What are you capable of?

Perhaps no other phrase in the comic book genre applies to daily life as much as Spider-Man's famous, "With great power comes great responsibility." Such a phrase has guided Spider-Man throughout his career, but occasionally the thought comes up: what if he didn't follow this famous mantra, and instead used his powers for selfish reasons? The movie Chronicle explores what would happen if one would use his super powers selfishly.

Filmed documentary style, the movie tells the story of three high school boys who encounter some sort of alien ship or something alien, and then acquire superhuman powers of telekinesis. Predictably, things spiral out of control for the three. (I won't say too much more as not to ruin it for you)

I really enjoyed the first half of this film; getting to know the characters via a hand held camera as they fooled around with their newly acquired powers. Chronicle pretty much lost me during the back half of the movie , however, when it began to resemble something out of the movie Carrie.  It just kept getting darker and darker. 

With that said though Chronicle puts a real world spin on what has always been the most interesting aspect of the superhero/supervillain divide, how these individuals came to be. What would you do  if you suddenly got superpowers? Would you use it for good or evil? Would you get addicted to the power and feel everyone is beneath you or would you help people and make the world better?

Overall, even though Chronicle is one of those shaky "Found footage" movies, it does avoid many of the pitfalls of those type of films by having awesome special effects, exceptional writing and impressive acting. If you like a good superhero movie, then I highly recommend this movie. If nothing else it forces you to think about what the consequences of having super powers might be and how you would use those powers... Remember villains don't start out evil.

The story of Hachi/Hachiko

Before watching this movie I had heard the story about Hachiko many times. I've also come across the two books we have here at the library called Hachiko waits by Leslea Newman and Hachiko: the True story of a loyal dog by Pamela S. Turner. The story goes a loyal dog returns to the train station to meet his master every day even after the death of the master (Richard Gere). The movie takes place in present day and in Connecticut instead of Japan and the 1920s and 1930s. The real Hachiko died in 1934 so this film is long overdue.

I was quite pleased that they kept the story simple; one of a man and his dog, of forging bonds of unconditional love and devotion. What really makes the film stand out is how it shows the perspective of the dog Hachi, who really is the star of the movie, and giving insight into the emotions he felt. I would rate this as probably one of the best dog movies to ever come out of Hollywood. Whether you are a dog lover or not you will not be disappointed in this magnificent film.

Even though I knew how the story ends and prepared myself, the tears nevertheless were inevitable so much so that at one point I thought I might have to turn it off and gain my composure.(I did finish the film but not without quite a bit of tissue)

Hachi's story is an excellent  reminder that ALL dogs have thinking, emotive minds; and that they are part of your family and not something to be possessed. Hachi will continue to educate us from the grave for generations to come. I can't think of a more profound legacy and testament of love from animal to human then Hachi's story.

Abe Lincoln vampire hunter!

Abraham Lincoln Vampire Hunter by Seth Grahame-Smith

Say what? Go ahead and laugh at the title. But then do yourself a favor and read the book. I must admit that the only reason I even decided to read this book was because I saw that it was being made into a movie.

The book was quirky enough to be incredibly interesting but serious enough (without being over the top!) to scare the crap out of you if you were reading alone at night time. One thing that surprised me about this book is that it is a serious horror/historical mash-up. It is not written in a way that is campy or silly, it is written as if Lincoln really did hunt vampires. That made the book fun to read. Anyone who loves Abe Lincoln and wants to know more about him (which should be every American, in my opinion) should read this book. It is a fun way to learn more about one of the greatest men to ever live! 

Come on, I know you want to!

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Investigative journalist Mikael (Daniel Craig) has just lost a libel case for an "unflattering" article he wrote which has put him and his publisher in financial ruin. Mikael is summoned to a meeting with Henrik(Christopher Plummer ), a wealthy businessman, who presents him with the opportunity to investigate the suspected murder of his niece Harriet almost forty years ago. It soon becomes clear that he is in over his head and needs a second pair of eyes to piece together the mystery. Cue Lisbeth(Rooney Mara), a skilled investigator with a personality as unique as her dragon tattoo.

First let me say the opening of the film was a bit unanticipated. The “Immigrant Song” cover by Trent Reznor and Karen O plays over these really fluid visuals that are difficult to describe. As my significant other and I sat down to watch The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo the opening credits baffled us so much so that we weren't really certain what, if any,did it have to do with the movie?

