Coming Soon on DVD

December 8, 2013November 20, 2013 / Susan O. / Leave a comment

Missed it in the theater? Saw it but can’t wait to see it again? Trying to think of something to buy someone for a gift, or what to ask for? Here’s a list of some of this year’s biggest films and shows being released on DVD just in time for the holiday season. Just remember, while the library orders items as fast as we can, we, too, are limited by the release date, so always allow at least two weeks AFTER the release for us to have the DVD’s out and ready for you to watch. Until we enter the item into the computer, we cannot place holds on it. Still don’t see it in the computer? Request that we order it! We love to know what people are looking for.

: Dexter: The Final Season November 12

: Planes November 19

: RED 2 November 26

: Smurfs 2 December 3

: The Wolverine December 3

: Dr. Who 50 th Anniversary December 10

: Doc MartinSeries 6 December 10

: Despicable Me 2 December 10

: Elysium December 17

: The Lone Ranger December 17

To browse our online catalog for the latest DVDs, visit our website http://www.cheshirelibrary.org

and select “CATALOG” from the top navigation bar:

Then select “DVD/Video Search“, sort by “New to Old“, and click “Search“

On Our Shelves: New Children’s DVD’s

November 20, 2013November 20, 2013 / Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

The library’s DVD collection (including regular and blue ray discs) grows rapidly and is often hard to keep up with. This holds true with the children’s collection just as much as it does with the family film and adult collections. There are feature films, favorite television shows (old and new), as well as educational programs. Here is just a small sample of some new DVD’s in the children’s room, though it barely scratches the surface!

Regular Show Fright Pack
The adventures of Mordecai and Rigby, two park groundskeepers who seek out various ways to escape the everyday boredom of their job.

Ivan the Incredible
After constantly being bullied by kids at school and ridiculed by his father, Ivan Olsen is given the chance to be the best at everything after a witch mixes him a magic potion.

Robot Zot
This is a tale of a robot determined to conquer the earth. But once discovers the princess – a toy cell phone – he must learn how to be a hero.

The Cat in the Hat Knows a Lot About That. Hurray! It’s Valentine’s Day!
It’s Valentine’s Day with The Cat in the Hat, a great time to make friends with the Cat. Spend the whole day with wonderful friends in a place where adventure and fun never ends. Yes, friendship’s the key on this special day, and the Cat is the one who will lead the way.

Minnie’s The Wizard of Dizz
Minnie and Pluto end up in the silly but spectacular land of Dizz. It’s an amazing place, with rainbow trees, butterfly bows, and friendly ‘Chipmunchkins,’ but what Minnie wants most is to get home. Together, Minnie and her new friends Scarecrow Goofy, Mickey the Tin Mouse, and Donald the Lion, set off to ask the wonderful Wizard of Dizz to make their dreams come true. But look out! Bad Witch Pete wants Minnie’s magical, sparkly green shoes, and he’s got a few tricks up his sleeve. Includes bonus features.

Fish ‘n Chips
Hilarious adventures of a young fish, Fish, and his nemesis Chips, a cat, as they tear across land and sea, facing off for the love of the same catfish and bones of Fish’s ancestor.

Phineas and Ferb, the Perry Files. Animal Agents
So you thought Perry the Platypus, a.k.a. Agent P, was the only crime-fighting animal in the Tri-State area? Meet Perry’s animal agent comrades who are all members of the O.W.C.A., ”Organization Without a Cool Acronym.” This hilarious collection of animal agent-themed adventures will leave viewers wanting to join forces with the O.W.C.A. to help shell out trouble for evil-doers.

Other new DVD’s that might catch you eye include: Ruby Gloom. Happiest Girl in the World, Wild Kratts. Rainforest Rescue, Farm Animals: Nature & Animals, Dino King 3D, VeggieTales. MacLarry & the Stinky Cheese Battle, American Girl. McKenna Shoots for the Stars, Bill Nye the Science Guy. Germs, Room on the Broom, The Saddle Club. Season 1 , and Chloe’s Closet. Outdoor Explorer.

10 Great Movies That Take Place in Autumn

November 17, 2013November 14, 2013 / Susan O. / Leave a comment

Summer may be a time for huge blockbuster action flicks, but as the kids settle back into school, autumn is a time for more peaceful reflection. Grab a cup of hot chocolate, some fresh-baked cookies, your favorite warm blanket, and curl up with one of these films that take place in the fall. You’ll be glad you did!

Dead Poet’s Society – Robin Williams as an inspiring teacher in a prep school. One of his best roles.

Rudy – Sean Astin in a true story about a boy who wanted to play football for Notre Dame.

On Golden Pond – Henry Fonda’s Oscar-winning role as a family tries to come back together before it’s too late.

The Four Seasons – an all-star cast leads this sweet Alan Alda film about a group of friends vacationing through a year. Gorgeous autumn scenery set to a soundtrack of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons.

Hannah and her Sisters – Woody Allen directs this film about a family, beginning and ending with Thanksgiving.

The Big Chill – A group of old friends gather together for the funeral of one of their own, accompanied by a fabulous soundtrack.

Sweet November – a sweet little love story starring Keanu Reeves and Charlize Theron.

The Trouble with Harry – Alfred Hitchcock’s frightful comedy about a body that won’t stay buried.

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles – a John Hughes comedy starring Steve Martin as a man trying to make it home for Thanksgiving, when the world seems out to get him.

