate greed
Every Little Step (2009)
Auditions for revival of “A Chorus Line”
Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004)
Michael Moore’s take on 9/11
The Farm (1998)
Louisiana State Penitentiary
The Fog of War (2003)
Robert McNamara and Vietnam War
Food, Inc. (2009)
What we eat and how it’s produced
The Forgetting (2004)
Alzheimer’s disease with David Hyde Pierce
Genghis Blues (2000) (***another personal favorite)
Russian Folk Music
Girlhood (2004)
Two coming-of-age stories of 2 girls from Baltimore’s juvenile justice system
Gonzo (2008)
Hunter S. Thompson
Harvard beats Yale 29-29 (2009)
Legendary football game
Henson’s Place (20100
Creative genius of Jim Henson and his muppets
Herb and Dorothy (2009) (***don't miss this one--it's great!)
Contemporary art collectors
Heroes of Iwo Jima (2001)
Battle of Iwo Jima and Marines who raised US flag
The Hunting of the President (2004)
Effort to discredit Bill Clinton
Imaginary Witness (2009)
American film and television industry’s response to WWII
In the Shadow of the Moon (2008)
NASA astronauts that walked on the moon
Into Great Silence (2007)
Monastery in the French Alps
It Might Get Loud (2008)
3 generations of electric guitar players
Jesus Camp (2006)
Born-again Christian children are recruited for political future
Lost Boys of Sudan (2004)
Sudanese orphans coping in USA
Lost in La Mancha (2001) (***another personal favorite)
Tracks the making of director terry Gilliams’ mission to film “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote”
Mad Hot Ballroom (2005) (this one was lots of fun)
Ballroom dancing for public school kids
Man on Wire (2008)
Philippe Petit; World Trade Center; tight-rope walker
March of the Penguins (2005)
Meerkat Manor (2008)
Mondovino (2004)
Globalization of the world’s wine regions.
More Than a Game (2010)
5 future NBA stars rewrite Ohio basketball history
A Mother’s Courage (2010)
Autism
Mur (The Wall) (2005)
The wall of separation between Israel and Palestinian territory
Murder on a Sunday Morning (2003)
15-year-old black male arrested for murder
Murderball (2005)
Quadriplegic rugby players
Muse of Fire (2007)
Operation homecoming; writing the wartime experience
My Architect (2004)
Louis Kahn and his families
Nanking (2007)
Japanese invasion of Nanking, china in early days of WWII
Of Time and City (2008)
Poignant memoir of Liverpool, England
One Bright Shining Moment (2004)
Summer of George McGovern-1972
Pandas in the Wild (2009)
The Rape of Europa (2007)
Saving the art masterpieces of Europe during WWII
Religulous (2009)
Questions about God and religion
Resolved (2009)
A quest to win the National Tournament of Champions
Return with Honor (2001)
Vietnam POWs
Rhino Rescue (2009)
Rivers and Tides (2004)
Artist who works from nature
Ryan (2005)
Hand-animated; explores life of Canadian animator Ryan Larkin
The September Issue (2010)
Vogue magazine
Shanghai Ghetto (2005)
Thousands of Jews escape Nazis to china during WWII
Shakespeare Behind Bars (2006)
Convicted felons put on “The Tempest”
Shut Up and Sing (2006)
Dixie Chicks’ anti-Bush comment and following consequences questions our right to freedom of speech. Sicko (2007)
Michael Moore’s take on US healthcare system
Sir! No Sir! (2006)
Rebellion of soldiers during Vietnam War
The Sixties (2005)
Spellbound (2002)
1999 National Spelling Bee
Step into Liquid (2003)
surfing
Stevie (2002)
Follows a troubled young man from rural southern Illinois
This Film is Not Rated (2006)
Secretive MPAA ratings
This is It! (2010)
Michael Jackson
This So-called Disaster (2004)
Sam Shepard play creates tensions between actors.
To Be and To Have (2004)
Devoted teacher
The US vs. John Lennon (2007)
Political activism of John Lennon
Valentino (2009)
World of fashion
The War Tapes (2007)
Iraq; National Guard
The Way We Get By (2009)
3 WWII vets greet and send off troops to Iraq
What I Want My Words to Do to You (2004)
Women inmates of a NY prison
When the Levees Broke (2006)
Hurricane Katrina
Who Killed the Electric Car (2006)
Renewable energy
Why we Fight? (2006)
Political divide in US regarding war/Iraq
Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill (2005)
Winged Migration (2003) (surprisingly enough this was quite interesting--not boring at all!)
Wordplay (2006)
Will Shortz and crossword puzzles
Young @ Heart (2008) (another one not to miss--it's great!)
Young at Heart chorus of Northampton, MA.; average age is 81.

