Blog Post
Free Radicals: a history of experimental film (Chodorov 2012)
by henrymo@umich.edu
[cover_image]|1424607[/cover_image] What is experimental film? How did it emerge? Who are the groundbreaking artists? What is the intention in the form? If you want to get polished up for the 55th annual Ann Arbor Film Festival, then this gem of a film is an excellent refresher! Free Radicals: a history of experimental film summarily captures a bricolage of formats from non-film stop motion, to etching on film (and leader), to mixed-medium nonlinear performances.
In this documentary, Director, Pip Chodorov narrates a personal journey that retraces his childhood through first-hand exposure to the pivotal figures of the avant-garde film movement in Europe and America. The film - an homage to experimental form itself - showcases precious archival footage, as well as the filmmaker's home videos that feature a rare and insightful interview with Hans Richter. Chodorov masterfully weaves the story of experimental film together through biographical interviews with notables Jonas Mekas, Peter Kubelka, Stan Brakhage, Ken Jacobs, and Robert Breer amongst others. Chodorov, himself an experimental filmmaker, actively supports the marginal form by documenting his personal journey and participation throughout the piece.
Surprisingly, the Ann Arbor Film Festival (AAFF) - a key proponent of the experimental film scene - is not mentioned in this work. Perhaps this is because George Manupelli, founder of AAFF, had a different and less curatorial idea to supporting the art form. Rather than promote a certain taste, his vision was for a more inclusive venue to foster an emerging diversity of its form (see our interview with the festival's Executive Director, Leslie Raymond). Nonetheless, Free Radicals not only serves as a useful historical view into the genre but more so is able to stand on its own as a work of art.
I hope you enjoy watching this remarkable and informative 2012 documentary on the history of experimental filmmaking!
Blog Post
PreK Bits - "Qu" is for QUESTIONS
by ryanikoglu
Ms. Rachel and Ms. Betsy used "Qu" for questions throughout Storytime.
DUCK! RABBIT! …"What is it?" There are two opinions.
We participated in the action rhythm "A Quooty Qua" ... to repeat our "Qu" sound.
... We changed the sound from the action rhyme "A Tooty Ta". "What does 'Quooty qua' mean?"
TOO MUCH NOISE ... "What can I do about all this noise?" Peter asks the Wise Person.
For answers to more questions, try these favorites:
WHEN The WORLD Is DREAMING ... "What do little animals dream?"
CAN ONE BALLOON MAKE An ANIMAL FLY? ... and more questions asked at the zoo.
WHO DONE IT? ... follow visual clues to find an answer.
AH-HA to ZIG-ZAG ... If you were starting an Art Museum, what would you put in it ? Here is an "Artful" Alphabet.
WHAT HAPPENS WHEN ...? ... things are lost?
So MANY questions !
So little TIME !
Blog Post
Raising Arizona Turns 30
by manz
The year was 1987. The hair was big, the jeans were pegged, and MTV was blaring on the tube. It’s also the year we were blessed with the presence of Herbert I. McDunnough, AKA H.I., AKA Hi, in Raising Arizona.
Released in March of that year to mixed reviews, the comedy film is now a cult classic and a must-see of the Coen Brothers’ works. I’ll admit that when I first watched it in the mid-nineties I wasn’t into it. But once I got more into eclectic films and delved into the creative, mind-bending films of the Coens, I saw the film in a different light.
Ex-con Hi and his police officer wife Ed (portrayed by Nicolas Cage and Holly Hunter in early lead roles) want a baby and cannot have children. With the help of his freshly broken out of jail pals, Hi kidnaps one of the famous “Arizona Quints,” as he feels that family has more babies than they can handle. The task is not simple and the film delves in and out of dream sequences, bounty hunter chases, and some fabulous dialog among the misfit characters on madcap adventures. If you can hang with offbeat comedy it’s a pure and crazy delight.
Blog Post
Logan
by PizzaPuppy
Logan opened in theaters on March 3rd to rave reviews and is looking to reshape the superhero movie as we currently know it. Hugh Jackman returns as Wolverine/Logan in his 9th appearance in the role spanning 12 years-- this marks his last appearance as Logan. The film takes inspiration from both the revisited Old Man Logan and the original Old Man Logan (available through MelCat), as well as Death of Wolverine. Whether you've seen it yet or not, the library has plenty of materials to quench your thirst for Wolverine.
Revisit Jackman's previous work as Wolverine with the first and second movies in the Wolverine trilogy: X-Men Origins: Wolverine and The Wolverine. You can also revisit Wolverine as part of the X-Men, in movies such as X-Men, X-Men United: X2, X3:The Last Stand, X-Men First Class, X-Men Days of Future Past and X-Men Apocalypse. It's not an X-Men movie, but also take a look at Shane, which features heavily in Logan and shares similar thematic elements.
Looking for more comic book fun? Give Wolverine, Wolverine: Origins & Endings, or Weapon X a try. Review Wolverine's past with Wolverine Omnibus Vol 1, or watch him face off with his former friends in Wolverine vs. the X-Men.
Kids can also get in on the fun with Readers such as This is Wolveridne, Marvel Superhero Squad: Adventure Collection. They can look up key facts about their favorite heroes with Meet the Marvel Super Heroes, and read comics like Mini Marvels. Wolverine even features as one of the superheroes in the The Super Hero Squad Show series.
Blog Post
TV Spotlight: The Night Of
by manz
The Night Of is a critically acclaimed HBO miniseries that premiered last July. Friends recommended it at the time, but I let it skip by once I was fully immersed in watching Stranger Things. The 8-part crime drama revolves around a young man, Naz, who heads off to a party in his father’s cab and ends up spending the evening with a young woman who he later finds stabbed to death in her bed. Naz wakes up and finds her and has no clue as to what happened the night of.
