This Week's Staff Favorites: Volume 25

The Girl
I am a huge fan of Alfred Hitchcock’s movies. I will even go so far as to say that Rear Window, which is on the AFI’s top 100 list, is my favorite. But after seeing The Girl,a movie based on the supposed events that occurred when Tippi Hedren was hired for The Birds, I was taken aback. How can someone who’s known to be a cinematic genius be so cold, calculating, and predatory? And why would Hedren put up with it? No matter what you believe regarding Hitchcock’s character, it’s fascinating to see how the relationship between Alfie and Tippi crashed and burned. Plus, Sienna Miller’s portrayal of Tippi Hedren is spot-on and definitely worth noting. The Girl is available to Hitchcock fans on our new books and DVD shelf.

-Judy, Reference

Lose Yourself in the Universe
Have you ever looked up on a clear night and felt the pull of the universe upon your very soul?  Have you ever lost yourself in the depth of the darkness weighing down on you from above only to see a pinpoint of purplish-blue light emerge, sparkling, from behind a formerly invisible cloud and, instantaneously, felt yourself become one with everything around you?  Have you ever looked at a star and watched it slip slowly beyond the horizon and realized that that very star actually died billions of years ago, before the Earth was even born, and pondered the immensity and utter fleetingness of time itself?

Okay, maybe that was just me but, hey, space stuff is cool, right?  This website from NASA has a daily archive of the most awe-inspiring pictures from across the universe dating back to 1995.  Yes, that means there are over 6500 pictures to look at.  But, hey, what else do you have to do at work, right?

-Danielle, Tech Services

The Forest Preserve District of Cook County
Now that spring is finally here (with the exception of this cold weekend) we can enjoy the Forest Preserve District of Cook County again! Their website has a lot of great information on all of the trails, picnic areas, and nature centers in the surrounding area.  There are plenty of outdoor activities for the whole family on their Events page. You should read the Oak Forest Heritage Preserve Master Plan to see the exciting plans for the local preserves. I would also recommend signing up for the Forest Way newsletter.

-Mike, Reference

Bankrupt! by Phoenix
France is noted for many things--garish palaces, fine cheeses, and carefully calibrated surliness, for example. It is not, however, known for rocking. There's a reason for that, as most contemporary French rock sounds like anemic, warmed-over grunge with a wannabe Freddie Mercury on lead vocals. Generally speaking, there is a lot of bravado, wailing, and angst; but little to recommend.

That's why Phoenix is such a puzzler. They're French, they're really good, and they've even managed to write a hit single about Franz Liszt. Their latest album offers the poppy, layered, deconstructed-then-reconstructed numbers that one would expect, as well as more experimental songs that suggest a mad scientist on the loose. It's available from SWAN.

-Megan, Reference