This list does not include PBS series.

New this week: 11/26/10

2010-11-26T13:34:00.000-08:00

Casablanca (1942)
Entering Casablanca is easy, getting out is much harder, especially if your name is on the Nazis' most-wanted list. At the top of the list is Czech Resistance leader Victor Laszlo, whose only hope is Rick Blaine, a cynical American who sticks his neck out for no one - especially Victor's wife Ilsa, and the ex-lover who broke his heart. So when Ilsa offers herself in exchange for Laszlo's safe transport out of the country, the bitter Rick must decide what's more important.

Disappearance of Alice Creed
On a suburban street, two masked men seize a young woman. They bind and gag her and take her to an abandoned, soundproofed apartment. She is Alice Creed, daughter of a millionaire. Her kidnappers, the coldly efficient Vic and his younger accomplice Danny, have worked out a meticulous plan. But Alice is not going to play the perfect victim; she's not giving in without a fight.

Eat Pray Love
A happily married woman who is trying to get pregnant realizes that her life needs to go in a new direction. After a very painful divorce, she risks everything and embarks on a journey around the world that becomes a quest for self-discovery.

Expendables
A team of mercenaries on a mission to overthrow a South American dictator discover that their mission has changed and they must make a choice about whether or not to attempt a dangerous rescue operation.

Her Majesty Mrs. Brown (1997)
Queen Victoria was the world's most powerful woman. Rugged Scotsman John Brown was a lowly servant who looked after her horses. Yet circumstances brought them together...the result was a passionate friendship that scandalized a nation!

House, Season 1
Hugh Laurie stars as the brilliant but sarcastic Dr. Gregory House, a maverick physician who is devoid of bedside manner. Dr. House thrives on the challenge of solving medical puzzles that other doctors give up on.

Pillars of the Earth
In the town of Kingsbridge during the middle of the twelfth century, the lives of those who are working to build the most amazing Gothic cathedral in the world become entwined through their ambitions, loves, and tribulations. At once, this is a sensuous and enduring love story and an epic that shines with the fierce spirit of a passionate age.

Secret of Kells
In a remote medieval outpost of Ireland, young Brendan embarks on a new life of adventure when a celebrated master illuminator arrives from foreign lands carrying a book brimming with secret wisdom and powers. To help complete the magical book, Brendan has to overcome his deepest fears on a dangerous quest that takes him into the enchanted forest where mythical creatures hide.

The Werner Herzog collection:
(all in German)
Enigma of Kaspar Hauser
Based on a real historical event, this is the story of Kaspar Hauser, a young man who appeared in a small German town in 1820 after having lived in total isolation from humans since birth. He is taught to speak, read, and write by townspeople, but is then mysteriously murdered.

Even Dwarfs Started Small
The inmates have taken over an institution in a bleak and savage world in which everyone's a dwarf. As one of the institution's directors holds a rebel hostage while issuing orders for calm, the other inmates run amok, smashing equipment, setting fires, fighting for power and tormenting two blind prisoners. In this land of reversed proportions, these revolutionary outcasts not only destroy the symbols of civilization -- cars, typewriters and dinner plates -- but trees and flowers and animals as well.

Heart of Glass
Set in the 18th-century, this film tells of a Bavarian village that loses the secret of making its unique ruby glass. The townspeople turn to madness, murder, and magic in a desperate effort to recover the pure ingredient they have lost. During the filming, Herzog hypnotized his actors in order to help convey the atmosphere of hallucination, prophecy and the visionary.

Lessons of Darkness
A documentary of 1992 post-Gulf War Kuwait, focusing on the oil well fires ignited by retreating Iraqi soldiers.

