Point Your Face at This: Drawings by Demetri Martin
Demetri Martin is an unlikely comedian. He graduated from Yale University, went to NYU’s School of Law on a full scholarship, and grew up in a traditional Greek family setting. Yet, his style of humor is soooooo off-the-wall. He’s known for his one-liners, incorporation of music, and - most importantly - his drawings that he does during routines. His newest book is filled of sketches that comment on current pop culture, dating, his extreme allergy to peanuts, and life in general. Some are really ridiculous (like his drawing comparing death to a game of golf) while others are extremely poignant and insightful, filled with wisdom and truth by someone twice his age. Fans of deadpan humor and unconventional essays will be pleasantly surprised with this collection. The book is available through SWAN.
-Judy, Reference
What’s a Syfy?
Does the thought of watching a science fiction movie bore you to tears? Are you one of the reasons that the Sci-Fi channel changed its name to Syfy? Are aliens and ray-guns and cheesy background shots that are supposed to be Mars but are clearly a desolate canyon in the middle of Arizona not your thing? Do you hate James Cameron? (Okay, bad example.) Do Sheldon, Leonard, Raj & Howard bring to mind ‘law firm’ instead of ‘geeky awesomeness’?
If your answers to all the above are ‘Yes.’ or ‘What the heck is she going on about now?’, then keep reading! If your reactions to the above are, in order, ‘No way!’, ‘Unbelievable!, ‘Ooh, retro!’, ‘Yes!’ and ‘Bazinga!’, then there may still be something here for you, too. The following movies are, by definition, science fiction but there’s something here to fulfill almost everyone’s movie viewing tastes.
Pandorum is for those of you who like psychological horror, including cannibalistic creatures and claustrophobia. Red Planet, Pitch Black and The Arrival are for those of you who like action/suspense movies and/or have a thing for Val Kilmer, Carrie-Anne Moss, Vin Diesel, Radha Mitchell or Charlie Sheen (eww, really?), respectively. For those of you possessing a more philosophical bent to your movie viewing pleasure zone, Moon, District 9 and Gattaca are about class-ist societal structure and the ultimate search for, and meaning of, human identity and the dreams and fears engendered therein. And, as if that wasn’t enough, they are actually good and entertaining films and they are all available through SWAN. (Pandorum, Moon and District 9 are even conveniently located right on the shelves of Acorn!)
Happy viewing! Live long and prosper. Geek girl out.
-Danielle, Tech Services
The Conjuring
James Wan’s latest horror movie tells of the story of real-life paranormal investigators Ed and Lorraine Warren’s experience helping a family deal with a supernatural presence in their new farm home. Horror fans will recognize the familiar plot, but Wan managed to make the movie feel original by avoiding cheesy cliches and cheap scare tactics. It remains thoroughly creepy throughout - the idea of playing “hide and clap” may be too much for you after watching this movie. Seeing this will remind you to do a little research on the property before you buy a home. Or, ask a librarian to help with the research.
-Mike, Reference
Sharknado
With Shark Week coming up in a little over a week, I have to recommend Syfy's recent made-for-TV movie, Sharknado. As the title suggests, there is a freak meteorological disturbance in California, causing sharks to rain down and attack the flooded population of Los Angeles. Though the premise is improbable and most of the plot points laughable, this is a really entertaining movie. Ian Ziering didn't stray too far away from his former 90210 zip code, starring as our protagonist Fin Shepherd, who tries to rescue his ex-wife played by Tara Reid and their teenage daughter from the killer sharks and rising flood waters.
Though at one point Ziering chainsaws his way out of a shark's digestive tract, rescuing himself and another character the shark had recently consumed, he gives a strong and relatively believable performance. Other performances aren't quite as solid, but the outlandish plot twists and absorbing action more than make up for any other shortcomings.
Though at one point Ziering chainsaws his way out of a shark's digestive tract, rescuing himself and another character the shark had recently consumed, he gives a strong and relatively believable performance. Other performances aren't quite as solid, but the outlandish plot twists and absorbing action more than make up for any other shortcomings.
-Jen, Youth Services
No comments:
Post a Comment