events @ the Library: Film @ the Library Archives

MovieLine: Sunshine Cleaning

Thursday, September 3
7:00 pm
McManus Room

A single mom (Amy Adams) and her slacker sister (Emily Blunt), find an unexpected way to turn their life around in the offbeat dramatic comedy Sunshine Cleaning. (91 mins)

Teen Flix: Ferris Bueller

Monday, August 31
8:30 pm
The Levitt Pavilion

Come and enjoy the great outdoors at the annual outdoor movie series at the Levitt Pavilion! Matthew Broderick plays Ferris Bueller, a high school wise guy determined to have a day off from school, despite of what the principal thinks. (103 minutes)

Co-sponsored by the Westport Public Library, Westport Youth Commission and Toquet Hall. All evenings begin with a special short clip from the Westport Youth Film Festival.

Teen Flix: Zoolander

Monday, August 24
8:30 pm
The Levitt Pavilion

Come and enjoy the great outdoors at the annual outdoor movie series at the Levitt Pavilion! Starring Ben Stiller and Owen Wilson, Zoolander becomes an unwitting pawn in a international assassination plot as he searches for meaning in his life at the end of his fashion-modeling career. (89 minutes)

Co-sponsored by the Westport Public Library, Westport Youth Commission and Toquet Hall. All evenings begin with a special short clip from the Westport Youth Film Festival.

Sizzling Summer Film Series:
The Straight Story

Thursday, August 20
2:00 pm
McManus Room

Enjoy summer Thursdays with a cool drink, a short introduction and a film. Starrng Richard Farnsworth (History Boys) and Sissy Spacek, The Straight Story tells the true story of an elderly man who drives 300 miles through the Midwest to see his estranged and dying brother. Directed by David Lynch, it’s the antithesis of his usual bizarre films as Farnsworth's character unfolds and he meets a variety of Americans along the way, “treasures”, as Roger Ebert calls them. 1999. 111 minutes.

Sizzling Summer Film Series:
Cinema Paradiso

Thursday, August 13
2:00 pm
McManus Room

Enjoy summer Thursdays with a cool drink, a short introduction and a film. Set in a small Italian village, Cinema Paradiso has been called a “celebration of youth, friendship and the everlasting magic of the movies.” You’ll find it on any list of the “100 Best Films of All Time”. This original theatre edition won the Academy Award for best Foreign Language Film. 1989. 123 minutes.

MovieLine: The Soloist

Tuesday, August 11
7:00 pm
McManus Room

Based on the book of the same name, The Soloist tells the true story of musical prodigy Nathaniel Ayers (Jamie Foxx), who dropped out of Julliard after developing schizophrenia and became a homeless musician on the streets of Los Angeles. A disenchanted journalist (Robert Downey Jr.) sees the bedraggled Ayers one day and an unexpected quest begins. (109 mins.)

Teen Flix: Slumdog Millionaire

Monday, August 10
8:30 pm
The Levitt Pavilion

Come and enjoy the great outdoors at the annual outdoor movie series at the Levitt Pavilion! Winner of multiple Oscars, Slumdog Millionaire tells the story of a Mumbai teen who grew up in the slums and becomes a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" He is arrested under suspicion of cheating. How could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show¹s questions.(120 minutes)

Co-sponsored by the Westport Public Library, Westport Youth Commission and Toquet Hall. All evenings begin with a special short clip from the Westport Youth Film Festival.

Sizzling Summer Film Series:
The Day of the Jackal

Thursday, August 6
2:00 pm
McManus Room

Enjoy summer Thursdays with a cool drink, a short introduction and a film. In The Day of the Jackal, an assassin of uncommon intelligence, nerve and charm is followed as he attempts to target President Charles De Gaulle in the Paris of 1962. Roger Ebert calls it “one hell of an exciting movie, put together like a fine watch.” Directed by Fred Zinneman, High Noon, it’s a thriller that will keep you on the edge of your seat and stars Edward Fox. This 1973 version is not to be confused with the far more violent 1997 remake. 1973. 143 minutes.

Teen Flix: Dark Knight

Monday, August 3
8:30 pm
The Levitt Pavilion

Come and enjoy the great outdoors at the annual outdoor movie series at the Levitt Pavilion! In Oscar-winning Dark Knight, Batman (Christian Bale), Gordon and Harvey Dent are forced to deal with the chaos unleashed by an anarchist mastermind known only as the Joker (Heath Ledger), as it drives each of them to their limits. (152 minutes)

Co-sponsored by the Westport Public Library, Westport Youth Commission and Toquet Hall. All evenings begin with a special short clip from the Westport Youth Film Festival.

