Note: Tickets for this event are sold out as of Thursday, April 7, 2011.

New this month on DVD is Conviction directed by Tony Goldwyn. This is the true story of Betty Ann Waters and her struggle to free her brother, Kenny who is sentenced to life in prison for a crime he did not commit. The movie follows Betty Ann's 18 year journey to set Kenny free, as she completes her GED, graduates law and the complications of a new trial. This real life drama touches on the legal system, justice and the strength of a sister and brother love. With an all star cast and a great story the running time of 103 minutes should fly by. So grab some popcorn and enjoy.

The National Film Registry of The Library of Congress recently announced its list of inductees for 2010. Among the titles is George Lucas' 1967 short film which inspired the movie THX 1138. Established in 1989, the films are selected for their enduring importance to United States culture. Also included among the list of 2010 entries are:

• Airplane! (1980)
• All the President's Men (1976)
• Electronic Labyrinth THX 1138 4EB (1967)
• The Exorcist (1973)
• The Front Page (1931)
• Grey Gardens (1976)
• It's a Gift (1934)
• Malcolm X (1992)
• McCabe & Mrs. Miller (1971)
• Newark Athlete (1891)
• The Pink Panther (1964)
• Saturday Night Fever (1977)
• Star Wars. Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back (1980)
• A Tree Grows in Brooklyn (1945)

The complete list can be found here.

RoboCop, a cinematic gem of the 1980s, exemplifies the attitude of many people toward Detroit: crime-infested urban ruins. So, despite the title character being [spoiler alert] a hero, the movie's setting is not depicted in such a positive light.

This is in contrast to Rocky, which shows Philadelphia in a mostly-neutral light; along with a glorious training montage that made the Philadelphia Museum of Art steps an icon and tourist attraction. Given the positive effect of Rocky on Philly tourism, the strong identification of that film with a particular filming location, demand for a statue for photography purposes, and the pre-existence of a bronze Rocky statue (which was created as a prop for Rocky III), the permanent installation of the prop statue seems natural.
Now, in Detroit, with the resurgence of civic pride and national recognition:

Some people have come forward to have a statue of Detroit film history erected.

But where? The Detroit in the film bears little resemblance to the rising-Phoenix-Detroit we see today. Additionally, no location in the film was particularly memorable above others. Maybe RoboCop isn't the right fictional Detroiter for a statue. Here are some films set in Detroit for your sculptural inspiration:

Start some family discussions by watching one of these five films.

Remember the Titans — The story of how school integration affects a football team and its coaches.

Akeelah and the bee — Akeelah overcomes a distracting home life to participate in the national spelling bee

The princess and the frog — New Orleans waitress Tiana's plans to own her own restaurant are sidelined by some unusual developments of an amphibian nature.

If you're on facebook and like books, DVDs, and all the other great things Canton Public Library provides, you'll probably be interested in our May We Suggest facebook page. We post recommendations from our expert staff: romance books, comedy DVDs, nonfiction and advice titles, and more. Along with that, we'd like to know what you're reading and whether you recommend other people to read it too. Join us on facebook for great recommendations.

A call to remember notable events, especially surprise attacks and disasters, is a well-known trope in the cultural memory. As George Santayana quipped, "Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it." So, in case you have forgotten, here are some resources for remembrance of things past:

Remember the Alamo

The Alamo: a cultural history by Frank Thompson

Sleuthing the Alamo: Davy Crockett's last stand and other mysteries of the Texas Revolution by James E. Crisp

The Alamo [videodisc] by The History Channel

Remember the Maine

How the battleship Maine was destoyed by H.g. Rickover

Some one very special had a birthday this past Sunday, January 16th! Thorndyke, Canton Public Library's very own resident bruin celebrated his special day pretty much the same way he spends every day, hanging around at the library. What's a great way to commemorate his special day? By Checking out a bear friendly movie here from Canton Public Library! Here are a few Thorndyke approved suggestions…

Bear in the Big Blue House: Dance party!

Berenstain Bears: Berenstain Bears adventure & fun for everyone

Adam — A romantic character study examining the obstacles to intimacy and the compromises we make in the name of love, Adam stars Hugh Dancy as a man living with Asperger's syndrome who does his best to reach out to his pretty new upstairs neighbor.

Avatar — Jake Sully is a former Marine who uses a wheelchair. But despite his broken body, Jake is still a warrior at heart. He is recruited to travel light years to the human outpost on Pandora, where a corporate consortium is mining a rare mineral that is the key to solving Earth's energy crisis.

The blind side — Taken in by a well-to-do family and offered a second chance at life, a homeless teen grows to become the star athlete projected to be the first pick at the NFL draft in this sports-themed comedy drama.

