Tag: timely things

For our Metroless day: public transit videos from our collection

In an unprecedented move, the entire Metro system is closed today. Whether or not this was the right choice, it means that DC is spending the day without its main form of public transit. There isn’t a documentary about the DC Metro (as far as we know) so we’ve gathered together three timely media items … Continue reading “For our Metroless day: public transit videos from our collection”

In an unprecedented move, the entire Metro system is closed today. Whether or not this was the right choice, it means that DC is spending the day without its main form of public transit. There isn’t a documentary about the DC Metro (as far as we know) so we’ve gathered together three timely media items about this unusual transportation problem.

Firstly and perhaps most seriously, you can stream Subway City, a documentary about all the people who pass through New York’s underground rail system. It’s not just about the commuters who use it to get to work but “those who work there, those who live there, and those who commit crimes there.” Infrastructure on the scale of a subway system changes a city, and this film is a neat peek at what that cultural indentation looks like. (And today, you’re seeing what happens when that system disappears.)

Next, for a bit of a laugh, the old newsreel Futuristic Transportation Needs (also streaming) features brief clips of vehicles meant to be the future of transport that missed the mark by a mile. Our favorite is the Aérotrain, the giant Flash Gordon-looking hovertrain pictured above.

And just for good measure, we also have a copy of the How I Met Your Mother episode Subway Wars (HU DVD 11576, Disc 1) in which the main characters try to out-race each other using whatever transportation they can find. The subway-riders don’t win, though mostly because of an emotional forfeit.

The Metro may be increasingly dangerous, but be glad that you don’t have to ride the Aérotrain. Hopefully we’re back to normal tomororw

Alternative programming: Vote if you can

Today is Super Tuesday, arguably the biggest day in the presidential primaries that could solidify each party’s candidates for November. Like everyone else, we’ll be watching the results as they trickle in tonight, and although we expect plenty of discussion about who did and didn’t drive the vote in each state, we probably won’t hear … Continue reading “Alternative programming: Vote if you can”

Today is Super Tuesday, arguably the biggest day in the presidential primaries that could solidify each party’s candidates for November. Like everyone else, we’ll be watching the results as they trickle in tonight, and although we expect plenty of discussion about who did and didn’t drive the vote in each state, we probably won’t hear much about who couldn’t vote. Around the county, voter ID laws intended to prevent fraud continue to obstruct the ability to vote, especially along racial and class divides. Regardless of the perceived benefits of such laws, that’s a big problem.

Up until a court ruling last October partially overturned them, Super Tuesday state Texas had some of the strictest voting restriction laws in the country. In 2014, Bill Moyers covered the Texas law and the suppressive effects of voter ID laws on his syndicated PBS show in the episode “The Fight-and the Right-to Vote.” Moyers elaborates on these problems with help from a member of the NAACP’s Legal Defense and Education Fund and a writer for The Nation.

We’ll no doubt hear all about campaign momentum tonight, but the people who don’t get a voice in this process – by accident or by design – need a moment too. Thanks to Films On Demand for making this segment available streaming through the AU Library.

Top 5: Romantic movies for the disaffected

Valentine’s Day is an arbitrary holiday designed to exploit relationship insecurities to prop up the floral and greeting card industries… so let’s try to undermine the holiday while still celebrating it. Yay, it’s Valentine’s Day on Sunday! Romantic comedies tend to tell milquetoast, often sociopathic stories based in Hollywood ideas romance; you can find plenty … Continue reading “Top 5: Romantic movies for the disaffected”

Valentine’s Day is an arbitrary holiday designed to exploit relationship insecurities to prop up the floral and greeting card industries… so let’s try to undermine the holiday while still celebrating it. Yay, it’s Valentine’s Day on Sunday!

Romantic comedies tend to tell milquetoast, often sociopathic stories based in Hollywood ideas romance; you can find plenty of them on our Romance Pinterest board. A few dare to go someplace weirder, darker, or less satisfying than the typical meet-cute story, and we’d like to highlight five standout examples. We briefly considered featuring some more nihilistic movies like Blue Valentine or Lars von Trier’s Antichrist and Nymphomaniac, but we’re sticking with the ones you could still honestly call romantic comedies.

