Antidote for February

Gray: the color of February.  It is the month we long to escape our Midwestern chains for sun and sea and color.  If a tropical paradise isn't in the works for you this month, though, do not despair!  Substitute escapism for escape and your library can help.

Take, for example, the film Alamar (To the Sea).  This movie tells the possibly true story of Jorge, a Mayan, who has a love affair in Rome with an Italian woman.  By the time their son Natan is born, they have realized that their feelings are not enough to keep them together.  As Jorge says, " It's not just a problem about feelings. The problem... is that I'm unhappy with your reality and you are with mine."

So Jorge returns to the Yucatan, with the agreement that five-year-old Natan will come later to spend a summer with him.

That's the back story.  The film follows Jorge's attempts to introduce his son to his Mayan heritage and the life of a fisherman.  The rhythm of their life together is gently seductive and the pristine Chinchorro reef is quite possibly the most gorgeous setting on earth.

Director Pedro Gonzalez-Rubio describes his film as "organic" and refuses to answer those who ask if it is truth or fiction.  All of the actors, however, are playing themselves in real situations and they are related to each other as presented.

In the end, it doesn't really matter.  Natan will return to Rome, we will return to reality.  But the memory of his father and the sea will always be with him - and with us.

Alamar is one of the Film Movement series of award-winning foreign and independent films.  They're at your library!

Micmacs

Listen, I've got a bunch of stuff to do before I'm off, so real quick, I wanted to give you a heads up on Micmacs, the new film from Jean-Pierre Jeunet of Amelie, City of Lost Children, and Delicatessen fame.  Here's a trailer:




Watch the trailer up there, I'm not writing anything else.  I told you I'm very busy right now.

Oh, I suppose you'll want a link to request it.  There, now let me work.
blpost

Scary DVD Picks for October

Around this time of year, we get bunches of requests for horror movies.  Unfortunately, folks don't come up to ask for a good horror movie--they tend to ask for whatever over-produced Hollywood slasher garbage from the last year or so has stuck in their minds.  So, eschewing the regular staff picks, this month I'm recommending six horror movies in order of least to most scary, on a subjective scale, of course.

Coincidentally, these are mostly movies I've seen for the first time in the last year. I wonder how that happened...

Pontypool
A radio DJ and station staff in a relatively small town receive reports of strange behavior and attacks, but valiantly stays on air.  Employs a unique concept in a traditional sort of horror film, and is enjoyably campy.



Sauna
This Swedish film follows a group of Swedes and Russians as they travel, mapping out the border between their two countries after the end of the Russo-Swedish War.  They come to a town not found on the map.  The sauna will cleanse them of atrocities they committed.  As an added bonus, this film looks so good--the photography, editing, costuming, and use of (or lack of) color add so much.



The Orphanage (El Orfanato)
A creeptastic Spanish film in which an adopted child's imaginary friends are perhaps less imaginary than originally thought.  Another great looking film with unique story elements that take this beyond being a mere haunted house film.




Drag Me To Hell
Sam Raimi's story of a cursed young lady who is tormented by demons and must shake the curse before she is, well, dragged to hell.  Includes a bit of Raimi's characteristic horror humor--you've been on edge, waiting for the tension to break in the inevitable scary moment and Bang!,  you're laughing instead. If you're a horror fan, you've already seen this, but if you're the sort of once-a-year horror person, you may have forgotten this one.

I'd love to put the trailer here for your convenience, but "the man" won't let me.  It's on IMDb, though.

Paranormal Activity
One of those movies that unwinds from footage provided by the characters.  A young couple has been hearing strange noises in their house and sets up a camera to document the fun.  I had low expectations for this one, but I was impressed.



[REC], or for the subtitle-averse, Quarantine, the US remake
All the Spanish of The Orphanage with all the characters-film-the-movie of Paranormal Activity.  A TV host and camera-man are filming a night in the life of the fire department, and go out to answer an emergency call at an apartment building.  There's no fire, but a terribly ill tenant, who turns out to have a sort of fast-spreading super-rabies.

 

September Staff Picks DVDs

I know I'm late with these this month, but I think I missed noting the August picks entirely.  They were really good picks, too.  I'm sorry you missed them, assuming you didn't visit the analog staff picks DVD board, which is located by our DVD collection, right next to the two computer catalogs in that area.  Wow, and I mean wow, August, what picks.

September's not bad, either.  I got one last recommendation from John Dunkelberger, my retiring supervisor.   There will be a party, in case you hadn't heard already.  Anyhow, his final pick is the Oscar-winning Czech comedy, Closely Watched Trains, which we recently acquired from the Criterion Collection.  Actually, maybe we'll get some emeritus picks from him after he's retired, too.  He'll have plenty of time for DVD viewing.

Check out Closely Watched Trains   -   IMDb page for Closely Watched Trains

Pat, IT Guru, recommends The African Queen, starring Bogart and Bacall.  Fight you for it? 

