Come for some pre-Oscar movie catch-up at Darien Library

No matter which side of the velvet rope we're on on Oscar night, right now, we're all on the same side -- the side of not knowing. So, we're left to guess who the winners will be. We're passionately for. We're passionately against. We're moved. We're unmoved. We're on the fence. We lurch toward Oscar night (Sunday, February 27th), sealing our own envelopes with our hopes for winners of Best, Best, BEST! The time is approaching. 

It's difficult, if not impossible, to see all of the nominated films and nominated performances, however, we decided to offer a pre-Oscar screening day here at the Library, featuring three critically-acclaimed contenders in this year's race. On Saturday, February 26th, we'll be showing Toy Story 3, nominated for Best Picture and Best Animated Feature, The Social Network, nominated for Best Picture, and Exit Through the Gift Shop, nominated for Best Documentary.

Here's a link to the Oscars site so that you can create your own score card for the night of the show.

Here's our schedule of films for Saturday, February 26th:

9:30 a.m. - TOY STORY 3 (2010) Animated Feature; Voices of  Tom Hanks, Tim Allen, and Michael Keaton; Rated G; 103 minutes  

Toy Story 3 welcomes back Woody, Buzz and the whole gang back to the big screen as Andy prepares to depart for college and his loyal toys find themselves in …daycare! These untamed tots with their sticky little fingers do not play nice, so it’s all for one and one for all as plans for the Great Escape get underway. A few new faces join the adventure, including Barbie’s counterpart Ken, a thespian hedgehog named Mr. Pricklepants and a pink strawberry-scented teddy bear called Lots-o-Huggin’ Bear.

For more information and to watch the trailer, click here.

12 p.m.  - THE SOCIAL NETWORK (2010) Starring Jesse Eisenberg, Justin Timberlake, Rashida Jones; Rated PG-13; 120 minutes

This film tells the story of the founders of the social-networking website, Facebook. Adapted from Ben Mezrich’s book "The Accidental Billionaires: The Founding of Facebook, A Tale of Sex, Money, Genius and Betrayal." You don’t get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies!

To watch the trailer, please click here.

3 p.m. - EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP (2010) Documentary feature; Rated R; 87 minutes

Banksy is a graffiti artist with a global reputation whose work can be seen on walls from post-hurricane New Orleans to the separation barrier on the Palestinian West Bank. Fiercely guarding his anonymity to avoid prosecution, Banksy has so far resisted all attempts to be captured on film. This film tells the incredible true story of how an eccentric French shop keeper turned documentary maker attempted to locate and befriend Banksy, only to have the artist turn the camera back on its owner. The film contains exclusive footage of Banksy, Shepard Fairey, Invader, and man of the world's most infamous graffiti artists at work, on walls, and in interview.

 Click here to learn more and to watch the trailer.

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

Showing Wednesday, February 2 at 2 p.m.

Wednesday, February 2 at 2 p.m. NOWHERE BOY (2010) Starring Aaron Johnson, Anne-Marie Duff, Kristin Scott Thomas; Rated R; 98 minutes

Imagine... John Lennon's childhood. Liverpool 1955: a smart and troubled fifteen-year-old is hungry for experience. In a family full of secrets, two incredible women clash over John: Mimi, the buttoned-up Aunt who raised him, and Julia, the prodigal mother. Yearning for a normal family, John escapes into the new and exciting world of rock n' roll where his fledgling genius finds a kindred spirit in the teenage Paul McCartney. Just as John begins his new life, tragedy strikes. But a resilient young man finds his voice - and an icon explodes into the world.

Click here to learn more and watch the trailer.

