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Blog Post

Great Shorts!

by amy

A discussion on the importance of short films in American cinema will take place here at AADL on Wednesday, August 30, 7-8:30 p.m. (check here for details). Meanwhile, AADL has several great collections of short films on DVD, including:

Franz Kafka's It's A Wonderful Life...and Other Strange Tales
More Treasures from the American Film Archives, 1894-1931
Shorts! 15 Award-winning Film Festival Shorts
The 75th Annual Academy Awards Short Films

And my personal favorite: Curly Classics

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Blog Post

Idlewild

by amy

According to Sunday's Ann Arbor News, Idlewild, the new film opening this week, is named after the famous Lake County Michigan resort, otherwise known as the Black Eden of Michigan in the 1920s and '30s and the Summer Apollo of Michigan in the 1950s and '60s. Idlewild, Michigan, hosted great jazz acts in its day, including Duke Ellington, and was the vacation spot of choice for such black luminaries as Langston Hughes and Zora Neale Hurston. Even W.E.B. Du Bois owned a home there. But the film itself is set in Georgia and its "Idlewild" is a small-town speakeasy. It does take place during the same period and features the music of OutKast (a bit of a historical stretch, but oh well). So far, reviews are mixed but Owen Gleiberman of Entertainment Weekly gives it an A-.

You can read more about the real Idlewild in Idlewild: the Black Eden of Michigan by Ronald J. Stephens.

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Blog Post

2006 Emmy Awards

by amy

Conan O'Brien hosts the Emmy Awards this Sunday, August 27, at 8:00 p.m. Here are a few of this year's contenders:
Made for TV Movies:
Flight 93 (on order, September)
Flight that Fought Back (not yet available)
The Girl in the Cafe
Mrs. Harris (on order, September)
Yesterday (on order, September)
Drama series
Grey's Anatomy
House
Sopranos
24
West Wing

Check out the Emmy Awards website or the Saturday Ann Arbor News for a complete listing.

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Blog Post

Anniversary of Hurricane Katrina

by amy

This week marks the first anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Below are some of the titles recently added to our collection.

Books
After the Storm: Black Intellectuals Explore the Meaning of Hurricane Katrina, edited by David Dante
Breach of Faith: Hurricane Katrina and the Near Death of a Great American City, by Jed Horne.
Come Hell or High Water: Hurricane Katrina and the Color of Disaster, by Michael Eric Dyson
Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the Mississippi Gulf Coast, by Douglas Brinkley
The Storm: What Went Wrong and Why During Hurricane Katrina: The Inside Story from One Louisiana Scientist, by Ll Ivor Van Heerden

DVDs
Inside Hurricane Katrina (National Geographic)
The Storm (PBS Frontline)
The Storm that Drowned a City (WGBH)

Also available in our reference collection or online: Katrina Emergency Tax Relief Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-73): as signed by the President on September 23, 2005; Gulf Opportunity Zone Act of 2005 (P.L. 109-135) as signed by the President on December 21, 2005: law, explanation and analysis.

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Blog Post

Looking for a great documentary?

by AnnaMarieSS

Tarnation is the true life story of Jonathan Caouette's childhood with a schizophrenic mother. Made up of snapshots, Super-8, answering machine messages, video diaries, and early short films, this film is unlike anything else I have seen. Visually, this documentary is amazing, especially knowing it was edited with Apple's free program "imovie". If you are looking for a change from traditional cinema, certainly, give Tarnation a look!

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Blog Post

Fall Film Fever

by amy

Coming to theaters on October 20:
Fast Food Nation: Director Richard Linklater (Waking Life, Dazed and Confused) takes on the controversial 2001 book by author Eric Schlosser. Also, Flags of Our Fathers, directed by Clint Eastwood, written by Paul Haggis (director of last year's Oscar winner, Crash), and adapted from James Bradley's book, tells the story of the six men who raised the flag at The Battle of Iwo Jima.

Coming to theaters on November 17: Bobby, directed by Emilio Estevez, follows the stories of 22 people who were at the Ambassador Hotel when U.S. Senator Robert F. Kennedy was assassinated on June 6, 1968.

Coming to theaters on November 22:
For Your Consideration, directed by the inimitable (A Mighty Wind, Waiting For Guffman). Three actors learn their performances in a period drama are generating award-season buzz. Also: The Fountain, an epic sci-fi drama/love story directed by Darren Aronofsky (Requiem for a Dream, Pi).

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Blog Post

New 4-star DVDs

by amy

Here are four 4-star titles recently purchased by the Library.

Windsor Castle: A Royal Year chronicles a year in the life of the world's oldest working castle. "A must-see for Anglophiles and royal watchers" (Booklist).

John and Abigail Adams is based heavily on the extraordinary correspondence between the second President and his wife. "Combining fine on-location shooting, solid dramatic recreations...this is highly recommended." (Video Librarian).

History of Black Achievement in America uses dramatic recreations, archival footage, stills and artwork to produce "an outstanding eight-part series that brings much-needed balance, highlighting the exemplary contributions of African Americans to U.S. society and culture" (Video Librarian).)

Winter Soldier: Eighteen filmmakers -- including Barbara Kopple (Harlan County, USA), David Grubin (LBJ) -- shot and edited the panel discussions and interview footage into the little-seen 1972 documentary, which today serves as a timely reminder that headline-generating incidents such as the My Lai massacre or Abu Ghraib prison scandal are not isolated aberrations....Highly recommended." (Video Librarian)

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Blog Post

Castro on Film

by amy

On Monday, prior to undergoing major surgery, 79-year-old Fidel Castro handed the reins to his brother, Raúl, leading many to wonder if it will soon be Springtime for Cuba? Now seems a good time to look back at the man on film. The Library carries the following DVDs: 2005's Fidel Castro and Fidel Castro: El Comandante. For more flavor, there's 1974's Waiting For Fidel; El Che; and various films detailing the Cuban Missile Crisis.

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Blog Post

Animanga Club: Cosplay Prep!

by lola

Come to the Downtown library Multipurpose room this Saturday, July 29th, between 2:00 and 4:00 pm, for last minute touches on your cosplay costume. Cosplay expert Darcy from Wizzywig will be available to help with your costume and show us how to make cat collars and cat ears. DDR will be set up and of course, Pocky will be provided. See you there!

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Blog Post

The Play Ground

by Albert

Rod Steiger's Jud Fry farmhand character from the 1955 movie Oklahoma still haunts The Play Ground. But Curly and Laurey and Aunt Eller sing classic Rogers and Hammerstein as they tell the story of the territory on the verge of statehood. Agnes de Mille, original choreographer, revolutionized musical theatre by creating dance that actually enhanced the plot. Now you can see it all in person. The Dexter Community Players are at the Dexter Center for the Performing Arts on July 27-29. 2200 Parker Rd., Dexter. 426-5060. For those who cannot make it to Dexter, check out a DVD or listen to a CD.
"I ....can't say no."