Showing Wednesday, August 4th at 2 p.m.

 If July's weather was any indication, August could possibly leave us, yet again, seeking refuge from waves of heat waves. (I admit it. I am afraid.) We will be here with a mostly fluffy August, presenting some interesting (cool?) fare for the mid-day, mid-week movie "fix." 

August 4 at 2 p.m. - PIXAR SHORT FILMS COLLECTION VOLUME 1(2009) Not rated (Appropriate for all ages); 54 minutes

Featuring 13 spectacular Pixar shorts, including Oscar winners for Best Animated Short Film - Tin Toy (1988); Geri's Game (1997); and For the Birds (2000). 

August 11 at 2 p.m. - THE BOUNTY HUNTER (2010) Starring Jennifer Aniston, Gerard Butler, and Christine Baranski; Rated PG-13; 110 minutes

A bounty hunter learns that his next target is his ex-wife, a reporter working on a murder cover-up. Soon after their reunion, the always-at-odds duo finds themselves on a run-for-their-lives adventure.

August 18  at 2 p.m. - BURMA VJ: REPORTING FROM A CLOSED COUNTRY (2009) Documentary Feature; Not Rated; In Burmese and English with English subtitles; 84 minutes

Courageous young citizens of Burma live the essence of journalism as they make reports – illegal in their country - from the streets, smuggle the footage out and broadcast it back into Burma via satellite for free, exposing the police state that has developed. This film combines those individual clips into one overall picture offering a unique insight into high-risk journalism and dissidence in a police state.

 August 25 at 2 p.m. - THE BACK-UP PLAN (2010) Starring Jennifer Lopez, Alex O'Loughlin, and Melissa McCarthy; Rated PG-13; 106 minutes

Jennifer Lopez plays a single woman who turns to artificial insemination in response to her ticking biological clock, only to see her backup plan turned on its side when the man of her dreams shows up at the same time as her positive pregnancy test results.

 All movies are free and open to the public.

Please join us!

Showing Friday, August 6 at 7:30 p.m.

When the air is still on those hot August nights, you can still count on us to stir the air and stir things up with our Friday Night Films. The films for August offer intrigue, laughs, suspense, and history. We offer refreshment...and refreshments! We begin with Christopher Plummer and Helen Mirren in the unforgettable film, The Last Station.

August 6 at 7:30 p.m. - THE LAST STATION (2009) Starring Christopher Plummer, Helen Mirren, James McAvoy, and Paul Giamatti; Rated R; 113 minutes

In honor of his newly created religion, Russian novelist Leo Tolstoy renounces his title, property, and family in favor of poverty and celibacy. For the Countess Sofya, his wife of nearly fifty years, this is the last straw! after she discovers his plans to leave the rights to his iconic novels to the Russian people rather than his own family, she decides to use every trick of seduction in her considerable arsenal to fight for what she believes is rightfully hers.

August 13 at 7:30 p.m. - THE GHOST WRITER (2010) Starring Ewan McGregor, Pierce Brosnan, and Kim Cattrall; Rated PG-13; 128 minutes

When a successful British ghost writer, The Ghost, agrees to complete the memoirs of former British Prime Minister Adam Lang, his agnet assures him it's the opportunity of a lifetime. But the project seems doomed from the start  -- not least because his predecessor on the project, Lang's long-term aide, dies in an unfortunate accident. As The Ghost works, he begins to uncover clues suggesting his predecessor may have stumbled on a dark secret linking Lang to the CIA. Resonating with topical themes, this atmospheric and suspenseful political thriller is a story of deceit and betrayal on every level -- sexual, political, and literary.

August 20 at 7:30 p.m. - DATE NIGHT (2010) Starring Steve Carell, Tina Fey, and Mark Wahlberg; Rated PG-13; 88 minutes

About an ordinary couple in the right place, on the wrong night. Phil and Claire Foster are a sensible suburban husband and wife slogging through their daily lives and marriage. But a case of mistaken identity sets off an outrageous chain of events involving small-time thieves, big-city mobsters, corrupt cops, and a crazed cabbie, as the Fosters' 'date night' turns into a wild ride they'll never forget!

