Christmas classics on the big screen

It's the most wonderful time of the year, when Christmas classics are shown in movie theaters! And what's better than seeing a classic black and white Christmas movie on the big screen? When that movie screen is inside a historic theater such as the Catlow in Barrington, Tivoli in Downers Grove, or Music Box in Chicago, just to name a few. You can watch stars like Barbara Stanwyck, Jimmy Stewart, Donna Reed, Fred MacMurray, Frank Sinatra, Bing Crosby, and Rosemary Clooney, larger than life... I'm in!

Here is a list I compiled of upcoming movie screenings, for the most part at historic movie theaters, in the suburbs and Chicago. I will be attending the TCM double feature of A Christmas Carol and Christmas in Connecticut this weekend and also have tickets to the Annual Music Box Christmas Show. Do you have any plans to catch a Christmas movie in theaters this month?

● Various theaters, including Regal Crystal Lake Showplace Stadium 16 and Century 16 Deer Park

A Christmas Carol (1938) and Christmas in Connecticut (1945)
Sunday, December 7 at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m.
Presented by TCM, with an introduction by Ben Mankiewicz

● Cinema 12 - 100 LW Besinger Drive, Carpentersville, IL  
 
Home Alone
Saturday, December 20 at 10 a.m- Free!
Pictures with Santa before the show

● Catlow Theatre - 116 W. Main Street, Barrington, IL

It’s a Wonderful Life
Saturday, December 6 at 11 am

The Polar Express
Saturday, December 13 at 11 am

A Christmas Carol (1951)
Saturday, December 20 at 11 am

● Tivoli Theatre - 5021 Highland Ave, Downers Grove, IL
Pre-show sing-a-long accompanied by Wurlitzer Theatre pipe organ

The Miracle of the Bells (1948)
Monday, December 8 at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m.

White Christmas (1954)
Wednesday, December 10 at 1:30 p.m., 4 p.m., 7 p.m., and 9:30 p.m.

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (1989)
Thursday, December 11 at 7 p.m. and 9:30 p.m

It's a Wonderful Life - 2014 Christmas Benefit Show
Saturday, December 13 at 1:30 p.m.; Sunday, December 14 at 1:30 p.m.
Proceeds to Sharing Connection Furniture Bank

● Music Box Theatre - 3733 N. Southport Ave, Chicago

A Night with Elf
Thursday, December 4 at 5:30 p.m. and 8 p.m.

Annual Music Box Christmas Show - White Christmas and It’s a Wonderful Life
Friday, December 12 - Thursday, December 25

Alternative Christmas Double Feature - Home Alone and Die Hard
Wednesday, December 17

● Patio Theatre - 6008 W. Irving Park Rd, Chicago

Christmas Cartoons
Saturday, December 13 at 2 p.m. - free!
Showing Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, Frosty the Snowman, Santa Claus is Coming to Town, and The Little Drummer Boy

It's a Wonderful Life
Sunday, December 21 at 2 p.m. - free!
Plus, take pictures with Santa before the show.

● Glen Art Theatre - 540 Crescent Blvd #1, Glen Ellyn, IL

Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas
Saturday, December 6 at 10:30 am - free!

The Polar Express
Saturday, December 13 at 10:30 am - free!

The Muppet Christmas Carol
Saturday, December 20 at 10:30 am - free!

● Woodstock Theatre - 209 Main Street, Woodstock, IL 60098

Arthur Christmas
Saturday, December 13 at 10 a.m.
pictures with Santa

● Ogden 6 Theatre - 1227 East Ogden Ave, Naperville

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)
Saturday, December 6 at 10 a.m. - free!

Check out additional holiday film showings at other theaters at the  Classic Cinemas website.

Happy 89th birthday, Angela Lansbury!

