Waiting for Superman

After watching this documentary over the weekend, I felt it just added to the bleak state of current affairs.  Waiting for Superman shows why America's schools are failing and why we are falling behind other developed nations in educating our youth. This was fraught with meaning for me as I am contemplating moving from one school district to another.  It made me think my second grader doesn't have a chance no matter where she goes to school.  Even the so called "better" districts may not be offering a great education, just in nicer surroundings than the inner city schools.  The point I think everyone who watches Waiting for Superman will take away from it is that failure to lay the educational foundation for students has lasting results for the future.  To parody a song phrase 'the future is not looking so bright, so take off the shades.'

Grey Gardens

Adam introduced me to another of his 'film picks' last week and I have to say it was the best one yet.  We saw the documentary Grey Gardens made in 1975 by the Maysles brothers.  It is a look into the lives of mother and daughter Edith Bouvier Beale and Little Edie Bouvier Beale, relations of Jackie O, who were living in a squalid estate in East Hampton.  It was a vouyeristic look into the lives of this once prominent society family, much like some of the books I have recently reviewed (see Wendy Burden's Dead End Gene Pool and Ivana Lowell's Why not say what happened?)  Grey Gardens could be equated with the worst episode of Hoarders (complete with cat urine).  It is truly enlightening to see how others live behind closed doors.  I went on to watch the movie version starring Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange, which very closely resembled the documentary.  I don't know which version I enjoyed more.  Upon further research I found this blog has amazing photos and background information.
People are fascinating creatures and it's always interesting to get a glimpse into other's lives.  A much tamer look can be found in the January 2011 issue of Marie Claire, which profiles international womens' lifestyles including how much they spend on shoes!  The article by Lea Goldman 'What it costs to be me' is on page 82.  A look into my life is certainly not as interesting as the women in the article.  My weekender for this weekend would be:  $6.00 for 2 loads of laundry and $12.00 for dinner with my daughter's Girl Scout troop on Saturday night.  Ok, maybe I'm not quite shattering the librarian stereotype!

By the full moon's light

In the spirit of Halloween (personally my favorite holiday) I watched The Wolfman last night.  I wonder if anyone else noticed these strange coincidences...
Isn't it odd that Anthony Hopkins is a reclusive widower and has his dead son's girlfriend as a house guest, now suddenly attracted to his surviving son?  Legends of the fall?
And the unfortunate stag tied on the moor as bait for the werewolf? It actually met a kinder fate than the goat which was to be T-rex's dinner in Jurassic Park.
How about the final werewolf fight sequence in the burning house where the wolves collide in mid-air attack? New Moon?
I think this would've been a good flick, if I hadn't been having flashes of deja vu through it all.  See it for yourself and give me your opinion...

Russian Ark

Intrigued by the period costumes on the case and Roger Ebert's comment "One of the most astonishing films ever made", I sat down to watch the subtitled Russian Ark this weekend.  My daughter gave up about 20 minutes into it (she said the subtitles moved too fast), but I hung on for the full 96 minutes.  It wasn't the subtitles that gave me trouble.  I really haven't seen a film I couldn't follow in quite a while, but this is one.  Maybe it is my inadequate education in Russian history or poor appreciation for artistic films, but this one has me stumped.  The next morning my daughter asked me how the movie ended...I just told her I watched the whole thing, but still don't know.  Any comments?...This item has been checked out over 100 times...Someone must have an opinion...please share.  Adam you're one for subtitled films - what's your thoughts? 

Sources for movie picks:
1001 movies you must see before you die
Leonard Maltin's 2011 movie guide
VideoHound's golden movie retriever

The September Issue

I recently watched The September Issue which is focused around Vogue's Editor-in-chief Anna Wintour.  It gives an interesting fly-on-the-wall view into the world of high fashion.  I'm a big fan of Project Runway (I love the contestants' creativity) and saw some of the same characteristics of the industry shown in this documentary.  Vogue's thickest issue is September, a beginning to a new fashion year.  This documentary shows the push and pull between Vogue executives, staffers, photographers, and designers in the scramble to put out the most cutting edge fashion resource. Cover celebrities and models so in the spotlight on the glossy pages do not even play minor roles in the production process.   I found this highly entertaining, although everyone in The September Issue seemed so tall, I would have been likened to a small fry on the wall.  Although the library does not have a subscription to Vogue, I will have a copy of the 2010 September issue at the reference desk for in-library use.

