Movie Review: Young @ Heart

Who says great-grandma can't rock? This inspiring documentary follows a senior-citizen choir (average age: 80) called Young @ Heart as they rehearse new material for an upcoming show and the following tour. The only catch is the choice of material their director has made for them. These folks don't sing no golden oldies - they cut their false teeth on music as diverse as Coldplay and Sonic Youth. As booty-shaking as James Brown, and as incendiary as The Clash.

That's the "angle" this choir uses to differentiate itself from others like it that exist all over the country. It could easily be silly and almost exploitative of the elderly crooners to have them on stage dancing and singing the Bee Gees disco classic "Stayin' Alive." Ha ha, we get the joke. But it's no joke to the passionate members of the choir. Their dedication and willingness to reach past the "noise" and try to reach the heart of these modern rock and funk songs is what turns the idea from something silly into something sublime.

It's not easy to try and teach a group of hard-of-hearing seniors the ins and outs of James Brown, and much of the humor of the film comes naturally from looking at the perplexed expressions of the choir members as they silently question the sanity of their director. But slowly and surely the words get lodged in the memory, the emotions in the songs become real, and what started with groans and moans turns into something celebratory.

A good portion of the undeniable drama and power of the film lies in the very real issues that come with a traveling rock and roll senior choir. Health is always an issue, and being real life things don't always go as planned for the elderly members of the choir. As events progress in the preparation for the big show at which the choir will debut seven new pieces, the gravity lent to the music by the choir members becomes palpable.

In an emotional highpoint, a once prominent and popular member of the choir who was forced to retire due to health reasons returns to sing with the choir, and during the concert footage, as the man sits illuminated in spotlight, the sound of his oxygen machine interrupting the flow of the music, and he sings the Coldplay song, "Fix You," there isn't a dry eye in the house, or at home as we watch along.

Ultimately a celebratory experience, Young @ Heart is a film that reaffirms the power of music to inspire and bring people together. A wonderful experience, it receives my warm and most hearty recommendation.

Young @ Heart is available in the library's Documentary DVD section.

This weekend only at JPL...

Join us for the American Girl Club, where we'll be celebrating Samantha! Children grades K-5 are welcome to come and enjoy snacks, make your own silhouette and seashell picture frame, play some games and maybe, just MAYBE win a great prize!
Saturday, February 28th from 11:00 am - 12:30 pm

Music Review: Slayer "Reign In Blood"

Heavy metal has a way of tackling tender subjects in a way that is both impossibly brash and offensive and yet somehow appropriate. What better genre to embody the horror of, say, the Holocaust than metal? Through the lightning fast riffs, thundering drum fills and wailing lyrical delivery, good metal is the audio equivalent of primal scream therapy. It's a place you can go for a little while to confront your demons and then come out of the experience stronger and more at peace.

At least that's how it works for me, and there's no album that better epitomizes this dichotomy of the sacred and the profane than Slayer's Reign In Blood. The album was the band's major breakthrough, and amazingly (considering the nature of its contents) the album broke the Billboard Top 100 albums, reaching number 94. The album went on to seal the band's legacy in the realm of metal and has gone on to reach legendary status amongst metal and music aficionados in general. Kerrang! magazine called the album "the heaviest album of all time."

Existing as a sort of bridge between punk and metal, the songs on Reign In Blood are densely packed explosions of metal. Furiously fast throughout, the album was pared down to the raw bedrock, leaving it clocking in at a mean and lean 29 minutes. But length has always been the enemy of music this punishing (after all, how much can an audience be expected to endure?) so in this case shorter is better. From the first strains of the Auschwitz inspired "Angel of Death" (a harrowing and horrific cataloging of Nazi atrocities) through to the final raging blasts of "Raining Blood," the album rushes by and when it's over, one finds themselves dazed and stunned, wondering what just happened and (if you're like me) looking forward to taking the journey again.

