June 14th discussion : Brokeback Mountain & TransAmerica

Register for this discussion starting June 1st.

Pick up your copies of the DVDs starting June 7th.

Brokeback Mountain
Director: Ang Lee

Screenplay: Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana; based on the short story by Annie Proulx

Stars: Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Williams, Anne Hathaway, Randy Quaid

Plot: “An epic love story set against the sweeping vistas of Alberta's Rocky Mountains, Brokeback Mountain tells the story of two young men - a ranch-hand and a rodeo cowboy - who meet in the summer of 1963, and unexpectedly forge a lifelong connection, one whose complications, joys and tragedies provide a testament to the endurance and power of love.” Focus Features plot summary via imdb.com

Review links:

Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times

David Edelstein Slate

Lisa Anne Cockrel Christianity Today

Read more reviews:

IMDB

Metacritic

Transamerica
Director: Duncan Tucker

Screenplay: Duncan Tucker

Stars: Felicity Huffman, Kevin Zegars, Fionnula Flanagan, Burt Young, Graham Greene

Plot: “Huffman plays Bree Osbourne, a conservative transsexual woman, who learns she is the parent of a long-lost 17-year-old son (Kevin Zegers). The wheels of fortune take Bree and son on a cross-country adventure, including a memorable visit with Bree’s parents, that will change both of their lives. A funny, touching, completely original look at the modern American family” Product description via amazon.com

Review links:

Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times

David Edelstein Slate

Read more reviews:
IMDB
Metacritic

Hustle & Flow

Register for this discussion starting 2/2
Director : Craig Brewer
Screenplay : Craig Brewer
Stars : Terrence Howard, Anthony Anderson, Taryn Manning, Taraji P. Henson, DJ Qualls, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges
Plot : DJay (Terrence Howard) is a Memphis hustler who spends most days in a parked Chevy philosophizing about life while Nola (Taryn Manning) turns tricks in the backseat. He's not very good at pimping, but he can hustle almost anything or anyone and makes enough to keep himself and three girls satisfied and housed in his shotgun home. DJay however is in the midst of a midlife crisis; he quietly harbors dreams of becoming a respected rapper. When he learns from a local club owner, Arnel (Isaac Hayes), that rap mogul Skinny Black (Ludacris) is rolling through town, DJay decides to record his flow with the hopes of slipping his demo to Skinny. With little help from his friends and "family" DJay sets in motion the hustle of his life, and galvanizes the lives of those around him as they learn that "Everybody's gotta have a dream."

Crash - Discussion 2/1 7pm

Register for this discussion starting 1/25

Director : Paul Haggis

Screenplay : Paul Haggis

Stars : Sandra Bullock, Don Cheadle, Matt Dillon, Jennifer Esposito, William Fichtner, Brendan Fraser, Terrence Howard, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges, Thandie Newton, Ryan Phillippe, Larenz Tate, Michael Peña, Shaun Toub

Plot : A car accident brings together a group of strangers in Los Angeles. “Crash” takes a provocative, unflinching look at the complexities of racial tolerance in contemporary America.

And the nominees are...

Nominations for the 79th Academy Awards were announced this morning; check them out here.

The winners for the 64th Annual Golden Globes can be found here.

Black History Month Discussions

COMING IN FEBRUARY
In honor of Black History Month, the Stafford Library will be holding four DVD discussion groups on consecutive Thursday nights at 7pm.

The 79th Annual Academy Awards will be broadcast on Sunday, February 25th, 2007, on ABC channels. We'll be discussing two films that received Academy Awards in 2006, Crash and Hustle & Flow. Our other two discussion films, Akeelah & the Bee and Inside Man, have received a great deal of critical attention and may be among the 2007 Academy Award nominees announced on January 23rd, 2007. All of these films have performances by notable African American actors, and director Spike Lee has been nominated for Best Documentary (for Four Little Girls, 1997) and Best Original Screenplay (Do the Right Thing, 1989) in the past.

