We Will Miss The Libriarian

Family Movie Night

by Karyn Bowman

The last day of school this year, was especially emotional and poignant.

It wasn’t because I have a child graduating or making some great leap on the road map of life.

 

Picture by Clarita

What brought me to tears was the special ceremony honoring Mrs. Pat Farman, trusty librarian at the grade school, as she went through her last days before retirement.

I had the good luck of being a volunteer with Mrs Farman in the library and with a few book fairs. Our conversations centered on books and, well, they were exciting enough to not have to go much farther. We talked about the Young Adult genre a lot because that is one area we both read a lot. We never got into the “who is a better writer – Austen or Bronte” conversation which is probably a good thing.

Now some of you who have not been in a library for a few years might wonder why I would celebrate a librarian besides the fact that I am a book nut. I celebrate librarians because they are some of the bravest people I know.

 

Image from IMDb.com

Librarians across the country fought for our rights to privacy when the Patriot’s Act tried to take too many away. And when it comes to standing up for books that others try to ban, well, thank a librarian that you can get a copy of To Kill A Mockingbird or Huck Finn or Where’s Waldo. All of these books were on lists to be banned and librarians fought them down.

Maybe that is not the kind of bravery you were thinking of, was it? Not every librarian can be like Noah Wylie in The Librarian movie series that showed up on the TNT network. Granted, how many librarians do you know get to chase after a historic relic with a martial arts expert on their side.

Maybe not all librarians look like Rachel Weisz in The Mummy and get to fall in love with Brendan Fraser while trying to figure out how to get a mummy back into his resting place.

 

Brendan Fraser and Rachel Weisz in The Mummy, Image from IMDb.com

Perhaps the most memorable librarian is Marian played by Shirley Jones in The Music Man. She learns to trust and love a man who is a con-artist. His plan usually consists of collecting money for band uniforms and instruments. Before anything arrives or has even been ordered, Harold Hill takes off with the money but this time it might turn out differently.

Oh, librarians might seem ordinary, maybe even useless. But they help those of us coming into a library discover new books, new worlds, new information. A library without a librarian is a like a hollow book; it looks good but you need the inside scoop for guidance, direction, to find one that best suits your needs. A good librarian, such as Mrs. Farman, does just that with love and enthusiasm. And that is what kids need in order to foster a love for reading and learning.

Until next week, see you in the rental aisle.

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Family Movie Night – Oz: The Great and Powerful

Family Movie Night

 

By Karyn Bowman

 

Have you ever been anticipating a new movie but then the critics rip it apart, making you doubt if that movie is worth your time?

 

I was feeling that way about Oz: The Great and Powerful. This prequel to The Wizard of Oz received some incredibly bad reviews. It took a while for positive reviews to trickle out.

 

Poster image from IMDb.com

In the case of this movie, I was not finding anyone who liked it before hand. Only after the movie opened did friends start telling me what they thought. This was combined with the incredible box office numbers the movie was pulling in. It made me wonder if the critics knew what they were talking about or if families were hungry for a good movie.

 

Now that our family has seen the movie, I want to say it is a little of both.

 

The story is about how the Wizard comes to the Land of Oz, how his arrival was foretold by the late king and that his arrival would mean freedom for the people of Oz. But the man who arrives is perhaps not the one who was expected.

 

This was a beautifully photographed movie. The colors are rich, deep, enthralling. I was drawn in to the movie and did not realize time had passed.

 

Yet, it takes something more than rich backgrounds and incredible sets. It takes more than groups of people similar to the movie we remember that this one is connected.

 

After all, there are many details that foreshadow the movie we remember. The yellow brick road is there along with flying monkeys and munchkins. The poppy fields and straw men and a lion all make their appearance.

 

That is when James Franco must step up to make this story his and not a remembrance piece. He must play this con man with truth and conviction along with something up the sleeve that will trick even those he is working to save.

 

Then there are the three witches: Michelle Williams, Mila Kunis, and Rachel Weisz. These women are at odds with each other in regards to the king’s death – who was poisoned. When this mysterious person comes to their land, he has to figure out who is evil and who is good. And he has to figure out which of these women know the truth about him.

 

As for the critics, I realize some of what they said was true, that some of the performances were bland. However, one should never mistake bland with simple because there are some deep thoughts in this movie. Some also stated that Franco was terribly miscast but I thought he was perfect as the con man looking for something more.

 

I know that I want to see this movie again. I want to watch for the things I missed. I know my kids loved the movie and barely made a peep because they were so enthralled. If there was a moment that might have been too scary, it was when the evil flying monkeys made their appearance. That said, I thought it was one of those few good family movies that all ages could enjoy with tidbits for the adults and bits for the kids.

 

 

Until next week, see you in the rental aisle.