by Public Services Associate Luke
There were plenty of new releases and great films that came to theatres or found their home on the various streaming platforms, but I will be discussing a few of what I think are some of the best this year.
by Public Service Associate Juliana
I visited my sister in mid November and she already had the Christmas music playing. She said if she starts listening early enough she actually gets to enjoy holiday music. If she waits until after Thanksgiving, it’s December already, and there’s so much running around in December that the music just gets lost.
That same week, with the idea of starting early in order to savor, I began to collect lists and stories from staff of our favorite holiday films and traditions that surround them. The responses flooded in.
by Public Service Associate Juliana
I was never a vampire reader, no Dracula, The Queen of the Damned, or Salem’s Lot. My preferred medium for vampire lore has always been film. With that said, I have always been drawn to movies based on books. Interview with the Vampire based on the Anne Rice novel and Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust based on the novels written by Hideyuki Kikuchi, are two of my favorites. I recall staying home sick from school in the early 2000s watching Vampire Hunter D for the umpteenth time. I paused on a favorite scene and decided to draw the still, copying exactly what I saw on the screen. When I wrote about the experience in the journal I had to keep for art class, my teacher commented that I had “experienced the healing power of art.” I’ve returned to this thought many times throughout my life, the idea that art can heal. And now with that connective tissue, I forever equate vampire movies as a kind of magic medicine.
by Public Service Associate Luke
When Bong Joon-Ho, the Korean director, was accepting his Best Picture award for Parasite, he stated that the win would hopefully show audiences that they could get over the “one-inch barrier of subtitles” and have their worlds opened to entirely new stories and creative insight. Admittedly, I once had to overcome this hurdle myself, but ever since I began exploring foreign films, I have found some of my favorite movies. I learned how samurai movies created the “lone wolf” trope that American westerns popularized. I discovered darkly psychological thrillers that inspired the likes of Fincher, and I experienced the original martial arts movies that Tarantino has since emulated. Going international for your film viewing leads to some artistic, beautifully crafted, and deeply philosophical movies, with some of my personal favorites listed in this blog.
by Associate Librarian Debbie
Asian and Pacific Islander Month is winding down, but it’s never too late to check out some awesome Asian films and directors! Here, I’ve gathered some excellent movies and films from a diverse array of Asian and Asian-American filmmakers and directors that you can find right here at the Bexley Public Library! From Wong Kar-Wai to Naomi Kawase, these are some movies and filmmakers worth celebrating.
by Public Services Manager Jen
Some might suggest motherhood is in the DNA. Hardwired. Hyperlinked. Dormant until diapers. Innate. Intrinsic. Slumbering until sleep training. As if upon the arrival of a brand new person, some primal, prehistoric portion of the neocortex whirs and clicks into place like the insides of a finely tuned piece of cosmic machinery. With all the gears and mechanisms in their correct spaces, you are now prepared to take part in the grand experiment that is maternity.
by Public Service Associate Luke
Roll out the red carpet, tailor your suit, and pour the drinks! The Academy Awards have arrived, and the Oscar campaign season has begun. What movies will walk away with the biggest awards of the night? What actors will be snubbed? What blockbuster movie will win the technical categories but be ignored in the “Big Six” (my guess this year is Dune). The Oscars have been the most prestigious awards in the film industry for nearly a century. Movies from all over the visual medium have taken home some sort of recognition, and there is never a bad time to catch up or rewatch on the best films from the past decades.
by Public Service Associate Luke
After almost twenty years, the Matrix finally returned, as slow motion bullets, kung fu wirework, and Keanu Reeves once again graced our screens. Lana Wachowski brought back our favorite green-tinted science fiction to theatres and HBO Max, and the world of cyberpunk is here again.
by Public Service Associate Juliana
I recently borrowed a feature film that happened to pair perfectly with a documentary I’d watched the month prior. I love serendipitous moments like this, when threads connect and suddenly things deepen and contextualize before your very eyes.
by Public Service Associate Nichole
While Pride festivities are mostly still on hold this year, you can still show support for the LGBTQ+ community by reading, watching, and listening to their stories with your BPL card.