New in DVD

Blinded by the Light

Drama PG-13

Javed, a British teen of Pakistani descent, is growing up in England in 1987. Amidst the racial and economic turmoil of the times, he writes poetry as a means to escape the intolerance of his hometown and the inflexibility of his traditional father. But when he is introduced to the music of ‘the Boss,’ Javed sees parallels to his working-class life in Springsteen’s powerful lyrics.

Dora and the Lost City of Gold

Action PG

Having spent most of her life exploring the jungle with her parents, nothing could prepare Dora for her biggest challenge yet: high school. When her parents mysteriously disappear while searching for the Lost City of Gold, Dora must swing into action and lead a group of ill-equipped high schoolers on a quest to save them. It is a high-stakes mission as Dora and her new friends navigate the jungle, outrun treasure hunters, and solve ancient puzzles to unlock the mystery of the fabled city.

Ophelia

Drama PG-13

One of the world’s greatest dramas is turned on its head through a bold and new perspective. Set in medieval Denmark and spoken in a modern tongue, it recalibrates the classic Shakespearean tragedy of Hamlet so that its unspoken, complex heroine may share her own story. As a rebellious and motherless child, Ophelia is taken into Elsinore Castle by Queen Gertrude as one of her most trusted ladies-in-waiting. Soon enough, Ophelia captures the affections of the young Prince Hamlet.

-posted by Ralph, Media Services

New in DVD

Brian Banks

Drama PG-13

The inspirational true story of an All-American high school football star committed to USC who finds his life upended when he is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit. Despite a lack of evidence, Banks is railroaded through a broken justice system and sentenced to a decade of prison and probation. Years later, with the support of Justin Brooks and the California Innocence Project, Banks fights to reclaim his life and fulfill his dreams of playing in the NFL.

Good Boys

Comedy PG-13

After being invited to his first kissing party, twelve-year-old Max is panicking because he doesn’t know how to kiss. Eager for some pointers, Max and his best friends Thor and Lucas decide to use Max’s dad’s drone to spy on a teenage couple making out next door. But when things go ridiculously wrong, the drone is destroyed. Desperate to replace it before Max’s dad gets home, the boys skip school and set off on an odyssey of epically bad decisions.

The Peanut Butter Falcon

Drama PG-13

An adventure story set in the world of a modern Mark Twain that begins when Zak, a young man with Down syndrome, runs away from a nursing home where he lives to chase his dream of becoming a professional wrestler and attending the wrestling school of the Salt Water Redneck. Through circumstances beyond their control, Tyler, a small-time outlaw on the run, becomes Zak’s unlikely coach and ally.

Tel Aviv on Fire

Foreign NR

Salam is an amateurish young Palestinian man who becomes a writer on a popular soap opera after a fortuitous meeting with an Israeli soldier. His artistic career is on the rise until the soldier and the show’s financial sponsors disagree about how the show should end, and Salam gets caught in the middle.

-posted by Ralph, Media Services

New in DVD

The Art of Racing in the Rain

Drama R

Through his bond with his owner, aspiring Formula One race car driver Denny, golden retriever Enzo learns that the techniques needed on the racetrack can also be used to successfully navigate the journey of life.

Corporate Animals

Comedy R

CEO Lucy takes her staff on corporate team building in some underground desert caves in New Mexico. They get stuck there.

Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw

Action PG-13

Lawman Luke Hobbs and outcast Deckard Shaw form an unlikely alliance when a cyber-genetically enhanced villain threatens the future of humanity.

Jirga

Foreign NR

Former Australian soldier, Mike Wheeler, returns to Afghanistan, seeking redemption from the family of a civilian man he killed during the war.

Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark

Horror PG-13

On Halloween 1968, reclusive Stella and her two friends meet a mysterious drifter, Ramón, and uncover a sinister notebook of stories.

The Wedding Guest

Drama R

When a bride-to-be is kidnapped by a wedding guest, she willingly goes with her kidnapper in order to escape an arranged marriage and reunite with her boyfriend.

Upcoming Books-to-Films

If you like to read the book before you see the movie, here are five books whose film adaptations will be coming out during these next few months. All titles are available at the Syosset Public Library.

Motherless Brooklyn by Jonathan Lethem

Film premieres November 1 and stars Edward Norton, Gugu Mbata-Raw and Alec Baldwin.

Lionel Essrog has always respected Frank Minna, who helped him out when he was young, and when Frank is found dead, Lionel and his friends, the Minna Men, scour the streets of Brooklyn in search of the killer.

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King

Film premieres on November 8 and stars Rebecca Ferguson, Ewan MacGregor and Carel Struycken.

The now middle-aged Dan Torrance (the boy protagonist of The Shining) must save a very special twelve-year-old girl from a tribe of murderous paranormals.

The Good Liar by Nicholas Searle

Film premieres on November 15  and stars Helen Mirren and Ian McKellen.

