Every day I feel like I’m turning more and more into my dad. I sneeze obnoxiously loud like him. I’m starting to get some gray hairs. I even sit at the dinner table the same way he does after eating — with my arms crossed over my chest and a sleepy look on my face. I imagine one day I’ll just wake up and find I’m a mini version of him (I’m technically taller than him so maybe a slightly bigger version? I don’t know but you get what I mean!)
One of the more recent dad-isms I’ve developed has involved watching one of his favorite kinds of movies: martial arts films. While I haven’t quite gotten into mobster movies yet like him — a story for another time when I inevitably do — I have been really enjoying films that include martial arts. Mainly the more comedic ones, but some serious ones here and there. Here’s a small helping of some of my favorites so far.
To kick things off, I’m starting with Shaolin Soccer for one simple reason: it combines my dad’s love for martial arts movies with his lifelong passion for soccer, a sport he played seriously for many years growing up.
In this movie, Shaolin kung fu master Sing — played by director Stephen Chow — teams up with former soccer star “Golden Leg” Fung to challenge Team Evil to a game of soccer, using the power of martial arts to pull off some over-the-top stunts, score some goals, and share the powers of Shaolin kung fu with the world.
With some funny dialogue, a goofy plot, and over-the-top special effects, this engaging movie provides quite a few laughs from start to finish. I can see why this was one of my dad’s favorites now.
Recently, one of my favorite activities after a long week has been sitting down on the couch, cozying up with a nice cup of tea, and watching one of my favorite genres of movies; animated stop motion films. They’ve fascinated me since I was a kid and, even as an adult, still fill me with wonder. It’s amazing to see what can be done with figurines, voice actors, and hundreds upon thousands of photographs to produce motion out of something that was once still.
I think my love for them started back as a child with Gumby, a blocky green human-like bit of clay. I watched all of the adventures the green figurine and his sidekick pony Pokey got into, eagerly awaiting the next time I could see them on TV. And when I ran out of episodes to watch, I’d play with my Gumby and Pokey action figures, making up new stories for them as I imagined what new trouble they could get into.
So, it’s no wonder these kind of films have become a favorite of mine these days. In short: if you’ve never experienced the joy of watching animated stop-motion films, you’re missing out. But if you’re looking to get started, have no fear! Below is a list of six classics to get you started:
Mr. and Mrs. Fox live a happy home life underground with their eccentric son Ash. Mr. Fox works as a journalist, but against the advice of Badger, his attorney, he moves his family into a larger and finer home inside a tree on a hill. The treehouse has an excellent view of the nearby farms of Boggis, Bunce, and Bean. Ash becomes hostile when his cousin, Kristofferson, joins the family for an extended stay. Mr. Fox decides to raid the farms, but this leads the farmers to stakeout the treehouse. The farmers try to dig the Fox family out, but they dig even faster. Mr. Fox organizes a tunneling project to burrow under all three farms and steal all the chickens, ducks, geese and turkeys.
It’s ‘veggie-mania’ in Wallace and Gromit’s neighborhood. The two enterprising friends are cashing in with their humane pest-control outfit, “Anti-Pesto.” With only days to go before the annual Giant Vegetable Competition they find that their business is booming. They come to find out that running a “humane” pest control outfit can have its drawbacks. Suddenly, a large and mysterious veg-ravaging “beast” begins attacking the town’s sacred vegetable plots at night. The competition hostess, Lady Tottington, commissions Anti-Pesto to catch the beast and save the day. But Victor Quartermaine would rather shoot the beast and secure the position of local hero – not to mention Lady Tottingon’s hand in marriage.
Jack Skellington is the King of Halloween. He becomes bored with the same routine every year. He decides to take a walk in the woods. There, he discovered a door leading to Christmastown and decides to spread Christmas joy to the world. When he is back in Halloweentown he shows his friends what Christmas is like, and he suggests doing Christmas this year instead. But things do not go as planned when Oogie Boogie, an evil gambling boogey man, plots to play a game with Santa Claus’ life and creates a nightmare for all the good little boys and girls everywhere. Although Sally attempts to stop him, Jack embarks into the sky on a coffin-like sled pulled by skeletal reindeer.
