Films, Films, and More Films!

Are you a film buff? Do you like independent films? Or do you just like keeping up with film awards in general?

If you answer to any of these questions is Yes, then this is your time of year!

The Golden Globe Awards were held on January 10, followed by announcement of the Academy Award nominees on January 18. Though the Oscar ceremony will not be held until February 28th, the Screen Actors Guild Awards will be broadcast on January 30th.

As if those three were not enough, the Sundance Film Festival 2016 is running this week from January 21-31, 2016 in Park City, Utah. Click here for a schedule and listing of submissions for this year's film program. 

Care to speculate which of the submissions might be among the nominees (or winners!) for the 2017 Golden Globes, Oscars, or SAG awards?

Take Out Your Wands and Celebrate!

Image from gallery4share.com

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HARRY POTTER! 

July 31st is Harry Potter's birthday. According to reports, he's 35 today. It also just happens to be J. K. Rowling's birthday; she's 50. Coincidence? Hardly. 

If you were unaware (if so, where have you been for the last 18 years?), J. K. Rowling is the author of the Harry Potter books for children. The fantastic series relates the story of a young orphan boy who discovers he's a wizard, following him through his adventures attending Hogwarts, a magical school for wizards and witches.

From 1997 through 2007, the tales of Harry Potter grabbed the imagination of not only children but adults as well. And this continued through 2011 as each book was filmed and made into a movie and just keeps going as the next generation of children discover Rowling's books or watch the films on DVD or Blu-ray.

With seven books in the series, each recorded in audiobook by the award-winning Jim Dale, three affiliated titles, and eight movies (with the seventh book made into Part 1 and Part 2), the character and author are a worldwide phenomenon. The titles brought about a renewed interest in reading across generations, inspiring children, teens and adults to pick up a book and read!

• Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone (U.K., 1997) re-titled as Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone for release in the U.S (1998)
• Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets
• Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
• Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire
• Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
• Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
• Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows 

Affiliated titles:

• Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them (currently in pre-production as a motion picture for release in November 2016, an further expansion into the world of Harry Potter)
• Quidditch Through the Ages
• The Tales of Beedle the Bard

Rowling developed a website, Pottermore.com, to focus on unexplored parts of the Harry Potter story, outside of the books. The author has even posted 'new' stories set in the world of Harry Potter on the site; New writing from J.K. Rowling

Movie Title vs Book Title

It's summer time and like many others, I've been going to the movies. One of my favorite parts about watching movies isn't the film itself but the trailers for upcoming motion pictures. These advance previews let me know what's coming and help me decide if I want to see the film being touted, especially if I am familiar with it's source material.

As many know, the title of a film is not always the same as the title of the book upon which it is based. Finding that little tidbit of information is something like a treasure hunt and for me, in my position as a Collection Development Manager, it can be vital. 

Some, if not hoards, of customers will come to the library wishing to check out the book that goes with the movie they just saw. It is in the library's best interest for serving our customers, to have copies of the book on hand. And I am the one who needs to make sure we order the book if we don't already have it, replace old ratty copies as necessary, or get additional copies if needed to meet demand.

So, to assist other potential treasure hunters, I offer the following tidbits for some motion pictures coming out this Fall ...

If you have customers ask about the film Mr. Holmes starring Ian McKellen, which hit theaters last Friday, 7/17/15 ...

Keep in mind, the film is based on a book by Mitch Cullin titled A Slight Trick of the Mind - a tale set in 1947 with a 93-year old, retired Sherlock Holmes trying to deal with the fading powers of his mind.

Paperback

Hardback

Set to hit the big screen September 25th is Everest starring Jake Gyllenhall, Jason Clark, Kiera Knightly, Robin Wright, and Josh Brolin. The film is adapted from Jon Krakauer's contemporary classic Into Thin Air. 

Into Thin Air is the author's personal account of tragic events on Mount Everest in 1996 when eight climbers died and several others were stranded during a storm.

