Would you like to find out what movies and music people are talking about and whether or not they liked them?

 The new catalog enables you to follow other users, providing you with their reviews and recommendations.

Would you like to share your opinions and recommend movies and music you’ve discovered with other users? 

With the new catalog, you have the option to add reviews and rate what you’ve been watching and listening to.

Would you like to have a way to save the titles that interest you so that you can read them at a later date? 

The new catalog will allow you to save titles so that you’ll always be able to go back and refresh your memory.

Along with these, and many other features, you will be able to follow the Park Ridge library and read about the movies, music, and books that we’ve been enjoying. 

To create an account & follow us:

1. Go to http://parkridgelibrary.bibliocommons.com/
2. Log in (you will need your library card number and the initial password is: patron)
3. Follow the steps to create an account (create username, enter email, accept terms)
4. Once registered, go to the “Search Catalog” box on the top of the page.
5. Find the dropdown menu that shows, “Keyword,” and change it to, “User.”
6. Type in, “ParkRidgeRS” in the search box (where you’d search catalog) and then select, ‘Search’
7. You will then see, “ParkRidgeRS’s Completed Shelf” in the middle of the screen
8. Select the green button that shows, “Follow”
9. Select the types of reviews you would like to follow, or choose to follow all selections
10. You are now following the Park Ridge Public Library!

 To review your own titles:

1. Go to the “My PRPL” tab
2. Under “My Shelves,” select, “Completed”
3. Select the green button that shows, “Add New Title”
4. Search the catalog by title, format, etc. and select, “Search”
5. Once the title is located, select the green button to, “Add”
6. Rate the title by selecting the “stars” and/or “Add Details,” which will be your review
7. Repeat these steps to add more titles
8. You can also use these steps to add titles, “In Progress” or “For Later” to your Shelf.

To create your own lists:

1. Go to the “My PRPL” tab
2. Under “My Lists,” select, “My Lists”
3. Select the green button that shows, “Create a New List”
4. Add the list’s title, a description (optional), and select, “Create List”
5. Note: You also have the option of making your lists private (Check the box next to “Make this list private” if you don’t want other users to see it)
6. Select the green button on the left-hand side, “Add an item” and choose, “Add a Catalog Item”
7. Search for title, format, etc. and then select, “Search”
8. Once item is located, select, green button “Add”
9. Continue searching for titles, and selecting “Add,” until you’re list is completed
10. Close window by clicking the red button on the top right side
11. You can now add annotations, move items as you wish, or edit your list as necessary

Please note: since the library’s lists and recommendations will be posted through the new catalog, these blogs will no longer be updated.  We look forward to having you follow us through the new site!

TV Section

Barnaby Rudge (1960) A sweet, simple-minded youth is swept up by the mob into acts of horrible violence and barbarism.

Bleak House (1985) At the court of Chancery, the Jarndyce and Jarndyce case grinds on for years with no end in sight, destroying several lives in the process. Stars Diana Rigg and Denholm Elliott.
Bleak House (2005) Stars Carey Mulligan, Gillian Anderson and Charles Dance.

David Copperfield (2000) Starring Maggie Smith, Bob Hoskins and Ian McKellen.

Dombey and Son (1983) The story of a powerful man whose coldhearted neglect of his family causes his professional and personal downfall. Stars Julien Glover.

Great Expectations (1981) A boy befriends a girl who has been trained as an instrument of revenge by her mother. Starring Pasty Kensit.

Hard Times (1994) A brother and sister suffer from their cold upbringing. Stars Alan Bates and Richard E. Grant.

Little Dorrit (2008) A man’s search for his mother brings him to a debtors’ prison, where he learns about struggle and hardship in 1820s England.

Martin Chuzzlewit (1994) An old man with a large fortune and an even larger set of family and friends must decide who will inherit his riches. Stars Paul Scofield, John Mills and Pete Postlethwaite.

The Old Curiosity Shop (1979) Young Nell Trent lives with her ailing grandfather in a run-down antique shop, unaware that her grandfather’s gambling addiction has left them nearly penniless.
The Old Curiosity Shop (1995) Starring Peter Ustinov, Tom Courtney and James Fox.
The Old Curiosity Shop (2007) Stars Derek Jacobi.

Oliver Twist (1985) The adventures of a young orphan in Victorian London.

Our Mutual Friend (1998) A pair of turbulent love affairs plays out amidst a tangled web of wealth, corruption, passion and betrayal in 1860s London. Stars Paul McGann.

The Pickwick Papers (1985) The ramblings, adventures and travels of the members of the Pickwick Club as they wander about the countryside, getting into trouble wherever possible.