Little Dieter Needs to Fly
Growing up in post-WWII Germany, all Dieter Dengler, the son of a Nazi slain during the war, dreamed about was becoming a pilot. At age 18 he immigrated to the United States and worked odd jobs until he was accepted into the Navy and began pilot training. He was sent to Vietnam around 1966 and on his first mission was shot down and taken prisoner. There, the Vietcong tortured him until Dengler engineered a hair-raising escape and eventually returned to the U.S. His story is recounted here via interviews with Dengler, archival footage and new footage seamlessly spliced together.

Stroszek
Bruno Stroszek is released from prison and warned to stop drinking. He has few skills and fewer expectations: with a glockenspiel and an accordion, he ekes out a living as a street musician. He befriends Eva, a prostitute down on her luck. After they are harried and beaten by the thugs who have been Eva's pimps, they join Bruno's neighbor, Scheitz, an elderly eccentric, when he leaves Germany to live in Wisconsin.

Something to look forward to:

2010-11-20T08:21:00.000-08:00

Being an avid mystery reader I subscribe to a mystery blog called The Rap Sheet. The last post gave some exciting news for lovers of BBC mystery series: in January they will be airing a 3-part series of Aurelio Zen mysteries.
"The New Year will kick off with one major new detective onscreen – the BBC's Aurelio Zen, played by Rufus Sewell. Set in and around Rome, the three feature-length dramas should be very exciting for fans of the late Michael Dibdin's suave Italian detective." (http://www.crimetimepreview.com/2010/11/happy-bloody-new-year.html)
Aurelio Zen is from a mystery series written by the recently late Michael Dibdin. According to Wikipedia: Aurelio Zen is "Erratic, emotional and all too human, Zen negotiates the constantly shifting political terrain of both his job and his country through the nineties and into the new century.
Seemingly in his late forties and already somewhat jaded when we first meet him, he has had a longish career in the State Police and is relatively senior. Unafraid to employ radical and even decidedly underhand methods when he feels them appropriate, Zen struggles to manage the competing demands of his aged mother, his girlfriend and his job, sometimes accepting an assignment simply to escape from domestic pressures. Heart mostly in the right place, he does his best to make sense of whatever confronts him." The series is produced by the people who made Wallander so it should be a good one. I can't wait!

Jesse Stone

2010-11-16T07:54:00.000-08:00

Although you may still think of Tom Selleck as the lovable Thomas Magnum in his 1980’s hit TV show Magnum P.I., Selleck , as an older, weathered man, is still upholding the law in his Jesse Stone series. From the novels of Robert B. Parker, Selleck plays Jesse Stone, the police chief of a small New England town. He is a flawed, mournful man, yet still rebellious, demanding that the town council accept him and his methods on his terms, not theirs. Sellecks’ Jesse is a quiet, thoughtful man who provides a sense of comfort and solace to those deserving but doesn’t fail to get the bad guy and ensure that they get the kind of punishment they deserve. So far there are six Jesse Stone movies all of which are great fun to watch. If you haven’t seen them yet, give them a try; and if you have, enjoy them all over again!
Jesse Stone: Stone Cold (2005)
Jesse Stone: Night Passage (2006)
Jesse Stone: Death in Paradise (2006)
Jesse Stone: Sea Change (2007)
Jesse Stone: Thin Ice (2009)
Jesse Stone: No Remorse (2010)
And watch for Jesse Stone: Innocents Lost coming out on TV in 2011

New this week:

2010-11-16T07:41:00.000-08:00

Big Easy (1988)
A criminal's murder triggers a bloody gangland drug war. A saucy blend of New Orleans nightlife, romance and suspense. “"The Big Easy" is one of the richest American films of the year. It also happens to be a great thriller. I say "happens," because I believe the plot of this movie is only an excuse for its real strength: the creation of a group of characters so interesting, so complicated and so original they make a lot of other movie people look like paint-by-number characters.”—Roger Ebert

Breakfast at Tiffany’s (1961)
Holly Golightly is an eccentric New York City playgirl determined to marry a Brazilian millionaire. Her next-door neighbor, a writer, is "sponsored" by a wealthy patroness. Guessing who the right man is for Holly is easy; seeing just how romance blossoms is one of the enduring delights of the film.

Charlie St. Cloud
Charlie St. Cloud is a small-town hero and an accomplished sailor who has it all: the adoration of his mother and younger brother and a Stanford scholarship. His bright future is cut short when tragedy strikes and takes his dreams with it. Now Charlie is torn between honoring a promise he made years ago and pursuing his newfound love with a former high school classmate.

