Media Services at the Movies: The Purge: Election Year

The summer blockbuster season is here! "Media Services at the Movies" will look at what big movie is coming out this week, then offer a few movies like it from our collection.

To be honest, we dismissed The Purge at first as more thinly plotted horror about people breaking into your house. Maybe it was. By its newest, third installment, the series has slowly morphed into political satire. The seeds were always there – the first movie teases that the annual crime spree started as socioeconomic violence – but reviews for The Purge: Election Year say the movie has its sights on bigger targets this time.

Using dystopian scenarios to comment on modern society has been a staple of fiction for a long time (see: 1984), but film in particular loves the genre. You can see similarities everywhere from The Hunger Games and Idiocracy to the ultra-violent movies of Paul Verhoeven. Is it fair to call the class warfare of The Purge an update to The Running Man?

So if you liked where the newest Purge is heading, consider watching some of these other movies where a nightmarish future has more in common with the present than you'd expect.

Gattaca – HU DVD 1949
A Scanner Darkly – HU DVD 2416 
Idiocracy – HU DVD 2494
Children of Men – HU DVD 2631
Soylent Green – HU DVD 5731
District 9 – HU DVD 6686
RoboCop – DVD 8164
They Live – HU DVD 9020
Logan's Run – HU DVD 11104
Silent Running – HU DVD 11609

Media Services at the Movies: Independence Day: Resurgence

The summer blockbuster season is here! "Media Services at the Movies" will look at what big movie is coming out this week, then offer a few movies like it from our collection.

Marvel's brand of interconnected, tonally similar action dominates the movie landscape today, but it's difficult to understate what a massive effect Independence Day had on blockbusters in 1996. Director Roland Emmerich, at the point best known for Stargate, took the template of 70s disaster movies like The Poseidon Adventure and updated it for the era of $100 million budgets. You can trace its influence to Deep Impact, Cloverfield, Sharknado, and basically everything by Michael Bay.

The upcoming sequel to Independence Day has the chance to re-plant the flag for big dumb disaster movies, but instead of looking forward, let's roll the clock back. As we said, disaster movies had been successful in decades prior, and Independence Day: Resurgence owes its template to that first wave of the genre. So for those looking forward to another wave of people in fleeing in panic while cities explode, the Nixon era has you covered.

The China Syndrome – HU DVD 237
The Towering Inferno – HU DVD 8555
The Andromeda Strain – HU DVD 11322
Airport – HU DVD 11854
The Poseidon Adventure – HU DVD 12591

Media Services at the Movies: Finding Dory

The summer blockbuster season is here! "Media Services at the Movies" will look at what big movie is coming out this week, then offer a few movies like it from our collection.

We can't think of much new to say about Pixar. The studio has some of the best talent in animation – second only to Studio Ghibli and infinitely greater than whoever made Norm of the North. Although the quality of their films has wavered a bit in recent years, you can still depend on Pixar to bring out the heart in their stories.

Pixar sequels in particular can be hit or miss. For every Toy Story 2, they put out a Cars 2. From early impressions, Finding Dory sounds like it lands in the upper levels of Pixar for its poignant take on  disability. Dory will also be beautiful, as Pixar films tend to be. They look even more beautiful in HD; we'd go as far as recommending animation as one of the reasons to make the bump up to Blu-ray.

Don't believe us? We have several of Pixar's movies in Blu-ray (not all, since we bought many before Blu-rays were a thing). If you have a Blu-ray player, check one out and see the quality difference for yourself. It'll definitely encourage you to opt for the Blu-ray of Finding Dory went it comes out.

Ratatouille – HU BLU 3814
Up – HU BLU 6690
Toy Story – HU BLU 7768
Toy Story 2 – HU BLU 7769
Toy Story 3 – HU BLU 7770
Monsters Inc. – HU BLU 8596
Inside Out – HU BLU 12881

Media Services at the Movies: Now You See Me 2

The summer blockbuster season is here! "Media Services at the Movies" will look at what big movie is coming out this week, then offer a few movies like it from our collection.

So, we have a weird relationship with Now You See Me. Years ago, we got a publicity package from the film's producers, filled with Now You See Me shirts, hats, flashlights (?), gum (?!), and other strange branded products. Forgive us if we have a soft spot for this deeply silly movie series. It's supposed to be about magic, but it's closer to one of G.O.B.'s illusions.

