DVD Review: Black Swan (2010)

The theme in the Information Store for the last couple of weeks has been around looking great and feeling great, so the DVD review for this week is Black Swan a psychological thriller/horror addressing the themes of deteriorating mental and physical health.  Directed by Darren Aranofsky and starring Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis, this film will be sure to raise even the most reluctant hairs on the back of your neck.

Nina (Portman) is a professional ballet dancer who is desperate to be cast as the White Swan in her dance group’s latest production of Swan Lake. She is the perfect ballerina. She’s disciplined, elegant, pure and beautiful and encompasses everything the White Swan represents. Her problem is portraying the White Swan’s darker counterpart – the Black Swan.  Her innocence and purity makes it impossible for her to unlock her inner darkness so she can ‘become’ the Black Swan. She lives and breathes ballet and the production’s director, Thomas (Vincent Cassell), refuses to give her the role of the Swan if she cannot become the White and Black Swan equally. Lily (Kunis) is a new ballerina and she is everything Nina is not. She is dark, edgy and dangerous as well as an outstanding ballerina and her jealousy and rivalry becomes more intensified as she loses grip on reality and slips into the darkness she so desperately desires.  



Natalie Portman as Nina

As well as having a captivating story, Black Swan uses various thematic devices to evoke fear in the audience, Aranofsky’s use of mirrors is especially interesting as he uses this to portray the war Nina is having with her own personality.  Her body and mind starts dissolving and descending into madness as obsession and desire overtakes everything else. As she welcomes the darkness into her life, it quickly takes hold of her soul, wrapping her in the blackened wings of the swan she is so desperate to become.

The music, choreography and skill of the performance itself is breath taking and will have you firmly glued to your seat, it’s as intense as it is terrifying and the performances from Portman, Kunis and Cassell exceeds the brilliance of the direction.

Not for the faint hearted but perfect for those who fancy something a bit different and a bit challenging.

Black Swan is shelved in the DVD ZONE at 791.43 B

Top 5 Books for Feeling Great!

In the Information Store this week we are displaying 'Feel Good Books' a display of resources designed to equip with the best knowledge we can offer on how to secure healthy emotional wellbeing.

Food for Fitness by Anita Bean

This book provides a plethora of information on the best foods to eat while trying to get fit. There are useful chapters on how to replace certain foods and still maintaining a balanced diet as well as information on the best foods to eat for certain kinds of exercise. There are also some excellent recipes to try at home!

Shelved at 613.2 BEA

Get up and do it! by B & J Colclough

This excellent self help books will help you achieve your goals by following some simple steps. It covers motivation, beliving in yourself, making plans and overcoming difficulties. It also addresses how to stay focussed and how to finish and achieve your goals.

Shelved at 361.06 COL

The Massage Manual by Fiona Harrold
This book provides step by step techniques for complete body treatment. The introductory chapters provide useful tips on preparations for massage including information on oils as well as covering the basi strokes. The rest of the book focuses on different areas of the body providing easy to follow images for safe massage practice.
Shelved at: 615.822HAR



So You Think You're Mad? by Paul Hewitt
This book breaks down the steps to mental health in an honest, practical and easy to follow way. It then offers a review of the seven steps as they are all completed. He addresses recognising and identifying the problem, accepting the problem, tolerating and overcoming the problem as well as information on self esteem and motivation.
Shelved at 362.2HEW

Girls' Guide to Feeling Fabulous by Barbara Sheen
This book coveres everything from healthy eating and fitness to setting and achieving realistic goals. It also provides useful information on sleep and the female body. With excellent factfiles, checklists and quizzes to help you learn, the colourful and informative book provides girls with all the information they need for healthy living.
Shelved at 613.0424SHE



Further Reading in the Information Store:

Check out our display of Feel Good Books by the Information Store issue desk. There are books on stress, happiness, yoga, fitness, healthy eating, feeling happy, anxiety, love and massages as well as a few sneaky DVD's to make you laugh!

