Just in time for football season, check out this character study of obsessive New York Giants fan Paul Aufiero (comedian Patton Oswalt, in a remarkable performance).  After some overzealous stalking of his favorite player leads to an assault, he has to decide where his loyalties lie.  Some of the best moments are the nightly calls he makes to his local sports radio show, as well as his rivalry with another frequent caller, Eagles fan Philadelphia Phil.  Highly recommended even for non-sports fans (it was a Sundance favorite last year, and was directed by the screenwriter of The Wrestler).

-Beth

Although best known for portraying James Bond in six feature films (1962-1971), Connery has maintained a successful career post-Bond. He has portrayed four different kings: King Daniel Dravot in The Man Who Would Be King (1975), King Agamemnon in Time Bandits (1981), King Richard in Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves (1991) and King Arthur in First Knight (1995). He won the Best Supporting Actor Oscar and Golden Globe for his role in The Untouchables (1987). Connery was awarded Knighthood of the British Empire in the 2000 Queen’s Millennium Honors List for his services to Film Drama. His latest feature film role was Allan Quartermain in The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen (2003). Connery lives in the Bahamas.

Check out movies with Sean Connery

Fifteen year old Benjamin (Michael Angarano) is an aspiring SF writer whose manuscript is ripped off by Chevalier (Jemaine Clement) his aging literary hero.  Getting his manuscript back is hilarious business as Benjamin also has to moonlight for mother’s custom nightgown business to make ends meet. Chevalier isn’t only person that wants Benjamin’s story. A local film production company is also trying to pervert his precocious novel. Gentlemen Broncos is a story within a story. Besides Benjamin’s quest to get his words back, we see his book, The Yeast Lords: The Bronco Years, envisioned by three different minds on three different budgets. Yes, The Yeast Lords is as funny/awful as it sounds. Imagine the rad doodlings of Napoleon Dynamite’s notebooks come to life. Brought to us  by the same creative team behind Napoleon Dynamite, Broncos hilariously spoofs pompous SF writers and their geeked-out conventions (both literary and hotel-bound). You’re allowed to laugh if you are a nerd. Come to think of it, you probably won’t get it otherwise. I laughed the covers off my paperbacks.

The opening credits are a buzz inducing collection of trash surreal SF paperbacks with the lettering altered. If you appreciate that kind of thing you might enjoy:

Good Show Sir: Only the Worst Sci-fi/Fantasy Book Covers
The name says it all.

Awful Library Books
Yeah, the worst books ever offered up to be chortled over before hitting the dustbin. All genres, but tends to lean to outdated nonfiction.

Rad Book Covers at My Library
My own blog feature interesting (sometimes good, but mostly corny-bad) design found on book covers at NPL.

- Bryan

The Vinland Sagas

The Norse colony in North America always fascinated me. Why not go right to the source? These documents were once thought legendary, then proved to be (at least partially) true by the archaeological record. Included in this collection of “Vinland Sagas” are the Book of the Icelanders and the Book of the Settlements, which chronicle of the colonization of Iceland; and the Greenlanders’ Saga and Eirik the Red’s Saga, which chronicle the colonization of Greenland and subsequent excursions to North America.

Written in 13th century, I was afraid these would be dry and boring, but boy was I wrong. They are full of personal details and fascinating anecdotes, only occasionally bleeding into the fantastical. There’s a lot killing and a lot ice. The texts are rich enough that we are transported into another world. A world that existed a millennium ago. We learn about what the Norse wore, ate, and worshiped. Most fascinating are the tensions between the traditional religion and Christianity. The conversion of Europe to Christianity happened so long ago, it is often just a line or two in a school book, but in these sagas we have records of what that conversion was like, the tensions it caused, and how communities dealt with said tension. Did I mention the killings and the ice?

Another surprise was that the Iceland sagas we’re often more interesting than the Greenland ones. In these we find majority of material about the pagan-Christian problem. Did you know there were people (not the Inuit) on Iceland before the Norse? Did you know Iceland had a parliamentary government centuries before other European countries? This is not to take anything away from the Greenland sagas. As is pointed out in the brief notes which accompany it, the Eirik the Red’s Saga is a masterpiece of European literature.

If you have a library card, Vinland Sagas is downloadable for free from Netlibrary with no DRM-restrictions. They are read by Norman Dietz and the inimitable George Guidall.

I can recommend two novelizations of the same material. The first, William Vollmann’s The Ice-Shirt, focuses on Eirik the Red’s daughter Freydis and her role in founding of the North American colony. This is the first of Vollmann’s Seven Dreams sequence which explores the European conquest of the North American continent. It includes ink drawings by the author and contemporary accounts of his travels through Greenland.

The second is the award winning Voyage of the Short Serpent by Bernard de Boucheron which imagines what the dwindling Norse colony on Greenland must have been like in the 14th century. You can read my original review here.

For those not book oriented there is Severed Ways, Tony Stone’s dreamy yet realistic portrayal of two Vikings stranded in Newfoundland. Even if your not interested in the Norse, this is one of the best, truly independent, American films I have seen in recent years.

None of these titles are for the squeamish.

- Bryan

Check out movies with Johnny Depp

Beautiful Losers chronicles a loosely knit group of “street” artists who conquered the commercial and fine art worlds. Featured artists include Ed Templeton, Geoff McFetridge, Shepard Fairey, Margaret Kilgallen, Harmony Korine and others, all of which embody a punk-DIY spirit. Most interesting is the connection between contemporary art and skateboarding. If you are snickering you’ll swallow it when you immediately recognize the work. These artists (some of them anyway) are paid large sums to sell you diet cola. As a teen, Templeton was my favorite skater. I never liked the lines of his paintings but thrilled over the lines he cut with his skate. In the interim, his work has grown by light years. N-ville’s favorite cringe monger H. Korine is mostly on good behavior, filming his talking head shots in Fannie Mae Dees Park. He laments the lowered crime rate. Tricky implications of outsiders becoming insiders are glossed over, but Beautiful Losers is an inspiring film that can enlighten people as to where the art and design that surrounds them originated.