Instead, let's pivot to actual magic. In particular, let's look at two films about magicians with the same name: The Illusionist. 2006's Illusionist tells a story of romance about magician in 19th century Austria-Hungary; 2010's Illusionist is a melancholy animated film based on a screenplay by late French filmmaker Jacques Tati.

Both are certainly sadder films, but they do a better job capturing the enchantment of illusions compared to... whatever Now You See Me is doing.

The Illusionist (2006) – HU DVD 1779
The Illusionist (2010) – HU DVD 8704

Media Services at the Movies: Popstar

The summer blockbuster season is here! "Media Services at the Movies" will look at what big movie is coming out this week, then offer a few movies like it from our collection.

Every generation gets the music mockumentary it deserves. This is Spinal Tap remains the definitive send-up of hair metal rockstar excess. Popstar: Never Stop Never Popping, the newest film by The Lonely Island, continues the tradition by skewering Justin Bieber, celebrity ego, and flaming out in the age of social media.

It doesn't start or end there: you can look back to 1978's Beatles parody All You Need is Cash or the 90s hip-hop spoof Fear of a Black Hat. When a new type of pop star emerges, the world of film has been quick to drag music culture through the mud. Popstar's Conner4Real is the parody we need right now, but twenty years ago, it needed Chris Rock's CB4.

This is Spinal Tap – HU DVD 538
CB4 – HU DVD 6717
All You Need is Cash – HU DVD 10187
A Mighty Wind – HU DVD 10218
Fear of a Black Hat – HU DVD 12653

And because sometimes life imitates art, we also recommend Anvil! The Story of Anvil!, a real rock documentary so silly it may as well be a joke too (HU DVD 3461).

Media Services at the Movies: Neighbors 2

The summer blockbuster season is here! "Media Services at the Movies" will look at what big movie is coming out this week, then offer a few movies like it from our collection.

Summer movie season is, at last, finally upon us. Although the likely biggest movie of the year (Captain America: Civil War) is already behind us, there are plenty of interesting movies over the new few months that we're eager to find similar recommendations for.

The big movie this week is Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising, the Seth Rogen- and Zac Efron-fronted generational comedy sequel. As before, Rogen and Rose Byrne duel with their Greek life neighbors to keep their lives under control, but there's a bit of melancholy to their rivalry. The Neighbors movies are crazy and violent, but they're also about growing, moving on, and finding yourself being the older voice of reason. In the new film, apparently even Efron's bro character finds himself drifting from his old lifestyle.

This might be an odd and controversial pairing, but to go with that introspection on growing older, we recommend a few coming-of-age films about finding yourself untethered after graduation. (We know that more than a few of our patrons will be feeling this soon, too.)

American Graffiti – HU DVD 93
Ghost World – HU DVD 362
Into the Wild – HU DVD 4130
Kicking and Screaming – HU DVD 4842
Tiny Furniture – HU DVD 9713

DC's only true IMAX theater will soon be Metro-accessible

If you're a fan of blockbuster movies, you probably know the locations of DC's IMAX theaters. There's one in Georgetown, two at the Smithsonians, and another up in Silver Spring. You might've even seen a few big movies there, because who can resist the allure of Gravity in all its splendor?

We hate to break everyone's hearts, but those weren't real IMAX theaters. The Smithsonian theaters rarely if ever show first-run Hollywood movies, and the Georgetown and Silver Spring locations don't project in the full 70mm format. You've been paying extra for a big screen, but unless you lucked out at a Smithsonian screening, you didn't get the true IMAX experience.

Don't worry, Metro-bound filmgoer! The authentic IMAX experience will soon be available to everyone in the DC area. DCist reports that with the impending opening of the Silver Line the reaches to Reston, Virginia, the Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center's IMAX theater will soon be accessible. The Udvar-Hazy Center is a secondary location for the Air and Space Museum that houses notable artifacts including the Space Shuttle Discovery, but for our purposes, it also holds the area's only true-resolution IMAX theater that plays current movies.

If the Silver Line is indeed open by the end of July, then you'll have the perfect place to see Guardians of the Galaxy once it hits theaters in August. That's certainly Air and Space-y enough, right?