Film, television, and theater star Angela Lansbury turns 89 today. In a career that has spanned 70 years, Lansbury has seemingly done it all. Let's take a look at a small slice of her work:

Broadway

Mame (1966) Won the Tony award for Best Actress in a Musical for her performance in the title role. Lansbury is one of the women interviewed by author Eddie Shapiro in the book Nothing Like a Dame: Conversations with the Great Women of Musical Theater (2014). She talks about her roles on Broadway, including what was so great about Mame: "You have to understand that up until that point I had had a career that was technically interesting and diverse and full of acting opportunities but I never had a chance to touch a universal audience, really. Men, women, children, dogs, cats, the whole shebang." Listen to the original cast recording: Mame Soundtrack

Sweeney Todd (1979) Won the Tony award for Best Actress in a Musical as Mrs. Lovett. Listen to the original cast recording: Sweeney Todd Soundtrack

Television

Murder, She Wrote (1984-1996) Nominated for Lead Actress in a Drama Emmy as mystery novelist Jessica Fletcher for each of the show's twelve seasons. Find it in the catalog!

Film noir

Gaslight (1944) Nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award in 1945 Find it in the catalog!

Drama

	The Picture of Dorian Gray (1945) Nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award in 1946 Find it in the catalog!
	The Manchurian Candidate (1962) Nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Academy Award in 1963 Find it in the catalog!

Family films

	National Velvet (1944) Find it in the catalog!
	Bedknobs and Broomsticks (1971) Find it in the catalog!
	Nanny McPhee (2005) Find it in the catalog!

Voiceover work

Beauty and the Beast (1991) Find it in the catalog!

Do you have a favorite role of Angela Lansbury's? One of my favorite childhood movies was Bedknobs and Broomsticks. Compiling this list has compelled me to seek out her earlier work; I am just amazed to see the scope Angela Lansbury's enduring career!

Valentine's Day Movie Guide

Valentine's Day seems like a divisive holiday.  Some people go all out for it, and for other people it just reminds them of how lonely they are, or how much they hate watching Nicholas Sparks movies with their significant other.  Personally, I'm pretty indifferent towards the day, but it doesn't stop me from participating in it.  I like to celebrate with a nice bottle of red wine, some chocolate, and a fun, romantic movie.  Below are some film suggestions for celebrating Valentine's Day, whether you love or hate it:

If you are in love with someone you can't have:  Brief Encounter.  This short but sweet 1945 British melodrama centers on the forbidden romance between housewife Laura (Celia Johnson) and doctor Alec (Trevor Howard) who meet a train station cafe.  Both are married and have children, but they soon get sweep up in an intense emotional affair.  Brief Encounter definitely shows the hardship of loving someone you can't be with.

Also recommended: Lets be honest, forbidden love is way more romantic than boring old requited love, so you have lots of good options here:  In the Mood for Love, Roman Holiday, Brokeback Mountain, The Royal Tenenbaums, and so on. 

If your significant other is a film snob:  The Before Trilogy:  Before Sunrise, Before Sunset, and Before Midnight.  This super talky series follows American Jesse (Ethan Hawke) and French Celine (Julie Delpy), who fall in love after meeting on a train to Vienna.  The films manage to be both funny and heartfelt, plus there's lots of great European scenery (Vienna, Paris, Greece).  My favorite of the bunch is the second one, Before Sunset. 

If your significant other loves The Notebook, but you CAN'T GO THROUGH THAT AGAIN THIS YEAR!:  Awww...congratulations, you've got yourself a hopeless romantic!  Titanic would probably work, but really, do you want to have to watch that?  Instead, I recommend ruining The Notebook for them by choosing one of Gosling's less appealing roles.  Perhaps, Only God Forgives or Blue Valentine (balding Gosling with a mustache, ouch). 

If you just recently broke up with someone:  Annie Hall. This classic Woody Allen movie follows the sweet, but mismatched relationship between Alvy Singer (Allen) and Annie Hall (Diane Keaton). 

Also recommended:  High Fidelity, 500 Days of Summer.

If you are happily single: Bridget Jones Diary.  Seriously is there any harder decision than choosing between Colin Firth and Hugh Grant?  This movie is a super cute update on Pride and Prejudice.  And if you're single, pat yourself on the back, because you don't have to listen to your boyfriend whine throughout the entire movie!