I assume the title of the film, and the group show it accompanied, is borrowed from Leonard Cohen’s great novel of the same name. Do it… yourself.

• Battlestar Galactica – if you haven’t watched BSG (the new series), you’re in for a wild journey.  Like Lost with great characters, intriguing mythology, mystery and suspense, but in Space!

• Are star-crossed lovers Sun and Jin or Desmond and Penny the reason you like to get Lost?  Read The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger or watch A Very Long Engagement starring Audrey Tatou.

• Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials Trilogy – if you especially enjoy the philosophical side of Lost, Pullman’s novels will definitely fill the void.

• Rose and Bernard, although minor characters of the cast, have a huge following among Losties! For more retired persons/senior citizens on adventures, read The Leisure Seeker by Michael Zadoorian, or watch the Oscar-winning animated movie Up.

• The Prisoner – this amazing British TV series from the late 1960’s starring and co-created by Patrick McGoohan will satisfy your need for deep intrigue and mystery.

• The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher – if you especially like Sawyer’s biting wit (and those nicknames!), you’ll dig this fantasy series featuring Chicago’s only wizard in the Yellow Pages, Harry Dresden.

• One of my favorite scenes on Lost occurred when Hurley declares a desire to write the script for The Empire Strikes Back and send it to George Lucas.  For more hilariously geeky conversations and lovable characters, don’t miss The Big Bang Theory.

• If you enjoyed Charlie’s flashback story about his band Drive Shaft, read about real rock stars in books like Hammer of the Gods, or watch music documentaries like The History of Rock n’Roll.

• My personal favorite suggestion to overcome Lost grief, and one I hope to someday achieve: travel to Hawaii and visit locations where Lost was filmed.

It might get loud

This is a very interesting and unique movie – part documentary, part travelogue and part cross-generational rock star meet up. Great use of various archival footage, still photos and current film of these three guitarists alone and together keeps things moving along nicely.

I went into this not really caring for Jack White that much (or at least his singing) but I now understand his attitude and inspiration – Son House, and realize for him it’s all about passion and getting a feeling across. The White Stripes may be a slightly manufactured band but there is a core of real honesty in their music. The Edge is clearly and admittedly all about sound craft and getting the perfect tonal quality and feel from his guitars and the arsenal of effects he uses. “It’s my voice.”  One scene has him listening to early U2 guitar parts in his kitchen (on cassette!) as he taps out the various digitally delayed time signatures, obviously second nature to this musical alchemist. There is also a wonderful outtake of him running through some classic U2 riffs on a soundstage – the tonal palette is unmistakably and uniquely The Edge.

Jimmy Page is like a wizard steeped in rock history; partially responsible for some of the heaviest, most creative sounds of the 70’s. He is a joy to watch and highlights include his unpretentious and remarkably luminous presence, complete with priceless facial expressions when he listens to someone sharing a story. Another great outtake is him demonstrating the intricacies of “Kashmir” on guitar as the Edge and Jack try to absorb it, with wonder in their eyes. Having Jimmy Page run through vintage Led Zep tunes in front of you has to be a thrill for anyone!
I liked this movie quite a bit – it shows three unique and very different musicians for who they are and shows some genuinely entertaining and sometimes amusing interactions. Never taking itself too seriously, there is sure to be something worthwhile here for everybody!

Phil

Musical fans discovered McGregor could sing when he appeared along side Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge!. In 2004 he and friend Charley Boorman traveled around the world on motorbikes. Documentary footage of their journey was made into a TV series called Long Way Round, then a follow-up series called Long Way Down.

Check out movies with Ewan McGregor

Check out Academy Awards Best Picture Nominees 1931 – 1940

- Crystal

The celebration was expanded to a month in 1976, the nation’s bicentennial.

We asked library staff members: “If you could choose only one title to read/listen to/watch during February to mark African American History Month, what would it be?”

The results are in, and we are happy to share. The list includes all genres, formats, and age groups–all are available to check out from the library. See all of our book and movie picks for African American History Month.

And don’t forget to take a look at our extensive list of events – there’s something for everyone.

Check out movies with Jeremy Irons

Check out videos about the Olympic Games.

Listed here are others, including the best, Marlon Brando, who have taken a turn at playing the brooding male lead. Unfortunately, the 1939 version of Wuthering Heights with Laurence Olivier as Heathcliff (the ultimate brooding character!) is out of print at this time.

Check out more movies with Dark, Brooding Characters.

- Crystal

There Will Be Blood

Wow! This 2007 movie lives up to its accolades as an American epic, with Daniel Day-Lewis earning an Academy Award for best actor for his mesmerizing portrayal of oil prospector/land speculator/entrepreneur Daniel Plainview. Set in the dust bowl areas of California between 1898 and 1927, Day-Lewis is riveting as a swindling, greedy boss out for land in his quest for his ever-expanding oil drilling operations.

I was sometimes reminded of a few other favorite films, including Paper Moon, No Country for Old Men (in the ironic, elliptical discussions between Plainview and devoutly religious Eli Sunday (Paul Dano), whose main concern is always The Church (he is also a healer and has some hilarious early scenes) and Dead Man (especially in the belching, clacking soundtrack, composed by Johhny Greenwood of Radiohead).

