Literary Elements

This years Adult summer Reading Program is Literary Elements which runs June 6th through August 8th.  For every book you read you get a chance to win a prize - it's that easy!  If you choose a title from one of our recommended lists you get an extra chance to win and if you write a book review you not only get an extra chance but you may be selected to be a guest blogger!  We're also encouraging you to "read a movie."  Watch a subtitled film and it totally counts as reading.  Be sure to read my previous blog about one of my favorite international films, Amelie.  We have a bibliography available with other film selections including Masquerade (Korean), Run Lola Run (German) and The Intouchables (French).  SG

A Life Well-Lived

A Simple Life is a spare and gorgeously filmed movie that explores the end of life and who we consider to be our "family" when it really comes down to it. Maid Ah Tao has served a single household for four generations, culminating with the last bachelor son, Roger.  After suffering a stroke, Ah Tao decides to retire to an assisted-living facility where she comes to terms with her own mortality and where she and Roger begin to realize that their bond goes much deeper than as merely servant and employer.  HM

Amelie

I’m going to write about a film because I watched a DVD that was so unusual and so enjoyable that I just have to share.  You may not have noticed it but the Library has been purchasing more International films – award winning films from Cannes, the Toronto Film Festival, Academy Award nominees and more.  Amelie is an award winning French film starring Audrey Tautou, and by award winning I mean that it has been nominated for over 100 awards and won over 50!  It’s the story of a young, innocent girl who leads a sheltered and yet fantastical life.  Once she comes of age she sets off for the city and slowly becomes involved in changing other people’s lives.  The plot of the movie leads up to the question of whether she can change her own life as well. There are many funny scenes and Audrey Tautou does a fantastic job as the main character.  A bit of trivia – “In the opening credits, the girl playing Amélie as a child is shown doing various things. If you give a careful look at these activities, you'll find they illustrate the credits shown at the same time” (IMDB).  SG