Wings of Desire (DVD)

This highly-acclaimed and beautifully atmospheric film by German director, Wim Wenders, reveals  a world of trench-coated angels inhabiting the skies above a war-wounded Berlin who descend  to earth to listen to the conflicted thoughts of mortals, extending comfort and love.  One angel’s emotional investment deepens to the point where he yearns to become mortal himself, having fallen in love with a graceful trapeze performer.

Being a librarian, one of the things that I liked the most about this visually stunning and psychologically-nuanced movie was that one physical space in which these angels silently spoke to the melancholy humans in need of their comfort and care were the communal yet contemplative spaces of libraries.

Oddly enough, Peter Falk, plays himself in this absorbing and original film. 

Are you ready for a movie that is so ridiculous it will make you laugh until you cry? Youth in Revolt, an adaptation of the novel by C.D. Payne, is a film following a smart yet impulsive 14 year-old boy as he tries to win the heart of Sheeni, an eccentric girl he meets on a family vacation.  The movie unfolds into a series of unfortunate events as Nick (played by Michael Cera) goes to outrageous lengths to get the attention of this seemingly unattainable love interest, played by Portia Doubleday.  As Nick finds trouble with every turn, we are introduced to his quirky best friend Lefty and his dysfunctional divorced parents.  The colorful characters and gut-busting story make this a great movie to help you relive your past!

And if you loved the movie, you can read the novel it is based on -- Youth In Revolt: the Journals of Nick Twisp by C.D. Payne.  Find it at one of our branch libraries!

Yet another celebration of sorts in honor of Dr. Seuss's birthday...the release of Universal Studios new film, The Lorax, on Friday, March 2nd (Theodore Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss, would have been 108 years old this year!).

This award-winning tale tells the story of a boy named Ted (voice of Zac Efron) who must search for the one thing that will win him the affection of the girl of his dreams, Audrey (voice of Taylor Swift).  To find it, he must search outside Thneedville, the city of "plastic & fake" and discover the story of the greedy, tree-chopping Once-lers (voice of Ed Helms).  Ted meets the tree dwelling, grumpy and yet charming, Lorax (voice of Danny DeVito) whose character must fight to protect his vanishing forest.  The film provides an important environmental message of hope to children and adults, alike, as they learn, like Ted, that the importance of the last tree seed is "not what it is, but what it can become" and "unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better...it's not". 

Whether you have a chance to take your children to see The Lorax or not, check out the book, DVD or book CD from the San José Public Library collection.  Dr. Seuss books are always popular, especially during the month of March, but don't be discouraged if it is checked out, because unlike the movie, you can check this popular title out year round.

According to CNN today (February 25, 2012), there has been a fourth inquest into the case of Lindy Chamberlain-Creighton and her claim that a dingo stole her baby Azaria, aged 2 months, while the family was camping near Ayer’s Rock in Australia. This tale was brought to popular knowledge in the 1988 film A Cry in the Dark for which Meryl Streep achieved an Academy Award nomination. The movie was based on the book Evil Angels by John Bryson.

Chamberlain-Creighton was cleared in the first inquest in 1981 then sentenced to life in prison in the second in 1982 when the jury found that the mother had slit the child’s throat. That verdict was overturned when a baby’s jacket was found half buried near a dingo nest in 1986. “In 1988, a Royal Commission set up to review the evidence formally quashed convictions for both husband and wife,” according to CNN. The third inquest, in 1995, left an open verdict which Chamberlain-Creighton and her former husband Michael are trying to correct to show what they say is the true cause of death – a dingo attack.

The 2012 inquest was taken on in Chamberlain-Creighton’s move to get her facts down and show that dingo attacks have been significant and are a true danger. Read more about dingoes at your library.

The coroner adjourned the fourth inquest.