Blog Post
DVD Titles for Black History Month
by amy
Here are just a few of the standout titles we've recently purchased for Black History Month.
Eyes on the Prize I: This landmark series is finally available on DVD. We also own Eyes on the Prize I and Eyes on the Prize II on VHS.
African American Lives: A compelling combination of storytelling and science, this series uses genealogy, oral histories, family stories and DNA to trace roots of several accomplished African Americans down through American history and back to Africa.
The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till: The film that helped reopen one of history's most notorious cold case civil rights murders is the result of the director's 10-year journey to uncover the truth.
A History of Black Achievement in America: This eight-part series highlights the many contributions of black Americans that have influenced and shaped the history of the United States.
Blog Post
Happy Birthday, Charles and Sinclair
by Maxine
Today, February 7, is the birthday of two novelists also known as social critics, Charles Dickens and Sinclair Lewis, Dickens in 1812 and Lewis in 1885. While Dickens wrote about the deplorable working conditions and poverty of London and environs, Lewis wrote on the inequalities of race and the second class status of women and the powerless in 1930's America. Lewis was the first American novelist to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1930. Check out all the wonderful film adaptations of Dickens' novels that are at the Library. Lewis's novels, Elmer Gantry and Dodsworth are also in our film collection.
Blog Post
Let's rocket!
by joy k
Osamu Tezuka is often called the father of manga, and we can also thank him for much of what we find in anime today. He was one of the first Japanese artists to use the distinctive “big eyes” style that’s in so much anime and manga, and the original Astro Boy was the first Japanese animation to be shown on American television. Several versions of Astro Boy—the tale of a robot boy who becomes a superhero who fights for justice and peace—have been produced since then. This state of the art update from 2003 ( Vol. 1, Vol. 2, Vol. 3, Vol. 4, Vol. 5) uses computer animation while still preserving Tezuka’s original drawing style.
Blog Post
See ya, space cowboy
by joy k
Cowboy Bebop is an anime that wears its influences on its sleeves. On its surface, it’s a cool science fiction story set in a future where most of humanity has left the ruined Earth to seek better lives in other parts of the solar system. But it’s also steeped in the traditions of noir and westerns, with bounty hunters and mysterious femme fatales, and all those influences come together to make it one of the most stylish and memorable anime series around.
Come for the very pretty animation and jazzy score; stay for the memorable characters. Spike and Jet, our protagonists, have all the mercenary instincts of the very good bounty hunters that they are, but they’re hampered by bad luck and the occasional twinge of conscience. Along the way they meet Faye Valentine, who’s trying to pay off a really big debt; Ed, a brilliant hacker; and Ein, the smartest Welsh corgi that you’ll ever meet.
If you like the anime tv series, you might also be interested in the feature film and the companion manga.
Blog Post
"Smoke gets in your eyes," Mr. Kern
by Maxine
Today, January 27, is the birthday of American composer, Jerome Kern. Kern was born in New York City in 1885. In addition to writing scores for stage and screen, Kern wrote many memorable songs like "Ol' Man River" and "The Last Time I saw Paris." His song, "The Way You Look Tonight" won an Oscar for the best song of the year in the film, "Swing Time." Who can forget those sweetest of verses:
"Lovely...Never, ever change.
Keep that breathless charm.
Won't you please arrange it?
'Cause I love you...Just the way you look tonight."
Blog Post
To the Moon!
by anned
NASA plans to return to the moon by 2020 and hopes to build a moon base by 2024. While you are waiting for the Ares I & V to launch, take a look back at other trips to the moon: Project Apollo and Méliès.
From the Earth to the Moon a superbly done HBO series, produced by Tom Hanks, and based on the book A Man on the Moon by Andrew Chaikin, takes you through the entire Apollo program.
Moon Shot: the inside story of America's race to the moon by astronauts Alan Shepard and Deke Slayton.
First Man: The Life of Neil A. Armstrong by James R. Hansen.
Méliès the magician contains the 1902 "La Voyage dans la lune" along with other films by Méliès.
Blog Post
And the Nominees are...
by amy
The Oscar nominations came out Tuesday and, as usual, there were plenty of surprises, most notably the absence of Dreamgirls in the Best Picture category. Most titles are not yet available on DVD, but you can check out Little Miss Sunshine (on order) or Meryl Streep's nominated performance in The Devil Wears Prada. We also own this year's top contender in the Best Animated Feature category, as well as Monster House. My favorites for actress and actor this year are Helen Mirren and Forest Whitaker.
Blog Post
"There's gold in them thar hills!"
by Maxine
On January 24, 1848, James W. Marshall noticed some flakes of gold in the American River while building a sawmill. That discovery started what became known as the California Gold Rush, the frenzied migrations of thousands to California to strike it rich. At that time, California was still technically part of Mexico. Only a week later, The United States purchased land that later became California and other southwestern states for only $15 million. If Mexico had only knwn.
The Gold Rush caused an increase in California's population from 2,700 to 200,000 in two years. Few people actually became wealthy from panning gold but revenue increased enough to help expand the American West.
One person who did become wealthy was Levi Strauss, an immigrant from Bavaria who was a traveling merchant specializing in trousers made from sailcloth held together with copper rivets. These, of course, were the precursors of modern jeans.
Blog Post
New DVDs on Michigan history
by amy
We've recently added several documentaries on Michigan history to the collection. Check out Indian History of Michigan's Thumb Region; Mackinac Island: A 600 Year History; and Michigan's Lumbering Days.
Blog Post
Off to see the world—three days at a time
by joy k
Kino’s Journey is a story in the tradition of Gulliver’s Travels. In each episode, we follow Kino, a young adventurer, and Hermes, Kino’s talking motorcycle, as they travel through new and strange lands. Their journey has only one rule: they won’t stay in any one country for more than three days and two nights. While Kino’s world isn’t exactly magical—well, aside from the talking motorcycle—it has a certain dreamlike, fairy-tale quality, and the viewer soon begins to see the truth in Kino’s words: “The world is not beautiful; and that, in a way, lends it a sort of beauty.”