Staff Picks

Little Miss Sunshine [DVD]

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This movie shows that life is an adventure. An imperfect, slightly dysfunctional family of six sets out on a road trip, and all their quirky personalities are crowded together in one bright yellow van that cannot hope to contain them. As they encounter ever more emotional and mechanical breakdowns the characters learn how to handle imperfection and failure. They encounter situations which are sometimes dark, yet still hilarious. With lots of situational irony and dry humor, Little Miss Sunshine is a story which will make life’s difficulties feel like just little bumps in the road.

La Vie en Rose [DVD]

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This biographical film tells the story of Edith Piaf’s life with striking cinematography, music, and a spectacular performance by Marion Cotillard as Piaf. It is an emotional portrayal of poverty, family, fame, love, and music within the framework of one woman’s true experiences.

Animals Make Us Human by Temple Grandin [Book]

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Grandin transports her readers into the animal mind. She challenges us to approach animals the same way we approach each other- considering the psychology of the individual.The book explores training, communication, trauma, happiness,and natural behaviors. What makes horses spook? How do you train a cat? Why raise happy livestock? The answers may not be what you expect. Grandin brings together scientific research and anecdotal evidence to reveal surprising insights that can improve human-animal interactions in ways that are simple but have enormous impact.

Excellent Women by Barbara Pym [Book]

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Excellent Women is one of Barbara Pym’s best — a funny, engaging, and insightful story of post WWII English life. Like Jane Austen, Pym examines the small, seemingly mundane lives of ordinary people in an extraordinary manner.

Brighton Rock by Graham Greene [Book]

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We are guided through a seaside city in England via a naive, teenage gang leader, his artless and devoted girlfriend and a woman searching for a mysteriously missing man she has only just met. By peering into these characters’ consciences, Graham Greene examines both the concepts of religious sin and morality in this potboiler of a novel.

Red Rose Speedway by Paul McCartney & Wings [Music CD]

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Sandwiched between the hastily recorded and yet magically off kilter Wild Life and the triumphant, triple platinum Band on the Run album lives a recording called Red Rose Speedway. This second Wings effort bridges the gap between freak outs and radio friendly hits. We find the number one smash “My Love” sitting side by side with the nonsensical jam “Big Barn Red” and the minor key piano ditty “Single Pigeon”. Mac and the gang also attempt a nod to the second side of the Beatles’ Abbey Road with a four song medley. As Alan Partridge once retorted to a person ignorant of McCartney’s second group, “Wings are the band the Beatles could have been.” So very true.

Next week we take a closer look at Ram.

McCartney by Paul McCartney [Music CD]

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Paul McCartney’s first solo album, which was certainly unpopular with many critics and his colleagues at the time of its 1970 release, has proven to be an immensely influential and enjoyable, homemade recording. This album was produced mostly at McCartney’s house in London using a simple technique of sending tracks directly into a tape machine. He also performed each instrument himself and the majority of the vocals (some background vocals were sung by Linda McCartney).

Home recording software and portable four-track machines are now sources where many artists, both professional and amateur, record their music. In retrospect, the innovative “McCartney” album was a bold statement that made music making more accessible to those with or without a record contract.

Jules and Jim [DVD]

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Jules et Jim, François Truffaut’s third feature, is arguably his masterpiece. The film is based on a novel by Henri-Pierre Roché which drops us into a delicate love triangle that lasts for twenty-five years. A marriage, a child, romantic affairs and a World War (with the closest of friends on opposing sides) are seen through the lives of Jules, Jim and Catherine. Despite being a tragic piece, this 1962 film maintains a certain lightness and a sense of humor throughout many of its scenes. In addition, a beautiful score composed by Georges Delerue accompanies the equally impressive cinematography by Raoul Coutard.

T.A.M.I Show [DVD]

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Long overdue full release of a forgotten classic for the first time on DVD. Filmed just eight months after The Beatles appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium in October 1964, this spectacular concert film was mastered from a new High Definition transfer, and features the Beach Boys performances that were removed from previous versions following the films initial theatrical run. The list of performers is a veritable time capsule of the pop music scene of 1964 and includes the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys, Marvin Gaye, the Supremes, Chuck Berry, Smokey Robinson and The Miracles, Lesley Gore and a riveting performance by James Brown and the Furious Flames. Thrown into the mix are a few British Invasion acts (Gerry & the Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas), surf legends Jan & Dean, and Cape Cod’s own The Barbarians. The bands perform in front of a bevy of enthusiastic young dancers (including a young Teri Garr), sometimes alternating songs and all the acts return to the stage at the end for one last number. A must see for fans of 60’s pop, rock, surf and soul music and a fascinating look back at the popular youth culture of the moment.

A Prophet [DVD]

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A brutal, raw and riveting look at the progression and growth of a young convict in the harsh environment of a French prison. Nineteen year-old Franco-Arab Malik El Djebena is just beginning his six year prison sentence in Brécourt after a youth spent primarily in detention centers. As a new inmate without friends or enemies inside, he finds the prison divided between Corsicans and Muslims, with the Corsicans holding the balance of power because of influence with the prison guards. Tahar Rahim is excellent as El Djebena, and seems to transform physically as his character rises from isolation and illiteracy to become a key player within Brécourt and beyond its walls. Director Jacques Audiard builds tension masterfully throughout, drawing out scenes with excruciating anticipation before moments of shocking violence. Frequently compared with the Godfather, this French Language film received the 2009 London Film critics “Best Feature Film” Award and was nominated for a 2009 Oscar for Best Foreign language Film.

Halting State by Charles Stross [Book]

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This science fiction adventure takes place in a semi-dystopian future in which our reliance on internet technologies and mobile devices has increased just enough to appear both futuristic and close at hand. The story, written from multiple perspectives and told entirely in the second person, follows a group of strangers brought together by a strange crime committed inside a computer game. The style takes some getting used to, but overall, this is a very fun book.

Big Old Life by Rani Arbo & Daisy Mayhem [Music CD]

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Local (western MA and CT) musicians Daisy Mayhem create something truly unique which they jokingly call “Agnostic Gospel.” With folk roots, rich vocal harmonies, sophisticated arrangements and passionate attitude, they make music that is original, moving and fun.