Is Wal-Mart Good For America?

Tue, 11/01/2005 - 6:18pm by amy

Today on Talk of the Nation guests discussed Wal-Mart's recent efforts to improve its public image in the wake of criticism over treatment of workers and an apparently scathing new documentary titled Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price (on order). While you're waiting for the new DVD, you may want to try the 2004 PBS Frontline title Is Wal-mart Good for America?, left.

Pride and Prejudice

Mon, 10/31/2005 - 11:04am by amy

Also coming soon, another adaptation of Pride and Prejudice, this time starring Keira Knightley. Surprisingly, this is only the second big screen version of the novel by Jane Austen (the first being the 1940 Hollywood classic starring Greer Garson and Laurence Olivier), but the Library owns both the 1985 BBC version and the wildly popular 1995 BBC miniseries, left, starring Jennifer Ehle and Colin Firth. P&P was also the source for the 2004 Bollywood musical Bride and Prejudice.

Jarhead

Mon, 10/31/2005 - 10:13am by amy

According to Variety, Jarhead, Hollywood's take on the United States' initial offensive against the Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein doesn't come close to David O. Russell's Three Kings. The book, however, written by Anthony Swofford in 2003, is "a witty, profane, down-in-the-sand account of the war" and "a worthy addition to the battlefield memoir genre." (Publisher's Weekly).

Calling All Graphic Novel Fans

Sun, 10/30/2005 - 3:43pm by Bertha

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Graphic Novel fans, mark your calendars for November 6th, to hear Kurt Hassler talk about GRAPHIC NOVELS. Who is Kurt Hassler? He the major selector of graphic novels for Borders bookstores across the country. Kurt will share his new top pics and also classic authors, artists, and titles that shouldn't be missed. Come ready to talk about your faves! Sunday, November 6th, 2:00-3:30 pm @MC, Grades 6-12.

A Brief History of Horror Film

Thu, 10/27/2005 - 2:21pm by amy

Here are just a few of the high points in the history of cinematic horror...

1920: The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari: This German expressionist classic would go on to influence horror, science fiction, and film noir.

1922: Nosferatu: Actor Max Schrek, who took his role perhaps a little too seriously, is the creepiest vampire in film history. (Schrek's performance is memorably rendered by Willem Dafoe in Shadow of the Vampire.)

1925: Phantom of the Opera: becomes the first major horror film star.

1931: Frankenstein and Dracula: Both monster movie classics appear this year, introducing audiences to Boris Karloff and Bela Lugosi, respectively.

1960: Psycho: The shower scene, followed by the introduction-to-Norman's-mom scene, make this Hitchcock classic AFI's number one thriller of all time.

1964: Kwaidan: These four lavishly produced tales of the supernatural are adapted from Japanese ghost stories--a popular Japanese genre later responsible for Ringu, the film that kicked off the J-horror craze in the U.S.

1968: Night of the Living Dead: This low-budget, black and white film with rough edges turns out to be the perfect vehicle for unearthing the public's fear of flesh-eating zombies.

1973: The Exorcist: Linda Blair's head-turning turn as a girl possessed by the devil may just be the scariest film of all time.

1978: Halloween: The archetypal Boogeyman comes to town.

1999: The Blair Witch Project: This low-budget, black and white film with rough edges turns out to be the perfect vehicle for unearthing the public's fear of witches.

I'm sure I'm missing a few. Any suggestions?

AADL-GT Open Thread

Thu, 10/27/2005 - 9:59am by Edith Wharton

Out with the old thread, in with the new..

News: Play Mario Kart at McDonalds?!

Fun stuff: Watch the .gif version of Star Wars Ep. IV.

RPS Tournament this Saturday!

Wed, 10/26/2005 - 3:37pm by K.C.

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The AADL Rock Paper Scissors tournament will be happening in the Multipurpose Room, Downtown Library this Saturday from 2 to 4 p.m. Chris and his wife, Christina, our local RPS heroes and referees of this weekend's tournament, didn't place in last weekend's World Championships in Toronto but will have plenty of stories about their adventures. Snacks provided. Prizes for the top three finishers.

Anarchy!

Fri, 10/21/2005 - 3:15pm by sstonez

You've seen the capital A inscribed in a circle, but what does anarchism really stand for? Check out some of these books and CDs in the library's collection to learn more about anarchism. For a historical perspective, try something about Emma Goldman or Peter Kropotkin, or most anything written by historian Paul Avrich. If you're interested in more contemporary anarchist thought and activism, try Abbie Hoffman's Steal This Book or Corrinne Jacker's The Black Flag of Anarchy: Antistatism in the U.S. And if you'd like to listen to anarchist or other left-wing music, check out the following:

Black Flag and Rage Against the Machine as well as others not in the library such as Propagandhi and Anti-Flag.

p.s.--Abbie Hoffman aside, please don't steal the books! Keeping library books in circulation means more people have the chance to read them and make up their own minds about the ideas contained within.

Autobiography of My Dead Brother

Fri, 10/21/2005 - 9:49am by GuyMontag

Award winning author Walter Dean Myer’s new book, Autobiography of My Dead Brother, is a realistic, gritty, look at how even the smallest events and situations can have huge impacts. This book, which has already won the National Book Award for Young Adult Literature, combines elements of street lit, sketch book illustrations, and graphic novels, to create an accurate and compelling look into the lives of some of Harlem’s residents.
*Special Note – If you have read Adam Mansbach’s Angry Black White Boy, or met Mansbach at the Neutral Zone, check this book out! Different topics, same way of sticking with you days after you have finished.

Where I want to be by Adele Griffin

Thu, 10/20/2005 - 2:28pm by Maxine

Adele Griffin tells a compelling story about two sisters, Jane and Lily. In alternating chapters, from Jane's, then Lily's point of view, it gradually becomes clear that Jane is telling the story after her death in a car accident. Lilly is telling hers from the present. Jane had struggled most of her life with mental illness, often having difficulty separating the real from the unreal and only found solace with her loving grandparents. Lilly is attractive and popular but with her loss, tightens her grip on Caleb, her understanding boyfriend. Each sister finds freedom in a different way. A finalist for the National Book Award for young people, Griffin's book sheds light on the deep, abiding love between sisters that sometimes takes a tragedy to uncover.