Sizzling Summer Film Series:
Big Night

Thursday, July 30
2:00 pm
McManus Room

Enjoy summer Thursdays with a cool drink, a short introduction and a film. Set in the Italian district of Manhattan during the 1950s, Big Night tells the story of two brothers who try to keep their restaurant going against the onslaught of fast food and has a stellar cast: Stanley Tucci, Tony Shalhoub, Alison Janney, Isabella Rossellini, Liev Schreiber and Ian Holm. Roger Ebert said it was “one of the great food films, plus so much more.” 1996. 107 minutes.

Sizzling Summer Film Series:
Mrs. Henderson Presents

Thursday, July 23
2:00 pm
McManus Room

Enjoy summer Thursdays with a cool drink, a short introduction and a film. Mrs. Henderson Presents is the story of a British widow who buys an abandoned theatre in 1942 and keeps it running throughout the blitz in a very unusual way. Starring Judi Dench and Bob Hoskins at the top of their remarkable careers, it’s hilarious at times, bitter-sweet at others, and not to be missed. 2005. 103 minutes.

Library catalog.

Dog Days of Summer: Marley & Me

Monday, July 13
1:00 pm
McManus Room

Based on the hit memoir by John Grogan, Marley & Me chronicles the relationship of John (Owen Wilson) and Jen (Jennifer Aniston) as they face the challenges of marriage, work and starting a family. By their side is their beloved dog, Marley, who can chew through drywall and got kicked out of obedience school. Although some may see Marley as the "world's worst dog," he proves to be the couple's most faithful friend. (120 minutes)

This is the first in the Dog Days of Summer. Check out the other programs on Tuesday, July 21, Thursday, July 23, Tuesday, July 28, Thursday, July 30, and Monday, August 3!

Library catalog.

MovieLine: Gran Torino

Tuesday, June 23
7:00 pm
McManus Room

Hollywood legend Clint Eastwood directs and stars in Gran Torino, his first film role since his Oscar-winning role in Million Dollar Baby. Eastwood portrays an iron-willed and inflexible Korean War vet who is forced by his immigrant Hmong neighbors to confront his long held prejudices. (116 mins)

Library catalog.

Film @ the Library: The Body of War

Wednesday, June 10
7:00 pm
McManus Room

Join Emmy award-winning media personality and executive producer Phil Donahue for a screening and discussion of The Body of War, a feature documentary about the true face of war today, a powerful indictment of the tactical politics that led to the invasion of Iraq and a heartbreaking account of one man's living with the aftermath.

MovieLine: Slumdog Millionaire

Tuesday, May 19
6:45 pm
McManus Room

Winner of multiple Oscars, Slumdog Millionaire tells the story of a Mumbai teen who grew up in the slums and becomes a contestant on the Indian version of "Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?" He is arrested under suspicion of cheating. How could a street kid know so much? Desperate to prove his innocence, Jamal tells the story of his life in the slum where he and his brother grew up. Each chapter of his story reveals the key to the answer to one of the game show's questions. (120 minutes)

FILM @THE LIBRARY: The Road Taken ... The Merritt Parkway

Monday, April 20
7:30 pm
McManus Room

Connecticut filmmaker and writer Lisa Seidenberg will be present to discuss The Road Taken …The Merritt Parkway her half-hour documentary on the tribulations of building the highway during the economic hard times of the 1930s. The film is a personal view of the Merritt, combining contemporary footage shot by Seidenberg during the year she worked on the documentary, as well as archival material dating back to the origins of the parkway. (30 mins.)

DVDs will be available for purchase.
YouTube trailer.
Photo credit N. W. Gibbons

MovieLine: Doubt

Thursday, April 16
7:00 pm
McManus Room

Based on the Pulitzer prize-winning play and nominated for five Oscars, Doubt is a story of the quest for truth, the forces of change, and the consequences of blind justice in an age defined by moral conviction. It’s 1964, St. Nicholas School in the Bronx. A charismatic priest (Phillip Seymour Hoffman) is trying to upend the school’s strict customs fiercely guarded by Sister Aloysius (Meryl Streep). When Father Flynn pays too much attention to a new student, the sister sets off on a personal crusade to unearth the truth. (104 mins)

NYT review.

