A petty criminal goes too far and is sentenced to hard time in a brutal French prison.  Behind bars, he is forced to work for the Corsican faction that runs the place but senses that their dominance may be waning and makes plans of his own. A film by Jacques Audiard, A Prophet was nominated for an Academy Award and has a 90 percent rating at Metacritic.

Bazil survives a shootout between gangs but is left unemployed and has a bullet lodged precariously in his skull.  When he identifies the arms manufacturers he holds responsible for his injuries and the death of his father years earlier from a landmine, he plots revenge, Yojimbo style, with some unusually talented friends.  A film by Jean-Pierre Jeunet, Micmacs has a 73 percent rating at Rotten Tomatoes.

The village of Eichwald is tidy, prosperous, and very, very orderly. Nonetheless, in the summer of 1913, someone is pulling a series of bizarre and increasingly dangerous pranks, spreading confusion and fear. Admirers of Michael Haneke's previous films will be unsurprised by the lack of simple explanations. Winner of the Palme d'Or and nominated for an Academy Award, The White Ribbon has an 82 percent rating at Metacritic.

Growing up in postwar France, Maxime has always suspected that his family history is somehow incomplete.  A casual conversation with a neighbor one day turns his life upside down; he learns that his last name was changed, that his father was previously married and that he had a brother he never knew.  A film by Claude Miller, A Secret was nominated for a number of awards and has a 72 percent rating at Metacritic.

For me, some of the best, most comforting times during cold or rainy evenings have been a series of movie nights watching The Lord of the Rings trilogy! 

I prefer to watch the films in order, viewing each part, one at a time…gradually, savoring each scene.  In order to get the gestalt of the adventure, I begin with The Fellowship of the Ring and keep going until I have finished watching The Return of the King!  All of these epic movies are available at your San José Public Library.

The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (2001)

The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (2002)

The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King (2003)

These films are also available in spanish language. 

In addition, there are audio books, ebooks, and music.

Also, you can read each of the books, also available at your San José Public Library and compare the story line with the film.  In this way, you can see the difference between J.R.R. Tolkien’s, Lord of the Rings and the version that Peter Jackson et al. has brought to the big screen.

Enjoy!  :]

A young woman moves into an abandoned orphanage, hoping to renovate and reopen the institution.   When her son vanishes, she must uncover the secrets of the house to save her family and herself.  Part horror film, part psychological drama and political allegory, The Orphanage appeared on a number of top 10 lists, won numerous awards and has a 74 percent rating at Metacritic.