A Christmas Carol (2009)
Ebenezer Scrooge begins the Christmas holiday with his usual miserly contempt, barking at his faithful clerk and his cheery nephew. But when the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Yet to Come take him on an eye-opening journey revealing truths Old Scrooge is reluctant to face, he must open his heart to undo years of ill will before it's too late.

Grown Ups
Five friends and former teammates reunite on the Fourth of July weekend to honor the passing of their former high school basketball coach.

Jonah Hex
Having survived death, Jonah's violent history is steeped in myth and legend and has left him with one foot in the natural world and one on the 'other side.' His one human connection is with Lilah, whose life in a brothel has left her with scars of her own. But Jonah's past catches up with him when the U.S. military makes him an offer he can't refuse: to wipe out the warrants on his head, he must hunt and stop dangerous terrorist Quentin Turnbull.

The Killer inside Me
A sheriff is on the case to solve a string of murders in his small town, knowing that he is the killer. “…the craftsmanship on display is undeniable, and the black-hearted storytelling, true to the noir novel on which it's based, pulls in those with the stomach for it.”--DVDtalk

Nightmare on Elm Street
Five teenage friends living on one street all dream of a sinister man with a disfigured face, a frightening voice and a gardener's glove with knives for fingers. One by one, he terrorizes them within their dreams, where the rules are his and the only way out is to wake up. But when one among them dies, they soon realize that what happens in their dreams happens for real and the only way to stay alive is to stay awake.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World
Meet charming and jobless Scott Pilgrim. A bass guitarist for a garage band, the 22-year-old has just met the girl of his dreams, literally. The only catch to winning Ramona Flowers? Her seven evil exes are coming to kill him. As Scott gets closer to Ramona, he must face an increasingly vicious rogues' gallery from her past, from infamous skateboarders to vegan rock stars and fearsome identical twins. If he hopes to win his true love, he must vanquish them all.

Sex and the City 2
The fun, the fashion, the friendship: this sequel brings it all back and more as Carrie, Samantha, Charlotte, and Miranda come together to take another bite out of the Big Apple and beyond. What happens after you say 'I do?' Life is everything the ladies ever wished it would be, but it wouldn't be Sex and the City if life didn't hold a few more surprises. After all, sometimes you just have to get away with the girls.

What to get for Christmas:

2010-11-04T11:38:00.000-07:00

There’s a movie for every taste but it helps to know what you’re looking for. Here are some suggestions that might please those on your list.
If you’re like me and love a good mystery you can’t go wrong with three new foreign films: The Secret in Their Eyes (Argentinean), where a retired lawyer re-opens a closed case with surprising results, Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (Swedish) and Girl Who Played with Fire (Swedish), both from the popular books by Stieg Larsson.
And if you want something fun try the great HBO comedy series Bored to Death or Robert Downey Jr. as a very energetic Sherlock Holmes. For the younger set watch for Scott Pilgrim vs. the World which is due out in DVD in November. City Island is another film that is sure to please.
For great documentaries the variety is amazing! Everything from the delightful Babies to Michael Jackson’s This is it to Bill Maher’s Religulous or Michael Moore’s Capitalism: a Love Story to the incredible Oceans.

New to the library

2010-10-29T09:12:00.000-07:00

I've gotten behind in my blogging so I am combining the last two weeks DVD's. Here they are:
Agora
A young slave in ancient Egypt must choose between joining the Christianity movement, which will give him freedom, and the woman he loves, who is his master and an atheist.

Christmas in Canaan
An unlikely friendship blossoms between two ten-year-old boys from different backgrounds during the racially charged backdrop of rural Texas, 1964. Through the years into manhood, prevailing attitudes and the growing civil rights movement severely test their friendship. In the end, they will discover that despite people's differences, it's the memories you make that determine your happiness and peace in life.

Coco Chanel & Igor Stravinsky
By the 1920s, Coco Chanel has established herself in the world of fashion. After a disastrous reaction to an early production of his Rite of Spring ballet, Igor Stravinsky has become a penniless refugee living in exile. When the two are introduced, the attraction is immediate and together they embark on a passionate affair, which results in a period of great artistic achievement for both artists.

