Everything, Everything Movie Trailer is Here!
February 14, 2017 by Karen Jensen, TLT 2 Comments
The Teen and I love the book Everything, Everything by Nicola Yoon! It's one of the few books that she has re-read and it made us both swoon. We are not swooners. So we are excited that this amazing book is being made into a movie. Today Anthony Breznican shared the movie trailer over at Entertainment Weekly. Check it out!
Read about and view the trailer here: http://ew.com/movies/2017/02/14/everything-everything-trailer/?xid=entertainment-weekly_socialflow_twitter
Publisher's Book Description:
My disease is as rare as it is famous. Basically, I'm allergic to the world. I don't leave my house, have not left my house in seventeen years. The only people I ever see are my mom and my nurse, Carla.
But then one day, a moving truck arrives next door. I look out my window, and I see him. He's tall, lean and wearing all black—black T-shirt, black jeans, black sneakers, and a black knit cap that covers his hair completely. He catches me looking and stares at me. I stare right back. His name is Olly.
Maybe we can't predict the future, but we can predict some things. For example, I am certainly going to fall in love with Olly. It's almost certainly going to be a disaster.
Filed Under: Movies Tagged With: Everything, Nicola Yoon
Screening The 13th: Questions to ask yourself #SJYALit
December 7, 2016 by Heather Booth 3 Comments
I recently heard about how "video visits" were growing in popularity with prisons. As the details unfolded, my initial impression of interest ("Oh that's nice – families could maybe see their incarcerated loved ones more often or from greater distances.") turned to revulsion. The strategy is being used largely by local jails as a way to reduce the need for security staff to supervise visits. Families still have to travel the same distance but now can't even be in the same room as their loved one. It seems so dehumanizing to people on both sides of the bars.
After watching Ava DuVernay's new documentary, The 13th, now streaming on Netflix, I can only believe that "dehumanizing" was by design. I am encouraging the TLT readership to make viewing The 13th a priority by the end of 2016. It's essential viewing for our times. Another reason to shuffle this to the top of your queue: The other day I spotted this tweet in response to a request for permission to screen the movie:
Yes. Public screenings of @13THFilm are allowed by Netflix in a first-of-its-kind general waiver ever made by the company. Show + share. ✊???? https://t.co/PnpSIefBiU
— Ava DuVernay (@ava) November 29, 2016
You guys get what a big deal this is, right? Offering free public screenings of new films by award winning directors like DuVernay is not something that happens every day. Do you have a film discussion group at your library or another way to, as the director encourages, "show + share"?
Should you incorporate this into your teen programming? Let's talk about this.
What's it about?
From IMDB: An in-depth look at the prison system in the United States and how it reveals the nation's history of racial inequality.
This is a comprehensive, statistic and history packed documentary about the evolution of the prison system since the 13th Amendment's abolition of slavery and how federal and local policies and institutionalized racism work to feed Black Americans into the system at a much higher demographic rate than is represented in society at large. It is not light viewing. It's not pleasant, it's not easy, it's not fun. It's not supposed to be. This is a challenging film on many fronts.
A TV-MA rating*?
Yep. Sure is. As we all know, teens are living lives every day that people say they shouldn't be allowed to read about or watch. This is a powerful movie with difficult content. But it's not the language–as in the prevalence of the n-word–or nudity–in the form of brief prison security camera footage from Kalif Browder's three years at Riker's Island–that is the most difficult. It's the 911 calls and cell phone videos that captured the deaths of Trayvon Martin, Philando Castile, Tamir Rice, and Eric Garner that are played as the film, step by crushingly methodical step, takes the viewer decade by decade through the politics and consequences that lead directly to those heartbreaking, devastating moments.
Yes, this is a film for mature audiences in the most literal sense of the word. It is sobering and requires maturity. It's also a good time to think about who gets to have the privilege being considered too immature to remain unaware of the realities of the film.
