The Studio

Studio podcast 3/16/10 – Terry talks with Sharon about movies

Sharon — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 21:48:15 +0000

We always have movie suggestions for you!

Titles featured in this podcast:

Studio podcast 3/16/10 – some favorite DVDs from the last few years

Sharon — Tue, 16 Mar 2010 20:43:03 +0000

Here are four movies that I like to watch again & again. This time, Terry is in the studio with me. Do you think that I convinced her to re-watch the Irish movie Once or check out one of my other suggestions? Hmm… How about you!?

Titles featured in this podcast:

Also mentioned in this podcast:

Pride and Prejudice starring Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle

Pride and Prejudice starring Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier

Once: Music from the Motion Picture

The duo Swell Season (Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova)

See the Hurt Locker – On Our Screen!

Toby — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 15:01:28 +0000

Now that Kathryn Bigelow’s (whose mom is a librarian, so respect is due) Iraq War opus The Hurt Locker has run away with 6 Academy Awards, it’s really not fair to call it an overlooked film. What came and went through theaters last summer now has over 120 holds here at the Library.

Worried you won’t get a chance to see the movie before next Oscar night? Fret not, because we’ll be holding a special screening of the film on Monday, March 29th. The film starts at 6:30 in the Petty Auditorium. Hope to see you there!

Check out lists of Oscar winners

Sharon — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 15:52:19 +0000

We got a lot for you to watch!!

Best Actor

Best Actress

Best Animated Feature

Best Documentary

Best Foreign Language Film

Best Picture

March Madness

Annabelle — Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:00:06 +0000

We’re not talking college hoops–in honor of Shutter Island, Martin Scorsese’s box office hit set at a hospital for the criminally insane, here’s a list of other movies–most of which feature award-winning performances–set in asylums:

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) The classic adaptation of Ken Kesey’s book, which earned Oscars for Best Picture, Actor and Actress:

Click here to view the embedded video.

Bedlam (1946) Boris Karloff plays the doomed overseer of London’s St. Mary’s of Bethlehem Asylum. (Note that our DVD copy is bundled with another Karloff horror classic, Isle of the Dead.)

Click here to view the embedded video.

Girl, Interrupted (1999) Angelina Jolie won a Best Supporting Actress Oscar for her role as a troubled young woman in a 1960s psychiatric hospital.

Click here to view the embedded video.

12 Monkeys (1995) Not to be outdone, Angelina’s better half Brad Pitt earned a Golden Globe award in his portrayal of an insane man at the heart of Terry Gilliam’s twisted futuristic thriller.

Click here to view the embedded video.

The Three Faces of Eve (1957) Joanne Woodward won an Oscar for her performance as a woman who suffers from multiple personality disorder.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Podcast: Past Best Picture Oscar Winners

ccygnar — Thu, 25 Feb 2010 16:38:50 +0000

Cecilia has joined the podcasting crew with a look at some of her favorite Best Picture winners.

Included here:

It Happened One Night

Rebecca

Bridge on the River Kwai

The Apartment

Studio podcast 2/16 – New and interesting DVDs

Sharon — Wed, 17 Feb 2010 00:21:54 +0000

I did it again!!! Here are a few more suggestions.

Titles featured in this podcast:

My Pick for the Most Romantic Movie Ever

lee — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 17:45:15 +0000

Click here to view the embedded video.

Maybe it’s because I first saw this movie when I was young and impressionable, but the Jacques Demy film The Umbrellas of Cherbourg (1964) is something special. It’s a bittersweet love story that is entirely sung in French to a score by Michel Legrand. It was restored and re-mastered in 1992. An early film of Catherine Deneuve, it also was awarded the Grand Prize at the Cannes Festival. An older cousin took me to see this when I was in high school. I believe I had an old VHS tape and saw it for the second time sometime in the 8Os. I recently heard a song from the movie and wondered, do I dare watch this again? I took a chance and was once again enthralled.

What is your pick for the most romantic movie?

Studio podcast 2/4 – New DVDs

Sharon — Thu, 04 Feb 2010 22:07:51 +0000

I’m at it again!

Titles featured in this podcast:

It’s Oscar Time Again

Toby — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:09:47 +0000

The Oscar nominations were announced this morning, and with it Hollywood’s attention starts making predictions both pragmatic and outlandish. Both Avatar and the Hurt Locker lead the field with 9 nominations each, leading to an inevitable confrontation between the Little Movie That Could and The Biggest! Movie! Ever!

Within that framework, we have all sorts of questions. Does Avatar’s lack of writing or acting nominations constitute a snub? Will Quentin Tarantino play spoiler? How will having twice as many Best Picture nominees affect the voting activity of the Academy?

But most importantly, when can I check out all of these items from the library?

We’ve compiled a comprehensive of every full-length film on the nomination list. Some of these are already out on DVD, while others are still in theaters. Some of the smaller titles have yet to see a theatrical release. Take a look, and place holds for all the titles you’d like to check out.

The full list is after the jump. What are your predictions? Let us know in the comments.