This movie is full of great acting, surrealistic scenes and dark humor. Plainview negotiating with the Standard Oil executives is one such scene. Some of his memorable lines include “I really don’t like people” and “I like all religions…” (the latter as he tries to assuage the townspeople early on that he is sincere in his plans).

The cinematography is often stunning (Academy Award winning, in fact. Comparisons to Citizen Kane are not out of place.)  as in the scenes involving building the oil drilling apparatus against the western skies. This is quite a long film and the tension and turmoil builds throughout as Daniel becomes embroiled in conflicts as the ultimate capitalist, obsessed beyond his wits against the determined preacher. Like in HBO’s late great Carnivale series, this central battle at times reaches crazy, epic, disturbing proportions.

A film based on Upton Sinclair’s 1927 novel “Oil”, this one is not to be missed!

Got Cabin Fever? Check out an Epic Movie.

- Crystal

There’s still time to create your list of top ten movies released in 2009.  Did you catch all the best of 2008?

Check out the films that at the top of last year’s “best of” lists.

- Crystal

Sugar

This heartfelt film by the writers of Half Nelson realistically follows the life of a minor league baseball player from the Dominican Republic. With a stunning lead performance and an unexpected resolution, this is not your average sports movie.

Bright Star

The butterfly scene alone makes this lovely film about the doomed love of poet John Keats and Fanny Brawne worth your time.

Moon

A Science Fiction movie for people who don’t like Science Fiction movies, this is more art house than action film.

- Beth

The brothers, played by Ewan McGregor and Colin Ferrell, were my favorite part of this movie. It’s not Woody Allen’s greatest film, but if you enjoy old-fashioned thrillers in the style of Hitchcock, this one is worth your time.

- Jessica

Vicky Cristina Barcelona

3 1/2  Stars

Woody Allen has been making films outside of New York for the past few years, and Spain proves to be a perfect inspiration and setting for his latest film, Vicky Cristina Barcelona. Rebecca Hall plays Vicky, an attractive and smart woman engaged to a successful and sensible man. Scarlett Johansson plays Cristina, the beautiful and impulsive best friend of Vicky who knows what she DOESN’T want in life, but can’t figure out which “path” to pursue. The girls are invited to spend two summer months in Barcelona with distant relatives of Vicky’s. This gives Vicky a perfect opportunity to finish work on her thesis topic, Catalan culture. After attending an art gallery opening, the two friends end up at a restaurant where they are approached by the handsome Spanish artist Juan Antonio (played by Javier Bardem.) He proceeds to invite both women away for a weekend of art, food and drink, and lovemaking. Vicky is appalled. Cristina is intrigued. And soon they are on an adventure sure to change the course of their lives. There are several angles to talk up this movie to potential viewers. If you’re a fan of romantic comedies, VCB is replete with witty Woody Allen dialogue and plenty of sensuality. For the armchair traveler, there’s good food and wine, breathtaking sights, and the passionate sounds of Spanish guitar. And I haven’t even mentioned Penelope Cruz’s Oscar-winning performance as Maria Elena, the crazy and gorgeous ex-wife of Juan Antonio’s. Last but not least, see this movie if only to realize that Javier Bardem can play a lover as well or better than a villain.

- Crystal

Junebug

See Amy Adams in the best role of her career in this underrated Southern indie film.

-Beth

See list of Odd-Numbered Movies.

- Crystal

Shut Up and Sing

The Dixie Chicks are a polarizing force in music.  Ever since the ‘fifteen words heard ‘round the world,’ everyone has an opinion and there aren’t many people in middle. While all of this controversy is a reality, none of it affects the Chicks’ musical talent.  Love them or hate them, they can still play.

Ticket sales were slow for the Chicks’ latest tour supporting their first post-comment album, Taking the Long Way. The band was also hoping to capitalize on the release of their video documentary, Shut Up and Sing, directed by Barbara Kopple and Cecilia Peck.  I was pleasantly surprised. Shut Up and Sing is an entertaining look at the album making process. All the struggles and doubts showcased in the movie paid off as the Dixie Chicks swept the 2007 Grammy Awards. This movie is a must-see for any fan of the Chicks.

- Amanda

Asylum

I have a slight obsession with insane asylums. I gobble up books set in asylums, and I absolutely love movies where the action takes place in an asylum. So, when Asylum came out on DVD in 2006, I knew I had to check it out!

Here’s a run-down of the plot: Dr. Martin arrives at the Dunsmoor Asylum for the incurably insane to apply for an open position. He expects to be interviewed by asylum director Dr. Starr. Instead he is met by Dr. Rutherford, who explains that Dr. Starr suffered a mental breakdown and is now one of the patients. If Martin can deduce which patient is really Dr. Starr, the job is his.
Who is Dr. Starr? Is it the woman whose affair with a married man turns murderous? Is it the tailor who made a one-of-a-kind suit for a very mysterious customer, with evil results? Is it the beautiful young lady accused of murdering her brother while her nurse insists “Lucy” did it? Or is it the “doctor” whose specialty is making voodoo dolls? You’ll use your own skills of deduction as you join Dr. Martin on his quest to find the real Dr. Starr…

For fans of the Hammer horror films, good old fashioned scary stories, or if you’re like me and enjoy anything set in asylum, Asylum is the film for you!

- Crystal

The Machinist

“It’s as if a screenplay by Franz Kafka had been filmed by Alfred Hitchcock.” This is how one review summed up The Machinist and I wholeheartedly agree. Christian Bale stars as an emaciated industrial worker who is becoming totally detached from reality. We slowly see the many elements of his nightmare existence exposed with devastating results. The film features an appropriately eerie music score by Roque Banos that perfectly evokes the spirit of Bernard Herman, Hitchcock’s favorite composer. This film is highly recommended for fans of the unusual and for me is one of the best of recent years.