Questions to ask yourself
This is not a simple film for screening or discussion. Expect big feelings. Expect challenging reactions. Expect a lot of questions. Most importantly, expect to hold a conversation after the film. I feel that screening this–especially with a teen audience–and not hosting a discussion afterwards would be a disservice to the viewers and to the message of the film. Before you embark on a screening, consider the following:
Have you watched the film yourself at least twice? Watch it once, immersing yourself in the narrative. Then watch it again with an eye to detail and quotes. Take notes. Mark timestamps of specific elements that you want to emphasize in conversation so you can be sure you got them right.
Have you read/listened up on the surrounding issues? If this is your first introduction to the topic, don't let it be your last. See the suggested titles at the end of this post for some book suggestions. Other jumping off points:
This recorded conversation at Harvard in response to the film
A brief intro to the Prison Industrial Complex and an essay by Angela Davis
Read up on ALEC and it's legislation's impact on prison labor
Check out some contrasting reviews to anticipate clashing viewpoints
Who will come to the event? Think about the teens in your community: do you know who's going to show up? Do you have a hunch? Who will be in the room and what experiences and emotions will they bring to the conversation? Who will you invite? What kind of balance will you seek between demographics like age, race, or gender? What ages will be welcome and how will your library or school address the rating, keeping in mind that TV ratings are voluntarily assigned by networks and producers are and not legally binding? What situations has your community or your teen patron base at large been involved in that relate to the subjects of the movie that they will bring with them to the viewing?
How heavily moderated will the conversation be? Will you steer the discussion to specific points? Will you allow or encourage discussion of specific politicians? Specific policies? Specific incidents? Or will you strive to keep the conversation more general? What is your plan for maintaining courteous discourse between the participants? What will your ground-rules be?
Are you equipped to handle the political and emotional complexity of conversation? It's ok if you're not the right person to lead the conversation. Who else in the community could you call on? Are there teachers, community leaders, local clergy, or organizers who the library could partner to facilitate a productive discussion?
How will you answer the inevitable question, "So how do we fix it?" This film doesn't end with a tidy answer or any direct suggestions for ways to remedy the enmeshment of social, economic, and political issues that result in the imprisonment problem. I feel that it's important to offer options and solutions to teens. My suggestion: share with your teens DuVernay's own words from an interview last month with The Atlantic and invite them to respond with their own ideas:
I believe in fortification and I believe that at this time, we should be fortifying ourselves through knowledge, through self-care, through community. All of these speak through art. It's really about rallying around this moment and taking in a totality of what it is, and making it internal in whatever way that means to you. If you know all this stuff, great. Pass it on. If you don't know it, know it. You need to know it. Because at this point, after you see 13th, silence in this case is consent. You know all of this. You're a forward-thinking person, you care about it. You can't just walk out into the night after you see the movie or put down your iPad after you see it on Netflix and do nothing about it.
I'm not saying you have to join a march. I'm not saying you have to push for legislation. I'm saying what this film talks about is the very way that we deal with each other in the everyday. It's about our relationship to each other as it deals with race. So there's a lot there to be done. I'm stepping out of the conversation as it relates to this film. I'm doing two weekends talking to people and kind of giving birth to it and putting it out into the world. And then I'm going away because it's not mine anymore. This is out in the world. I don't want my voice clouding the conversation. I want people to be having their own conversation about it. That's my great hope.
Show + share, indeed.
