One of our favorite children’s authors and illustrators has unfortunately passed away today. He was 83.
Sendak had an amazing respect for the minds of younger readers, often showing that children are a “tangle of vulnerability and resilience.” You can find a nice obituary of the author atThe New York Times and below we have a video of Sendak talking about his career:
At the library we have quite a few books by Sendak, including many of his classics, such as In The Night Kitchen and Outside Over There, as well as Spike Jonze’s film version of his most classic work, Where The Wild Things Are.
Sendak will be missed and appreciated, and thankfully we’ll have his works forever, which we hope that you’ll come and check out.
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
* * *
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.
One of our favorite children’s authors and illustrators has unfortunately passed away today. He was 83.
Sendak will be missed and appreciated, and thankfully we’ll have his works forever, which we hope that you’ll come and check out.
Social media
Robins AFB Library Blog 