- Lew

Something New

As a rule, I don’t do romantic comedies. I never have anything in common with the characters. The romances seem forced, the breakups ridiculous, and the make-ups even more contrived. Yes, I may be a tad cynical when it comes to romance; but when I saw the trailer for Something New, something told me I should watch this movie.

Kenya McQueen is a young, professional African-American woman. She’s worked very hard to advance in a field not only saturated with men, but white men – colleagues and clients alike. She and her friends get together and talk about what it means to be single and successful black women.

Kenya decides to take a chance on being set up for a blind date. After arriving at the coffee shop, she checks out the black men, looking for the person she’s meeting. Then her date arrives… Kenya is horrified when she realizes she’s been set up with a white guy. She basically blows him off at this point, but runs into him again at a party.

Brian Kelly is a landscaper. Kenya hires him to work for her. As he transforms her disastrous backyard, Kenya is transformed too. You want these two to get together as you experience their chemistry. Brian brings out a new uninhibited side to Kenya.

Of course there is conflict, then a breakup, and eventually a make-up that occurs in this romantic comedy. But Something New addresses other very contemporary and relevant issues during this process. It features a great cast, including Blair Underwood as a wood-be suitor, and Alfre Woodard as Kenya’s mother. The soundtrack is awesome. I won’t say anything else about this movie except watch it!

- Crystal

Dot the I

What a cool movie! It starts with what appears to be a typical love triangle. Imagine a young woman about to be married. She’s out on the town for her hen night (bachelorette party to most Americans). As part of the tradition, she chooses one man to share her last kiss as a free woman. This kiss plants the seed of doubt about whether she’s ready for marriage.

Just when you think the film is going to be a romantic drama, it turns into a thriller. The young lady has a tragic past. Her fiance’ is rich, but dull and controlling. And the guy with whom she shared her last free kiss doesn’t want to let her go. Dot the I is writer/director Matthew Parkhill’s feature film debut. I’ll say no more, lest I give away key points of the plot. This was one of the most refreshing movies I’ve recently watched. It stars Natalia Verbeke, James D’Arcy, and Gael Garcia Bernal, whom you may remember from The Motorcycle Diaries or Y Tu Mama Tambien.

- Crystal

11:14

If you’re in the mood for a black comedy containing a 1/3 cup of suspense, and a teaspoon of thriller, try 11:14. The movie consists of several different stories. It starts with a young man driving down the highway drunk. It continues with a van full of kids up to mischief. Enter a cop with two prisoners in his vehicle. Switch to a teenage girl who is pregnant. But wait, I forgot to mention the man who discovers a dead body in a cemetery. Yikes! Yes, you do need to pay attention to the details, including the time when you watch this film. But I guarantee you’ll gain satisfaction when you see how everything fits into 11:14. Director Greg Marcks’ first full-length feature film is pure entertainment!

- Crystal

The Killing

Stanley Kubrick’s The Killing was his first major Hollywood film. His first two films, Fear and Desire and Killer’s Kiss, were small, independent movies. This was the first time he had a major budget ($330,000), major actors (Sterling Hayden, Jay C. Flippen, and Elisha Cook) and a major studio (United Artists). It was based on Lionel White’s novel Clean Break, and the screenplay was co-written by Jim Thompson who wrote crime novels The Grifters and The Killer Inside Me.

The story deals with a heist of a race track. Johnny Clay (Sterling Hayden) is the ring leader and has come up with a plan that requires spilt second timing. What makes The Killing different from other heist films are the many perspectives the story is told from. You see each story of the gang as they perform their part of the robbery. For example, you see Nikki Arane (Timothy Carey) the sharp shooter of the gang hired to assassinate a race horse to cause a distraction. In this particular episode there is an interesting exchange between Arane and a black car park attendant (James Edwards). Not only is it part of the plot but it makes an interesting comment on racism.
Another interesting aspect of The Killing is how each gang member comes undone. It comes in the form of a horseshoe, a little dog, and of course the femme fatale played to perfection by Marie Windsor.

Tragically, after Dr. Strangelove, Stanley Kubrick never made a film in black and white again. Kubrick was one of the last directors who fully exploited the process to its full advantage. Interesting note: Lucien Ballard, the director of photography, was mainly known for working in color and mainly in westerns. The Killing has a documentary-feel to it.

In conclusion, The Killing introduced to the world a great filmmaking talent. The film is still complex and compelling today.

- Bill

The Thin Blue Line

“If there was ever hell on earth, it’s Dallas County.”—Randall Adams Hands down, my favorite documentary. It tells the story of Randall Adams, who has been convicted and put on death row for killing a police officer in Dallas County, Texas. This documentary unfolds like a great detective novel. Philip Glass’s haunting score adds to the atmosphere. It is totally engrossing.

Of Unknown Origin
By Cosmatos, George Pan

Bart Hughes played by Peter Weller is a man who has everything going for him. He has a job that has put him of the fast track for success, a beautiful trophy wife, and an upscale townhouse. He is a master of the rat race, then a real rat moves in and a war ensues. This clever cat and mouse (or man and rat) story is an off beat thriller that really works. It also has the scariest scene in the history of motion pictures.

Ace in the Hole
By Billy Wilder

Ace in the Hole is Billy Wilder’s deeply cynical movie about the vicious world of journalism. The movie was released in 1951 and it’s still relevant today. Kirk Douglas portrays Chuck Tatum, a ruthless reporter who manipulates the events surrounding a man trapped in a mine after a cave in. This movie has some of the best dialogue ever written. It’s also one of the most uncompromising films ever made.