On this Day: The Assassination of John F. Kennedy

On this day, November 22^nd 1963, President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. He was shot three times; once in the neck, once in the back and the fatal shot was to his head.  He was on his way to resolving some conflicts in the Democratic party and while riding in the Presidential limousine he was murdered.  The suspected assassin, Lee Harvey Oswold, was originally arrested for killing a local police office on the same day as the Kennedy assassination. Detectives concluded that he was the lone assassin and arrested him for the crime. However, before he could be trialed and charged he was murdered by Jack Ruby two days after the Kennedy assassination. This has led many people to believe that the assassination of John F Kennedy is part of massive conspiracy as Oswold denied killing anyone and an actual trial never occurred.

During JFK’s Presidency, some of the world most historic events occurred, including the Cuban Missile Crisis, the initiation of the Apollo programme, the early stages of the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement and the construction of the Berlin Wall.  He served in the US Army between 1941 and 1945 as a Lieutenant and was on active duty through the Second World War.  Upon his election as President in 1961, he was the youngest man to ever preside over the United Sates. He preceded President Dwight Eisenhower and was succeeded by President Lyndon B Johnson.

The conspiracy surrounding the assassination of JFK stems from the inconsistencies in the case against Lee Harvey Oswold as the gunman. However, in a recent poll by Fox News, 66% of Americans believe there was a conspiracy to murder President Kennedy, while 74% believe it be a cover up. The main conspiracy being that there were two gunmen. Some conspiracy theorists and dedicated researchers of the case write how witnesses to the murder were threatened by FBI agents not to reveal what they had observed on the day, one such witness a colleague of Oswold’s at the Texas Book Repository. According to further investigations, many of the witnesses of the crime conveniently died shortly after the threats from the FBI and, according to some theorists, were murdered to prevent them uncovering what they knew about the crime.

USA Today cites 6 different conspiracy theories which point to specific organisations or individuals as being behind the murder. They include the CIA, the Mafia and the Soviets as well as Vice President Lyndon Johnson and as mentioned above the two shooters theory. Some more far out conspiracies include aliens and a mysterious man with an umbrella, although these have largely been debunked.

There are many theories associated with the JFK assassination and whether or not Lee Harvey Oswold was solely responsible will remain a complete mystery. Investigation and theories are always bubbling under the surface but the truth may always be kept a secret.

Further Reading in the Information Store

JFK: The Making of a Modern President – Book Zone – Shelved at 973.922

Apollo: Race to the Moon – Book Zone – Shelved at 629.45

The Moon Landing – Book Zone – Shelved at 520

The Vietnam War – Book Zone – Shelved at 959.7043

The Berlin Wall – Book Zone – Shelved at 943.086

The Civil Rights Movement – Book Zone – Shelved at 363

The Information Store's Top 5 Spookfests!

Rather than frightening you all with one horror film this year, we thought we would give you FIVE of our spookiest films  to chill you to your bones.
 

Ghostface in Scream

5. SCREAM (1996)

So strictly speaking, Scream is more of the horror spoof genre than an actual horror, but it is still packed with enough jumps, blood and gore to warrant a spot in our list. Scream has one of horror’s greatest opening sequences as a young girl is harassed on the phone by the murderous ‘Ghostface’ who murders her boyfriend and mutilates her in her own back garden.  Word gets around the school and young Sydney, a student, is reminded of her awful past and her mother’s brutal murder. However, it becomes clear that Ghostface’s intentions are to bring about a swift end to Sydney’s life as her friends are gut wrenchingly murdered one by one, will she be able to uncover the person beneath the mask?
 

Starring Neve Campbell, David Arquette & Courtney Cox

Best line: “Movies don't create psychos. Movies make psychos more creative!” – Billy



The Headless Horseman in Sleepy Hollow

4. SLEEPY HOLLOW (1999)
A genuine horror film this time, as creepy as the name suggests and sure enough to raise the hairs on your spine at least once. Ichabod Crane, played by Johnny Depp, is sent to the small village of Sleepy Hollow to investigate three beheadings, the culprit of which is the legendary Headless Horseman who haunts the nearby forest.  With the body count rising as the Horseman continues to massacre the village inhabitants, time is running out for Crane, who fears he could be next. With romance, comedy, peril, danger, mystery, magic and horror it’s a Halloween classic!