I realize that all of the adjectives used to describe the album up to this point haven't exactly sounded inviting. If someone asked you, "Hey, want to do something both brutal AND punishing?" you would likely laugh in their face and say no thanks. But such is the lexicon of metal - I can't very well call this album "toe-tappingly tuneful" because it isn't. It's metal, and it's designed to allow the listener to shake their sillies out. And that's what it does, masterfully, for 29 minutes. It's a breathtaking musical ride, and one I wholeheartedly invite you to take. It could just change your life.

Reign In Blood is available in JPL's CD collection.

Movie Review: Tarnation

It's hard to describe the power of Jonathan Caouette's powerful documentary Tarnation. I was going to finish that sentence with "other than to say that..." but I couldn't come up with anything, so I'll let that first sentence stand all on its own. It's hard to describe the power of this movie.

Tarnation was the end result of a lifetime spent obsessively documenting, archiving, and manipulating the life of its director. Culled from over 20 years worth (hundreds of hours) of old video footage, and made for the sum total budget of $218.32 at home by the director on his computer, the movie works in spite of its obvious limitations (good portions of the movie literally consist of text scrolling across the screen in front of still photographs).

The film details the troubled childhood of Caouette, from coping with an absent father to dealing with his mentally-disturbed mother who goes through a series of bizarre and disturbing electro-shock treatments, rendering her a shell of her former self. Throughout, vintage video footage reveals Caouette to be a highly intelligent, artistic youth left to drift and come to terms with his life in the best way he knows how - in front of a camera.

At times funny, at times deeply disturbing, and at times downright horrifying, Tarnation is a film unique unto itself. A highly moving portrait of a tortured soul and his attempts to come to terms with his birthright and the world around him, the film rises above the sum of its limited parts to create a whole both affecting and powerfully memorable.

Tarnation is available in the Documentary DVD section of the library's collection.

Joplin Public Library has HEART(s)!

To celebrate Random Acts of Kindness Week, Joplin Public Library Staff Members decked out the circulation desk with hearts of appreciation. Every time a someone saw another staff member going out of their way to help a patron or providing someone with much needed support, they were awarded a heart for their outstanding behavior. And you can see by the amount of hearts that were hung that we have some extraordinary employees here at JPL!

‘Don’t Mind if I Do’

By George Hamilton and William Stadiem

Here’s to the unsung hero of autobiographies/memoirs of famous people — the ghostwriter. At least Hamilton had the grace to credit his co-writer, unlike many.

The term “ghost-writer” refers more narrowly to those writers whose work remains uncredited, but also those who, as in this case, do receive recognition. Having read a few autobiographies and memoirs that really, really could have done with a ghostwriter (or a better one), I appreciate Hamilton’s good sense (or his publisher’s) to employ a good one. The book reads as though written by Hamilton himself. You can imagine him narrating the stories aloud, for the most part. Now that’s successful ghostwriting.

Now, having dealt with authorship, how about the book? Well, it’s a mixed bag.

It’s very readable, but I found it oddly distancing. The first third is the most engaging, and it deals with his life until he went to Hollywood. Hamilton’s family was, to say the least, dysfunctional. His parents divorced when he was 5, and George and his mother and two brothers moved to her parents’ home in Blytheville, Ark. Five idyllic childhood years followed, only to be crushed when both of his beloved (and stable, unlike his mother) grandparents died.

After that, his mother pursued her next husbands (not to mention numerous other conquests) and the family moved about more than a little. Now, returning to the ghostwriter theme, the acknowledgment at the end of the book helped clarify why this was the most engaging section. Turns out that most of this part was really written by his brother, David, one year his junior. On the face of it, it’s a bit hard to understand why his younger brother should be the one who would have more complete memories of their childhood. Then again, given the tenor of most of the rest of the book, perhaps not. As I said, I found the book distancing. I think that, perhaps, that’s because George Hamilton has divorced himself pretty thoroughly from any depth of feeling. His brother evidently has not. Given their upbringing, it may be more remarkable that David did not cut himself off from his emotions than that George did.

