DVD/Movie Review: Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer
(DVD Oppenheimer)

Oppenheimer is one of the front runners for Oscars on March 10th, leading all other films with 13 nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director (Christopher Nolan), Best Actor (Cillian Murphy), Best Supporting Actor (Robert Downey Jr.) and Best Supporting Actress (Emily Blunt), plus numerous technical nominations.

 

At 3 full hours, Oppenheimer requires a commitment in its audience, but it ultimately pays off. The first third of the film is relatively slow going, but tension and pace gradually increase, set to Ludwig Goransson’s nerve-wracking score. This is part biography of Oppenheimer the man, and part historical recreation of one of the most pivotal eras in U.S. and World history.

 

The performances in this film are outstanding, especially Cillian Murphy’s haunting take as Oppenheimer and Robert Downey Jr. as Lewis Strauss. I particularly enjoyed Tom Conti as Albert Einstein in a couple of short but critical scenes. The production design, costume design, editing, cinematography (particularly around Los Alamos and the bomb testing site) are all top notch.

 

Though I was a bit bored by the first third of the film, and ended up breaking it up into two viewings, I’m glad I returned to it, because by the end of this movie I was so impressed that I ended up buying the DVD for my personal collection.

 

Oppenheimer was part of a unique cultural phenomenon in the summer of 2023. It opened the same day as Barbie, and many filmgoers called that pairing Barbenheimer — challenging each other to watch both landmark movies the same day or weekend. Both films were smash successes, and now find themselves up against each other in multiple Oscar categories (Barbie earned 8 nominations). Personally, I preferred Barbie, but that’s just my own taste. I certainly recognize that Oppenheimer is an exceptionally well-made film…and I strongly recommend it for anyone who hasn’t yet seen it — especially those interested in world history.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird, The Oppenheimer Alternative by Robert J. Sawyer.)

 

( Internet Movie Database entry for this film )

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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Book Review: Have I Told You This Already? by Lauren Graham

Have I Told You That Already? Stories I Don’t Want to Forget to Remember
by Lauren Graham (Biography Graham)

This is a quick, feel-good read! Lauren’s little writing “quirks” make for funny, enjoyable essays geared toward those that are fans of Graham’s work (think Gilmore Girls and Parenthood). This book includes personal anecdotes from ranging from stories about attending various “health camps”, being an up-and-coming actor living in LA, and even stories about orange marmalade (read to find out!) and her dog.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try more non-fiction by Lauren Graham, including Talking as Fast As I Can, In Conclusion, Don’t Worry About It, or Someday, Someday Maybe; or the TV series Gilmore Girls and Parenthood.)

 

( publisher’s official Lauren Graham web page ) | ( Wikipedia page for actress/author Lauren Graham )

 

Recommended by Amanda S.
Gere and South Branch Libraries

 

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Book Review: Betty White's Pearls of Wisdom by Patty Sullivan

Betty White’s Pearls of Wisdom
by Patty Sullivan (Biography White)

This book’s author, Patty Sullivan, is the wife of blind singer and motivational speaker Tom Sullivan (a fixture on TV talk shows of the 1970s and 1980s). Before Patty and Tom were even married, when Tom was singing in a Cape Cod bar, actress Betty White and her husband Allen Ludden (who were both appearing in a play nearby) saw Sullivan’s musical act and befriended the young couple. From this point in their lives and beyond, Patty and Tom became a close part of Betty’s life, especially after Allen passed away. Over the years, Betty became Gram III to Patty and Tom’s two children, and they often spent the holidays together as a family, either at Patty and Tom’s home in the Los Angeles area, or the oceanside home in Carmel, CA that Betty and Allen had had constructed before his passing.

 

This book is Patty’s recollections of the more-than-fifty years relationship she had with Betty White, and the “Pearls of Wisdom” she acquired from watching how Betty lived her life. A large percentage of her recollections deal with Betty’s love for the animal kingdom and the environment. Patty also goes into a lot of detail of how everyone around Betty coped with her aging in the last 15-20 years of her life.

 

Pearls of Wisdom had a lot of great moments and memories but also became a tad repetitive. None-the-less, to see through the eyes of someone who was so close to Betty was invaluable, as are the large number of full-color photos used to illustrated this book. Anyone who loves animals, or who loved watching Betty throughout her superstar career on television should definitely enjoy this one.

 

(If you enjoy this, Betty wrote several books herself, all of the following of which are available through the libraries: Pet-Love: How Pets Take Care of Us (1983), Betty White In Person (1987), Here We Go Again: My Life in Television (1995), If You Ask Me (and Of Course You Won’t) (2011) and Betty & Friends: My Life at the Zoo (2011).

 

Mentioned within Pearls of Wisdom are three books she co-authored with Tom Sullivan, The Leading Lady: Dinah’s Story (1991), Together: A Novel of Shared Vision (2008) and Alive Day: A Story of Love and Loyalty (2009). The latter two novels are available in electronic formats, but the libraries don’t own The Leading Lady — you can order it through our InterLibrary Loan service for only a very small fee.