Movies

A Christmas Carol (1951) A mister is haunted by three ghosts on Christmas Eve. Starring Alastair Sim.

Great Expectations (1946) See description above. Directed by David Lean and starring  John Mills, Valerie Hobson and Alec Guinness.

Nicholas Nickleby (2002) The tale of a family left destitute following the patriarch’s death.  Stars Christopher Plummer, Nathan Lane and Alan Cumming.

Oliver Twist (1948) Directed by David Lean and starring Alec Guinness.

Several other adaptations of Mr. Dickens works are available through inter-library loan. The novels themselves can be found in the Reader Services department. ~ Ken

Ice Harvest by Scott Phillips

Here we have the inspiration behind this particular blog.  I noticed the book on our Christmas display and almost laughed out loud.  I had seen the movie years ago, and it’s the juxtaposition of the plot and the setting that makes this an ironic Christmas read.  Who’d have thought that strippers are stripping on Christmas Eve?  (PRPL also has the movie, starring John Cusack and Billy Bob Thorton)

 “Bill Engvall’s Here’s Your Christmas” 

Bill Engvall sings original Country Christmas songs.  If you were amused the first time you ever heard “Grandma got Run Over by a Reindeer,” you’re likely to enjoy Engvall’s take on the holidays.  He shares a wise bit of advice with husbands “A Gift That She Didn’t Want.”  If you enjoy Engvall’s notorious “Here’s your Sign” routines, don’t miss track 10!  He does take a slightly more traditional take on tracks 3 and 5, “Christmas in the Country Holiday,” and “The Christmas Sign.”

Holidays on Ice by David Sedaris (CDBook, read by David Sedaris, featuring Amy Sedaris  and Ann Magnuson)

Sedaris reading “Santa Land” is certain to ease the ache of even the most footsore and jaded of shoppers stuck in Chicago traffic.  He examines our American holiday traditions and critiques our cultural foibles.   Sedaris’ wit and deadpan reading is at its best on disc 4, track one, titled “Us and Them.”  I dare you to keep a straight face.  

You Better Not Cry by Augusten Burroughs

If you enjoyed reading Burroughs first memoir, Running with Scissors, (or the movie by the same name) you’ll likely feel the same about You Better Not Cry, another memoir of holiday vignettes.  Typical of Burroughs, it’s not just a collection of humorous incidents – be prepared to experience a wide range of emotions. 

~Mary Lou

Since Halloween and Christmas have seemingly cornered the market on holiday films, people often overlook some great movies that are perfect for viewing around Thanksgiving. 

Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
This is arguably the greatest Thanksgiving movie ever made.  Steve Martin and John Candy are at their comedic best.  Whether you are watching it for the very first time, or the one hundredth, it will certainly make you laugh (a lot!) and, in John Hughes’s own creative way, the movie makes us remember to be thankful for the important things in life.   

Pieces of April
Living in a terrible part of the city, a punk rock daughter enlists the help of her offbeat neighbors as she attempts to prepare Thanksgiving dinner for her conservative, suburban family.  Skillfully acted by Katie Holmes, Derek Luke, Oliver Platt, and Patricia Clarkson, its quirky story is certainly a tear-jerker!    

A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving
Charlie Brown’s Halloween and Christmas specials have become annual holiday traditions.  However, this Thanksgiving episode is often overlooked.  While it originally aired in 1973, Charles Schulz’s message of friendship being greater than material items is definitely still identifiable today.  Also, kids of all ages will be amused by what the Peanuts gang throws together for their Thanksgiving feast.     

Home for the Holidays
Recently laid off, single mom, Claudia Larson must fly home for Thanksgiving dinner with her family.  When her brother arrives with a handsome friend, an otherwise nightmarish situation begins to look up for Claudia and her family.  

The New World
While there are few feature films that center on the Thanksgiving holiday, there are even fewer that show what the early English settlers might have experienced.  While promoting historical accuracy is not something that comes naturally to Hollywood, the basic story is fascinating and the scenery is breathtaking.   

Can you think of any others that I missed? 

Have a great Thanksgiving! ~ Mike

It’s the contrast between Bertie Wooster, a gormless young aristocrat in Jeeves and Wooster, and Dr. Gregory House, a brilliant and eccentric diagnostic physian, which leads to my admiration of Hugh Laurie’s acting abilities.  The two characters are polar opposites.  Couple this with Laurie’s ability to drop his British accent—or adopt an American accent, depending on your perspective—so thoroughly and convincingly, and you have a very versatile actor.

Park Ridge Public Library has all three of the above mentioned TV series available for checkout. 