So, what’s left? The last two-thirds of the book cover Hamilton’s career in a rather off-hand way, with a lot of anecdotes thrown in. His personal life is covered a bit more fully than his career, but again in a very casual way. Hamilton appears to be an emotional armadillo — all armor and very little left vulnerable. The light, amusing raconteur he often portrays on screen is evidently his own persona. Any depth of feeling he displays is for his mother, his older brother and his two sons.

That said, there are some very amusing anecdotes and a glimpse of Hollywood, particularly as it was in the 1960s.

One of my favorites is Hamilton’s account of his contract with Universal Studios. He had been contracted to do a television series and two movies. The series tanked, and the studio had no interest in making the two movies. Hamilton, though, had a “pay or play” contract, so they were legally obligated to pay him for the movies even if they didn’t make them. Being a Hollywood studio, however, they tried various shenanigans to get out of either paying or playing. It all came to a head finally with a phone call from the much-feared Lew Wasserman, head of Universal.

“George, how are you doing?” he opened the conversation.

”Mr. Wasserman …” I began, but he cut me off.

“Call me Lew.”

Wow. Nobody calls him Lew, except maybe Jules Stein, who founded the place.

(There follows a bit of social conversation about dining together, how much Mrs. Wasserman and he enjoy George, blah blah blah and discussion about money in which Hamilton is intimidated into accepting half what he’s owed, then ...)

“My man will be there in a half hour with the check,” Lew said, closing the deal.

“Well, Lew, it’s been great. I would love to see you and Edie soon ...” I tried to make the most of being steamrollered.

“You can call me Mr. Wasserman now,” he said, and hung up.

Ah, Hollywood.

~Linda Cannon- Circulation Supervisor/ Collection Development Librarian

Retelling Proves to be a 'Wicked' Read

‘Something Wicked: A Horatio Wilkes Mystery’

By Alan Gratz

“Something Wicked” is a very clever retelling of Shakespeare’s “Macbeth.”

Our hero and sleuth, Horatio Wilkes, is headed up Birnam Mountain with his childhood friend, Mac, Mac’s detestable girlfriend, Beth, and Mac’s dorky kilt-wearing cousin, Banks, to take part in the Scottish Fair held there every year. Before ascending, the four teens stop at a psychic’s shop in the seedy town at the base of the mountain for a palm reading. The psychic tells Mac that even though he didn’t make his clan’s team for the Highland Games, he will compete in them and win — Mac will be crowned King of the Mountain. Of course, our logically thinking Horatio does not believe in the psychic’s predictions, but the weekend’s events may change his mind.

The festival full of kilts, bagpipes and strong men throwing telephone poles for fun cannot begin until Duncan MacRae, Mac’s grandfather, owner of Birnam Mountain and founder of the Scottish Fair, lights the bonfire at the opening ceremony. Of course, when the time comes, no one can find Duncan. Horatio is sent looking for him in the campground and finds Duncan murdered in one of Mac’s family tents. All signs and the literal writing on the wall points to Malcolm, Duncan’s son, as the murderer, but Horatio isn’t convinced of Malcolm’s guilt.

Horatio is especially suspicious since, having been appointed to his clan’s Highland Games team and now the sole heir to Birnam Mountain, Mac has been increasingly interested in all developments regarding his grandfather’s murder, but seems unaffected by his actual death. Beth also begins acting strange after Duncan is murdered. When once she was antagonistic towards Horatio, she seems too distracted and nervous to hate Horatio with the same passion she had before. Could Mac and Beth known more than they should about Duncan’s murder?

With some minor sexual content, this book is appropriate for teens and adults. Horatio is a likable character that most boys will identify with, making this book an especially good “guy” book.