 

In 1971-72, Betty hosted a TV series, The Pet Set, for 39 episodes. All 39 episodes of this series are available through the libraries’ Hoopla Digital service, though each episode is a separate check-out and you are limited to 4 Hoopla check-outs per month.)

 

( Wikipedia entry for Betty White ) | ( publisher’s official Patty Sullivan author web page)

 

See Charlotte M.’s review of If You Ask Me (and, Of Course, You Won’t!) by Betty White in the January 2012 Staff Recommendations here on BookGuide!

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands by Kate Beaton

Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands
by Kate Beaton (741.5 Bea)

Don’t confuse the graphic novel Ducks: Two Years in the Oil Sands as a light-hearted comic. Rather the book takes a dark look at the harsh effects on the land and the people working for the oil industry in Canada. The graphic novel is actually an adaptation of an autobiographical web “comic” that Kate Beaton produced as she finished working at the oil sands.

 

Although the seaside community of Mabou in Cape Breton Canada is a beautiful place to live, jobs are few and far between. After graduation, Beaton has a mountain of student loans and the kind of jobs she can get in Mabou aren’t going to pay that bill. Like other young people, Beaton goes where the jobs and the money are, out west in the oil sands in Alberta.

 

But the bigger paycheck comes with its own cost. In stark contrast to the beauty of the land is the huge machinery and the scars the oil industry leaves behind on the land. Living is toxic — death and injury happen regularly. Beaton does not hide the grim reality of the misogyny of a place where men greatly outnumber women. Not only is her body openly discussed but men suddenly walk into her room uninvited. Men take advantage of her, but the attitude is that it must be her fault.

 

Where does the title Ducks come from? It refers to an accident in 2008 in which a paddling of ducks land in the oil sludge left behind in the sands and die. Perhaps the title is meant to point to the devastation the oil industry leaves on the land. Perhaps it points to the death of innocence of the people who come to work there.

 

Upon finishing the book, I was left wondering who people really are. Are we the people we are living with our families in ordinary towns and society? Or are we really who we can become living in isolation without social repercussions? In spite of the dark topics, Ducks is well worth the read.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Hark! A Vagrant by Kate Beaton.)

 

( official Kate Beaton Twitter feed )

 

Ducks is one of the Top 11 finalists for One Book – One Lincoln in 2023. Click here to see the rest of this year’s Top 11!

 

Recommended by Cindy K.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

DVD Review: 5-25-77

5-25-77
(DVD 5-25-77)

My wife checked out this quirky biographical film, recognizing that she and I are both Star Wars fans, and May 25, 1977 was the opening date of the very first film, Star Wars (later renamed Star Wars IV: A New Hope). I hadn’t heard anything about this film, and no idea what to expect. In the end, I was very pleasantly surprised!

 

This film is a coming-of-age autobiography of filmmaker Pat Johnson, who grew up in a small town in Indiana, making 8mm sequels to many of his favorite movies, with the help of his friends and the support of his beleaguered mother. Absolutely enthralled by 2001: A Space Odyssey, it becomes Pat’s dream to meet and work with filmmaker and special effects artist Douglas Trumball. This movie looks at Pat’s journey, both as an aspiring filmmaker but also in the relationships he has with various people in his life, including his first serious girlfriend.

 

The opportunity to go to Hollywood and briefly meet Trumball, turns into an opportunity for Pat to see a rough cut preview of George Lucas’ upcoming movie Star Wars — an event that changes Pat’s life and inspires the rest of the events of 5-25-77.

 

John Francis Daley blew me away as Pat Johnson. He starred as a regular on Bones for several years, as “Sweets”, and he actually appears younger in 5-25-77 than he did for a half-dozen years on that series. Longtime character actor Austin Pendleton was great as Herb Lightman, as was Colleen Camp as Pat’s mother.

 

The style of film-making here was very stream-of-consciousness, and a lot of plot threads seem to evaporate or never get followed. There are tons of fast cuts and fantasy sequences, which may be off-putting to some viewers. But, in the end, I enjoyed this emotional journey. Anyone who’s ever dreamed to making movies will enjoy this. And Star Wars fans who’ve been there since opening day will definitely find something to appreciate in 5-25-77.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try 2001: A Space Odyssey, Star Wars.)

 

( Internet Movie Database entry for this film )

 

See the Star Wars Reviews page here on BookGuide for staff recommendations related to the vast Star Wars publishing and film world!

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Audiobook Review: Brief Encounters: Conversations, Magic Moments, and Assorted Hijinks by Dick Cavett

Brief Encounters: Conversations, Magic Moments, and Assorted Hijinks
by Dick Cavett (Compact disc Biography Cavett)

Based on his columns in the New York Times, Cavett reads his own essays about his life growing up in Lincoln, behind the scenes in movies, TV, and Broadway, college life at Yale, and general comments on current events. Probably only interesting to those who remember his TV talk show or appreciate the classic stars and celebrities. His stories, over eight hours on seven discs, were humorous, interesting, and poignant, and ended far too quickly.

