Mr. Hollywood Speaks

Mr. Hollywood is back and in this edition we feature films from the late great John Hughes. Hughes passed away on August 6th, so let’s celebrate his life by checking out some of the great films that he has written and produced.

The Breakfast Club is a story of five high school students--a rebel, an athlete, a Brain, a brincess and a basketcase--who find themselves thrown together serving a Saturday morning detention. They do not have much in common, except giving up their day, sitting in the school library, and writing an essay for the principal. Then they start to pour their hearts out to each other. They talk about their fears, secrets, deepest emotions, and problems.

In Pretty in Pink , Molly Ringwald plays a poor girl who falls in love with a rich guy and must find a way to deal with her family and friends who are unhappy about it.

Bueller !!!!!!!!!! We all remember it being yelled. Ferris Bueller's Day Off chronicles the

events in the day of a rather magical 17-year-old who, one spring day towards the end of his senior year, gives into an overwhelming urge to cut school and head for downtown Chicago. This was the film that launched Matthew Broderick's career and showcased Jennifer Grey as well.

Mr. Hollywood Speaks

A great movie can transport you to another time and place, just like a great book. Here at the library we have a wide selection of period-piece films. These are just a few to whet your appetite.

Taking place in China during the 1920s, The Painted Veil follows the story of a loveless marriage between a British doctor and his adulterous wife. Out of an act of vengeance Ed Norton takes a job in disease ravaged part of rural China, where his wife, Naomi Watts, must follow.

The Oscar-winning actress Kate Blanchet plays the title role in Elizabeth. In 16th century England, the newly crowned Queen Elizabeth must endure the mounting pressures of a council of suspicious advisers, calls for an heir to the throne, and a bitter fight with the Catholic Church. Elizabeth: The Golden Age, continues the intriguing story of the Virgin Queen and her ongoing battles fought with enemies near and far.

Martin Scorsese's Gangs of New York tells a bloody tale of vengeance in 1840s New York, where the slums are run by a brutal gang of thugs. Leonardo DiCaprio plays the son of a slain Irish gang leader who must take revenge on their rival's ruthless captain, Bill the Butcher.

Immersing viewers in late 18th century England, Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice depicts a group sisters whose lives are upended when a wealthy man and his best friend come to town. Elizabeth Bennet, played by Keira Knightly, must duel with her sisters for the attention of a new suitor.

Mr. Hollywood Speaks

Spring is almost here, so why not get some spring back in your step and take advantage of all of the great exercise DVD's we have here at Riverhead Free Library!

Bellydancing has been gaining quite a following lately for exercise enthusiasts, so if you're looking to break into it have a look at Bellydance Fitness for Beginners: Slim Down. Instructors Veena and Neena Bisdasha will teach you the rhythm, movements, and benefits of bellydancing fitness.

While you are in the dancing mood, you might also be interested in Dance Fitness for Beginners: Urban Street Heat featuring dance instructor MaDonna Grimes.

If you are feeling flexible you can always give pilates a try. For those that are new to the routine, there is Pilates for Beginners. This DVD includes pre-Pilates fundamentals, a selection of three workout levels, and each routine comes with modifications for beginners. Once you've mastered the beginner's workout its time to move on to Pilates Complete for Weight Loss. Featuring a wide selection of workouts and instruction by Karen Garcia, this DVD will be perfect for those who are looking for an intense pilates session.

As this next title implies, Chubby Hubby Workout: Building a Better Husband targets older men that may have gotten a little lazy over the years. Combining stretching, aerobics, resistance, core training, and flexibility exercises, this DVD is meant to ease you back into a steady exercise routine. Be sure to keep an eye out for all of these workout programs and much more in our DVD section.

Mr. Hollywood Speaks

Laugh in the new year with these great comedy recommendations available on DVD!

First, we have Son of Rambow, an off-beat British comedy in which two school-boy buddies set out to make their own epic version of 'Rambo: First Blood'. Armed with a videocamera and their overactive immagination, pretty soon their homemade movie takes on a life of its own.

Laura Linney and Philip Seymour Hoffman star in The Savages, a black comedy about two distint siblings who come back into each others' lives to care for their ailing father. This award-winning movie comes highly praised and with plenty of levity.