Book tie-ins
All American Boys by Jason Reynolds and Brendan Kiely
Rashad Butler is a quiet, artistic teen who hates ROTC but dutifully attends because father insists "there's no better opportunity for a black boy in this country than to join the army." He heads to Jerry's corner store on a Friday night to buy chips, and ends up the victim of unwarranted arrest and police brutality: an event his white schoolmate Quinn Collins witnesses in terrified disbelief. Quinn is even more shocked because the cop is Paul Galluzzo, older brother of his best friend and Quinn's mentor since his father died in Afghanistan. As events unfold, both boys are forced to confront the knowledge that racism in America has not disappeared and that change will not come unless they step forward. Reynolds and Kiely's collaborative effort deftly explores the aftermath of police brutality, addressing the fear, confusion, and anger that affects entire communities. Diverse perspectives are presented in a manner that feels organic to the narrative, further emphasizing the tension created when privilege and racism cannot be ignored. Timely and powerful, this novel promises to have an impact long after the pages stop turning. (SLJ Review by Ashley Turner)
Cy in Chains by David L. Dudley
Cy Williams, thirteen, has always known that he and the other black folks on Strong's plantation have to obey white men, no question. Sure, he's free, as black people have been since his grandfather's day, but in rural Georgia, that means they're free to be whipped, abused, even killed. Almost four years later, Cy yearns for that freedom, such as it was. Now he's a chain gang laborer, forced to do backbreaking work, penned in and shackled like an animal, brutalized, beaten, and humiliated by the boss of the camp and his hired overseers. For Cy and the boys he's chained to, there's no way out, no way back.
And then hope begins to grow in him, along with strength and courage he didn't know he had. Cy is sure that a chance at freedom is worth any risk, any sacrifice. This powerful, moving story opens a window on a painful chapter in the history of race relations. (Publisher description)
Rikers High by Paul Volponi
Martin was sitting on the front stoop of his apartment building minding his own business when he was arrested for something he didn't even mean to do. Five months later, he's still locked up on Rikers Island, in a New York City jail. Just when it seems things couldn't get much worse, Martin is caught between two warring prisoners, and his face is slashed. Now he'll be forever marked with a prison scar. One good thing comes from the attack: Martin is transferred to a different part of Rikers where inmates are required to attend high school. If Martin opens up to a teacher who really seems to care, perhaps he'll learn a lesson more valuable than any taught in class. An award-winning author, Paul Volponi is uniquely qualified to tell Martin's story because he taught on Rikers Island for six years. He originally wrote Rikers for an adult audience. The book has been revised for young adults and is being republished as Rikers High. (Publisher's Description)
X by Ilyasha Shabazz with Kekla Magoon
Cowritten by Malcolm X's daughter, this riveting and revealing novel follows the formative years of the man whose words and actions shook the world. X follows Malcolm from his childhood to his imprisonment for theft at age twenty, when he found the faith that would lead him to forge a new path and command a voice that still resonates today.
Malcolm Little's parents have always told him that he can achieve anything, but from what he can tell, that's a pack of lies—after all, his father's been murdered, his mother's been taken away, and his dreams of becoming a lawyer have gotten him laughed out of school. There's no point in trying, he figures, and lured by the nightlife of Boston and New York, he escapes into a world of fancy suits, jazz, girls, and reefer. But Malcolm's efforts to leave the past behind lead him into increasingly dangerous territory. Deep down, he knows that the freedom he's found is only an illusion—and that he can't run forever. (Publisher's description)
Between the World and Me by Ta-Nehisi Coates
In a series of essays, written as a letter to his son, Coates confronts the notion of race in America and how it has shaped American history, many times at the cost of black bodies and lives. Thoughtfully exploring personal and historical events, from his time at Howard University to the Civil War, the author poignantly asks and attempts to answer difficult questions that plague modern society. In this short memoir, the "Atlantic" writer explains that the tragic examples of Michael Brown, Trayvon Martin, and those killed in South Carolina are the results of a systematically constructed and maintained assault to black people–a structure that includes slavery, mass incarceration, and police brutality as part of its foundation. (Publisher's description)
True Notebooks by Mark Salzman
Wanting to add life to a cardboard juvenile delinquent character in the novel he was trying to finish, Salzman (Iron & Silk; Lying Awake) visited a juvie lockup for high-risk offenders where his friend taught a writing class. Despite entering the facility wishing "we could tilt L.A. County and shake it until everybody with a shaved head and tattoos falls into the ocean," Salzman ended up teaching a class himself. The remarkable results are detailed in this wonderful book. Salzman found students who took writing more seriously than the college kids he'd taught. Both selections from the boys' writing and Salzman's taut storytelling give us multidimensional images of teenagers thrown into a justice system concerned only with punishment. Early in the book, a friend of Salzman's complains that there are no good books about juvenile delinquents. Well, there's one now–one that examines a broken system with grace, wit, and gripping storytelling. (Booklist review, John Green)
The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness
In this incisive critique, former litigator-turned-legal-scholar Michelle Alexander provocatively argues that we have not ended racial caste in America: we have simply redesigned it. Alexander shows that, by targeting black men and decimating communities of color, the U.S. criminal justice system functions as a contemporary system of racial control, even as it formally adheres to the principle of color blindness. The New Jim Crowchallenges the civil rights community — and all of us – -to place mass incarceration at the forefront of a new movement for racial justice in America. (Publisher's description)
Slavery by Another Name: The Re-Enslavement of Black American from the Civil War to World War II by Douglas A. Blackmon
A Pulitzer Prize-winning account of the "Age of Neoslavery," the American period following the Emancipation Proclamation in which convicts, mostly black men, were "leased" through forced labor camps operated by state and federal governments.
