Month: October 2012

New Acquisitions – October 2012

Somehow it seems that we’re adding even more titles to our collection. This month has probably set some sort of record: we got over 200 titles this month, including 19 television shows. It would be silly to narrow it down to a few highlights, but you are guaranteed to find something you’ll love. Epic fantasy … Continue reading “New Acquisitions – October 2012”

Somehow it seems that we’re adding even more titles to our collection. This month has probably set some sort of record: we got over 200 titles this month, including 19 television shows. It would be silly to narrow it down to a few highlights, but you are guaranteed to find something you’ll love. Epic fantasy movies, award-winning documentaries, romantic period dramas, heist films, beloved children’s movies, and a few new Criterion titles… the list could go on for pages. And it does!

Read on to see what else we picked up this month.

Home Use Collection:

The Patriot – HU DVD 347
Norma Rae – HU DVD 440
Something Wild – HU DVD 621
Real Women Have Curves – HU DVD 656
Far from Heaven – HU DVD 684
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring: Extended Edition – HU DVD 808 Requested!
The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers: Extended Edition – HU DVD 809 Requested!
The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King: Extended Edition – HU DVD 810 Requested!
Xala – HU DVD 1286
Close-Up – HU DVD 1344
Stella Dallas – HU DVD 1719
Amistad – HU DVD 1730
All That Heaven Allows – HU DVD 1804
Now, Voyager – HU DVD 1821
The Squid and the Whale – HU DVD 1917
The Royal Tenenbaums – HU DVD 1937
Tsotsi – HU DVD 2154
Yesterday – HU DVD 2166
Mildred Pierce – HU DVD 2187
The Philadelphia Story – HU DVD 2189
The Godfather: Part III – HU DVD 2543
Machuca – HU DVD 2932
Private Fears in Public Places (Coeurs) – HU DVD 3016
The Way We Were – HU DVD 3087
Camille – HU DVD 3094
In Her Shoes – HU DVD 3101
Ordinary People – HU DVD 3105
Independence Day – HU DVD 3111
Spartacus – HU DVD 3272
The Jazz Singer – HU DVD 3306
Arrancame la Vida – HU DVD 3402
Dog Eat Dog – HU DVD 3403
Eat the Sun – HU DVD 3404
Carancho – HU DVD 3405
True Romance – HU DVD 3820
Moolaade – HU DVD 3862
The Adventures of Robin Hood – HU DVD 3938
Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory – HU DVD 4773
Steel Magnolias – HU DVD 4795
The Flowers of St. Francis – HU DVD 4874
Despicable Me – HU DVD 4875 Requested!
Despicable Me – HU BLU 4875 Requested!
The Iron Lady – HU DVD 4876 Requested!
The Iron Lady – HU BLU 4876 Requested!
Superman – HU DVD 4877
The Fall of the Roman Empire – HU DVD 4878
The Terminator – HU DVD 4988
Entre les Murs – HU DVD 6099
Santa – HU DVD 6637
The Amazing World of Gumball – HU DVD 6638
Lumumba: La Mort du Prophete – HU DVD 6639
Inch’Allah Dimanche – HU DVD 6642
The Jungle Book – HU DVD 6643
Le Premier Venu – HU DVD 6644
The Thing – HU DVD 6646
The Thing – HU BLU 6646
Let the Church Say, Amen – HU DVD 6647
The Marshall Plan: Against the Odds – HU DVD 6648
Ballou – HU DVD 6649
Karmen Gei – HU DVD 6650
Girl Fight – HU DVD 6981
A Prophet – HU DVD 7547
L’Enfance Nue – HU DVD 7844
Beauty and the Beast – HU DVD 7849
Beauty and the Beast – HU BLU 7849
Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps – HU DVD 8018 Requested!
Friday Night Lights – HU DVD 9000
