DVD Review - Argo (2012)

Conquering this year’s Academy Awards was Ben Affleck’s directorial masterpiece Argo. Based on the true, relatively unknown story of Tony Mendez, whose ludicrous plan to save six American citizens from a life threatening situation in Iran was only recently declassified by CIA officials allowing Mendez to finally tell his remarkable story.

In 1980, the American embassy in Iran was stormed by Iranian protesters and activists, while many US citizens were captured and held hostage in the embassy, six of them escaped and sought refuge in the home of Canadian ambassador Ken Taylor. Upon hearing of this crisis and the news of six escapees who will be hunted down by Iranians and killed, CIA agent Tony Mendez (played by Ben Affleck) devises a plan to get them back to the USA safely. However, Iranians everywhere are aware of these six people and there would be no way they could just walk onto a plane to fly home, Mendez had to think of something smarter to get the American’s back without being seen…

He comes up with the ingenious and crazy idea of staging a science fiction film shoot which involves sending six Canadians to Iran to scout for locations. Under this ruse, Tony Mendez should be able to sneak the Americans out as Canadians, but there are plenty of armed guards and officials at airport security who are keeping a watchful eye out for the American’s that escaped from the embassy.  With the prospect of a brutal execution if they are found out, you will find yourself gripping your seat during the final airport scene, but will they make it?

With John Goodman , Alan Arkin and Brian Cranston in supporting roles, offering moments of comic relief and Ben Affleck in the leading role and at the director’s helm it is really no wonder Argo was one the of best films of 2012 and won countless awards all of the country.

Why not borrow it for the half term week?

Further Reading in the Information Store:

Argo – DVD ZONE – 791.43 A

Iran – BOOK ZONE – 915.60

Iran and the Bomb – BOOK ZONE – 327.1

Come in and grab a free book!

The Information Store is launching its new Book Exchange today as part of Adult Learners Week. Come in and grab a free book from the cupboard behind the printers. Take home any book where you see the Book Exchange logo (it will be on the front or back cover). All we ask is that once you have read it, you pass it on, either to friends or family or back to us for the next person. Happy reading!

Revision, revision, revision

If you're revising, or about to start revising, read on.

We have a huge selection of revision guides available to borrow, from books that show you how to study, to books on specific subjects. Pop in and have a look at our revision display to get you started and help keep you motivated and de-stressed:

We are also putting daily revision tips on Facebook and Twitter, so spend your time wisely on these sites to help stay in touch.

Our Facebook page is https://www.facebook.com/#!/ccninformationstore

Our Twitter page is https://twitter.com/CCNInfoStore

Follow us for more hints and tips, and #ccnrevision to stay up to date.

Best of luck everyone!

DVD Review - Star Trek (2009)

This week sees in the release of one of this summer’s most highly anticipated blockbusters. That’s right, Star Trek: Into Darkness is coming.  If you’ve been watching trailers of exploding spaceships and Benedict Cumberbatch looking menacing  and have been wondering what the fuss is all about, wonder no more and borrow the first Star Trek film right here from the Information Store!

You might want to read ahead first though…

Directed by J.J. Abrams, Star Trek is a visual masterpiece with an exciting story and relatable characters. The source material is vast, so it was always going to be a decent effort at re-launching it back into the moviesphere.  The television series has been dominating screens for decades and William Shatner has always been Captain Kirk in our hearts, but Star Trek offers something new, young, fresh and exciting to a franchise that has spawned eleven films, a vast fan base of ‘Trekkies’ and been the subject of many a sci-fi related argument for years. 

Chris Pine plays our heroic James T Kirk in this reimagining and while adopting mannerisms of Shatner he stills brings some fresh, cheese free imperturbability, revitalising dusty old Kirk into a good-looking and charming hero with a few bad boy tendencies. His story begins as he is being born while his father simultaneously crashes into a mysterious time-travelling vessel searching the galaxy for Spock, we spring forwards in time to see him getting into trouble with the law and causing fights in bars. Following one such dispute, Kirk is forbidden aboard the USS Enterprise as it takes the other cadets on a mission to help a suffering planet Vulcan. However, with some quick thinking from a fellow cadet, Kirk becomes sick and manages to wangle his way onto the ship with his ‘Doctor’. He is hurtled into an intergalactic warzone full of time travel, menacing over lords and Spock’s extended family.