Also recommended:  13 Going on 30.

If your girlfriend is a librarian:Nothing says romance to a librarian like a little Jane Austen, so I highly recommend the Colin Firth Pride and Prejudice.  But pretty much any Austen will do.  My favorite is the Ang Lee classic Sense and Sensibility.  

If you are in an on-again, off-again relationship: Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.  Joel Barish (Jim Carey) is heartbroken when his ex-girlfriend Clementine undergoes a procedure to erase their relationship from her memory.  Bitter, he decides to have him memories of her erased as well.  However, during the process of having his mind wiped, Joel realizes that he is still in love with Clementine and fights to keep her in his memories.

If you are unhappily in a relationship: Sleep Walk With Me.  On top of dealing with a struggling comedy career and a recently diagnosed sleepwalking disorder, Mike Pandamiglo (Mike Birbiglia) begins to have some doubts about his long-time girlfriend Abby (Lauren Ambrose).

If you're in a long distance relationship: Like Crazy.  Anna (Felcity Jones) is a British student who attended college in the United States.  While there, she fell for her T.A. Jacob (Anton Yelchin).  After graduation, Anna decides to spend the summer with Jacob, overstaying her visa.  After she returns home to England for a family engagement, Anna is shocked when she is denied reentry to the United States and deported to England.  The two lovers then try to keep their relationship together in spite of being an ocean apart. 

If you want wallow in misery, because you'll never find anyone ever:  Probably the best bet here is to play the Smiths on repeat and wash down your sorrows with some whiskey.  However, if you don't quite want to be THAT miserable on Valentine's Day, I recommend checking out a Michelango Antonioni film and watch really, really good looking people (or Jack Nicholson) suffer from loneliness and alienation in beautiful locales.  Check out his alienation trilogy: L'Avventura, L'Eclisse, and La Notte.

Also recommended:  Anything by Ingmar Bergman or any film adaptations of Kazuo Ishiguro novels.

If you're in love with a friend, but you don't know how to tell them:  Tootsie.  Talk about awkward situations, Michael Dorsey (Dustin Hoffman) is in love with his beautiful coworker Julie Nichols (Jessica Lange).  However, she only knows him as his female alter-ego Dorothy Michaels.   This movie is probably my all time favorite romantic comedy and features my ultra crush, young Bill Murray, as Dustin Hoffman's roommate.

Also Recommended:  My Best Friend's Wedding, Pretty in Pink.

You are falling fast for someone:  Weekend.  Russell (Tom Cullen) and Glen (Chris New), meet at club in Nottingham.  The two go home together and begin an intense relationship.  However, Glen is soon to be leaving the country for an art course in America.

Also recommended: Once, Lost in Translation, Out of Sight.

Pick Me Up Pictures: Moonstruck

Moonstruck (1987)
Call No.: DVD COMEDY MOONSTRUCK
Find in the Catalog!

In spite of having a big soft spot for 80s romantic comedies (i.e. Tootsie, Broadcast News, anything with John Cusack), I had never gotten around to watching Moonstruck.  I blame it partly on not really seeing Nicholas Cage as a convincing romantic hero and partly on some skepticism about Cher's acting abilities (I should have known not to doubt Cher!).  However, recently I was in the mood to watch something light and fun after watching lots of depressing romance movies from the Guardian's 25 best romance films of all time list (I'm looking at you, Brief Encounter).  So I checked out Moonstruck and was immediately cast under its spell. 

Loretta (Cher) is a widowed bookkeeper in her late 30s.   Her first husband was hit by a bus.  Loretta believes this is because of curse put on her marriage due to getting hitched in City Hall.  When her boyfriend, Johnny Cammareri (Danny Aiello) proposes, she accepts but decides to do everything right this time.  Johnny is a nice, middle-aged mamma's boy who Loretta likes but doesn't love.  When he flies off to Sicily to look after his dying mom, Loretta tries to honor his wish to have his estranged brother Ronny (Nicholas Cage) attend their wedding.   However, things become a wee-bit complicated when Loretta and Ronny wind up in bed together.