 August 27 at 7:30 p.m. - THE JONESES(2010) starring David Duchovny, Demi Moore, Glenne Headly, Lauren Hutton, and Gary Cole; Rated R; 109 minutes

the Joneses, a seemingly perfect family, are the envy of their posh, suburban neighborhood filled with all the trappings of the upper middle class. They are the ultimate trendsetters with an endless supply of high-tech toys, designer clothes, fast cars, and the latest gadgets. But as the neighbors try to keep up with the Joneses, none are prepared for the truth about this all-too-perfect family.

Click on the images to watch the movie trailers and then join us on Friday evenings at 7:30 p.m. for our Friday Night Films!

All films are free and open to the public.

Refreshments will be served.

Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen’s).

Showing Friday, July 2 at 7:30 p.m.

When it's July ...and when it's Friday... and when it's 7:30 p.m. , where will you be? We hope that you'll be right here at...Darien Library, where we'll begin our July film schedule with When in Rome.

Friday, July 2 at 7:30 p.m. -- WHEN IN ROME (2009) Starring Kristen Bell, Will Arnett, and Jon Heder; Rated PG-13; 93 minutes

Beth Harper is a young, successful real estate agent... but she's completely unlucky in love. However, when the New Yorker travels to Rome to see her newlywed sister, she impulsively steals some coins from a reputed fountain of love. She then finds herself being aggressively pursued bya band of wannabe lovers in this romantic comedy.

Friday, July 9 at 7:30 p.m. -- GREEN ZONE (2010) Starring Matt Damon, Brendan Gleeson, and Jason Isaacs; Rated R; 115 minutes

Chief Warrant Officer Roy Miller is a rogue U.S. Army officer who must hunt through covert and faulty intelligence hidden on foreign soil before war escalates in an unstable region. He is on the trail of Weapons of Mass Destruction with a foreign correspondent following this mission

Friday, July 16 at 7:30 p.m. -- A SINGLE MAN (2009) Starring Colin Firth, Julianne Moore, and Ginnifer Goodwin; Rated R; 101 minutes

Set in Los Angeles in 1962 at the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, this film is the story of Georg Falconer, a 52-year old British college professor who is struggling to find meaning to his life after the death of his long-time partner, Jim. This film is a romantic tale of love interrupted, the isolation that is an inherent part of the human condition, and ultimately, the importance of the seemingly smaller moments in life.

Friday, July 23 at 7:30 p.m. -- THE RED BARON (2010) Starring Matthias Schweighofer, Lena Heady, and Joseph Fienes; Rated PG-13; 129 minutes

Europe, 1916. Baron Manfred von Richthofen is, at the age of just 24, the crack pilot of the German aerial combat forces -- a legend in his own time, a hero at home, and a man both feared and respected by the enemy. The provocative red paint job of his Fokker aircraft earns him the nickname "The Red Baron" and makes him famous the world over. For millions of his countrymen, he becomes an idol, a symbol of hope and pride.

Friday, July 30 at 7:30 p.m. -- ONE WEEK (2008) Starring Joshua Jackson, Liane Balaban, and Campbell Scott; Not rated; 94 minutes

When a young man is confronted with his mortality, he takes a cross-country road trip on a vintage motorcycle. ONE WEEK tells the story of Ben Tyler (Joshua Jackson), in his mid-twenties, who flees from the confines of his life - an impending marriage, a job he's not entirely happy with, and a recent diagnosis--in order to attempt to live more fully. What starts off as an ill-defined venture soon morphs into a quest for the West Coast.

All films are free and open to the public.

Refreshments will be served.

Showing Wednesday, July 7 at 2 p.m.

Summer in the City is our Adult Summer Reading theme this year, so we're devoting our Wednesday Matinees in July to that splendid burg just south of here. During the month, every Wednesday at 2 p.m., we'll be hosting A New York State of Mind. We hope that you'll join us for these mid-year, mid-week, mid-day city "getaways." Each film is set in New York City, and each is keenly reflective of its time and place.

Wednesday, July 7 at 2 p.m. -- A NIGHT AT THE OPERA (1935) Starring The Marx Brothers, Margaret Dumont, and Kitty Carlisle; B&W; Not rated; 93 minutes

The Marx Brothers considered this their best film and the "stateroom sequence" is possibly the funniest five minutes in screen history. The boys have a great time poking fun at grand opera and at wealthy dowager Mrs. Claypool (Margaret Dumont) in particular.

