Wednesday, April 29, 2009

Wall Street 2 Becomes a Reality

Wall Street was so dang good, it looks like we’re finally going to get another. Michael Douglas has spoken publicly about the project, saying, “I think it's time to take another hard look at trading and the economy and what went wrong in the last few years.” Ironically, he made this statement at the premiere of his film Ghosts of Girlfriends Past. Shia LaBeouf might take up the young trader role Charlie Sheen played in the ‘80s, and Oliver Stone is all about directing the film. The story will take place after Gordon Gekko has been released from prison. Will he still think greed is good? Will he give the financial morons who got us into our present economic mess more fuel for the fire? Who knows, but it’s hard not to be pumped about the prospect of this movie getting made.

Found at ew.com.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Cannes Competitors To Receive Online Showcase

Originally posted on imdb:

Gilles Jacob, president of the Cannes Film Festival, has offered the festival's website as a showcase for the first five minutes of each of the 20 films participating in this year's competition. In a statement, Jacob said that the traditional movie trailer "extinguishes all desire" while it has been suggested that great directors are at their best in the first and last reels. "Let's hope that Internet users everywhere might drop their games and be tempted to rush to their nearest theater to find out what happens next," he remarked. At a news conference, festival director Thierry Fremaux indicated that he expected the current worldwide economic crisis to have little effect on the festival. "We haven't felt the slightest reluctance on anybody's part, anyone saying 'we have to watch out because of the crisis,'" he said, adding that Cannes would remain "the rendezvous for creators and the industry."

Here is a list of the films in competition this year:

* "Broken Embraces", Pedro Almodovar
* "Fish Tank", Andrea Arnold
* "A Prophet", Jacques Audiard
* "Vincere", Dir: Marco Bellocchio
* "Bright Star", Jane Campion
* "In the Beginning", Xavier Giannoli
* "Map of the Sounds of Tokyo", Isabel Coixet
* "The White Ribbon", Michael Haneke
* "Taking Woodstock", Ang Lee
* "Looking for Eric", Ken Loach
* "Spring Fever", Lou Ye
* "Kinatay", Brillante Mendoza
* "Enter The Void", Gasper Noe
* "Thirst", Park Chan-wook
* "Les Herbes Foilles", Alain Resnais
* "The Time That Remains", Elia Suleiman
* "Inglourious Basterds", Quentin Tarantino
* "Vengeance", Johnnie To
* "Face", Tsai Ming-liang
* "Antichrist", Lars von Trier

Sunday, April 19, 2009

TONIGHT! - Discover World Cinema - Sunday, April 19 @ 7pm - XXY


XXY (Dir: Lucia Puenzo. Argentina) 86 minutes – 2007
The dramatic story of a 15-year-old hermaphrodite, born with what the doctors call ’ambiguous genitalia,’ whose parents moved from Buenos Aires to an isolated cabin outside of Piriápolis, Uruguay, to protect their child from prejudice.

Short: The pick-up artist (2006. 13 min. Dir: Steffen Weinert. Germany) Olli only wants to have noncommittal sex, but that becomes difficult when he meets the 6-year-old daughter of his one-night stand.

The Discover World Cinema video series is open to all and visitors are welcome to bring a snack. The series is coordinated by the American University library with support from Friends of the AU Library.

Sundays, 7 - 9 pm Media Classroom - Lower Level of the American University Library4400 Massachusetts Ave NW Washington, DC 20016Future Discover World Cinema events are located here:

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Media Services Recommends...Annie's Awesomely Amazing Adventurous Movies

Across the universe – HU DVD 3985
Amelie – HU DVD 401
Catch me if you can - HU DVD 698
Dazed and confused – HU DVD 97
Dick – HU DVD 4094
Doctor Zhivago – HU DVD 4570
Everything is illuminated – HU DVD 2041
Marie Antoinette – HU DVD 3830
Pan’s Labyrinth – HU DVD 2770
Royal Tenenbaums – HU DVD 1937
Little Miss Sunshine – HU DVD 2375
Vicky Christina Barcelona – HU DVD 4776

AMC - B-Movie Classics Streaming on amctv.com



There are loads of b-movies streaming on amctv.com

Go to the site and choose from the following genres:

Action/Adventure, Comedy, Horror, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Crime/Thriller, Western  

Sunday, April 12, 2009

TONIGHT! - Discover World Cinema - Sunday, April 12 - Campfire



Campfire (Dir: Joseph Cedar. Israel) 96 minutes – 2004
A 42 year-old widowed mother of two teenage daughters wants to join the founding group of a new settlement in the West bank. This is about their struggles with the acceptance committee and their living as an outcast in the settlement.
Short: In the box (1999. 7 min. Michal Struss. Slovakia) – An animated film about space. About a wooden puppet. About a box. And, about the quest for freedom.


The Discover World Cinema video series is open to all and visitors are welcome to bring a snack. The series is coordinated by the American University library with support from Friends of the AU Library.

Sundays, 7 - 9 pm Media Classroom - Lower Level of the American University Library
4400 Massachusetts Ave NW Washington, DC 20016
Future Discover World Cinema events are located here:
http://www.library.american.edu/about/events/index.html

Tuesday, April 07, 2009

Is this the death of American cinema?

Here is an article about last weeks opening of Fast & the Furious 4.

Did that seriously happen? Even in the middle of a massive recession, $72.5 million were spent last week to see round 4 of Vin Diesel and Paul Walker strut around next to unrealistically fast cars. I am always one for a cheesy Friday night movie, but...wow.