Bridesmaids – HU DVD 9104
Cayo – HU DVD 9423
Foreign Letters – HU DVD 9424
Backyard – HU DVD 9425
The Tango Lesson – HU DVD 9601
Better This World – HU DVD 10004
Beyond the Light Switch – HU DVD 10005
And Everything is Going Fine – HU DVD 10006
Payback – HU DVD 10008
Cry, the Beloved Country – HU DVD 10014
Beach Blanket Bingo/How to Stuff a Wild Bikini – HU DVD 10337
Beach Party/Bikini Beach – HU DVD 10338
Fireball 500/Thunder Alley – HU DVD 10339
Muscle Beach Party/Ski Party – HU DVD 10340
Volpone – HU DVD 10349
The Four Feathers – HU DVD 10350
Black Moon – HU DVD 10351
The Colors of the Mountain – HU DVD 10359
Cuesta Abajo – HU DVD 10361
The Mansion of Madness – HU DVD 10363
Weekend – HU DVD 10364
Crime After Crime – HU DVD 10365
The Hunchback of Notre Dame – HU DVD 10366
The Sicilian Girl – HU DVD 10367
I Saw the Devil – HU DVD 10369
Mansfield Park – HU DVD 10370
El Vuelco del Cangrejo – HU DVD 10371
Café de Flore – HU DVD 10372
The Italian Job (1969) – HU DVD 10373
The Italian Job (2003) – HU DVD 10374
Taste of Cherry – HU DVD 10375
Monsieur Lazhar – HU DVD 10377
The Last Station – HU DVD 10378
Appaloosa – HU DVD 10379
Lonesome – HU DVD 10380
Tuesday, After Christmas – HU DVD 10381
The Art of Spiegelman – HU DVD 10382
Bergman Island – HU DVD 10383
Wartorn: 1861-2010 – HU DVD 10384
Lord Jim – HU DVD 10385
Weight of the Nation – HU DVD 10386
Guilty Pleasures – HU DVD 10387
My Son John – HU DVD 10388
The Barnes Collection – HU DVD 10389
The Turin Horse – HU DVD 10390
We Were Here – HU DVD 10391
Hands Over the City – HU DVD 10392
Art is… the Permanent Revolution – HU DVD 10393
Dave – HU DVD 10394
King of Kings – HU DVD 10395
Samurai I: Musashi Miyamoto – HU DVD 10396
Samurai II: Duel at Ichijoji Temple – HU DVD 10397
Samurai III: Duel at Ganryu Island – HU DVD 10398
The Lorax – HU DVD 10400
The Lorax – HU BLU 10400
The School for Scandal – HU DVD 10401
I Confess – HU DVD 10402
Raising Victor Vargas – HU DVD 10403
Adam Bede – HU DVD 10404
Daniel Deronda – HU DVD 10405
Middlemarch – HU DVD 10406
Mill on the Floss – HU DVD 10407
Silas Marner: The Weaver of Raveloe – HU DVD 10408
Juan of the Dead – HU DVD 10409
Phil Ochs: There But for Fortune – HU DVD 10410
P.S. I Love You – HU DVD 10411
The Sacred Family – HU DVD 10414
Woman of the Port – HU DVD 10415
Delicacy – HU DVD 10416
Howl – HU DVD 10417
William Wegman’s Alphabet Soup – HU DVD 10418
Up Heartbreak Hill – HU DVD 10419
The Lincoln Lawyer – HU DVD 10420
The Bridge – HU DVD 10421
The Cincinnati Kid – HU DVD 10422
Sisters – HU DVD 10423
Springtime in a Small Town – HU DVD 10424
The American Future – HU DVD 10425
Secretariat – HU DVD 10429
Starship Troopers – HU DVD 10430
Eurovision 2011 – HU DVD 10431
Eurovision 2012 – HU DVD 10432
Lovers of the Arctic Circle – HU DVD 10433
The Alzheimer’s Project – HU DVD 10434
Keyhole – HU DVD 10435
Baby, the Rain Must Fall – HU DVD 10436
The War Lover – HU DVD 10437
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil – HU DVD 10438
The Silent Enemy – HU DVD 10439
Home Movie – HU DVD 10440
Samurai Rebellion – HU DVD 10442
Summer with Monika – HU DVD 10443
Split Estate – HU DVD 10444
Bad Day to Go Fishing – HU DVD 10449
The Ties That Bind – HU DVD 10450
Damned If You Don’t – HU DVD 10451
Sink or Swim – HU DVD 10452
Hide and Seek – HU DVD 10453
The Odds of Recovery – HU DVD 10454

