Month: February 2014

On The Road With Lynda

Lynda.com has many courses about using your new skills in the real world. These are all taught by professionals in field – like professional photographer and author Ben Long. One of Lynda’s newest courses is Travel Photography: Geologging and Journaling on the Road. Ben Long gives you tips on journaling while you are traveling – … Continue reading “On The Road With Lynda”

Lynda.com has many courses about using your new skills in the real world. These are all taught by professionals in field – like professional photographer and author Ben Long. One of Lynda’s newest courses is Travel Photography: Geologging and Journaling on the Road. Ben Long gives you tips on journaling while you are traveling – including shooting to document your trip, importing GPS data, workflow and tagging. Lynda.com has some other great courses in this series, all produced out in the real world. Travel Photography: Desert Road Trip, Travel Photography: Seaside Road Trip, and Shooting on the Road from Gear to Workflow.

As a current AU student, faculty or staff, you have access to all of Lynda.com’s tutorials and resources. First, go to www.american.edu/lynda and log in with your AU credentials. Enjoy.

What you won’t see at the Oscars this Sunday

We love the Oscars, but we admit that they’re imperfect. With the ceremony only three days away, it’s time to be a little critical. The Academy frequently overlooks specific types of films that, in retrospect, we often consider to be some of the greatest. Comedies, for the most part, are rarely nominated and win even … Continue reading “What you won’t see at the Oscars this Sunday”

We love the Oscars, but we admit that they’re imperfect. With the ceremony only three days away, it’s time to be a little critical. The Academy frequently overlooks specific types of films that, in retrospect, we often consider to be some of the greatest.

Comedies, for the most part, are rarely nominated and win even less frequently. There are countless articles belaboring this point, but we’ll let this summary from The Atlantic do the talking. With the exception of the occasional quirky dramedy, comedy films almost never receive nods for the top awards. Of the nine films nominated for Best Picture this year, only American Hustle and The Wolf of Wall Street could be considered comedies – and that’s pushing the definition. While we would never expect something like The Hangover to go home with Oscar gold, classic comedies including Blazing Saddles, Airplane!, and This is Spinal Tap have all left the Oscars without any recognition. This is arguably the Academy Awards’ greatest repeated oversight.

Relatedly, the Academy also has a habit of overlooking films about youth. This year’s acting snub for Greta Gerwig in Frances Ha is part of a long tradition of ignoring coming-of-age stories. Outside of perhaps The Graduate and American Graffiti, it is difficult to find a single film about young people that the Academy loved; now-legendary director John Hughes was never once nominated for his filmography that includes The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, and Truffaut’s groundbreaking The 400 Blows was not nominated for a Best Foreign Language Film award. Considering how often the Academy tips its hat to out-of-the-way gems like Nebraska, the repeated omission of youth stories is conspicuous.

These are perhaps another indication that the Oscars are never a good indicator of long-term acclaim. Or maybe it’s just easy to be bitter that Mel Brooks only won a single Academy Award.

Who was Oscar? The story of Emilio Fernández

Once again, as the Academy Awards are less than a week away, Oscar fever is reaching a frenzy. This time, we turn our attention to the statuettes themselves. Who was Oscar? Why is he naked and holding a sword? Pop culture radio website Studio 360 recently unearthed the story of the man on which the … Continue reading “Who was Oscar? The story of Emilio Fernández”

Once again, as the Academy Awards are less than a week away, Oscar fever is reaching a frenzy. This time, we turn our attention to the statuettes themselves. Who was Oscar? Why is he naked and holding a sword?

Pop culture radio website Studio 360 recently unearthed the story of the man on which the award is based. His name was Emilio Fernández, and he was a notable Mexican actor whose tumultuous life led him from rebellion during the Mexican Revolution to directing the Cannes-winning María Candelaria. His close work with film star Delores del Río put him in contact with Cedric Gibbons, the artist who designed the Oscar. Fernández modeled for the award, and after the design was sculpted by George Stanley, Fernández’s contribution was largely forgotten.