Let's talk about X-Men, because you will probably see X-Men

X-Men: Days of Future Past will probably be the biggest movie of the summer. In fact, if you're reading this, you're likely considering seeing it. Putting the troublesome allegations about the director aside, Days of Future Past looks to be the best installment in the franchise, and critics largely agree. The all-star cast is by far the most exciting part of this new movie – Patrick Stewart! Ellen Page! Peter Dinklage! – but surely the prospect of post-apocalyptic X-Men-on-robot action is reason enough to head to theaters. Plus, you get to see Magneto destroy RFK!

In a big draw for longtime X-Men fans, Days of Future Past will merge the franchise's past and future era storylines. You might've seen X-Men: First Class when it debuted a few years ago, but we bet it's been a while since you saw the original trilogy with Hugh Jackman, James Marsden, et al. If you can believe it, X2 came out eleven years ago!

If you want a refresher before inevitably going to the theaters this weekend, we have the first three X-Men movies available in our collection. Swing by and check them out while you can, because we only have one copy of each!

X-Men – HU DVD 1441
X2: X-Men United – HU DVD 1442
X-Men: The Last Stand – HU DVD 1443

Media Services at the Movies: 2 Guns

The summer blockbuster season is here! "Media Services at the Movies" will look at what big movie is coming out this week, then offer a few movies like it from our collection.

As we drift towards the traditional end of summer movie season, the deluge of notable new releases has slowed down. This week, we're left with the high-profile, regrettable release of The Smurfs 2. Who better to cure the late July doldrums than Denzel and Marky Mark?

2 Guns probably won't win any big awards, but it looks to be a taut, fun thriller starring two of the most rough-and-tumble leading men in Hollywood. It's still pretty hot outside, and it's an original movie with no Smurfs in sight. What more can we ask for?

In honor of Denzel Washington and Mark Wahlberg hitting the big screen together, here's a list of a few other down-and-dirty dramas from two men who know the genre best.

Three Kings – HU DVD 89
Training Day – HU DVD 403
Courage Under Fire – HU DVD 1904
Inside Man – HU DVD 2337
The Departed – HU DVD 2473
The Manchurian Candidate – HU DVD 2885
American Gangster – HU DVD 6514
The Pelican Brief – HU DVD 7936
The Fighter – HU DVD 8360
Shooter – HU DVD 8776
The Italian Job – HU DVD 10374
Flight – HU DVD 10946

Media Services at the Movies: Blue Jasmine

The summer blockbuster season is here! "Media Services at the Movies" will look at what big movie is coming out this week, then offer a few movies like it from our collection.

Truth be told, we don't know much about Blue Jasmine. All the plot descriptions available are vague at best, only explaining that the movie follows a housewife having a midlife crisis. What we do know is that Blue Jasmine includes an incredible cast and crew. Directed and written by Woody Allen, the film stars notables including Louis C.K., Alec Baldwin, and Cate Blanchett among others.

Though incredibly prolific, Woody Allen has had a mixed record recently, jumping from the largely reviled You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger to the beloved Midnight in Paris. But his involvement is always worth special attention. Early reviews are positive, giving us hope that Woody Allen is on another hot streak.

Given Woody Allen's prolific filmmaking career, we have most of his movies in Media Services. Be sure to rewatch them – well, the good ones – before seeing Blue Jasmine.