Television:

True Blood: Season 4 – HU DVD 3394
True Blood: Season 4 – HU BLU 3394
Def Poetry: Season 1 – HU DVD 3995
Def Poetry: Season 2 – HU DVD 3996
Def Poetry: Season 3 – HU DVD 3997
Def Poetry: Season 4 – HU DVD 3998
Def Poetry: Season 5 – HU DVD 3999
Def Poetry: Season 6 – HU DVD 4000
Arrested Development: Season 1 – HU DVD 4871
Dexter: Season 6 – HU DVD 6636
Sherlock: Season 2 – HU DVD 7957
Boardwalk Empire: Season 2 – HU DVD 9422
Da Ali G Show: Season 1 – HU DVD 10333
Da Ali G Show: Season 2 – HU DVD 10334
Shinchan: Season 1 – HU DVD 10346
The Bob Newhart Show: Season 1 – HU DVD 10347
Homeland: Season 1 – HU DVD 10348
The Big Bang Theory: Season 1 – HU DVD 10352
Mondovino: The Series – HU DVD 10353
The Brady Bunch: Season 1 – HU DVD 10354
Bored to Death: Season 1 – HU DVD 10355
The Borgias: Season 1 – HU DVD 10356
That 70s Show: Season 1 – HU DVD 10357
The Staircase – HU DVD 10358
Adventure Time: Season 1 – HU DVD 10399
Roseanne: Season 1 – HU DVD 10441

In-Library Titles:

The Philosopher Kings – DVD 6640
Phir Milenge – DVD 6641
Le Premier Venu – DVD 6644
College Visit… of Destruction! – DVD 10246
Zoot Suit Riots – DVD 10277
Call of Life – DVD 10345
Race to Nowhere – DVD 10360
Osuofia in London – DVD 10362
The Last Mistress – DVD 10376
Courage of the People – DVD 10412
The Vigil – DVD 10427
My Village, My Lobster – DVD 10428
Paul Robeson: Icon – DVD 10445
Paul Robeson: Outsider – DVD 10446
Paul Robeson: Pioneer – DVD 10447
Paul Robeson: Citizen of the World – DVD 10448

Music Library:

There’s No Business Like Show Business – MUSIC LIBRARY DVD 281
The Unsinkable Molly Brown – MUSIC LIBRARY DVD 282
Alberta Hunter: My Castle’s Rockin’ – MUSIC LIBRARY DVD 283
Jailhouse Rock – MUSIC LIBRARY DVD 284
Flying Down to Rio – MUSIC LIBRARY DVD 285
Roberta – MUSIC LIBRARY DVD 286
Follow the Fleet – MUSIC LIBRARY DVD 287
The Story of Vernon and Irene Castle – MUSIC LIBRARY DVD 288
The Curious Case of Benjamin Button (opera) – MUSIC LIBRARY DVD 289
Daddy Long Legs – MUSIC LIBRARY DVD 290
Carousel – MUSIC LIBRARY DVD 291
On the Avenue – MUSIC LIBRARY DVD 292
Call Me Madam – MUSIC LIBRARY DVD 293
Take Me Out to the Ball Game – MUSIC LIBRARY DVD 294
Alexander’s Ragtime Band – MUSIC LIBRARY DVD 295
Ray – MUSIC LIBRARY DVD 296

Pinterest highlight: Horror movies

Time for some first-person editorializing for a second: I absolutely love Halloween. Sure, you have all your other seasonal holidays about togetherness, family, and patriotism, but Halloween celebrates fear. Can’t beat that. I only bring this up because patrons at Media Services seem to love Halloween too. We’re still two weeks out from the spookiest … Continue reading “Pinterest highlight: Horror movies”

Time for some first-person editorializing for a second: I absolutely love Halloween. Sure, you have all your other seasonal holidays about togetherness, family, and patriotism, but Halloween celebrates fear. Can’t beat that.