This doesn’t explain the name Oscar or the sword-wielding nudity, but it is a fascinating story that’s well worth a listen. We look forward to watching the Fernándezes this Sunday!

Harold Ramis: The defining comic voice of the 80s

Harold Ramis unexpectedly and heartbreakingly died this morning at age 69. Though best known as the awkward and orderly Dr. Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters, Harold Ramis is one of the unheralded contributors to some of the most successful and acclaimed comedies of the 1980s. As a writer and director, Harold Ramis played a critical role … Continue reading “Harold Ramis: The defining comic voice of the 80s”

Harold Ramis unexpectedly and heartbreakingly died this morning at age 69. Though best known as the awkward and orderly Dr. Egon Spengler in Ghostbusters, Harold Ramis is one of the unheralded contributors to some of the most successful and acclaimed comedies of the 1980s.

As a writer and director, Harold Ramis played a critical role in the production of Stripes, Meatballs, National Lampoon’s Vacation, Ghostbusters, Caddyshack, Groundhog Day, and Animal House. His films essentially invented the slob-vs.-snob genre, a comedy staple throughout the decade and beyond. Even through the the 90s and 2000s, Harold Ramis helmed famous comedies including Analyse This, The Ice Harvest, and even highly acclaimed episodes of the American version of The Office.

Harold Ramis’s death is more than just a sad note for Ghostbusters fans. It marks the loss of one of the pioneering voices of comedy in modern film. In commemoration of Harold Ramis’s career, we encourage you to check out his greatest films from the library.

Groundhog Day – HU DVD 2325
National Lampoon’s Animal House – HU DVD 4913
Caddyshack – HU DVD 5038
Analyze This / Analyze That – HU DVD 8019
The Ice Harvest – HU DVD 8509
Ghostbusters – HU DVD 8591
Bedazzled – HU DVD 8692

Jason Bateman fan? See Bad Words early this Thursday!

Is February already ending? That was fast. We still have about six days left until March, so there’s plenty of time for exciting events before we close the book on the second month of the year. This week, we have advance passes to see Bad Words, the directorial debut of Arrested Development star Jason Bateman. … Continue reading “Jason Bateman fan? See Bad Words early this Thursday!”

Is February already ending? That was fast. We still have about six days left until March, so there’s plenty of time for exciting events before we close the book on the second month of the year.

This week, we have advance passes to see Bad Words, the directorial debut of Arrested Development star Jason Bateman. In this very R-rated comedy, Bateman plays a school dropout to takes advantage of a loophole to participate in a middle school spelling. Fittingly, the event it sponsored by Urban Dictionary, everyone’s favorite web dictionary of words that we probably should not repeat here.

The screening goes down this Thursday, February 27th, at 7:30pm at the AMC Loews 14 in Georgetown. As with all advance screenings, passes are not guarantees for screening; you are advised to show up early to ensure that you get a seat. Come to Media Services to get your pass!

(This screening had been previously scheduled for two weeks ago but was delayed because of the snow. If you picked up a pass then and did not attend, you have another chance!)

UPDATE: To clarify, passes are only being handed out in-person at the Media Services desk in the AU Library. We’re unfortunately unable to offer digital passes for this event.

Today’s Tom Sawyer Is Learning Online

This is one of the more unusual selections from Lynda.com. Learn sound engineering through a backstage look at the most recent Rush tour. Live Sound Engineering Techniques: On Tour with Rush with Brent Carpenter. I have to believe that there are few audio tasks more challenging than putting on a concert tour with the monsters … Continue reading “Today’s Tom Sawyer Is Learning Online”


This is one of the more unusual selections from Lynda.com. Learn sound engineering through a backstage look at the most recent Rush tour. Live Sound Engineering Techniques: On Tour with Rush with Brent Carpenter. I have to believe that there are few audio tasks more challenging than putting on a concert tour with the monsters of prog rock. Lynda.com has dozens of training courses like this, taught by professionals in the field.

