One of the interesting narratives in the film industry this year has been the dearth of heavy-hitting blockbusters. So far, the two highest-grossing movies of the year were released before the summer, and the biggest long-term success has come from 2013’s Frozen. Even with apes, Godzilla, and Transformers wreaking havoc in multiplexes, fewer people are […]
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Top 10: Remakes That You Probably Never Knew Were Remakes
We’re proud of the variety and depth of the Media Services collection. In the interest of bringing you some highlights and deep cuts from our shelves, we’ll be posting unusual and interesting Top 10 lists of some of our favorite DVDs. Last July, pop culture website Den of Geek estimated that at time time, there […]
Continue readingWatch these great Belgian films… tomorrow
In just about an hour, the United States will continue its unlikely World Cup run in a match against Belgium. We normally have nothing against Belgium, which is a perfectly fine country with a rich culture. But for the sake of irrational devotion in the name of an athletic competition, we’re joining the bandwagon of […]
Continue readingNew Acquisitions – June 2014
If the weather for the rest of June is going to be anything like it is now, we’re in for a scorching summer. Do you need a good reason to stay inside right about now? What better way to fight the heat than to curl up on the couch and watch movies until your eyes […]
Continue readingAlternative programming: Extra time with South Africa
Soccer might not be a big sport in the United States, but the World Cup is without a doubt the biggest global athletic event. Media outlets estimate that over 3 billion people will watch the World Cup this year, and it stands a chance of becoming the most watched event in human history. That said, […]
Continue reading25 years later: Reflecting on the Tiananmen Square massacre
Today marks the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Tiananmen Square massacre, one of the most significant events in China’s modern history and the country’s struggle with freedom of speech. More so than any conflict of the Cold War era, the incident at Tiananmen Square owes its iconic status in large part to the powerful images and […]
Continue readingNew Acquisitions – May 2014
Adios, spring semester. Hello, summer! As we wrap up the academic year, the last of our new acquisitions are trickling in. That’s not to say we don’t have some fantastic new items. Among our favorite items are popular Mexican dramedy Instructions Not Included, debauchery anthem The Wolf of Wall Street, acclaimed Danish political series Borgen, […]
Continue readingMusic Library Sez: 20 Feet from Stardom
We have a lot of music-related films and documentaries in our collection. Our friends over at the Music Library love them too, and they occasionally write reviews for their favorites. In our first post in this series, Music Library part-timer Jesse writes about the recent Academy Award-winning documentary 20 Feet from Stardom (HU DVD 11199). […]
Continue readingNew Acquisitions – March 2014
Welcome back from spring break! Since you’ve been gone, we’ve been very busy. The AU Library is now home to many of the year’s biggest award nominees, including Captain Phillips, Blue is the Warmest Color, 12 Years a Slave, Lee Daniel’s The Butler, Prisoners, and Gravity. And if you’re feeling something lighter, we now also […]
Continue readingAlternative programming: the NCAA’s equity problem
As you may have heard, American University’s men’s basketball team beat Boston University yesterday, winning their first Patriot League title in five years and earning a coveted spot in the March Madness tournament bracket. Go Eagles! This is crazy exciting for AU, but let’s step back for a minute. March Madness has become a formidable […]
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