From the Small Screen Scene to DVD

Buzz-worthy TV

In case you missed Downton Abbey, which premiered in January 2011 on Masterpiece Classic, PBS, you might like to catch up by watching the first season's episodes on DVD.  The second season is due for DVD release on February 7, before the season finale is broadcast on TV.  If you are looking for wonderful period-piece viewing, which comes complete with an oh-so-civil brand of 'class warfare', this one's for you.

If we may, suggest you pair your viewing experience with Below Stairs : the Classic Kitchen Maid's Memoir by Margaret Powell.  The author served as a maid in several stately homes in 1920's England. 

Owing to the generosity of a local patron, we've acquired all six seasons of the HBO crime drama The Wire, which offers a hard look at life in a modern American city, in this case west Baltimore.  The series was broadcast from 2002-2008 and won several notable honors including Edgar, Peabody, and Writers Guild awards.  Adult fans of realistic crime dramas will a find high-quality, though gritty viewing experience here.

Also On the Way

More patron generosity will find you able to view the full range of past season episodes of Showtime's Dexter series, based on the novels by Jeffry Lindsay.  With so many requests for the AMC series, Breaking Bad, we're working on this one, too.

Now Playing on a Small Screen Near You

Or Maybe a Big Screen?
We've heard tell Santa carried more than a few fancy TVs down local chimneys last December.  Have fun watching the ready-to-go and upcoming blockbusters, plus a few you may have missed along the way.

Moneyball (January 10)
The story of Oakland A's general manager Billy Beane's successful attempt to put together a baseball club on a budget. Based on the bestselling book by Michael Lewis.

The Ides of March (January 17)
During the frantic last days before a heavily contested Ohio presidential primary, an up-and-coming campaign press secretary finds himself involved in a political scandal that threatens to upend his candidate's shot at the presidency.  George Clooney directed the film.

50/50 (January 24)
Inspired by personal experiences, an original story about friendship, love, survival, and finding humor in unlikely places. Two best friends' lives change when one of them is diagnosed with cancer. This indie film has already won several notable awards.

Real Steel (January 24)
Washed up fighter Charlie reluctantly teams up with his estranged son Max to build and train a championship contender : a robot.  As uplifting as the earlier 'Rocky' films but with mechanical parts...

Drive (January 31)
A Hollywood stunt driver, who also works as a getaway driver, discovers a contract has been put out on him. Smart, action-packed, and bloody for sure; a definite hit on the regional and international film awards circuit.  Based on a book by James Sallis.

Make Room For...
Dolphin Tale -- The Fat Boy Chronicles -- Footloose (Classic version) -- Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy (Classic version) -- Rise of the Planet of the Apes -- Warrior.

International Films
International film fans may enjoy Circumstance (Persian) or King of Devil's Island (Norwegian, March 2012 release date).

Winter Film Discussion Series

STELLA! Tennessee Williams : Plays to Film

Join us this winter for an adult discussion series featuring classic films adapted from the works of playwright Tennessee Williams.  Films are shown in their entirety; all discussion events begin at 6:30 p.m. in the library Community Room.  Library staff member Phil Carr moderates.

Tuesday, January 17 : Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

Examine Tennessee Williams' searing account of greed and sexual frustration and its effect on a prominent Southern family. Burl Ives recreates his Broadway role as "Big Daddy." Elizabeth Taylor gives a smoldering performance as Maggie, the rejected wife. Paul Newman plays Brick, Maggie's troubled husband.  The play won the Pulitzer in 1955; both Taylor and Newman were nominated for Academy Awards.

Tuesday Febrary 14 : A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)

Blanche DuBois (Vivien Leigh) moves in with her sister Stella (Kim Hunter) and Stella’s husband, Stanley (Marlon Brando). Blanche refuses to come to terms with the death of her Southern aristocratic background, causing her to conflict with her lower-class brother-in-law. Stanley harshly forces her to face the facts, driving her to a complete personality breakdown in this cinematic version of the Pulitzer Prize-winning play.

Tuesday, March 13 : The Rose Tattoo (1955)

Serafina Delle Rose (Anna Magnani), a Sicilian woman living in the American South, mourns the death of her husband, constantly telling herself stories of their time together. Her fragile emotional existence is shattered when she discovers that her husband had been carrying on with another woman. Serafina later meets truck driver Alvaro (Burt Lancaster) and begins a tentative romance. The play won a Tony Award in 1951. Williams wrote the screenplay with Magnani in mind; she went on to win the Oscar for Best Actress.