Paul Thomas Anderson’s collaboration with Adam Sandler famously gave the Grown Ups star a place to show his acting range beyond his usual man-child roles. The central romance story is equally sweet and unsettling, involving extortion from a phone sex line and pudding-related airline scam.

Not many romantic comedies deal with death to the gleeful extent of Harold and Maude. Young Harold’s obsession with death and repeated mock suicides drives him into the arms of an elderly woman who helps him appreciate life. Critics derided the movie on its release for its overwhelmingly dark humor.

Her staged a love story between a lonely man and an artificial intelligence. Lars and the Real Girl has Ryan Gosling romancing a sex doll. Though similar to Her in its outline, this is a decidedly sillier film but no less sentimental about the concept of love.

A film about a man in the doldrums of his career reconnecting with an old fling at a high school reunion sounds like old hat, but John Cusack’s protagonist is a hitman. This is by far one of the most violent romance movies ever filmed; it all builds to a blood-soaked subversion of the typical proposal scene at the ending.

We have to spoil this one: Celeste and Jesse divorce, and by the end, they have overcome their discomfort and amicably separate. It’s extremely easy to mine failed relationships for endless will-they-won’t-they tension (let’s throw shade at How I Met Your Mother for this). In Celeste and Jesse Forever, the filmmakers are more honest about what would happen.

Our streaming video partners celebrate the less-known corners of Black History Month

Our friends at Kanopy and Docuseek2 provide access to some great documentaries, often ones with a socially conscious perspective. In time for Black History Month, both companies have collections dedicated to the American black experience – and they’re stories you probably haven’t heard before. First up is Kanopy’s African American History collection, a group of … Continue reading “Our streaming video partners celebrate the less-known corners of Black History Month”

Our friends at Kanopy and Docuseek2 provide access to some great documentaries, often ones with a socially conscious perspective. In time for Black History Month, both companies have collections dedicated to the American black experience – and they’re stories you probably haven’t heard before.

First up is Kanopy’s African American History collection, a group of 14 films often about contemporary issues at the intersection of race, class, and culture. There are a number about history too: of particular interest is The Barber of Birmingham, a documentary about a barbershop owner who was a lifelong civil rights activist and held the American flag during the Selma march.

Docuseek2 also has a Black History Month playlist, which has a much stronger historical bent and focuses on undertold black history. The most exciting-sounding is Finally Got the News, a film about Detroit’s League of Revolutionary Black Workers from the 1960s.

Both these sites supply AU with some terrific documentaries, and you owe it to yourself to watch at least one of their Black History Month selections. We’re especially thankful that they turned their spotlight to parts of African-American history that are often overlooked.

Bill Clinton watched Groundhog Day while in office – and lots of comedies, oddly

Today is America’s favorite non-holiday that we’re all still obligated to talk about: Groundhog Day! The classic Bill Murray movie with that name came out 23 years ago this month and almost immediately had its fans – including, apparently, Bill Clinton. That’s a clumsy topical segue into a new list from Gizmodo’s Matt Novak of … Continue reading “Bill Clinton watched Groundhog Day while in office – and lots of comedies, oddly”

Today is America’s favorite non-holiday that we’re all still obligated to talk about: Groundhog Day! The classic Bill Murray movie with that name came out 23 years ago this month and almost immediately had its fans – including, apparently, Bill Clinton.

That’s a clumsy topical segue into a new list from Gizmodo’s Matt Novak of every film Clinton watched while he was president. Novak previously rifled through public records for a list of everything Jimmy Carter watched, and Clinton’s history is even more fascinating for its variety.

Groundhog Day was one of the first films Clinton watched after his inauguration in 1993, which set the tone for the hundreds of movies that followed. Where Carter’s movie selections were defined by New Hollywood classics like The Godfather, Clinton watched far more new-release action movies and comedies. It just makes a lot of sense to read that he watched Demolition Man, Deep Impact, The Big Lebowski, Fight Club, and the third Naked Gun movie.

Novak argues that this surprisinglye exciting list might reflect that Clinton used the White House theater for entertaining visitors rather than his tastes. We chose to believe Bill Clinton was a Bill Murray fan.