As a current AU student, faculty or staff, you have access to all of Lynda.com’s tutorials and resources. First, go to www.american.edu/lynda and log in with your AU credentials. Enjoy.

We’d like to thank the Academy for this infographic

The Oscars are almost upon us, and with only a little over one week to go (!), the floodgates have opened on Oscar trivia. Every year we find a new batch of unusual award-related studies, like last year’s breakdown of trailer lengths. This year, Slate has analyzed twelve years of actors’ and actresses’ Academy Awards … Continue reading “We’d like to thank the Academy for this infographic”

The Oscars are almost upon us, and with only a little over one week to go (!), the floodgates have opened on Oscar trivia. Every year we find a new batch of unusual award-related studies, like last year’s breakdown of trailer lengths.

This year, Slate has analyzed twelve years of actors’ and actresses’ Academy Awards acceptance speeches and determined who gets thanked the most. Industry organizations, companies, and agents received the most praise, though most nominees immediately thanked the Academy upon receiving their statue. A decent number of winners thanked their role’s namesake, but only one (Javier Bardem) thanked a specific country. It’s a fun breakdown to see who appears most in the Oscar spotlight.

And yes, as the article title mentions, Meryl Streep has been thanked more times than all religious entities. This is what happens when you get nominated every year.

Worried about a snowy Valentine’s Day? Browser our Romance Pinterest!

If you’re paying attention to the local news, you are no doubt aware that a big snowstorm is bearing down on DC, comparable to the last one that hit us. We’ve been burned too many times in the last year to expect this storm to have too significant of an impact, but there’s a chance … Continue reading “Worried about a snowy Valentine’s Day? Browser our Romance Pinterest!”

If you’re paying attention to the local news, you are no doubt aware that a big snowstorm is bearing down on DC, comparable to the last one that hit us. We’ve been burned too many times in the last year to expect this storm to have too significant of an impact, but there’s a chance that you might have a reason to stay in and drink hot chocolate this weekend.

Friday is also Valentine’s Day. You might be left in the cold without anything for your mandatory romantic movie marathon. Take no chances!

For those looking for romance, we’ve assembled a Pinterest page of our best romantic films. Anyone wanting a good movie for this weekend might pursue the obvious choices – Pride and Prejudice, 500 Days of Summer, etc. – but our list contains over 190 films that might strike your interest and spark up the evening. Please be advised that this list also contains non-comedic films about romance: you are advised to read a description for each movie beforehand so you don’t watch Blue Valentine expecting something quirky and zany.

Be sure to come by and pick up a few romantic movies for the weekend just in case you won’t get a chance later.

For everyone else, the remake of RoboCop opens tonight.

Celebrate 50 years of The Beatles with a video retrospective

Sunday marked the 50th anniversary of The Beatles’s appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. It was a landmark moment in pop culture and arguably the start of The Beatles’s legacy as one of the biggest musical acts in history. It would be silly to repeat their accomplishments here, but suffice to say, The Beatles had … Continue reading “Celebrate 50 years of The Beatles with a video retrospective”

Sunday marked the 50th anniversary of The Beatles’s appearance on The Ed Sullivan Show. It was a landmark moment in pop culture and arguably the start of The Beatles’s legacy as one of the biggest musical acts in history. It would be silly to repeat their accomplishments here, but suffice to say, The Beatles had a large impact on global culture.

Though perhaps best known for their music, The Beatles achieved fame on the screen as well. Apart from the four feature films, The Beatles appeared repeatedly in televised performances and inspired documentaries, parodies, and dramatizations. We have a surprisingly large collection of Beatles films and video collections at the AU Library, including a lengthy retrospective of behind-the-scenes footage. It’s all highly worth watching if you can’t get enough of the recent Beatles commemorations.