Using a vast record of original documents and personal narratives, Douglas A. Blackmon unearths the lost stories of slaves and their descendants who journeyed into freedom after the Emancipation Proclamation and then back into the shadow of involuntary servitude shortly thereafter. By turns moving, sobering, and shocking, this unprecedented account reveals the stories of those who fought unsuccessfully against the re-emergence of human labor trafficking, the companies that profited most from neoslavery, and the insidious legacy of racism that reverberates today. (Publisher's description)
*Again, I'd like to remind everyone that TV ratings are voluntarily assigned and overseen by a panel made up no small part by corporate representatives. TV ratings are not laws. (For more on the problems in the movie rating industry, see the 2006 This Film Is Not Yet Rated.)
Filed Under: #SJYALit, movie review, Movies, Politics, Prison
Teen lives in documentaries
March 9, 2016 by Heather Booth 1 Comment
Teens live amazing lives. We know that, but we don't always see it. These eight documentaries peek into the complicated, emotional, thought provoking lives of teens.
Magic Camp
It looks a little like Hogwarts, and the greatest magicians of our time have emerged from its doors. It's Tannen's, a summer camp for aspiring magicians.
Maidentrip
At thirteen, she fought in court for the right to pursue her dream: to sail alone around the world. She filmed much of the footage herself over the course of her two year solo voyage.
Louder Than a Bomb
Chicago area high school teams of talented poets compete in the world's largest slam poetry competition.
Hot Girls Wanted
Using Craigslist and the promise of a free ticket to Miami, the "pro-amateur" porn industry thrives on eighteen and nineteen year old girls, eager for fame and escape. Disturbing and frank.
OT: Our Town
Twenty years have passed since this Compton high school has put on a play. Now they're tackling one set in a small rural town nearly a century ago.
Nine girls from nine different countries were the inspiration for these stories, voiced by renowned actors.
Fame High
What does living a life of art really mean? Teens at this California high school for the arts strive to understand that, and decide if they have what it takes to succeed in this highly competitive world.
Like Friday Night Lights used high school football as the lens through which to view a small Texas town, here a high school basketball team on a miserable losing streak serves to illuminate a struggling Indiana community.
Filed Under: movie review, Movies, Teen Issues
MakerSpace: Making Movie Magic with Tweens and Teens in the Library
August 19, 2015 by Karen Jensen, TLT 2 Comments
Later today I'm giving a webinar with the Florida Library Webinars on Making Movies with Tweens and Teens. Below is the powerpoint and a few additional links I have found to get you started. I'm not incredibly great at making movies, but this is a good tool to get you started with the basics. This is one of my tweens and teens favorite things to do and we're learning together. The pictures of my Stop Motion Lego Station are from Maker Mondays at The Public Library of Mount Vernon and Knox County (OH).