MovieLine: Twilight

Wednesday, April 8
6:45 pm
McManus Room

Based on the NYT bestseller, Twilight is a megahit, a modern-day teen love story. Edward is hiding a dark secret; he just happens to be a vampire who has renounced his lifestyle but his passion for his high school Bella could open him to temptation. (122 mins)

NYT review.

Film @ the Library: Pitching Man: Satchel Paige-Defying Time

Wednesday, April 1
7:00 pm
McManus Room

Just in time for opening day of baseball season! Producer/director Craig Davidson will introduce his documentary film Pitching Man: Satchel Paige-Defying Time, on an American Legend and the single most important player in the Negro Baseball League. Serving peanuts and crackerjacks! (55 mins)

MovieLine: Vicky Christina Barcelona

Thursday, March 26
7:00 pm
McManus Room

Directed and written by Woody Allen, Vicky Cristina Barcelona charms with a marvelously well-matched cast and beautiful views of the Spanish city. Recent Oscar winner Javier Bardem, Penélope Cruz and Scarlett Johansson star in this story of two girlfriends on a summer holiday in Spain who become enamored with the same painter. (96 mins)

Review.

Film @ the Library: Refusenik

Sunday, March 15
1:30 to 4:30 pm
McManus Room

The Library and the Westport Arts Center present Refusenik, the first retrospective documentary to chronicle the thirty-year movement to free Soviet Jews, showing how a small grass roots effort bold enough to take on a Cold War superpower blossomed into an international human rights campaign that engaged the disempowered and world leaders alike. Told through the eyes of activists on both sides of the Iron Curtain —many of whom survived punishment in Soviet Gulag labor camps — the film is a tapestry of first-person accounts of heroism, sacrifice, and ultimately, liberation. (117 min) Discussion to follow led by Kyle Seaburg, a film teacher at Norwalk High School, and several of his students.

Contact Jaina Lewis at 291-4809 or jlewis@westportlibrary.org for more information.

OVERCOAT FILM SERIES: Best In Show

Thursday, February 5
2:00 pm
McManus Room

Best In Show is a hilarious “mockumentary” by Christopher Guest, with many of his familiar performers. The plot follows five dog owners who take their assorted pets to a prestigious national dog show being held in Philadelphia. The dogs are funny, but their owners are funnier still. (90 mins)

More information.

OVERCOAT FILM SERIES: The Gods Must Be Crazy

Thursday, January 29
2:00 pm
McManus Room

The Gods Must Be Crazy is the story of a Kalahari Bushman's first encounter with civilization in the form of a coke bottle. What he and his tribe think about the discovery makes for a hilarious film and one you'll be laughing at long after you see it. Winning a number of awards for its young director, it has played all over the world, ran for two years at the same theatre in California, and was probably the most memorable film to come out of South Africa when it was released in 1980. (109 mins.)

More information.

MovieLine: Mamma Mia

Tuesday, January 27
6:45 pm: Warm up with favorite songs from the movie
7:00 pm: Movie
McManus Room

Enjoy this special sing-along version of Mamma Mia. Meryl Streep leads an all-star cast in the feature-film adaptation of the beloved musical featuring the music of ABBA. An independent, single mother who owns a small hotel on an idyllic Greek island is arranging the marriage of the spirited daughter she's raised alone and invites her two lifelong best girlfriends from her one-time backing band. But her daughter has secretly invited three guests of her own. On a quest to find the identity of her father to walk her down the aisle, she brings back three men from Donna's past to the Mediterranean paradise they visited 20 years earlier. Also starring Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth. (108 mins.)

OVERCOAT FILM SERIES: The Entertainer

Thursday, January 22
2:00 pm
McManus Room

In The Entertainer, the brilliant Laurence Olivier, plays a seedy vaudevillian, reprising his huge stage success; directed by Tony Richardson. Alan Bates and Albert Finney make their movie debuts, and Joan Plowright, soon to become Ms. Olivier, is featured. (97 mins)

More information.

OVERCOAT FILM SERIES: What’s Eating Gilbert Grape?