The U.S. vs. John Lennon – HU DVD 3078
The Hours and Times – HU DVD 4360
The Beatles Anthology – HU DVD 4386
A Hard Day’s Night – HU DVD 5740
Magical Mystery Tour – HU DVD 6663
John Lennon/Plastic Ono Band – HU DVD 6725
Backbeat – HU DVD 6733
The Ed Sullivan Show Featuring The Beatles and Various Other Artists – HU DVD 7339
Help! – HU DVD 8594
Yellow Submarine – HU DVD 8983
The Rutles – HU DVD 10187
George Harrison: Living in the Material World – HU DVD 11076

New Acquisitions – February 2014

It’s been a while, hasn’t it? After a relaxing winter break, we’re back in at full steam with a bounty of great DVDs. Looking for something critically acclaimed? Fruitvale Station, Behind the Candelabra, and Breaking Bad will itch that scratch. Mindless entertainment? Pacific Rim and Man of Steel. Need some AU pride? History professor Peter … Continue reading “New Acquisitions – February 2014”

It’s been a while, hasn’t it? After a relaxing winter break, we’re back in at full steam with a bounty of great DVDs.

Looking for something critically acclaimed? Fruitvale Station, Behind the Candelabra, and Breaking Bad will itch that scratch. Mindless entertainment? Pacific Rim and Man of Steel. Need some AU pride? History professor Peter Kuznick’s Oliver Stone-directed miniseries The Untold History of the United States is now available. Something off the beaten path? We have a documentary about the history and culture of the falafel. Really!

It’s all at the AU Library. Read on for a full list…

Home Use Collection:

