Central Station (1998) (via What to Watch.)

The content and opinions expressed in this review do not necessarily reflect the views of nor are they endorsed by the Rice Lake Public Library.

Rated R Central Station is a heartwarming story about a former school teacher and the boy who needs her help to find his father. The chemistry between the two is amazing.  Vinícius de Oliveira performance was more mature than his years. To top it off, the brilliance of the film is Walter Salles’s filming the backdrop of Brazil. This film will bring you to tears, not once but multiple times. … Read More

via What to Watch.

Peter Falk

Peter Falk passed away this thursday, June 23rd, at his home. It is known that he was suffering from dementia and Alzheimer’s. Here’s a list of films in tribute to his work:

Columbo (1971-2003) Rated NR

Columbo, a disheveled, cigar-chomping, trench coat-wearing police lieutenant, who appears to be an incompetent bumbler. Despite his appearance, Columbo is the shrewdest, most resourceful detective in the LAPD.

Princess Bride (1987) Rated PG

Heartbroken over the death of her beloved Westley, beautiful Buttercup finally succumbs to the advances of the wicked Prince Humperdinck. Yet, when she’s suddenly kidnapped by a motley band of deviants, what gallant hero comes to the rescue? None other than Westley– alive, well and as wonderful as ever. But before these two can live happily ever after, they must first overcome formidable odds. Will these star-crossed lovers ever fulfill their destiny? Or, this time, will Buttercup lose Westley forever?

Shark Tale (2004) Rated PG

Oscar is a lowly tongue-scrubber at the local Whale Wash, who becomes an improbable hero when he tells a great white lie. To keep his secret, Oscar teams up with an outcast vegetarian Great White shark, Lenny, and the two become the most unlikely of friends. When his lie begins to unravel, it’s up to Oscar’s loyal friend Angie and Lenny to help him stand up to the most feared shark in the water and find his true place in the reef.

Wings of Desire (1987) Rated PG-13

 A romantic fantasy about an angel who wishes he were mortal and is willing to fall from the sky if it means a chance to fall in love. Set in modern-day Berlin, the film follows angel Damiel’s path from heavenly flight to earthly delight.

A Woman Under the Influence (1974) Rated R

A drama detailing the emotional breakdown of a suburban housewife and how her family struggles to save her from herself.

 

Library Libby

Library Libby is a character who was flattened between the pages of a book, much like Flat Stanley from the book by Jeff Brown. Being flat allows Library Libby to go on all sorts of adventures!

We’re asking our patrons to consider taking Library Libby with them on vacations or other adventures. This is what Library Libby and I would like them to do:

Take her with you when you go out in the next day or so, or on your vacation.

Snap a few photos of Libby on her adventure with you, and email them to tamirichardson@ricelakegov.org or drop them off at the Rice Lake Public Library.

Let us know what adventures you had with Library Libby.

If you want to play along, click on the picture of Library Libby, print her out, and take her with you. You can send a copy of the photo to the library by email, or mail, or upload it to the Rice Lake Public Library Facebook page. 

And if you’re interested to see where this idea all began, check out Flat Stanley by Jeff Brown.

Meatballs (1979) (via What to Watch.)

The content and opinions expressed in this review do not necessarily reflect the views of nor are they endorsed by the Rice Lake Public Library.

Rated PG Meatballs is a comedy set on at a summer camp geared to teens. The jokes aren’t as raunchy as todays which was nice. Although, its cleaner, I still didn’t get a connection to the characters or the story. I did attended some summer camps but they weren’t at all like Camp Northstar. I definitely didn’t have a counselor like Tripper. I do think that guys would love this film as well as adults in their 30s-40s. … Read More

via What to Watch.

Before The Rain (1994) (via What to Watch.)

The content and opinions expressed in this review do not necessarily reflect the views of nor are they endorsed by the Rice Lake Public Library.

Rated NR This film is the best film I have seen in a long time. It’s aesthetically the best I have seen. The way that it is film makes it the one that everyone should check out. It’s three stories in one and the way that it’s made makes it remarkable. To me it’s a story of how we are all interconnected to each other. If you love film or studying filmmaking this is a can’t miss film. it’s story telling in its finest. … Read More

via What to Watch.

Father’s Day Films

Chitty Chitty Bang Bang (1968) Rated G

Eccentric inventor Caractacus Potts creates an extraordinary car called Chitty Chitty Bang Bang. It not only drives, it also flies and floats as it leads him, his two children and his beautiful lady friend, Truly Scrumptious, into a magical world of pirates, castles and adventure. There, the group encounter a host of unforgettable characters, including Baron Bomburst of Vulgaria, his persnickety wife, a lovable village toymaker and an evil child catcher.

Father of the Bride (1950/1991) Rated NR/PG

Chaos reigns when the beautiful daughter of a family casually announces her plans to marry. What follows is a warmly humorous story, with wedding preparations, ruffled egos and the unavoidable meeting with the prospective in-laws.

Mr. Mom (1983) Rated PG

When Jack Butler loses his job, his wife Caroline is hired as an advertising executive and he stays home to raise their children.