 Starring Johnny Depp, Christina Ricci and Christopher Walken

 

Best line: “Villainy wears many masks, none of which so dangerous as virtue...” – Ichabod Crane

The Biker Gang of Vampires in The Lost Boys

3. THE LOST BOYS (1987)

Again, like Scream, we have wandered into Comedy/Horror territory with our third place film. However, The Lost Boys is the perfect mixture of genuinely scary and subtly funny. It’s a cult classic about a gang of vampires who terrorise a small town in California. A series of unexplained deaths and strange goings on lead two of the towns newest inhabitants, two brothers to investigate further. One befriends a pair of so-called ‘vampire hunters’ and the other joins a biker gang who sleep all day and party all night…will they manage to uncover the towns gory secret? As scary as it is funny and gruesome enough to turn your stomach, this is the perfect example of how a vampire movie should be.

Starring Corey Haim, Keifer Sutherland and Corey Feldman

Best line: “What, you don't like rice? Tell me Michael, how could a billion Chinese people be wrong?” - David

Stabbing its way into second place:

Norman Bates in Psycho

2. PSYCHO (1960)

Last year’s blog entry for Halloween was all about Alfred Hitchcock’s creepy, suspenseful and terrifying Psycho so I won’t go in to too much detail.  Norman Bates is the owner of the secluded Bates Motel which is visited by a woman on the run. The heavy rain forces her to pull in and she famously meets her end while showering in her room. The mystery unravels in pure Hitchcockian style as more people fall to the same fate, but who is wielding the dreaded knife? From ‘The Master of Suspense’ Psycho is a classic horror movie with a gasp-inducing final twist.

Starring Janet Leigh and Anthony Perkins

Best line: “We all go a little mad sometimes” – Norman

Screaming into first place is:

A terrified Wendy in The Shining

1. THE SHINING (1980)
Based on Stephen Kings legendary novel of the same name, Stanley Kubrick took a classic text and turned it into something else, something more twisted, creepy and frightening than King could have predicted.  The Shining is a terrifying, psychological story of a family who offer to take care of The Overlook Hotel during the winter months when the road to it is closed off and the hotel is void of any guests. Jack and Wendy Torrance along with their strange son Danny travel up there for a peaceful, secluded winter in the mountains, but little do they know, the hotel has other ideas. Plagued with the terrifying memories, the hotel unleashes hell upon Jack and Danny who both receive strange visions and meet apparitions of it’s former inhabitants. The hotel takes a hold of Jack and he spirals into madness taking an unexpecting Wendy with him.  By far, my all-time favourite horror movie, it will stay with you for days.  What’s REDRUM backwards?

Starring Jack Nicholson, Shelley Duvall and Scatman Carruthers

Best line: “Redrum. Redrum. REDRUM!” – Danny Torrance
 

Further Reading the Information Store:

Come and see our HALLOWEEN display of books and DVD's. Its packed full of scary films, horror novels, books about ghosts, witches and hauntings! Plenty to scare you silly this Halloween!

DVD Review: Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl (2003)

This week in the Information Store we are displaying various resources to do with dyslexia and celebrating the work of some very famous and successful people who have dyslexia. Orlando Bloom and Keira Knightley both suffer with dyslexia but have had very successful acting careers and starred together in this week’s DVD review Pirates of the Caribbean: Curse of the Black Pearl!

Since the released of the first instalment of the Pirates of the Caribbean series in 2003 there have been three more films and a fifth to be released in 2016. It’s become a massive franchise and although the subsequent films have been increasingly poorly received, the immense popularity of the characters, especially Captain Jack Sparrow, played by Johnny Depp is undeniable.  