Monsters University – HU DVD 1126
Giorgio Moroder presents Metropolis – HU DVD 1284
Little Annie Rooney – HU DVD 3340
Pather Panchali – HU DVD 3751
Aparajito – HU DVD 3752
The World of Apu – HU DVD 3753
City Lights – HU DVD 3801
City Lights – HU BLU 3801
The Pear Tree – HU DVD 3977
Sara – HU DVD 3978
The Children of the USSR – HU DVD 4502
2 Kunilemel – HU DVD 4503
Above the Rim – HU DVD 4504
Fat City – HU DVD 4505
They Were Ten – HU DVD 4506
Frances Ha – HU DVD 4507
Frances Ha – HU BLU 4507
Fatma – HU DVD 4508
Le Joli Mai – HU DVD 4510
James’ Journey to Jerusalem – HU DVD 4511
The Waiting Room – HU DVD 4512
The Waiting Room – HU DVD 4512
Saint Clara – HU DVD 4513
Amazing Grace – HU DVD 4514
A Matter of Size – HU DVD 4515
The Wooden Gun – HU DVD 4516
Arzoo – HU DVD 4517
Lovers in a Dangerous Time – HU DVD 4518
The Ugly American – HU DVD 4519
The Message – HU DVD 4520
The Trojan Horse – HU DVD 4521
Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman – HU DVD 4522
The Bubble – HU DVD 4523
No Longer 17 – HU DVD 4524
Tel Aviv Stories – HU DVD 4531
Jaffa – HU DVD 4532
Schwartz Dynasty – HU DVD 4533
Noa at Seventeen – HU DVD 4534
Life According to Agfa – HU DVD 4535
Desperado Square – HU DVD 4536
My Father My Lord – HU DVD 4537
Stromboli – HU DVD 4610
Role Models – HU DVD 4995
John F. Kennedy: Years of Lightning, Day of Drums – HU DVD 5957
Mad Max: Beyond Thunderdome – HU DVD 6579
Atalia – HU DVD 6701
Kazablan – HU DVD 6702
Poetic Justice – HU DVD 6709
La Mujer de Mi Hermano – HU DVD 6710
Branded to Kill – HU DVD 6712
Pacific Rim – HU DVD 6713
Life is Sweet – HU DVD 6714
Man of Steel – HU DVD 6715
Man of Steel – HU BLU 6715
Kūmāré – HU DVD 6716
CB4, the Movie – HU DVD 6717
For Your Consideration – HU DVD 6718
A Film About Jimi Hendrix – HU DVD 6719
American Experience: War of the Worlds – HU DVD 6720
League of Denial – HU DVD 6721
Peter Pan – HU DVD 8133
Peter Pan – HU BLU 8133
The Clowns – HU DVD 8171
Wuthering Heights – HU DVD 8476
The Way Way Back – HU DVD 8478
Black Dynamite – HU DVD 8479
The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec – HU DVD 8480
The Extraordinary Adventures of Adele Blanc-Sec – HU BLU 8480
Cedars in the Pines – HU DVD 8493
Kret – HU DVD 8494
Husbands – HU DVD 8505
Under Fire – HU DVD 8506
The Makioka Sisters – HU DVD 8507
The Little Shop of Horros – HU DVD 8508
The Ice Harvest – HU DVD 8509
The Women – HU DVD 8510
Woman of the Year – HU DVD 8511
The Adventures of Baron Munchausen – HU DVD 8512
The Snake Pit – HU DVD 8513
The Ladykillers – HU DVD 8514
The Bride Wore Black – HU DVD 8515
Hunger – HU DVD 8516
The Actors: Rare Films of Mary Pickford, Volume 1 – HU DVD 8517
The Blue Dahlia – HU DVD 8520
The Asphalt Jungle – HU DVD 8521
The Great White Hope – HU DVD 8522
Untold History of the United States – HU BLU 8523
Joyless Street – HU DVD 8524
The Thief of Bagdad – HU DVD 8525
Blue Gardenia – HU DVD 8527
Shanghai Express – HU DVD 8528
El Cuerno de la Abundancia – HU DVD 8529
Nine for IX – HU DVD 8530
King of Hearts – HU DVD 8531
Oleanna – HU DVD 8532
Jesse James – HU DVD 8534
Conflict – HU DVD 8535
Road House – HU DVD 8537
The Last of the Mohicans – HU DVD 8538
Possessed – HU DVD 8539
The Children Are Watching Us – HU DVD 8540
The Calamari Wrestler – HU DVD 8851
Rob Roy – HU DVD 8852
Phantom of the Opera – HU DVD 8853
Intruder in the Dust – HU DVD 8854
The Great Santini – HU DVD 8855
Maurice – HU DVD 8856
The Executioner’s Song – HU DVD 8857
Stargate – HU DVD 8858
Twelve O’Clock High – HU DVD 8859
The Endurance – HU DVD 8860
Awakenings – HU DVD 8861
The We and the I – HU DVD 8862
Scandal, Season 1 – HU DVD 8863
A Midwinter’s Tale – HU DVD 8864
Underground: The Julian Assange Story – HU DVD 8865
True Crime – HU DVD 8866
The Bishop’s Wife – HU DVD 8867