Bananas – HU DVD 122
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Sex* (*But Were Afraid to Ask) – HU DVD 123
Sleeper – HU DVD 124
Love and Death – HU DVD 125
Annie Hall – HU DVD 126
Interiors – HU DVD 127
Manhattan – HU DVD 128
Stardust Memories – HU DVD 129
Everyone Says I Love You – HU DVD 142
Deconstructing Harry – HU DVD 148
September – HU DVD 248
The Front – HU DVD 343
Hannah and Her Sisters – HU DVD 1065
Husbands and Wives – HU DVD 1300
Crimes and Misdemeanors – HU DVD 1648
Zelig – HU DVD 2082
The Purple Rose of Cairo – HU DVD 2155
Vicky Cristina Barcelona – HU DVD 4776
A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy – HU DVD 5353
Small Time Crooks – HU DVD 5354
Broadway Danny Rose – HU DVD 5357
New York Stories – HU DVD 5370
Take the Money and Run – HU DVD 5371
The Curse of the Jade Scorpion – HU DVD 5372
Manhattan Murder Mystery – HU DVD 5374
Match Point – HU DVD 6592
Whatever Works – HU DVD 6593
Midnight in Paris – HU DVD 9410*
Cassandra's Dream – HU DVD 10482
Celebrity – HU DVD 10492
You Will Meet a Tall Dark Stranger – HU DVD 10494
Anything Else – HU DVD 10497
Melinda and Melinda – HU DVD 10505
Another Woman – HU DVD 10510
Hollywood Ending – HU DVD 10511
Scoop – HU DVD 10514
The Rome with Love – HU DVD 10926

Media Services at the Movies: Ryan Week

The summer blockbuster season is here! "Media Services at the Movies" will look at what big movie is coming out this week, then offer a few movies like it from our collection.

Of the five notable movies coming out this week, three of them feature a Ryan in the lead role. Specifically, Ryan Reynolds appears in R.I.P.D. and Turbo, while Ryan Gosling stars in the Drive follow-up Only God Forgives. That's a statistical anomaly.

Without further ado, we hereby declare this Ryan Week at Media Services.

Though both only in their 30s, the Ryans Gosling and Reynolds already have very full careers. If you can't get enough of either of these guys, we have plenty of movies from their careers.

Blade: Trinity – HU DVD 1972
Half Nelson – HU DVD 2630
The Ides of March – HU DVD 2884
Lars and the Real Girl – HU DVD 4598
Fracture – HU DVD 4815
The Notebook – HU DVD 4924
The Nines – HU DVD 5108
Adventureland – HU DVD 6464
Coming Soon – HU DVD 6536
Blue Valentine – HU DVD 8296
Crazy, Stupid, Love – HU DVD 9213
Drive – HU DVD 9664

Media Services at the Movies: Playing catch-up

The summer blockbuster season is here! "Media Services at the Movies" will look at what big movie is coming out this week, then offer a few movies like it from our collection.

Phew! We already promoted the super-great robot beat-em-up Pacific Rim last week, so this time around, it's time for a breather. There are a number of good movies you might not have watched yet, like This is the End, Much Ado About Nothing, World War Z, The Heat, and Despicable Me 2. Take a break in the middle of the week and go see a movie that you haven't considered!

(Alternatively, you can watch Sharknado when it premieres on Thursday.)

In honor of clearing our backlog for a week, the Media Services staff each picked one out of our favorite older summer movies. You've probably seen them, but there's nothing like a good classic. If you don't feel like watching what's in theaters, give these a try!

Apollo 13 – HU DVD 529
Jurassic Park – HU DVD 4901
Animal House – HU DVD 4913
Big Trouble in Little China – HU DVD 6518

Media Services at the Movies: White House Down

The summer blockbuster season is here! "Media Services at the Movies" will look at what big movie is coming out this week, then offer a few movies like it from our collection.

Okay, hear us out on this one.

There was once a time when summer blockbusters were not superhero movies. They were just loud and stupid. And for all their sins, they weren't based on any pre-existing property. You would pay $5 (yes, $5) to see an action hero blow things up for a bit, sometimes with very little plot, and that was it. Most of these movies were made by Roland Emmerich, schlockmeister extraordinaire and one of the highest-grossing directors of all time.

After a series of weird, boring misfires like 10,000 BC and Anonymous, Roland Emmerich has returned to his old wheelhouse for a Channing Tatum movie about the White House exploding. So, whatever, we're okay with that.

Given the insane/stupid nature of most of Emmerich's movies, we don't have too many like them in our collection. But every explosion counts!

The Patriot – HU DVD 347
Independence Day – HU DVD 3111
Lethal Weapon – HU DVD 3591
Point Break – HU DVD 6765
Face/Off – HU DVD 10655
Speed – HU DVD 10859

Media Services at the Movies: Monsters University

The summer blockbuster season is here! "Media Services at the Movies" will look at what big movie is coming out this week, then offer a few movies like it from our collection.

