DVD Review: October Sky

October Sky
[DVD October]

The true story of Homer Hickam, a NASA Engineer, and his high school friends who were worried by the October flight of Sputnik and decided to work on rocketry to make the US a leader in the space race.

Growing up impoverished in the coal mining state of West Virginia their parents saw no use for college or the study of science or rocketry. They aren’t the villains here, they simply believed coal mining to be an honorable profession, and Hickam’s father was very proud of his job as a miner. We follow the boys as one of their high school teachers sees a potential for them and works with them after school as they try to build reliable rockets. Eventually, they find their way to a science fair that offers college scholarships to the winning team.

Even though you know the boys make it out of the coal-mining life, it’s still exciting to watch their success and the eventual pride of their parents.

Based on Hickam’s New York Times bestselling 1998 book “Rocket Boys” which became the basis for this film. Interestingly, “October Sky” is an anagram for “Rocket Boys.” The film’s producers felt girls wouldn’t watch a film entitled “Rocket BOYS” and thus made the switch.

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ]

Read Patty L.’s review of Rocket Boys, the biography this film is based on, from September 2004

Recommended by Charlotte M.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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Coco (on DVD)

Coco
[j DVD Coco] 

Winner of the Academy Award (Oscar) for Best Animated Feature Film for films released in 2017. Also winner of the Best Song at the Academy Awards for “Remember Me”, by Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez (previous winners for “Let It Go” from Frozen).

This charming 2017 animated film from Pixar, released by the Walt Disney company, is a celebration of the Mexican culture’s holiday “Dia de Los Muertos” (the Day of the Dead). A young boy (12-year-old Miguel) in a Mexican village wishes to pursue music as his life’s passion, but is forbidden from being involved with music by his elders, as a result of a heartbreaking story involving his Great-Great-Grandmother Coco, who was abandoned by a musician. Miguel is headstrong, and obsessed with a legendary Mexican troubadour and film star (Ernesto de la Cruz), and Miguel’s actions lead him to “borrow” de la Cruz’s guitar to perform in a talent competition. One thing leads to another and ultimately the “living” Miguel finds himself having crossed over the land of the dead. Miguel then needs the help of a charming but untrustworthy trickster spirit, as he navigates his way through the extensive community of passed-on souls who await The Day of the Dead each year for the chance to reunited with living loved ones. Miguel must earn his way back to the land of the living or be trapped among the dead forever…along the way he develops bonds with some of the passed-on spirits he encounters on the other side.

The music in this film was marvelous, the storytelling and the animation and character voice work were all top-notch. This was easily my favorite animated film in 2017, and overall was one of my 3 or 4 favorite films which I saw in a movie theater last year. I look forward to owning this one in my own collection, and highly recommend you check it out from the libraries if you haven’t had a chance to see it yet yourself!

[Various tie-in books associated with this film are also available in traditional print format.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Coco web site ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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Ghidorah: The Three-Headed Monster (Hoopla Digital Video)

Ghidorah: The Three-Headed Monster by Yosuke Natsuki [Hoopla Digital Streaming Service] 

If you haven’t seen a Godzilla movie before this could be a good starting point because it’s got four monsters in it; however, Godzilla is not really the bad guy here as he is in other movies. Even though this is called Ghidorah, Godzilla, Rodan and Mothra (in caterpillar form) also appear. Not everyone who watches giant monster movies really cares about the humans; sometimes I’m like this and sometimes not, but in this one it’s pretty entertaining. There is a princess in danger of assassination that flies to Japan, where she’ll supposedly be safe. While in route, she seems to become entranced and jumps out of the plane seconds before it explodes. She’s presumed dead, but then starts appearing on the news claiming to be from Mars and predicting the future. She says the world is doomed because the space monster Ghidorah, who destroyed her home planet, is here on Earth and will destroy it too. Meanwhile a team of scientists are examining a strange new meteorite impact out of which eventually comes Ghidorah. The Martian Princess also says the monsters Rodan and Godzilla will return soon. She’s right, and after all the monsters come out, it’s fighting time. First Godzilla and Rodan fight, then caterpillar Mothra (summoned by twin fairies at the request of the Japanese government – this is not a joke) tries to stop them and get them to join in its fight against Ghidorah. The fights are absolutely hilarious. Rodan, pecks at Godzilla’s head, Godzilla throws and kicks rocks, there’s tail biting and all kinds of goofiness. It‘s people in large rubber suits fighting, so there’s only so much they can do. It’s not a movie to take seriously or else you probably won’t like it. If you want a laugh, that’s what this is. It’s not trying to make a statement, it does not have character development, the plot is weird, there is no impressive computer graphics, it’s just a movie pretending to be scary and serious and failing miserably. It’s greatly entertaining and is available on Hoopla to download or stream, either via the app or their website hoopladigital.com.

