Staff Picks: Movies

Not all the winners and nominated are available at the library yet (they aren't out!) But come check out the ones that you can get at the library now.

Movies

TV Shows

Books are often the basis for films -- for example, look at the recently released movies such as The Help and The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo.  Or, who can forget seeing To Kill a Mockingbird or Gone With the Wind, both popular and critically successful books before being made into movies.  Below are just several of the upcoming books that have been made into films that you can see at the cinema.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznick Winner of the 2008 Caldecott medal, this animated adventure details the exploits of a boy who repairs clocks and lives in a train station in 1931 Paris.

The Descendants by Kaui Hart Hemmings   George Clooney stars in this film about a family in Hawaii dealing with the impending death of the mother.

War Horse by Michael Morpurgo  Directed by Steven Spielberg, this story centers around a horse in World War I England, and the young man who searches for him.

We Bought a Zoo by Benjamin Mee  Based on a true story, Matt Damon is a man who buys a rundown zoo in the English countryside with plans to refurbish it and run it as a profitable business with his family.

One For the Money by Janet Evanovich  Katherine Heigl is Stephanie Plum in this long awaited silver screen debut about a New Jersey woman who stumbles and bumbles into solving crimes with the help of her colorful cohorts.

Big Miracle by Tom Rose  In a true story, three gray whales, trapped under the Arctic ice in 1988, get rescued with the joint efforts of environmentalists, oil company executives and the U.S. military.

The Borrowers by Mary Norton  An animated retelling of the exploits of the Clock family, who are four inches tall and who "borrow" items to furnish their home.  The feature will be renamed The Secret World of Arrietty when the film is released.

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins  An annual televised fight to the death in a future time is the basis of the young adult best-selling series.

The Lorax by Dr. Seuss  The animated classic Seuss tale about a 12-year-old boy searching for the mythical creature the Lorax includes voices by Danny DeVito, Betty White, Taylor Swift and Zac Efron.

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith  In this alternate reality, Abraham Lincoln's mother was killed by a vampire and this fueled his desire to hunt and destroy the supernatural creatures.  Who knew the Civil War was really about killing vampires?

World War Z by Max Brooks  Brad Pitt stars as a United Nations representative interviewing the survivors of a zombie war -- World War Z.

Oct. 7, 1968, the film rating system was born. It took effect on Nov. 1, 1968. It separated, for the first time in the United States, films into four categories: G, M, R, and X. The current categories that the library buys are G, PG, PG-13, R. G movies go in our kid's section and the others go into our adult section. We buy our DVDs based on our collection development policy, which states that the "the Library strives to maintain a diverse collection of materials responsive to community needs." And our community wants great films! Check out just some of the movies the collection has to offer in this list of films from 1968.

For a brief history on the film rating system, check out Wikipedia.

Films from 1968

5 Stars - Fantastic! Go Read it NOW!

Can't wait to see the movie!! This book, a first from the author Kathryn Stockett is a total surprise. I started reading it and didn't want to put it down. Stockett created believable characters that seemed to come to life and they made me think of my grandmother. She too was a domestic during the 60's until the 1990's. This book gave me an idea of the things she may have had to put up with, good and bad.

The Help is a book which steps back in time and gives readers the perspective of 3 seperate characters during the early 60's. Two of the main characters are maids and the third is Skeeter, a courage young white woman who does her bit to take a stand during troubling times. I think this book would be great for any of us who want to know a bit more about our grandmothers given their generation wasn't as open to share themselves as we do today. And for those who just want to read a great book that is laugh out loud funny and can make you cry as well.

written by Juledith M., Woodland West patron -- Thanks for your review Juledith! You've received an entry in the Summer Reading Club drawing for a Nook.

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