Storyboard resources:
Educational Uses of Digital Storyboards
Storyboarding Workshop (.pdf)
16 Free Storyboard Templates to Download
Green Screen Tutorial resources:
Naomi Bates recently shared a link to this great green screen tutorial
The Library as Incubator Project tweeted this Green Screen tutorial for iPads
Filed Under: Makerspace, Movies, Tech Talk, Technology
Sunday Reflections: The narrative of competition
May 3, 2015 by Heather Booth 1 Comment
I have really grown to appreciate a good documentary in recent years. These days, it's hard for me to watch the news, and I often don't have the fortitude to jump in to the weighty dramas that I usually enjoy in film, yet fluffy fun movies seem too frivolous to deliberately choose during my rare leisure watching time. So documentaries strike a pretty good middle ground for me. Currently, I'm working on a list (stay tuned – it'll show up here soon) of documentaries featuring teen protagonists. Not documentaries about teen problems and society, but rather about teen lives. There are some really fabulous ones out there, and I'd love to hear what your favorites are. But that's not what I want to talk about today.
What I want to talk about is what I noticed as I started seeking these films out. All too often, despite the varied settings and interesting lives and amazing teens featured, the story arc is similar, and it culminates in a competition. A big game, the big match, the test, the dance-off, the pageant, the final challenge. And as film after film was recommended to me, or came up on my Netflix suggested list, it started to sink in how pervasive this story of competition is. What does it mean?
Well, clearly a competition is a great way to frame a story. There's the preparation, the team building, the challenges and false steps and redemption, the personal growth and development. There's the excitement and adrenaline of the big moment, then there's sportsmanship and lessons learned. Teens involved in high stakes (or even dedicated to low stakes) competitions are likely to be engaged, motivated, and driven – good characters. It's a good story. But it's not the only story. And I can't believe it's the story teens would tell of themselves.
In the few documentary projects created by teens that I've seen, this is not the narrative they typically choose. There are practical reasons that play into some of this: a teen created documentary will likely not have the flexibility in time to show this whole arc, or show it from as many angles as a professional production crew could. But I believe there's more to it. Teens in the thick of their experiences see as much diversity and nuance as adults see in their own lives. When adults look at teens, it's much easier to see what's on the school calendar: the theater performance, the games, the Science Olympiad, than to see the people behind those events. As teen services librarians, it's part of our job to connect with these people, and to remind the adults in our sphere of influence that yes – teens are people, not just players in the competitions we set out for them.
The other side of this is what the media is communicating to teens about themselves. When the most prevalent narrative of real teen lives is one of competition, it's unsurprising that this seeps into all corners. There are the very real competitions that we all encounter in life like admission to college or selection for a job. There are the "soft" competitions of life too as we seek out friends, romantic partners, and affirmation of our hobbies and interests. And despite the badge that appeared after we clicked "submit" on our tax return last month, congratulating us and letting us know we had "Won At Taxes" I'd prefer to believe, and encourage our teens to understand, that most of life is not a competition.
-hb
Filed Under: Movies, Sunday Reflections
January 30, 2015 by Karen Jensen, TLT Leave a Comment
Planning. It takes, well, planning. What kind of displays do I want to do? What kinds of programming? Here are some upcoming events that I am using to help me plan. I am a big movie junkie so I like to do tie-ins when I can, even if it is just a genre display. And of course there are a lot of educational events that happen throughout the year which are important. I'm trying to work on a calendar list. Here's what I have so far. Please let me know what's on your calendar that isn't on mine.
