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

Ponyo and other films by Hayao Miyazaki

On Saturday afternoon 72 people attended the library's free screening of the movie Ponyo. Hayao Miyazaki, the film's writer and director, is known for his imaginative style of animation. The stories in his films feature fantastical elements and young protagonists who, when faced with daunting challenges, must find the courage within themselves to succeed.

Some audience member comments:

"It was awesome!"
~ Breanna D., East Dundee

While refilling his drink at the beverage counter, a boy shared his feelings with me about the movie (hearing his comment, a girl jumped in with her thoughts):

Boy: This movie is really strange.
Girl: And funny.
Boy: It's really strange.
Girl: ...and funny!

I simply nodded my head in agreement with both statements. The movie is about a goldfish, Ponyo, who becomes human and develops a strong friendship with Sosuke. If you haven't been able to see it yet, you can put yourself on hold for a copy from the library:
Find it in the catalog!

Other Miyazaki films we have at the library:

Howl's Moving Castle
DVD FAMILY HOWL'S
Nominated for an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film.
Find it in the catalog!

My Neighbor Totoro
DVD FAMILY MY
Find it in the catalog!

Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind
DVD FAMILY NAUSICAA
Find it in the catalog!

Spirited Away
DVD FAMILY SPIRITED
Won an Oscar for Best Animated Feature Film.
Find it in the catalog!

Kiki's Delivery Service
DVD FAMILY KIKI'S
Find it in the catalog!

Princess Mononoke
DVD ANIME PRINCESS
Find it in the catalog!

The moviemaking team of Tim Burton and Johnny Depp

The creative movie partnership of director Tim Burton and actor Johnny Depp that began with Edward Scissorhands has endured for twenty years. Burton once again teams up with Depp in Alice in Wonderland, which opened in theaters on Friday (in both 2-D and 3-D). You can check out their previous collaborations on DVD, available through the library:

Edward Scissorhands (1990)
DVD FICTION EDWARD
Find it in the catalog!

Ed Wood (1994)
DVD FICTION EDWARD
Find it in the catalog!

Sleepy Hollow (1999)
DVD HORROR SCI-FI
Find it in the catalog!

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005)
DVD FAMILY CHARLIE
Find it in the catalog!

Tim Burton's Corpse Bride (2005)
DVD MUSICAL CORPSE
Find it in the catalog!

Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street (2007)
DVD MUSICAL SWEENEY
Find it in the catalog!

Movies by female directors

Kathryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker) is only the fourth woman to be nominated for an Academy Award for directing. She is also the second American female director to be nominated since Sofia Coppola received a nomination in 2003 for Lost in Translation. The other two women who have received a Best Director nomination are Jane Campion for The Piano in 1993 and Lina Wertmuller for Seven Beauties in 1976.

When I read about the lack of nominations for female directors I started to think of other women who have directed movies I have seen. I compiled a list of notable female directors and their work, mostly focusing on movies available at Dundee, which you can check out through the library (or request from another library if we don't have it here).

◊ Gillian Armstrong (1950-)
Oscar and Lucinda, Little Women (1994)

◊ Susanne Bier (1960-)
After the Wedding, Things We Lost in the Fire

◊ Kathryn Bigelow (1951-)
The Hurt Locker, Near Dark, The Weight of Water, Point Break

◊ Jame Campion (1954-)
Bright Star, The Piano

◊ Gurinder Chadha (1960-)
Bend it Like Beckham, Bride & Prejudice

◊ Sofia Coppola (1971-)
Marie Antoinette, Lost in Translation, The Virgin Suicides

◊ Nora Ephron (1941-)
Sleepless in Seattle, You've Got Mail, Julie & Julia

◊ Catherine Hardwicke (1955-)
Thirteen, Lords of Dogtown, The Nativity Story, Twilight

◊ Mary Harron (1953-)
American Psycho, The Notorious Bettie Page

◊ Amy Heckerling (1954-)
Fast Times at Ridgemont High, Clueless

◊ Patty Jenkins (1971-)
Monster

◊ Mimi Leder (1952-)
Deep Impact

◊ Sharon Maguire (1960-)
Bridget Jones's Diary

◊ Penny Marshall (1942-)
Big, A League of Their Own, Awakenings

◊ Nancy Meyers (1949-)
Something's Gotta Give, The Holiday

◊ Rebecca Miller (1962-)
The Ballad of Jack and Rose, The Private Lives of Pippa Lee

◊ Mira Nair (1957-)
Monsoon Wedding, Vanity Fair, The Namesake, Amelia

◊ Kimberly Peirce (1967-)
Boys Don't Cry, Stop-Loss

◊ Sarah Polley (1979-)
Away From Her

◊ Kelly Reichardt
Wendy and Lucy

◊ Adrienne Shelly (1966-2006)
Waitress

◊ Kirsten Sheridan (1976-)
August Rush

◊ Penelope Spheeris (1945-)
Wayne's World, The Little Rascals

◊ Julie Taymor (1952-)
Titus, Frida, Across the Universe

Ang Lee is Taking Woodstock

Acclaimed director Ang Lee began his career in his native Taiwan, but he's helmed several of the most popular and critically-admired Hollywood films of the past decade. His latest effort is Taking Woodstock (now in theaters), a view of the landmark 1969 music festival.

Here are some earlier Ang Lee movies you may want to check out:

Lust, Caution

Find it in the catalog!

Brokeback Mountain

Find it in the catalog!

Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon

Find it in the catalog!

The Ice Storm

Find it in the catalog!

Sense and Sensibility

Find it in the catalog!

Eat Drink Man Woman

Find it in the catalog!

John Hughes: 1950-2009

John Hughes - director/screenwriter/producer - brought us such generation-defining films as Sixteen Candles, The Breakfast Club, Pretty in Pink and Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Born in Lansing, MI, Hughes moved to Illinois with his family at age thirteen, and his new home would provide the setting for many of his films. While he will best be remembered as the laureate of suburban teens everywhere, John Hughes had his hands in a number of comedy and family films that left an indelible imprint on American popular culture (such as Uncle Buck and the Home Alone series).

Sixteen Candles
Find it in the catalog!

The Breakfast Club
Find it in the catalog!

Pretty In Pink
Find it in the catalog!

Pretty In Pink: The Original Motion Picture Soundtrack
Find it in the catalog!

Ferris Bueller's Day Off
Find it in the catalog!

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.



Find it in the catalog!