Far From Heaven – Connecticut in the fall of 1957, and the prejudices that existed.

On Our Shelves: New DVDs

September 1, 2013August 26, 2013 / Jenn / Leave a comment

I love it when a new DVD order comes in. For those who love watching movies, it’s like Christmas multiple times in a year. There were several in this batch which I was interested in and had been anticipating their release.

1. Hitchcock, starring Anthony Hopkins and Helen Mirren. Hopkins may not look an awful lot like the late Alfred Hitchcock, but boy, does he have his mannerisms down. My husband was interested in watching this movie, which seemed to fly under the radar. Hitchcock follows the pre-production and filming of Hitchcock’s greatest film: Psycho. Scarlett Johannsen shines in her role and Mirren is as always spot on.

2. Identity Thief, starring Jason Bateman and Melissa McCarthy. First, let me start by saying that I love Melissa McCarthy. I thought she was charming on Gilmore Girls and hilarious on Mike and Molly. Who can forget her epic movie moment of going to the bathroom in the sink in Bridesmaids? Identity Thief started out with an excellent premise: McCarthy steals people’s identities, and you truly hate her for a lot of the movie. There are a lot of laughs, especially when Bateman and McCarthy are verbally dueling, but like Bridesmaids, it loses the funny 2/3 way through and becomes serious. I want to watch a comedy and laugh the whole way through, not learn a lesson.

3. Boy, starring Taika Waititi and James Rolleston. A Sundance Film Festival selection, Boy takes place in Australia in 1984. “Boy” idolizes both Michael Jackson and his father, who is a distant memory to him. “Boy” envisions him as a deep sea diver, war hero, and even Michael Jackson himself. His father returns home after spending seven years in jail and “Boy” has to confront the role model he imagined and the real man.

4. The Borgias, Seasons 2 and 3, starring Jeremy Irons and Holliday Grainger. All good things must come to an end, and the third season of the Borgias is the final season. But fear not! The original crime family (Mario Puzo based The Godfather on the Borgia family) has plenty in store for you in these seasons. We’ve seen the devious path Lucretiza is going down and the inner politicking Pope Alexander, AKA Rodrigo Borgia has been up to.

5. The Devil’s Backbone. This Spanish foreign-film, directed by Guillermo del Torro, deals with a personal subject for the director. Set during the final week of the Spanish Civil War, a ten year old boy is sent to a haunted orphanage after his freedom-fighting father is killed. This is a gothic ghost story, murder mystery, and historical melodrama done only in the style del Torro can do.

See you in the stacks,

Jenn

Susan’s Top 15 Summer Films

July 20, 2013July 15, 2013 / Susan O. / Leave a comment

Sure, there’s dozens of great huge summer blockbusters to watch, but chances are you’ve already seen quite a few of them. Here’s a list of great films that take place IN the summer. Some are great to watch with your kids and some are definitely for the older crowd. Which is your favorite?

1. What About Bob? (PG) A man follows his psychiatrist on vacation and drives him crazy. And you thought your job was rough!

2. The Sandlot (PG) Kids. Baseball. James Earl Jones. ‘Nuff said.

3. Jaws (PG, but I’d think twice about under 10) The original summer blockbuster, the one that started it all. Thirty years later, those special effects still hold up. You’re going to need a bigger TV.

4. Caddyshack (R) Yeah, it’s got the predictable plot, the bad language, the potty humor, and I hate the stupid puppet – but you’ll still laugh yourself silly.

5. Field of Dreams (PG) – The greatest baseball tribute movie. It’s not too late to cut a diamond in your lawn for playoffs. If you build it, they will come.

6. National Lampoon’s Vacation (R for language) – the mother of all summer vacation movies, who can’t relate to long trips with grumpy kids, relatives you can’t stomach, and things going bad every inch of the way? Don’t you wish reality ended as well it does here?

7. Stand By Me (R for language) – a fantastic coming-of-age movie for the 11 & up crowd – and it was written by Stephen King.

8. Deliverance (a very adult R) – classic dark 70’s story of friends taking an ill-fated rafting trip that will make you fear the sound of banjos.

9. The Parent Trap (G) – A Disney Classic of two separated twins who find each other at summer camp and decide to get their divorced parents back together. Watch the Haley Mills original; Lindsey Lohan’s not the role model people hoped she would be.

10.West Side Story – (Not rated, but I’d give it a PG if you object to guns and knives) Oh, to be in America, dancing on a New York roof in the heat of summer! A classic story and a film that can never be reproduced, with a soundtrack that’s among the best musical scores ever. Make your kids watch it now, so when they have to watch it in highschool, they’ll be ahead of the game.

11. Porky’s (R) The American Pie of its day, full of juvenile sexual banter and potty mouth as a group of Florida teens tries their best to sneak into a strip bar. You will laugh until you cry.

12.Addams Family Values (PG-13) Wednesday and Pugsley go to summer camp, with the inevitable twisted chaos that follows the ooky Addams family.

13. Super 8 (PG-13) A group of kids plan to spend their summer filming a movie, and get far, far more than they bargain for when they stumble upon a government secret.

14. Friday the 13th (R) The original slasher movie that sent everyone scuttling away from lakes and summer camps. It doesn’t matter where you watch it; Jason will find you.

15. Little Miss Sunshine (R) A quirky little film about a quirky family trying to hang together as they pin their hopes on their daughter winning the Little Miss Sunshine pageant – without any clue what it’s about.