Chance's Corner: Movie Time at the Library (February) + Oscars Results

Another month, more movies!

For those of you who missed the news in January, we're now showing a kid's feature film on the last Thursday of every month, and a feature film for adults on the last Friday of every month. The movies start at 1:30 PM. This month we watched two stellar films.

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Queen of Katwe

If it ain't broke, don't fix it. That's Disney's formulaic mantra. Well, this time Disney seems to have broken that mantra, or at least tweaked it.

In Queen of Katwe, we're transported to the slum of Katwe, which is located in Kampala, the capital of Uganda. Young Phiona Mutesi (Madina Nalwanga) lives there with her mother (Lupita Nyong'o) and siblings. Their only means of income is selling maize, and the demand for maize is pretty low. While their lives seem pretty bleak, despite the astonishingly bright colors that surround them, they make the best of the situation through their bonds of faith and love. It could just be another case of born in the slums, die in the slums, but a curious Phiona soon stumbles upon a makeshift chess club hosted by missionary Robert Katende (David Oyelowo) that changes her life, and her family's life, forever.

Everyone's singing the praises of the professional actors in Queen of Katwe, which is fair, but newcomer Madina Nalwanga is truly a sight to behold. I would love to see more of her in the future. So, what about the tweaks to the Disney formula I mentioned? Focusing on a girl from Uganda, and showing the realities of slum life, is a start. The subject of prostitution is even addressed, giving the drama a darker edge. Overall, Phiona's story is inspiring, but it's not entirely sugarcoated. This is no princess tale. Phiona's a queen.

A Man Called Ove

A Man Called Ove centers around a grumpy old man, Ove (Rolf Lassgård), that lives an incredibly structured life (and drives a Saab). Every morning at 8, he walks around his condominium to check on the state of things and enforce block association rules. Every day he visits his wife's (Ida Engvoll) grave and puts out fresh flowers. He also goes to work at a factory that he's been at for over 40 years... until he's suddenly fired. Soon afterwards, his whole structured life goes out of balance. Ove thinks it's the end for him, but as fate would have it, it's only a new beginning.

It's odd to find myself saying that a movie involving suicide is cute and funny, but here I am saying it. A lot of that is owed to Rolf Lassgård and Filip Berg, who play old Ove and young Ove, respectively. Rolf has the endearing, growling personality. You just want to give him a big ole bear hug. Filip shows Ove's sweeter, softer side through flashback. Through him, we witness Ove fall in love with his wife, Sonja. It kind of plays out like a Nicholas Sparks movie, but it's quirkier, and better.

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If you missed out, both films are available to check out here at the Franklin County Library! I'd definitely recommend them. Now on to the Oscars! 

I cast my Oscar ballot a couple of weeks ago, and my predictions turned out pretty solid. While I did give Denzel Washington the edge over Casey Affleck for Best Actor, it really wasn't all that surprising to see Affleck run off with the gold because Denzel already has two Oscars at home. The real surprise turned out to be figuring out who the Best Picture winner was thanks to a misplaced duplicate envelope. Even if no one was watching the ceremony live, they know about one of the most embarrassing moments in Oscars history. Congratulations to Moonlight, even though it turned out to be a bittersweet win.

Tom's Two Cents : La La Land

I didn't think I was going to like the most highly touted movie of the season: La La Land.  It started out with a massive car jam on an LA freeway that turned into a musical free-for-all, with all these millenials jumping out of their cars and doing a high- energy romp all over the freeway.  My mind went "Harump" and I thought, "Duh, I've been duped by the press--just another teen age musical!"  I was wrong.

After Mia (Emma Stone) had given Steve (Ryan Gosling) the finger for honking at her on the freeway and he bumped into her (really bumped) at the Studio coffee shop where she worked, and after another silly dance number with her and her roomies (in a very upscale apt), the movie finally settled down to what it was really about:  two attractive young people with powerful ambitions--his jazz piano, her’s serious acting--trying to escape being swallowed up in the great yawning maw of Hollywood, at the same time being clearly personally drawn to each other.

Once the movie settles comfortably into their respective stories and how they intertwine, it literally becomes the stuff of which dreams are made, taking them into one amazing dance sequence that finds them literally among the stars above the Griffith Observatory--surely my favorite dance sequence in the whole film.  When Stone and Gosling are together, as Doris Day sang so wondrously in the late 40's, "It's [truly] magic"!  The story they share (love vs ambition) is totally familiar, but the way they tell it is so enchanting, you can virtually convince yourself you're hearing it for the first time.

I've heard comments pro and con about the ending, which I thought perfect and superbly realized and directed.  If you're a Romantic, you may not like it, but as dreamy as it seems at times, this film is not a fairy tale--it's real life, at least as it exists in--well, in La La Land.

February Movies with Friends

Continuing our series of Movies with Friends, this week we will be showing a children's movie Thursday at 1:30 and an adult movie Friday at 1:30.  

The kid's movie with be "Queen of Katwe."  Living in the slum of Katwe in Kampala, Uganda, is a constant struggle for 10-year-old Phiona (Madina Nalwanga) and her family. Her world changes one day when she meets Robert Katende (David Oyelowo), a missionary who teaches children how to play chess. Phiona becomes fascinated with the game and soon becomes a top player under Katende's guidance. Her success in local competitions and tournaments opens the door to a bright future and a golden chance to escape from a life of poverty.

