Hot This Week: December 30

The last list of 2013 sees the sci-fi thriller Elysium and the road trip comedy We're the Millers jumping up to the top. Beyonce and Garth Brooks hold down music's top spots for a second consecutive week. The fiction and non-fiction lists are all made up of familiar titles.

Have a safe and happy New Year!

DVD

1. Elysium
2. We're the Millers
3. Man of Steel
4. 2 Guns
5. Red 2
6. The Heat
7. The Internship
8. Turbo
9. R.I.P.D.
10. White House Down 

CD

1. Beyonce, Beyonce
2. Garth Brooks, Blame It All on My Roots
3. One Direction, Midnight Memories
4. The Robertsons, Duck the Halls
5. Kelly Clarkson, Wrapped in Red 
6. Eminem, The Marshall Mathers LP 2
7. Katy Perry, Prism
8. Frozen Soundtrack
9. Luke Bryan, Crash My Party
10. Lorde, Pure Heroine 

Fiction

1. Sycamore Row, John Grisham
2. The First Phone Call from Heaven, Mitch Albom
3. The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt
4. Command Authority, Tom Clancy and Mark Greaney
5. Doctor Sleep, Stephen King
6. Cross My Heart, James Patterson
7. Takedown Twenty, Janet Evanovich
8. The Longest Ride, Nicholas Sparks
9. Inferno, Dan Brown
10. King and Maxwell, David Baldacci

Non-Fiction

1. Things That Matter, Charles Krauthammer
2. Killing Jesus, Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
3. David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell
4. George Washington's Secret Six, Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger
5. The Bully Pulpit, Doris Kearns Goodwin
6. Miracles and Massacres, Glenn Beck
7. I Am Malala, Malala Yousafzai
8. Si-Cology 1, Si Robertson and Mark Schlabach
9. One Summer, Bill Bryson 
10. Happy, Happy, Happy, Phil Robertson and Mark Schlabach

John Goodman, Coen Brothers Team Up Again

Written by Jon Williams

Inside Llewyn Davis, released theatrically earlier this month, follows the trials and tribulations of a young folk singer in 1961, flailing through a stalled career following the death of his partner.  It’s among the best films of 2013, garnering critical acclaim and a number of awards and nominations. The movie and the performances have been well regarded, as has its soundtrack, which, like 2000’s O Brother Where Art Thou? (also by the Coen Brothers), was overseen by producer T Bone Burnett.

Also like several other Coen Brothers productions, Inside Llewyn Davis features John Goodman in a prominent role, this time as a fellow musician who berates the title character on an ill-fated trip to Chicago. Goodman’s association with Joel and Ethan Coen dates back to 1987, when he was featured in Raising Arizona. Widely regarded as one of the funniest films of all time, it was one of the earliest efforts from the filmmaking team.

Since then, Goodman has gone on to act onscreen in four more of the Coens’ films: Barton Fink (1991), The Big Lebowski (1998), O Brother Where Art Thou? (2000), and Inside Llewyn Davis. In addition, he served as the narrator to their 1994 film The Hudsucker Proxy. Goodman considers his role in Lebowski to be one of his favorites, as his character, Walter Sobchak, is the one for which he’s recognized the most by fans.

Of course, Goodman has had quite a notable career outside of Coen Brothers films as well. He’s best known for his role as Dan Conner, Roseanne’s husband in the sitcom Roseanne, which ran from 1988 to 1997, and he voiced the monster James P. Sullivan in the Disney/Pixar hit Monsters, Inc. and the sequel Monsters University (as well as an appearance in Cars). He’s also played such characters as Santa Claus, Fred Flintstone, and Babe Ruth. Recently he starred as the villain in The Hangover Part III, and next will be seen alongside George Clooney, Matt Damon, and Bill Murray in the upcoming adaptation of The Monuments Men, scheduled to hit theaters in February.

This is just a small sampling of the titles available from Midwest Tape, both from John Goodman and from the Coen Brothers. For more, SmartBrowse ‘John Goodman,’ ‘Joel Coen,’ and ‘Ethan Coen’ on our website.

Hot This Week: December 23

The Superman reboot Man of Steel soars to the top of this week's DVD list. Beyonce's surprise album takes over music's top spot, while Garth Brooks stays strong at #2. John Grisham regains fiction's #1 ranking, with Dean Koontz's latest making the only debut at #9. Once again, the popular titles in non-fiction continue their strong performance.