Eric Bana plays the villainous Nero, a Romulan who is searching the galaxy for Spock and destroying anyone and anything that gets in his way including Spocks home planet. Similar in manner to a Pirate, the Romulan style is slightly unconventional, one of the many things that J.J Abrams adapted to bring the series up to date.  Bana is the perfect hero , he is menacing, wilful and full of vengeance which culminates in a classic battle between goodies and baddies the old fashioned way.

The next film sees home grown talent Benedict Cumberbatch playing the villain, Khan, who attacks the Starfleet from the inside and brings Kirk’s world crashing down around him. So far it has received incredible reviews and is set to smash the box office this weekend as Iron Man 3 did a few weeks ago. It’s a summer of big blockbusters and with Man of Steel still to be released, I think our wallets are going to be taking a bit of a hit!

Further reading in the Information Store:

You can find STAR TREK in the DVD ZONE shelved at 791.43S

Fans, Bloggers & Gamers: Exploring Participatory Culture by Henry Jenkins is available as an e-book. Ask at the issue desk if you need any help accessing this!

Science Fiction Cinema: Between Fantasy and Reality by Christine Cornea – BOOK ZONE – Shelved at 791.436 COR

Write Your Own Science Fiction Stories by Tish Farrell – BOOK ZONE – Shelved at 808.02 FER

Celebrate World Book Night All Week!

World Book Night may be over for another year but we will be celebrating all week! The book display near the issue desk is dedicated to lots of different World Book Night books to get your teeth into, including recommendations and books from last years event!

Here's a brief selection of some of the WBN related books we have that are available to borrow:


The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
This is another book by author Robert Louis Stevenson who's novel Treasure Island was given away for this years event. The story is about a scientist, Mr. Hyde, who suffers a great misfortune when one of his experiments goes wrong and he creates a sinister alternate personality, Mr. Hyde's murderous tendancies rapidly start to take hold of the timid Dr Jekyll. As well as being a peculiar and intriguing story, it also addresses the issue of split personality disorder, a genuine psychological problem. The story of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde was recycled by Marvel and adapted into scientist Bruce Banner and his badly tempered alternate, Hulk.


Wuthering Heights
Emily Brontes classic follows the story of Heathcliff, a young boy adopted by the Earnshaw family who live in a run down old house, called Wuthering Heights. The book chronicles Heathcliff's life and focusses on his various relationships, including  with the hateful son and the love struck daughter of the Earnshaw family. It is an intense read and examines life on the moors, where there is a signifcant class divide, a very complicated love triangle (probably a hexagon actually) and where catching a cold would have been enough to kill you. A classic story endlessly studied by students, literary scholars and lovers of classic fiction.  Recommended by World Book Night for fans of Damage by Josephine Hart.


Oranges Are Not the Only Fruit
From critically acclaimed author Jeanette Winterson whose novel Why Be Happy When You Could Be Normal? is featured in this years World Book Night. This story is about a young girl called Jeanette who has been adopted into an evangelical family who have chosen for her to become a missionary. She embraces religion and manages to convert several people to God, however, a meeting with another young girl changes her life forever, when love and sex start to play an ultimate part in her future. Many have argued that this book is autobiographical, Wintertson has said herself it is and it isn't. Either way, its a fantastic story that will have you emotionally invested from start to finish!


Crossfire
Andy McNab continues the whirlwind life of ex-deinable operator Nick Stone in this installment of the series. Stone is body-guarding a TV crew on the streets of Basra when he comes face to face with a gunman. One of the reporters acts fast and saves his life, however, only a few hours later this reporter is missing and Stone is asked by the Intellegience Service to find him leading him on a deadly journey to Iraq, Kabul, Dublin and London where danger awaits him around every corner. A gripping and intense read from a former SAS Sergeant. McNab's short story Last Night Another Soldier is one of the books being given away all over the world for this years event.