While the chickens on Mrs. Tweedy’s farm dream of a better life, a clever hen named Ginger is hatching plans to fly the coop for good. The only problem is, chickens can’t fly, or can they? Every escape attempt goes fowl until Rocky, a smooth-talking All-American rooster, crash lands in the coop. It’s hardly poultry in motion when Rocky attempts to teach Ginger and her fine feathered friends to fly, but, with teamwork, determination, and a little bit of cluck, the fearless flock plots one last daring attempt in a spectacular bid for freedom.
A young girl walks through a secret door that she has found in her new home and discovers an alternate version of her life. On the surface, this parallel reality is eerily similar to her real life, but much better. When her adventure turns dangerous, and her counterfeit parents, including the Other Mother, try to keep her forever, Coraline must count on her resourcefulness, determination, and bravery to get back home – and save her family.
A boy must use his special powers to save his town from a centuries-old curse. In addition to spooky zombies, he’ll also have to take on unpredictable ghosts, wily witches, and, worst of all, clueless grown-ups. But this young ghoul whisperer will soon find his paranormal activities pushed to their otherworldly limits.
What was the best movie you watched this year? Would you nominate this movie for an Academy Award? Which category? I had a ton of fun watching Saltburn, but I wouldn’t necessarily start showering it with Oscars willy-nilly. New movies require new categories like Best Unhinged Naked Dance or Most Shocking Use of Plumbing. I’ve been drafting a letter to the president of Hollywood to this effect, don’t worry.
While we wait for the Academy to catch up to modern times, below I listed all ten 2024 nominees the Academy deemed worthy of a chance at the Oscar for Best Picture. Condolences to Winnie the Pooh: Blood and Honey, Quantumania, and the remake of White Men Can’t Jump starring Jack Harlow for not making the cut.
Movie titles are linked to the Monarch catalog listing, or IMDB, if the film has not yet been released on DVD. I also indicated which platform each movie can be found streaming, as of Feb. 23, 2024. In the meantime, get up to speed with three 96th Academy Award nominated films available on Kanopy: Past Lives (Best Picture); Jules (Best Actor, Actress, Independent Film); and Four Daughters (Best Documentary Feature Film).
American Fiction; streaming on Apple TV Also nominated for Best Actor (Jeffrey Wright); Best Supporting Actor (Sterling K. Brown)
Directed by Cord Jefferson who is also known for his writing on American television series The Good Place (2016-2020), Master of None (2015-2018), Succession (2018-2023), Watchmen (2019), and Station Eleven (2021). This is his first venture into writing, directing, and producing for film.
Will it win Best Picture? Probably not. I’m pulling for Wright to win Best Actor, but the field is strong this year. This is Wright’s first-ever Academy Award nomination.
Anatomy of a Fall; DVD release date set for May 28, 2024; streaming on Apple TV Also nominated for Best Director; Best Actress (Sandra Hüller); Best Original Screenplay; Best Editing
Starring Sandra Hüller who is also known for her role in Triet’s Sibyl (2021) and Area of Interest, which is also nominated for Best Picture.
Will it win Best Picture? It won the Palme d’Or at Cannes, which I understand to be a big deal. However, only three other films have ever won both institution’s top prizes. The other films were The Lost Weekend (1945); Marty (1955); and Parasite (2019). How well it fares with American audiences and up against the behemoth that is Oppenheimer will be a big factor. It seems like an unlikely win.
Barbie; streaming on MAX Also nominated for Best Supporting Actor (Ryan Gosling); Best Supporting Actress (America Ferrera); Best Adapted Screenplay; Best Original Song (I’m Just Ken AND What Was I Made For); Best Production Design; Best Costume Design
Will it win? Not for Best Picture, I am afraid. While Barbie provided an extremely enjoyable frothy pink bright spot amidst our often fraught surroundings, many of the other nominees are more, uh, Oscar-y. This is Fererra’s first and Gosling’s third nomination. I predict it will win in the Best Original Song category.