I only bring this up because patrons at Media Services seem to love Halloween too. We’re still two weeks out from the spookiest of nights, and our horror movie collection is already starting to leave the shelves. Given the absolute glut of horror films out here, it can be hard to figure out what’s out there beyond the classics.

As it turns out, we have about 160 great horror movies available for you to take out of the library. Check out our Horror pinboard on Pinterest for a visual guide to our horror collection. Halloween is old hat at this point. Are you ready to take on Hausu?

Ben Affleck the latest in a line of actors-turned-directors

The Iranian hostage crisis drama Argo, directed by Ben Affleck, opened in theaters this weekend to strong reviews. Though it’s not Ben Affleck’s first time behind the camera, its success and acclaim make a good case that Affleck is serious about this whole directing thing. Affleck, Clint Eastwood, and George Clooney are among the names … Continue reading “Ben Affleck the latest in a line of actors-turned-directors”

The Iranian hostage crisis drama Argo, directed by Ben Affleck, opened in theaters this weekend to strong reviews. Though it’s not Ben Affleck’s first time behind the camera, its success and acclaim make a good case that Affleck is serious about this whole directing thing.

Affleck, Clint Eastwood, and George Clooney are among the names that come to mind when you think of current actors turned directors, but the transition to the director’s chair has a storied history. Entertainment Weekly compiled a great list of actors who later directed films — or did both at the same time. There are a few surprises (Peter Berg was an actor?) and a couple that wouldn’t immediately come to mind.

Time will tell if Ben Affleck enters the same esteem as Orson Welles, but this list invites some fun comparisons. It might be the only place where Ed Wood is compared with Kenneth Branagh.

Media Services Recommends…: New Media Center

The Media Services staff frequently gets asked for recommendations. In an effort to help patrons make good choices, we’re posting lists of our favorite movies! These recommendations are from the New Media Center staff. JoannaWhen Harry Met Sally – HU DVD 4936 (500) Days of Summer – HU DVD 657950 First Dates – HU DVD … Continue reading “Media Services Recommends…: New Media Center”

The Media Services staff frequently gets asked for recommendations. In an effort to help patrons make good choices, we’re posting lists of our favorite movies!
These recommendations are from the New Media Center staff.

Joanna
When Harry Met Sally – HU DVD 4936
(500) Days of Summer – HU DVD 6579
50 First Dates – HU DVD 7518
The Artist – HU DVD 10193

Adam
Audition – HU DVD 397
Spirited Away – HU DVD 586
Festen (The Celebration) – HU DVD 888
RoboCop – DVD 8164
Forgetting Sarah Marshall – HU DVD 8701

Yi
The War Room – HU DVD 1013
Dont Look Back – HU DVD 2281
Last Train Home – DVD 8117
Please Vote For Me – DVD 9597

Francesca
Moulin Rouge – HU DVD 297
V for Vendetta – HU DVD 5558

Di
M – HU DVD 56
Rear Window – HU DVD 368*
Red Sorghum – HU DVD 5405
Léon – HU DVD 9134
In the Mood for Love – HU DVD 1520

New film journal uses architecture as an angle

Le mépris by Jean-Luc Godard Not to suggest that film criticism has become rote or stale, but you don’t often get a genuinely fresh perspective. That’s why the new monthly film journal Interiors Journal is so exciting. The folks at Interiors, who apparently have academic backgrounds in both film and architecture, examine specific scenes from … Continue reading “New film journal uses architecture as an angle”

Le mépris by Jean-Luc Godard

Not to suggest that film criticism has become rote or stale, but you don’t often get a genuinely fresh perspective. That’s why the new monthly film journal Interiors Journal is so exciting. The folks at Interiors, who apparently have academic backgrounds in both film and architecture, examine specific scenes from movies and discuss how their use of physical space and architectural design influence the story.