2/1 - Crash
Winner, Best Picture, Best Original Screenplay, 2006 Academy Awards
Winner, Outstanding Motion Picture, 37th Annual NAACP Image Awards
A car accident brings together a group of strangers in Los Angeles. Crash takes a provocative, unflinching look at the complexities of racial tolerance in contemporary America.

2/8 - Hustle & Flow
Winner, Best Original Song, 2006 Academy Awards
Winners, Best Actor (Terrence Howard), Best Supporting Actor (Anthony Anderson), Best Supporting Actress (Taraji P. Henson), 2006 Black Movie Awards
DJay, who dreams of becoming the next big rap superstar, works all the angles to get his first record made. He even has the help from assorted people in his Memphis 'hood. When he hears that rap superstar Skinny Black is heading to his area, DJay decides to throw together a supreme hustle to grab Skinny's attention.

2/15 - Akeelah and the Bee
Winners, Outstanding Motion Picture, Best Actress (Keke Palmer), Best Supporting Actor (Laurence Fishburne), Best Supporting Actress (Angela Bassett), 2006 Black Movie Awards
Eleven year-old Akeelah Anderson's life is not easy: her father is dead, her mom ignores her, her brother runs with the local gangbangers. Akeelah participates in a spelling bee to avoid detention for her many absences, and much to her surprise and embarrassment, she wins. As the possibility of making it all the way to the Scripps National Spelling Bee looms, Akeelah could provide her community with someone to rally around and be proud of, if she can overcome her insecurities, her distracting home life, and the knowledge that there is a field of more experienced and privileged fellow spellers.

2/22 - Inside Man
Winner, Best Director (Spike Lee), Nominated, Best Actor (Denzel Washington), 2006 Black Movie Awards
NYPD Detective Keith Frazier struggles to outsmart Dalton, a high-stakes bank robber who, along with a well-trained crew of accomplices, has seized control of a Wall Street bank. The robbers turn what initially looks like a hostage crisis into a personal crusade to expose some mysterious evil secrets.

June 22nd discussion : Capote

Register for this discussion starting June 2nd.

Pick up your copy of the DVD starting June 2nd.

Director – Bennett Miller

Screenplay – Dan Futterman (adapted from the book by Gerald Clarke)

Stars – Philip Seymour Hoffman, Catherine Keener, Clifton Collins Jr., Chris Cooper

“In November, 1959, the shocking murder of a smalltown Kansas family captures the imagination of Truman Capote (Philip Seymour Hoffman), famed author of Breakfast at Tiffany's. With his childhood friend Harper Lee (Catherine Keener), writer of the soon-to-be published To Kill a Mockingbird, Capote sets out to investigate, winning over the locals despite his flamboyant appearance and style. When he forms a bond with the killers and their execution date nears, the writing of "In Cold Blood," a book that will change the course of American literature, takes a drastic toll on Capote, changing him in ways he never imagined.” Product description via amazon.com

Review links:
Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times
David Edelstein Slate

Read more reviews:
IMDB
Metacritic

June 8th discussion : Brokeback Mountain

Can't make it to the discussion group meeting? Click on the Comments link at the bottom of this post and tell us what you think about this film!

Director: Ang Lee

Screenplay: Larry McMurtry & Diana Ossana; based on the short story by Annie Proulx

Stars: Heath Ledger, Jake Gyllenhaal, Michelle Williams, Anne Hathaway, Randy Quaid

Plot: “An epic love story set against the sweeping vistas of Alberta's Rocky Mountains, Brokeback Mountain tells the story of two young men - a ranch-hand and a rodeo cowboy - who meet in the summer of 1963, and unexpectedly forge a lifelong connection, one whose complications, joys and tragedies provide a testament to the endurance and power of love.” Focus Features plot summary via imdb.com

Review links:

Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times

David Edelstein Slate

Lisa Anne Cockrel Christianity Today

Read more reviews:

IMDB

Metacritic