When he meets Betty, a wealthy widow, online, veteran con artist Roy, believing her to be an easy mark, sets in motion a scheme he believes will be a success, but there is reckoning to be made when the endgame of Roy’s crooked plot plays out, in this epic narrative of sin, salvation and survival.

Cats  by T. S. Eliot (based on Old Possum’s Books of Practical Cats)

Film premieres on December 20 and stars Idris Elba, Rebel Wilson and Ian McKellen.

A tribe of cats called the Jellicles must decide yearly which one will ascend to the Heaviside Layer and come back to a new Jellicle life.

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

Film premieres December 25 and stars Saoirse Ronan and Meryl Streep.

Hot-headed, literary tomboy Jo, sweet Beth, responsible Meg and spoiled but worldly Amy are the March sisters. While they may squabble amongst themselves as they grow up in the rigid confines of nineteenth-century Massachusetts society, they will also face hardship and terrible loss, united in their parents’ love and their high expectations as wives, women and citizens.

All summaries from the book publishers.

-posted by Sonia, Reference Services

 

New in DVD

The Lion King

Action PG

Simba idolizes his father, King Mufasa, and takes to heart his own royal destiny. But not everyone in the kingdom celebrates the new cub’s arrival. Scar, Mufasa’s brother and former heir to the throne, has plans of his own. The battle for Pride Rock is ravaged with betrayal, tragedy, and drama, ultimately resulting in Simba’s exile. With help from a curious pair of newfound friends, Simba will have to figure out how to grow up and take back what is rightfully his.

The Chambermaid

Foreign NR

Celebrating the invisible women caretakers of society, director Lila Aviles turns the monotonous work day of Eve, a chambermaid at a high-end Mexico City hotel, into a beautifully observed film of rich detail bringing forth Eve’s hopes, dreams, and desires.

The Other Story

Foreign NR

A suspenseful, poignant, and humorous story through the eyes of two rebellious young women from two troubled families that tangle in the most unexpected ways in Jerusalem.

-posted by Ralph, Media Services

New in DVD

The Art of Self Defense

Comedy R

After a roving motorcycle gang attacks him on the street, timid bookkeeper Casey joins a neighborhood karate studio to learn how to protect himself. Under the watchful eye of a charismatic instructor, Sensei, and hardcore brown belt Anna, Casey gains a newfound sense of confidence. But when he attends Sensei’s mysterious night classes, he discovers a sinister world of brutality and hyper-masculinity, presenting a journey that places him squarely in the sights of his enigmatic new mentor.

Crawl

Action R

When a hurricane hits her hometown, Haley ignores evacuation orders to search for her missing father. Finding him injured in the crawl space of their family home, the two become trapped by floodwaters. As time runs out to escape the storm, Haley and her father discover that the rising water level is the least of their fears.

Stuber

Comedy R

When a mild-mannered Uber driver named Stu picks up a passenger who turns out to be a cop hot on the trail of a brutal killer, he’s thrust into a harrowing ordeal where he desperately tries to hold onto his wits, his life, and his five-star rating.

Ulysses & Mona

Foreign NR

Ulysses, fifty-five years old, is a Contemporary artist. Four years ago, Ulysses ran away from his family and put an end to his career. Mona is twenty and is an art student. Mona decides out of the blue to go and meet Ulysses. After a laborious first attempt and some misfortune, both of them will end up on a journey that will change their lives forever.

-posted by Ralph, Media Services

New in DVD

Annabelle Comes Home

Horror R

Determined to keep Annabelle from wreaking more havoc, demonologists Ed and Lorraine Warren bring the possessed doll to the locked artifacts room in their home, placing her ‘safely’ behind sacred glass and enlisting a priest’s holy blessing. But an unholy night of horror awaits as Annabelle awakens the evil spirits in the room, who all set their sights on a new target, the Warrens’ ten-year-old daughter, Judy, and her friends.

Midsommar

Horror R

After a family tragedy, a young American couple joins some friends at a midsummer festival in a remote Swedish village. What begins as a carefree summer holiday takes a sinister turn when the insular villagers invite their guests to partake in festivities that grow increasingly unnerving and viscerally disturbing.

Toy Story 4

Comedy G

Woody has always been confident about his place in the world and that his priority is taking care of his kid, whether that’s Andy or Bonnie. But when Bonnie adds a reluctant new toy called ‘Forky’ to her room, a road trip adventure alongside old and new friends will show Woody how big the world can be for a toy.

Ulysses and Mona

Foreign (French) NR

Ulysses, fifty-five years old, is a Contemporary artist. Four years ago, Ulysses ran away from his family and put an end to his career. Mona is twenty and is an art student. Mona decides out of the blue to go and meet Ulysses. After a laborious first attempt and some misfortune, both of them will end up on a journey that will change their lives forever.

-posted by Ralph, Media Services