Snow approaches! Lock yourself in with the best movie blizzards

via Giphy Yes, a massive snowstorm will hit DC in about 24 hours. It will be big, possibly as large as if not larger than the Snowmageddon storm that locked down DC for a week in 2010 and caused some substantial damage on campus. If this is anywhere as bad as the experts predict, prepare … Continue reading “Snow approaches! Lock yourself in with the best movie blizzards”

via Giphy

Yes, a massive snowstorm will hit DC in about 24 hours. It will be big, possibly as large as if not larger than the Snowmageddon storm that locked down DC for a week in 2010 and caused some substantial damage on campus. If this is anywhere as bad as the experts predict, prepare to be locked in for a while.

If you plan to hunker in with your TV over the course of the storm, we recommend going for the absolute snowiest possible movies. Maybe you don’t want to be reminded of what’s happening outside, but arguably, there’s no better timing for watching a film about totally oppressive weather.

For your consideration, we suggest the following cold, cold, classics. Stay safe and warm.

  • Die Hard 2: Die Harder – HU DVD 446
    Though there’s less snow in this one than others, a movie where a snowstorm delays flights at Dulles Airport is too real.
  • The Thing – HU DVD 1410
    Want to feel grateful about being snowed in? At least you’re not trapped inside with a shapeshifting monster that makes the Antarctic look pleasant by comparison.
  • The Shining – HU DVD 2168
    Even if something otherworldly was involved, The Shining is still the all-time best argument in favor of mental health check-ins during cabin fever.
  • Groundhog Day – HU DVD 2325
    A blizzard traps meteorologist Phil Connors in small-town Pennsylvania, and in an example we all should follow, his crew eventually gives up on trying to travel. 
  • Fargo – HU DVD 2393
    Long, beautiful shots of snowy rural expanse make this one of the all-time greatest, coldest films. (It’s great for other reasons too.)
  • Dead Snow – HU DVD 7972
    Nazi zombies are unlikely in DC this weekend, but this Norwegian horror movie should scare anyone from wanting to head outside.
  • Snowpiercer – HU DVD 11486
    Extreme global cold has become borderline weaponized by the elite in this recent sci-fi hit. Brace yourself when an arm is stuck out the window.
  • The Day After Tomorrow – HU DVD 12586
    New York completely freezes over, and Jake Gyllenhaal becomes trapped in the library. We wouldn’t know anything about that…

25 years ago, an Islamophobic film dented the public imagination

On this week in 1991, MGM released Not Without My Daughter, a drama film about a woman and her daughter held captive in Iran. It was hacky, received poor reviews, and generally flopped. It also carried the unusual, regrettable status as being one of the only American films about Iran at the time. For years, … Continue reading “25 years ago, an Islamophobic film dented the public imagination”

On this week in 1991, MGM released Not Without My Daughter, a drama film about a woman and her daughter held captive in Iran. It was hacky, received poor reviews, and generally flopped. It also carried the unusual, regrettable status as being one of the only American films about Iran at the time. For years, it served as one of the few contemporary pop culture depictions of Islam and the Middle East, and as Vulture tells it, that’s an bad legacy.

In the film, an Iranian man effectively imprisons his American family in Iran after rediscovering his Islamic faith. Vulture‘s retrospective goes into the constant harmful portrayal of all these elements, from the vilification of Muslim men to the staging of Iran as an dark place. More troubling is the long-lasting impact of these depictions: reportedly, the film was been regularly shown in schools across the county as a cautionary tale about Iran – and was once even intentionally aired on television before a major soccer match against Iran to fire people up.

Gazelle Emami’s article is a potent example of the ripple effect that even seemingly throwaway media can have on our beliefs and ideology. By all accounts, Not Without My Daughter is a forgettable, low-quality movie. But for a while, its charged representation of Iran and Islam was the only representation of Iran and Islam, and that influenced the public’s perception.

Not Without My Daughter is available from our collection if you want to see it for yourself (HU DVD 2183). As an alternative, we recommend watching an expression of Iran from Iran itself, like the Academy Award-winning film A Separation (HU DVD 10336).

Alternative programming: Why run when you can ride?

Tonight is the library’s annual Final Perk study boost event, this year rechristened as the marathon-themed Final Lap. That’s a great metaphor, but we’ll admit that this is a difficult topic for our collection. Frankly, not many running or track movies exist, almost all of them besides Forrest Gump are about the Olympics or Steve … Continue reading “Alternative programming: Why run when you can ride?”

