Reel Matters and more…

No matter how hard it might be to believe that summer is upon us again it just is. So that means our long standing summer reading program is front and center once more. Great. Now it’s most likely that on whatever course your reading habits have lead you, you consider yourself the master of your own choices, no? That is all well and good.  But our summer reading theme for this year takes that concept a bit further. This year we celebrate the “art of reading” that solitary endeavor which can be practiced with panache with a little help from your friends.  You know, the staff at your favorite library. Yes, together we can “Master the Art of Reading” during the lovely summer months of 2008.  This summer also plays host to “Thursday Night at the Movies present’s The Art of Music in the Movies”. We’ll be showing “I’m Not There” showcasing 4 different actors portraying Bob Dylan in different periods of his life. A decidedly unusual biopic approach for sure. Even actress Cate Blanchett gets her shot at playing Bob. Yep, there really is more than one way to tell a story. Also don’t miss that Oscar-winning pretty little Irish film “Once” that details the beauty of collaboration between two young people determined to write and perform their music. Lastly, join us for the documentary “Almost Elvis” about the continuing quest (the world over) to properly impersonate the true Elvis. He may be dead but his “art” remains. Who could have predicted his power over us? Fascinating. So get ready to witness the art of music in the movies coming soon on 3 Thursdays in July. Watch for our flyers, OK? More later, caucella

Ok, let’s see, when I think of  Dion, I hear the plaintive tone of the refrain “Why must I be a teenager in love?” over and over in my head. Believe me, I can hear him. Or even better, the proud quality declared in the simple line “I’m a wanderer”. Such sadness. Oh and…… great joy. It was back in 57′ that Dion DiMucci and the Belmonts first began to sing on  the streets of the Bronx. So long ago yet somehow so recent in our memory.The Fifties definitely possessed such  a wonderful youthful vibe, don’t you think? The stuff that hopes and yes, dreams are made of. I may be sounding just a bit corny but I believe that  everything starts with a dream of some dimension. It’s just the way it is. So it is this belief in dreams that has me excited about our next film program ”Sunday Afternoon at the Movies Special Event” “Love in the Age of Dion”. The story concerns a man who has returned to his old neighborhood (yeah, the Bronx )  to revisit old friends and ponder what happened to the love that got away. Come join us and meet the author and cast of this great little film.That will be on Sunday, June 8, 2008 at 1:30 at the Main Library in the auditorium. And remember to dream on……..More later, caucella

I like to think of the folks that regularly show up for “Thursday Night at the Movies” as loyal, intrepid souls. When I chat about the film on the night of the showing or encourage them to come see a film that the Ferguson plans for the future, they listen attentively and coax the performer in me to continue with murmered “Thank yous” and soft clapping.  If by chance I’m speaking of a film that they have heard no particular “buzz” about,  they seem to trust me and come to see the film anyway. This trust is such a pleasure to realize. There is no question that it adds to the whole great feeling that our efforts here at the public library are appreciatied and yes, worthwhile.So………..who would have guessed that “No Country for Old Men” a film that by it’s very nature comes loaded with a “buzz” all it’s own.(it was the winner of more than one “Oscar”, it’s based on a novel of the same name by established author Cormac McCarthy and  is directed by cinema’s current wunderkinds Joel and Ethan Coen) would have caused such a decided atmosphere of discomfort and confusion.  The  reaction to this film really intrigued me. What the gang expected to see was not anything like what they saw on screen. The biggest disappointment of the evening was that “the “bad guy” got away and the “good guy” died.  Anther lament heard repeatedly was the question of “was all that violence necessary?” or just the simple question “What was that all about”? Most definitely a night filled with fasinating questions and open-ended answers. I’d love to know what you readers out there thought of this film. So take a moment please and drop me a comment. It will be fun. I just need to talk about it because I know what I saw on the screen. More later, caucella

What do they say about the things you can always count on? Well, death and taxes, but something else too.  It’s change.  You can always expect change. So it goes and the Ferguson is no exception.  So in anticipation (and preparation) for the renovation of the library that will begin in early summer the movies that we know and love have moved! Yep, as of now you will find the DVD collection on the first floor in front of the fiction desk.The good stuff and everything in between (all according to personal opinion of course) LOL. So come on in to the library and browse. You won’t be disappointed. More later, caucella