Moonstruck gives off the vibe of a modern fairy tale.  From Loretta's strange Italian grandfather walking around with a million dogs to the giant, over-sized full (Cosmo's) moon, the movie definitely has a quirky, magical quality to it.   Probably my favorite aspect of the movie is Loretta's tight knit family.  Olympia Dukakis gives an inspired performance as Loretta's practical but heartbroken mom.  She has some great lines, including advising Loretta that it's good that she doesn't love Johnny because "When you love them, they drive you crazy because they know that they can."  I also really liked that Loretta is a really strong character.  Whether she's making Johnny propose to her on his knees or telly Ronny to "snap out of it" when he confesses his love for her, Loretta certainly doesn't kowtow to the men in her life. 

Overall, this is a super cute movie! Definitely check it out if you want a movie that's light, funny, romantic but also smart and well acted.  

Elizabeth Taylor: 1932 - 2011

Legendary actress Elizabeth Taylor passed away this morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. She was 79. Considered by many to be the last link to Hollywood's so-called Golden Age, the much-loved actress led a passionate life both on and off screen. Married eight times (twice to actor Richard Burton), Taylor's personal life was often as melodramatic as that of the movie heroines she portrayed.

Elizabeth Taylor was quite literally raised in public; from her child acting days in Lassie Come Home and National Velvet, to her acclaimed performance opposite Montgomery Clift in A Place in the Sun, to her mature, complex performance as "Maggie the Cat" in Cat on a Hot Tin Roof. By the early 1960s, she was Hollywood royalty, commanding a cool $1 million dollars for her role as Cleopatra in the opulent 20th Century Fox biopic. Her gritty performance in the 1966 Edward Albee adaptation Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? is, without question, one of the most fearless onscreen performances I have ever seen.

Taylor was twice awarded the Best Actress statuette by the Academy (for her performances in Butterfield 8 and Virginia Woolf). In 1992, she received the Jean Herscholt Humanitarian Academy Award for her HIV/AIDS advocacy. Taylor was a notable gay rights activist, consistently stressing the point that the struggle for gay rights is the struggle for human rights. More than a mere actress, or one of the "most beautiful" women in the world, she was also a fiercely loyal friend and an advocate for those that society at large was not yet ready to help.

Selected film highlights:

Under Milk Wood (1971)

The Taming of the Shrew (1967)

Reflections in a Golden Eye (1967)

Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966)

Cleopatra (1963)

Butterfield 8 (1960)

Suddenly, Last Summer (1959)

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof (1958)

Giant (1956)

A Place in the Sun (1951)

Father of the Bride (1950)

Little Women (1949)

National Velvet (1944)

Happy birthday, James Dean

Banner hanging in
Fairmount. (DP July 2010)

Actor James Dean was born 80 years ago, February 8, 1931, in Marion, Indiana. Dean briefly lived in Santa Monica, California, from the ages of six to nine with his parents until the death of his mother, Mildred. After her death, Dean's father, Wilton, remained in California and sent Dean to live Fairmount, Indiana, where he was raised by his uncle Marcus and aunt Ortense on their farm. Following high school graduation, Dean went to California for college, attending Santa Monica City College and UCLA before dropping out. In 1951 Dean moved to New York to do theater and TV work and became part of the Actors Studio in 1953. Director Elia Kazan hired Dean to star in East of Eden in March 1954. Dean's talent was undeniable to audiences when East of Eden hit theaters in March 1955, and his career began to take off within the course of a couple months, in which time he completed filming Rebel Without a Cause and Giant one after the other. Before either of those films were released, Dean was killed in an automobile crash on the way to a car race in California in September 1955. September 30, 2010 marked the 55th anniversary of his death. Each year Fairmount, Indiana holds a James Dean Festival to celebrate his life and work.

East of Eden, released in March 1955
DVD FICTION EAST
Find it in the catalog!
James Dean received a posthumous Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his role as Cal Trask.

