movies
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Thrills and Chills for Winter Movie Nights
When the sun goes down at 4pm and the weather report says ten solid days of rain, there is nothing I like more than a hot cup of tea, a blanket, a cat on my lap…and watching something scary. For horror fans, there is nothing better. Like listening to moody music when you’re feeling down,… Continue reading
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One Documentary, One Concert, One Night of Rapturous Viewing!
Get your toes tapping and your soul soaring with these music documentaries. Starting with the elephant in the room, The Elephant 6 Recording Co. documentary takes an inside look at the 90’s rock collective most famous for Neutral Milk Hotel’s mythically held greatest-album-of-its-decade: 1998’s In the Aeroplane over the Sea. But as Robert Schneider, creative/spiritual leader… Continue reading
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The Book Was Better, 2019
It is rare that a movie or TV show is better than the book it is based on. I mean, it happens, but it’s rare. Yes, some movies live up to or complement their source material, but most of the time they don’t. For starters, let’s take 2019 – remember 2019? – back when we… Continue reading
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Three on a Theme: Movies About Being Outside
What is almost as good as getting outside in the summer time? Watching movies about other people getting outside! The outdoors are a great component of so many amazing films available at the library, but there are some films in which “outside” features almost as a character all on its own. These films are different… Continue reading
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Stay Home, Stay Healthy. Stay Sane with the Library.
March 13th, 2020 was notable for two reasons. One, it was Friday the 13th, but hardly anyone at the Seattle Public Library noticed for the second reason: it was the last day we were open before closing our doors for a month because of COVID-19. It was a frantic and stressful day full of uncertainty… Continue reading
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Reports on the Death of the Romantic Comedy are Greatly Exaggerated
For years, romantic comedies (rom coms) have been few and far between, and those that were released were often small budget indie films that were a hit with critics but did little at the box office. Then a little movie called Crazy Rich Asians came along…is it the beginning of a rom com renaissance? While they weren’t… Continue reading
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Pride Month: Queer Cinema by Queer Directors
“There have never been lesbians or gay men in Hollywood. Only homosexuals.” With this final despairing statement, gay film historian and activist Vito Russo ends The Celluloid Closet, his landmark study of representations of LGBTQ people in film. When Russo first published The Celluloid Closet in 1981, he could not imagine that over a decade… Continue reading
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Beyond the Screen: Free Angela and All Political Prisoners
As a part of the African American Film Series this year, librarians have created some amazing resource lists that can help you take your understanding of the people, places, times and themes these films bring to life beyond the screen. For Douglass-Truth’s upcoming screening of the documentary Free Angela and All Political Prisoners, on Sunday,… Continue reading
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2016 African American Film Series
Tomorrow begins our 2016 African American Film Series, celebrating Black actors, directors and films depicting the rich and varied African American experience. This year we’re showing 28 movies in 14 library locations across the city through June. See the full calendar for further details! Continue reading
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October Takeover: Literature in Horror Films – from Book to Scream
~posted by The Spoiler October is synonymous with horror movies, but horror is a tricky label to apply to literature. Often relegated as less legitimate, horror injects itself seamlessly into many genres – literary fiction, sci-fi, erotica or paranormal. In honor of the scariest month of the year and a genre that refuses to be narrowed down, here are… Continue reading
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October Takeover: European Horror – Vampires, Black-Gloved Killers and the Devil
~posted by David H. If you’re looking for the birthplace of the horror film, then the place you should be looking is Europe. From German silent films to Hammer’s Technicolor horrors and on to the black-gloved killers of Italian giallo, Europe has been a prime breeding ground for horror. For viewers willing to try something… Continue reading
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October Takeover: ZomB Movies
~posted by Kara F. The Battery was simple in its execution, a dark film with a surprising amount of heart. It was a much more realistic film than other zombie movies I’ve seen in the past and by far my favorite. The film is about two guys and their baseball bats just trying to survive a… Continue reading
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October Takeover: Asian Horror – Black Cats, Buried Secrets and Ghosts With Long Hair
~posted by David H. In 2002, the Hollywood film The Ring, starring Naomi Watts and directed by Gore Verbinski, opened to excellent box office, becoming a surprise hit. Though few were aware of it, The Ring was a remake of a Japanese film called Ringu (1998) that had been making a stir among horror fans. The success… Continue reading
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Soundtrack Serenade
~ posted by Frank The beauty of a movie soundtrack is that it introduces me to music that I wouldn’t seek out on my own. For me, the music from these five films that I loved has stayed with me and become part of my regular rotation these past few months. Continue reading