Ely Landau’s King: A Filmed Record received an Oscar nomination for Best Documentary more than forty years ago, and strangely enough you could see that scenario repeating if it were released today—it’s that riveting, that smart, that important. (And actually this Sunday, it is being “released” again for a single day at select theaters.) Just [...]
Black History Month Giveaway: ‘King: A Filmed Record… Montgomery to Memphis’
By on February 15, 2013
‘Girl Model’ Re-connects Media Literacy to its Beating Heart
By on February 12, 2013
Giveaway: Blu-ray and DVD Combo Pack of BULLY
By on February 12, 2013
Young people need to understand the way that media texts position them—even with, or perhaps especially with, those texts whose content they are sympathetic to…
50 Years of ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ on Film: A Chat with Documentarian Mary Murphy
By on December 25, 2012
“I feel there’s a direct line between readers of all stripes — young and old, Pulitzer Prize-winners and middle school students — because they all have a such a strong response to the novel. Community happens around ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’…”
Pick of the Day: The Day Carl Sandburg Died (DVD)
By on December 4, 2012 Leave a Comment
The Day Carl Sandburg Died. DVD. 84 min. Prod. by Bonesteel Films. Dist. by PBS Dist. 2012. ISBN 978-1-60883-701-4. $24.99.
Gr 8 Up–Carl Sandburg, one of the most celebrated American poets of the 20th century, lived an incredibly colorful life which was reflected in his work. Born into an indigent family of Swedish immigrants in western Illinois, Sandburg initially held a series of manual labor jobs. Later he became a union activist, a social orator, and even a self-proclaimed anarchist. His [...]
As We Honor Veterans, a Film to Look Out For and Questions to Ask
By on November 11, 2012
Pick of the Day: Racing Dreams (DVD)
By on September 18, 2012 Leave a Comment
Racing Dreams. DVD. 90 min. Prod. by Racing Dreams. Dist. by PBS Dist. 2010, 2012 release. ISBN 978-1-60883-668-0. $24.99.
Gr 6 Up–In this fast-paced coming-of-age documentary set in the competitive world of kart racing, three young drivers spend a season navigating each other and their dreams. Annabeth Barnes, 11, Josh Hobson, 12, and Brandon Warren, 13, aspire to race in some day, but before they can reach their collective goal, they each must face their own challenges off the track as [...]
Pick of the Day: The Boxing Girls of Kabul (DVD)
By on September 13, 2012 Leave a Comment
The Boxing Girls of Kabul. DVD. 52 min. National Film Board of Canada. 2011, 2012 release. ISBN unavail. $195.
Gr 9 Up–The opening flashback of this documentary showing the cruel treatment of women under the Taliban will grab the attention of audiences in women’s studies and sociology classes. The video shifts to present day and focuses on three women who are trying to change the lifestyle for women in where their advancement is frowned upon. They are training to be boxers [...]