Rebel Without a Cause (Finished filming in June 1955; film was released October 1955.)
DVD DRAMA REBEL
Find it in the catalog!
We will be screening this film at the library this Saturday at 2 PM.

Giant (Finished filming in September 1955; film was released November 1956.)
DVD FICTION GIANT
Find it in the catalog!
James Dean received a posthumous Oscar nomination for Best Actor for his role as Jett Rink.

More about James Dean from the library:
*James Dean: Fifty Years Ago by Dennis Stock (2005)
Dennis Stock, a photojournalist, met James Dean at a party thrown by the director Nicholas Ray. The photos in this book were taken by Stock for a photo essay for Life magazine. Dean visits his hometown of Fairmount, Indiana, in February 1955, before the release of East of Eden. Photos capture him on the farm with his cousin, aunt, and uncle, walking around town, and visiting his old high school. Stock also photographs Dean around New York, where Dean kept a small apartment. Dean goes through ballet poses in a dance class and falls asleep in his accountant's office and even at the bar with a cigarette in his hand (Stock says he was an insomniac). Lastly Stock accompanies Dean to LA during the shooting of Rebel Without a Cause.

Rebel: The Life and Legend of James Dean by Donald Spoto (1996) and James Dean: Little Boy Lost by Joe Hyams with Jay Hyams (1992) are both located in the Biography section.

James Dean's grave in Park Cemetery in Fairmount. (DP July 2010)

Peter Yates: 1928-2011

Peter Yates, director of Breaking Away, Bullitt, and The Friends of Eddie Coyle, passed away yesterday at the age of 82. Yates worked as a filmmaker for forty years, and was four times nominated for an Oscar. Of the several dozen films Yates produced and directed throughout his long career, I'll best remember the above-mentioned Steve McQueen film and the underrated classic The Friends of Eddie Coyle, which I have previously rhapsodized about here at the Media Corner.

Obit at guardian.co.uk

Holiday film screenings in the Chicagoland area

I'm sure more film screenings will be scheduled soon, but here is what I was able to compile for now:

◊◊◊ Free Holiday Matinees at the Glen Art Theatre (540 Crescent Blvd, Glen Ellyn):
The Santa Clause (Saturday, November 27 at 10:30 AM)
The Polar Express (Saturday, December 4 at 10:30 AM)
Home Alone (Saturday, December 11 at 10:30 AM)
Elf (Saturday, December 18 at 10:30 AM)

◊◊◊ Holiday Movies in the Park at Pritzer Park (corner of State and Van Buren Streets)
Lights (December 1 at 5 PM)
It's a Wonderful Life (December 1 at 5:30 PM)
How the Grinch Stole Christmas (December 8 at 5:30 PM)
A Christmas Story (December 15 at 5:30 PM)


◊◊◊ It's A Wonderful Life at the Tivoli Theatre (5021 Highland Avenue, Downers Grove)
◊ Christmas Benefit Show ($5 donation to Sharing Connection Furniture Bank)
◊ December 4 and 5 at 1:30 PM

◊◊◊ It's A Wonderful Life with special guest host Karolyn Grimes ("ZuZu Bailey") at the Hollywood Palms Cinema (352 S. Rt 59, Naperville) and Hollywood Blvd Cinema (1001 W. 75th St, Woodridge)
◊ December 17 & 19 at the Hollywood Palms (check showtimes and ticket information)
◊ December 18 at Hollywood Blvd (check showtimes and ticket information)

◊◊◊ 27th Annual Music Box Christmas Show at the Music Box Theatre (3733 N. Southport Ave, Chicago)
◊ December 17-24
◊ Double feature of White Christmas and It's a Wonderful Life, plus Christmas carols accompanied by the live organ (with Santa!)
◊ Advance tickets cost $17 for the double feature ($15 for children under 13)and $12 for a single feature ($10 for children under 13). For schedule information or to buy tickets visit the Music Box Theatre.

