Movies with Matt

Hello and Good Health to you wherever you are in this time of great confusion. Once long ago on an episode of The Simpsons I learned that the Chinese have the same word for crisis as they do opportunity. We have a great "crisitunity" ahead of us and it's always excellent to use times like this to catch up on some media we might have missed over the years. Whether you are all alone, spending the next few weeks with family, or stuck in a strange place full of strangers the Library website might just be the place to park it. 

One of the best things about the Library is browsing- finding stuff you might never have thought about before and falling in love with it. While scientists and their highly detailed computer simulations are saying that you better not be goin nowhere, you can still browse through some awesome collections on the Innernette. 

Source: Kanopy, Inc.

​While the Library is currently closed and you can't browse our physical DVD collection, you can still access movies through Kanopy, an awesome free streaming service that is available to Basalt Regional Library patrons with just your library card and an email address.

Kanopy has a ridiculous amount of content—film both old and new as well as hundreds of college courses, called The Great Courses, available immediately. While there is a limit of 12 films a month, The Great Courses are all available in an unlimited quantity. So don’t binge watch—take some time to really enjoy some true classics both old and new. 

Recommended Films:

The Last Black Man in San Francisco. A24, 2019. Kanopy.

The Last Black Man in San Francisco
Talbot, J. (Director). (2019). A24.

A directorial debut, this is a heartwarming and thoughtful film about a guy who is just looking for his roots in a shaky world. The film is both visually beautiful and emotionally poignant. A must see if you are wishing you could get out to California sometime soon. 

Midsommar. A24, 2019. Kanopy.

Midsommar
Aster, A. (Director). (2019). A24.

A scary movie for sure, this is one of the most florid and beautiful horror films ever made, up there with Argento’s Susperia, but its central theme—the need to belong to a cohesive community—is one that resonates loudly in these times. 

The Seventh Seal. The Criterion Collection, 1957. Kanopy.

The Seventh Seal.
Bergman, I. (Director). (1957). The Criterion Collection.
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Ingvar Bergman’s masterpiece The Seventh Seal is a meditation on life and death in times of great sickness. A true sledgehammer of a film, this classic feels more relevant than ever 63 years after its release.

Recommended Great Courses:

If you have ever missed being in a college classroom, The Great Courses are for you. A guided presentation through some dense topics as well as some really fun stuff too is all available in unlimited quantities from Kanopy. Here are two that I am really enjoying right now:

Music as a Mirror of History
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Professor Greenberg takes what could be considered dusty old tunes and cranks the history up to eleven. Beethoven was a cranky rockstar who loved and then hated Napoleon? Who knew?

Source: Kanopy, Inc.

How Great Science Fiction Works

Have you ever wondered why great science fiction is incredible and terrible sci-fi is Zardoz? In this class you will learn about all the greats Arthur C. Clarke, H.G. Wells, Isaac Asimov, Kim Stanley Robinson, Ursula K. Le Guin and more—with lectures that tie in Blade Runner and The Twilight Zone. 

Source: Kanopy, Inc.

Are you ready to get started with Kanopy? Visit basaltlibrary.org/digital-media-library for more information about how to use your library card number to create an account and start watching films. 

As the weeks go on I’ll be blogging and putting out recommendations and new online collections for you to check out in our new 12 Monkeys style world. If you have any questions or comments or just want to talk feel free to send me an email here at matthew.cleer@basaltlibrary.org any time and I'll do whatever I can.

Be Safe!
Matt