You can never go wrong with a Disney Pixar movie, so check out Ratatouille, which follows the hilarious adventures of Remy, the rat with a dream to be a chef. Fleeing the French countryside, Remy ends up in a Pariasan restaurant with a chance to fufill his dream along with a little help from a bumbling low level worker.

And don't forget to check out our comedy book and movie selection on display now!

Mr. Hollywood Speaks

Looking for something otherworldly? Search no further! Here at the library we have a great collection of new and old science fiction flicks that will transport you to far away galaxies.

Starting with the not-so-ordinary, The Fountain is a smart and enthralling sci-fi story that is heartbreaking and intriguing all at once. Staring Hugh Jackman and Rachel Weisz, this story of life, death, and love spans over a thousand years.

Zathura is the quasi-sequel to Jumangi, only this time a magical board game leads to an outer-space adventure. Thrilling and comical, this family movie comes highly recommended.


Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow is a throwback film with the look and feel of vintage 1930s science fiction movies, like Metropolis and Buck Rogers. Joe "Sky Captain" Sullivan and beat reporter Polly Perkins are out to save the world from a mad scientist with city-crushing robots.

Last on the list is Tin Man, a new twist on the Wizard of Oz original, this sci-fi channel mini-series stars Zoe Daschanel as Dorthoy. The modern day update returns Dorothy back to the land of Oz and on the run from the evil sorceress Azkadellia.

Mr. Hollywood Speaks

Based on a true story... Whether its a gripping drama or an inspirational story this month's recommendations are all based on true events. With that in mind, we have a great line-up of films that are must-watches. And if you like what you see, be sure to ask at the Reference Desk for books on the same subject.

Glory Road, on DVD, is the inspiring true story of Coach Don Haskins and the Texas Western basketball team. This is the underdog story of history's first all African American lineup that went on to win the 1966 NCAA championship.

Football season is in full swing, so before the next big game check out Disney's Invincible: Inspired By a True Story on DVD. This chronicles the true story of Vince Papale, a 30-year-old part-time bartender who made it to the Philadelphia Eagles after they held open tryouts in 1976.

And finally we have the heartbreaking and riveting true story of Mariane Pearl, wife of the Daniel Pearl, the Washington Post reporter who was kidnapped and murdered by terrorists in 2002. A Mighty Heart follows Mariane's story of the desperate search for her missing husband and her courage in the face of insurmountable odds.

Mr. Hollywood Speaks

Well the back-school-days are upon us and the summer is almost at an end, but that doesn't mean you don't have time to get out of the house for a quick road trip! To help inspire your "inner-Kerouac" we think you should take a look at these fun and always entertaining road-trip movies:

Not your typical road trip movie, Motorcycle Diaries is based on the true story of the trip across South America Che Guevara took as a young medical student where he formed many of his ideas on social justice. Garnering many awards and nominations, this is one comes highly recommended.

For any wine aficionado that would like a comical trip through the wine country of northern California, we have Sideways on VHS starring Paul Giamatti and Thomas Hayden Church. One movie that may not be on your radar is The Puffy Chair, an indie comedy/drama about a New York musician who takes off on a trip to clear his mind and make amends with his father.

Last on the list, we have a handfull of classics that defined the comedy road trip genre, Bing Crosby and Bob Hope starring in the "Road to ..." series available on DVD. Just to name a couple, try to catch The Road to Bali and The Road to Zanzibar.

Mr. Hollywood Speaks

It's time once again for a trip to Hollywoodland, where we're going to take a literary twist on our recommendations: Pulitzer Prize winning adaptations! We have several Pulitzer winning books and a play that made the leap to the big screen that we think you'll really enjoy.

First on our list is The Shipping News, starring Kevin Spacey. The book, by E. Annie Proulx, won the fiction category in 1994 and was released as a motion picture in 2002. Also worth looking at is The Hours, adapted in 2003 from the book by Michael Cunningham, winner for fiction in 1999. It stars Meryl Streep, Julianne Moore, and Nicole Kidman.

Playwright David Auburn won the Pulitzer for his drama Proof in 2001. Gwyneth Paltrow and Anthony Hopkins starred in the 2005 movie adaptation of Proof about a grieving daughter and her late mathmatical genius father.