The story goes a little something like this. Elizabeth Swann (Knightley) the daughter of a Governer is kidnapped by Captain Barbosa, of the Black Pearl ship as he needs her piece of Aztec gold and her blood to lift the curse set upon his currently un dead crew. Jack Sparrow (Captain) was marooned on an island by the same crew after Barbosa lead a mutiny against him. He meets a young Will Turner, who is head over heels in love with Elizabeth Swann and he and Jack team up to save her and to help Jack become Captain of his ship once more. Will young Mr Turner be able to save his true love from being sacrificed? Will Jack Sparrow be able to stop drinking rum long enough to overthrow Barbosa and regain control of his ship? The Curse of the Black Pearl is a fast paced, swashbuckling adventure full of sword fights, swagger, rum, romance and of course, pirates!

Johnny Depp’s portrayal of Captain Jack Sparrow is the main contributor to the film’s success. His appearance oozes cool and his mannerisms resemble those of a drunk Londoner as he very camply staggers around looking for his ship. The funniest lines in the film come from Jack and he is the perfect anti-hero to the clean cut, good boy Will Turner. All Jack cares about is his ship and drinking rum, he makes himself out to be this magnificent pirate, but in actual fact he is just a lazy drunk. He is very entertaining to watch and Depp carries the film throughout. Elizabeth Swann and Will Turner provide a heart-warming side to the adventure and the romance comes from their time on screen together. Will Turner looks like a Disney Prince and is ever girls dream hero,  when he scoops the vulnerable and beautiful Elizabeth up in his arms he simultaneously creates a chorus of ‘Awhhh’ from all the women in the room.  

It’s a great adventure film and an entertaining watch from start to finish. Knightley and Bloom are great, but it is Johnny Depp who really steals the show. Why not have a look at our display and find out which other famous people have dyslexia? For instance, did you know, the genius scientist Albert Einstein was dyslexic?

Further Reading in the Information Store:

Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl Directed by Gore Verbinski – DVD ZONE – 791.43 P

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest Directed by Gore Verbinski – DVD ZONE – 791.43 P

Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End Directed by Gore Verbinksi – DVD ZONE – 791.43 P

The display by the desk also has loads of great books about dyslexia, why not come and have a look?

Oo, arr me hearties!
 

DVD Review: To Kill a Mockingbird (1962)

 

October is Black History Month and Harper Lee’s classic novel To Kill a Mockingbird is often celebrated at a pillar of Black History literature. It seems only apt, to then for this week’s DVD review to write about the 1962 film adaptation by Robert Mulligan.

Thankfully the film follows the storyline in the novel very closely and the film takes place almost entirely in a court room. The film is show through the eyes of Scout, the daughter of Lawyer Atticus Finch, who lives in the American state of Alabama. Scout and her brother Jem develop a fascination with their mysterious neighbour known as Boo Radley who lives a life of solitude. They often find gifts in a nearby tree and spend their summer afternoon’s spying on him from afar. The era in which the story takes place in the era of the Great Depression and Harper Lee wrote it at the beginning of the Civil Rights Movement. Up until which, Black people had a tremendously hard time at being accepted by society.  Atticus is assigned the case of Tom Robinson, a black man accused of raping a white girl. Atticus, believing that everyone should be treated equally takes on the case and works hard at defending Tom Robinson.  Scout and Jem end up getting bullied at school for their father’s decision and they soon become aware of the racism and evil in the people of their town.

When the accused is ‘murdered’ during transportation to prison, the father of the young girl who was raped attacks Scout on her way home from a Halloween party at her school. Boo Radley, now a friend to young Scout takes matters silently into his own hands, how far will he go to protect the young girl and to help Atticus?