Green on the Screen Thurs April 9 @ the AU Library Heat Pt 2

Green on the Screen
Thursdays 12:30pm - 1:30pm
Location: Media Services Classroom - located on the Lower Level of Bender Library
American University Library

The Green on the Screen video series is open to all and visitors are welcome to bring lunch. The series is coordinated by the Library Green Team with support from AU Ecosense and the Center for Environmental Filmmaking.
Future Green on the Screen events are listed here: http://www.library.american.edu/about/events/index.html

Media Services Recommends...Lauren laments "I should have been a film student"

A Woman under the influence – HU DVD 1392
Lost in Translation – HU DVD 741
Buffalo ’66 – HU DVD 5096
Bonnie & Clyde – HU DVD 1609
Le Boucher – HE DVD 4778
Coffee & Cigarettes – HU DVD 4499
God’s Country – HU DVD 2887
Paris, Texas – HU DVD 3348
Eric Rehmer’s 6 Moral Tales – HU DVD 2421-2426
Five Easy Pieces – HU DVD 5189
Le Mempris/Contempt – HU DVD 537
Annie Hall – HU DVD 126

Thursday, April 02, 2009

Selected New Home Use This Week

Brother's Keeper - HU DVD 5597
The Sacrifice - HU DVD 5596
Tell No One - HU DVD 5595
Son of Rambow - HU DVD 5594
Zaman: The Man from the Reeds - HU DVD 5590
The World According to Monsanto - HU DVD 5587
The Saltmen of Tibet - HU DVD 5586
What Have I Done to Deserve This? - HU DVD 5585
Dark Habits - HU DVD 5584
Rosenstrasse - HU DVD 5583

Selected New Acquisitions This Week

We struggle but we eat fruit - DVD 5602
Black is...black ain't - DVD 5599
Birdsong & coffee - DVD 5598

Classic Movies Not on DVD

We've created a big wiki of classic, cult, guilty pleasure, and otherwise favorite films (700+ titles) that have yet to make it to DVD in the US. Take a look and feel welcome to add titles that we've missed.

Among the titles on this list, here's a sampling of what we have on VHS and are recommended viewing:

African Queen VHS 112
Alsino and the Condor VHS 6216
Antonio das Mortes VHS 568
The Ballad of Gregorio Cortez VHS 375
Blue Dahlia VHS 3075
A Brief History of Time VHS 4999
Brighton Rock VHS 6798
Celine and Julie Go Boating VHS 4482
Cul-de-sac VHS 3004
David Holzman's Diary VHS 3584
The Glass Key VHS 4555
Homicide VHS 5092
India Song VHS 3703
Ironweed VHS 1954
Johnny Guitar VHS 5268
Lonely Are the Brave VHS 1630
Ministry of Fear VHS 5226
Paisan VHS 2731
Streetwise VHS 205
Underworld USA VHS 4589

Classics Not On DVD Wiki

Discover World Cinema - The Violin - This Sunday - 4.5.09

The Violin (Dir: Francisco Vargas. Mexico)
98 minutes – 2005
In rural Mexico, during the peasant revolts of the 1970s, Plutarco, his son Genaro and grandson Lucio lead double lives. On the one hand, they are simple country musicians, and on the other they actively support the peasant guerrilla movement against the oppressor government. When the army occupies the village, the rebels are forced to flee and leave their ammunition behind. Making the most of the fact that he looks like an inoffensive violinist, Plutarco has a plan: to recover the munitions hidden in his cornfield. His music enraptures the captain, but he still has to get his hands on the ammunition. Winner of 3 Ariel Awards (Mexico's Oscars®)
Short: A kiss for the world (2007. 10 min. Dir: Cyril Paris. France) - A primary school teacher shows her pupils some daily newspapers. One boy carefully studies Le Monde and tears it in pieces. The teacher punishes him and asks him to stick the pieces back down. His reconstitution will have surprising effects on “the world”.
The Discover World Cinema video series is open to all and visitors are welcome to bring a snack. The series is coordinated by the American University library with support from Friends of the AU Library.
Sundays, 7 - 9 pm Media Classroom - Lower Level of the American University Library
4400 Massachusetts Ave NW Washington, DC 20016
Future Discover World Cinema events are located here:

Green on the Screen - Heat: A Global Investigation Pt. 1 - TODAY!



Facing pressure from governments, green groups and investors alike, big business is promising to reshape its approach to the environment. Martin Smith travels the globe to test what big business is really doing to solve this urgent issue. 60 min.
Open to all. Bring lunch.

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Laughter is internal jogging - April is National Humor Month

To read all about it, click here.

National Humor Month was founded in 1976 by best-selling humorist Larry Wilde, Director of The Carmel Institute of Humor. It is designed to heighten public awareness on how the joy and therapeutic value of laughter can improve health, boost morale, increase communication skills and enrich the quality of one's life.

As finals approach, let loose and laugh with some of these films from media services:

Odd Couple - HU DVD 5551-5555
Steel Magnolias - HU DVD 4795
Jerry McGuire - HU DVD 4940
Monty Python’s Life of Brian - HU DVD 970
Animal House - HU DVD 4913
Monty Python - HU DVD 2143
Little Miss Sunshine - HU DVD 2375
A League of Their Own - HU DVD 1384
Team America World Police - HU DVD 2086
Annie Hall - HU DVD 126
Sister Act - HU DVD 5341
Sister Act 2 - HU DVD 5342
Caddyshack - HU DVD 5038
Groundhog Day - HU DVD 2351
Fried Green Tomatoes - HU VHS 2719