Top Books to Film

August 9th is Book Lover’s Day and here are some books to film movies.

Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring/ The Two Towers/The Return of the King (2001,2002, 2003) Rated PG-13

In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-Earth still it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell, by chance, into the hands of the Hobbit, Bilbo Baggins. On his eleventy-first birthday, Bilbo disappeared, bequeathing to his young cousin, Frodo, the Ruling Ring, and a perilous quest: to journey across Middle-Earth, deep into the shadow of the Dark Lord and destroy the Ring by casting it into the Cracks of Doom. Based on the book: Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring 

Join Frodo, Gandalf, Aragorn, and brave members of the Fellowship as they continue their quest to destroy the Ring of Power. As darkness descends on Middle-earth, a strange creature named Gollum leads the heroes to the Black Gates of Mordor. The rest of Middle-earth prepares for a battle that will decide the fate of all. Based on the book : The Two Towers

Frodo makes his way through the darkness to Mount Doom to destroy the One Ring. Aragon learns of his destiny as the true King and the others prepare for a massive battle that will determine the fate of Middle-Earth. Based on the Book: Return of the King

The Godfather (1972) Rated R

Focuses on the Corleone family’s rise and near fall from power, shifting between the Sicilian Americans’ family life and their criminal enterprises. Based on the book: The Godfather

Schindler’s List (1993) Rated R

The story of a Catholic war profiteer, Oskar Schindler, who risked his life and went bankrupt in order to save more than 1,000 Jews from certain death in concentration camps. He employed Jews in his crockery factory manufacturing goods for the German army. At the same time he tries to stay solvent with the help of a Jewish accountant and negotiates business with a vicious Nazi commandant who enjoys shooting Jews as target practice from the balcony of his villa that overlooks the prison camp he commands. Based on the Book: Schindler’s list 

Hunt for Red October (1990) Rated PG

A new Soviet sub, the Red October, is heading for the U.S. coast. Government experts think it is planning to attack–that is, all the experts but one. He thinks the sub’s commander is planning to defect, but he has only a few hours to find the sub and prove his theory. Based on the book:  Hunt for Red October

Doctor Zhivago (1965) Rated PG-13

A poet and surgeon, husband and lover, finds his life disrupted by war. It alters the lives of many, including Tonya, the gentle woman he marries and Lara, the woman he cannot forget. Based on the book: Doctor Zhivago

Best Friends in Movies

Wayne’s World (1992) Rated PG-13

Wayne and Garth have their own public access TV show. When it becomes popular, a local station decides to hire them to do their show professionally. Meanwhile, Wayne meets and falls in love with Cassandra, a bass guitarist, who he helps by getting her career started by using his connections. But the road from basement to big time is fraught with danger and temptation.

The Odd Couple (1967) Rated G

A film about two divorced men who decide to share a New York apartment. One of them is fastidious and the other a slob.

Thelma and Louise (1991) Rated R

Thelma is an abused and neglected wife, while her friend Louise is a bitter, hard-edged waitress. The two decide to take a brief vacation to escape the drudgery of their everyday lives. Immediately, they run into trouble, as Louise shoots and kills a man who tries to rape Thelma in the parking lot of a country bar.

When Harry Met Sally (1989) Rated R

Will sex ruin a perfect relationship between a man and a woman? That’s what Harry and Sally debate during their first meeting and for the next eleven years.

Beaches (1988) Rated PG-13

Traces the friendship of two very different women, who meet on a beach as young girls, through good and bad times, career and marriage changes until together they must face a final challenge as only best friends can.

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.

Titanic Films 2012

In honor of the 100 years of the titanic’s sinking, here’s  a list of films to watch.

A Night to Remember (1958) Rated NR

In his unforgettable rendering of Walter Lord’s book of the same name, the acclaimed British director Roy Ward Baker depicts with sensitivity, awe, and a fine sense of tragedy the Titanic’s final hours. Featuring remarkably restrained performances, A Night To Remember is cinema’s subtlest, finest dramatization of this monumental twentieth-century catastrophe.

The Unsinkable Molly Brown (1964) Rated NR

Molly, a poor, uneducated young woman, leaves her mountain cabin home in search of a rich husband and a better life. She finds both in Leadville Johnny Brown as she strikes it lucky and he strikes gold. Along the way, Molly survives the Titanic and the snobbery of Denver society.

Titanica (1992) Rated NR

The unsinkable ship. The unthinkable tragedy. Discover the Titanic…in a whole new light.

Titanic (1997) Rated PG-13

Two people from different worlds meet and fall in love on the brief, tragic maiden voyage of the grand ocean liner “Titanic”.

The Chambermaid on the Titanic (1997) Rated NR

Horty, a foundry worker travels to England to witness the launching of the Titanic. Marie, a beautiful chambermaid due to board the ship, asks to share his room. Returning home to his wife, Horty’s account of the night he met Marie will change his life and transform all those who hear it.

Multiple Personalities on Film

A Beautiful Mind (2001) Rated PG-13

Dramatic biography of John Nash, a mathematical genius, who made an astonishing discovery early in his career and stood on the brink of international acclaim. But the handsome and arrogant Nash soon found himself on a painful and harrowing journey of self-discovery. After many years of struggle, he eventually triumphed over his schizophrenia, and finally, late in life, received the Nobel Prize.

Fight Club (1999) Rated R

When a ticking-time-bomb insomniac and a soap salesman channel their aggression into therapeutic “fight clubs”, an eccentric woman gets in the way and ignites an out-of-control spiral toward oblivion.

Hide and Seek (2005) Rated R

After his wife is found dead, David decides to take his child, Emily, to live in a house upstate. She finds a weird imaginary friend named Charlie. He likes to play games, and is jealous of anyone who tries to come between Emily and her dad.