[If you enjoy this, more giant monster movies are available on Hoopla, including but not limited to: Gamera the Giant Monster, Gamera vs. Gyaos, Godzilla vs. Megalon, Rodan, Godzilla’s Revenge and Destroy All Monsters] [ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ]

Recommended by Kristen A.
Gere Branch Library

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Life (on DVD)

Life
[DVD Life] 

This space thriller stars Ryan Reynolds and Jake Gyllenhaal. A group of scientists on the International Space Station send a probe to Mars and it comes back with a sample including a single celled organism that they decide to try to bring to life. After performing some experiments on it it does in fact come to life and seems friendly, however something goes wrong with the chamber it’s held in and it stops moving. To bring it back to life one of the scientists decides to shock it and it doesn’t take too kindly to it. Suddenly its mission is to kill all aboard so the movie follows their hope for survival while trying to keep the station from entering earth’s atmosphere and bringing the creature into our world. This movie was terrifying and disgusting. It has a very slow start so you have to stick with it, but once the creature starts killing people and gets bigger and bigger after each kill the scenes get more intense.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Alien, Interstellar, Contact, The Martian, Arrival or The Thing] [ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Life (Movie) web site ]

Recommended by Carrie K.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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Hello, My Name is Doris (on DVD)

Hello, My Name is Doris
[DVD Hello]

I grew up watching Sally Field as an actress, first in The Flying Nun, then The Girl With Something Extra, then her feature film successes in such films as the Smokey and the Bandit movies, Norma Rae, Places in the Heart, Murphy’s Romance (a personal favorite), Mrs. Doubtfire and Steel Magnolias. In more recent years, I’ve enjoyed seeing her tackle more seasoned roles in things such as the Brothers & Sisters TV series, Mary Todd Lincoln in Lincoln, and Aunt May in two Amazing Spider-Man films. The trailers for Hello, My Name is Doris made me eager to see her in another starring role, especially opposite Max Greenfield, whom I’ve enjoyed tremendously in the comedy series New Girl.

This film features Field as Doris, a lowly data-entry clerk in her late middle-age, who has been the sole live-in caretaker for her mother for decades, giving up any chance of seeing any of her own hopes and dreams accomplished. When her mother finally passes, Doris finally has the opportunity to pursue some of her own dreams, while simultaneously fending off her siblings’ desire to sell the family house. Unfortunately, because most of her life has been a huge “gap”, Doris isn’t prepared for what her heart wants…and timidly sets off in pursuit of a new executive at her advertising firm, a much younger man. With the advice of a friend’s pre-teen granddaughter, Doris tries to fit into the world of her young target, dabbling awkwardly in social media and becoming a cause celebre in his circle of hipsters. The film bounces from silly and sentimental, to awkward and uncomfortable, but throughout its mood swings, Sally Field turns in a bravura performance. In the end, I came away not fully satisfied with the film itself, but Sally Field is a wonder and I highly recommend it if you’re a fan of her work!

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try any of her films or TV-series, hotlinked above.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Hello, My Name is Doris web site ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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Dumb and Dumber To (on DVD)

Dumb and Dumber To
[DVD Dumb]

Based on a couple of teaser scenes that had gotten a lot of play when the movie came out in 2014 and when the DVD was released last year, and knowing that Jeff Daniels and Jim Carrey are pretty decent actors, I decided to give this official sequel to Dumb and Dumber — which I have NOT ever seen — a try. I was pleasantly surprised that “I like it a lot.” It’s a great have-some-popcorn-and-relax-your-mind movie. It even has some sweet and touching moments in among the low-brow antics. Suffice to say that when all is said and done, Harry and Lloyd have each other’s backs despite their elaborate prankstering and high stupidity quotient. Kathleen Turner has a key role and Rob Riggle, playing twin brothers, gets to literally scene-steal as one of the two. Rated PG-13.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try these — Jim Carrey: Yes Man, The Truman Show, Bruce Almighty; Jeff Daniels: The Martian, The Crossing; Rob Riggle: Let’s Be Cops.] [Also available in traditional print format.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Dumb and Dumber web site ]

Recommended by Becky W.C.
Walt Branch Library

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United 93 (on DVD)

