Movies & TV
-
Movie Mondays: Seivom Sdrawkcab = Backwards Movies
~posted by Library Staff I love movies that play with time: the “parallel-universe” narratives of Run Lola Run and Mr. Nobody, the event-shuffling of (500) Days of Summer, the dizzyingly-intercut centuries of Cloud Atlas and The Fountain, the decade-hopping of The Hours, the surreal repetitions of Groundhog Day and Edge of Tomorrow, or the real-time… Continue reading
-
Movie Mondays: Love on the Rocks
2014 brought audiences three excellent, and disturbing, portraits of marriages tested and challenged. These three films are smart, mature works that are sure to make every couple examine their relationships, with blinders off. Gone Girl needs little introduction, but for those unfamiliar with the phenomenal bestseller that the movie is based on, here we go. Nick (Ben Affleck)… Continue reading
-
Movie Mondays: Top 10 DVD releases of 2014
MIKE’S TOP 10 1. The Umbrellas of Cherbourg. After years of unavailability on home video, French director Jacques Demy’s magnificent, one-of-a-kind musical gets a deluxe release from Criterion. This is what movies were meant for. 2. Sleeping Beauty. Disney opens the vault once again to give us another look at this gorgeous film, the last… Continue reading
-
Movie Mondays: Seeing Red
Italian horror filmmaker Dario Argento is most famous for his over-the-top tale of witchcraft, Suspiria, but his previous film, 1975’s Deep Red is the better picture. David Hemmings stars as a pianist trying to track down a serial killer whose increasingly grisly crimes give the film its title. It’s a boilerplate premise turned masterful work… Continue reading
-
Movie Mondays: best of 2014 on hoopla
hoopla has been adding some noteworthy new releases to its collection. While they’re not blockbusters, these limited release films from 2014 include critical darlings and star power – and are available at this very moment! Continue reading
-
Movie Mondays: Holiday Edition from “The Spoiler”
By now, most everyone knows of both a traditional approach and perhaps a more cynical view of the holidays. Here are a few alternatives to the usual classics that may still brighten your days and lift your spirits, if you are so inclined. The Capra classic It’s a Wonderful Life emphasizes the power of redemption… Continue reading
-
Movie Mondays: The Year in Rock – 1984
Thirty years ago a little record label called SST released more amazing albums in a row than any music company before or since. 1984 brought Husker Du’s double LP Zen Arcade, the Meat Puppets’ masterpiece Meat Puppets II, Black Flag’s influential My War, and perhaps the greatest album in the history of recorded music, The… Continue reading
-
Movie Mondays: Sex Destructive
Sex can be constructive and creative. It can be profoundly important or frivolously fleeting. It can be beautiful, clumsy, silly, and surprising. It is none of these things in the following films. These features depict sex as nothing but a destructive act. The sex might not be fun but the movies sure are. Continue reading
-
Movie Mondays: horror by hoopla
Don’t feel like waiting weeks or months in line for your favorite horror film on DVD? Have no fear, your fear is here. You can watch horror on demand on hoopla, the library’s streaming video service, without the wait. Continue reading
-
Movie Mondays: Halloweird
I’m not a huge fan of scary movies for one very legitimate reason. They scare me. That can be difficult this time of year as Halloween draws ever closer and seemingly everyone I know is watching the creepiest, ickiest films imaginable. That’s not to say that I’m completely unable to get into the undead spirit… Continue reading
-
Movie Mondays: Honoring Steve Martin
The American Film Institute is awarding its 2014 Lifetime Achievement Award to Steve Martin. Martin is a true renaissance man: author of books for children and adults, fiction and non-fiction; Grammy-winning bluegrass musician; hilarious guest star on Saturday Night Live and other television programs; but he’s primarily known for his contribution to film for nearly 40 years. You… Continue reading
-
Movie Mondays: DVD DNA: Female Trouble Edition
One of the joys of whiling away one’s meaningless life watching movies comes from making connections between a certain film and pictures that came out years, even decades before it. In this new, occasional series we will track down the disparate elements that have influenced great films. Today’s subject: John Waters’ 1974 trash classic, Female… Continue reading
-
Movie Mondays: Slow Burn Thrillers
Slow burn thrillers aren’t for everyone. They require patience, and some viewers find them boring. They don’t always provide answers, leaving viewers to infer what’s really going on. They’re often tense, dark and brooding. For me, it’s the character development and moral ambiguity that makes these worth the investment. Continue reading