Field of Dreams (1989) Rated PG

Ray Kinsella (Kevin Costner) hears a voice, followed by a brief vision of a baseball field. He believes that if he builds a baseball diamond in his cornfield, Shoeless Joe Jackson from the infamous 1919 Chicago “Black” Sox will return to play baseball. By being willing to take a chance, Ray gets a second time up at bat in life.

Big Fish (2003) Rated PG-13

William Bloom, is a young man who never really knew his now dying father, Edward–outside of the tall tales his dad told him about growing up. During Edward’s last days William and his wife Josephine hold a bedside vigil next to the old man as he recollects elaborate memories of his youth. Still doubting the legends and folklore, William makes a journey to meet a mysterious woman from whom Edward had bought property.

Lilian Jackson Braun

Lilian Jackson Braun Bettinger (1913-2011)

Lilian Jackson Braun Bettinger passed away at the age of 97 on June 4, 2011. She was the prolific, best-selling author, more commonly known simply as Lilian Jackson Braun, of the “Cat Who…” series that featured Jim Qwilleran and his two crime-solving siamese cats, Koko and Yum-Yum. She received fame for her first three “Cat Who…” books in the mid 1960s. Then she took a break; twenty years passed before she wrote any more books. She wrote 29 “Cat Who…” books in total. She wrote all of her stories out in longhand before giving them to a professional to be typed.

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Here are some of Lilian Jackson Braun’s books that you can request from the Rice Lake Public Library :

PageTurners Read “The Center of Everything”

The Center of Everything
Laura Moriarty

Evelyn is a young girl struggling to make sense of the world and her family in central Kansas during the early 1980s. The story starts when she is ten years old. She and her mother live in a run down apartment, struggling just to get by. At times, Evelyn seems to be more mature than her mother, Tina. Her mother has poor taste in men, and is estranged from most of her family. Evelyn grown into a teenager and experiences the normal challenges of that age: a romantic crush, girl rivalry, toxic friendship, etc. The story ends in such a way that the reader is left hoping for the best for Evelyn.

The PageTurners Book Club read The Center of Everything on Thursday, June 2 at 6 people. Five people attended. The consensus was that Evelyn was a sympathetic character, and that the story felt realistic. The average score for this book was 3.8 out of 5 Books; the lowest score was 3.5 and the highest was a 4. Click on the book icon below for a summary of the club’s opinions.

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The PageTurners Book Club is sponsored by the Friends of the Library. It meets the first Thursday of each month at 6 pm in the Bottom Shelf Room of the Rice Lake Public Library. Everyone is welcome to attend, even if they haven’t had a chance to read the book!

Jeff Conaway

1950-2011

On May 11, 2011, Conaway was found unconscious from what was initially described as an overdose of substances, believed to be pain medication, and was taken to Encino Tarzana Medical Center in Encino, California, where he was listed as being in critical condition and in a coma. On May 26, 2011, Conaway’s family took him off life support after doctors decided there was nothing they could do to revive him. Conaway died the following morning at the age of 60.

Babylon 5 (1994-1998) Rated NR

Babylon 5 is an outer-space way station, a port-of-call for diplomats, entrepreneurs, and scalawags of all species. Commander Jeffrey Sinclair–aided by chief security officer Michael Garibaldi, Lt. Commander Susan Ivanova, and resident telepath Talia Winters–tries to keep apprised of all the intrigues swirling around his little corner of the galaxy, but things invariably spiral out of control.

Taxi (1978-1982) Rated NR

Louie De Palma is a cantankerous taxi dispatcher for a New York City taxi company. He tries to maintain order over the varied collection of strange characters who drive for him. As he bullies and insults them from the safety of his “cage,” they form a special bond among themselves, becoming friends and supporting each other through the inevitable trials and tribulations of life.

Grease (1978) Rated PG

It’s love when a greaser falls for a good girl in this musical depicting young life in the fifties.

Pete’s Dragon (1977) Rated G

A 9-year old boy and his pet dragon (invisible to all but him) run away from his foster parents.

The Eagle Has Landed (1976) Rated PG

Sixteen German paratroopers are dropped on the coast of England in 1943 with orders to kidnap Churchill and bring him back to Hitler.

Information cited from Reuters, May 19, 2011 and Los Angeles Times, May 27, 2011.

Twilight- Starring Charlie Sheen and Jon Cryer…

So I’m struggling with this book.  I cannot force myself to read more than two pages before I find an urgent chore (cleaning the bathroom for example) that HAS to be done Now! Every time I digest a line or two I have sudden urges to tidy and clean.  (I should explain that a good book has Always trumped chores in my world.)  Then I discovered BrianFreeman…now that’s an author who makes you turn pages!  It’s hard to put his book down anyway but to put it down to read Twilight seems wrong.   As mentioned in an earlier post I set a goal to read a chapter a day of Twilight (I am not doing so well but I refuse to give up.) Tonight I finished my chores (ironing this time while listening to Keith Richards Life–he’s narrating and I’m thoroughly enjoying this audio book) and am determined to get through a full chapter in one sitting. My son was watching Two and 1/2 men while was trying to read and in my head I was hearing Charlie and Allen’s voice narrating the words I was reading. Okay, now, I am amused! I think I have discovered a way to continue reading this book.   I hear Jon Cryer’s voice as Bella and Charlie Sheen as Edward-most entertaining!