United 93
[DVD United]

This is a film that was put out in 2006, about the events that occurred in America on September 11, 2001. The main focus was on the passengers and hijackers aboard United flight 93–the flight where passengers fought back to take over their flight; though there was a good amount of attention paid to the reactions of the Air Traffic Control, as well as the military’s responses. The story goes along in “real-time”, so it feels like it’s actually happening as you’re watching it. In a way, it was difficult to watch, as I kept replaying the actual events in my mind as they progressed throughout the movie. And yet, I couldn’t tear my eyes away. I highly recommend this film to anyone who can remember those events–but I also wonder if it should maybe be considered something to be played for our students in schools these days, as a part of their history lessons? It was, in my opinion, informative without relying too heavily on the emotional impact everyone would have been experiencing.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try World Trade Center or Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close.] [ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ]

Recommended by Tracy T.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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Non-Stop (on DVD)

Non-Stop [DVD Non]

Liam Neeson is terrific, as always, in this claustrophobic action thriller from 2014. Neeson plays Bill Marks, a U.S. Air Marshall on a transatlantic flight from New York to London, who begins receiving mysterious text messages on his phone, threatening the lives of the passengers on the plane. Marks is dealing with numerous issues, including reliance on alcohol and cigarettes following a tragedy in his life. He’s not a 100$ reliable narrator, and the fact that the mysterious terrorist threatening him seems to know too much about him ratchets up the suspense. The tight quarters of the plane, and the escalating anxieties of Marks and the various other characters he brings into his circle of confidants makes this an entertaining thriller. Admittedly, after the film was over, numerous logic holes started making me pick the film apart. But while I was watching it, it was a heckuva roller coaster, with Neeson in fine form. The supporting cast is also excellent, including Julianne Moore, Scoot McNairy, Michelle Dockery, Omar Metwally and Corey Stoll.
If you like this item, you might like these too – Any of Liam Neeson’s other recent action films, including the Taken trilogy or The A-Team film.

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Non-Stop web site ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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A Day in Pixar (on DVD)

A Day in Pixar: A Visit to Pixar Studios in Emeryville, CA [DVD 791.438 PixYf]

I had placed a hold on this title when it first showed up as “on order” in our catalog, simply based on the fact that it was about Pixar, the celebrated animation studio. In the end, while this may hold some interest for some viewers, who may not be particularly familiar with the studio — kids in particular will enjoy the short clips from the many popular animated films — I found this 30 minute documentary somewhat disappointing. It feels like an industrial film, intended to introduce newcomers to the company — rather bland and dry. Clips of films are interspersed with interviews with a handful of Pixar employees. Those “live action” bits are all poorly lit, although the employees are certainly enthusiastic about the company. I can’t wholeheartedly recommend this short video to everyone, with the exceptions of either the extreme Pixar fans, or to viewers who have no idea what the Pixar studio is.

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales From the making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes (on CD)

As You Wish: Inconcievable Tales From the Making of The princess Bride
by Cary Elwes [Compact Disc 791.437 PriYe]

The Princess Bride is one of my all-time favorite movies. When I first saw, a couple of months ago, that actor Cary Elwes (Wesley in the film) had written a behind-the-scenes volume about the making of the movie, following the film’s 25th anniversary, I looked forward to reading it. Time got away from me, but when I noticed the audiobook-on-cd version on display, I couldn’t pass it up. In the end, I’m glad I listened to the audio version, because it was absolutely charming. In addition to Elwes narrating his own text, many of the other cast and crew members narrate their own contributions to the book, in the form of letters and remembrances. Hearing Rob Reiner, Billy Crystal, Carol Kane, Chris Sarandon and Christopher Guest share tidbits about the experience of working on their film was absolutely terrific. Elwes is the emotional anchor though, talking about how much of a life-changing role Wesley was, and the tremendous impact the film has had on his career, and the wonderful experiences he continues to have, interacting with fans of the film, who now cross three generations in the same family, in many cases. I can’t recommend this audiobook highly enough; my only caveat is that I wish there had been even more “making of” details included…in this end this is a fairly slim volume. I absolutely loved Elwes’ impressions of Rob Reiner and Andre the Giant as he recalls conversations with both those men. If you loved The Princess Bride, you’ll love this book/audiobook as well!

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The original feature film The Princess Bride, and the novel by William Goldman that started the whole thing in the first place!]