You know that commercial for a certain weight loss program that asks plaintively, “Have you called ***** yet?” You probably know the one I mean. Every time I see that I think “Hey, maybe I should ask our blog readers if they are aware of  the Library’s ”Express” DVD collections”.  It’s one of our newer services  and the staff has done a great job of getting the latest most coveted movies……ALL in one place! How fun is that? You really can’t miss it. It’s right by the elevator on the ground floor( I’m talking Main branch here) the hottest movie titles on the shelf just for the taking as in “first come, first served’. Oh, and no reservations please, and just overnight. That way everybody gets a chance to see the new stuff. Not a bad deal at all, Right? Every Ferguson branch has it’s own Express collection so there’s enough for all who want their movies now, not later. Cool. So let me ask it OK? “Have you tried Express yet? LOL. More later, caucella

Thankfully there are still some things I am quite sure of.  Like, for example, if I were to decide to view a Coen Brother’s film (”Fargo”,”Raising Arizona”,” Miller’s Crossing”,”Blood Simple”,”Barton Fink”,”The Big Lebowski”, to name a few of  my favorites of the last 20  years) I would find characters so enticing I’d  follow them to their own particular cinematic end just for the sheer richness of the journey. There is something so familiar yet terrifying about the details of these films ( the severed finger in “Blood Simple”, John Turturro pleading for his life in “Miller’s Crossing”, the detached ease with which Bill Macy plans his  own wife’s kidnapping with complete strangers in “Fargo”). Yes, utterly chilling yet…..um ……..ordinary. Just great, that’s all.  So I’m sure you can understand how pleased I was when “No Country for Old Men” the Coen Brother’s latest assault on our senses won Best Picture, Best Direction , Best Supporting Actor and Best Adapted Screenplay (from the book of the same name by Cormac McCarthy) at the 80th Academy Awards ceremony last night.  And I have to say this, the fact that Joel and Ethan had so little to say in accepting their shared awards seemed a very telling detail and well ……ordinary. Can’t wait to see what’s ahead for us at the hands of these talented guys. Check out our collection of Coen films here at the Ferguson, once you have seen them you won’t forget, you won’t want to. More later, caucella

 So let’s talk.  What do you look for in a movie? You know what I mean, don’t you? I mean in that moment that you decide “I’m gonna go to the movies” what are you hoping for? When I opt for the “theatah“(Multiplex) experience, LOL, I want my characters complex and the settings at least unusual.  So I tend toward the thriller or mystery genre for sure.  But that’s OK because movies are for everyone, right? If you don’t care for one you can choose another.  It’s a free country, thank God.  But for all that I have a secret love not often found at the Multiplex.  Oh well yeah, there are a few exceptions like Moore’s  ”Sicko” or Gore’s “Inconvenient Truth” but more often then not to feed my need for a good documentary I’m forced to look elsewhere.  Now where do you think I might find what I want to see? If you are thinking ”get thee to the library” you have it right.  So knowing that, the next time you are downtown come on in to the Main branch of the Ferguson and cruise the non-fiction dvd collection located on the third floor.  Believe me  there are many treasures to be found there.  Two of our more recent arrivals to the collection “Crazy Love” and “Little Dieter Needs to Fly”were enthusiastically received at their premieres at two different editions of “Thursday Night at the Movies”, and it won’t end there. The future holds plans to show such heart-wrenching  documentaries as “No End in Sight”, “The Bridge”, ” “The Devil Came on Horseback”, “Hitler in Colour”, “Jonestown: the Life and Death of the Peoples Temple” and “Lake of Fire”. Watch for them you will not regret it. More later, caucella

I hope you know by now that you can trust me.  Well, at least about movies, that is.  I just want to let you know that starting  in January (Yikes, that’s tomorrow, people!) and running through March  our favorite winter film series “Sunday Afternoon at the Movies” will present a wonderful movie twice a month.  Isn’t that a good idea? Yeah, I think so.   The first selection for this now venerable program will be “Hairspray” on  January 6th starting at 1:30 on the 3rd  floor in the auditorium.  Come on in.  No matter what, you get a gander at John Travolta in a dress.  He’s no Divine, but you do find yourself wondering Who is that lady? LOL.  It’s all really fun and Michelle Pfeiffer surely gets to do evil and well too.  If that’s not your idea of time well spent well…. not to worry because on Sunday, January 20th ”Sunday Afternoon at the Movies” offers something decidedly different.  That is, our 2nd annual “International Film Festival” which you will remember spotlights some of the best short films ever from around the world.  A little of this and that.   All worthy and well received.  This year we have included the good old USA (”West Bank Story”) in our medley as well as a classic (’La Jetee”) from France just to mention a few favorites.  Oh, and don’t forget we’ll be showing “Sicko” on  Thursday January 1oth at 6:30 in the auditorium.  Unfortunately we had to cancel when snow appeared on its original show date of Thursday, December 13th. As the New Year approaches and another good year ends, stay well and if you can catch up with a copy of “La Vie En Rose”, “No Country for Old Men” or “Juno” all marvelous movies that will remain great no matter what the year. More later, caucella

