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!

Best Actor

Best Actress

Best Animated Feature

Best Documentary

Best Foreign Language Film

Best Picture

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:

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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.)

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

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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.

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

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Included here:

It Happened One Night

Rebecca

Bridge on the River Kwai

The Apartment

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

Titles featured in this podcast:

New York, I Love You

Bright Star

Azur & Asmar

Ponyo

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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?

Titles featured in this podcast:

Coco Before Chanel

Summer Hours

The September Issue

An Education

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.

On Monday, February 15th, we’ll be showing Bride and Prejudice in the Petty Auditorium at 7PM. A Bollywood-style movie based on Jane Austen’s classic novel Pride and Prejudice. When Lalita Bakshi (played by international star Aishwarya Rai) meets wealthy American businessman William Darcy, sparks begin to fly. Meanwhile, Lalita’s mother is determined to arrange advantageous marriages for all of her daughters. Is it love or not? You decide. Also starring Martin Henderson. Directed by Gurinder Chadha, who directed Bend it Like Beckham.

Jane Austen aficionados, take note: Emma, too, is being remade à la Bollywood. According to The Bollywood Ticket, “Emma” will become “Aisha” and will be set in contemporary Delhi. Aisha will be played by Slumdog Millionaire star Anil Kapoor’s daughter, Sonam Kapoor. (Sorry, no news yet when the movie will be available in the U.S. or at the Library, but you know we’ll keep you posted.)

Speaking of The Bollywood Ticket, We’re bringing site creator Jennifer Hopfinger to the Library on Wednesday, February 10 at 7pm. She’ll be bringing the inside scoop for anyone looking to learn more about India’s incredible (and incredibly prolific) film industry. To register, visit the Library’s events calendar.

Coming Together in Skokie is not just about the movies. We’ve got a host of other programs, performances, and discussions exploring the culture of India. Visit our Coming Together in Skokie website for the full list of programs and how you can participate.

The Big Bang Theory

The more I watch this television series, the more I like it! In a nutshell, roommates Sheldon and Leonard are 20 something Caltech professors/researchers who truly make geekiness very funny. Sheldon was a child prodigy and now is a theoretical physicist. Leonard is an experimental physicist. Their best friends Rajesh, an astrophysicist, and Howard, an engineer, add a lot of quirky humor. Penny, the attractive Cheesecake Factory waitress next door, is a fantastic foil to her oftentimes socially inept, SF/fantasy, comic book loving neighbors. She may not have the type of smarts that Sheldon and Leonard do, but she’s not a dumb bunny either. She can get to the heart of a matter pretty quickly. The relationship triangle is worth many laughs and rings true through all the comedic twists. The series is well written and original.

Coco before Chanel

I suppose that several events and people are fictionalized; nonetheless the life of Coco Chanel is an interesting story. I like the way the movie shows her faults, strengths, failures, successes, and influences. I think that Audrey Tautou is perfectly cast, and all the other actors do a great job. The costumes are excellent, as are the sets. I don’t know anything about the fashion world or clothing styles. But I do like this story about a strong woman, who was a true original, making a success from difficult circumstances.

New York, I Love You

A collection of love stories set in New York, this movie has a light touch. In truth, it has gotten mixed reviews, but for me it struck the right note. I enjoyed all the segments and seeing different directors with varied styles. I liked all the actors and have to say that Julie Christie was a standout. I recommend watching this movie and Paris, Je T’Aime as a double feature.

Ponyo

Loved it! The animation is stunning. The story is sweet and with substance. It’s great that Hayao Miyazaki does not back away from important issues (for example environmental/pollution), but still manages to create a movie that can be enjoyed by young, old, and those in-between. He is a master craftsman & it’s refreshing that Studio Ghibli produces such high quality, hand drawn work amidst all the computer-generated animation out there today. I highly recommend Miyazaki’s other films: Howl’s Moving Castle, Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Porco Rosso, Kiki’s Delivery Service, My Neighbor Totoro, Castle in the Sky, Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind, and The Castle of Cagliostro.

Star Trek

Oh, why not for a year end favorite. In my youth, I was a fan of the original TV series. I even went to a few Star Trek conventions. I’m pleased that the storyline got a back-story, so to speak. Perhaps this is not a “great” movie. But it’s a really, really good movie. I loved that Leonard Nimoy had a part and found many of his scenes quite touching. The casting worked all around. For instance, Karl Urban nailed the part of Bones. Bruce Greenwood was great as Captain Pike. Eric Bana did a noteworthy job as the villain, Nero. It was a stroke of genius to have Simon Pegg play Scotty. Chris Pine made an excellent young Kirk. It took me a little time to get used to Zachary Quinto as Spock. By the middle of the movie, I was OK with it. The movie scores high points for the cinematography, special effects, and overall production.

(Editor’s Note: every year at the Library staff are asked to submit a list of their favorite books, DVDs, and albums. These can be materials that came out before 2009, as long as they came to discover them in the past year. We’ve invited everyone to elaborate on their choices. Look for additional blog pieces in the weeks to come. -TG)