DVD

1. Man of Steel
2. The Heat
3. Red 2
4. The Internship
5. White House Down
6. R.I.P.D.
7. The Smurfs 2 
8. The Mortal Instruments: City of Bones
9. Grown Ups 2
10. Turbo 

CD

1. Beyonce, Beyonce
2. Garth Brooks, Blame It All on My Roots
3. Kelly Clarkson, Wrapped in Red 
4. R. Kelly, Black Panties
5. One Direction, Midnight Memories
6. The Robertsons, Duck the Halls 
7. Childish Gambino, Because the Internet
8. Eminem, The Marshall Mathers LP 2
9. Katy Perry, Prism
10. Frozen Soundtrack

Fiction

1. Sycamore Row, John Grisham
2. The First Phone Call from Heaven, Mitch Albom
3. Command Authority, Tom Clancy and Mark Greaney
4. The Goldfinch, Donna Tartt
5. Doctor Sleep, Stephen King
6. Cross My Heart, James Patterson
7. The Gods of Guilt, Michael Connelly
8. Takedown Twenty, Janet Evanovich
9. Innocence, Dean Koontz
10. King and Maxwell, David Baldacci

Non-Fiction

1. Things That Matter, Charles Krauthammer
2. Killing Jesus, Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard
3. George Washington's Secret Six, Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger
4. David and Goliath, Malcolm Gladwell
5. The Bully Pulpit, Doris Kearns Goodwin
6. Miracles and Massacres, Glenn Beck
7. I Am Malala, Malala Yousafzai
8. Si-Cology 1, Si Robertson and Mark Schlabach
9. One Summer, Bill Bryson 
10. Unbroken, Laura Hillenbrand

More Potter in the Works

Written by Kyle Slagley

The story of an orphaned English boy who, within the span of seven years, must grow up and realize that he is a famous wizard who saved the world once and must do so all over again is well known to millions around the world. Put another way, Harry Potter is one of the most famous people who never lived.

Fans of J.K. Rowling’s book series were given a big boost back in September when it was announced that Rowling had cut a deal with Warner Bros (who produced all eight of the Harry Potter films) to produce a film around Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them, a supplemental book to the seven-novel series about Potter. Fantastic Beasts is neither a prequel nor a sequel to the Harry Potter line of novels and films; instead it begins 70 years prior to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone in New York City. Rowling is hoping to turn the film into a series of its own.

Potter fans tend to be an insatiable bunch, so it’s a good thing Fantastic Beasts isn’t the only piece of news I have to tell. Just this morning I read that Rowling is also bringing Harry Potter to the stage. Unlike Fantastic Beasts, the stage play will reportedly be a prequel to Sorcerer’s Stone, and address Potter’s early days as an orphan and misfit.

Writing extensions to a series as beloved and established as Harry Potter is indeed a tricky business. I have to say, choosing a medium other than film was a wise choice on Rowling’s part. Fans grew used to a distinctive style of filmmaking by the time the eighth movie was released, so writing a prequel for the stage gives Rowling a chance to branch out a bit in style without risking as much rejection from die-hard fans of the film.

Moreover, writing the prequel as a stage play has its advantages for the actors – particularly the lucky (or unlucky, depending on how you look at it) young men who will be cast as Harry. On film, audiences would expect and demand a younger version of Daniel Radcliffe. On the stage, audiences will likely give the actors more room to interpret the role.

These two projects will be Rowling’s first attempt at writing both a screenplay and a stage script. With no word on a release date for Fantastic Beasts or an opening night for the stage show, fans will have to get by re-reading the book series and re-watching the film series. We’ll keep you updated if we hear more.

New Titles Named to National Film Registry

Written by Jon Williams

This morning the Library of Congress announced this year’s additions to the National Film Registry. The Registry was established in 1988 to recognize and preserve “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant films” produced in the U.S.

One of the titles added this year is Disney’s Mary Poppins, which has just been rereleased on DVD and Blu-ray in a digitally restored 50th Anniversary Edition. This is particularly timely due to the upcoming theatrical release of Saving Mr. Banks, the film starring Tom Hanks and Emma Thompson that details Walt Disney’s efforts to bring Mary Poppins from the page to the screen. Other notable titles being added this year include Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction, The Magnificent Seven, and The Right Stuff.

The first class of films was added to the Registry in 1989. This inaugural list included a number of what are widely considered to be the best films of all time. These classics include Casablanca, Citizen Kane, Gone with the Wind, Singin’ in the Rain, Snow White (currently in the Disney Vault), Some Like It Hot, the original Star Wars, and The Wizard of Oz, to name just a few.

With the 2013 list announced, there have now been 25 classes of films added to the National Film Registry, bringing the total number of films listed to 625. This is a fine collection of essential films that your patrons would love to experience for the first time or revisit over and over again. Make sure to have these movies on your shelves; SmartBrowse ‘National Film Registry’ on our homepage for a complete list of films available on DVD and Blu-ray.