Lastly we have John Adams, just released this year on DVD. The widely acclaimed book, by David McCullough, published in 2001, won the Pulitzer for Biographies. For this seven-part mini-series, HBO enlisted Paul Giamatti to play the founding father. Remember, all of the original books recommended here can be found on our shelves!

Mr. Hollywood Speaks

Mr. Hollywood here with some recommendations to make your mouth water. The weather is warming up and the smell of barbecue is in the air, so how about checking out these cooking DVDs and books.

First up, we have BBQ Secrets: The Master Guide to Extraordinary Barbecue Cookin' on DVD. Offering you inside tips and tricks from some of the country's best BBQ cooks, this one is worth a look at if you want to master your grilling technique. When it comes to barbecuing books look no further than BBQ guru Bobby Flay, his newest title Bobby Flay's Mesa Grill cookbook : Explosive Flavors from the Southwestern Kitchen is packed full of delicious "grill-centric" recipes.

Martha Stewart can always be counted on for helpful tips and recipes for any occasion. Included in our collection of her DVD's is Martha's Summer Favorites; this 2-disc set contains plenty of recipes and tips for getting the most out of any summer outing. Also worth checking out is Martha's Guest's: Great Chefs which includes Bobby Flay, Mario Batali, Lidia Bastianich, and many others. And finally the book Cooking for a Crowd: Recipes, and Strategies for Entertaining 10 to 50 by Susan Wyler can be another great help for anyone looking to entertain.

Mr. Hollywood Speaks

Hello once again, Mr. Hollywood is back and I have some recommendations that are guaranteed to get you in the mood for Shakespeare. Now I'm sure that everyone is familiar with the standard William Skakespeare plays, like Romeo and Juliet or Hamlet, but in recent years there have been a host of not so traditional movie adaptations of his classics.

First up are two unique movies based on Shakespeare's King Lear play: a Japanese samurai classic, Akira Kurosawa's Ran on VHS, and King of Texas, starring Patrick Stewart and Marcia Gay Harden on DVD.

For a lighthearted take on Shakespeare's original Taming of the Shrew, there's 10 Things I Hate About You, a present-day version with Julia Stiles and Heath Ledger. Or, how about seeing Al Pacino in the Merchant of Venice?

You can find all of these titles, as well as other Shakespeare plays or movies on display for the month of April at the library.

Mr. Hollywood Speaks

Hello everyone! Mr. Hollywood is back with some more book and movie recommendations. With the 2008 Academy Awards just over, we have a few books that can give you some behind-the-scenes insight into how Oscars work. Offering a revealing look at the history, politics, and economics of the Academy Awards, The Big Show : High Times and Dirty Dealings Backstage at the Academy Awards by Steve Pond could be just what you're looking for. The author provides a rarely seen glimpse at whats not being shown on Oscar night.

Accompanying all of this Oscar talk, you might be interested in checking out last year's best picture winner and nomonies, such as: The Departed, Letters from Iwo Jima, Babel, Little Miss Sunshine, and The Queen. Also, if you see that these movies are out, as they are still popular, don't be afraid to stop by the reference desk so we can put them on hold for you. Look for this year's winners at the Library as soon as they're out on DVD.

Mr. Hollywood Speaks

So, I bet you'd like to know who this Mr. Hollywood guy is, and what he has to say? Well, I'll be posting special movie recommendations and related books that I think everyone would enjoy. Please let me know if you have anything you would like to see on here. In honor of Black History Month, you might be interested in checking out these movies and books:

Toni Morrison's acclaimed novel and movie adaptation Beloved is set shortly after the Civil War. Sethe, a newly freed slave, is haunted not only by her terrible past, but also by a nameless child apparition somehow connected to her.

Here's something for those of you looking for a good non-fiction DVD: The Rosa Parks Story, starring Angela Bassett, chronicles the historic events of Rosa Parks' life and the fight for African American civil rights. Also worth checking out are the books Rosa Parks : My Story by Rosa Parks and Jim Haskins, as well as Quiet strength: The Faith, the Hope, and the Heart of a Woman Who Changed a Nation by Rosa Parks with Gregory J. Reed.