The Bible returned to the big screen in a big way, from the pious, faith-based Son of God to the revisionist Hollywood Old Testament spectacles, Noah and Exodus: Gods and Kings. It was also a startlingly good year for movie priests, from Calvary and Deliver Us From Evil to smaller roles in St. Vincent and (smaller still, but noteworthy) Selma. Ethan Hawke’s character in Boyhood remarried into a Bible-believing family whose milieu some thought was treated satirically, though I don’t see it that way. And the Polish art film Ida depicted a young novice nun struggling with her sense of vocation in the wake of a stunning revelation about her past. It was a pretty solid year for popcorn entertainment. In addition to a string of enjoyable blockbusters, from Captain America: The Winter Soldier and Guardians of the Galaxy to Dawn of the Planet of the Apes and X-Men: Days of Future Past, there were no atrocities akin to last year’s The Lone Ranger, or even Man of Steel. Oh, and Tom Cruise and Emily Blunt starred in one of the most entertaining action movies in years that wasn’t a pre-sold, franchise-ready adaptation of a well-known source (Edge of Tomorrow, aka Live Die Repeat).
2014 was a better cinematic year in most respects than 2013, with one glaring omission: Hollywood largely shortchanged family audiences. In a year without Pixar, the best Hollywood offerings were The Lego Movie and Big Hero 6. Oh, and Muppets Most Wanted. After that it was a sea of lameness (Planes: Fire & Rescue, Penguins of Madagascar) or worse (How to Train Your Dragon 2, The Boxtrolls, Maleficient). Happily, for families willing to go off the beaten path, GKIDS brought a number of remarkable animated films from overseas, including Song of the Sea, Ernest & Celestine and The Tale of Princess Kaguya (the last of which most critics liked better than I did). In 2013, most of my A-list films were in my Top 10; the runners-up were mostly B-pluses. This year, the bench is deeper, the line between the Top 10 and the runners-up is fuzzier, and I can easily imagine swapping titles between the two lists. Which action franchise produced the best blockbuster? How does the Polish nun movie compare to the Irish priest movie?
Is Noah as wonderful as I think it is, or as terrible as many think it is? These are my calls; feel free to make your own.Barnes & Noble - Gregory Baird A dark secret lurks beneath domestic tranquility in The Stepford Wives, an oh-so-'70s psychological thriller from director Bryan Forbes. Screenwriter William Goldman (Marathon Man) adapted the novel by Rosemary's Baby author Ira Levin that imagines nightmarish underpinnings to a suburban dream. New York City housewife Joanna (Katharine Ross) moves with her husband and children to the town of Stepford, Connecticut, a haven of good schools, low taxes, and clean air. Oddly, though, Joanna's female peers all exude a zombielike placidity. The Stepford Wives hits all the beats of the classic conspiracy story, as Joanna increasingly suspects evil is afoot, questions everyone and everything around her, and eventually fears for her own sanity. The story serves up classic stereotypes along the way: children pile into station wagons, neighbors offer casseroles, women shop in cheery, shiny supermarkets, and men work the backyard grills -- it's an idyllic upper-class setting of green, green lawns.
Paula Prentiss is nicely spunky as a fellow newcomer to Stepford who shares Joanna's suspicions, and Patrick O'Neal has a small but sharply sinister role as the founder of the secretive local men's association. But Ross is the real attraction here: This uniquely beautiful actress's girl-next-door allure perfectly suits this strangely asexual feminist allegory. Based on the novel by Rosemary's Baby author Ira Levin, The Stepford Wives incorporates the same basic plot as that story: a woman in a strange place becomes convinced that the people around her are plotting some kind of evil. In the case of the town of Stepford, it's the fact that every housewife is consumed only by cooking, cleaning, and pleasing her husband. Katharine Ross turns in a strong performance as the paranoid victim in this case, a liberated photographer who leaves New York City for an all-too-perfect Connecticut town along with her husband (Peter Masterson) and two children (one of whom is Masterson's seven-year-old daughter, Mary Stuart Masterson, making her film debut).
Though a bit too slow at times, the film builds to a chilling, downbeat conclusion. Particularly noteworthy is the screenplay by William Goldman, which features some truly inspired dialogue. In one scene, Patrick O'Neal, in the role of the local men's club leader, comments, "I like to watch women doing little domestic chores," to which Ross responds, "Well, you came to the right town." The cast does a solid job across the board with Paula Prentiss standing out as Ross' lively best friend, who becomes a robotic Stepford wife after a weekend "vacation." While it will never be considered more than an interesting cult horror film, The Stepford Wives nevertheless has left its mark -- its title has become a slang term in American culture.Make a wood flag. Our adult program for June we will make an American flag out of wood. Cost is $6 and you must sign up. There is a demo of the flag in the library and a picture on our webpage and in our June newsletter. Our Movie Monday is at 1 p.m. Mondays as follows: “Disney’s Lion Guard” June13, “Lego Super Heroes Cosmic Clash” June 20, and “The Peanuts Movie” June 27.
Join us for popcorn and a movie. Craft Wednesday at 1 p.m. will be foil monograms June 15, painted tote bags June 22, and Buggles June 29. You must sign up for all craft programs. Fitness Fridays at 1 p.m. will be hula hoops and jump ropes June 17 and kids’ yoga June 24. Ronald McDonald will be here at 1 p.m. Wednesday, July 13, and Professor Steve will be here at 1 p.m. Saturday, July 16. Join us for these entertaining programs. All teen craft programs will be held at 6 p.m. Thursday July 7th we will be subway art, Thursday, July 14th will be the lighted Death Star, Thursday, July 21st design your own T-shirt, and Thursday, July 28th make a monogram 3D butterfly shadowbox. We will also have our regular teen programs: Anime movie night from 5-8 p.m. the third Friday of the month and teen gaming night from 5-8 p.m. the last Friday of the month. Both programs are for teens 13 and up only. Note: Any Tippecanoe Valley student can apply for a student card. This entitles you to check out books at Bell Library.
A library card is needed to check out books and turn in recorded reading for prizes but you don’t need a library card to attend the programs. Coming in July for our Summer Reading Program will be Bombs Away. If you are interested in World War II history or in the War Birds and other planes, join us at 1 p.m. Saturday, July 9. Matt Hurd, owner of Bombs Away LLC, Bryan, Ohio specializes in building bomb replicas, grenades and military items for museums, aircraft owners, businesses and collectors. He has even made bomb replicas for Rihanna. Matt Hurd also attends air shows around the country portraying a bomber crewman for the World War II B-17 bomber. He has also flown the B-17 Bomber to some of the air shows. This program is open to all ages. You do not need to sign up for this program. Rochester Family Martial Arts will be at Bell Library at 1 p.m. Saturday, July 2. The primary purpose of martial arts is to develop the techniques and discipline for protection in a self-defense situation.