Wednesday, February 9 at 2 p.m. TOP SECRET ROSIES (2010) Documentary feature; Not rated; 60 minutes

In 1942 a secret US military program was launched to recruit women to the war effort. But unlike the efforts to recruit Rosie to the factory, this search targeted female mathematicians who would become human 'computers' for the Army. From the bombing of Axis Europe to the assaults on Japanese strongholds, women worked round-the-clock shifts creating ballistics tables for every weapon in the US arsenal. Rosie made the weapons, but the female computers made them accurate. When the first electronic computer (ENIAC) was developed to aid the Army's calculation efforts, six of these women were tapped to become its first programmers. While the work of these human computers proved crucial to allied victory, it also carried a moral weight - how to square the larger issue of ending a world war against the personal recognition that their mathematical computations made every Allied bomb and gun more deadly.

For more information and to watch the trailer, click here.

Wednesday, February 16 at 2 p.m. AMREEKA (2009) Rated PG-13; 96 minutes

Muna Farah, a Palestinian single mom, struggles to maintain her optimistic spirit in the daily grind of intimidating West Bank checkpoints, the constant nagging of a controlling mother, and the haunting shadows of a failed marriage. Everything changes one day when she receives a letter informing her that her family has been granted a U.S. green card.

Click here to watch the trailer.

Wednesday, February 23 at 2 p.m. YOU AGAIN (2010) Starring Betty White, Jamie Lee Curtis, Kristen Bell,and Sigourney Weaver; Rated PG; 105 minutes

          
When a young woman realizes her brother is about to marry the girl who bullied her in high school, she sets out to expose the fiancée's true colors in this comedy.

For more information and  to watch the trailer, click here.

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

Admission is free.

Showing Wednesday, January 5 at 2 p.m.

Our Wednesday Matinee Series continues into 2011 with some historical (and hysterical) fare. A remake of the 1984 film, The Karate Kid, kicks the year off, followed the next week by When Love is Not Enough, the true story of Lois Wilson, co-founder of Al-Anon. The hysteria of Dinner for Schmucks (a remake of France's 1999 comedy, The Dinner Game) lands on January 19th, and then we return to the historic, with a new DL Wednesday feature, an episode of PBS's *History Detectives. We think this will be a fun addition to our weekly Wednesday matinees.

Wednesday, January 5 at 2 p.m. - THE KARATE KID (2010) Starring Jackie Chan and Jaden Smith; Rated PG; 140 minutes

Twelve-year old Dre Parker could've been the most popular kid in Detroit, but his mother's latest career move has landed him in China. Dre immediately falls for his classmate Mei Ying, but cultural differences make such a friendship impossible. Even worse, Dre's feelings make an enemy of the class bully and kung fu prodigy, Cheng. With no friends in a strange land, Dre has nowhere to turn but maintenance man Mr. Han, who is secretly a master of kung fu. As Han teaches Dre that kung fu is not about punches and parries, but maturity and calm, Dre realizes that facing down the bullies will be the fight of his life. 

Wednesday, January 12 at 2 p.m. - WHEN LOVE IS NOT ENOUGH (2010) Starring Winona Ryder and Barry Pepper; Not rated; 98 minutes

This movie is based on the true story of the sorely-tested but ultimately enduring love between Lois Wilson, co-founder of Al-Anon, and her husband Bill Wilson, co-founder of Alcoholics Anonymous.

Wednesday, January 19 at 2 p.m. - DINNER FOR SCHMUCKS (2010) Starring Steve Carrell and Paul Rudd; Rated PG-13; 114 minutes

Tim is a guy on the verge of having it all. The only thing standing between him and total career success is finding the perfect guest to bring to his boss' annual Dinner for Extraordinary People, an event where the winner of the evening brings the most eccentric character as his guest. Enter Barry, a guy with a passion for dressing mice up in tiny outfits to recreate great works of art. This is an unforgettable feast about two unlikely friends and one very memorable dinner.

Wednesday, January 26 at 2 p.m. - HISTORY DETECTIVES (2009) Not rated; 60 minutes

America's top gumshoes are back... In this episode: A dagger that may have belonged to dictator Benito Mussolini; letters from a man who may have been part of the post-slavery exodus to Liberia; and a device that could have had something to do with nuclear attack preparedness.