Once Naz is charged with her murder the series continues with detectives and lawyers trying to solve the case that Naz appears to be very guilty of committing. One of my favorite elements of the show was John Turturro’s performance as one of Naz’s lawyer. (Initially James Galdolfini was to fill the role, but after his death Robert DeNiro was set to replace him. Then due to scheduling conflicts DeNiro was replaced with Turturro.)
I highly recommend this show if you’re into crime dramas, mysteries, or detective shows. It is dark, gripping, suspenseful, and superbly written and acted.
Blog Post
Beauty and the Beast
by PizzaPuppy
Are you excited for the release of the new Beauty and the Beast movie? This classic "tale as old as time" has been revamped for a modern audience, and hits theaters next Friday, March 17th.
We will be celebrating here at the library with Beauty and the Beast Crafts at the Pittsfield branch on Saturday, March 18th from 3-4 pm. Join us in making themed crafts and listening to music from the movie!
While you're waiting for it's release, now is the perfect time to go back and revisit your old favorites. We have the original Disney animated movie in both regular DVD discs and Blu-ray, as well as the sequels Beauty and the Beast: The Enchanted Christmas and Beauty and the Beast: Belle's Magical World. You can also listen to the original soundtrack as well as the Broadway musical version.
We have plenty of classic (non-Disney) versions of the tale as well. Immerse yourself in this classic story set in 19th century France with copies found here, here, and here, or check out Jan Brett's fabulous illustrations. We have a Reader version available for children who are just beginning to read on their own.
We also have versions of this story that occur in other cultures, such as one that takes place in West Africa or a Chinese version where Beauty agrees to marry a fierce dragon in return for her father's life.
We have Beauty and the Beast inspired books, such as No Lie, I Acted Like a Beast! (where the story is told from the Beast's perspective). There's even a Rainbow Magic book featuring Gwen the Beauty and the Beast Fairy.
Older kids and teens can also get in on the fun with retellings such as Beauty and Belle. Also good are the Beauty and the Beast television show and the movie Beastly, both released fairly recently.
Blog Post
Audio Description Track on DVD!
by Beth Manuel
AADL continues to grow its collection of films that have a Descriptive Video Service or DVS feature. More films are being produced for children and adults that are Described Video Recordings for L Card users to borrow. When you look at this list, sort the items to show the newest DVDs first! Some DVDs are even available by mail to our WLBPD patrons as Free Matter for the Blind. If your vision isn't what it used to be, you may want to try watching a film with described narration. That way you don't have to ask other folks what's happening on the screen and can concentrate on the film.
Blog Post
PreK Bits - Stories-To-Go Kits 2016
by ryanikoglu
Preschool Kits launched in March 2016!
There are 10 new STORIES-TO-GO themes for 2016 that have been added to the Library Collections.
These kits have a pre-selected set of books and media especially for families, childcare centers, preschools, classrooms, home schools with kids ages 2-7 years old.
Every kit has an Activity Folder which includes songs, fingerplays and activities to extend the theme with our children.
The 2016 themes are as follows:
BIG MACHINES ... Diggers, Pushers, and more working machines.
OUTER SPACE ... Stars, Planets and space travel.
BABY SIGNS ... Nursery songs and DVDs for building signing vocabulary with your baby.
ANN ARBOR ... Books that link with major themes in our home town ... Ann Arbor, Michigan.
FAIRIES ... For all fans of fairy lore.
FEELINGS ... Stories about working with strong feelings.
LIBRARIES ... What goes on at the Library?
MONSTERS ... Friendly Monsters and monster fantasy.
SIZE & MEASUREMENT: Math Readiness ... How do you know sizes?
SEEDS to PLANTS ... What plants need and how they grow.
Blog Post
Academy Awards!
by manz
Last night at the 89th Academy Awards, hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, Oscar winners were announced for the best in film for the past year. While Kimmel has hosted the Emmys, this was his first time hosting the Oscars. After La La Land sweeping up at the Golden Globes, with fourteen Oscar nominations it was speculated they would sweep here as well. The film went home with six Oscars. They were also part of the big talk of the night, after giving an acceptance speech for “winning” Best Picture, when moments later it was announced that there was an error with the envelopes and that Moonlight was the actual winner.
Top film honors went to Moonlight for Best Picture, Zootopia for Best Animated Feature, O.J.: Made In America for Best Documentary Feature, and The Salesman for Best Foreign Language Film.
Individual Oscars went to Damien Chazelle for Best Director for La La Land, Casey Affleck for Leading Actor in Manchester By the Sea, and Emma Stone for Leading Actress in La La Land .
Supporting actor nods went to Mahershala Ali for Moonlight and Viola Davis in Fences.
Be sure to check out the complete list of winners in all categories! Film editing! Costume design! Cinematography!
Blog Post
TV Spotlight: Grace and Frankie
by manz
In the television comedy Grace and Frankie… Grace and Frankie’s husbands are friends and coworkers. While the two couples are out to dinner one night the men drop the bombshell that they have fallen in love with each other and are leaving their wives. The two women could not be more different than each other. But now, both being older, newly single, and living in close quarters they have to put up with each other, their ex-husbands, and the four grown children they have between them. They learn that they rely on each other more than they ever thought they would. Seasons 1 and 2 follow the daily lives of the four of them, portrayed by Jane Fonda, Lily Tomlin, Martin Sheen, Sam Waterston. It’s a funny show!