Wednesday, July 14 at 2 p.m. -- YOU'VE GOT MAIL (1998) Starring Tom Hanks, Meg Ryan, Parker Posey, and Greg Kinnear; Rated PG; 116 minutes

Inspired by the 1940 film THE SHOP AROUND THE CORNER, this romantic comedy features Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan as rival Manhattan bookstore employees who fall in love via the Internet. Their romance blossoms through a series of e-mails, which they send anonymously to each other. 

Wednesday, July 21 at 2 p.m. -- NORTH BY NORTHWEST (1959) Starring Cary Grant, Eva Marie Saint, and James Mason; Not rated; 136 minutes

From Roger Thornhill (Cary Grant) being chased by the crop dusting bi-plane, to the climax atop the faces of Mount Rushmore, this Hitchcock classic never lets up. Roger, an unsuspecting NYC adman is mistaken for a spy by a secret agent (James Mason). One of Hitchcock's personal favorites, the film combines a tense, harrowing pace with the fear of calamity lurking behind every door—truly the work of a master.

Wednesday, July 28 at 2 p.m. -- MOSCOW ON THE HUDSON (1984) Starring Robin Williams, Maria Conchita Alonso, and Cleavant Derricks; Rated R; 155 minutes

This is considered one of the best performances of Robin Williams’ career. A gentle, glowing exuberant Russian defector tries to build a new life in New York City. His sensitive anguish and overwhelming enthusiasm make for a tale of rare, warm, wonderful magic. Energetic, touching parody on patriotism.

All films are open to the public.

Admission is free.

Showing Friday, June 4 at 7:30 p.m.

Friday Night Films at Darien Library is huge. Bigger than huge. Enormous. And we are hugely honored and enormously thrilled that so many have chosen to spend their Friday nights with us. 

Thanks to everyone for making our film series so popular and beloved.

Here's what's on the schedule for June:

June 4 at 7:30 p.m. – INVICTUS – (2009) Matt Damon, Morgan Freeman, Scott Eastwood; Rated PG-13;  133 minutes   The film tells the inspiring true story of how Nelson Mandela joined forces with the captain of South Africa’s rugby team to help unite their country. Believing he can bring his racially and economically divided country together through the universal language of sport, Mandela rallies his underdog rugby team as they make an unlikely run to the 1995 World Cup Championship match.

June 11 – NO FILM – Please join us for a musical concert by ACABELLA, an all-female vocal group (pictured, right) featuring 14 women from lower Fairfield County. This gifted and committed auditioned group is popular for its talent and wide-ranging repertoire, which ranges from big band tunes to Broadway hits to disco and pop music. (7:30 p.m.) For more details, please click here.

June 18 at 7:30 p.m.  – OWL AND THE SPARROW – (2007) Cat Ly, The Lu Le, Han Thi Pham; Rated PG; 98 minutes; In Vietnamese with English subtitles   On the bustling streets of Saigon, three very different people are seeking connection are about to collide. A beautiful flight attendant looking for love. A zookeeper hiding within his animal kingdom to nurse a broken heart. And the young flower-selling runaway who brings them together. But to avoid the authorities and a strict uncle tracking her down, she will need all of her cleverness and determination if she is going to grab any chance at lasting happiness.

June 25 at 7:30 p.m. – EXTRAORDINARY MEASURES – (2009) Harrison Ford, Brendan Fraser, Keri Russell; Rated PG; 105 minutes  Inspired by the true story of John Crowley, a man who defied conventional wisdom and great odds, and risked his family’s future to pursue a cure for his children’s life-threatening disease. He teams with Dr. Stonehill, a brilliant, but unappreciated and unconventional scientist who helps him find the cure.

All films are free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served.

Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen’s). 

Showing Wednesday, June 2 at 2 p.m.

HOME - June 2 at 2 p.m.