Inside Gitmo

President Obama has spoken since his inaguaration about closing the controversial detention facility in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba .  Although it has been in the news lately, closing of Gitmo does not seem imminent by the end of the year even though the Supermax facility in Thompson, Illinois seems to be moving forward on planned changes being made to hold prisoners from Gitmo.  Several library resources can shed light on this facility:

• Inside Gitmo [DVD] – The prison on the Naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba has received media attention for its practices, especially since 9/11. This National Geographic documentary shows the lives of guards, prisoners, and civilian visitors to the prison.

Many works have been written on the same subject, some exposes, some biographical, and others mainly political. For a different view see

• Poems from Guantanamo: the detainees speak 
• Enemy combatant: my imprisonment at Guantánamo, Bagram, and Kandahar by Moazzam Begg

The Thomson Correctional Center in Thomson, Ill. is being considered as "a leading option" to house suspected terrorists currently held at Guantanamo Bay.  See photos from the chicagotribune.com below:

From page to film...

For those of us who are both readers and movie lovers, there is often debate as to which format is better: book or movie and which of the two should be first if both are available. I have differing opinions based on the story in question. I would love to see some books I have read made into films. For other topics, sometimes I would rather see the film and skip the book. For me this is especially true of novels, simply because I don’t read that much fiction. I recently saw the Lovely Bones which was (I am told) fairly representative of Alice Sebold’s novel. The movie was well done; far too sad, but thought provoking and deep. I could have done without the fantasy depictions of the ‘in-between’ and I think I probably would have been impatient when reading those sections in the book. I would want to get back to the reality of solving the crime.

Another recent film, Shutter Island, was based on the book by Dennis Lehane. In this case I read the novel first and it was a riveting, suspenseful page turner. The movie was also suspenseful, but since I knew the conclusion beforehand, it was not as mysterious as it could have been to someone unaware of the story. It followed the book’s action very closely. However, when you read the book first, you have a chance to imagine how the setting and characters will appear. I pictured Shutter Island as a more rocky, barren piece of land and anticipated the hospital being more massive, like some abandoned state asylum. Viewing what another envisioned means you have to adjust the mental image developed while reading the novel. Both the book and the film Shutter Island were entertaining with a well-developed plot. Page or film first is really a matter of personal preference.

It’s always disappointing when you loved the book and the movie is not true to the novel’s events. I felt this way with Confessions of a Shopaholic. I loved the books (I would recommend Sophie Kinsella’s books for funny, girly fiction), but hated that the movie followed the story only in principle. On the other end of the spectrum, Bridget Jones’s Diary was a hilariously funny movie which could only have been better if Bridget’s daily tally of cigarettes, alcohol units, and weigh-in figures were included as in the book.  Any comments on your favorites?

Some recent novels to movies:
Dan Brown – Angels and Demons, The Da Vinci Code

Stephenie Meyer – Twilight Series (you must have some opinions on these books to movies)
Harry Potter
Jodi Piccoult - My sister’s keeper (Another fiction writer I really enjoy reading. I certainly hope more of her books are made into films.)
Ian McEwan – Atonement
Richard Matheson – I am legend
Stephen King – The Mist (from a short novella; great film)
Khaled Hosseini – The kite runner (I hope to see A thousand splendid suns in movie format.)


For a list of movies made from books see http://movie-o.com/books/movie-books.php

Psycho

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the premier of Alfred Hitchcock’s Psycho. Its memorable score and unforgettable shower scene have marked its place as an American classic.  Bernard Herrman was the composer of the anxious music accompanying the rainy night drive and of the shrill piercing strings which mixed with a running shower conveyed pure terror. Psycho was based on the Robert Bloch novel of the same name (which in turn was based on the crimes of serial killer Ed Gein). Psycho is called the first slasher film, stirred fright in viewers, and influenced countless films.


