New and Featured DVDs for 03/15/12:

Come and check out these and some of the other new DVDs and materials (or at least new to us) added to our library collection…

FICTION:

Sunset Boulevard

The Trip

2010, directed by Michael Winterbottom. A compilation film from a short British television series featuring comedians Steve Coogan and Rob Brydon playing fictionalized versions of themselves, as friends and rivals, on a road trip to review restaurants in the north of England. But it’s about so much more than that. And it’s hilarious. Check out the trailer below:

And if that’s not enough for you, go to YouTube and check out the clip of Coogan and Brydon’s compete Michael Caine impressions.

Stop-Loss

The Last Starfighter

Vantage Point

To Sir, With Love

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, Part 1

and

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows, Part 2

Splice

Where The Wild Things Are

Julius Caesar

1953, directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz

L’Avventura

Under The Mountain

The Town

The Hidden Fortress

1958, directed by Akira Kurosawa

The first Star Wars movie, A New Hope, was based on this film as a primary influence. But beyond that, this is another great film from Kurosawa, and another great release from the Criterion Collection.

Cousins

Synecdoche, New York

2008, directed by Charlie Kaufman. This is a personal favorite of mine, and partly because of that, I can’t say too much about it. It’s not a film for everyone, mostly because it’s a very difficult movie, with a lot of meanings on a lot of levels. Phillip Seymour Hoffman gives the performance of his career as a playwright trying to capture the sadness and infinitely mundane aspects of every day life in a new work that seems to be growing more and more epic (that’s putting it lightly) with each passing moment. I know that’s a very vague plot description, and I apologize. I’ll just put it this way: This is one of the bleakest and most depressing movies I’ve ever seen in my life, but it’s also one of the best films I’ve ever seen, and one of the most uplifting. Check out Roger Ebert’s review and an interview with writer/director Charlie Kaufman.

NON-FICTION:

Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise And Fall Of Jack Johnson

How Art Made The World

F For Fake

1975, directed by Orson Welles. This is the last major film by Welles, and it’s partially a documentary, focusing on the life of art forger Elmyr de Hory, and partially an essay work, dealing with the ideas of authorship and authenticity, and the value of art. This is a truly enchanting work, and for proof of that, check out the film’s introduction:

Mysteries Of The Garden Of Eden

Secret Origin: The Story Of DC Comics

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Please note that DVDs could be checked out between the time they end up on the blog and when you come to check them out. If you don’t see the items you’re looking for then please come up to the front desk and we’ll put your name on the reserve list for when the item returns.

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Previous New/Featured DVDs:

02/14/12.

02/07/12.

12/30/11.

Previous New/Featured books:

03/01/12.

02/02/11.

01/27/12.

12/27/11.

A little known author by the name of James Patterson…

from here.

I went to the movies the other day and one of the many (sigh) commercials that they played before the main feature was a new one featuring author James Patterson hyping the new Kindles. It was kind of funny to me, partly because I don’t really care for the works of Patterson (though our patrons sure do), but then I figured, Hey, it makes sense. The Kindle is probably a major contributor to his massive sales figures, right?

Just out of curiosity, readers and James Patterson fans, What do you think about the new Alex Cross: Tyler Perry?

I know we don’t have any pictures or a trailer yet, just Perry’s previous work, but it’s certainly an interesting choice, right? I like Morgan Freeman in just about anything, so to me he is Alex Cross, even though the role’s a bit of a cipher to me, especially having not read the books, but I preferred the idea of Idris Elba getting the role, who was originally cast in the Rob Cohen-directed version of I, Alex Cross, which is coming out next year sometime. Elba had to drop out of role due to scheduling concerns and Perry was cast. Nice to see Perry showing that he can do more than just the Madea role, and it seems like Patterson has given the actor’s performance his approval. Should be interesting, right?

Anyway, the day after I saw that James Patterson commercial at the movies I went to work and went to empty the library’s book drop as usual…

…only to discover five returned James Patterson books. Patterson checks out quite a bit at our library, but it was funny to see so many of his books return at once. I guess I just had enough free time to ponder whether they were returned by a happy reader or an unhappy one. Either way, if you’re a James Patterson fan, we’ve got a few more of his books on our shelves for you to come check out.