Check out The African Queen   -   IMDb page for The African Queen

Elaine recommends Son of Man, a re-imagining of the life of Jesus set in contemporary South Africa.  Ebert notes that this film shows the contemporary world's reaction to Jesus would be to consider him a "dangerous political leader."  It sounds fascinating.

Check out Son of Man   -   IMDb page for Son of Man

Mary WT picks The September Issue to highlight from the educational DVD collection on the second floor.  It's a documentary about the Vogue editor's preparation of the 2007 issue on Fall fashion.  This is one of those films you would have made a mental note to check out and perhaps forgot about, so cheers to Mary for reminding us.

Check out The September Issue   -   IMDb page for The September Issue

Carol  recommends Jellyfish, and Israeli film by Etgar Keret and Shira Geffen.  If you missed the screening and discussion of the film hosted by the Cohen Center on campus, featuring Keret and Geffen, well, at least you can check out the film here.

Check out Jellyfish   -   IMDb page for Jellyfish

I've blogged my pick before, so I won't write much about it.  Train Man, the Japanese romantic comedy about a nerd's fortuitous encounter with a girl on a train and what becomes of them.

Check out Train Man   -   IMDb page for Train Man

Check out the trailer at YouTube

In this picks posts, I also like to note the new release from Film Movement.  This month, they've sent us Bomber, a comedy from the UK about an older couple finally taking that trip to Germany that they've been planning with the unplanned addition of their adult son coming along.

Check out Bomber   -   IMDb page for Bomber

See "The Girl" in a Theater

This isn't exactly library-related, but presently 31 of you Urban-ites (plus 73 more other folks in our library system) have placed requests on the film adaptation of The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo [1], so this could be relevant to your interests [2].

This week, The Art Theater [3] in downtown Champaign is showing The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo, starting Friday and running through next Thursday.  It's a loyal adaptation of the novel, yet does not leave the story feeling flat to those who already know what happens.  I found it as intense and suspenseful as the book, if not more so.


But wait!  There's more!

What's more exciting is that the second of the film adaptations, The Girl Who Played With Fire, starts showing at The Art Theater on Friday, August 20th.  I know, it's not fair to get you hyped about this now, when there's still a week before you can see it.  To be even more unfair, here's the trailer.



1.What?  You haven't requested it?  Best get on that.

2."Relevant to my interests" meme

3. The Art Theater schedule
Directions to The Art Theater

A Town Called Panic

I must be a sucker for animation.  Awhile back I made note of Mary and Max, a claymation film that looked cool and had an interesting story.  Now, I'm noting A Town Called Panic (original French title, Panique au Village), another stop-motion animated film.  It also looks cool, maybe has a story, but plenty of ridiculous slapstick humor.

Japan Up

Or Train Man up.  Either one works for this post about the Japanese film Densha Otoko (Train Man). 

I missed seeing it a few years back at the Asian Film Festival, but hadn't forgotten about it.  It's hard to forget a national phenomenon.  While the veracity of the original story is debated, this and all Train Man stories are based on actual online postings from an anonymous man.  Allegedly an IT employee who avoided interacting in person with others saved the day when he told a drunk man on a train that he should stop bothering people.  A young woman who was harassed by the man wanted Train Man's address to send him a gift, which she did--a set of Hermes cups, earning herself the pseudonym Hermes.  Train Man then continued posting online asking for advice on how to ask Hermes out, where to go on a date, what to wear, and other questions and reports as the relationship developed.  These posts, or at least a little under 1,900 of the nearly 30,000 posts, have been collected into a book. 

In addition to the film and the book, this story has also spawned a TV series and several manga.  Wikipedia's more source, if you'd like to read more of the meta-story and controversy.

Aside from the story itself, the movie has some stylistic fun, like sequences showing other antisocial, women-fearing computer geeks in combat, battling for their fellow geek, Train man.  There are dancing computer Kanji characters and plenty of ASCII art.  There are humorous sequences pulled from Train Man's imagination, like meeting Hermes' parents. 

The goofy mistakes made by this nervous Romeo are refreshing compared to what I've seen in plenty of US-made romantic comedies with guy appeal--there's no accidentally setting Hermes' dog on fire, thankfully.  There's his excited agitation leading him to--on second thought, I enjoyed seeing that scene so much myself, I'd hate to spoil the gag.  This movie's a ton of fun, light, but realistic, and my wife felt all snuggly after it was over.  I would say that it's perfect for summer, but snuggling is good any time of year.

June DVD Picks

New from Film Movement: Only When I Dance, a documentary about two aspiring ballet dancers living in, and trying to escape, Brazilian favelas.



We also have six (six!) staff picks this month.

Brian L's pick: Millions, directed by Danny Boyle (28 Days Later, Slumdog Millionaire), about two young brothers in Ireland who find a bag of British pounds days before the adoption of the Euro.



Brian R's pick: You're Gonna Miss Me: A Film about Roky Erickson, vocalist and guitarist of the 13th Floor Elevators, and a pioneer in psychedelic rock music.



Carol's pick: Howard Zinn: You Can't Be Neutral on a Moving Train, the life and times of the author and activist, who died this past January.  First Run Features hasn't posted a trailer, but they have posted several clips.



