Blog Post
Where is Brazil?
by breuter
According to legendary filmmaker Terry Gilliam, Brazil is less a place than a state-of-mind. This 3-disc Criterion Collection DVD offers both cuts of the film. Also featured is the astonishing tale of the movie's well-documented and difficult journey from post-production to theatrical release.
Blog Post
Ray Harryhausen Animation
by kimatr
We've all come to expect our sci-fi movies to have dazzling, computer-animated special effects. However, science fiction movies have been around since long before computer animation. Stop motion animation was one way of creating special effects in those days, and Ray Harryhausen is a legend in the field. During his career, he created everything from dinosaurs to flying saucers to A giant, six-armed (due to budget constraints) octopus.
Blog Post
The World of Television News
by Rich
Longtime ABC News Anchor Peter Jennings has died at the age of 67. His death reminds us of the public's fascination with the world of television news and the men and women who inhabit it. There have been several quality films that have explored the high-pressured environment of television news. The library's collection includes: Network, Broadcast News, Control Room, Outfoxed, and The Insider. Of course, if you're in the mood for something much lighter, there's always Ron Burgundy.
Blog Post
The Yards
by Rich
Every once in awhile a film slips through the cracks and goes unnoticed by the general public. The Yards, directed by James Gray and starring Mark "Don't Call Me Marky Mark" Wahlberg, is a prime example of a film that deserves an audience but never got one in its theatrical release in 2000.
In his review of the film, Roger Ebert wrote that the film resembles both The Godfather and Mean Streets. Not bad company if you ask me.
Blog Post
The American Short Story Collection
by amy
Several titles from the original American Short Story Collection are finally available on DVD. First airing on PBS in the 1980s, this series features short story works by some of America's greatest authors, including , , and . Rappaccini's Daughter (left), by , is the creepy tale of an 18th century scholar who falls in love with a beautiful, yet forbidden, girl who tends her father's poison garden. And who can resist a title like Bernice Bobs Her Hair, a wicked tale by about the transformation of sweet-but-dull Bernice (Shelly Duvall) into a smooth-talking man-trap during a visit to her vampish kin in the summer of 1919?
Other recently released titles include: Almos' a Man, Paul's Case, The Greatest Man in the World, The Blue Hotel, The Man that Corrupted Hadleyburg and The Sky is Gray. And more are on the way...
Blog Post
New DVDs: Sports and Games
by amy
We've recently added a few new titles on the topic of sports and games. There's the wildly popular Really Bend it Like Beckham, where soccer superstar, David Beckham, thoroughly dissects his technique. We also have Word Wars: Tiles and Tribulations on the Scrabble Game Circuit, a hilarious look at four Scrabble fanatics as they advance to the North American Championship. And, finally, the recent film Innings from Ground Zero, which documents the important role the Yankees and Mets played in New York's recovery from the horrors of Sept. 11, 2001.
Blog Post
For All Mankind
by Rich
With all the recent news of the Space Shuttle Discovery, now is the perfect time to check out a film like For All Mankind. This Oscar-nominated documentary by filmmaker Al Reinert features breathtaking film footage shot by NASA astronauts. For wannabe space cadets who want more, the library collection also includes Blue Planet (IMAX), Apollo 13, and Moonraker.
Blog Post
Those Wacky Artists
by Rich
I think we'd all have to agree that there's something about art that makes people act a little crazy. If you've been enjoying the Ann Arbor Art Fair recently, I'm sure you've witnessed firsthand some of this "unbalanced" behavior of which I speak. Actors love playing artists because it allows them to portray very passionate, eccentric characters. Check out some recent films about famous artists like Jackson Pollock, Jean Michel Basquiat, Johannes Vermeer, and Frida Kahlo. You'll see some great performances.
Blog Post
Roman Polanski's Life and Films
by Rich
Legendary film director Roman Polanski is making news headlines, and once again it has nothing to do with any of his films. Or does it? Polanski is one of those filmmakers whose personal life is so interesting that you just have to wonder how it all relates to his films. With a film like The Pianist, the link between Polanski’s personal life and screen is clear since it’s well known that Polanski is a Holocaust survivor. With other films, it’s less obvious. The library collection includes several of Polanski’s best films, including my personal favorite, Death and the Maiden. Here are some others: Knife in the Water, Macbeth, Rosemary’s Baby, and Chinatown.
Blog Post
'Scotty', Beamed Up
by amy
James Doohan, better known as 'Scotty', the chief engineer on Star Trek who famously responded to the command "Beam me up, Scotty," has died at 85.