- Bill

Once

This Irish film which was a hit at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival plays out like an extended music video, but that’s OK. Writer/director Jim Carney conceptualized Once as a “video album.” The two stars, Glen Hansard of the Irish Band The Frames, and Czech singer/songwriter Markéta Irglová, are true musicians. Their songs transcend the film.

The Monster Squad
By Dekker, Fred

3 stars

All your favorite horror film characters in one movie, complete with the 1980’s style film treatment. This one is a lot of fun, especially if you’re a fan of the genre.

Broken English
By Cassavetes, Zoe R.

3 1/2 stars

This romantic comedy is a bit more serious than most, perhaps due to the influence of Zoe Cassavette’s father John Cassavettes’ films. Parker Posey stars as a neurotic thirty-something New Yorker who uses poor judgment when dealing with matters of the heart. Enter a carefree (and cute!) Frenchman to teach her to love herself, and the rest will fall into place. With a supporting cast that includes Zoe’s mom Gena Rowlands, Broken English is a wonderfully quirky story about modern love.

Severance

4 stars

Imagine an episode of The Office where they meet up with Leatherface during a weekend teambuilding retreat. If you can picture that, you’ve got the idea behind Severance- Horror at its most brilliant!

Conversations with Other Women

3 1/2 stars

Are you a fan of romance movies? Do you have an admiration for great acting? Have you ever been to a wedding reception and felt lonely? Do you enjoy stylized cinematography? Have you ever fantasized about catching up with an old flame? Do you sometimes take chances on movies you’ve never heard of? If you answered yes to any of the above questions, this film is for you…. It stars Helena Bonham Carter as woman, Aaron Eckhart as man, and is directed by Hans Canosa.

- Crystal

Overnight

4 stars

There have been great actors who have played memorable movie monsters.

Boris Karloff played the Frankenstein monster. Bela Lugosi became Bram Stoker’s Dracula. And now Troy Duffy is Troy Duffy in Overnight. Never heard of the monster Troy Duffy? Well, let me explain. Mr. Duffy was a bartender and struggling screenwriter who suddenly hit the big time when he sold his script The Boondock Saints to Harvey Weinstein of Miramax Films (when Miramax was still considered the hottest production company in Hollywood.) Documentary filmmakers Mark Brian Smith and Tony Montana decide to film the rise of this new young filmmaker. Not so fast… What Smith and Montana document is the fall of Troy Duffy, who turns out to be an arrogant bully who but all destroys the gift handed to him on a silver platter. Granted his head doesn’t spin around and he doesn’t spit pea soup, but he does just about everything else in the repertoire of a movie monster. Check Overnight out and you’ll see what I’m talking about.

- Bill

What Would Jesus Buy?

What Would Jesus Buy? is a pseudo documentary, or “docu-comedy,” as the liner notes say, about Reverend Billy and his Church of Stop Shopping, which also has a gospel choir.  This film illustrates their efforts to humorously get Americans to stop or at least decrease their overspending each Christmas season.  The Morgan Spurlock (Supersize Me) production follows the Church’s bus tour around the country and is both serious and funny at the same time. It mixes in Reverend Billy’s Jimmy Swaggart like speeches in corporate strongholds like Disneyland, Walmart, Starbucks, and Mall of America, with interviews with experts that attempt to explain our overwhelming desire to buy, buy, buy and to have the latest and greatest of everything.  There is even a segment where a couple buy an entire wardrobe for their Chihuahua. The gospel choir is uniquely suited to amplify Billy’s remarks wherever they go; they both sing and dance and add a religious flavor to his performances.

Likely the most memorable segment in the film proper is called the Shopacolyspe, which refers to the mountain of debt Americans owe, and what could happen if people don’t wise up and stop their overspending ways.  However, the most touching segment was in the added features, one of which interviewed a Chinese woman now living in the U. S. who had been imprisoned for six years for being a Christian.  During that time she was ironically forced to make Christmas lights for sale in America.  That point tied into one of the film’s observations about sweatshops providing cheap goods for us while people in foreign countries-many of them children- work for paltry wages.

All in all, this film is a quite humorous look at our excessive spending problem.

- Ric

Careful

5 stars

When people ask me who my favorite director is these days I don’t hesitate to answer Guy Maddin. If you are already a Maddin fan and were underwhelmed overly-conventional My Winnipeg you might want to revisit his early work I remember why he got you so excited in the first place. If you’re not a Maddin fan, shame on you, but a great place to start is 1992’s Careful. The first of his films seen by a wide audience it is a campy snow filled wonderfest.

The story takes place in the fictional alpine town of Tolzbad. Everyone there has be careful, very careful, not so speak too loudly or they might cause an avalanche. Or perhaps worse, your private whispers will echo through mountain sides letting everyone know your secrets. Everyone is stiflingly suppressed in more ways than one. The plot focuses on brothers Grigors & Johann and sisters Klara & Sigleinde. Grigors & Johann are star pupils at the rigorous Tolzbad butler’s academy while Klara & Sigleinde are ripening into an age suitable for courting. Johann & Klara are engaged to be married until Johann becomes inappropriately obsessed with his overly sensuous mother. Realizing his irreparable moral error he mutilates himself and commits suicide by jumping off a cliff. A shattered Grigors throws himself into his studies and becomes valedictorian of the butler academy. In time he attempts to court Klara. Only problem being that since Johann’s death Klara has developed her own inappropriate fascination with her father. Her father in turn is too enamored with Klara’s younger sister Sigleinde to notice that Klara’s emotional facade is about to crumble down the same mountain face as her ill-fated fiance. What follows is a melodramatic tragicomedy with convoluted acts of suicide, incest, and homicidal sibling rivalry climaxing with mythic knife duel upon snowy mountaintop. The film succeeds on many different levels. When Grigors tells Klara she’ll be his golden fleece, it makes you want to laugh, cry and squirm all the same time.

