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 […]
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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 readingTop 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 readingOur 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 readingBill 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 readingSnow 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 reading25 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 readingAlternative 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 readingFarewell (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 readingBrave 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 […]
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