The Road
Comac McCarthy's bleak novel about a father and son struggling for survival in a post-apocolyptic world was recently turned into a film starring Viggo Mortenson. The landsacpe is barron from whatever cataclysmic event has ravaged the planet and the population of Earth has dramatically plummeted. Many of the human survivors have resorted to cannibalism and the hopelessness surrounding the survival of the Father and Son acts a precursor to their potentially grim demise. A difficult yet poetic story that offers a bleak interpretation of the future of our planet from last years World Book Night event.  


These are just a handful of the amazing books on offer on the display by the issue desk, have a browse through some of the titles, there's bound to be something that will take your interest!

DVD Review: The Iron Lady (2011)

 

In light of this week’s news of the passing of Baroness Margaret Thatcher, what better opportunity to encourage borrowing the 2011 film The Iron Lady which chronicles important moments in Margaret Thatcher’s personal and political life.

It would seem since her death, the headlines and social media sites have exploded into a predicted mixture of love and loathing for the ex-Prime Minister. Before passing judgement, give it another thought and watch Meryl Streep ignite the passion, energy and devotion she had towards her beliefs and her country.

At the beginning of them film, Thatcher is an elderly woman, visiting her local shops for some milk. She’s been forgotten by society and by her family and since the passing of her husband; the last few years have been peaceful. We watch her as she clears out her late husband’s wardrobe and we become increasingly aware of her struggle with old age and dementia as she coherently talks with her husband whom she imagines is in her room with her. Various flashbacks take place, from her working in her parent’s grocery store as a teenager through her education and election as Prime Minister. Fairly, we are also reminded of the horrendous misgivings her leadership influenced, including, the miner’s strike, the Brixton riots and further conflict in the Falklands.  She is shown as a forceful figure of the government whom many disliked but others admired, as an out spoken, strong minded and imperious political leader, who, as age took its toll, lost her grip on her cabinet and was forced to retire as Prime Minister.  The film ends as she takes her husband’s clothes to the charity shop, thus saying goodbye to him and letting go of that strand of her memory she so desperately clung to.

The film received a mixed reception from critics, most of who hail Meryl Streep’s acting capabilities yet dismiss the films message and script as a failed attempt at raising political awareness.  However, in my opinion, the intentions of the film were not to paint a picture of Thatcher as a sinner or a saint yet to document her life. I agree it wasn’t done particularly well and the message falls flat. The situational element of Thatcher in her old age was obviously a ploy to pull on the heart strings and felt like a desperate attempt at making her seem remorseful, which I truly believe she never was. However, the documentation of her life is done concisely and Meryl Streep encapsulates her personality perfectly, almost encouraging one to take a sympathetic eye over her political mistakes.

It’s definitely worth a watch, if not just for Streep’s outstanding embodiment of Thatcher that is so realistic and so mesmerising it makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. She commands the role with the strength and prowess that Thatcher commanded the Houses of Parliament with, which was reason enough for her to hold the Academy Award for acting that year, and as she said at the premier "It's a look back at power from the point of view of powerlessness" a sad fact that Thatcher struggled with in later life. At the time of her death, Thatcher was just a lonely old woman. Her children weren’t interested in her, her husband had been dead for ten years and the vague and distance memories of her glory days were left echoing in the back of her mind.

Her death was always going to be celebrated by some and the majority of society won’t look back upon her time as our countries leader with fondness, it was a sorrowful time and a lot of British citizens lost their lives at the hands of her errors. What I do think she will be remembered for is her courage and relentlessness, she was a strong figure of parliament, she lead our country with her head held high and she powered through some of Britain’s darkest days in recent years.

Further Reading in the Information Store:

The Iron Lady - DVD ZONE - 791.43I

The Fall and Rise of Margaret Thatcher by Alan Watkins - BOOK ZONE - 330.941082

The Downing Street Years by Margaret Thatcher - BOOK ZONE - 330.9410858

DVD Review: Books or Films?

Film & Book Adaptations

Our Easter display is packed full of films and novels for you to devour during the holidays. Here are a random selection from the display and why they are worthy of your time.