Girl Who Played with Fire
In this second installment of Stieg Larsson's phenomenal 'Millennium' trilogy, Lisbeth Salander is a wanted woman. A researcher and a Millennium journalist about to expose the truth about the sex trade in Sweden are brutally murdered and Salander's prints are on the weapon. Her history of unpredictable and violent behavior makes her an official danger to society. Mikael Blomkvist, Salander's friend and Millennium's publisher, is alone in his belief of Salander's innocence. Digging deeper, Blomkvist unearths evidence implicating highly placed members of Swedish society--as well as shocking details about Salander's past. He is desperate to get to her before she is cornered--but no one can find her anywhere.

Honeymooners Holiday Classics
Two Christmas episodes of the television program "The Honeymooners" from 1953. Also includes two special bonus episodes from 1956. Christmas party -- New Year's Eve party -- Two-family car -- Forgot to register.

Last Song
Seventeen, angry, and alienated from her estranged father, Veronica 'Ronnie' Miller's life gets turned inside out when her mother forces her to spend the summer with him in the small Georgia beach town where he lives. Here, Ronnie finds salvation, friendship, second chances, and first love.

Lost, complete season 4
A 'rescue team' lands on the island and the survivors gear up to go home.

Mad Men, Season Three
At the office, the firings continue; Don is brought in to save the day on a PR campaign only to have the rug pulled out from under him; Peggy and Paul get stoned while working on an ad campaign; Sally steals money from her grandfather; Don had reservations about a misguided potential client; Betty has hallucinations of her dead father as she delivers her baby; Don and Betty renew their love affair while on a business trip.

Marmaduke
In this fun family comedy, the 'Duke' is livin' large in Orange County, California. But fitting in with his new four-legged friends isn't always easy for a super-sized teenage dog.

Please Give
Kate has a lot on her mind. There's the ethics problem of buying furniture at estate sales and marking it up at her Manhattan store. There's the materialism problem of not wanting her teenage daughter to want the expensive things that she wants. There's the marriage problem of sharing a partnership in parenting, business, and life with husband Alex but sensing doubt nibbling at the foundations. And worst of all are the neighbors, cranky, old Andra and the two granddaughters who look after her.

Predators
Royce is a mercenary who reluctantly leads a group of elite warriors mysteriously brought together on a jungle planet. But when these cold-blooded human 'predators' find themselves in all-out war against a new breed of alien Predators, it's the ultimate showdown between hunter and prey.

Splice
Two young scientists become superstars by splicing different animal DNA to create fantastical new creatures. Ignoring legal and ethical boundaries, the scientists, who are romantically involved, introduce human DNA into their experiment and risk the dawn of a terrifying new era.

Wild Grass
A lost wallet opens the door to Georges and Marguerite's romantic adventure. After examining the ID of its owner, it is not a simple matter for Georges to turn the wallet he has found into the police. Nor can Marguerite retrieve her wallet without being piqued with curiosity about the person who found it. As George and Marguerite navigate the social protocols of giving and acknowledging thanks, turbulence enters their everyday lives.

Winter’s Bone
Seventeen-year-old Ree Dolly sets out to track down her father who put their house up for his bail bond and then disappeared. If she fails to find him, she and her family will be turned out into the Ozark woods. Challenging her outlaw kin's code of silence and risking her life, Ree hacks through the lies, evasions, and threats offered up by her relatives and begins to piece together the truth.

You Don’t Know Jack
Angel of mercy, or murderous 'Doctor Death'? Jack Kevorkian is one of the most polarizing figures in modern American history, a man whose passionate belief that people have the right to die has brought him both praise and vilification. Al Pacino won a Best Actor Emmy for his performance.

A Mother’s Courage: Talking Back to Autism
Follow one woman's journey as she tries to help her severely autistic son break out of his own mind. Traveling to the United States from her home in Iceland to try to learn more about this complex condition, she meets along the way other families who have similar situations and all are looking for some answers.

What I've been watching:

2010-10-29T08:47:00.000-07:00

This month I read a lot and barely watched any movies. I guess it's either one or the other for me. What I did watch was one of our newer films--(Untitled). Adam Goldberg plays a young sound artist in NYC. His atonal music has not found its audience so an art gallery owner invites him to play at the opening of a new show. She has paired his music with some completely bizarre art works and surprisingly, the audience loves the music although they find it funny while to him it is absolutely serious. Thus begins the question of what is art? Can it be both good art and commercial? This was a funny and intelligent movie. I enjoyed it.