The Holdovers; streaming on Peacock Also nominated for Best Actor (Paul Giamatti); Best Supporting Actress (Da’Vine Joy Randolph); Best Original Screenplay; Best Film Editing
Directed by Alexander Payne If you’re not already familiar with Payne’s back catalog, it’s time to get caught up. Easily one of the great living American directors. He is also known for Election (1999); About Schmidt (2002); and Nebraska (2013). He has received Academy Awards for Best Adapted Screenplay for his work on Sideways (2004) and The Descendants (2011)
Will it win? I think Giamatti deserves every award he’s nominated for. I also think Randolph stands a good chance. She was a revelation and I want her to be famous forever. The Holdovers will not win Best Picture, however.
Killers of the Flower Moon; DVD release date unknown; streaming on Apple TV Also nominated for Best Director; Best Actress (Lily Gladstone); Best Supporting Actor (Robert De Niro); Best Cinematography; Best Editing; Best Production Design; Best Costume Design; Best Original Score; Best Original Song
Starring Lily Gladstone; Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro; Jesse Plemons; Brendan Frasier. It’s a murderer’s row. I will not be detailing various past nominations because we only have so much time in a day.
Will it win? With a whopping 10 nominations, chances are good for this film cleaning up, but all those Oppenheimer nominations could really cut this one off at the knees. I am not a gambling type and I don’t know how to calculate odds, so let’s go with a 25% probability that Killers of the Flower Moon will win Best Picture.
Maestro; DVD release date unknown; streaming on Netflix Also nominated for Best Actor (Bradley Cooper); Best Actress (Carey Mulligan); Best Original Screenplay; Best Cinematography; Best Makeup and Hairstyling; Best Sound
Starring Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan Carey Mulligan is also known for: Drive (2011); and Saltburn (2023). She received Best Actress nominations forAn Education (2009) and Promising Young Woman (2020).
Will it win? I don’t think this is our Best Picture winner either, and all bets are off with the Best Actor category.
Oppenheimer; streaming on Peacock Also nominated for Best Director; Best Actor (Cillian Murphy); Best Supporting Actor (Robert Downey Jr.); Best Supporting Actress (Emily Blunt); Best Adapted Screenplay; Best Original Score; Best Sound; Best Production Design; Best Cinematography; Best Makeup and Hairstyling; Best Costume Design; Best Film Editing. For those of you keeping score that is an astonishing 13 nominations.
Directed by Christpher Nolan who is also known for: The Dark Knight (2008); Interstellar (2014); Inception (2010). Nolan received a nomination for Best Director for his work on Dunkirk (2017).
Starring Cillian Murphy. This is his first Academy Award nomination. Also known for: Murphy is a frequent Nolan collaborator who also starred in Inception, Dunkirk, and Batman Begins (2005). Other career highlights include 28 Days Later (2002) Red Eye (2006); Sunshine (2007); Peaky Blinders (2013-2022)
Will it win? Yes. This is going to win Best Picture. And probably a bunch of other Oscars. No, I will not be elaborating further.
Past Lives; streaming on Showtime Also nominated for Best Original Screenplay
Directed by Celine Song Also known for: Song was mainly a playwright and staff writer before Past Lives, her big breakout.
Will it win? I don’t think so, but the fact that it’s nominated is a pretty big deal.
Poor Things; available on DVD February 2024; stream Video On Demand starting February 27th Also nominated for Best Director; Best Actress (Emma Stone); Best Supporting Actor (Mark Ruffalo); Best Adapted Screenplay; Best Original Score; Best Production Design; Best Cinematography; Best Makeup and Hairstyling; Best Costume Design; Best Film Editing
Starring Mark Ruffalo and Emma Stone who is also known for: Zombieland (2009); Easy A (2010); Crazy, Stupid, Love (2011); La La Land (2016), for which she won the Best Actress Academy Award.
Will it win? MAYBE. I think it’s down to Oppenheimer, Killers of the Flower Moon, and Poor Things. This could be the dark horse of the race. Emma Stone is a shoo-in for Best Actress. This is Ruffalo’s fourth nomination for Best Supporting Actor.