October 16, 2015 will see the release of a new Steven Spielberg film titled Bridge of Spies. Starring Tom Hanks, Alan Alda and Mark Rylance, the motion picture is based on events related in Strangers on a Bridge (1964) by James B. Donovan.

Donovan writes his account of the Cold War spy exchange that took place February 10, 1962 on the Glienicke Bridge (the famous "Bridge of Spies") which linked East and West Berlin.

And on December 18th, Carol starring Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara, will arrive in theaters. The film is based on The Price of Salt by Patricia Highsmith.

"More than sixty years after it was published, this groundbreaking novel is going Hollywood with Carol. Cate Blanchett and Rooney Mara are superbly cast as a pair of star-crossed lovers in 1950s New York whose relationship becomes fodder for blackmail. While the script was written fifteen years ago, the female-driven storyline struggled to find support. Skeptics were disproven when the premiere got a standing ovation at Cannes and was nominated for the Palme d’Or." (Off the Shelf)

• More information on Everest, Bridge of Spies, and Carol and ten other forthcoming motion pictures is available at: 13 Books You'll Want to Read Before They Hit the Big Screen

And here is one more which happens to be a bit more complicated ...

The motion picture The Walk starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Ben Kingsley, and Charlott Le Bon, is scheduled for release October 9, 2015. 

The Walk is "the story of French high-wire artist Philippe Petit's attempt to cross the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center in 1974." (IMDB)

IMDB's 'Writing Credits' list the book source as To Reach the Clouds (2002) by Phillip Petit. The book was re-released in 2008 as Man on Wire and then most recently in 2015, as simply The Wire to tie in with the feature film.

  

Links from the Staff - Week of May 3 - 9, 2015

A fun article and the newest LibraryReads Top Ten list were posted by SCCCLD staff this week, in case you missed them ... And just for checking out the blog, I have a bonus link not posted for the staff! :-)

• On May 7, Melanie F said "Only library people would come up with something so cool..." offering a link to a 'Fashion & Style' article from The New York Times: 
• Oh, Those Clever Librarians and Their #Bookface

• Yours truly, The RAT Queen posted the newest LibraryReads list on Friday, May 8 with a link to the full annotated list available at:
• Announcing the June 2015 LibraryReads list!

• And I'll offer one more fun link for fans of the new blockbuster Marvel film, Avengers Age of Ultron. I came across the following via a friend's Facebook page and thought others might find it amusing: 
• Which Avenger Are You Most Like Quiz? (it may take a second or so to load)
• Take the quiz and let us know your results via Comments.

Gallipoli (Movie) / Peter Weir (Director) / Six Degrees of Film

SIX DEGREES OF FILM

A discussion about Australian actors prior to coming to Hollywood began with  ...

1. Gallipoli (staring a very young Mel Gibson) - Two Australian mates face the brutal realities of war when they are sent to fight in the (tragically mismanaged) Gallipoli campaign in Turkey during World War I.

Leading to ...

2. Breaker Morant - Three Australian Lieutenants are court martialed for executing prisoners as a way of deflecting attention from war crimes committed by their superior officers.

Which lead to a film set in Australia ...

3. Picnic at Hanging Rock - On Valentine's Day 1900, in Victoria, Australia, three students and a teacher from Appleyard College disappear during a class visit to Hanging Rock.

A play on words (with hints back to injustice) lead to ...

4. Bad Day at Black Rock - Shortly after WWI, a one-handed stranger comes to a tiny town possessing a terrible past they want to keep secret, by violent means if necessary.

Leading to ...

5. The Fugitive (the motion picture starring Harrison Ford) - Dr. Richard Kimble, unjustly accused of murdering his wife, must find the real killer (a one-armed man) while being the target of a nationwide manhunt.

Which lead to ...

6. Witness - A young Amish boy is sole witness to a murder; policemen John Book (portrayed by Harrison Ford) goes into hiding in Amish Country to protect him until the trial.

Witness is directed by Peter Weir who also directed Gallipoli.

List courtesy of the RAT Queen with suggestions from her husband.