Plot summaries developed using information from Movie Licensing USA, Fandango, and Internet Movie Database.

Rolling Stone's Albums of the Year

Rock On...
End-of-year list-making continues with Rolling Stone Magazine's list of 2011's top fifty albums.  For those of you who enjoy listening to conventional CDs (while you still can), we offer a quick list of the top fifteen.  In some cases, the links lead to other CDs or songs by the artists, available for checkout at the library:

21 by Adele

Watch the Throne -- Jay-Z and Kanye West

So Beautiful or So What -- Paul Simon

Helplessness Blues -- Fleet Foxes

The King of Limbs -- Radiohead

Born This Way -- Lady Gaga

The King is Dead -- The Decemberists

The Whole Love -- Wilco

Wild Flag -- Wild Flag

How to Become Clairvoyant -- Robbie Robertson

Circuital -- My Morning Jacket

El Camino -- Black Keys

WhoKill -- Tune-Yards

Hot Sauce Committee Pt. Two -- Beastie Boys

Thank You Happy Birthday -- Cage the Elephant

You can check out the complete list of the "Best 50" in the print magazine (library subscribes to this way-more-than-a music-magazine) or online. 

For Film Fans : A Recap on the Latest

Everybody Say Hot, Hot Hot!
If you're not one to closely monitor our recent item listings, here's a recap of recent additions to our film collection plus some tips on upcoming titles.

Comedies
Beginners (Ewan McGregor, Christoper Plummer)
The Change-Up (Ryan Reynolds, Jason Bateman)
Crazy, Stupid, Love (Ryan Gosling, Steve Carell, Julianne Moore)

Drama
Atlas Shrugged (Paul Johansson, Matthew Marsden) -- Sarah's Key (Kristin Scott Thomas) -- Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (Bingbing Li, Vivian Wu) -- Submarine (Craig Roberts, Noah Taylor, Sally Hawkins) -- Water for Elephants (Reese Witherspoon, Robert Pattinson)

Action/Fantasy : Pirates of the Caribbean : On Stranger Tides

Documentaries
Cave of the Forgotten Dreams (Chavet Cave art, France) -- Forks Over Knives (Vegetarianism) -- Page One (Decline of the NYT) -- Pearl Jam Twenty -- People vs. George Lucas (The Lucas Legacy... sort of)--

Sci-Fi : Super 8 (Elle Fanning, Joel Courtney, Kyle Chandler)

December 2
Friends With Benefits
The Smurfs
December 6
The Debt
The Help
Mr. Popper's Penguins
December 9
Harry Potter & the Deathly Hallows, Part 2
December 13 : Fright Night, Kung Fu Panda 2
December 20 : Margin Call, The Tempest

Fa-La-La-La-La

Holiday Tunes
Thanksgiving (or is it Halloween?) typically marks the beginning of December's holiday season. Bet you will join us in asking "Where did the time go?"

Oh, well; in the spirit of planning ahead, here's a quick list of holiday music CDs recently added to our collection. Additional holiday titles of all varieties are on their way so let the fa-la-la-la-la's begin!

Beach Boys' Christmas Album
Christmas Around the World - André Rieu
Christmas in Diverse City - Tobymac
Christmas - Michael Bublé
Holiday Carole - Carole King
Kidz Bop Christmas
Under the Mistletoe - Justin Bieber
A Very She & Him Christmas - She & Him


Holiday Concert

Click here to register for a free Holiday Music From Throughout the World concert on Saturday, December 10, presented by the Hartt School's Sogno String Quartet.  Enjoy featured works by Charpentier, Franck, Rathberger, Saint-Saens, and Daquin, along with traditional holiday music.

Sogno members are : Jo Ann Galat-Brown (Violin), Martina Miga (Violin), Paula Trebra (Viola), Karl Ronnevik (Cello).

November's Saturday Afternoon Concert with Ellen Woloshin

Pop Music With a Lovely Twist

Join us at the library on Saturday, November 12, at 2:00 p.m. for a concert featuring New York-based indie vocalist, Ellen Woloshin. This a return engagement for Ellen, who last year dazzled our community with her elegant takes on familiar, contemporary pop tunes.

Click here to register for this free concert; all are welcomed.

Listening and Viewing Ahead

Check out Woloshin's CDs and listen to tunes that you may very well hear live at the library on November 12.  Also enjoy a video clip of Ellen's April 2010 performance at our library and another at the Windsor Arts Center in July 2010.

While My Guitar Gently Weeps


Round We Go Again