For a retelling of “Hamlet,” check out Gratz’s “Something Rotten.”

‘The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine’

By April Lurie

“The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine” is one of those middle-of-the-story books.

It starts in the midst of crisis — Dylan’s mom left his dad (and her two sons) for her art teacher; Randy, Dylan’s brother and the one person Dylan looks up to, seems to be throwing his life away by spending too much time with his band, The Dead Musicians Society, and smoking massive amounts of pot; Angie, Dylan’s best friend and the love of his life, is dating a loser named Jonathan; and Dylan’s doctor dad prefers to avoid all things “real life” by staying insanely busy with his OB/GYN patients at the hospital.

It’s not until Angie comes back around —the loser turned out to be a jerk, too — and decides to cast Dylan as the main character in a film she’s doing for a summer project at NYU that his life begins to change. Through Angie’s film, Dylan begins to find his own voice in the chaos. He learns to take risks and step out of the shadow of his older brother while learning that he doesn’t have to take care of everyone around him. It’s a drama-filled ride for Dylan, though. His house sees several visits from the police (noise complaints, marijuana suspicion and a stolen golf cart), Angie’s loser/jerk of an ex-boyfriend comes back into the picture, and Dylan is forced to deal with his anger toward his parents.

Funny and true-to-life, “The Latent Powers of Dylan Fontaine” is appropriate for teens and adults looking for a light story about discovering who you are.

Cari Boatright Rérat - Teen Librarian

'Verdict' Offers Surprise Twist

‘The Brass Verdict’

By Michael Connelly (compact disc audiobook)

Criminal defense attorney Mickey Haller has been on a two-year hiatus from work since he was shot. He became addicted to painkillers during his recovery and eventually served a stint in rehab. Just as he is considering returning to work, a whole list of clients and an office lands in his lap.

Haller has never had a real office. His previous office and staff consisted of a driver for one his three Lincoln Towncars, with Haller working in the back seat and his ex-wife acting as his secretary from her home. His extended vacation unexpectedly ends when colleague Jerry Vincent is murdered. Vincent and Haller had mutual agreements drawn up that if anything happened to one of them the other would take over his law practice. With Vincent’s death, Haller suddenly inherits Vincent’s practice, including the high-profile murder trial of Walter Elliot, a Hollywood mogul accused of murdering his wife and her lover.

Harry Bosch, LAPD detective and main character in his own series, is assigned to be the lead detective on the Vincent murder case. Haller tries to work with Bosch within the ethical boundaries of the legal world, including protecting the identity of his clients. After all, a whole caseload of clients plus an office just landed in Haller’s lap, and he endeavors to clear his own name from the list of suspects with a motive for murder. Haller also discovers that he might just be the next victim if the murderer isn’t caught.

“The Brass Verdict” is a gripping legal thriller with complex and colorful characters and intricate plotting with a surprise twist at the end. I always thoroughly enjoy Connelly’s choice of words and his style of writing, and this novel is no different. Peter Giles lends his smooth narrative abilities to this excellent novel.

‘Crosscut’

By Meg Gardiner (compact disc audiobook)

Twenty years ago, Evan Delaney and her high-school classmates took a field trip to the naval base in China Lake. Evan and three other girls left the group only to witness a project being blown up in the desert. It wasn’t an accident, but a cleanup of an operation that was going wrong. The girls were interrogated by federal officials but returned to school and forgot about it.

Now, Evan with her lover, Jesse, returns to China Lake in California to attend her 15th high-school reunion. The gruesome murder of a classmate before the reunion and a second one that evening leads Evan to the realization that since graduation the mortality rate of her classmates is extremely high. In addition, most of her dead classmates were on the field trip that day.

Evan’s investigation takes several twists and turns as she races to discover the identity of the serial killer and his motivation for killing her classmates, armed with the knowledge that she will also be his victim if he is not stopped.