Enjoy! ~Mary Lou

My husband would say Caddyshack is one of his favorite Bill Murray movies, but I would have to go with Lost in Translation.  If you missed this one, you should try to check it out sometime.  The beautiful Scarlett Johansson is in the movie too, so it is a win-win situation all around! ~ Lori

Do you have a favorite Bill Murray movie?  List it in the comments!

My favorite albums by this artist are his earlier works, especially his self-titled first album, including tracks such as his melodic tribute to “Barcelona.” Another favorite is the album Want One, which includes the hauntingly personal “Dinner at Eight” about an argument with his father, and the orchestral, alternately celebratory and melancholic “Oh What a World.” While Wainwright is a singular artist, other artists to try if you enjoy Wainwright include his sister, Martha, who recently came out with an album of Edith Piaf songs, and other moody singer-songwriters including Ben Folds, Antony and the Johnsons, and Jeff Buckley. ~ Maggie

The Thing From Another World (1951)  Scientists and Air Force personnel are trapped in an Antarctic base with a murderous space alien.  Directed (unofficially) by Howard Hawks, movies don’t get much better than this.

Invasion of the Body Snatchers (1956) A small town doctor is faced with a rash of people saying their loved ones aren’t who they appear to be.  A classic tale of sci-fi paranoia.

Curse of the Demon (1957) A stiff-necked scientist (the perfectly cast Dana Andrews) learns that skepticism can be a dangerous thing.  Simply a terrific movie.

Horror of Dracula (1958) Hammer Studios made supernatural horror fashionable again with glossy, color-saturated films like this classic, starring Christopher as the sanguinary Count and Peter Cushing as the vampire hunter Van Helsing.

House on Haunted Hill (1959) Vincent Price invites a party of strangers to spend the night in the titular spookhouse.  A very fun film directed by showman extraordinaire William Castle.

Black Sunday (1960) Ur-gothic goings on with scream queen Barbara Steele playing a witch/vampire.  Directed by the Italian master of the macabre, Mario Bava.

Eyes Without a Face (1960) A scientist seeks to repair his daughter’s ruined face.  Sadly, this involves skin grafts from unwilling participants.  This gruesome goodie can be found in our French language DVD section.

Psycho (1960) Alfred Hitchock’s classic tale of murder at a small roadside motel. Stars Anthony Perkins and Janet Leigh.

The Innocents (1961) An extremely creepy tale (adapted from Henry James’ Turn of the Screw) about an English governess who believes her young charges are haunted by ghosts.  For those who like their horror subtle and quiet.

Fall of the House of Usher (1960) /Pit and the Pendulum (1961) Vincent Price joined with director Roger Corman to make a series of not very faithful (but extremely fun) Edgar Allen Poe adaptations.  Here are two of the best, found on one DVD.

Carnival of Souls (1962) A woman wakes after a car accident to find the world a very strange and threatening place.  A low-budget gem.

The Birds (1963) Alfred Hitchcock contributes his second great horror movie with this tale of nature run amok.  This one features some classic set pieces.

The Haunting (1963) One of the greatest horror movies of all time, and directed by Robert Wise, the guy who made The Sound of Music and West Side Story.  A party of investigators assembles to study a purportedly haunted house. Watch this one late at night with the lights out.

Kwaidan (1964) A very nifty Japanese spook anthology film.  Found in our Japanese language DVD section.

Onibaba (1964) A woman murders soldiers for their gear in medieval, war-torn Japan.  A concurrent romantic triangle results in a nice spooky tale with an erotic charge. Found in our Japanese language DVD section.

Night of the Living Dead (1968) George Romero completely reinvented the zombie movie with this all-time classic tale of the living besieged by the recently risen, flesh-eating dead.

Rosemary’s Baby (1968) This Roman Polanski flick kicked off Hollywood’s love affair with films featuring a Satanic twist.  Find out what’s wrong with Rosemary’s Baby.  (It’s not that she eventually ends up sleeping with Woody Allen.)  Stars Mia Farrow and Ruth Gordon, who won an Oscar for her supporting role here.

~ Ken

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1920) This German expressionist classic introduced several horror movie tropes, including the mad scientist, the sympathetic monster, and even the first slasher killer.  Found in our German language section.

Nosferatu (1922) An unauthorized version of Dracula, the film was ordered destroyed. Luckily, this masterpiece of supernatural horror survived. Found in our German language section.

The Hands of Orlac (1924) A concert pianist loses his hands, but receives new ones via surgery.  The only hitch: the donor was an executed murderer, and the hands seem to have a mind of their own.  Stars Conrad Veidt of The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and Casablanca. Found in our German language section.

