Seen any Good Movies Lately? Here’s Your Chance……..

January 25th, 2012

Ok  Here goes. It’s time again for the International Film Festival. My favorite movie thing to do in January. Yes it is.  Oh sure, You say you don’t have time to visit the library. Maybe so. But remember,  the great thing about this festival is that all the movies are short . So you can come and go as you please. Most selections are five to ten minutes in lenght. The best in animation. live action and experimental. Just great. This is year six, I can’t believe it but it’s true. Come on in on Sunday, January 29th in the Auditorium @the Main Library at 1:30 It will run about three hours and don’t forget to have coffee or tea …..and the cookies, of course. More later, caucella

Elizabeth Remembered

March 25th, 2011

I remember Elizabeth Taylor. I’m old enough to know she was considered and described as the most beautiful woman in the world again and again. That’s a fact that can only be proved by the memories of a young girl who loved the movies. I’ve read blogs and articles in recent days struggling to identify Elizabeth to those who are too young to know or really care about the passing of the lovely Elizabeth  But the mind remembers. It is also true that Elizabeth Taylor was a likable actress, doing just fine thank you with her lines as she startled us with her physical presence. She was lucky enough  to earn the critical acclaim of the industry she grew up in and that’s a wonderful thing. Of course much has been made about her many loves and her triumphant battles with the grim reaper as he tried over and over to claim her. But what I remember is my mother saying “Well, men liked her and she was strong, what’s not to like about that?” Yeah, What’s not to like? More later, caucella

International Film Day 2011 and a Bit More….

February 7th, 2011

We here at the Ferguson Library love this yearly festival that celebrates great little foreign films from around the world.  What better way to see these wonderful creative film romps that slip away from view because there is no place for audiences  to see and experience them? Come join us on  Sunday February 20th 1:30 to 4:00 in the auditorium of the Main library.  The month of February also offers the debut of monthly theme based flyers/display  that can help you chose the best DVD titles the library has to offer. Watch for it. More Later. caucella

Sleep All Day

October 5th, 2010

Vampires do indeed live among us. Ah, but not in the way you might think. I mean I do not believe you’ll ever meet up with one of these old folks at the grocery or the corner bar for that matter…….nope I think you’d be safe. But there is one place you would be sure to find our blood thirsty friends. They live in our imagination. Yeah, central characters in our culture depicted over and over again in  our literature, films and  television………and more. Why, do you think? The appeal of the undead seems to endure over time especially in the movies. We can speak of “Nosferatu” made in 1922 or a film as recent as “Twilight” and still discern a very active interest in the power and appeal of the vampire “life”.  No fading here for sure…. If you get the notion drop me a line and let me know what you think…. but in the meantime here are some  of my favorite vampire titles available here at the Ferguson library.  The aforementioned “Nosferatu”(1922) cannot be beat for it’s eerie chills and adherance to the base vampire elements of old. Cool. “Near Dark” (directed by Kathryn Bigelow of “Hurt Locker” fame ) is a neat little thriller that entertains us with our usual American obsessions with cars, the open road, rednecks and wait for it……vampires.  Great fun. I adore the Swedish vampire pic  “Let the Right One In” (remember you have to invite a vampire in) It’s so cold, scary and  austere. Just this week, the American version “Let Me In”  premiered and already the critics say it does not disappoint. Even such accomplished directors as Mike Nichols, John Landis and Joel Schumacher have created vampire classics for us all with favorites like  ”Wolf”, “Innocent Blood” and “The Lost Boys” Neat. More Later, caucella

Ferguson Films @UCONN a Lovely Way to Solve a Problem……

June 16th, 2010

It’s really great to see Ferguson library’s Main Branch being renovated. This type of change sure feels like the best kind, you know? But the welcome transformation of our familiar surroundings also brings with it a bit of a problem.  That is, with no auditorium available for almost 6 months, where oh where can we hold our film programs that our patrons have come to know and love?  Well, the simple and wonderful answer is Jeremy Richard Library at UCONN Stamford. Over the last year, this “sister” library located just down the street a bit from Ferguson’s MAIN Branch has provided us with a “place” to continue to please our resident film buffs. Great.  Last fall “Our World of Film” program successfully began our “co-host’ relationship with Jeremy Richard.  Over 200 intrepid souls made their way to the UCONN campus to enjoy the opportunity to view 4 award -winning films…….and it didn’t stop there.  April debuted such Oscar worthy films as “Crazy Heart”, “Blindside”, “An Education”  and “Precious”.  Not bad… and equally well-attended, too.  This past Saturday, Martin Scorsese’s thrilling “Shutter Island” attracted an enthusiastic crowd of 40. “Avatar”  is on tap for this coming Thursday night. More great movies are planned for July and our August dates at UCONN have just been approved…..Yeah! Watch for our flyers. More later, caucella