◊◊◊ 2010 Holiday Classic Film Festival at the Tivoli Theatre
◊ All shows are $4 admission
◊ The Tivoli Theatre is located in downtown Downers Grove and has been open since Christmas Day 1928.
The Bishop's Wife (Sunday, December 12 at 7 and 9:30 PM)
Meet John Doe (Monday, December 13 at 7 and 9:30 PM)
Planes, Trains & Automobiles (Tuesday, December 14 at 7 and 9:30 PM)
White Christmas (Wednesday, December 15 at 1:30, 4, 7, and 9:30 PM)
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation (Thursday, December 16 at 7 and 9:30 PM).

I've been dying to visit the Tivoli for quite some time, so I hope to make one of the screenings in their 2010 Holiday Classic Film Festival!

Patricia Neal: 1926-2010

Patricia Neal, an Oscar Winner Who Endured Tragedy, Dies at 84

If you have not seen the 1963 film Hud, I strongly encourage you to do so. What follows is a list of highlights from Neal's decades-long Hollywood career.

The Day the Earth Stood Still (1951)
Find it in the catalog!

A Face in the Crowd (1957)
Find it in the catalog!

Breakfast at Tiffany's (1961)
Find it in the catalog!

Hud (1963)
Find it in the catalog!

Cookie's Fortune (1999)
Find it in the catalog!

2010 Silent Summer Film Festival

This past Friday the 1925 Harold Lloyd film The Freshman opened the 2010 Silent Summer Film Festival at the Portage Theatre in Chicago (4050 N. Milwaukee Ave). Each classic silent film will be accompanied by live organ as the festival continues the next five Fridays at 8 PM. If you buy tickets in advance the cost is $10 ($9 for students or seniors). Tickets at the door cost $12. For the August 6 special event screening of The Mark of Zorro (1920) the film will be accompanied by The Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra ($15 for advance tickets, $14/students, seniors; $17 at the door).

For the complete festival lineup and to buy advance tickets visit The Silent Film Society of Chicago website. This Friday the film is Ben-Hur (1925). Seeing a silent film on the big screen is a fun event that I recommend to any film lover. In June I watched Fritz Lange's classic Metropolis (1927) at the Music Box Theatre and I thought the whole night was an amazing experience.

Cinematographer, William A. Fraker: 1923 - 2010

William A. Fraker lensed some of the most critically and commercially successful films of the 1960s and '70s. Considered a giant of his profession, he was the man behind the camera on Rosemary's Baby (1968), Bullitt (1968), One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1975), Looking for Mr. Goodbar (1977), Close Encounters of the Third Kind (1977), and Heaven Can Wait (1978). MovieMaker magazine referred to him as "a kind of Yoda of cinema­tography" in a 2004 profile. Fraker was nominated five times for the Best Cinematography Oscar, and served as president of the American Society of Cinematographers (A.S.C.). In 2000, the A.S.C. honored him with a Lifetime Achievement Award. His L.A. Times obituary states that he passed away Friday, at the age of 86. He is survived by his wife and step-son.

Fraker's work on Bullitt is a model of the cinematographer's dedication. While the film's climactic car chase is justifiably legendary, there's more to the story than what you see on screen. Steve McQueen and several accomplished stunt drivers maneuvered the vehicles through the streets of San Francisco, at speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour. William A. Fraker and his camera were strapped to one of those vehicles, suspended just six inches from the ground. Watch this clip, and I think you'll agree that it was worth the ride.



Bullitt (1968)
Find it in the catalog!

The African Queen

"What an absurd idea! What an absurd idea! Lady, I may be a born fool, but you got ten absurd ideas to my one, an' don't you forget it! "
- Charlie Allnut (Humphrey Bogart) to Rose Sayer (Katharine Hepburn), The African Queen


As long as DVDs have been the dominant home video format, movie-lovers have lamented the fact that so many classic films had yet to make the transition. There have been numerous lists compiled of noteworthy films that, for one reason or another, have never made it to Region-1 DVD. High at the top of any such list is the 1951 John Huston adventure The African Queen. One of the American Film Institute's "100 Years...100 Movies," The African Queen stars two of Hollywood's most beloved actors, and features the sole Oscar-winning performance of Humphrey Bogart's legendary career. And yet, no DVD? On March 23rd, Paramount Home Entertainment rectified the situation.