 

This recording was a 2015 Grammy nominee for Best Spoken Word Album (losing out to Jimmy Carter reading his own biography). For more Cavett entertainment, the library owns other Cavett books as physical copies and on Hoopla, four various sets of The Dick Cavett Show on DVD, and his interview with John G. Neihardt is on DVD in the Heritage Room.

 

( official Dick Cavett index on the New York Times web site )

 

See Scott C.’s earlier review of Brief Encounters in the July 2015 Staff Recommendations here on BookGuide!

 

Recommended by Charlotte M.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard by Tom Felton

Beyond the Wand: The Magic and Mayhem of Growing Up a Wizard
by Tom Felton (Biography Felton)

As a fan of J.K Rowling’s Harry Potter books and the movies based on them, I was interested to see what actor Tom Felton had to say about his experiences portraying Draco Malfoy, the kid you love to despise in all of the stories. The book was incredibly funny — much more than I was expecting — and brutally honest about his experiences on set and off. I could empathize with Tom’s descriptions of being born the youngest in a family of four (his brothers called him “maggot”) and how those older brothers would get him in trouble. Yet through all of his experiences, he has nothing but good to say of his family, the actors he worked with, and his adoring fans. The best part of the book besides the descriptions of working alongside Britain’s finest actors is the honest reflections on his own life and the mistakes he made over the years which led to a stint in Rehabilitation. I highly recommend this book for anyone who is a fan of the Harry Potter series and with an interest in the child actors that grew up together in the films. I will mention that there is a lot of swearing in the book as well as drug and alcohol abuse, so I do not recommend Beyond the Wand for children.

 

(If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try all of the Harry Potter books by J.K. Rowling, all of the Harry Potter movies starring Daniel Radcliffe or The Borrowers by Mary Norton (Tom Felton was in a film version of The Borrowers as a child prior to being cast as Draco Malfoy).)

 

( publisher’s official Beyond the Wand web page ) | ( official Tom Felton web site )

 

Recommended by Kim J.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: Relish - My Life in the Kitchen by Lucy Knisley

Relish: My Life in the Kitchen
by Lucy Knisley (Biography Knisley)

Lucy Knisley loves food — she is the daughter of a chef and a gourmet. This is a forthright, thoughtful and funny memoir. She traces key episodes in hr life — framed by what she was eating at the time, and lessons learned about food, cooking and life. Each chapter is book-ended with an illustrated recipe — many of them treasured family dishes — yummy!

 

Recommended for adults, teens, and people who like to cook!

 

( official Relish page on the official Lucy Knisley web site )

 

This was one of dozens of Graphic Novel reviews submitted by library staff during our 2022 In-Service Training day on 9/23, all collected on A Day Full of Graphic Novels

 

Recommended by Pamela C.
Gere and South Branch Libraries

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: Fatty Fatty Boom Boom: A Memoir of Food, Fat and Family by Rabia Chaudry

Fatty Fatty Boom Boom: A Memoir of Food, Fat and Family
by Rabia Chaudry (Biography Chaudry)

Rabia Chaudry is a bastion in the true crime world as an attorney and advocate for the wrongfully convicted, but this gives us a personal look at her as a daughter, wife, mother and woman. This is much more than a food or weight loss memoir and there is no ‘woe is me’ vibe here. What there is: is a lot of humor and honesty as Rabia shares her story of learning to accept her body even if it doesn’t conform to societal expectations. This is also a fascinating look at an immigrant family’s experience with American food and a woman’s discovery of her own heritage through food.

 

( official Fatty Fatty Boom Boom page on the official Rabia Chaudry web site )

 

Recommended by Jen J.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: Stitches: A Memoir by David Small

Stitches: A Memoir

by David Small (Biography Small)

 

Small tells the story of his life beginning at age 6 when an operation and medical treatment drastically changed his life. Takes place in Detroit and highlights relationships with family that include an angry frustrated father, and a supremely unhappy mom who runs the home with severity and silence. Illustrations are amazing and contribute and offer insight into the psyche of Small as a young boy through adolescence in dealing with traumatic events of his life.

 

Best audience for this is probably adults — those who like stories, medical topics, biographies/memoirs, family relationships, and wonderful illustrations.

 

( official Stitches: A Memoir page on the official David Small web site )

 

This was one of dozens of Graphic Novel reviews submitted by library staff during our 2022 In-Service Training day on 9/23, all collected on A Day Full of Graphic Novels

 

See the earlier review of Stiches by former Library Director Pat Leach in her Firefly blog in December 2009

 

Recommended by Brenda E.
Gere and South Branch Libraries

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!