“Crosscut” has an action-packed plot, great characters and is an exciting thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat. Although Gardiner describes the murders in grisly detail (so if you can’t stand gore you might want to pass on this), she delivers comic relief in the form of Evan’s cousin Tator and Evan’s one-liners.

Tanya Eby Sirois narrates “Crosscut,” the fourth in the Evan Delaney series. The Joplin Public Library owns most of the series in the audiobook format. Meg Gardiner is an American whose thrillers are published in and are bestsellers in Great Britain.

Phyllis Seesengood - Technical Services Librarian

DVD Review - "Spaced"

One of the most common questions we at the library get asked in regards to our DVD collection is, "Hey, how come no TV series?" Well, a season of a TV series can often be expensive (a whole series is a HUGE investment) and there's so many TV series out on DVD now - where do you start?

Luckily, there are some series the library HAS been able to acquire, both through donations and other means. There's some Dr. Quinn, some Outer Limits, and then there's "Spaced."

A quirky BBC series from around the turn of the century (the 21st century, thank you), "Spaced" was the launching pad for many of the talents who later went on to make the fabulous zombie-spoof "Shaun of the Dead." The show is a witty, odd-ball look at a group of witty, odd-ball characters who live together in an apartment building in London.

For those looking for a taste of something out of the ordinary, "Spaced" is a pleasure and a treat. The entire series is just over a dozen episodes, so it won't take you forever to watch them all, and each episode is so dense with visual and verbal comedy, you may find yourself, like me, wanting to watch them all again. Like with many BBC shows, "Spaced" is not rated but would probably be the equivalent of "TV-M" due to language, drug-use, and sexual references.

Did you miss the American Girl Club??

No worries- there is always next month! Join us February 28th to celebrate Samantha by making a silhouette, decorating a sea shell frame and enjoying some Victorian snacks! The party will last from 11:00 am to 12:30 pm and be for kids grades K-5.

And just in case you were wondering what went on this month, here are some photo highlights of our Josefina party!

Movie Review - "Unfaithfully Yours" (1948)

Whenever I'm asked to recommend a movie to a library patron (and it happens fairly often) I always tell them, "Oh, you should get 'Unfaithfully Yours.'" It's the perfect movie to recommend to a stranger for three reasons:

1. It's really good

2. It's tasteful (but not boringly so)

3. Most people have never heard of it, let alone seen it

The film tells the tale of one Sir Alfred De Carter, a famous orchestra conductor who, despite his prestige and high-standing, is a man at heart and as such is given over to petty jealousy and fantasies of revenge when he suspects his wife of having a wandering eye.

As he conducts his symphony through several disparate pieces of classical music, his mind wanders as he envisions impossibly complex ways to both prove his wife's unfaithfulness and to exact his own ultra-suave brand of revenge. But things go hilariously awry when De Carter actually gets a chance to set his plots into motion.

Starring a young(er) Rex Harrison, sixteen years before his famous turn as Professor Henry Higgins in "My Fair Lady," "Unfaithfully Yours" benefits tremendously from the highly skilled actor's wonderful performance. Capturing a pompousness and coldness about De Winter while still remaining sympathetic is no small feat, and Harrison handles it admirably. Once things start to go seriously downhill for the man, it's hard not to feel sorry for him even as you laugh at him and chastise him for ever fantasizing revenge in the first place.

Perhaps not the most obvious draw for the movie, but the most important and the most lasting, is that it was directed and scripted by that manic genius of 1940's cinema, Preston Sturges. A rather late-period entry into the director's filmography (his earlier, more well-known efforts such as "Lady Eve" and "Sullivan's Travels having come at the very beginning of the '40's), the film still bristles with Sturges' trademark energy and the unusually-structured script is distinctly his own.

A small masterpiece from one of the giants of "golden age" comedy, as well as a powerful treatise on male hubris and machismo, "Unfaithfully Yours" is a hilarious movie that comes highly recommended - from me to you!