I must admit, though, that my favorite Hitchcock movie will always be Rear Window. Did you ever notice just how tiny Grace Kelly’s waist was? I think I liked it because there were so many interesting vignettes independent of each other although connected through the common apartment building… And of course for Grace Kelly’s comment “A woman never goes anywhere but the hospital without packing makeup, clothes, and jewelry.”

Check out these Hitchcock related resources at PCL:
DVDs - Psycho, Rear Window, Dial M for Murder, The man who knew too much, The birds, The lady vanishes, Lifeboat, Rebecca, Rope, Strangers on a train, Vertigo

Music from the films - Psycho [compact disc] : great Hitchcock movie thrillers.

Non-fiction - The art of Alfred Hitchcock : fifty years of his motion pictures,

The dark side of genius : the life of Alfred Hitchcock

Short stories - Alfred Hitchcock presents stories not for the nervous.

Alfred Hitchcock presents stories that go bump in the night.

Alfred Hitchcock presents stories to be read with the lights on.

Alfred Hitchcock presents stories to be read with the door locked.

Do you have a favorite Hitchcock film?  Comment on this post.

Has anyone else noticed the uncanny resemblance of the Hometree to the PCL logo tree?

My name came up on the hold list and I got to take home Avatar this weekend. I watched it last night and was riveted to Pandora’s flora and fauna. Equally interesting were the military vehicles, map systems, and weaponry. I found this really entertaining & thought provoking, even if the plot was a bit predictable. Science fiction and futuristic movies usually elicit this type of reaction from me as I find imagining inventions and innovations difficult when reading text and much prefer to see James Cameron’s or Steven Spielberg’s interpretations brought to life by dazzling effects. PCL’s selection of DVDs is well rounded and offers something for every taste (thanks to Erin who researches and purchases DVDs). While waiting for your turn to see Avatar, check out these library resources on science fiction films and books.

For movie recommendations check VideoHound’s golden movie retriever with category lists such as Alien Beings (benign and vicious subcategories), Comedy Sci-fi (think Spaceballs), Future Shock, and Sci-fi Westerns(????). Also - Leonard Maltin’s 2010 movie guide offers summaries, stars, and warnings for BOMB (Bottom of the Barrel) movies .

An accurate and reliable online source is Imdb (Internet Movie database). This is great to check out all the films in which your favorite actor has had roles (Guilty, I’ve checked Jonathan Rhys Meyers more than once).

Help in choosing sci-fi books-

The science fiction and fantasy readers' advisory : the librarian's guide to cyborgs, aliens, and sorcerers

– offers titles and brief annotations in classic science fiction (the stuff of the 60’s that was brought to life by the 90’s and considered old school by 2010), time travel, and alternate planet tales.

Book lust : recommended reading for every mood, moment, and reason offers notable titles in groups such as astronomical ideas, cyberspace, the moon’s my destination, science fiction and fantasy, and techno-thrillers.

The World Fantasy Award Winners can be found on the PCL homepage.

Comments and suggestions on sci-fi books or movies are welcome.

Resources on Travel

Are you ready for summer vacation season?

PCL has an array of DVDs to put you in the travel spirit:

The National Parks: America’s best idea – 5 DVD volumes of the National Park System produced by Dayton Duncan and Ken Burns, authors of the book of the same name.

Anthony Bourdain No Reservations – the consummate traveler in episodes ranging from international locales to New Jersey.

America’s best road trips and scenic drives – 6 DVD’s travel the interstates of the US making stops at historic and cultural attractions along the way.

Other DVDs on individual countries and cities are located in the 900’s section of non-fiction DVDs

PCL’s travel guides from Fodor, Mobil, Access, and the Discovery Channel are available for national and international cities and regions are can be found in the 900’s section of non-ficiton.

National Geographic’s website has a variety of quizzes to test your travel knowledge of international cities
http://travel.nationalgeographic.com/travel/travel-quizzes/

If you are going to be traveling this summer, you may want to research airline meals. This website offers photos and customer reviews http://www.airlinemeals.net/