Independence Day Films 2012

The Patriot (2000) Rated R

A hero of the French and Indian conflict, Benjamin Martin had renounced fighting forever to raise his family in peace. However, when British troops arrive at his South Carolina home and endanger his family, he takes up arms alongside his idealistic patriot son, Gabriel.

Johnny Tremain (1957) Rated NR

Johnny Tremain, a silversmith’s apprentice, dreams of learning the trade and making his own way. When a terrible injury ends his hopes, he joins the emerging Sons of Liberty and takes part in the Boston Tea Party and the Battle of Lexington Green.

1776 (1972) Rated PG

1776 is a delightful musical celebration of the founding of The United States of America. The story centers around the familiar historical characters as they organize a movement for independence from Mother England. All events lead up to that most significant date, July 4, 1776, when the Declaration of Independence was signed.

National Treasure (2004) Rated PG

Since his childhood, Benjamin Franklin Gates has known that he is a descendant of a long line of people whose job it has been to guard a treasure hidden by the Founding Fathers. They hid clues to its whereabouts in the country’s currency and on the back of the Declaration of Independence. Now, Ben has learned of a plot to steal the Declaration, and has only one option: he has to steal it himself. Even if he pulls off this monumental task, keeping the treasure safe is still going to be incredibly hard, especially since the FBI now knows of his plans.

Drums Along the Mohawk (1939) Rated NR

A historical drama that tells the story of a young frontier leader, his spirited wife, and their struggles in the backwoods of New York state.

Father’s Day Films 2012

To Kill a Mockingbird (1962) Rated NR

A Southern lawyer defends a black man accused of rape. The story is viewed through the eyes of his young daughter, Scout.

Finding Nemo (2003) Rated G

The fretful Malin and his young son Nemo, become separated from each other in the Great Barrier Reef. Nemo, a clown fish, is unexpectedly taken from his home and thrust into a fish tank in a dentist’s office overlooking Sydney Harbor. Buoyed by the companionship of a friendly fish named Dory, Malin embarks on a dangerous trek and finds himself the unlikely hero.

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

A father deals with his only daughter’s lavish wedding.

Kramer vs. Kramer (1979) Rated PG

When his wife walks out, Ted Kramer and his six-year-old son have a chance to really get to know each other. Then Ted’s wife returns and she wants her son back.

Parenthood (1989) Rated PG-13

The Buckmans are a modern family facing the age-old dilemma of trying to raise children the “right” way.

Australian Films

Lantana (2001) Rated R

A woman disappears and four marriages are drawn into a tangled web of love, deceit, sex and death.

Moulin Rouge (2001) Rated PG-13

Christian is an idealistic and impoverished young writer who, newly arrived in Montmartre, is haphazardly inducted into a circle of young Bohemians led by Toulouse-Lautrec. A comedy of mistaken identities ensues, quickly enmeshing the young poet in a love triangle involving the unobtainable and consumptive Satine, queen courtesan of the Moulin Rouge, and the foppish Duke of Roxbury, his villainous rival for her affections.

Muriel’s Wedding (1994) Rated R

No one ever paid much attention to Muriel and her humdrum small town life, so she and her best friend Rhonda decide to leave it behind and head for the big city… where they end up having the exciting adventure of their lives! What’s more, soon everyone takes notice when Muriel becomes engaged to a handsome and popular sports hero!

The Piano (1992) Rated R

A young mute woman and her child travel to New Zealand in the 1800s for an arranged marriage to a farmer. After the marriage she meets another man, and the competition for her love begins. Just one of the men realizes that her affections can only be won through her beloved piano.

Shine (1996) Rated PG-13

The story of Australian pianist David Helfgott. He suffers as a child under his father’s ambitions and as a young man defies his father’s wishes in order to pursue his dreams. At the beginning of a great concert career, he experiences a nervous breakdown and is hospitalized, but later returns to the concert hall. Tells the story of rebellion and of individuality through the eyes of a pianist whose major form of self-expression is found in the keys of his instrument.

Golf Films

Greatest Game Ever Played (2005) Rated PG

Based on the 1913 U.S. Open golf championship–at which two equally sympathetic young men, both of whom grew up economically and socially disadvantaged, go club-to-club in one of the most exciting and dramatic athletic events of the 20th century.

Happy Gilmore (1996) Rated PG-13

Although Happy dreams of becoming a professional hockey player, he discovers that his hockey slap shot translates to an astonishing 400 yard tee shot. So when his grandmother loses her home to the IRS, Happy decides to earn the house back by joining the pro golf tour, bringing his ferocious temper and outlandish antics to the well-tended fairways. Before long, Happy is a media sensation, attracting crowds and news cameras wherever he goes. But Happy’s bitter rival has his own plans for the golf superstar, resulting in a riotous, laugh-filled confrontation on the links.