The Zone of Interest; DVD release date unknown; streaming on MAX with no release date announced Also nominated for Best Director; Best Adapted Screenplay; Best International Film Feature; Best Sound
Starring Sandra Hüller and Christian Friedel Hüller also stars in Best Picture-Nominated Anatomy of a Fall.
Will it win? Naw. But I imagine it is a very strong contender for Best International Film Feature.
There you have it. The Best Picture nominees have been rounded up. Whether you are a die-hard award season aficionado, can’t stand dusty, exclusionary institutions like the Academy, or have very few strong feelings about the whole thing, I think we can all agree that it’s fun to speculate about the big winner.
If prestige pictures aren’t appealing, fear not, I just re-ordered a copy of Sausage Party (2016) and The Jerk (1979). Mead also owns a BluRay 4K copy of Howard the Duck (1986). We include the low AND the high-brow up in our library. For more film suggestions consider using Mead’s Your Next Five Movies service by clicking HERE.
It’s February, and as the romantics among us gear up for Valentine’s Day, it’s a great time to check out some romantic comedies from the library (or stream them on Kanopy or Hoopla)! While I’d never say no to a classic rom-com like When Harry Met Sally,Moonstruck, or 10 Things I Hate About You, I’d like to share some gems of the genre that you may have missed when they first came out. Read on for some possibly new-to-you movie selections, including double feature ideas!
I’ll kick off this list with one of my favorite lesser-known rom-coms – “Man Up” from 2015. Lake Bell of “In a World” and Simon Pegg of “Shaun of the Dead” have great chemistry in this London-set story of mistaken identity. When Bell’s character Nancy finds herself mistaken for Pegg’s blind date, instead of clearing up the misunderstanding, she decides to pretend to be the other woman. If that premise sounds too cringe-worthy, maybe this isn’t the movie for you. But if you like your rom-coms with plenty of laughs (and a dance number set to Duran Duran’s “The Reflex”), this film will hit the spot!
The popularity of Mead’s e-book and audiobook services exploded over the last few years. I believe this was catalyzed by COVID, and our deep and consuming need to stay entertained or occupied at the end of the world. Now, even when things have returned to, uh, “normal” in the broad sense, usage of Libby and Hoopla remains at a fairly intense level. Library resources are community resources, and as a user myself, I try to cultivate best practices to be a good member of this large and active community that never actually comes face-to-face. Below, I explore a few simple ways to use Libby and Hoopla that make sense to the individual as well as the community at large.
LENDING PERIODS
Libby users have control over how long they can keep checked out material. Click on “settings” and choose from 7, 14, or 21 days as the default lending period. I listened to almost 140 audiobooks in 2023, so I tend to go through my checkouts pretty rapidly. I have my loan period set to 21 days regardless, because anxiety, even though I rarely have an audiobook checked out to me for more than a week. Shorter borrowing periods might be appropriate for those who have trouble remembering to return their e- and audiobooks once finished. If the book in question has limited copies and a lengthy waitlist, those down the list will be grateful for this expediency. Don’t get me wrong. We are each entitled to the complete checkout period we have selected. Some of us do NOT listen to 140 audiobooks a year, and may only get to read snippets during some fleeting moment of downtime.
WAIT TIME
Library services are a great thing because they are democratic in that anyone with an account has the same opportunity to access material as any other account holder. The Monarch Libby interface gives users access to over 125,000 individual pieces of media, but we generally tend to gravitate toward the bright, new, and shiny things. Publisher restrictions and massive popularity can often mean a bottleneck situation on the user-end. For example, I am really looking forward to listening to Travis Baldree’s runaway gentle fantasy-romance hit Legends & Lattes. There are five copies in the system, and there are currently 277 people in total waiting in line to borrow. I am currently number 117 in line and placed this book on hold toward the end of October. I’m also waiting on Sarah Pearse’s The Retreat which has only 2 copies system-wide. What do I do in the meantime?
