Staff Movie Picks

American Graffiti DVD
The story follows a group of friends on the night before they leave their small hometown for college. An early George Lucas film with Harrison Ford, among others. (BG)

Bride and Prejudice DVD
Bollywood with mariachis, gospel music, and Morris dancers. It’s set in London, Amritsar and LA. One of my favorite musical numbers is called ‘No Life Without a Wife’. (AY)

Castle in the Sky DVD
Made by Hayao Miyazake (the Japanese Walt Disney) this is a wonderfully imaginative story about a boy, a girl and a floating castle. (BG)

Cinema Paradiso DVD / VHS
A lonely young Sicilian boy spends his free time in the projection booth of the local cinema. In a way, the movies become his family. (LL)

The Day the Earth Stood Still DVD / VHS
This is classic 1950’s science fiction. An alien comes from outer space to tell the people of earth they must live in peace or be destroyed. (BV)

Empire of the Sun DVD
Christian Bale stars as a boy separated from his wealthy English parents during the Japanese invasion of Shanghai in WW11. (BG)

Europa Europa DVD / VHS
In Nazi Germany a young boy is separated from his family and tries to conceal his Jewish identity by joining the Hitler Youth. Based on a true
story. (PT)

Footlight Parade DVD / VHS
Dazzling Busby Berkeley musical numbers, a highly improbable plot and the irrepressible James Cagney.  A wildly entertaining treat! (RS)

For Love or Country DVD / VHS
Badly treated by the Cuban government, jazz trumpeter Arturo Sanduval is befriended by Dizzy Gillespie and begins to plot his escape. Based on a true story.
(LL)

The Goonies DVD / VHS
A group of kids find a treasure map and the adventure begins. Great family fun, and look where the child actors are now! (MG)

I Know Where I’m Going DVD/VHS
 En route to her wedding with a wealthy older man a young woman gets stranded on the Scottish Isle Mull, with romantic results. One of my all time favorites. (BV)

Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India DVD
The people of a small Indian village stake their future on a game of cricket played against their British rulers. Long but enthralling. (MM)

The Princess Bride DVD / VHS
This tale of true love and high adventure is full of good one-liners and has some great cameo appearances. (MG)

Rabbit Proof Fence DVD / VHS
Three young Australian aboriginal girls are forcibly removed from their parents by the government. The movie follows their escape and their epic journey home. (PT)

Raising Arizona DVD / VHS
An ex con and his policewoman wife attempt to solve their infertility problems by kidnapping a quintuplet.
 This movie is a North American version of magical realism. (AY)

Solomon and Gaenor DVD / VHS
A tale of forbidden love between a young Jewish merchant and a Methodist girl in early 20th century Wales. (MM)

Some Like it Hot DVD / VHS
Two musicians accidentally witness the St. Valentine’s Day massacre in Chicago and have to take drastic action to stay out of the gangsters clutches. Sublime hilarity. (PT)

Take my Eyes DVD
Pilar flees from her enraged husband and is determined to save herself. However, the bond between them is deep and nothing is easy. (MM)

Tunes of Glory DVD / VHS
A clash of personalities between two army officers affects everyone at a Scottish regimental barracks. Alec Guinness and John Mills give superb performances. (BV)

Vampire Effect DVD
This is one of my guilty pleasures. It has kung fu, slapstick, romance, horror, and – for the cherry on top –Jackie Chan plays one of the secondary characters. (AY)

Whale Rider DVD / VHS
This is an engaging and inspiring story about a young Maori girl who finds a leading role in her community, in spite of the opposition of her grandfather. (PAT)

Whisper of the Heart DVD
An enchanting tale about youthful romance and the magic of everyday things. A family-friendly movie. (BG)

Withnail and I DVD
Two struggling young actors leave 1960’s London for a disastrous weekend in the country. A bitingly funny cult classic. (PT)

Movie Picks 2 - Some Favorite Family Movies

Akeelah and the Bee

Akeelah Anderson is a smart girl but life is not easy for her. To avoid a long stretch in detention she enters her school spelling bee and, much to her surprise and embarrassment, she wins it. As she takes her first uncertain steps towards success will she get the help she needs from her family and community?

Babe

A young piglet grows up on a farm with a sheep dog as his foster mother. The farmer spots Babe’s emerging talent for herding sheep but will this unusual partnership even be allowed to enter the local sheep dog contest? A delightful tale about tolerance told from the animals’ point of view.

E.T., the Extra-Terrestrial

A small and gentle alien is accidentally stranded on earth and is befriended by a ten-year-old boy. Elliot and his siblings and his friends unite behind E.T. but can they really help him to go home?

The Man From Snowy River

Set during the 1880’s when the Australian frontier was wide open and dangerous, this film follows the exploits of a youth as he sets out to tame a wild herd of horses.

My Dog Skip

Willie Morris receives a talented terrier for his birthday. With Skip’s help the duo turn bullies into friends, get the better of hapless moon -shiners and even win the affections of the prettiest girl in the school.

October Sky

Inspired by the launch of the first satellite in the 1950’s a group of boys experiment with small rockets.  They enter a science competition and begin to experience life outside their small West Virginia coal mining community.

The Railway Children

When their father is wrongfully imprisoned three children have to leave their London home and settle in a small cottage near a railway in Yorkshire. Their fascination with the railway, and their friendliness to the people who work and ride on it, brings help for their own problems in unexpected ways.

The Secret of Roan Inish

Fiona is sent to live with her grandparents near the island of Roan Inish. According to family stories her baby brother was swept out to sea some years back. Her search for him brings an Irish legend to life.

Movie Picks 2 - Some Favorite Romantic Movies

An Officer and a Gentleman

Loner Zack Mayo enters Officer Candidate School to become a navy pilot. In the next thirteen weeks he learns the importance of discipline, love and friendship. He also meets a girl, who wonders if Zack can rescue her from her drab blue-collar life.

Anastasia

In this 1956 film a destitute woman in Paris is drawn into a hoax because of her resemblance to the presumed dead daughter of Czar Nicholas. When she impersonates the grand duchess she begins to wonder about her own true identity.

Brief Encounter

A middle class English housewife meets a handsome doctor on a railway station. For a short time their lives intertwine but is there any future for them together?

Casablanca

Everybody comes to Rick’s bar, including Ilsa, the woman who deserted him and broke his heart. Will he do the noble thing and protect Ilsa and her husband from the Nazis who are pursuing them?

Dr. Zhivago

Yuri Zhivago is a poet and a surgeon. The Russian Revolution tears him away from Tonya, his wife, and brings him close to Lara, the woman he will never forget. A deeply personal story is set against a backdrop of social upheaval and war.

French Kiss

When her fiancé is smitten by a beautiful Frenchwoman Kate flies to Paris determined to win him back. She meets Luc, a Frenchman who is just a little on the wrong side of the law, who promises to help her.

Roman Holiday

A modern day princess rebels and sets out to explore Rome by herself. An American reporter meets her but, hoping for an exclusive story, pretends not to know who she is.

Say Anything

To know Lloyd Dobbler (played by John Cusak) is to love him. This is simply the best boy-meets-girl-movie of all time. No arguments accepted. (MJR)