Who among us have never, at least once, loved a Pixar film? The Disney-owned studio has nearly two decades of bona fide classics under its belt, a legacy that will hopefully expand with Friday's release of Monsters University. Though Pixar rarely tackles non-Toy Story sequels, Monsters University looks to begin a new trend of continuing beloved movies from years past; a Finding Nemo follow-up is also in the works.

It's understandable that Pixar would want to capitalize on the success of its biggest properties, but the studio's recently spotty track record raises cause for skepticism about whether this is the right time to start franchising its history.

With that said, this week is a great time to re-watch your Pixar favorites.

Finding Nemo – HU DVD 836
The Incredibles – HU DVD 1901
Pixar Short Films Collection, Volume 1 – HU DVD 3341
Ratatouille – HU DVD 3814
WALL-E – HU DVD 4950
Up – HU DVD 6690
Toy Story – HU DVD 7768
Toy Story 2 – HU DVD 7769
Toy Story 3 – HU DVD 7770
Monsters, Inc. – HU DVD 8596
Brave – HU DVD 11021

Media Services at the Movies: Man of Steel

The summer blockbuster season is here! "Media Services at the Movies" will look at what big movie is coming out this week, then offer a few movies like it from our collection.

Seven years have passed since the last Superman film – 33 years since arguably the last good Superman film. We didn't expect them to get it right this time. Not with a darker tone, and not with the director of 300 in charge. But here's the thing: Man of Steel looks great. Dark superhero movies may be falling out of vogue, but producer Christopher Nolan and Zack Snyder's unique, mature take on Superman may have finally nailed down the most intriguing and exciting aspects of the character's story. Henry Cavill might go down at the definitive Superman, which might lead to a lucrative new franchise for Warner Bros.

Superman is one of the cornerstone franchises of DC Comics. We've already hawked for Marvel movies with Iron Man 3, so let's turn an eye to the DC and Zack Snyder films in our collection...

300 – HU DVD 2788
Batman (1966) – HU DVD 4288
Batman (1989) – HU DVD 4701
Batmen Returns – HU DVD 4702
Batman Forever – HU DVD 4703
Batman & Robin – HU DVD 4704
Superman – HU DVD 4877
V for Vendetta – HU DVD 5558
Watchmen – HU DVD 6080
Sucker Punch – HU DVD 10038
Batman Begins – HU DVD 10790
The Dark Knight – HU DVD 10791
The Dark Knight Rises – HU DVD 10792

Media Services at the Movies: The Internship

The summer blockbuster season is here! "Media Services at the Movies" will look at what big movie is coming out this week, then offer a few movies like it from our collection.

No pretenses here: sometimes we're suckers for dumb comedies. Though our staff tends to be split on this, we're frequently okay with movies like Dodgeball and Anchorman (their negative tendencies aside). So naturally, we're greeting a new comedy from schlocksters Vince Vaughn and Owen Wilson with... not quite enthusiasm, but maybe lazy acceptance. It'll do. At the least, we're intrigued by its semi-endorsed use of employment at Google as a MacGuffin. Can the guys from Zoolander really work well in a movie about a tech firm?

Just writing this post has brought up some good memories about stupid movies starring the Frat Pack. If you're looking forward to The Internship, you've probably seen these already. But you should see them again!

Bottle Rocket – HU DVD 1449
The Royal Tenenbaums – HU DVD 1937
Rushmore – HU DVD 3856
Tropic Thunder – HU DVD 4985
Wedding Crashers – HU DVD 8445
Night at the Museum – HU DVD 8589
Old School – HU DVD 8779
Anchorman – HU DVD 9144
Zoolander – HU DVD 9766

Media Services at the Movies: Now You See Me

The summer blockbuster season is here! "Media Services at the Movies" will look at what big movie is coming out this week, then offer a few movies like it from our collection.

We really have no idea what to expect from Now You See Me. It's the type of intrigue we haven't really seen building up to a movie since Inception. We're never ones to shun a high-concept heist movie, and the A-list cast certainly inspires confidence in the project. But the plot has been kept in close secrecy despite an advertising blitz, and there is little-to-no advance word about its quality. Even the basic concept raises a few questions: how can you create a compelling movie about magic tricks when audiences are used to CGI trickery? You might say it's a... wild card.