Use Libby’s wishlist feature
Maintain a wishlist of titles you’d like to eventually read
Limit your wishlist to “Available Now”
Choose from the list and voila, you are now reading or listening to a great book
Check Hoopla. Sometimes, but not always, Hoopa will carry some overlapping titles with Libby. For example, I had my Harry Potter year in 2019 and the wait for some of the series was a bit lengthy, even with dozens of copies in the system. These days, the series is available on Hoopla, so no wait time (in theory, see below).
HOOPLA
Before the pandemic I could check stuff out from Hoopla any time of day or night. I could use my ten credits with abandon. It was the life. As this service began to pick up steam, users may have noticed that it became necessary to use one’s credits as early in the day as possible. Hoopla has a system-wide collective borrowing limit. Once this limit is hit, users have to wait until the next calendar day to try and borrow material. It’s kind of a good problem to have, because we want our library services to be popular and sought after. The rub lies within how frustrating it can be to miss the opportunity to check out. Not all of us are night owls who will wait til midnight or after to try and do some Hoopla borrowing, or remember to try it out first thing in the morning.
What can the individual user do to help make Hoopla easier for everyone? Not a dang thing. That is a Mead problem, and has been addressed by Mead. The solution we arrived at in 2024 will hopefully resolve these frustrations. Firstly, more funds were applied to Hoopla to expand the daily collective borrowing limit. Secondly, we have reduced the total amount of monthly credits from 10 to 6. STAY CALM this is a great compromise when one realizes certain library systems (cough, cough, Milwaukee) allow their patrons a mere 4 credits per month or fewer.
One final approach I will mention is to use Mead’s Your Next Five Books service. Use the “Additional Information” field to leave a note that says you want Libby books that are available now. We will tailor your recommendations to this metric and hopefully help you get reading or listening to some hidden gems in Libby you might not have considered. I hope this advice is helpful, and happy reading.
Kanopy. We use it. We love it. Couldn’t be better. Or could it? For those who aren’t familiar, this is a streaming service provided for Mead Library cardholders with funding from the City of Sheboygan and Mead Library. Kanopy is a source for hundreds if not thousands of films and television shows, including indie, mainstream, domestic, and foreign material in every genre imaginable. For those who are familiar, but haven’t visited Kanopy lately, there has been a fundamental change to how we use this service.
Originally, Kanopy users received 10 credits per month, which meant each cardholder had the opportunity to view 10 programs. One credit per program, whether it was a 4 hour war epic or a 20 minutes television program, which meant I personally never used my credits to watch TV shows. The updated version of Kanopy provides users with 30 “tickets” per month. Users will notice each program lists a ticket cost to view, as well as how long the user has to watch the program once it’s selected. Below, I spend my way through a month’s worth of tickets to demonstrate how much excellent streaming can be done with this new system. Kanopy Kids does not require credits to view. Let me repeat that: KANOPY KIDS DOES NOT REQUIRE CREDITS TO VIEW. How much Franklin & Friends can you watch? Now is your chance to find out. To learn more about how this new ticket system works, take a look at the Kanopy info page by clicking HERE.
Program Title: After Hours (1985) directed by Martin Scorsese Tickets: 4 Watch within: 48 hours It’s the start of the month. I am almost choosing at random. I have so many credits to expend.
Program: Lunch Time Heroes (2015) directed by Seyi Babatope Tickets: 2 Watch within: 72 hours Martin Scorsese rubbed me the wrong way, so I need something tonally different in every way. Luckily, Kanopy comes with the variety. This Nollywood comedy should do the trick.
Program: Barry Lyndon (1975) directed by Stanley Kubrik Tickets: 4 Watch within: 48 hours It’s a new day, maybe it’s the weekend. My energy feels low. I want to zone out at something beautiful. Thanks to Barry Lyndon, (RIP Ryan O’Neil) each frame looks like a Rococo painting. I make a sandwich and stare open-mouthed at the screen for more than three hours.
Program: Scott & Bailey series one (2011) six episodes Tickets: 4 Watch within: 7 days I have all week to watch six episodes of this English detective show. I watch one episode after dinner of the work week each night and then two on Friday. This is totally engrossing and I spend some time each day looking forward to the next episode.