The African Queen
Find it in the catalog!

For further reading on the behind-the-scenes adventure of The African Queen, check out Katharine Hepburn's memoir: The Making of the African Queen, Or, How I Went To Africa With Bogart, Bacall, And Huston And Almost Lost My Mind.

Movies at the library in February

Come join us for our free movie nights in February at the Dundee Township Public Library. We have free popcorn and refreshments available at each movie. You can pick up your tickets at the Information Desk (847-428-3661 x 308) starting today. Walk-ins are also welcome; just keep in mind that the audience capacity is 80 people. Doors open 30 minutes before the movie starts. I hope to see you at the movies!

Fame (2009)
Wednesday, February 17 at 6 PM
Rated PG; 1 hour 47 minutes

Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Saturday, February 20 at 2 PM
Rated PG; 1 hour 21 minutes

Casablanca (1942)
CLASSIC MOVIE NIGHT!
Tuesday, February 23 at 6 PM
Not rated; 1 hour 42 minutes

Free movies in January at the library

Looking to get out of the cold? Come to the Dundee Township Public Library and catch a movie for free on the big screen! Several times a month we show movies downstairs in the Meeting Room. Free popcorn and refreshments are always served! To guarantee a seat at the movie pick up tickets before the date of the show at the Information Desk (847-428-3661, ext. 308). Walk-ins are also welcome as long as space is available (the audience is limited to 80 people). Check out what we are showing in January:

The Wizard of Oz
Tuesday, January 12 at 6 PM

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince
Saturday, January 16 at 2 PM

Julie & Julia
Wednesday, January 20 at 6 PM

Come join us! In February we will screen Fame (2009), Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, and Casablanca.

Free movies showing at the library in December

Come to the Dundee Township Public Library District to watch movies on the big screen for FREE! During December we are screening four movies-- two recent releases on DVD and two classics! Tickets for these movies are available at the Information Desk starting Tuesday, December 1. The audience is limited to 80 people, so don't wait to pick up tickets!

Star Trek
Thursday, December 17 at 6 PM
Doors open at 5:30 PM

Up
Saturday, December 19 at 2 PM
Doors open at 1:30 PM

White Christmas
Tuesday, December 22 at 6 PM
Doors open at 5:30 PM

The Shop Around the Corner 
Tuesday, December 29 at 6 PM
Doors open at 5:30 PM

Movies are shown on the lower level in the Meeting Room. Free popcorn and refreshments!

Catch a free movie at the library in November

Tickets are available now at the Information Desk for our free movies in November. We show the movies downstairs in the Meeting Room and provide free popcorn and refreshments. Come join us!

Planes, Trains and Automobiles: Monday, November 16 at 6 PM
Race to Witch Mountain: Thursday, November 19 at 6 PM
Monsters vs. Aliens: Saturday, November 21 at 2 PM

Attendees of our movies in November get the first chance to get their tickets for our free December movies: Star Trek, Up, White Christmas, and The Shop Around the Corner!

Werewolf on the prowl

This week's Movie Night selection is The Wolf Man (1941), starring Lon Chaney, Jr. as the titular monster. This Universal horror classic was essentially a "B" picture at the time of its release; that is to say it was a low-budget genre film, meant to make a quick profit for the the studio. Nearly 70 years later, The Wolf Man has outlasted many of the studio's prestige pictures and become a permanent part of American popular culture, alongside Dracula, Frankenstein and The Invisible Man.

Watch it with us!

Wednesday, October 21st, at 6 PM in the Library meeting room. The film is 70 minutes in duration. Doors open at 5:30. Popcorn is on us.

Free movies at the library are back

Starting in October we'll be back to showing free movies downstairs in the Meeting Room. In addition to screening recently released films we will also screen some classics. Free popcorn and refreshments are available at each movie.