Thursday, January 15
2:00 pm
McManus Room

What’s Eating Gilbert Grape? Directed by Lasse Hallstrom, with the young Johnny Depp and the young Leonardo Di Caprio playing brothers. A poignant story with memorable performances; DiCaprio was nominated for best supporting actor. (117 mins)

More information.

OVERCOAT FILM SERIES: Sullivan's Travels

Thursday, January 8
2:00 pm
McManus Room

Sullivan's Travels, a Hollywood classic from 1941, starring Joel McCrea and Veronica Lake. This is a brilliant satire which grows more pertinent every year. A unique achievement from the wonderful writer-director Preston Sturges.
(90 min)

More information.

MovieLine: Waitress

Tuesday, October 14
6:00 pm: reception and introduction
6:45 pm: film and discussion
McManus Room

The Library will screen Waitress, starring Keri Russell, a touching film about a cafe waitress who dreams up and bakes wondrous life-enhancing pies. Cafe life is good, but Jenna wants to escape her jealous, abusive husband by winning a pie baking contest. (108 mins.)

NYT review.
Movie site.
Co-sponsored with the Westport Domestic Violence Task Force. For the first time, Silent Witness life-size cardboard silhouettes, which powerfully depict the stories of Connecticut woman who were the victims of abuse, will be on display in Westport along with educational material.
Silent Witness program.

FILM TRIBUTE TO PAUL NEWMAN: The Sting

Friday, October 3
2:00 pm
McManus Room

See The Sting, which won a total of seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Director, and Screenplay. Reunited several years after being paired in 1969's Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Paul Newman and Robert Redford proved with The Sting, a delightful 1973 caper film, that their onscreen chemistry was, in cinematic terms, historic. The action is set during the depths of the Depression in Chicago, where small-time grifter Johnny Hooker (Redford) enlists the aid of legendary con man Henry Gondorff (Newman) to mount an elaborate "sting," targeting ruthless New York gangster Doyle Lonnegan played by Robert Shaw, who was responsible for the murder of Johnny's mentor, Luther Coleman, played by James Earl Jones. (135 mins.)

More about the film.

FILM TRIBUTE TO PAUL NEWMAN: The Color of Money

Friday, October 3
10:00 am
McManus Room

See The Color of Money, for which Newman won the Oscar for his role of pool hustler Fast Eddie Felson. Felson finds the young, promising pool player Vincent, played by Tom Cruise, in a local bar. After some hesitation, Vincent accepts and Eddie takes him and Vincent's girlfriend Carmen on a tour through the country to work the pool halls. (119 mins.)

More about the film.

FILM TRIBUTE TO PAUL NEWMAN: Hud

Thursday, October 2
2:00 pm
McManus Room

See the film Hud, inspired by a portion of Larry McMurtry's novel, Horseman Pass By. Newman, who was nominated for an Oscar for best actor, plays Hud Bannon, a young Texas rancher who lives with his cattleman father Homer, played by Melvyn Douglas, and his hero-worshipping nephew Lon. Hud is an amoral, cold-hearted creature; his father, who holds Hud responsible for the death of his other son, tries to imbue Lon with a sense of decency and responsibility to others, but Lon is devoted to Hud and isn't inclined to listen. (112 mins).

More about the film.

FILM TRIBUTE TO PAUL NEWMAN: Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid

Thursday, October 2
10:00 am
McManus Room

Enjoy Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, the most successful western ever made at the time of its 1968 theatrical release. Two of the Wild West’s most notorious outlaws were effectively whitewashed in this lighthearted romp, a box-office champion and multiple Oscar winner that marked the first teaming of superstars Paul Newman and Robert Redford. Newman stars as Butch, the quick-witted leader of Old Wyoming’s Hole-in-the-Wall Gang, while Redford portrays the Sundance Kid, a fast-draw artist who serves as Cassidy’s right-hand man but also rivals him for the affections of comely Katherine Ross. (110 mins.)

Sizzling Summer Film Series: Inside Daisy Clover

Thursday, August 28
2:00 pm
McManus Room

Enjoy summer Thursdays with a cool drink, a short introduction and a film. In Inside Daisy Clover, Christopher Plummer and Robert Redford, both with Weston homes, star in the story of a 15-year old tomboy (Natalie Wood), who becomes a Hollywood sensation. It was nominated for three Oscars and three Golden Globes: Ruth Gordon won a Globe for best supporting actress — and Redford won for "Best Newcomer." How's that for a good premonition? 1965. 128 mins.

Movie review.