Titles Available in the Catalog

Each of these titles are available now, or will be available soon. Click each link to visit the catalog and place a hold.

Bright Star (Costume Design)

Coco Before Chanel (Costume Design) – Coming February 16th. Also available on Blu-ray.

Coraline (Best Animated Feature Film) – Based on a young adult novel by Neil Gaiman.

The Cove (Best Documentary)

District 9 (Film Editing, Best Picture, Visual Effects, Adapted Screenplay)

Fantastic Mr. Fox (Best Animated Feature Film, Best Original Score) – Coming to DVD March 23rd. The soundtrack and Roald Dahl’s source novel are also available.

Food Inc. (Best Documentary Feature) – Also see the companion book.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (cinematography) – Also see the source novel.

The Hurt Locker (Best Actor – Jeremy Renner, Cinematography, Directing – Kathryn Bigelow, Film Editing, Original Score, Best Picture, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Original Screenplay) – Also available on Blu-Ray.

Il Divo (Makeup)

In The Loop (Best Adapted Screenplay)

Inglourious Basterds (Best Supporting Actor – Christoph Waltz; Cinematography, Director – Quentin Tarantino, Film Editing, Best Picture, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Original Screenplay) – Soundtrack is also available.

Julie & Julia (Best Actress – Meryl Streep) – See Julie Powell’s original book as well.

Paris 36 (Best Original Song)

A Serious Man (Best Picture, Original Screenplay)

Star Trek (Makeup, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Visual Effects)

Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen (Sound mixing)

Up (Best Animated Feature Film, Original Score, Best Picture, Sound Editing, Original Screenplay)

Titles Still in Theaters

(Some of these may be adapted from books; if this is the case, they’ll be linked below.)

Avatar (Art Direction, Cinematography, Directing – James Cameron, Film Editing, Original Score, Best Picture, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, and Visual Effects) – Still playing in wide release with no DVD date set.

The Blind Side (Best Actress – Sandra Bullock and Best Picture) – Still playing in wide release. The release date for the DVD is March 23; based on a book by Michael Lewis.

Crazy Heart (Best Actor – Jeff Bridges, Best Supporting Actress – Maggie Gyllenhaal, Original Song) – Still playing in wide release with no DVD date set; the soundtrack is available.

An Education (Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay) – Still playing in selected theaters. The screenplay was written by Nick Hornby, who has a number of titles in our collection.

The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (Art Direction, Costume Design) – Still playing in selected theaters.

Invictus (Best Actor – Morgan Freeman; Best Supporting Actor – Matt Damon) – Still playing in wide release. Soundtrack is available.

The Last Station (Best Supporting Actor – Christopher Plummer, Best Actress – Helen Mirren) – Still playing in selected theaters.

The Lovely Bones (Best Supporting Actor – Stanley Tucci) – Still in wide release; See also Alice Sebold’s source novel.

The Messenger (Best Supporting Actor – Woody Harrelson) – DVD release date is May 18. Playing at the Gene Siskel Film Center starting February 12th.

Nine (Best Supporting Actress – Penelope Cruz, Art Direction, Costume Design, Original Song) – Still in theaters. The soundtrack is available.

Precious (Best Actress – Gabourey Sidibe; Best Supporting Actress – Mo’Nique; Best Director – Lee Daniels; Editing, Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay) – Still in theaters; the film is based on Sapphire’s novel Push.

The Princess and the Frog (Best Animated Feature Film, 2 nominations for Original Song) – Still in wide release.

Sherlock Holmes (Art Direction, Original Score) – Still in wide release.

A Single Man (Best Actor – Colin Firth) – Still in wide release.

Up in the Air (Best Actor – George Clooney; Best Supporting Actress – Vera Farmiga; Best Supporting Actress – Anna Kendrick; Director – Jason Reitman; Best Picture, Adapted Screenplay) – Still in wide release; also available: the soundtrack and the source novel by Walter Kirn.

The White Ribbon (Cinematography, Best Foreign Language Film) – Still playing in selected theaters.

The Young Victoria (Art Direction, Costume Design, Makeup) – Still playing in selected theaters.

Titles Awaiting Theatrical Release

Some of the smaller foreign and independent films have yet to hit theaters in the Chicago area. If we hear anything – whether it’s on DVD on in the theater – we’ll add a link here.

Ajami (Best Foreign Language Film) – Playing at the Music Box Theater starting February 19th.

Burma VJ (Best Documentary) No current theatrical release planned, visit the film’s website for more information.

El Secreto de Sus Ojos (Best Foreign Language Film) – Coming soon to theaters.

The Milk of Sorrow (Best Foreign Language Film) – Coming soon to theaters.

The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers (Best Documentary) – No local screening information currently available; visit the film’s website for more information.

A Prophet (Best Foreign Language Film) – Coming soon to theaters; visit the film’s website for more information.

The Secret of Kells (Best Animated Feature) – No local screening information currently available; visit the film’s website for more information.

Which Way Home (Best Documentary) – No local screening information currently available.