The University of  Connecticut’s website describes the program as First Year Experience. It’s possible you’ve heard of it or even benefited from its efforts to ease the struggles of a new student coping with the challenges and fears of being just that…….. a new student.  What a wonderful idea, no?  So……. it was Sunday night at about 9 o’clock when I first fully realized it. Yep, Monday morning is on its merry way and boy, is this one going to be different. Do you know why? Well, because I was about to have a first experience. That’s right, on Monday, November 5th I was invited to host a First Year Experience class on …..you ready? well, watching movies, of course.  Now the movie part was something that did not faze me but a classroom with students, yikes! LOL. Ah, but not to worry, I thought, you can do this.  Remember your days at Sacred Heart University teaching the kids radio skills at the campus station? Gotta be similiar, relax and enjoy this , OK?  Damn the nerves and go with it. OK, that’s fine. So what kind of movie are we talking about here? Well, something short and hopefully memorable.  So accordingly and  being somewhat of a dark soul (so I’m told) I choose a title that was a real crowd pleaser here at our International Film Festival back in January of this year. Dunno, if you joined us for that nifty event but I’m referring to a little  American gem entitled “Deathdealer: A Documentary”. This “film within a film” looks at the career concerns of the Grim Reaper (”I should have gotten out years ago, but what else am I qualified to do”?) as well as his frustrations (no vacation days) etc…. A little of this and a little of that. Smart, funny and yes, sad. Not the usual for sure. The students were great and the whole experience was way fun. I got a chance to remind one and all about the 24/7 nature of the Ferguson’s services as well as the superior scope of our many collections. Kudos to Shelley and Phara for making this first experience for me  a fine one. I’m hoping the possiblity of a class blog we touched on becomes a reality. Be careful out there guys and you’ll do just fine. More later, caucella

It was back in the day. I remember it all quite vividly. I was young yes, but still, it remains clear. Nikita slammed his shoe on the table threatening to bury us all and it was done. “The Cold War” stepped into the arena that is the movies and in so doing provided American audiences with it’s requisite “bad guys” for decades to come. OK, that’s great because no matter what the true political realities of that moment were every movie needs its villains, no? (if you are too young to remember the paranoia of the times I’m referring to, check out the 1965 classic “The Russians Are Coming, The Russians are Coming”. It’s pitch perfect.) So would you agree that after all this time we all know how to read a Russian character in a film without even thinking ?……… Oh. he’s a scientist? don’t begrudge that respect you are starting to feel for him, he’s smart so it’s OK to like him.  Or how about that Russian expatriate? The background check you did on him does not match up with the things he has told you about himself? Uh Oh. Be very careful, he’s probably a spy. And that Russian girl that has fallen in love with you? Watch her closely, very closely. She’s gotta be up to something. LOL. What fun it all can be, no? But have you noticed anything lately? The change has been steady and gradual for sure but the change has arrived indeed. Whether we look at  a brief reference to a “hard working” Russian bit character on an episode of “Law and Order” or remember that Russian “wise guy” still at large in the wild woods of New Jersey in that “Sopranos’ episode the bad as in Russian “bad guys” has taken a decidedly new turn. These characters are now bad in ways we want to emulate. Just look at the Russian mob characters in the current “Eastern Promises” and “We Own the Night” They are smarter, faster, (definitely) richer and wiser then your average American movie guy. What the Russians have now is “glamour” or “elan”. Call it what you will. So just maybe all this emphasis on mob connections is disturbing to you. I can see how that might be. But consider the fact that Americans adore their chosen crooks. It’s a love affair of sorts, a compliment really….. and besides…… in terms of what makes a movie entertaining it’s just wonderful to ponder the ’story arc’ possibiities of wily criminal minds, don’t you think? At the very real risk of sounding like a poor man’s Marshall McCluen maybe it’s just that these are the characters that stuck a “chord ” with movie audiences?   ”The Medium is the Message” and the medium that is “the movies” loves its gangsters. So sit back and enjoy that “The Russians” have arrived. More later, caucella