The adult movie with be "A Man Called Ove."  Ove (Rolf Lassgård) is the quintessential angry old man next door. An isolated retiree with strict principles and a short fuse, who spends his days enforcing block association rules that only he cares about, and visiting his wife's grave, Ove has given up on life. After a boisterous young family moves in next door and accidentally flattens Ove's mailbox, an unlikely friendship forms.

We hope you'll be able to join us for a movie this week!

Julie's Journal : What's With the Chirping in the Library?

If you've visited the library on certain days in the last couple of weeks, you may have heard unusual loud chirping.

Did you know that you can order baby ducks, chicken, and other fowl, and have them delivered by mail?  Last week, I received an order of ducks and a few chickens from Murray McMurray Hatcheries in Iowa.

Today I have a larger order of baby chicks.

This chick has unusual markings.

I ordered several Araucana chicks with this order.  These are otherwise known as Easter egg chickens because they will lay eggs with shells that are blue and green.  I'm excited about adding them to my flock.  

Today, the chicks will be residing behind the circulation desk in a box on a heating pad until my husband, Jason, is able to come pick them up when he gets off work at about 3:45.  The constant chirping certainly changes the ambiance of the library!

Chance's Corner: Oscar's Season 2016

It's that time of the year when Oscar buzz has turned into Oscar reality. Some hopefuls have become duds. Some underdogs have become contenders. While 2016 gave us an onslaught of remakes and sequels that left many wondering if cinema was dead, there were still a few rays of hope, and many of those rays were nominated for Oscars this year. But who will win?

Here are my predictions:

Best Picture:

La La Land, a jazz-inspired musical starring Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone. I think this one will win because the Academy has a history of appreciating films that remind them of the Golden Age of Hollywood. Examples include Chicago and The Artist. However, Moonlight could possibly overtake La La Land because it's extremely topical.

Best Actor:

This category is still up in the air. Casey Affleck won the Golden Globe (Drama) for Manchester by the Sea, Ryan Gosling won the Golden Globe (Musical/Comedy) for La La Land, and Denzel Washington won the Screen Actors Guild (SAG) award for Fences. I think Denzel is the man to beat, though. There's some serious buzz behind Andrew Garfield for Hacksaw Ridge, but I don't think the Academy is going to swing his way.

Best Actress:

Everyone thought Natalie Portman had this category in the bag for her portrayal of Jackie Kennedy in Jackie, but Isabelle Huppert ran off with the Golden Globe (Drama) for Elle, and Emma Stone took away the Golden Globe (Musical/Comedy) and the SAG award for La La Land. Emma Stone is now the one to beat.

Best Supporting Actor:

Mahershala Ali has the upper hand in this category for his supporting role in Moonlight, and I think he'll win unless something goes wrong.

Best Supporting Actress:

Viola Davis has already been robbed of an Oscar twice, but here's hoping that the third time is the charm for her performance in Fences.

Best Director Winner Prediction:

It's the ultimate showdown between Damien Chazelle for La La Land and Barry Jenkins for Moonlight, and Damien's odds of delivering the knock-out punch are extremely high.

Best Animated Film Winner Prediction:

Zootopia will most likely snatch up this award, but another Disney film, Moana, may steal it away.



That's my Oscar ballot for this year. We'll see how well I guessed on February 26th!

Fine Forgiveness

Franklin County Library is offering a Fine Forgiveness Campaign during the month of February 2017.

Patrons with overdue materials may return them to the library and ask that the fines be forgiven.

Please take advantage of this opportunity!

Tom's Two Cents : The Tenant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte

Anne Bronte, the younger sister of Charlotte and Emily, has long faded into literary obscurity, if indeed she ever emerged.  She died of consumption at the age of 29, having published two novels under the pseudonym of "Acton Bell" (her sisters were first known as Currer and Ellis Bell), not knowing of course that Charlotte and Emily would later become two of the most famous British novelists of all time.  Emily too died young; only Charlotte, the eldest of the surviving sisters, lived to enjoy fame and some fortune.

 Of Anne's two novels, "Tenant" is the lesser known, and probably the inferior work to "Agnes Grey," which I haven't read.  But it's still a good read, if the modern reader can tolerate what today would be considered excessively "flowery" 19th century prose.  There's nothing in the story itself that's out of sync with modern times--it's about a woman caught in the trap of an abusive marriage to an alcoholic and her attempt to escape that marriage and make a life for herself and her child.  The obstacles to female independence set forth in her age (the early 19th century in England) were virtually insurmountable, and the deck of cards was stacked against women, even women of means, whose fortunes at that time were usually controlled by their husbands.

Helen Huntington, the mysterious "tenant" of the title, is such a woman, trapped by circumstance until a smitten neighbor tries to become her protector, without understanding fully the nature of her marital dilemma.  The novel makes extensive use of letters and journals to tell its back story; indeed much of the novel is told in retrospect, rather than moving consistently forward.  Gilbert Markham, Helen's would-be suitor is no Rochester, much less Heathcliffe, nor is Helen herself a heroine in the class of Jane Eyre or Catherine Earnshaw.  But the book is absorbing, nonetheless, and I would recommend it with some reservations.