Coming soon!

By the time February rolls around, I am so tired of winter. I don't care what the groundhog has to say - one more day of winter is too much, as far as I'm concerned. So, I like to think of February as a short sprint toward spring. Luckily, we have lots to keep our minds busy as we careen wildly toward winter's finish line. Throughout the month, as usual, we'll have the "latest" and the "biggest" DVD releases arriving, but we're also expecting some of the best in weirdness (see Pezheads, at left), wonder, and wow. Please take a few moments and poke the antennas out from inside those cozy winter cocoons -  here are some of the DVDs that will arrive soon that are probably not on your radar. 

So, now that we've taken care of the unexpected, here are a few of the movies that we know you've been expecting:

February.

Stay warm.

Enjoy.

Watch time fly.
  

Every so often, a young athlete's story is so outstanding that he (or she) starts garnering national attention...like when LeBron James landed on Sports Illustrated's cover as a high school junior back in 2002, labeled as "The Chosen One." Eight years later, he is the premiere superstar in the NBA, but nearly a decade ago in Akron, Ohio, he and four other players comprised what may have been the best high school basketball team of all time.

More Than a Game documents this team and the way each of the five players learns to depend on the others and grow on court and off, including footage all the way back to their junior high years, friendships and tensions, controversy, setbacks, and achievement together. We all know what happened to LeBron, but who were the other four guys who helped him become a household name before he was old enough to vote?

A little more slick than Hoop Dreams, a lot more involving than re-created films "based on the true story," filmmaker Kristopher Belman took a chance when he started documenting the Akron team in 2001 -- there was no way of knowing that the story would be worth telling. Here we have the early days of a future Hall of Famer, the coming of age of five young men, and a compelling piece on sports and high school basketball in our modern culture -- a three pointer!

Coming January 26th!

Michael Jackson's This Is It  is everything you hope it will be AND an excellent example of documentary filmmaking. This film takes the viewer behind-the-scenes during rehearsals for Jackson's sold-out London concerts. And that's exactly what it feels like...that you were somehow allowed backstage. Hard work. Professionalism. Talent. Endurance. Dedication. Excellence. (Did I say talent???) These are the elements that came through loud and clear...the sparkles that remain. This was one of my favorite films from 2009. That said, and though the documentary is stellar and (almost) subtle in its spectacle, this is not, by any means IT for the month of January. As you've come to expect, we are expecting a mix of features, indies, and foreign films to arrive throughout the month. 

 During the month of January, you will visit 19th Century England (Bright Star), a world where people only speak the truth (The Invention of Lying), and present-day Iraq (The Hurt Locker).

You will encounter "the world's biggest New York Giants fan (Big Fan), robotic surrogates (Surrogates), and a Japanese concert cellist turned funeral professional who prepares deceased bodies for burial and entry into the next life (Departures).  

Visits to an Indian boarding school (Like Stars on Earth), the roller derby (Whip It), and even the moon (Moon) complete our January adventures.

We've put a lot of thought into this jolly endeavor and are well-prepared with suggestions! (We are in agreement that most of us know someone who would LOVE the new Agassi book, OPEN. You probably will, too.)

A couple of weeks ago, we hosted Holiday Helpers, a very special edtion of our popular Meet Us on Main Street  program. Darien Library staff members talked about their best gift-ideas. Here are just a few of our ideas; click below for the entire list.

What follows are even more gift selection suggestions for adults and teens (young adults). For a complete list of the suggested books for children, click here.

For even more ideas, check out these "Best of 2009" lists.

Happy shopping! Happy Holidays!