Now You See Me has a lot going on at once. It's a heist-thriller-puzzle movie about magicians set in Las Vegas with a strong supporting cast. If that sounds like a good time, we can think of a dozen movies that share some of those qualities that might be up your alley.

The Usual Suspects – HU DVD 1671
The Illusionist – HU DVD 1779
The Prestige – HU DVD 3831
Casino Royale – HU DVD 4999
Casino – HU DVD 5308
The Hangover – HU DVD 8147
21 – HU DVD 9078
Snatch. – HU DVD 9416
Ocean's 11 (1960) – HU DVD 10483
Ocean's Eleven (2001) – HU DVD 10484
Ocean's Twelve – HU DVD 10485
Ocean's Thirteen – HU DVD 10486

Media Services at the Movies: Before Midnight

The summer blockbuster season is here! "Media Services at the Movies" will look at what big movie is coming out this week, then offer a few movies like it from our collection.

In a week overloaded with all sorts of explosive, insane sequels (Fast & Furious 6, The Hangover Part III, etc.), the film that stands out the most to us is the third part of Richard Linklater's minimalist romance-drama series, Before Midnight. It's an unusual choice for a second sequel, made even stranger by the nine-year gap between each movie. But early buzz from Sundance says it's the best one yet. But if you want to see it, you might have to look in a smaller local theater.

In honor of Before Midnight's debut, try these other films from Richard Linklater and star Julie Delpy.

Waking Life – HU DVD 364
Before Sunrise – HU DVD 1098
Before Sunset – HU DVD 1099
Slacker – HU DVD 1347
2 Days in Paris – HU DVD 10793

Media Services at the Movies: Star Trek Into Darkness

The summer blockbuster season is here! "Media Services at the Movies" will look at what big movie is coming out this week, then offer a few movies like it from our collection.

Get out of your Jeffries tube and adjust your Heisenberg compensators: it's Star Trek season again! Four years after J. J. Abrams gave new life to the storied but creaky space adventure franchise, the director-producer has returned with a new chapter that promises to be darker, more exciting, and possibly featuring even more fan service (Does Benedict Cumberbatch play the evil Khan? Does it matter?). But don't boldly go just yet: early reviews indicate that the movie's slam-bang action might've taken some of the heart out of the venerable series.

A number of us in Media Services are self-professed Trekkies, so we're understandably a little excited. We have a big chunk of Star Trek's 47 year history in our collection. If you've never watched any before, make it so.

Trekkies – HU DVD 744
Star Trek: The Original Series – HU DVD 6201 - 6203
Star Trek: The Next Generation – HU DVD 6401 - 6449
Star Trek (2009) – HU DVD 7084
Star Trek: The Motion Picture – HU DVD 9731
Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan – HU DVD 9732
Star Trek III: The Search for Spock – HU DVD 9733
Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home – HU DVD 9734
Star Trek V: The Final Frontier – HU DVD 9735
Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country – HU DVD 9736
Star Trek: The Captains' Summit – HU DVD 9737

Media Services at the Movies: The Great Gatsby

The summer blockbuster season is here! "Media Services at the Movies" will look at what big movie is coming out this week, then offer a few movies like it from our collection.

Baz Luhrmann isn't the first director to adapt The Great Gatsby for the screen, but he might be the last. Where previous film versions of F. Scott Fitzgerald's great novel were criticized for their staidness, Luhrmann's Gatsby has drawn equal parts attention and scorn for its flamboyant, colorful aesthetics (shot in 3D nonetheless). Some are now questioning if the novel is even filmable. But in a way, the Golden 20s are the perfect fit for Luhrmann: it's all about the style.

Luhrmann's Gatsby has us thinking about the 1920s, Prohibition, and over-the-top extravagance. If you can't make it to the theaters this weekend, one of these movies might scratch the same itch.

Romeo + Juliet – HU DVD 75
Moulin Rouge! – HU DVD 297
Chicago – HU DVD 626
The Great Gatsby (1974) – HU DVD 722
Strictly Ballroom – HU DVD 882
Prohibition – DVD 9121 - 9123
Boardwalk Empire, Season 1 – HU DVD 9421
Boardwalk Empire, Season 2 – HU DVD 9422