John D's pick: L'auberge espagnole, starring Audrey Tautou, of Amelie fame, among other great films.  International students share an apartment in Spain, building friendships and, according to the trailer, generally having a good time.  If the poor video quality of the trailer bothers you, try this one at IMDb.



John G's pick: Delicatessen, co-directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, also of Amelie fame, in addition to other great films.  A dark comedy set in a future where cannibalism is no longer taboo, and a new assistant in the butcher shop could feed the tenants of the whole building.

 

Mary WT's pick: Good Hair, Chris Rock's documentary about the lengths to which African American women (and the industry that serves them) go for those fantastic 'dos.

Secret DVD Bonus Level

I'm sure you keep at least a mental list of movies you want to see when you come into the library. Maybe you write it down or use a web service like Flixter or even IMDb to keep track of them so you don't forget. However you do or don't keep track of movies you want to see, I'm sure you've wound up in our DVD section baffled and irritated, knowing there are titles you wanted to grab, but you can't remember them, you forgot to bring your list, or possibly they're all checked out.

If you do find yourself lost and looking for guidance, checkout some of our DVD staff picks. Hiding in the alcove with the two library catalog computers in the audiovisual area is a bulletin board that we update monthly. It includes the latest release from Film Movement, a fantastic series of independent and international films, one of which, Munyurangabo [IMDb, Ebert's Review], was shown at this past Ebertfest.

We also put up 4-6 staff picks, and we try to pick out titles that may not be at the front of your mind. Past picks have included everything from Spike Lee's Do the Right Thing to the Cool and Crazy on the Road documentary about the Norwegian vocal group.

Assuming that you reading this means you aren't in the library, here are the current staff picks, with trailers when possible.

From Film Movement, The Wind Journeys


Anne's Pick, La Historia Oficial

The only trailers for this online are in Spanish without subtitles. Perhaps it would interest you to know that this film won the Oscar for Best Foreign Film in 1986. What if I told you Ebert liked it? Anne liked it, and that should really be enough for you.






Brian L's Pick, Poster Children: Zero Stars
Sadly, there's no trailer for this one, but it adds fun to the typical concert movie with some humorous clips from road trips. You can find some clips from the film on YouTube, but check out the DVD for better quality. Also, it's the Poster Children.

Caleb's Pick, Sauna
(I'll warn you--it's kinda scary, so maybe watch it after the kids are in bed)


Carol & Mary WT's simultaneous without collaboration Pick, Outrage


John G's Pick, Hidalgo

Some Works of Director Michael Haneke

I could be wrong in my opinion that most of the general public who are interested in the Oscars are interested in a few categories, like best actor/actress/director, supporting actor/actress, and best film, so I thought I'd point out that a nominee for best foreign film and best cinematography is currently playing at the Art Theater. The White Ribbon (or Das Weisse Band, as it is a German film) tells the story of a village in which several accidents occur during the months that lead up to WWI, and the suspicions of the school teacher/narrator that the accidents are somehow connected. The story progresses slowly, as characters are introduced, accidents occur, and we learn more of the personalities of the characters. After the film ended, I frequently thought back to what evidence was presented for the film's conclusion, remembering other clues in this murky mystery.



I enjoyed the heck out of The White Ribbon, which made me curious about the other films by writer/director Michael Haneke, of which we own eight. I haven't seen any of them, but due to their descriptions, I don't plan to watch them back to back--they're all rather dark.

Of the titles we own, the following are definitely going on my to-watch list:

Funny Games (2007) and Funny Games: Ein Film (1997)
Both of these are horror films concerning the story of an affluent family psychologically tortured by some American-psycho types. Both are written and directed by Haneke, but the 2007 version is an English-language film starring Naomi Watts and Tim Roth, while the earlier German film stars Susanne Lothar and Ulrich Muhe.

Cache (Hidden)
A French-language thriller in which a couple is terrorized by increasingly personal videotapes left on their front porch.

Der Siebente Kontinent (The Seventh Continent)
A melodrama in which a family's monotonous existence is disrupted when daughter Eva feigns blindness in an attempt to get attention. In German.

I'll have to grab one of these soon in order to stave off this desire I have to go back and see The White Ribbon again. You can bet that when it becomes available, we'll be adding it to the library's DVD collection.

Interesting new international DVDs

I cataloged three new DVDs for our International collection today, each of which looked like worthy ways to spend a chunk of time.

La Silence de Lorna (aka Lorna's Silence) from Belgium, selected for Best Screenplay at Cannes in 2008.



Flammon & Citronen (aka Flame & Citron) from Denmark, which hoarded nominations and some wins in Denmark's Robert Festival. As this film concerns Danish resistance fighters during the second World War, expect violence in the trailer.



Leonera (aka Lion's Den) from Argentina, a 2008 Cannes Golden Palm nominee. Gentle blog readers be forewarned, there is some adult language in the trailer.



It's cold out. Watch something that makes you think of some place else.