[ publisher’s As You Wish web site ] | [ official Cary Elwes Twitter feed ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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Silver Screen Fiend by Patton Oswalt

Silver Screen Fiend: Learning About Life From an Addiction to Film
by Patton Oswalt [Biography Oswalt]

Silver Screen Fiend is a charming, funny, engaging and well-paced personal account by Patton Oswalt about one of the formative times in his life and his career. A recommended read for fans of Patton Oswalt or anyone looking for a charming story that just about anyone can relate to.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Zombie Spaceship Wasteland, also by Patton Oswalt.]

[ official Patton Oswalt web site ]

Recommended by Corey G.
Gere Branch Library

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Guardians of the Galaxy (on DVD)

Guardians of the Galaxy
[DVD Guardians]

After tracking down and stealing a mysterious orb Peter Quill — also known as Starlord — finds himself in hot water, being chased by Gamora, who was sent by a villain named Ronan the Accuser to retrieve the orb. Little does Ronan know Gamora has her own plan to sell the orb to The Collector but her plan gets back-burned when she and Peter are arrested along with bounty hunters Rocket and Groot who attempted to capture Peter for money. In jail they meet Drax who hates Ronan because he killed his wife and daughter. The five of them break out of a prison together and decide to take the orb to The Collector and split the profit. This plan goes awry and the orb is stolen by Ronan's minions. When they realize how dangerous the orb really is the team vows to retrieve it and take it to Nova Prime where it will be safe. This is harder than it sounds because with the orb in his possession Ronan becomes even more powerful. I liked the characters, I thought the actors portrayed them very well, and the storyline was good but my favorite part was actually the soundtrack. -- recommended by Carrie K. - Bennett Martin Public Library [ see Carrie's Reviewer Profile and more of her reviews ]

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try other Marvel superhero movies like The Avengers, Captain America, Iron Man, the Hulk, and Thor.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Guardians of the Galaxy web site ]

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Star Trek III: The Search for Spock

Star Trek III: The Search for Spock
[DVD Star]

This movie picks up where the previous one left off. Kirk and crew steal the decommissioned Enterprise and return to the now forbidden planet Genesis to retrieve Spock's body, which according to Spock's father must be returned to their home planet of Vulcan. The ship is not fully operational due to it's adventure in the previous movie. While they do make it to the planet, there is an enemy ship waiting for them. There is also a federation science research crew on the surface of the planet who also get involved in the conflict. Full of action and excitement it's a good Star Trek movie that would appeal to those who like action and sci-fi movies. I would recommend watching movie two first because it does directly pick up after those events. -- recommended by Kristen A. - Gere Branch Library [ see Kristen's Reviewer Profile and more of her reviews ]

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Star Trek the Original Series and Star Trek II: Wrath of Khan.]

[Also available in traditional print (movie novelization) format.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Star Trek web site ]

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Frozen (on DVD)

Frozen
[DVD j Frozen]

Anna, a princess, ventures up a snowy mountain to find her sister Elsa--a queen with magical icy powers. Elsa has left Arendelle kingdom in eternal winter, and it is up to Anna and Kristoff to help find her sister and save the kingdom. Along the way they meet a laughable Snowman, Olaf, and other characters. The movie is clever, very funny at times, contains a great storyline and plot with a great ending. But what really makes the movie is the music. Clearly inspired from Broadway style tunes, several hits and awards have came from the music, including the hit song "Let it Go" performed by Idina Menzel, which won an Oscar for Best Original Song. Other hits include: "Fixer-Upper," "Love is an Open Door," and "For the First Time in Forever" Overall, the film is great especially for kids!. -- recommended by Jeremiah J. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Tangled, Brave.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Frozen web site ]

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Hitchcock (on DVD)

Hitchcock
[DVD Hitchcock]

Anthony Hopkins is excellent as famed film director Alfred Hitchcock. Soon you forget that's Hopkins and see him only as Hitchcock the character. The film revolves around the making of his film "Psycho" with all the financing difficulties, script problems, and casting issues. Also delves into his personal life with his wife, Alma, who was his professional partner in every sense. Only for the Hitchcock fan who has some awareness of his films and the actors involved. Helen Mirren stars as his wife. Daniel Day-Lewis took the Oscar that year for Best Actor but Hopkins was definitely worthy of the award as well. -- recommended by Charlotte K. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official Hitchcock: The Movie web site ]

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The Lost Valentine

The Lost Valentine
based on the book by James Pratt [DVD Lost]