*History Detectives is devoted to exploring the complexities of historical mysteries, searching out the facts, myths and conundrums that connect local folklore, family legends and interesting objects.

Traditional investigative techniques, modern technologies, and plenty of legwork are the tools the History Detectives team of experts uses to give new - and sometimes shocking - insights into our national history. (Description from PBS.com.)

For more information about each of the films, click on the images above.

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

Showing Wednesday, December 8 at 2 p.m.

Wednesday, December 1 at 2 p.m. - EAT PRAY LOVE

(2010) Starring Julia Roberts, James Franco, and Billy Crudup; Rated PG-13; 133 minutes
          
Liz Gilbert had everything a modern woman is supposed to dream of having - a husband, a house, a successful career - yet like so many others, she found herself lost, confused and searching for what she really wanted in life. Newly divorced and at a crossroads, Gilbert steps out of her comfort zone, risking everything to change her life, embarking on a journey around the world that becomes a quest for self-discovery. In her travels, she discovers the true pleasure of nourishment by eating in Italy; the power of prayer in India and finally and unexpectedly, the inner peace and balance of true love in Bali.

Wednesday, December 8 - WAKING SLEEPING BEAUTY (Pictured at left)

(2010) Documentary Feature; Rated PG; 86 minutes

By the mid-1980s, the fabled animation studios of Walt Disney had fallen on hard times. The artists were polarized between newcomers hungry to innovate and old timers not yet ready to relinquish control. These conditions produced a series of box-office flops and pessimistic forecasts: maybe the best days of animation were over. Maybe the public didn't care. Only a miracle, or a magic spell, could produce a happy ending. Waking Sleeping Beauty is no fairy tale. It's the true story of how Disney regained its magic with a staggering output of hits - Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, The Lion King, and more - over a 10-year period.

Wednesday, December 15 at 2 p.m. - INCEPTION

(2010) Starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Joseph Gordon-Levitt; Rated PG-13; 142 minutes

This sci-fi actioner travels around the globe and into the intimate and infinite world of dreams. Dom Cobb is a skilled thief, the absolute best in the dangerous art of extraction, stealing valuable secrets from deep within the subconscious during the dream state, when the mind is at its most vulnerable. Cobb's rare ability has made him a coveted player in this treacherous new world of corporate espionage, but it has also made him an international fugitive and cost him everything he has ever loved. He is offered one last job that could give him his life back but only if he can accomplish the impossible inception.

Wednesday, December 22 at 2 p.m. - WALL STREET - MONEY NEVER SLEEPS

(2010) Starring Michael Douglas, Carey Mulligan, Shia Labeouf, Josh Brolin, Susan Sarandon; Rated PG-13; 138 minutes

Following a lengthy prison term, Gordon Gekko finds himself on the outside looking in at a world he once commanded. Hoping to repair his relationship with his daughter Winnie, Gekko forges an alliance with her fiance, Jake. But Winnie and Jake learn the hard way that Gekko is still a master manipulator who will stop at nothing to reclaim his rightful place at the top of Wall Street.

Wednesday, December 29 at 2 p.m. - DESPICABLE ME

(Animated Feature) (2010) Voices by: Steve Carell, Jason Segel, Kristin Wiig; Rated PG; 95 minutes

In a happy suburban neighborhood surrounded by white picket fences sits a black house with a dead lawn. Unbeknownst to the neighbors, hidden deep beneath this home is a vast secret hideout. Surrounded by an army of tireless, little yellow minions, we discover Gru planning the biggest heist in the history of the world. He is going to steal the moon. Gru delights in all things wicked. Armed with his arsenal of shrink rays, freeze rays and battle-ready vehicles for land and air, he vanquishes all who stand in his way. Until the day he encounters the immense will of three orphaned girls who look at him and see something that no one else has ever seen: a potential Dad.

Click on the images to learn more about the films and to watch the trailers.

All films are open to the public.

Admission is free.