Tonight is the library’s annual Final Perk study boost event, this year rechristened as the marathon-themed Final Lap. That’s a great metaphor, but we’ll admit that this is a difficult topic for our collection. Frankly, not many running or track movies exist, almost all of them besides Forrest Gump are about the Olympics or Steve Prefontaine. How are we gonna come up with a tie-in for that?!

We want to recommend something lighter to help push you through finals. To riff loosely on the racing theme, our recommendation is Breaking Away (HU DVD 5172), a coming-of-age movie that has surprisingly fallen out of popularity despite an Oscar win and critical accolades.

The film tells the story of a group of high school graduates who join a university cycling race and – no surprises – stand up against the competition. Beyond from the big race scenes (which gadget site Stuff called “the best fictional road-bike action ever committed to film”), Breaking Away has the same triumphing-against-adversity, finish-line-crossing-ery spirit as tonight’s study break.

You deserve a treat. Breaking Away is here and thematically appropriate. Grab it!

Farewell (again?) to Betamax

It’s the end of an era that we thought had already ended. After nearly three decades of stubborn persistence, Sony has finally chosen to discontinue the Betamax videotape. For those who missed out on the 80s, Betamax tapes were the main rival for VHSes before it was clear which videocassette format would be most popular. … Continue reading “Farewell (again?) to Betamax”

It’s the end of an era that we thought had already ended. After nearly three decades of stubborn persistence, Sony has finally chosen to discontinue the Betamax videotape.

For those who missed out on the 80s, Betamax tapes were the main rival for VHSes before it was clear which videocassette format would be most popular. Betamax tapes had some clear benefits – compact size and higher image quality – but VHSes cost less to produce and attracted more publishers. (As legend tells, adult entertainment helped drive the sale of VHS machines more than Hollywood movies.) Although Betamax tapes lost the battle, they continued to find use as a recording format for professional film production. But it’s unclear why Sony was still manufacturing them… or who was using them.

With the advent of streaming platforms that now almost universally work in browsers and on nearly an electronic device, it seems that we’ll never have another “format war” as intense as what Betamax wrought. Device manufacturers and publishers will always fight over who gets the most popular content, but there’s no longer a question of whether one of two whole mediums will become the global standard.

As anyone still setting on their pricey Betamax collection can attest, that’s for the best.

Brave Wired blogger binges the entire Bond series for your benefit (and amusement)

From Moonraker, one of the Bond movies on the “Nah” list James Bond’s latest adventure, Spectre, hits theaters tomorrow. Reception on this one is decidedly mixed (Daniel Craig’s Bond seems to get it right every other movie), but it will no doubt be a box office sensation here as it has been in the United … Continue reading “Brave Wired blogger binges the entire Bond series for your benefit (and amusement)”

From Moonraker, one of the Bond movies on the “Nah” list

James Bond’s latest adventure, Spectre, hits theaters tomorrow. Reception on this one is decidedly mixed (Daniel Craig’s Bond seems to get it right every other movie), but it will no doubt be a box office sensation here as it has been in the United Kingdom. Love the Bond movies or not – and there’s plenty of room to talk about the franchise’s sexism – the fact that this is the twenty-fourth film in a fifty-year-old franchise is remarkable and ripe for analysis. How have six different performers treated the role? And over five decades, has the series ever been consistently good?

Wired writer Erik Malinowski tackled the quality question this week in an article breaking down which of the Bond movies work and why. After an apparently 50-hour binge-watching session, Malinowski was able to split the movies roughly in half keepers and half throwaways, with the edge going to the better ones. Much of the article talks about the merits of each individual film, but there’s a recurring pattern: the best Bonds are a little campy, thrilling but not too dark or angry, willing to acknowledge their cultural context, and featuring a strong supporting cast for Bond to play off of.

Malinowski’s run down is of course subjective but makes a good primer if you needed a refresher on less-remembered Bonds before catching Spectre. If the reviews are credible, there’s 14 movies on that list that you might just want to watch instead

(Our collection includes most of the Connery, Brosnan, and Craig films. Ask at our desk to see if they’re available!)