(2009) Starring Marcia Gay Harden, Marion Seldes, and Michael Gaston; Rated PG-13; 84 minutes

Inga, a poet and mother, is drawn to a house that reminds her of her childhood home and here she realizes that many things in her life are coming full circle. Inga's marriage is crumbling and when she finds herself facing breast cancer, she begins to use alcohol in much the same way as her mother's use of morphine to control her pain. Like many artists, Inga's struggle is reflected in her poems and expressing her inner emotions allows her to transform her life.

IT'S COMPLICATED - June 9 at 2 p.m.

(2009) Meryl Street, Steve Martin, Alec Baldwin, Rita Wilson; Rated R; 120 minutes  

Jane is the mother of three grown kids, has a thriving business and an amicable relationship with her ex-husband Jake. But when an innocent meal turns into an affair, Jane finds herself as the other woman. When an architect falls for Jane, he soon realizes he’s become part of a love triangle as things get very complicated.

ANITA O'DAY: THE LIFE OF A JAZZ SINGER - June 16 at 2 p.m.

(2007) Documentary; Not rated; 90 minutes

The Jezebel of Jazz lived a life as hot as her phrasing was cool. Doctors declared her dead after a heroin overdose, but she survived and kept testifying in song for 40 more years until her death at 87. This superb documentary has all the O'Day highs and lows recalled by the star with salty, unapolgetic clarity.

DEAR JOHN - June 23 at 2 p.m.

(2010) Starring Amanda Seyfried, Channing Tatum, and Richard Jenkins; Rated PG-13; 105 minutes

A soldier, home on leave, falls for a conservative college girl. Instead of returning homet o her, he reenlists after the attacks on September 11th, 2001. Time and distance begin to take a toll on the young lovers in the film based on the book by Nicholas Sparks.

FRONT OF THE CLASS - June 30 at 2 p.m.

(2009) Starring Treat Williams, Patricia Heaton, and Jimmy Wolk; Rated PG; 95 minutes

This film is based on the true story of Brad Cohen, a young man diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome who defies the odds to become a teacher. When Brad was growing up, teachers and even his father interpretted Brad's involuntary sounds and sudden jerking movements as attempts to get attention or simply acting up. As a result, he hated school...unitl a  principal used an all-school assembly to educate the faculty and students, which helped Brad win their understanding and acceptance.

All films are free and open to the public. Please join us!

 We've been enjoying our mid-week, mid-day movies! This Wednesday, we're back with a thought-provoking film from China...we almost can't help but contemplate what we would do if faced with similar circumstances

Wednesday, May 26 at 2 p.m. – IN LOVE WE TRUST (2009) In Mandarin with English subtitles; Not rated; 115 minutes

In order to save their daughter, who is suffering from cancer of the blood, a divorced couple must have another child. As both have remarried, they must put their current relationships in jeopardy to test their love and commitment to one another.

All films are free and open to the public.

Please join us every Wednesday at 2 p.m. for our Wednesday Matinee Films Series.

Friday, May 21st at 7:30 p.m. -- Meet the Author: Kevin Coupe

On Friday, May 21 at 7:30, Meet the Author Meets  Friday Night Films! Kevin Coupe, co-author of the book The Big Picture: Essential Business Lessons from the Movies will be here to talk about the book...and the movies. The film Bottle Shock will be shown following the presentation. The book, written by Coupe and Michael Sansolo, uses movies ranging from The Godfather to Young Frankenstein to illustrate tenets of leadership, the importance of marketing and branding, and how to survive in the workplace.

Kevin is a Darien resident and has his own website/blog, MorningNewsBeat.com, which after 10 years, has well over 20,000 subscribers. He also runs Coupe Communications, a production company that specializes in business videos designed to help companies define and share big ideas with employees, customers, and clients.

The author presentation will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will include a book signing. (Books will be available for purchase.) The film screening of Bottle Shock will begin at 8:30 p.m. We hope that you'll join us for this enlightening and entertaining evening!

Bottle Shock (2008) Starring Bill Pullman and Alan Rickman; Rated PG-13; 109 minutes

This film is based on an inspiring true story from the early days of California winemaking. In 1976, in the Napa Valley, a small winery and its workers compete in a blind taste test against French wine.