Program: The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008) directed by Jee-Woo Kim Tickets: 2 Watch within: 48 hours It’s the weekend again and I want to be entertained. I want big, incomprehensible set pieces and chaos. This 2008 picture has been determined to be bonkers. I have a marvelous time.
Program: Marcel the Shell with Shoes On (2021) directed by Dean Fleischer-Camp Tickets: 2 Watch within: 72 hours While I still want to be entertained, I need something more on the gentle side than the non-stop freneticism of a Korean western. Marcel is wholesome and soothing. It’s an A24 production, but not horrifying. I watch before bed and sleep beautifully.
Program: The Prisoner (1967) SEVENTEEN episodes Tickets: 5 Watch within: 21 days It’s been a minute since I’ve seen an episode of this psychedelic time capsule. Nostalgia for a show I watched with my dad thirty years ago is strong, so I check it out. I have three weeks to watch seventeen episodes. I get half-way through before I lose interest. My enjoyment of the costuming and set design is not enough to distract me from the, uh, plot.
Program: Everything, Everywhere, All at Once (2022) directed by Daniels Scheinert and Kwan Tickets: 2 Watch within: 72 hours I’ve already seen this masterpiece, but I am in the mood for a re-watch, and I can’t find it on the streaming services I pay for. It’s kinda long, so I watch it over two days knowing I have a third day if needed.
Program: X (2022) directed by Ti West Tickets: 2 Watch within: 72 hours It’s almost Christmas and I have a friend over for a movie marathon. She picks this. It’s great, but not terribly Christmassy. FYI: this is an archetypal A24 production and should be approached with caution. Try not to look it in the eyes, you know?
Program Title: Black Christmas (1974) directed by Bob Clark Tickets: 2 Watch within: 72 hours SOMEone has to pick out an appropriate seasonal film to watch in the Christmas month. This is my favorite slasher film (besides The Burning) and it’s so super festive!!!!!!
I still had one ticket to burn at the end of all this, and I was unable to find any programs available for less than two tickets. But dang! Look at all that good stuff on the list. It still evened out to ten titles in all, but with the inclusion of two tv series, I found the ticket system to be pretty fair and consistent. Households with more than one active Mead Library card can join forces to enjoy one another’s tickets together. Or horde your own and watch in the dark basement on a cracked phone screen like the goblin you know you are.
What to do in case of no access to WiFi or other internet connectivity? Welp, Mead Library is in possession of many hundreds of DVD and BluRay discs, not to mention the wider Monarch consortium. But Molly, you ask, what if I do not own a DVD player? Please get a load of our circulating external DVD player. Take a look at the catalog listing HERE. BUT MOLLY, you implore, what if I do not have access to a television? Let me tell you about our private study rooms on the second floor. Two of them contain desktop computers for public use. The external DVD player can be hooked up to a computer very easily, and we can have you watching the DVD of your choice in mere moments. People can also use their Kanopy accounts on a library computer, as well. Call 920-459-3400 option 4 to learn more about our private study rooms.
We’ve had access to Kanopy via Mead for about five years now. It’s so appealing I know of several people who signed up for a library card after many years of absence just to have access to Kanopy. It’s an awesome service and I’m glad it brought people back into the fold. Keep in mind this is only one of a suite of resources one can use anywhere on earth that has internet access.
Please don’t hesitate to reach out in order to learn more about how to access and use Kanopy, or any of our other services. Not sure what to watch? Consider utilizing our excellent Your Next Five Movies service which you can find by clicking HERE.
As a child, one of the highlights of any visit to my grandparents’ house was seeing the Sheboygan Breakwater Lighthouse near Deland Park. On a stormy day we would look at the lighthouse from a safe distance, but when the lake was calm and the weather was nice, my grandparents would walk all the way down the pier with me to see the red lighthouse tower up close. Though no one lives in Sheboygan’s lighthouse, I would still imagine what it might be like to make a lighthouse your home!
If you or your family are similarly interested in lighthouses, here are some children’s picture books which will light up winter’s darkest nights!