To Kill a Mockingbird is a ground breaking representation of racism in the Southern states of America during the late 1920’s/early 1930’s and is widely celebrated by all ethnicities and backgrounds all over the world. Harper Lee has confessed that in palces the story is semi-autobiographical having observed similar situations during her childhood, growing up in Alabama. The film, starring Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch was very well received by critics upon it’s released and hailed as a masterpiece, winning three Academy Awards and three Golden Globes. Gregory Peck has often declared how lucky he was to be cast in such a defining role.

Borrow it today from the Information Store and immerse yourself in an outstanding, gripping and heart-warming story. You could borrow the book as well!

 

Further Reading in the Information Store:

To Kill a Mockingbird (DVD & Novel) - BOOK ZONE - 823.91 LEE

Independence & Equality by Elizabeth Cregan - BOOK ZONE - 323.4 CRE

Building the Future by Elizabeth Cregan - BOOK ZONE - 305.8 CRE 

Think Pink in the Information Store this week

We've gone all the pink this week, come and have a look at what's on offer....

Information Store @ Norfolk House closed over half term

Please note that the library at Norfolk House will be closed over half term (w/c 28th October) for maintenance work.

The Information Store at the Ipswich Road campus will be open throughout half term (Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm), with librarians available to help with any queries.

We also run a book delivery service if there are books / resources at the main campus that you would like delivering to Norfolk House ahead of half term. Simply email tis@ccn.ac.uk with the details of your request and your student number.

DVD Review: My Neighbour Totoro (1988)

 

The theme around the Information Store display this week is Manga and Anime! There are a wide range of books about how to draw in a manga style, the history of manga and loads of manga books and films. Among them is the critically acclaimed anime film My Neighbour Totoro made by Hayao Miyazaki in 1988. A common theme amongst anime films by Miyazaki is the fantastical and his films often involve strange, mysterious creatures of myth. Totoro is no exception to this, he has the ears of a rabbit, staring eyes and a great round body which resembles that of a penguin.

The story is simply that a father and his two young daughters Satsuki and Mei move to a new house to be closer to their mother who is recovering from a long illness in hospital. One day, while playing the garden, Mei sees two ears sticking up from the grass, she follows them to a large mystical creature who identifies himself as Totoro, living in the hollow of a camphor tree. She falls asleep on Totoro and when she wakes up again he has gone.  She tries to explain her discovery to her father and sister, and to comfort young Mei, her father tells her he is the ‘Keeper of the Forest’ and will make himself known to her when he is ready. As Mei and Satsuki wait for their fathers bus one stormy night, they become worried when it doesn't arrive. Totoro appears to both of the girls with only a leaf sheltering him from the rain. Satsuki, seeing him for the first time, offers him her umbrella. In return, he gives the girls a bundle of nuts and seeds and disappears on a bus shaped like a cat – I told you Miyazaki was good at creating fantastical creatures! Shortly after the cat bus slinks away, their fathers bus arrives.

The girls plant the seeds and Totoro and his companions appear to be doing a ceremonial dance around them, the seeds start to sprout. A few days later, a planned visit to their mother in hospital gets cancelled, angry and upset, Mei walks to hospital herself to bring her mother some fresh corn. Satsuki, thinking Mei has disappeared runs to the camphor tree and pleads with Totoro to help her find her sister who takes her on the cat bus to Mei who is sitting on a bench. The two return home and learn that their mother is fine and will be coming home to them soon. The film ends as the two girls, Totoro and his two companions play in the garden. 

 

The animation of My Neighbour Totoro is what brings this innocent and simple story to life as the mystical creatures are filled with life and the film swirls in beautiful colours, emotions and images that make it all the more fantastical. It’s a beautiful masterpiece which addresses the innocence and grace of childhood perfectly, igniting a flame in the coldest hearts and whisking you away for 83 minutes of pure escapism.

I have found, however, that anime is not to everyone’s taste. It’s a very different type of animation that us Westerners are used to, the drawings and expression are very unique, the use of colour and emotion is important and very defining to its style. To put it simply, it’s a million miles away from Disney and Pixar animation!