Teen Dating Violence and Prevention Month – Call your local hospital and ask if they have a Sexual Assualt Nurse Examiner (SANE), they sometimes do educational programs on the topics of healthy relationships
2: Youth Media Awards are announced
6: Jupiter Ascending movie opens (science fiction)
20: The Duff movie opens (based on the book by Kody Keplinger)
22-28: National Eating Disorders Awareness Week
8-14: Teen Tech Week
13: Digital Learning Day
13: Live action Cinderella movie opens
20: Insurgent movie opens
Drop Everything and Read
3: Furious 7 (Fast and the Furious part 7)
16: Celebrate Teen Lit Day
12-18: National Library Week
18-25: Money Smart Week
1-7: Choose Privacy Week
1: The Avengers 2: Age of Ultron movie opens
15: Pitch Perfect 2 movie opens
22: Tomorrowland movie opens
GLBTQ Book Month, Audio Book Month
12: Jurassic World movie opens
19: Paper Towns movie opens, based on the book by John Green
18: Ant Man movie opens, Marvel comics
7: The Fantastic four movie opens (again)
7: Goosebumps movie opens
Library Card Sign Up Month
4: Kitchen Sink movie opens
"In the town of Dillford, it used to be that vampires, humans and zombies used to get along, but then something unexpected arrived and now it's humans vs. vampires vs. zombies in all-out mortal combat. Now three teenagers must try to get things back to 'normal'" – Wikipedia
18: The Scorch Trials movie opens
25: Hotel Transylvania II movie opens
27-Oct 3: Banned books Week
Will there be a Star Wars Reads Day in 2015? I haven't seen a date mentioned yet. But with the new Star Wars movie coming out in December, it seems likely.
18-24: Teen Read Week
23: Jem and the Holograms movie opens
30: Scouts Vs. Zombies movie opens
"Three scouts, on the eve of their last camp-out, discover the true meaning of friendship when they attempt to save their town from a zombie outbreak." – IMDB
20: Mockingjay Part 2
8: Star Wars VII: The Force Awakens
What other dates/events do you have on your calendar? Let us know in the comments!
Filed Under: Movies
View from the Director's Chair: Guest post by Lynette Pitrak
November 24, 2014 by Heather Booth 1 Comment
Downers Grove Public Library just finished a large redesign project, and two of the major changes were a brand new Teen Central area and a Digital Media Lab. While the Digital Media Lab is open to all ages, we thought that our teen patrons would be especially excited about this area's advanced video, music, and photography hardware and software!!
In preparation of the opening of the Digital Media Lab, we developed an 8-week course for high school students to learn how to create a documentary film from start to finish. One day a week, for two hours at a time, twelve high school students meet at the library to learn about film. Each class is set up to build on the previous week's lessons. We have completed three classes so far, and students have learned the basics of how to change out the lenses, use the white balance, and work with the different f-stops and focuses on the cameras. The students have also learned the artistry behind framing shots and balancing natural light vs. artificial light (such as LED, umbrella, and three-point lighting).
Each week at the end of class, the students practice interviewing each other in short 1-3 minute videos. We then watch all of these videos together. While watching the videos, we discuss what worked in terms of film technique, but also in their personal interviewing approach. Students have found that asking open ended questions almost always makes for a much more interesting interview than asking simple yes or no questions. They have also found that using humor and conversation helps to open up the person being interviewed. Some of the great topics of these short interview films have been "Describe your daily hair care regimen" and "If you could create the perfect sandwich, what would be on it?" All of the students have been incredibly open, good natured, and kind with one another, and while sometimes provide constructive criticism, are always careful to balance this with compliments. It is an amazing group of teens!!
At the end of the eight weeks of classes, the students will have a full month to work on editing and fine tuning their own individual documentary films. Then, on February 7th, we will be screening all twelve films in a festival at Downers Grove's beautiful, historical Tivoli Theater. At the program's completion, each of the participating students will also spend at least four hours assisting other patrons in the library's Digital Media Lab. Most of the teens are very excited about the opportunity to teach what they have learned to other members of our community!!
The most important component to making this program a success, besides having an amazing group of students, was to bring in a professional documentary film maker. Thanks to a grant from the Best Buy Foundation, we were fortunate enough to hire Laura Zinger of 20K Films, Inc. to teach each of the classes at the library. Miss Zinger has an incredible rapport with the students. Aside from teaching the technical and artistic facets of filmmaking, she is able to give practical advice for those aspiring to work in the field, such as how to seek out project funding and how to market a final product. It is really inspiring for students to learn from an instructor who has started her own film company, and released a full-length documentary film (Proceed and Be Bold). Miss Zinger is actually currently on a road trip to interview an artist for a documentary she is currently working on, and she will relay her experiences to the students in next week's class!!