The Phantom of the Opera (1925) Horror cinema’s first great star, Lon Chaney, plays a madman stalking a Parisian opera house.

Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde (1931) Arguably the greatest adaptation of the tale of a high-minded scientist who manages to chemically manifest his evil side.  Fredric March won Best Actor for the dual role.

Dracula (1931) Bela Lugosi stars as the undead Count Dracula, who moves to England and annoys his new neighbors.

Frankenstein (1931): A scientist dares meddle in God’s domain.  Directed by James Whale and starring Boris Karloff as The Monster and Colin Clive as Frankenstein. The Library offers the entire Frankenstein Legacy Collection, featuring in one set Frankenstein, The Bride of Frankenstein, The Son of Frankenstein, The Ghost of Frankenstein and The House of Frankenstein.

M (1931) A serial killer of children is sought by both the police and the criminal underworld, in this brilliant film directed by Fritz Lang and starring Peter Lorre.  Found in our German language section.

The Mummy (1932) An ancient Egyptian sorcerer rises from his tomb to seek vengeance and reclaim his old girlfriend.  Boris Karloff plays the malign Imhotep, although he appears in bandages only in one brief (yet amazing) scene.

The Old Dark House (1932)  Travelers seek shelter from a storm in a remote country home, with predictably dire results.  A puckish strain of black humor runs through this film as it pokes fun at what were creaky clichés even back in 1932.  Directed by James Whale and starring Charles Laughton and Boris Karloff.

Vampyr (1932) A young scholar learns the rural town he is visiting is threatened by vampires in this expressionistic classic directed by Carl Theodor Dreyer. Found in our German language section.

The Invisible Man (1933) Scientist Claude Rains invents an invisibility serum.  The problem is that he can’t find a counter-agent, and, oh yeah, it’s driving him insane.  Directed by James Whale.

The Wolf Man (1941) Innocent everyman Larry Talbot (Lon Chaney Jr.) is cursed to become a murderous beast with the rise of the full moon.  Co-stars Claude Rains, Maria Ouspenskaya and, in a small but pivotal role, Bela Lugosi.  The script by Carl Siodmak pretty much invented all the werewolf folklore we know today out of whole cloth.  The Library owns The Wolf Man Legacy Collection, featuring also Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man, The She-Wolf of London and The Werewolf of London.

Cat People (1942) A woman fears that romantic ardor will transform her into a killer panther.  On the same disc is the largely discounted ‘sequel,’ The Curse of the Cat People, a far gentler fantasy tale.  One of the classic films overseen by the famous horror producer Val Lewton.

Arsenic and Old Lace (1944) Cary Grant’s plans to get hitched are interrupted when he learns his sweet old aunts have been poisoning gentlemen callers.  Directed by Frank Capra and co-starring Raymond Massey and the inimitable Peter Lorre. 

Dead of Night (1945) Guests at a country farmhouse exchange macabre tales in this grandfather of the horror anthology film.

Abbott & Costello Meet Frankenstein (1948) One of the great horror comedies finds Bud and Lou running into not only the Frankenstein Monster, but Dracula (Bela Lugosi, playing the Count onscreen for only the second and last time) and Larry Talbot, the Wolf Man (Lon Chaney Jr.).

Fans might be interested to check out books like Universal Studios Monsters or Hollywood Horror: From Gothic to Cosmic, which can be found in the Library’s Reference area.  If your favorite bit of classic horror isn’t listed above, just ask!  Perhaps we own it as well, or can borrow it for you via Interlibrary Loan. ~ Ken

Jay is the patriarch of the family and is played by Ed O’Neill, who is probably better known for his role as Al Bundy on the television show, Married with Children.  Jay’s storyline is that he has been recently remarried to a young, vivacious Columbian woman who has an inquisitive son from a previous marriage, who also just happens to be a hopeless romantic.   

Jay’s older son Mitchell is in a relationship with a man named Cameron and they are raising an adopted baby daughter.  The actor who plays Cameron, Eric Stonestreet, spent time as an improvisational comic in Chicago and, I believe, he steals every scene in the television show.

The third branch of the family consists of Jay’s daughter Claire, who is married to Phil.  Phil and Claire have three children, two girls and a boy, who often act with greater maturity than their parents.  A great example of this was when Phil, who is afraid of the dark, urged his son to crawl under the house to connect the cable wiring.  Then, when the son gets stuck, what follows is an endearing look at the lengths parents will go to for their children.  

The characters on Modern Family are not perfect and in fact, they are quite flawed. However, it is these flaws that remind the viewer that being a family isn’t about being perfect; it is about being there for one another.

Be sure to watch episode 12, “Not in My House” – my favorite episode!

~ Mike