Legend of Bagger Vance (2000) Rated PG-13

The protagonist of this metaphysical fable is Rannulph Junah, Southern aristocrat and World War I hero. In a tournament in Savannah, he defeats two golf pros by following the teachings of his guru, Bagger Vance, a black mystic serving as his caddie.

Tin Cup (1996) Rated R

Shrink Molly Griswold is big city; driving-range pro Roy McAvoy is small time, and he believes only the grandest of gestures can lure her away from a slick touring golf pro and earn her love. So Roy and his dutiful caddy set out to do the impossible: win the U.S. Open.

Pat and Mike (1952) Rated NR

A woman athlete of enormous promise in the worlds of both tennis and golf is pursued by a shady promoter, who hopes to make her famous and make some money in the process.

PageTurners Read “Room”

Room
by Emma Donoghue

Narrator Jack and his mother, who was kidnapped seven years earlier when she was a 19-year-old college student, celebrate his fifth birthday. They live in a tiny, 11-foot-square soundproofed cell in a converted shed in the kidnapper’s yard. The sociopath, whom Jack has dubbed Old Nick, visits at night, grudgingly doling out food and supplies. But Ma, as Jack calls her, proves to be resilient and resourceful–and attempts a nail-biting escape.

Eight people attending the book club on Thursday, August 4 at 6 pm. Conversation was fast and full of varying opinions. One woman was vocal in her disapproval of its sensationalistic focus, and another loved it for its timely message. The average rating was 3.18 out of 5 possible books; the lowest score was 1 and the highest was 4.5 out of 5.

Click on the book graphic below to see a full recap of book club members’ opinions.

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Room by Emma Donoghue is available at the Rice Lake Public Library. There are over ten copies of this book in the MORE System. Please visit the card catalog website or call us at 234-4861 to reserve a copy today.

The PageTurners Book Club is sponsored by the Friends of the Rice Lake Public Library. It usually meets on the first Thursday of each month at 6 pm at the Rice Lake Public Library. Discussion lasts an hour; everyone is welcome.

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If you’d like more information on this subject, please contact Tami Richardson, Adult Services Manager at the Rice Lake Public Library, at 234-4861 x15.

Family Films

Spirited Away (2001) Rated PG

 When a young girl gets trapped in a strange new world of spirits, she must call upon the courage she never knew she had to free herself and rescue her parents.

Back to the Future (1985) Rated PG

When teenager Marty McFly is blasted to 1955 in the DeLorean time machine created by the eccentric Doc Brown, he finds himself mixed up in a time-shattering chain reaction that could vaporize his future, and leave him trapped in the past.

Finding Nemo (2003) Rated G

The fretful Malin and his young son Nemo, become separated from each other in the Great Barrier Reef. Nemo, a clown fish, is unexpectedly taken from his home and thrust into a fish tank in a dentist’s office overlooking Sydney Harbor. Buoyed by the companionship of a friendly fish named Dory, Malin embarks on a dangerous trek and finds himself the unlikely hero.

Mary Poppins (1964) Rated G

 Mary Poppins is a kind of Super-nanny who, with her magical umbrella, flies into the lives of a proper, upper crust Edwardian English banker and his two children. She proceeds to put things right with the aid of her rather extraordinary magical powers and, in the process, teaches the family just how much fun life can be.

Harry Potter and The Sorcerer’s Stone (2001) Rated PG

Harry Potter, an orphaned child that has spent the first ten years of his life living under the stairs of his aunt and uncle’s house, is invited to join the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. He learns his destiny lies in the realm of magic and fantasy.

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.

 

Cinco De Mayo Films

Here’s a list of Mexican made films to help celebrate Cinco De Mayo:

Desperado (1995) Rated R

A mysterious guitar player seeks vengeance against the men who murdered his girlfriend.

Frida (2002) Rated R

The life of artist Frida Kahlo, from her humble upbringing to her worldwide fame and controversy that surrounded both her and her husband, Diego Rivera.

Man on Fire (2004) Rated R

Hard-drinking, burnt-out ex-CIA operative John Creasy has given up on life. That is until his friend Rayburn gets him a job as a bodyguard to nine-year-old Pita Ramos. Bit by bit, Creasy begins to reclaim his soul, but when Pita is kidnapped, and ultimately presumed to be dead, Creasy unleashes a firestorm of apocalyptic vengeance against everyone responsible.

Like Water For Chocolate (1992) Rated R

Romantic fantasy set in Mexico during the early 20th century. A young couple is blocked from marrying by the demands of the young woman’s cold and selfish mother. To be near his love, the young man marries her sister, and she expresses her passion for him through her cooking.

Mask of Zorro (1998) Rated PG-13

A sweeping tale of love and horror, tragedy and triumph set against the Spanish conquest of Mexico. After twenty years as the legendary Zorro, Don Diego must transform a troubled drifter into the fearless hero he once was.