As if this fecund plot isn’t enough, the visual look of Careful, is even more distinctive. Maddin’s trademark is to make films look like they were created in the 1920s. Most are black-n-white and blurred around the edges of the frame. Frames are intentionally scratched or made to look littered with dust. Careful has all these features plus enough orange and brown tinting to make Abel Gance proud. The mountain sets are pure German expressionism: two dimensional matte abstractions that give the whole movie an allegorical storybook feel.

Maddin isn’t just mimicking the cinematic techniques of the 1920s. He’s showing us visually the critical dialogues he himself has had with the films of that decade. What we are left with, besides Maddin’s idiosyncratic body of work, is a new set of tools to dissect formal elements and unearth latent thematic content of the cinema of the past. He teaches us things we didn’t know we knew.

Besides Careful, the library has some Maddin’s newer work too, like The Saddest Music in the World and Dracula: Tales from the Virgin’s Diary. And if you still can’t get enough Guy, come to the library and read his column in Film Comment, “Guy Maddin’s Jolly Corner” in which he deconstructions forgotten gems from the 20s, 30s & 40s with his animal trap wit.

- Bryan

Most know Brian Eno as a high demand music producer and as the artist most responsible for popularizing what we now call ambient music, but Eno is multimedia artist that has always had his fingers in a lot of different pies. Through the years he’s created, or provided music for, a number of film and video installations. Featured here are his “video paintings” Mistaken Memories of Medieval Manhattan and Thursday Afternoon. Both are formal explorations of the video medium itself, calling our attention to its intrinsic characteristics; e.g., its dreamlike visual distortions and ghost halo afterglow. Melt into your couch for a slow motion eye-brain solo meditation, or just sling this DVD in to serve as living painting during your next party. Find out what that high definition TV is good for besides seeing the sweat drip off athletes.

- Bryan

Aguirre, the Wrath of God

5 stars

For Halloween, I wanted to review a horrific movie featuring a vile monster-villain. One face kept emerging through the darkness of my mind: Klaus Kinski. A personal favorite of Mr. Kinski’s oeuvre is Aguirre: The Wrath of God. The South American equivalent of Apocalypse Now, the film is a slow burn fever-induced nightmare. Set in the 15th century Brasil, Kinski plays the title role, a sociopath conquistador who leads a group of underlings on a quest for gold and glory. As Aguirre’s psyche begins to crumble, so does his crew and their makeshift raft. The Amazon becomes their green hell. Making for an even more surreal experience is the German dialogue adding one more disconcerting layer of cultural alienation. Pay close attention to the great score by krautrock mystics Popul Vuh.

- Bryan

The Gladiators

5 stars

Just in time for the Olympics, the library has acquired Gladiatorerna, a film by the highly influential director Peter Watkins. Set in the near future, conglomerate teams from Eastern and Western countries compete in televised war games in place of actual wars. Manipulating both sides is a (near) perfect machine engineered by the Swedish government to push to both teams to the psychological limit. True to form, Watkins uses mostly non-actors and shoots in what we now would call a “reality-TV” style. Watkins largely invented said style and, much like reality television, his narrative films blend the boundaries between life and artifice. The difference being that Watkins uses cinema as social critique while reality television does… ah… whatever it is it does. The library has recently purchased a handful of Watkins’ previously unavailable films. Don’t miss a chance to experience his seminal vision.

- Bryan

What Did You Do in the War, Daddy?

Have you been as disappointed as I have by the rash of mediocre comedies coming out of Hollywood? If so, allow me to recommend this sadly neglected gem from 1966. What Did You Do In The War, Daddy? is a superb piece of World War II anarchy directed by Blake Edwards of Pink Panther fame. The movie is extremely well written by William Peter Blatty (better known for The Exorcist) and the casting is perfect pitch. Harry Morgan steals the show as Major Pott, who gets trapped in catacombs and slowly goes crazy. Trust me, its funny. What Did You Do In The War, Daddy? is one of the funniest war comedies ever made. Enjoy and that’s an order!

- Bill

Persepolis

5 stars

If you love to watch movies for the visuals, this is a must-see. This movie animates Marjane Satrapi’s graphic novel about life in revolution-era Iran. But the movie isn’t all looks–it has plenty of substance with its touching familial relationships and edgy humor.

Word Wars: Tiles and Tribulations on the Scrabble Game Circuit
By Anchor Bay Ent.

5 stars

I didn’t think a movie about a board game could make me cry, but this one did. The filmmakers expose the humanity of the Scrabble champions without being sentimental. This is a must see for documentary lovers and anyone who enjoys seeing otherwise ordinary human beings in their element.

Into the Wild
By Penn, Sean

3 stars

I read the book by Jon Krakauer before checking out the movie. Not quite as fantastic as the book, but I enjoyed seeing the places described in the book and comparing the movie’s depictions to those I had imagined while reading.

HUD
By Newman, Paul; Ritt, Martin

5 stars

I was stunned by the phenomenal acting in this movie. The visuals and the themes of the movie are also breathtaking. A must see!

The Graduate

Funny and stylish. 4 stars.

- Jessica

Man on Wire

5 stars

It is amazing to me that Petit saw a picture of the World Trade Center, even before it was finished, decided he had to walk it, and then accomplished his task.