Don’t Look Now

The film is directed by Nicholas Roeg and is based on the short story of the same name by Daphne Du Maurier, who also wrote The Birds. It is a thriller focussed around a couple whose daughter is killed in an unfortunate accident. They move to Venice where they meet two strange sisters, one of whom is convinced their daughter is trying to contact them from ‘the other side’. What ensues is a dark thriller which addresses the challenges that grief can bestow upon someone.          

The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

This magical tale comes from the great mind of C.S. Lewis and is the first in the magnificent Narnia chronicles. Having been adapted to film before back in the 70’s and as a TV series in the 80’s, it was great to see someone take the franchise on when CGI and other technologies were on the rise. Director Andrew Adamson throws audiences into the magical world of Narnia where they see their childhood imaginings of the mystical world come to life, more realistically than ever before. The story is about the evacuees Edmund, Lucy, Peter and Susan Pevensie arriving at the country house of Professor Digory Kirke who is to be their guardian until the war is over. During a game of hide and seek they stumble across a wardrobe which transports them to Narnia, a realm run by the overpowering White Witch who needs to be over thrown in order for the dreaded winter to end. It’s a great story full of talking animals and mythical creatures, both book and film will be sure to enchant you.

 The Iron Giant

The Iron Giant is a 1999 animated science fiction film based on the short story The Iron Man by Ted Hughes. The film is about a little boy called Hogarth who finds a giant, iron man who has fallen from space. He befriends the Iron Giant and tries to protect him from the US Military who want to destroy him. The story is set in 1957 when America was going through the cold war and the threat of a nuclear attack from the USSR seemed likely following the launch of Sputnik, the first satellite to orbit Earth. The Iron Giant is certainly representative of this National panic in America, however the anti-war message the film sends out, and the way in which the boy befriends the giant shows that there is a glimmer of humanity left following the war.

Lolita

The novel by Vladimir Nabokov was adapted to the screen by the legendary director Stanley Kubrick in 1967 and adapted again in 1997. However, the notable adaptation is the Kubrick one which starred James Mason as Professor Humbert Humbert and Sue Lyon as Lolita. The story is about a divorced Professor of French who moves to a small town America. He starts a relationship with his landlady and ends up marrying her with the intention of pursuing a relationship with her 14 year old daughter, Lolita whom he has fallen completely in love with. It sounds a bit sinister, but its actually a tasteful romantic drama that explores the male psyche and infatuation with youth. Comparisons can be drawn between Lolita and American Beauty, they have a similar theme and each deal with it romantically rather than sinisterly.

American Psycho

Brett Easton-Ellis is famous for writing novels about successful, young men living the high life in a big American city. American Psycho is no exception to this as the film follows the sadistic Patrick Bateman, a rich investment banker who has a psychopathic side to his personality. He fantasises about gratuitous murders and psychopathic tendencies start taking over as he spirals in to a world fuelled by sex, drugs and murder. The book is far more detailed than the film, which was largely underwhelming especially considering how phenomenal the source text was. However, heed my warning, both film have very explicit content, so perhaps read up on the both a bit more before diving right in.

Everything is Illuminated

Finally is a real gem of a book that was turned into a real treat of a film. Jonathon Safron-Foer’s Everything is Illuminated is about a young man who sets out on a mission accompanied by the local eccentric to find the woman who saved his Grandfather from a Ukrainian town that came under attack by the Nazi’s. The film and the book are both delightful stories to engage with and the combination of a chain smoking young Jewish American and an eccentric Ukrainian native on a road trip is sure to make you laugh at some point!

Have a look at the display by the issue desk for more great films and books, including Harry Potter, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Casino Royale and The Jungle Book!

World Book Night Events!

World Book Night is happening in the UK, US and Germany on the 23rd April, so why not check out their interactive map of events!

http://www.worldbooknight.org/events/events-map

This is the selection of books that people will be giving away all over the country, see any you like? Any look...familiar? Check out other people's events and see what they are giving away too!

More film reviews by Ellie!

If you love reading Ellie's regular film reviews on this blog, you'll be delighted to know that Ellie is now also reviewing films at Push Start Play.

Have a read of her review of "Robot and Frank", which is currently showing at Cinema City.

And here is a sneak peak of the film, starting with a great library scene!

The future of the book...

Book art display in the Information Store this week: 

where do you see the future of paperbacks versus ebooks?