Menlo Park, Edison the “Wizard” and a Gal Named Florence

June 14th, 2010

Thomas Alva Edison was quite a guy.  The word genius would most certainly apply in his particular case.  In fact, he was referred to in his time as “the wizard”.  Think about just a few of the devices this man is responsible for.  Let’s see, the phonograph, telephone, telegraph and much more.  Basically he was happy perfecting on all things electrical. Light bulb, anyone? LOL. He worked his magic at a lab in Menlo Park, New Jersey , where he welcomed consultation with many inventors of his day. It was in or around 1888 that historians say he met with Eadweard Muybridge whose work with multiple “cameras” as well as experiments with photography (that is, how many  frames per second result in the creation of  moving pictures) he came to admire. Ever see the sequence of galloping horses? Great. So it could be considered  that Thomas Edison and Mr. Muybridge are the fathers of cinema.  But let us not forget that there were a number of clever men in Europe also playing with the possibilities of a “moving slide-show”. Ideas seem to come to fruition in  the same time period . Interesting, no? Ideas seem to know when to make their debut on the world stage.  Ah, before long the spirit of competition generated by the discovery of  the appeal of moving pictures was in full force.  Edison ‘s Biograph Company was soon the chief competiton  for Nickelodeon and their popular “peep shows” yes, moving slides one frame at a time and very naughty. So Edison’s Biograph Company was really the first film company with many young unbilled players taking their shot at acting in the “movies”. Did you catch that all these lovely youngsters were unbilled? Yep, that was a wonderful way to keep cost down you know. But there came a time when a young lady by the name of Florence Lawrence made such an impact in her numerous appearances in film that the public demanded to know “Who’s that Girl?”(she is the very first film actress to be identified) Soon everyone knew her name and she was also referred to as “the Biograph Girl”. So I guess we could also blame Edison for our current celebrity obsessed culture as well as the the mega bucks those same celebrities can pull in. I’m just saying.  More later, caucella

Searching for so long now………..Raoul where are you?

April 19th, 2010

A few months back I received a call from a colleaque of mine asking me to help a young friend of hers locate a critically acclaimed Haitian film entitled “Moloch Tropical”.  The reviews for this film directed by Raoul Peck were so positive and glowing that the young lady in question thought that the film would be perfect to show at a fund -raising event to benefit her native earthquake ravaged Haiti . Ok,  that’s a great idea. It would seem that finding a copy of said film would be fairly simple, right?  Well, no. The film has not been transfered to DVD and to purchase or rent a current “print” of the film would cost some serious money.  Ah, not a good development in the cash strapped world of fund-raising.  So what to do?  How about any  film by Peck? He’s a native of Haiti so even if the film was not set in Haiti it could still reflect a positive look at the country just by the fact of his accomplishments on the stage of world cinema.  Fine, but you know what?  Peck’s films have often been described as “audacious , “disturbing’, “political” and “raw”. A quick look at some of his better known titles would seem to support this response. “Lumumba” about the rise of African leader Patrice Lumumba and the birth of the Congo, “Man by the Shore” comparing Duvalier’s reign to Hitler’s regime or “Sometime in April” which examines the horror of the very recent Rwanden genocide. Even the extremely popular “Moloch Tropical” focuses on violent revolution. Now, do you think it is possible to raise funds with topics of this nature?  Does fund-raising depend on an optimistic spin like the documentary “Road to Fondwa” which details Haiti before the quake and concentrates on the education of the country’s children? I truly don’t know but I know I need your help dear reader. If anyone reading this blog knows of a viable title that could help raise money please let me know. Oh, and I’m aware of “Black Dawn” and “Brown Sugar” both possibilites. In the mean time I’ll keep searching, the film we need to make this work is out there……More Later, caucella

Did You See the One About……….?

February 23rd, 2010

This past weekend the Ferguson hosted our fourth annual “International Film Festival”. This is one of my favorite events.  We here at the Ferg pick some award-winning, short, unusual film stuff from around the world, put it all on one disc, set a date, serve some cookies and see what happens.  What happens is….people arrive (over 50 this year) watch some of the movies or all (it’s up to them) decide their “best picks” or “stinkers” and discuss it all at the intermission or after the show over those last bits of cookies, coffee and tea. At best, a good time for all.  Kudos to Alex and Yelena, more later, caucella

I Love Movies Especially One That Tells a Story

February 3rd, 2010

At the risk of sounding way too easy, that’s all I really need in a movie. Yeah, of course the cast is a draw and the setting has it’s impact but …………. I can’t do without a story. But here is the good news about my little problem. There are many wonderful films blessed with a great “story arc” in DVD and at the movie  houses right now. Right off the bat I’m thinking “An Education”, “The Blind Side”, “A Serious Man” “The Hurt Locker” and “Precious”. These worthy titles have helped  me feed my need (and could get you started) on your own quest for the good stuff. Remember too that documentaries done well can speak of the reality that is essential to understanding our world and telling a fine story.  Do not miss Chris Rock’s “Good Hair” or Michael Jackson’s “This is It”. It will come as no surprise I am sure, that the Ferguson Library will continue to be  your “handy” resource for these fine titles. Watch for them on our shelves or at our ongoing film programs.  And oh, let me know if you can think of any others we have failed to appreciate. “To each his own” Right? More later, caucella

Thanks Very Much for the Memories

October 27th, 2009

Our week long film series”Our World of Film” held in conjunction with  UCONN at Stamford  was great fun and well attended over all.  It was as one patron remarked “a chance to see some films that we would not ordinarily have a chance to see”. Bravo ,you got that right. Libraries and universaries have a vested interest in providing access to the experience which is not in the least ordinary, don’t you think?  Learning new stuff about “our world” is part of  the passion of what we work at, that is, the chance to learn and experience for yourself on your time and in your own unique way. I had a wonderful time “doing ” “Our World of Film” and I’m hoping the fun I had with it all never quite fades from memory. More later, caucella