Who does that? Most people, myself included, tend to hem and haw about things instead of just jumping into them, like Petit. Don’t get me wrong, Petit spent several years of his life (and several thousands of dollars) setting up this stunt. He took multiple trips to New York to scope out the towers, before and after their completion. Petit watched how the buildings operated, and studied how people functioned within the two towers so he could figure out how to sneak in his team. Finally, in August 1974, he did it. This documentary just won an Academy Award, and after seeing it, I understand why. It is such an inspirational story. If you need a pick-me-up, watch this movie. You can also read about Petit’s adventure in his book, To Reach the Clouds.

- Amanda

Head-On

3 stars

Do you like your romantic dramas Sid and Nancy style? Look no further than Head-On, the 2004 film scripted and directed by Fatih Akin, a first generation German born of Turkish parents (like the characters in his film). Cahit is a fortyish alcoholic Turk living in Germany. He works at a Hamburg club gathering empty beer bottles. After a night of debauchery, Cahit decides to end his life by driving straight into a brick wall. (This crash scene brilliantly plays out with a slamming Depeche Mode tune!) After being committed to a mental hospital, Cahit is offered a marriage proposal by another patient, the young and depressed Sibel. She tried to end her life because of the extreme pressure from her conservative Turkish family. Sibel thinks Cahit will be her ticket to true freedom, while satisfying her family by marrying a fellow Turk. Cahit and Sibel join in a marriage of convenience, and eventually they fall in love. Being the self-destructive twosome that they are, there can never be a completely “happy” ending. Have I just ruined the film for you? Of course not! With a title like Head-On, one can’t expect the film to tie up nicely. But Head-On isn’t just a twisted love story. It is also a very interesting look into Turkish immigrant culture in Germany.

- Crystal

The Apartment

5 stars

Can’t wait for the return of TV’s Mad Men? Then check out this Billy Wilder romantic comedy, first released in 1960.

C.C. Baxter, played by Jack Lemmon, has two aspirations: to climb the corporate ladder at a Manhattan insurance firm, and to land a date with Miss Kubelik, the lovely elevator operator in his office building, played by Shirley MacLaine. To ingratiate himself with his superiors, Baxter loans them his apartment for their extramarital trysts with secretaries and telephone operators. But when he realizes that his Don Draper-esque boss, played by Fred MacMurray, is carrying on with the girl of his dreams, he must choose between the job and the girl.

MacLaine is delightful, Lemmon is hilarious, and MacMurray is a cold-hearted snake you’ll love to hate. So until Mad Men returns, check out The Apartment to get your fix of impromptu office parties, mid-century fashion and design, and vintage cocktails. Tom Collins, anyone?

- Jessica

Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead

This movie has flawless acting by Philip Seymour Hoffman and Ethan Hawke, and brings a Shakespearean sense of tragedy to a thoroughly modern setting.

Be Kind Rewind
By Gondry, Michael

This movie has a charming silliness that is disarming and affecting.

Transsiberian
By Anderson, Brad
Don’t miss this overlooked mystery-on-a-train movie starring Ben Kingsley, Emily Mortimer, and Woody Harrelson.

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The Orphanage
By Bayona, Juan Antonio
This immensely creepy ghost story was directed by a protégée of Guillermo del Toro and has some of the same visual appeal as Pan’s Labyrinth.

The Order of Myths

Don’t miss this excellent but disturbing documentary with an unexpected twist at the end.

- Beth

This is England

5 stars

This is a powerful independent film based on the director’s own experiences growing up in Northern England.

- Carrie

Things We Lost in the Fire
By Bier, Susanne

4 stars

Excellent movie with terrific acting by Halle Berry, David Duchovny and Benicio Del Toro.  Very engrossing tale of a marriage tragically broken with Del Toro’s character – Jerry Sunborne, becoming involved in the aftermath.  His portrayal of a recovering heroin addict is quite convincing.  First rate screenplay and camera work make this a quietly affecting winner.

- Phil

Grey Gardens
By Hovde, Ellen

5 stars

- Kyle

The Hudsucker Proxy

4.5 Stars

Don’t forget this early Coen Brothers film, featuring Tim Robbins and Jennifer Jason Leigh.

Air Guitar Nation

4 Stars

A documentary about the first U.S. Air Guitar Championships.  Get ready to rock.

The King of Kong: A Fistful of Quarters

5 Stars

This totally absorbing documentary follows two men as they battle for the Donkey Kong world record.  Yes, it sounds ridiculous, but I promise—you will be on the edge of your seat.  This was my favorite movie of 2007.

Zodiac
By Fincher, David

In the 1960s and ’70s, a cryptic killer clad in an executioner’s hood stalked the streets of San Francisco and left clues about his crimes in the newspaper.

The Dinner Game
By Veber, Francis

4 Stars

- Beth

A Room With A View

4 stars

Comedian Eddie Izzard has a really funny bit he does about British films versus American films. He theorizes you just can’t eat popcorn during a British movie, but if an American filmmaker remakes the same flick, it has you ramming popcorn and candy into your mouth. He uses A Room With a View as the example. The American version would be “A Room With a View of Hell!”

A Room With a View is a wonderful British movie, but in line with Eddie Izzard’s theory, it’s definitely not a popcorn flick. It wraps you up in beautiful scenery, funny melodrama, great acting, and romance, so much so you won’t want to do anything but watch the story unfold.

- Crystal

Inland Empire

Inland Empire is a surreal trip into a rabbit hole of egos, suppressed desires, and Hollywood nightmares. Working in digital video for the first time, iconic director David Lynch synthesizes many of the themes of his previous works: small town American, the underbelly of Los Angeles, and the nature of evil.