Saturday, January 15 would have been Martin Luther King Jr.'s 82nd birthday. We celebrate his life, his message, and the spirit of the Civil Rights movement on the third Monday of every January. For some, this means a day off of work or school; for many others it's a day of community service (Find volunteer opportunities on the All for Good site). Whether you choose to serve, attend special community events, or simply reflect, Canton Public Library has useful resources for you:

Martin Luther King — Books

Behind the dream: the making of the speech that transformed a nation by Clarence B. Jones and Stuart Connelly

The Word of the Lord is upon me: the righteous performance of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Jonathan Rieder

What would Martin say? by Clarence B. Jones and Joel Engel

If you've seen The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in theaters and can't get enough of all things Narnian, here are some other fantasy voyages to check out:

The book of three by Lloyd Alexander — An Assistant Pigkeeper sets out on a quest to make a name for himself in the country of Prydain.

Tuck everlasting by Natalie Babbitt — The Tuck family discovers the source of the fountain of youth, but find that eternal youth isn't all it's cracked up to be.

These five movies are, in my opinion, some of the most overlooked and underrated Christmas movies of all time.  Give them a shot this holiday season, and escape the films you've already seen hundreds and hundreds of times.

The Muppet Christmas carol — There have been plenty of Muppet movies, and even more versions of Dickens' Christmas Carol, but Michael Caine's Scrooge makes this my favorite movie in both categories.

Die hard — An often overlooked fact about Die Hard: it takes place during a Christmas Eve holiday party in Los Angeles. Maybe the lack of snow is what makes people forget this?

It seems like the holidays are also peak sickness time. After spending my Thanksgiving under the weather, I came up with my favorite holiday movies that I'm never too sick to enjoy.

Dr. Seuss' How the Grinch stole Christmas!





White Christmas





Christmas in Connecticut

Manhunt : the twelve-day chase for Lincoln's killer by James L. Swanson

Krakatoa : the day the world exploded, August 27, 1883 by Simon Winchester

Eiffel's tower and the World's Fair where Buffalo Bill beguiled Paris, the artists quarreled, and Thomas Edison became a count by Jill Jonnes

The devil in the white city : murder, magic, and madness at the fair that changed America by Erik Larson

Isaac's storm : a man, a time, and the deadliest hurricane in history by Erik Larson

Thunderstruck by Erik Larson

Triangle : the fire that changed America by David Von Drehle

The worst hard time : the untold story of those who survived the great American dust bowl by Timothy Egan

K blows top : a Cold War comic interlude starring Nikita Khrushchev, America's most unlikely tourist by Peter Carlson

It's hard to talk about Batman: under the red hood without giving anything away, but suffice it to say this comic forever changed the Batman mythos. "The Red Hood", a moniker once used by the Joker before he became "The Joker", is now being used by a new, mysterious figure in Gotham City who's killing off drug lords, and Batman has to stop him. DC has now brought this classic comic to life as the next in their series of animated, comic movies! Check it out!

Disney's new animated movie, Tangled, is releasing next week for Thanksgiving. It happens to be based on one of my favorite fairy tales, Rapunzel. If your kids aren't familiar with the tale, now would be the time to check it out! For a more off-beat introduction, try Falling For Rapunzel. It's a loose adaption of the story, but the pictures, the rhyme and the humor appeal to all ages. For older readers there's Rapunzel's Revenge, a graphic novel authored by Shannon Hale, who also wrote Princess Academy. This retelling sets the tale in the Wild West, and spunky Rapunzel's hair makes a great lasso.

Join The Cat and the Hat knows a lot about that! (Wings & Things) on dvd as he takes his young friends exploring around the world, learning about Bees, Birds and other Critters.

A "religious thriller" is a suspense novel whose plot is closely connected to religious objects, institutions or questions. Here are 30 of my favorites I've enjoyed throughout the years:

Cross bones by Kathy Reichs

Salvation in death by J.D. Robb

Angels & demons by Dan Brown

When it drops is an attractive, concise website for seeing all the new movies, albums, DVDs, video games, and books that come out in a given week. It also features an RSS feed. [via kottke and The Daily Dish]

Looking for a quick way to see what's in our catalog on other websites, such as When it drops? Try our bookmarklet, available on our Tools page. Not familiar with bookmarklets? Read how to use them.

…but I have because co-workers and library patrons have recommended them.

Alphaville: une étrange adventure de Lemmy Caution by Chaumaine Production-Film-Studio

The band's visit by July August Productions; Bleiberg Entertainment; Sophie Dulac Productions