For those who are interested, the equipment we are using for this project is listed below. Also, please feel free to follow our weekly updates on the library's website and under the Twitter hashtag #dgdocu.
Equipment List with quantities
2 Canon T3i (Kit)
2 Canon EFS 18-55mm Lens (Kit)
2 Canon 50mm 1/1.8 Prime Lens (Kit)
1 Rode VideoMic Pro Shotgun Mic (Kit)
1 Rode VideoMic Shotgun Mic
2 Windscreen
2 72" Tripod
1 3-point Light Set
1 Zoom H2N Audio Recorder
1 Rokinon 24mm Wide Angle Lens
Lynette Pitrak is the Teen Services Coordinator at Downers Grove Public Library in Downers Grove, Illinois.
Filed Under: Film Festivals, Guest Post, Movies, Programming, STEAM education, Uncategorized
Mark Your Calendar: At the Movies
August 21, 2014 by Karen Jensen, TLT Leave a Comment
Yes, I love to read. But if I'm going to be honest, I love going to the movies and watching TV almost just as much. They are, to me, another version of storytelling and if it has a good story, then I'm on board. And as someone who constantly has to come up with programming ideas, popular movies can be a great programming foundation. If my teens are going to be excited about an upcoming movie, chances are they will be excited about a program that celebrates that movie as well. So here's a look at some upcoming movies that may make spark some great programming. But even if you don't decide to do a program, you may also want to do related book displays. Or heck, maybe you'll just want to put it on your calendar so you can go see the movie when it opens.
Sept 19: The Maze Runner
Sept 26: The Boxtrolls (based on the book Here Be Monsters)
Nov 7: Big Hero 6
Nov 21: Mockingjay, part 1
Dec 19: The Hobbit, Battle of the Five Armies
Dec 19: Night of the Museum, Secret of the Tomb
February 20: The Duff by Kody Keplinger
March 13: Cinderella (live action)
March 20: Insurgent
June 1: Avengers 2
June 12: Jurassic World
July 3: Minions
July 31: Paper Towns by John Green
Comic Con is July 8-12
Dec 18: Star Wars Episode VII
Some additional resources:
20 Biggest Movies of 2015: What do we already know?
Read Breathe Relax: 2015 Young Adult Books to Movies to Look For
Filed Under: book based movies, Movies
TPiB: Fizz Boom Read Movies for the Family
May 6, 2014 by Karen Jensen, TLT Leave a Comment
In an ideal world we would be teen specialists ALL the time; however, in real life that rarely happens. The most frequent occurrence is that teen and youth services are put together, and we are programming for all ages, especially in summer. Never fear, however, for we have pulled together a list of G/PG rated movies that tie in with the Fizz/Boom/Read (science) Collaborative Summer Reading Program for you to use! Print out this list and use these as a start for a summer movie feature, or as a fail-safe in case a presenter or a staff member falls sick and you need a last-minute fill in!
Note: Please remember to check with your particular umbrella license before showing a movie- you do not want to loose your job over a DVD.
Rated G
Meet The Robinsons
Phineas and Ferb: Across the 2nd Dimension
Adventures of Shark Boy and Lava Girl
Ghostbusters 1 & 2
Back to the Future 1, 2 & 3
Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs 1 & 2
Despicable Me 1 & 2
Flubber
Flight of the Navigator
G Force
Honey, I Blew Up The Kid
Filed Under: Collaborative Summer Reading Program, Movies, TPIB
Why Isn't Katniss Everdeen Nominated in the MTV Best Hero Category? A reflection on the role of women in the movies
March 11, 2014 by Karen Jensen, TLT Leave a Comment
Look, no one is expecting the Oscars when it comes to the MTV Movie Awards. And in the history of MTV it is no secret that it is often unkind to women, at least it reflects the world's often unkindness towards women. In fact, in the music world more than anywhere you can often see the sexualization and objectification of women more clearly. I mean, that's why almost all female pop music stars (and female back up dancers) are overly sexualized while the men get to keep their clothes on while they sing. Seriously, rewatch this past year's Grammys and note how many men sang completely clothed – often in suits – and how many women sang in some form of bra/panty swimsuit looking get up. Yes, you may argue it was their choice, but how much of that choice is being put upon them by our cultural expectations and influence and how much of it is a genuine expression of who they are? It's an interesting question that I ponder a lot.