Reel and real reality blur as aging actress Nikki Grace (Laura Dern) gets the role she thinks will revive her career. Instead, she slowly slides into a spacetime warp and she must confront the nature of herself (as being) and her relationships with those around her (as woman). Antagonizing her is a Satan-like figure simply known as the Phantom (Krzysztof Majchrzak). He easily stands shoulder to shoulder with fellow Lynch mondo creep villains Frank Booth (Blue Velvet) and Bobby Peru (Wild at Heart). What most viewers will probably be asking themselves is, “is legal for someone to put my dreams on TV?”

Somewhere, Maya Deren is smiling.

- Bryan

Z Channel: a Magnificent Obsession

The “Z Channel: a Magnificent Obsession” is a fascinating documentary that explores the rise and tragic fall of Jerry Harvey, the maverick chief programmer of the Z Channel.

What was the Z Channel you ask? Before Blockbuster or HBO there was Z Channel. If you lived in the Los Angeles area in the 1980’s, you literally had a film festival on your TV every night. You could watch domestic films, foreign films and obscure movies you would have otherwise not been exposed to. Z Channel creator Jerry Harvey also introduced innovative programming ideas such as screening letterboxed versions and director’s cuts, as well as the “Night Owl Show.” (You’ll have to watch the movie to find out what this is…)

This documentary features several interviews with people that knew Harvey, including ex-wives, filmmakers (Robert Altman, Penelope Spheeris, Paul Verhoeven, and Quentin Tarantino), movie critics, and associates. Also interviewed is UCLA’s English Professor C. L. Batten. Mr. Batten was Jerry Harvey’s teacher while he was at UCLA. I was able to contact him for a brief interview.

What classes did Jerry Harvey take with you?
(Batten) He took two classes with me. Literary criticism and Eighteenth Century English.

In the movie you stated,” I think this student is probably smarter than I am.” Could you elaborate on this statement?
(Batten) I’ve only seen the movie once. I don’t like to watch myself or to hear my own voice. I don’t even like to hear my voice on the answering machine. What I wanted to say about Jerry was that he was a very bright man with a great mental agility. I hope I taught him to be more intellectual. He was extraordinary.

Did you ever talk about film?
(Batten) Every conversation I had with him was about film. Film was his way of connecting with the world.

Did he ever introduce a film to you that you had never heard of before?
(Batten) While he was programming films at the Beverly Canon (an art theatre in California) he called me up and insisted I come and see Marcel Carne’s “Les Enfants Du Paradis” or “The Children of Paradise”. I took my wife to the film and he was right I really enjoyed it.

The Z Channel a Magnificent Obsession is not just for cinephiles. It’s a fascinating look at one man who tried to introduce something new and daring to his audience. For the most part, Harvey succeeded. I think it important to note the Nashville Public Library has several of the films mentioned in “Z CHANNEL A MAGNIFICENT OBSESSION” either on video or DVD. Instead of checking out your usual movies, try one of Harvey’s favorite films. You may discover your new favorite film!

-Bill

• Bad Timing
• Black Orpheus
• Dr. Strangelove Or: How I learned to stop worrying and love the bomb
• Heaven’s Gate
• Fingers
• Images
• La Notte
• Le Magnifique
• The Passenger
• Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid
• The Red Desert
• Ride the High Country
• Turkish Delight
• The Wild Bunch
• The Leopard

Onibaba

5 of 5 Stars

Kaneto Shindo’s horrifying masterpiece roils with sexual tension, desperation and emotional violence. Wife and mother-in-law of a warring samurai stay alive by whatever means necessary. It’s like Survivor but with real blood and no Jeff Probst. Is it the evil that they do to themselves and those around them that lures a demonic samurai to their hide away in a sea of wavering grass. Essential viewing regardless, it is worth watching to see where Ang Lee stole the tree fight scene in Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon.

Spring Forward
By Gilroy, Tom

4.5 out of 5 Stars

This lovely film tells the story of an unlikely friendship between two parks workers. Murph (Ned Beatty) is near retirement and Paul (Liev Schreiber) is a young ex-con searching for his place in the world. Quiet and subtle, Spring Forward is a compassionate film with beautiful scenery and a great score.

The Ground Truth

In the spirit of StoryCorps Project at Nashville Public Library, hear veterans’ stories from this recent conflict.

- Liz

Days of Heaven

5 of 5 Stars

No other film better epitomizes “poetry in motion” than Terrence Malick’s Days of Heaven. Changing of the seasons, machine labor, and human violence weave a tapestry as breathtaking as the Canadian wheatfields where the film was shot. Industrial laborers Bill and Abby (Richard Gere and Brooke Adams) flee the dirt of the city into the backbreaking life of seasonal grain harvesting. The owner of the wheat farm (Sam Shepard) where they end up landing falls in the love with Abby and the rest is Biblical. With sparse dialogue, the landscape and turn of the century farm machines are full fledged characters as much as any of the people portrayed by the actors. A profound mediation on human nature, love, and fate, this is one of my all time favorite films.

- Bryan

Elegy

4 stars

Don’t get me wrong, Vicky Cristina Barcelona is a great film, but Penelope Cruz should have won her 2008 Oscar for her performance in Elegy. And I can’t believe Sir Ben Kingsley wasn’t at least nominated for his role in this film.

This movie is a true actor’s showpiece, and Spanish director Isabel Coixet expertly guides her cast, which also includes Dennis Hopper, Debbie Harry, Patricia Clarkson, and Peter Sarsgaard. Though I haven’t read the book myself (oops!), fans of his writing have said this is the best cinematic adaptation yet of a Philip Roth novel. One final note: please do pay attention to the beautiful music throughout this film, especially the Erik Satie compositions. They are heart-achingly gorgeous and really enhance the emotional turmoil of the story…

- Crystal