Movies & TV Staff Picks (January 2024)

Barbie

DVD - 2023

The skeptics were proven wrong with this one. This delightful pop confection took the world by storm with a smart script that takes the classic doll serio...Show more The skeptics were proven wrong with this one. This delightful pop confection took the world by storm with a smart script that takes the classic doll seriously enough that this movie is primarily of interest to adults. There's a crisis in Barbieland, so Barbie (well, one of many, "Stereotypical" Barbie) journeys to the real world to get to the root of the problem. The end-result? A well-deserved Oscar nominee for Best Picture. Show less

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A Disturbance in the Force

How the Star Wars Holiday Special Happened

DVD - 2023

You may or may not be familiar with the legendarily awful 1978 Star Wars holiday special. Either way, this entertaining documentary seeks to answer the bu...Show more You may or may not be familiar with the legendarily awful 1978 Star Wars holiday special. Either way, this entertaining documentary seeks to answer the burning question, "How could this travesty have happened?" And it does an entertaining and informative job. Show less

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The Holdovers

DVD - 2024

It's the holiday season at a boys' boarding school in New England, and this year it's professor Hunham's turn to supervise the few kids who have nowhere t...Show more It's the holiday season at a boys' boarding school in New England, and this year it's professor Hunham's turn to supervise the few kids who have nowhere to go and remain on campus. (Oh, joy.) This is a classic, old-fashioned take on the curmudgeon character, evoking the cinema of the 1970s, and Paul Giamatti, Da'Vine Joy Randolph and Dominic Sessa give three of the most enjoyable performances of the year. Show less

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Mudbound

DVD - 2024

Acclaimed director Dee Rees adapts Hillary Jordan's novel about two men returning home to the South after WWII and confronting racism with new eyes. Previ...Show more Acclaimed director Dee Rees adapts Hillary Jordan's novel about two men returning home to the South after WWII and confronting racism with new eyes. Previously a streaming subscription exclusive that was Oscar-nominated, this intense 2017 drama is now thankfully available on home video. Show less

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No bears

DVD - 2023

The Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, part of the Iranian New Wave, is one of the most-respected directors of his generation and one who has bravely continu...Show more The Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi, part of the Iranian New Wave, is one of the most-respected directors of his generation and one who has bravely continued to work despite the most challenging circumstances. His latest film portrays a director who moves to a small border village in order to be closer to the film set he is forbidden to travel to since it is outside his country. There he becomes embroiled in local life in a story that is both very serious and charmingly playful. Show less

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Oppenheimer

DVD - 2023

Nolan brings his signature cinematic flair to this three-hour adaptation of American Prometheus, a biography of Robert J. Oppenheimer. With a refreshing s...Show more Nolan brings his signature cinematic flair to this three-hour adaptation of American Prometheus, a biography of Robert J. Oppenheimer. With a refreshing sense of scope and ambition, the film covers the scientist's formative years, but the most notable sections cover the Manhattan Project (the making of the atomic bomb) and the political fallout afterwards, which features Robert Downey Jr. as a government official who seeks to strip Oppenheimer of his security clearance and, with it, his reputation. With Cillian Murphy in the lead, Emily Blunt as Kitty Oppenheimer and a dazzling cast. (Ideally experienced on the big screen, but in the case of movies by Christopher Nolan, who does love a loud score, it is always helpful to have the subtitles option handy for dialogue.) Show less

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Scrapper

DVD - 2023

A twelve-year-old girl whose mother has died is stealthily making it on her own in a working class flat outside London, stealing bikes to make ends meet. ...Show more A twelve-year-old girl whose mother has died is stealthily making it on her own in a working class flat outside London, stealing bikes to make ends meet. Independent as she thinks she is, she is startled when her long-lost father shows up one day, and she stubbornly resists bending once again to parental authority. This British film is a modest charmer of a tale about a memorable father-daughter duo. Show less

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Tori and Lokita

DVD - 2023

Two child immigrants from Africa are caught up in the underground economy in Belgium, including work at a cannabis farm. Lokita wants to protect the young...Show more Two child immigrants from Africa are caught up in the underground economy in Belgium, including work at a cannabis farm. Lokita wants to protect the younger boy Tori by obtaining residence papers, but her resulting need for cash leads them both to take some risks. This is a powerful, well-made drama about teens doing what they must to survive, but be warned that it includes some brutally disturbing plot elements. Show less

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Weird, the Al Yankovic Story

DVD - 2023

The Hollywood biopic (that most lauded yet resented of genres) gets a funny send-up in this tongue-in-cheek telling of the Al Yankovic's supposed life sto...Show more The Hollywood biopic (that most lauded yet resented of genres) gets a funny send-up in this tongue-in-cheek telling of the Al Yankovic's supposed life story. With Daniel Radcliffe in the title role, and a bevy of cameos, this is worth a watch for movie fans shopping around for something that is purely silly. Show less

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https://chipublib.bibliocommons.com/list/share/199702383_chipublib_adults/2408903964_movies_amp_tv_staff_picks_(october_2023)

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