Recommendation from the Librarian

Grey Gardens, a film by Albert and David Maysles

I watched this documentary about a year ago and WOW! HBO recently produced a fictionalized account of the life of Edith "Big Edie" Bouvier Beale and her daughter, Edith "Little Edie" Bouvier Beale starring Drew Barrymore and Jessica Lange; that film was based on this cult classic. If you've seen that movie or want to know more about Jackie O.'s eccentric family then this is a MUST SEE!

SUMMARY
Meet Big and Little Edie Beale—high-society dropouts, mother and daughter, reclusive cousins of Jackie O.—thriving together amid the decay and disorder of their ramshackle East Hampton mansion. An impossibly intimate portrait and an eerie echo of the Kennedy Camelot, Albert and David Maysles’s 1976 Grey Gardens quickly became a cult classic and established Little Edie as a fashion icon and philosopher queen. Thirty years later, the filmmakers revisited their landmark documentary with a sequel of sorts, The Beales of Grey Gardens, culled from hours of never-before-seen footage recently found in the filmmakers’ vaults.

Recommendation from the Librarian

The Wrestler starring Mickey Rourke, Marisa Tomei and Evan Rachel Wood.

Last night I watch this AMAZING film!

Summary
His sense of identity fading into nothingness after the spotlights dim and he experiences a close brush with mortality, a retired wrestler begins to evaluate his life while considering the comeback that could very well kill him in director Darren Aronofsky's poignant portrait of an introspective former superstar in the twilight of his career. Back in his heyday, wrestler Randy "The Ram" Robinson (Mickey Rourke) was an icon in the ring. His image immortalized in action figures and video games, he would headline arenas across the globe. Twenty years later, those glory days have passed, and Randy is forced to earn his keep by brawling before handfuls of fans in high school gyms and community centers around New Jersey. In the wake of a heart attack, the former icon attempts to earn a little extra cash while working in a deli and making an effort to reconnect with his estranged teenage daughter, Stephanie (Evan Rachel Wood). Yet, despite Randy's continued attempts at convincing local stripper Cassidy (Marisa Tomei) to settle down with him in his humble trailer, the ring still calls to him. Later, when the prospect of a high-profile rematch with his longtime nemesis presents itself, Randy is forced to weigh his mortality against his desire to hear the crowd roar one last time. The Wrestler snagged two Oscar nominations, one for Best Actor (Rourke) and one for Best Supporting Actress (Tomei). ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

If the summary hasn't convinced you that this is a truly great film, click here to read the outstanding review by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Roger Ebert.

Recommendation from the Librarian

Good Night, and Good Luck [DVD]

I want to make it abundantly clear: this recommendation has nothing to do with my ever-growing Robert Downey, Jr. obsession (although he is brilliant in the movie). My recommendation is based purely on the fact this is a great film.

Good Night, and Good Luck, directed by George Clooney (that's right, Dr. Doug Ross!), garnered some notable nominations at the 2006 Academy Awards including Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor. It is a worthwhile film. Trust me!

Summary
The film takes place in the 1950's America, during the early days of broadcast journalism. It chronicles the real-life conflict between television newsman Edward R. Murrow and Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee. With a desire to report the facts and enlighten the public, Murrow, and his dedicated staff - headed by his producer Fred Friendly and Joe Wershba in the CBS newsroom - defy corporate and sponsorship pressures to examine the lies and scaremongering tactics perpetrated by McCarthy during his communist 'witch-hunts'. A very public feud develops when the Senator responds by accusing the anchor of being a communist. In this climate of fear and reprisal, the CBS crew carries on and their tenacity will prove historic and monumental.

The film stars David Strathairn, Robert Downey, Jr., Patricia Clarkson, Ray Wise, Frank Langella, Jeff Daniels, George Clooney, Tate Donovan, and Tom McCarthy.

Recommendation from the Librarian

Looking for a great document? I got one for you and it'll knock your knee socks off! It's totally tubular, dude!

Surfwise : The Amazing True Odyssey of the Paskowitz Family

Summary
Legendary surfer, Dorian "Doc" Paskowitz, abandoned a successful medical practice to withdraw from the lifestyle of mainstream America. But unlike other American searchers such as Thoreau and Kerouac, Paskowitz took his wife and nine children along for the ride, all eleven of them living in a 24-foot camper. The family spent their days living by Doc's rules on health, fitness, sexuality, and above all surfing. The Paskowitzs' prove that America may be running out of frontiers, but it hasn't run out of frontiersmen.

Here's a recent article on Doc from Surfer Magazine.

Recommendation from the Librarian

The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford

I'm not a big fan of westerns or Brad Pitt (I know, I know...the only woman in the world who doesn't swoon over him), but this film is a gem I recently rented from here.

Summary
Everyone in 1880s America knows Jesse James. He's the nation's most notorious criminal and is being hunted by the law in 10 states. He's also the land's greatest hero, lauded as a Robin Hood by the public. No one knows of Robert Ford, at least not yet. But the ambitious 19-year-old aims to change that. He befriends Jesse and rides with his gang. And if that doesn't bring Ford fame, he will have to find a deadlier way. Friendship becomes rivalry and the quest for fame becomes obsession.