So the MTV Movie Award nominations shouldn't surprise me, but they do disappoint me.
Let's look for a moment at the Best Hero nominees:
• Henry Cavill as Clark Kent — "Man of Steel"
• Robert Downey Jr. as Iron Man — "Iron Man 3"
• Martin Freeman as Bilbo Baggins — "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"
• Chris Hemsworth as Thor — "Thor: The Dark World"
• Channing Tatum as John Cale — "White House Down"
You know who is missing? Katniss Everdeen from Catching Fire. Or any other woman. Can women not be heroes?
Read more about the reaction to Katniss' exclusion at The Wrap
A woman did, at least, get nominated in the best villain category:
• Barkhad Abdi — "Captain Phillips"
• Benedict Cumberbatch — "Star Trek into Darkness"
• Michael Fassbender — "12 Years a Slave"
• Mila Kunis — "Oz The Great and Powerful"
• Donald Sutherland — "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire"
You know who I think is missing? Rinku Kikuchi playing the witch in 49 Ronin. Although it is possible that I am the only person on Earth who saw this movie and thus knows that she was an awesome villain. What can I say, I am a dedicated Keanu Reeves fan.
But don't worry, a woman did get nominated in the best shirtless category. That woman would be Jennifer Aniston. Of course society does view a shirtless woman quite differently than a shirtless man, just ask any of the number of women who are trying to breastfeed their babies in public and are asked to cover up.
• Jennifer Aniston — "We're the Millers"
• Sam Claflin — "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire"
• Leonardo DiCaprio — "The Wolf of Wall Street"
• Zac Efron — "That Awkward Moment"
• Chris Hemsworth — "Thor: The Dark World"
And one woman is nominated in the best on-screen transformation category.
• Christian Bale — "American Hustle"
• Elizabeth Banks — "The Hunger Games: Catching Fire"
• Orlando Bloom — "The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug"
• Jared Leto — "Dallas Buyers Club"
• Matthew McConaughey — "Dallas Buyers Club"
In fact, if it is not a category designed specifically FOR women – say best actress – it appears to be a 1 woman to 4 nomination ratio, with a few exceptions in the best cameo and best scared as shit performance. Make of that what you will.
It's no secret that like most industries, Hollywood is still dominated disproportionately by men. Did you know that Frozen is the first animated Disney movie to be directed by a woman? Actually, although women make up around roughly 50% of the population, there are very few female movie directors. Only 4 women have ever been nominated for a best director Oscar in 84 years. There are very few female led or mostly female movies. And there is only 1 female Avenger in the movie and she has absolutely zero super powers.
I have a friend who was recently watching The Ghostbusters with her two daughters and the oldest one asked, "How come there are no girl Ghostbusters?" What's sad is that as a kid, I never thought to ask that. We have been conditioned to accept that the girl will of course be the lobby receptionist while the boys are the scientists who develop the equipment and go out hunting for ghosts. Maybe that's why many people think it is okay to overlook Katniss Everdeen in the hero category, despite the fact that The Hunger Games: Catching Fire was a huge box office success and Katniss kind of rocks.
You can see a complete list of the MTV Movie Award Nominees here.
Also, I'm totally serious about the dedicated Keanu Reeves fan. I recently commented to my husband that we had been together over 20 years and his response was, "That's a lot of bad Keanu Reeves movies I have seen out of love for you." Thanks honey!
Filed Under: Gender, Gender Roles, Movies, MTV, Pop Culture