The illustrations are the star in this lighthouse book, from the eye-catching cover to depictions of whales, icebergs, and the Northern Lights. My favorite illustration, however, is a lighthouse cross-section that will fuel young readers’ imaginations. This colorful book is a delight to look at for all ages.
In addition to the fantastic illustrations, Blackall also did her research, and if your curiosity isn’t sated by the main text, check out the book’s endnotes for more historical information!
The DVD collection at Mead is fascinating. It honestly doesn’t matter what we add to the shelf, it tends to circulate like crazy. I replaced a copy of Harry and the Hendersons last year because the one we had in the catalog circulated OVER THREE HUNDRED TIMES and had been in the collection since 2008, which is bonkers that it played at all by that point (typically a disc is evaluated for condition after 100 circulations, we weren’t born in a barn over here). What I’m getting at, is that this collection doesn’t require a lot of promotion to maintain good circulation numbers. The exception being the non-fiction DVD portion of this collection. It’s arranged by Dewey Decimal, just like the print non-fiction, which makes browsing more difficult. There are comedy specials, nature shows, history lessons, musicals and concerts, you name it, to be found among the non-fiction DVDs. This is also where the documentaries live.
I wanted to give the documentaries a little more visibility apart from the wall of difficult-to-parse spine labels. The discerning Mead Library patron will notice a two-sided display adjacent to where the DVD collection is shelved on our first floor. On one side is a dazzling array of BluRay discs, another collection area that I wanted to highlight, and on the opposite side I have placed a rotating selection of non-fiction DVDs for your browsing convenience and delight. Below, I listed several docs that are total bangers. You’ll laugh, you’ll learn, and in the case of Dear Zachary, you’ll curl into the fetal position and cry a lot. Titles are linked to the Monarch catalog listing. Descriptions provided by publisher:
Where does voguing come from, and what, exactly, is throwing shade? This landmark documentary provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the eyes of New York City’s African American and Latinx Harlem drag-ball scene. Made over seven years, it offers an intimate portrait of rival fashion ‘houses,’ from fierce contests for trophies to house mothers offering sustenance in a world rampant with homophobia, transphobia, racism, AIDS, and poverty. PS: Mead owns the Criterion Collection version of this documentary so it will be extra fabulous.
I am not providing the publisher description here because it’s better to be devastated in real time while watching. Bring kleenex and prozac, and hug your loved ones close. Suffice to say, this particular documentary is excellent as well as devastating.
Errol Morris changed the face of documentary filmmaking in the US, and his career began with a remarkable tale of American eccentricity. He uses two Southern California pet cemeteries as the basis for a profound and funny rumination on love, loss, and industry.
Summer of Soul (2021) directed by Questlove In his acclaimed debut as a filmmaker, Ahmir “Questlove” Thompson presents a powerful and transporting documentary, part music film, part historical record, created around an epic event that celebrated Black history, culture, and fashion.
Over the course of six weeks in the summer of 1969, just one hundred miles south of Woodstock, The Harlem Cultural Festival was filmed in Mount Morris Park (now Marcus Garvey Park). The footage was largely forgotten, until now. This documentary shines a light on the importance of history to our spiritual well-being and stands as a testament to the healing power of music during times of unrest, both past, and present. The feature includes concert performances by Stevie Wonder, Nina Simone, Sly & the Family Stone, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Mahalia Jackson, B.B. King, The 5th Dimension, and more.
This first work of The Qatsi Trilogy wordlessly surveys the rapidly changing environments of the Northern Hemisphere, in an astonishing collage created by the director, cinematographer Ron Fricke, and composer Philip Glass. It shuttles viewers from one jaw-dropping vision to the next, moving from images of untouched nature to others depicting human beings’ increasing dependence on technology.
At the heart of this film is the question of whether Leni Riefenstahl was a Nazi, as her detractors claim, or whether she was the victim of society – a naïve, young woman who made Triumph des Willens on assignment, and simply did a very good job. This film does not judge, and Riefenstahl (a feisty 90 during production) is genuine in her protest. Or has the passage of 50-plus years simply rewritten history in her mind? Viewers must judge for themselves.