"Bottle Shock is more than the story. It is also about people who love their work, care about it with passion and talk about it with knowledge." -- Roger Ebert, Chicago Sun-Times

"This intelligent, affectionate, beautifully acted movie gives crowd-pleasers a good name." -- Stephen Farber, The Hollywood Reporter

Click here to watch the trailer for the film.

Click here to see the schedule of our upcoming Friday Night Films.

This event is free and open to the public. Refreshments will be served. 

Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen’s).

 On Tuesday, May 11 at 7 p.m., we will be hosting a special film screening of Tapped, a documentary that examines the role of the bottled water industry and its effects on our health, climate change, pollution, and our reliance on oil. The screening of this film extends the Library’s recent environmentally-themed programs, which included films and a lecture, and also coincides with the “Let’s Retake Our Plates” nationwide film series being presented by Whole Foods.

Tristam Coffin, the Green Mission Specialist for Whole Foods Market, will introduce the film and remain after the screening for a brief presentation and question and answer session.

Tapped, Stephanie Soechtig’s debut feature, is an unflinching examination of the big business of bottled water. It asks the question: is access to clean drinking water a basic human right, or a commodity that should be bought and sold like any other article of commerce?
From the producers of Who Killed the Electric Car? and I.O.U.S.A., this timely documentary is a behind-the-scenes look into the unregulated and unseen world of an industry that aims to privatize and sell back the one resource that ought never to become a commodity: our water.
From the plastic production to the ocean in which so many of these bottles end up, this inspiring documentary trails the path of the bottled water industry and the communities that were the unwitting chips on the table. A powerful portrait of the lives affected by the bottled water industry, this revelatory film features those caught at the intersection of big business and the public’s right to water.

                “…illuminating, well-researched and vital documentary…” – NYC Movie Guru

Funding for the film screening, speaker, and refreshments provided by Whole Foods Market, opening mid-May at 150 Ledge Road, Darien, Conn.

This event is free and open to the public.

Additional parking for evening and weekend Library programs on Thorndal Circle (behind Nielsen’s).

Showing Wednesday, May 5 at 2 p.m.

Our Wednesday Matinees films are a great form of entertainment! Wednesdays at 2 p.m., we close the shades, turn down the lights, and provide simple, old-fashioned entertainment - movies.  Please join us in May as we present an array of films from different genres for your viewing pleasure.

Wednesday, May 5 at 2 p.m. – THAT’S ENTERTAINMENT (1974) Starring Fred Astaire, Bing Crosby, Gene Kelly, Rated G; 132 minutes

Hosted by some of MGM’S greatest stars, THAT'S ENTERTAINMENT is a nostalgic collection of scenes from nearly 100 musical films. Mixed in with the more famous highlights are unexpected, but equally delightful sequences including a "challenge" dance between Eleanor Powell and Fred Astaire, and a clip featuring a singing and dancing Clark Gable.

Wednesday, May 12 at 2 p.m. – WHAT THE DEAF MAN HEARD (2002) Starring Matthew Modine, Claire Bloom, Judith Ivey, James Earl Jones, Bernadette Peters; Not rated; 110 minutes

Sammy Ayers and his mother board a bus bound for Georgia and a better life. But the next day, his mother vanishes. Sammy responds by shutting himself off from the world, pretending not to hear or speak. The bus station manager and a waitress take in Sammy. For the next 20 years, he fools the townspeople and remains silent. Then he overhears a scheme that could hurt the people he loves. Join the fun as Sammy cleverly turns the table on an entire town!

Wednesday, May 19 at 2 p.m. –  THE YOUNG VICTORIA  (2009) Starring Emily Blunt, Miranda Richardson, Jim Broadbent; Rated PG; 105 minutes

This dramatization covers the turbulent first years of Queen Victoria's rule and her enduring romance with Prince Albert. At the age of 17, Victoria was already the object of a royal power struggle as she was in line for the throne and everyone is vying to win her favor

  Wednesday, May 26 at 2 p.m. – IN LOVE WE TRUST (2009) In Mandarin with English subtitles; Not rated; 115 minutes

In order to save their daughter, who is suffering from cancer of the blood, a divorced couple must have another child. As both have remarried, they must put their current relationships in jeopardy to test their love and commitment to one another..

Admission is free