The June issue, for example, examines the cryptic final scene from 2001: A Space Odyssey and reflect on how the classical architectural style and multiple perspectives complement the idea of non-linear time. That sounds like a mouthful, but it makes for a compelling read. Each issue also includes diagrams of the scenes in question, adding a new literal perspective to the scenes as well.

Follow Interiors Journal on Facebook for updates on their next issues. A new one will be out on October 15th!

Happy Leif Ericson Day!

Today is Leif Ericson Day, a day to celebrate the real first explorer to reach North America (take that, yesterday’s holiday!). Leif Ericson Day has been an officially proclaimed holiday since 1964; it’s difficult to tell if its popularity is sudden or if we’re just now noticing that people have already been celebrating it. In … Continue reading “Happy Leif Ericson Day!”

Today is Leif Ericson Day, a day to celebrate the real first explorer to reach North America (take that, yesterday’s holiday!). Leif Ericson Day has been an officially proclaimed holiday since 1964; it’s difficult to tell if its popularity is sudden or if we’re just now noticing that people have already been celebrating it.

In any case, as per the president’s orders, today is a day to honor our country’s Norwegian heritage. Here’s some selections of Norwegian films in our collection, as well as educational videos about the history of Norway and their expedition to North America.

From Norway:

Come – HU DVD 833
Kitchen Stories – HU DVD 3410
Reprise – HU DVD 6560
Dead Snow – HU DVD 7972

About Norway:

Edvard Munch – HU DVD 1912
Christopher Columbus: Explorer of the New World – Streaming video
Go West, Young Man – Streaming video
How Do They Do It In Norway? – Streaming video
Norway – Streaming video
Norway in Revolt – Streaming video
Romans, Saxons, Vikings – Streaming video
The Vikings – Streaming video

Or, you can always watch the Spongebob SquarePants episode about Leif Ericson Day (Bubble Buddy, HU DVD 8454).

New documentary reveals Bergman’s love for Ghostbusters

Before he died, legendary director Ingmar Bergman had acquired over 80,000 videocassettes, disposing ones he didn’t care for and keeping about 1,700 of them. That’s quite the collection, especially when you consider that the ones he kept are among the roughly 2% of films that Bergman decided were worth keeping. It might surprise you that … Continue reading “New documentary reveals Bergman’s love for Ghostbusters”

Before he died, legendary director Ingmar Bergman had acquired over 80,000 videocassettes, disposing ones he didn’t care for and keeping about 1,700 of them. That’s quite the collection, especially when you consider that the ones he kept are among the roughly 2% of films that Bergman decided were worth keeping.

It might surprise you that those movies included The Blues Brothers, Die Hard, and Ghostbusters.

Two Swedish filmmakers are producing Bergman’s Video, a documentary series that explores the themes in Bergman’s video collection. You would expect that his collections would include French New Wave and other important pieces of film, but… maybe not Romancing the Stone and Jurassic Park.

The point being: if Bergman, the director of The Seventh Seal, can enjoy Ghostbusters, then you have no reason to feel guilty about loving cheesy, crappy movies.

Ken Loach opens personal archives

Here’s a tantalizing story for fans of bonus material: filmmaker Ken Loach is publishing his personal archives of notes, scripts, research, and other materials through the British Film Insitute. Loach was awarded the Palme d’Or in 2006 for his film The Wind that Shakes the Barley and has received repute for his use of socialist … Continue reading “Ken Loach opens personal archives”

Here’s a tantalizing story for fans of bonus material: filmmaker Ken Loach is publishing his personal archives of notes, scripts, research, and other materials through the British Film Insitute. Loach was awarded the Palme d’Or in 2006 for his film The Wind that Shakes the Barley and has received repute for his use of socialist themes. It will certainly be interesting to take a look behind his filmmaking process when the archives are opened over the new few weeks.