Me, Myself, and Irene (2000) Rated R

Rhode Island state trooper Charlie Baileygates proves that nice guys finish first after marrying the prettiest gal in town. But when she leaves him for another man, Charlie develops a split personality, and his outrageous opposite, Hank, is born!

Sybil (1977) Rated NR

A landmark, classic drama depicting the extraordinary real life of a young woman suffering from multiple personality disorder.

Playing God in Films

January 9th was playing God day. Here’s some films for your enjoyment.

Bruce Almighty (2003) Rated PG-13

Bruce Nolan is a discontented TV reporter who believes the entire universe is stacked against him. After a bad day, Bruce flies into a rage and blames God for making his life so miserable. God responds by endowing Bruce with all of His divine powers and challenges him to take on “The Big Job” to see if he can do it any better.

Evan Almighty  (2007) Rated PG

Sequel to Bruce Almighty

Newly elected to Congress, Evan Baxter has left Buffalo, New York in pursuit of a greater calling. But that calling isn’t serving in the illustrious ranks of America’s politics, but being summoned by the Almighty himself, who has handed Evan the task of building a new ark. With time passing by and his family belittled by Evan’s newfound realization, Evan will have to do the work that God has given him in what promises to be an unusual adventure for a man who just wanted to serve his country. But, Evan might actually be serving all of humanity instead.

Dogma (1999) Rated R

Two banished angels find a loophole that would get them back into heaven. The only snag? They’ll be destroying existence in the process. In an effort to stop them, the overworked voice of God  taps cynical mortal Bethany to save the world by preventing the angels from reaching their unholy destination.

God is Brazilian (2002) Rated NR

God is stressed and needs a break from the endless toil of minding the Earth and the troublesome human race. But before he can go on vacation, he must find a temporary replacement. To track down the person best suited for the job, God heads to Brazil, a country that, despite being very religious, has never had an official saint. Joined by a conniving fisherman and a soul-searching young woman, he embarks on a spirited road trip in search of his ideal stand-in.

Oh, God! (1977) Rated PG

God picks a supermarket manager to carry His message to all mankind.

Oh God! Book II (VHS)* (1980) Rated PG

Sequel to Oh, God

God asks a young girl to help spread his word and influence with a slogan. -IMDB

Oh God! You Devil! (1984) Rated PG

Third in the Oh, God series.

 The Devil turns talent agent to transform struggling musician Billy Shelton into a superstar rock idol. Naturally, their contract involves possession of the latter’s soul. A deal’s a deal in the eternal scheme of things–unless, of course, God intervenes.

*If you would like a DVD of Oh, God! Book II, please contact the library.

Films on Adoption

November is National Adoption Awareness Month and in honor of that, here’ s some films with adoption theme.

Anne of Green Gables (1985) Rated NR

Follows the life drama of orphan Anne Shirley, from her struggles as an adolescent to her triumphs as a young woman.

Be sure to check the sequels out too: Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel and Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story

Losing Isaiah (1995) Rated R

A woman who has adopted an abandoned child to give it a new life has to fight for him when his birth mother shows up and wants him back.

My Own Private Idaho (1991) Rated R

Mike – a sensitive narcoleptic who dreams of the mother who abandoned him – and Scott – the rebellious son of a prominent family and the object of Mike’s desire – embark on a quest from the grungy streets of Portland to the open highways of the Pacific Northwest, in search of an elusive place called home.

Next of Kin  (1989) Rated R

A cop transplanted from the backwoods of Appalachia to the mean streets of Chicago is involved in a deadly clash that traps him between the mountain code of retribution and the badge he wears.

The Shipping News (2001) Rated R

An inksetter in New York, Quoyle returns to his family’s longtime home, a small fishing town in Newfoundland, with his young daughter, after a traumatizing experience with her mother, who sold her to an illegal adoption agency. Though Quoyle has had little success thus far in life, his shipping news column in the local newspaper finds an audience, and his experiences in the town begin to change his life.

Honorable Mentions: Annie, Bella, and The Blind Side.

Gilbert Cates (1934-2011)

Gilbert Cates was a renowned Producer and Director of films and tv shows. He was most notable as the producer of some of the Academy awards shows. He, also, was a professor at UCLA where he founded their department of Theater, Film and Television. He passed away a couple of days ago on October 31st. His death is under an investigation. Here is a list of  his  films that the library owns:

Death in the Family (2002) Rated NR

A television adaptation of James Agee’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel about the effect a freak accident has upon a little boy and his mother.

Goldilocks and the Three Bears  (1983) Rated UR

It’s hard to find porridge, a chair and a bed that’s “just right” nowadays, as a little girl is about to find out. Goldilocks, a little girl with a big imagination, has her life changed forever when she wanders into the home of some furry, but friendly, bears.

The Promise (1979) Rated PG

Two college students find their love changed forever when a dangerous accident forces them to choose between their love and their futures.

Rapunzel (1982) Rated NR

A childless witch steals a baby girl and whisks her away to a tall tower to raise as her own and calls her Rapunzel. Rapunzel turns into a lovely but lonely young woman with the longest golden hair in the land. When a handsome Prince sees her, it’s love at first sight. He begs her to let down her hair so he can use it as a ladder and come face to face with the woman of his dreams. Will it be curtains for Rapunzel when the Witch finds out about the Prince?

To All My Friends on Shore (1972) Rated NR

Bill Cosby stars as Blue, an inner-city father struggling to save enough money to buy a house for his family. His obsession with money causes him to neglect his family. When his son (Dennis Hines) is diagnosed with fatal sickle-cell anemia, Blue realizes his priorities need to change.