Highly praised by critics and audiences world wide, My Neighbour Totoro is the perfect introduction to anime, and the reigning king of anime Hayao Miyazaki. Keep an eye out for other Studio Ghibli films like Kiki's Delivery Service, Castle in the Sky, Howls Moving Castle and The Cat Returns – all of which are available to borrow! For free! 

Further Reading in the Information Store

MANGA: Learn to Draw by Jeannie Lee - BOOK ZONE - 741.2 LEE

The Rough Guide to Manga by Jason Jadao - BOOK ZONE - 741.5 JAD

Manga Mania: VILLAINS by Christopher Hart - BOOK ZONE - 741.5 HAR

DVD Review: Juno (2007)

Seeing as the Wellbeing Zone have dedicated their display to sexual health I thought I would address the problem of unsafe sex in this week’s DVD review. Pregnancy is a pretty huge, life changing consequence of unsafe sex, as young Juno MacGuff found out when she made the bold step to lose her virginity to best friend Paulie Bleaker. 

This quirky American comedy first hit cinema screens back in 2007 and writer Diablo Cody scooped the Oscar that year for her wonderfully colloquial screenplay.  We are first introduced to Juno as she is buying a pregnancy test and learning she is pregnant. As we can see already, Juno is not the most conventional of 16 year old girls, she has a bold confidence and very off-beat manner that you would more likely see in an adult man. Juno, accompanied with best friend Leah – an attractive cheerleader type with a penchant for older man – decide to break the news to Juno’s father and step mother. Who, while disappointed in her, are supportive at her decision to have the baby and give it up for adoption.  Juno and Leah hunt through the personal ads and find a couple, Mark and Vanessa Loring, with whom she makes a legal agreement with that they can have her baby when she has it.  That’s the baby problem solved, now what about the father? Paulie Bleeker is a sweet, kind young boy who wholly supports Juno’s decision to give the baby to The Lorings. Bleeker and Juno are best friends, turned couple, who’s unconventional relationship takes a dramatic turn when Paulie asks another girl to go to prom with him. Juno, without saying so, is clearly very heart broken by this and struggles to deal with her ever increasing size and the staring students in the school corridors.
 

She finds an unlikely friend in Mark Loring, future adoptive father to the little foetus, who writes music for commercials. They two end up spending the day together when Juno visits them with a picture from her first sonogram. Vanessa is at work, so they listen to music, talk about music and watch old, gory horror movies together while debating the genius of Herschell Gordon Lewis. Juno gets into the habit quite quickly of spending her days with Mark, which to her is a perfectly normal thing to do and she thinks nothing of it, however, it becomes clear that Mark is seeing it as something more. Juno’s whole world starts crumbling all around her just as her waters break and she is left facing a very difficult decision that could dramatically change her life forever.

Juno is perfectly played by Ellen Page who is accompanied by a whole host of great actors. Michael Cera plays the naïve Paulie Bleeker and Olivia Thirlby plays best pal Leah. With the help of J.K Simmons and Allison Janney as Juno’s parents and Jennifer Garner and Jason Bateman as The Lorings, its not wonder this film was such a great success.

Director Jason Reitman, whose feature film career was kicked off with Thankyou For Not Smoking in 2005 sky rocketed after the release of Juno and he went on to make more indie films including Up in the Air starring George Clooney and Anna Kendrick and Young Adult starring Charlize Theron.  Pairing up with Diablo Cody at the helm of the screenplay, the successes the film received were well and truly deserving of the talent that was the driving force behind it.

Perfect acting, masterful direction and triumphant writing all topped off with a strong soundtrack makes Juno a must watch for all young adults! 

 

Further Reading in the Information Store:

Juno - DVD ZONE - 791.43 J

Juno: The Orginal Motion Picture Soundtrack - MUSIC CD - Soundtrack J

It Happened to Me: Teenage Pregnancy by Suzie Hayman - BOOK ZONE - 305.23 HAY

Great Answers to Difficult Questions About Adoption by Fanny Cohen Herlem - BOOK ZONE - 362.734 HER