Additional totally awesome, informative, and entertaining documentaries:
Not so keen on reality? Check out these mockumentaries:
Best in Show (2001) directed by Christopher Guest Borat (2007) directed by Larry Charles CB4 (1993) directed by Tamra Davis Room 237 (2012) directed by Rodney Ascher; note, this was filmed as a straight documentary, but the contents cannot be taken seriously despite my best efforts. This is Spinal Tap (1984) directed by Rob Reiner What We Do in the Shadows (2014) directed by Taika Waititi
The above selections are a mere sliver of what riches await you within the non-fiction DVD collection. If none of the listed documentaries are appealing, allow me to direct your attention to our exclusive movie recommendation tool, Your Next Five Movies. Not a fan of the celluloid medium? Consider using Mead’s Your Next Five Books tool. We anxiously await your DVD requests. Any questions can be directed to us via telephone at 920-459-3400 option 4, or email us at publicservices@meadpl.org.
At this point, it goes without saying that Baldur’s Gate 3 is a game-of-the-year contender. It’s been torture waiting for it to get released on console. I’m still waiting to hear when Baldur’s Gate 3 is getting released for the Series X. Or maybe you’re waiting for the price to come down for the PS5 version of the game. Either case, you don’t have to go without something to play. This week we’ve got a few games to tide you over until Baldur’s Gate 3 is ready for your console of choice!
Disco Elysium‘s story doesn’t start as fantastically as having a mind-flayer tadpole in your brain as you journey across the Forgotten Realms. You wake up with amnesia and a murder to solve right outside your hostel. With a premise like that, Disco Elysium definitely leans into the role-playing in RPG. There’s no combat in this game per se. Instead, the game focuses on investigating for clues by interacting with the characters that make up the city of Revachol, and figuring out who you were before your amnesia. Disco Elysium is definitely a good pick if you want to get lost in a well-built world.
In 2019 Mead debuted a book recommendation tool named Your Next Five Books. You tell us your favorite books, authors, and genres, we give you a list of five books that might float your boat. Take a look HERE if you are curious. Give it a try while you’re at it!
Four years later and we have done it again. I would like to draw everyone’s attention to our newest service: Your Next Five Movies. This is the brainchild of our fabulous library assistant, Aubrey, and here’s how it works: you tell us your favorite films, actors, directors, and genres and within a few days you will receive a list of five movies via email we hope you will love. Recommendations will include DVDs and BluRay available in the Monarch catalog. If you are lucky enough to be a City of Sheboygan resident, we will also include films available for streaming on Hoopla and Kanopy.
Below, I have listed some popular favorites and what we might recommend in each case:
Favorite movie: Star Wars What we might recommend: Moon (2009) starring Sam Rockwell The Last Starfighter (1984) starring Lance Guest Alien (1979) starring Sigourney Weaver
Favorite director: Kathryn Bigelow What we might recommend: Baby Driver (2017) directed by Edgar Wright Three Kings (1999) directed by David O. Russell Munich (2005) directed by Steven Spielberg
Favorite genre: documentary What we might recommend: Grizzly Man (2005) directed by Werner Herzog Grey Gardens (1975) directed by David Maysles Hoop Dreams (1994) directed by Steve James
The examples I provided are only to give everyone an idea of what we’re trying to do with Your Next Five Movies. If your tastes run a little more on the esoteric side, we still have you covered, and happily so.
This is a service for our patrons aged 18 and up, and it is up to the recipient to check suitability of media for a younger audience, not to mention personal comfort levels. Part of the joy of cinema is experiencing the unfolding of an unfamiliar narrative, but I know for me, there are certain themes that ensure I will be skipping a particular film, such as depictions of child or animal abuse. We recommend the following tools to evaluate film media for yourself:
These are not the only resources of this nature around, but between the three of them, we feel confident anyone can check to make sure the media they are consuming will not offend or traumatize.
Call us at 920-459-3400 option 4 or email us at publicservices@meadpl.org with any lingering questions. We are always happy to help request materials or troubleshoot tech stuff, as well. In the meantime, I will wait with great anticipation to receive and answer everyone’s Your Next Five Movies queries.
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