Movies in October
Tickets available October 1 at the Info. Desk

17 Again
Thursday, October 15 at 6 PM
Doors open at 5:30
Starring Zac Efron, Matthew Perry, Leslie Mann
Rated PG-13; 102 minutes

Hannah Montana
Saturday, October 17 at 2 PM
Doors open at 1:30
Starring Miley Cyrus, Billy Ray Cyrus
Rated G; 92 minutes

The Wolf Man (1941)
Wednesday, October 21 at 6 PM
Doors open at 5:30
Starring Lon Chaney, Bela Lugosi, Fay Helm
Not rated; 70 minutes

Coming in November
Planes, Trains and Automobiles; Race to Witch Mountain; Monsters vs. Aliens

Coming in December
The Shop Around the Corner, White Christmas, Star Trek, Up

The Billy Wilder Film Collection

Legendary Hollywood director Billy Wilder (1906-2002) worked in various genres throughout his long career. His 1944 crime picture Double Indemnity was a milestone that in many ways still sets the standard for today's murder mysteries and crime melodramas. But, without question, the director's truest affinity was for comedy.

The Billy Wilder Film Collection includes three stone-cold comedy classics (Some Like It Hot, The Apartment, The Fortune Cookie) and one amusing curio (Kiss Me, Stupid!).

Some Like It Hot (1959) is a classic screwball comedy, justly revered for its gender-bending premise and superb ensemble performances. Marilyn Monroe proves herself to be an adept comedienne as chanteuse Sugar Kane, Tony Curtis is great fun as a jazz saxophonist/lothario, and Jack Lemmon steals the show as an "everyman" whose reluctant female impersonation blossoms into a joyous celebration. The last line in the film, delivered by comedian/actor Joe E. Brown, is often cited as one of the greatest lines in Hollywood history.

The Apartment (1960) is a rare gem; a film of genuine pathos that never fails to deliver the laughs. Nearly fifty years after its initial release, this one still speaks to us. Jack Lemmon and Shirley MacLaine are brilliant in their respective roles, bringing a sense of tenderness and vulnerability that is timeless. Tagline: "Movie-wise, there has never been anything like The Apartment...laugh-wise, love-wise or otherwise-wise!"

Billy Wilder's The Fortune Cookie (1966) was the first pairing of Jack Lemmon and Walter Matthau, one of the great comedic duos in film history. Matthau's role as a morally bankrupt personal injury attorney is easily one of the highlights of this legendary actor's career. Without being polemical or overly-talky, this film manages to make insightful comments on such weighty issues as morality, race-relations, fidelity, and...in-laws!

Kiss Me, Stupid! (1964) is the one film in the set that feels somewhat dated, due to its then-topical examination of the swinger lifestyle. But Dean Martin's self-parodic performance as "Dino" is admirably scathing, and Ray Walston's role as a Beethoven-obsessed paranoiac is reason enough to check this one out. And, as in any Billy Wilder film, there is no shortage of memorable dialogue.



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Bogey

This month the Media department is highlighting the work of beloved American actor Humphrey Bogart.

Perhaps best remembered as night-club owner Rick Blaine in the 1942 classic Casablanca or as the quintessential hard-boiled private eye in 1941's The Maltese Falcon, Bogart turned out a remarkable number of engaging performances throughout his Hollywood tenure.

For this viewer's money, it doesn't get any better than the 1950 crime drama In a Lonely Place. Directed by Nicholas Ray (Rebel Without a Cause), the film follows the doomed romance of screen-writer Dixon Steele and aspiring starlet Laurel Gray (exquisitely acted by the often underrated Gloria Grahame). Bogart's take on the disillusioned Dixon Steele is perhaps the most harrowing, and genuinely disturbing, performance of his career.

Follow the links below to find these and other Bogey titles in our online catalog:

The African Queen

The Big Sleep

The Caine Mutiny

Casablanca

High Sierra

In a Lonely Place

The Maltese Falcon

Sabrina

The Treasure of the Sierra Madre

For a full list of Humphrey Bogart DVDs in our collection, enter the search term "Humphrey Bogart" into our online catalog and click on "author".