Movies @ Your Library

Based on the novel Push comes this gritty, moving, critically acclaimed film. In Harlem, an overweight, illiterate teen who is pregnant with her second child is invited to enroll in an alternative school in hopes that her life can head in a new direction. Roger Ebert gave this film his highest rating of four stars. It has been nominated for six Academy Awards, including Best Motion Picture of the year.

Up in the Air transforms some painful subjects into smart, sly comedy - with just enough of the pain underneath to give it some weight. Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) spends most of his days traveling around the country and firing people; he's hired by bosses who don't have the nerve to do their layoffs themselves. His life of constant flight suits him - he wants no attachments. But two things suddenly threaten his vacuum-sealed world: his company decides to do layoffs via video conference so they don't have to pay for travel, and Bingham meets a woman named Alex (Vera Farmiga), who seems to be the female version of him and, of course, he starts to fall in love. Director Jason Reitman strikes just the right tone, as he did in his previous film Juno. Also starring Jason Bateman and Anna Kendrick, this film was nominated for six Academy Awards,

See Sandra Bullock's Oscar-winning performance! The Blind Side takes the true story of a young man who went from abandonment to success as a pro-football player and treats it with respect. Michael Oher (Quinton Aaron), a hulking but gentle African-American teen in Tennessee, gets taken in by a well-to-do white family; the mother, Leigh Anne Touhy (Sandra Bullock), pushes and mothers the boy, who eventually wins a football scholarship to the University of Mississippi. In the wrong hands, this could have been maudlin, manipulative, and condescending. To the credit of writer-director John Lee Hancock, the result is intelligent, genuine, and alternately funny and moving. Leigh Anne could easily have been grandstanding and virtuous, but Bullock doesn't shy away from her vain and domineering side. The football scenes will be gripping even to non-sports fans because they've been so successfully grounded in Michael's emotional life. The all-around solid cast includes country music star Tim McGraw, and Kathy Bates as the tutor who guided Michael's academic success.

A young girl seduced by an older man may be a common story, but An Education is no common movie. As Jenny, a precocious middle-class British schoolgirl charmed by a small-time criminal, newcomer Carey Mulligan is luminous; her face can be plain and beautiful at the same time, her eyes expressing a restless intelligence and a hungry soul. As David, the seducer, Peter Sarsgaard gives yet another rich, thoughtful performance. The script, adapted by Nick Hornby (whose novels High Fidelity and About a Boy have been made into movies), is full of unexpected details that bring every moment to life. Director Lone Scherfig has made sure that every character is vivid and real; even seemingly minor moments have texture and vitality. The supporting cast--including Alfred Molina, Emma Thompson, and Olivia Williams (Rushmore)--is simply impeccable. In short, An Education is a funny, smart, and compassionate movie that earns its place at the head of the class.

Director Guy Ritchie attempts to reinvent one of the world's most iconic literary figures as an action hero in this brawny, visually arresting period adventure. Robert Downey Jr. is an intriguing choice for the Great Detective, and his trademark bristling energy and off-kilter humor do much to sell Ritchie's notion of Holmes. Jude Law is equally well-equipped as a more active Dr. Watson, and together, they make for an engaging team. The supporting cast, including Rachel McAdams, is excellent, as well. This Sherlock Holmes is definitely not Basil Rathbone. Viewers who expect to settle into a predictable detective yarn will be disappointed. This Holmes is edgy, action packed and slightly uncomfortable, but more believable because of it. It's smart and atmospheric, and well worth seeing, a Sherlock Holmes for the new millenium.

A dramatization of the turbulent first years of Queen Victoria's rule, and her enduring romance with Prince Albert. She was crowned in 1837, and ruled until 1901, queen of the greatest empire the world has ever known. We think of her as the formidable matron of official portraits, but she was a girl once. She had teenage crushes, and resented authority. She hated being ordered about. She fell in love with a pen pal, the Victorian equivalent of an online romance. This film is about the early years of the woman whose name would become synonymous with an era. The Young Victoria won this year's Academy Award for Best Costume Design. Starring Emily Blunt, Rupert Friend, Paul Bettany, Miranda Richardson and Jim Broadbent.

Two-time Academy Award winner Meryl Streep, Steve Martin and Alec Baldwin star in this hilarious look at marriage, divorce and everything in between. Jane (Streep) has three grown kids, a thriving Santa Barbara bakery and an amicable relationship with her ex-husband, Jake (Baldwin). Now, a decade after their divorce, an innocent dinner between Jane and Jake turns into the unimaginable - an affair. Caught in the middle of their rekindled romance are Jake's young wife and Adam (Martin), a recently divorced architect who starts to fall for Jane. Could love be sweeter the second time around? It's....complicated! From writer/director Nancy Meyers comes the comedy that critics call "laugh-out-loud funny" (Rex Reed, The New York Observer).