Sweet Liberty – HU DVD 8868
White Nights – HU DVD 8869
The Acid House – HU DVD 8870
West of Memphis – HU DVD 8871
Abraham Lincoln – HU DVD 8872
The Law – HU DVD 8873
Matinee – HU DVD 8874
Girl 6 – HU DVD 8875
Superman: The Ultimate Max Fleischer Cartoon Collection – HU DVD 8876
I Married a Witch – HU DVD 8877
Dreams – HU DVD 8878
City That Never Sleeps – HU DVD 8879
Miss Evers’ Boys – HU DVD 8880
La Bete Hêmaine – HU DVD 8881
Mo’ Better Blues – HU DVD 8882
Song of the Exile – HU DVD 8883
Hamlet – HU DVD 8885
The Misfits – HU DVD 8886
La Casa Vieja – HU DVD 8887
Mañana – HU DVD 8889
Lisanka – HU DVD 8890
Moon Over Miami  – HU DVD 8891
Juice – HU DVD 8892
Blackfish – HU DVD 8893
The Breaking Point – HU DVD 8894
Spaceballs – HU DVD 8895
Speciesism: The Movie – HU DVD 9014
Bagdad Cafe – HU DVD 9015
Marital Games – HU DVD 9016
The Longest Yard – HU DVD 9017
Hannah Arendt – HU DVD 9018
Call Me Kuchu – HU DVD 9019
Brain Games – HU DVD 9125
The Home and the World – HU DVD 9943
Enemy of the People – HU DVD 9944
The Stranger – HU DVD 9945
Behind the Candelabra – HU DVD 11068
I’m Gonna Git You Sucka – HU DVD 11070
The Beast of the City – HU DVD 11071
The Flowers of War – HU DVD 11072
Inside Out – HU DVD 11074
George Harrison: Living in the Material World – HU DVD 11076
Boomerang – HU DVD 11077
Inequality for All – HU DVD 11078
Goldfinger – HU DVD 11079
Diamonds are Forever – HU DVD 11080
Man with the Golden Gun – HU DVD 11081
The Living Daylights – HU DVD 11082
The World is not Enough – HU DVD 11083
Maid in Manhattan – HU DVD 11084
Leviathan – HU DVD 11087
Stuck on You – HU DVD 11090
Monster House – HU DVD 11091
Night Moves – HU DVD 11092
The Road to Jenin – HU DVD 11093
Speak the Music: Robert Mann and the Mysteries of Chamber – HU DVD 11094
Michael Jackson: Video Greatest Hits – HU DVD 11095
She Done Him Wrong – HU DVD 11096
Valentin – HU DVD 11097
Paradise: Faith – HU DVD 11098
Beauty is Embarrassing – HU DVD 11099
Bridegroom – HU DVD 11100
Byzantium – HU DVD 11101
Museum Hours – HU DVD 11102
Knife Fight – HU DVD 11103
Logan’s Run – HU DVD 11104
Robot & Frank – HU DVD 11105
Marius and Jeannette – HU DVD 11106
Nollywood Babylon – HU DVD 11107
Blue Caprice – HU DVD 11109
Enough Said – HU DVD 11110
American Justice: Why O. J. Simpson Won – HU DVD 11111
Plan 9 from Outer Space – HU DVD 11112
Gasland, Part II – HU DVD 11113
Latcho Drom – HU DVD 11114
Quartet – HU DVD 11115
To the Wonder – HU DVD 11116
Inch’ Allah – HU DVD 11117
Octubre a Paris – HU DVD 11123
Taxi – HU DVD 11124
Fruitvale Station – HU DVD 11125
Le Capital – HU DVD 11127
Green Fields: The True Meaning of Flag and Family – HU DVD 11128
Khalnayak – HU DVD 11130
Yamina Benguigui – HU DVD 11132
The Sport Psychologist’s Role At The Olympic Games: Mental Challenges for The Olympian – HU DVD 11133
The Shaman and Ayahuasca – HU DVD 11134
Life is a Carnival – HU DVD 11135
Sangam – HU DVD 11136
Breaking Bad The Final Season – HU DVD 14063
Treme: The Complete Third Season – HU DVD 14143

In-Library Titles:

Atash – DVD 6707
Les Bas-Fonds – DVD 4509
The Waiting Room – DVD 4512
Green Fields – DVD 4525
Late Marriage – DVD 4530
Out of Print – DVD 6064
God’s Neighbors – DVD 6704
House on Chelouche Street – DVD 6705
The Black Man’s Land Trilogy – DVD 6706
Sh’chur – DVD 6708
Lancelot du Lac – DVD 6711
The Legend of Cool “Disco” Dan – DVD 7794
Not Quite White – DVD 8490
Weapons of the Spirit – DVD 8888
Falafelism – DVD 9012
The Act of Killing – DVD 11069
Inequality for All – DVD 11078
Rojo Amanecer – DVD 11085
Dead End – DVD 11086
The Wild One – DVD 11088
You Are There – DVD 11120
The Girls of Today – DVD 11129

Music Library Titles:

From Mao to Mozart – MUSIC LIBRARY DVD 75
In Search of Blind Joe Death: The Saga of John Fahey – MUSIC LIBRARY DVD 77