One great example that’s already been released comes from his production of Poor Cow. You wouldn’t expect a call sheet to be that interesting, but the one posted by the BFI includes a cryptic poem about the film’s crew in the footer. Who knows what other mood-setting tidbits are there for future film scholars to pick apart?

If you don’t know Ken Loach, now is the time to start knowing. Watch some of his movies at Media Services:

Sweet Sixteen – HU DVD 1133
United Kingdom – DVD 1329
Bread and Roses – HU DVD 2619
The Navigators – HU DVD 2653
The Wind the Shakes the Barley – HU DVD 3374
Happy Ending – DVD 4320
Kes – HU DVD 8370
Ae Fond Kiss… – HU DVD 8803
Land and Freedom – DVD 9048

James Bond screen tests reveal what might have been

The good folks at Retronaut have once again unearthed some rarely seen behind-the-scenes photos from the set of an iconic movie. Retronaut previously brought us some entertaining pictures of Frankenstein in repose. This time, they found a series of photos from the auditions to replace Sean Connery as James Bond in 1967. There’s at least … Continue reading “James Bond screen tests reveal what might have been”

The good folks at Retronaut have once again unearthed some rarely seen behind-the-scenes photos from the set of an iconic movie. Retronaut previously brought us some entertaining pictures of Frankenstein in repose. This time, they found a series of photos from the auditions to replace Sean Connery as James Bond in 1967. There’s at least one familiar face in the bunch: George Lazenby, who played James Bond in On Her Majesty’s Secret Service, is featured in the top five.

The best part is seeing what scenes they used to test each actor. Of course they have the requisite dramatic poses (see right), but it’s telling that most of those scenes involve him smoking, fighting, or sharing a moment with a female companion in various states of undress.

Media Services has a small selection of James Bond movies. While George Lazenby isn’t part of it, you still catch some of the original Sean Connery movies:

Dr. No – HU DVD 4994
From Russia with Love – HU DVD 5018
Goldfinger – HU DVD 4995
Thunderball – HU DVD 4996

Media Services Recommends…: Desk Staff

The Media Services staff frequently gets asked for recommendations. In an effort to help patrons make good choices, we’re posting lists of our favorite movies! These recommendations are from the part-time Media Services desk staff. AnastasiaThe General – HU DVD 34The Fall – HU DVD 4716The Constant Gardener – HU DVD 1739Kiss Kiss Bang Bang … Continue reading “Media Services Recommends…: Desk Staff”

The Media Services staff frequently gets asked for recommendations. In an effort to help patrons make good choices, we’re posting lists of our favorite movies!
These recommendations are from the part-time Media Services desk staff.

Anastasia
The General – HU DVD 34
The Fall – HU DVD 4716
The Constant Gardener – HU DVD 1739
Kiss Kiss Bang Bang – HU DVD 6736
Moon – HU DVD 7213
Stardust – HU DVD 3598

Will
The Vanishing (Spoorloos) – HU DVD 7200
Pan’s Labyrinth – HU DVD 2770
Vampire’s Kiss – HU DVD 6548
The Elephant Man – HU DVD 1535
Fantastic Mr. Fox – HU DVD 7046
Bad Santa – HU DVD 4355

Anthony
Adventureland – HU DVD 6464
Altered States – HU DVD 6510
Halloween – HU DVD 419
Seven Samurai – HU DVD 13
2001: A Space Odyssey – HU DVD 1817

Libby
Young Adult – HU DVD 4318
In the Loop – HU DVD 7060
Hot Fuzz – HU DVD 3984
Thelma & Louise – HU DVD 1169
Amelie – HU DVD 401

Micah
Conversations with Other Women – HU DVD 3607
The Princess Bride – HU DVD 2817
Cool Hand Luke – HU DVD 2178
Jeremiah Johnson – HU DVD 7647
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid – HU DVD 2177

Eliza
The Truman Show – HU DVD 290
Grosse Pointe Blank – HU DVD 7068
Say Anything – HU DVD 3580
American History X – HU DVD 1132*
Gladiator – HU DVD 1424*