I'm a sucker for the Hallmark Hall of Fame productions that pop up on television two to three times per year. Invariably heart-warming and frequently sappy, these "movies with a message" are always well-made, with impressive casts and great production values. I originally watched The Lost Valentine when it aired on TV, mainly to see how Betty White did in a purely dramatic role. She is the heart and soul of this movie, and her performance is emotionally resonant. The rest of the cast, including Jennifer Love Hewitt as a pushy, but ultimately good-hearted reporter, who ends up falling into a relationship with Betty's character's grandson. It's all schmaltzy, but it's good schmaltz...and I dare you not to be teary eyed as White's Caroline learns what happened to her true love 65 years earlier. Good stuff! [Most other entries in the Hallmark Hall of Fame DVD series would work well -- I personally recommend Silver Bells, a Christmas-themed story of love, redemption and perseverance.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ]

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New Booktalk Booklist - Lights, Camera, Books - Take Two!

Shannon K., from the Walt Branch Library, presented an all-new booktalk at the Bethany Branch BooksTalk session on October 28, 2011 on the theme of Lights, Camera, Books - Take Two!

The booklist from her booktalk is now available on the BookGuide web site on the Booktalk Booklists page. If you're curious about which recent and forthcoming movies have been based on previously-published books and short stories, check out some of her prime examples!

And don't forget -- although they are on hiatus right now, the Gere BooksTalk and Bethany BooksTalk winter/spring sessions will be starting up again shortly -- starting in early January, we encourage you to stop by Bethany on Friday mornings at 10:30 and Gere on Monday afternoons at 2:30 to hear presentations about great books for you to read!

RED

RED
[DVD Red]

With a cast like Bruce Willis, Helen Mirren, John Malkovich, Morgan Freeman and Mary Louise Parker how can you go wrong? The story follows Bruce Willis, a retired spy for the CIA, who finds himself being hunted by his own agency. He teams up with his old gang (Mirren, Freeman and Malkovich) to find out why while trying to keep Mary Louise Parker (his love interest) safe. There's action, romance and a lot of comedy in this thrilling adventure. If you like spy movies this is a must-see. [If you enjoy this, you may wish to try Burn Notice the TV series- which is also about a spy who's been made a target by his own agency, and The Die Hard series also starring Bruce Willis, more action and comedy.] -- recommended by Carrie K - Bennett Martin Public Library and South Branch Library

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official RED web site ]

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Michael Jackson: The Making of Thriller

Michael Jackson: The Making of Thriller - 4 Days/1983
by Douglas Kirkland [Music 781.66 JacYk]

An interesting and quick read. Kirkland was the LIFE magazine photographer who was assigned to do a "making of" photo documentary for the music video Thriller back in 1983. This is a collection of his behind-the-scenes photos, accompanied by a variety of short essays and/or quotes from notable celebrities in Michael's life, or who were strongly influenced by Michael's work. The stills here remind me of the iconic images from the legendary Thriller music video, but add to that experience by showing Michael as a "real person", enduring hours in a special effects make-up chair without complaint, or goofing around with the director and crew. Jackson's Thriller album is still the top-selling album of all time, and may have shown the singer at the apex of his creative career. This is a very fond look back at that era, although it makes me a bit sad to think of how disconnected and bizarre he became in later years. Nicely packaged book...but a bit pricey. I'm glad I was able to read a copy from the library! [Obviously, you need to watch the Thriller music video (available commonly online), and listen to the full Thriller album to accompany this book!] -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

[ Thriller article on Wikipedia ] | [ official Douglas Kirkland web site ]

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Sounds of the Future: Essays on Music in Science Fiction Film

Sounds of the Future: Essays on Music in Science Fiction Film
edited by Mathew J. Bartkowiak [Music 781.542 Bar]

This one jumped off the "new materials" display in the Polley Music Library as I was walking by, since I consider myself a collector and big fan of motion picture orchestral soundtracks. In the end, although I found this one to be a bit dry and pedantic in tone -- it felt like reading somebody's doctoral dissertation at times -- I still enjoyed browsing through it and picking out parts of it to further my understanding of the use of music in science fiction films. The book itself is broken into six parts, including "A survey of music's role in science fiction film", "Broadway's relation to science fiction film", "Music and the construction of subjectivity", "Science fiction and popular music", "Instances that shaped our auditory future", and "Composers and compositions in science fiction film." There are a total of 13 essays that make up the book, and I did certainly learn things about both the creative and technical uses of various types of music in these types of films. I just wish that the reading had been a bit more pleasurable. While I recommend this book for the movie music completist, it is very much a technical read. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library

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