The further we settled into the movie the more we noticed that the movie is extremely dialogue driven. So prepare yourself for a lot of extremely long discussions. The movie does, however keep you engaged while purposefully unfolding the mysteries. To describe this film as dark is putting it mildly. There are a few disturbing scenes that will no doubt make you squirm(they did me). However the flip-side to this is that it's gripping and those scenes pay off in spades later. However director (David Fincher) never glorifies the violence, he simply allows the horror to play out naturally without editing it which in turn forces you to look away (comparable to real life)

I will say that even though the film will take you down a very dark road it is worth the trip. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo remains a rarity. I would also recommend watching the foreign movie version as well as the foreign novel by Stieg Larsson.

Last Plea Bargain

The Last Plea Bargain by Randy Singer.

What would happen to the legal system if suddenly every defendant demanded a trial by jury? With over 90% of cases settled by plea bargain agreements, if defendants were no longer willing to work out a deal, it would literally bring the legal system to a halt. This is the scenario Randy Singer presents in his latest legal thriller, The Last Plea Bargain.

Singer has the remarkable ability to integrate spiritual themes and difficult moral issues. He remains neutral in his storytelling, which allows for the reader to better evaluate their own preconceived ideas and perhaps gain a new perspective. In this book, the reader will be challenged on the pro-death penalty stance as well as the justice system itself.

What a great read! Neither myself or my husband could figure out the end. It was a grab your seat legal thriller that was full of twists and turns with plots and mini-plots. If you like mysteries, enjoy a little romance thrown in, and want your sensibilities challenged, this is a great book for you.

Kathy Stutzman

Public Relations Assistant

A Girl Named Stanley

You would think that as much hullabaloo we've heard about our current president concerning his birth and religious preferences, we would have heard a little bit more about the woman who gave life to such a controversial president. During Obama's run for the presidency we heard about her struggles with her insurance company as she fought for her life. We also heard about her struggles as a single mother on food stamps raising a bi-racial son with the help of her parents. Yet we didn't hear about the passionate exotic independent life she led. And what a life she did lead!

Before I read "A Singular Woman" I thought that I was a lot like Ann in the sense that I was a struggling single mother who relied on the kindness of her family to help her raise her sons, and who also, like Ann, struggled with insurance coverage. However when I began to read about this extraordinary woman, I realized that we had very little in common save for the struggles of single parenthood.

A Singular Woman, written by Janny Scott, gives us a unique picture of Stanley Ann, a strong-willed, yet impulsive, financially stressed, yet philanthropic, woman of the late 20th century who admittedly made many mistakes in her personal life, yet never gave up her dream of doing what she felt was most important, giving her children a good education and integrity.

With success however there sometimes comes a price, Stanley Ann's life was rocky, often lonely, riddled with not only stormy marriages but heartache because she spent a great deal of time being absent in her son's life.(Which as a mother I find that to be reprehensible) Ann did adore Barack and Maya, however she was more passionate about her anthropological work in Indonesia than she was about parenting and wifery. Even though I feel one should have more passion for parenting your children than anything else I cannot deny that she wasn't a brilliant woman who contributed significantly to female equality.

A Singular Woman lacks the presence of Obama and how he felt about the choices his mother made and what effect that had on him. My hope is that President Obama will write a more detailed autobiography later and discuss the major role his mother played in his life.

In the end whether you agree with her choices or her politics, Stanley Ann Dunham led a life worth reading about even if she not been mother to an American president. She was not your typical girl from the American Midwest. The girl named Stanley, like the "Boy named Sue", learned to think for herself and ignore the constraints of the norm. She sprang from generations of mavericks and had the courage to carve out her own history.

Grace in the 5th Quarter

If you're attracted by high-tech special effects and big Hollywood names, then the Grace Card and 5th Quarter might not be the movies for you, but if you're interested in watching films that's are profound as well as spiritual then you definitely will not want to pass these two movies up. One movie is based on true events, the other sends a message that most of us need to acknowledge-FORGIVENESS. Both deal with tragedy and grief but in very different ways.

In the Grace Card Mac McDonald loses his young son in a tragic accident, and his life spirals down from that moment. As the years pass, he becomes bitter, estranged from his family, his career as a law enforcement officer suffers and he allows his grief to become bottled-up anger that leads him on a path to self destruction.

As a final straw Mac is forced to pair up with Sam, an African-American pastor who took the job as a police officer to pay the bills, though his true dream is to do full-time ministry. Their relationship is tense and neither understands quite why their paths intersected. When tragedy strikes, the design becomes apparent and both men realize that nothing happens by mistake. What is the lesson to be learned here? Forgiveness is free and should be given to everyone-Give them the Grace Card.


"For the entire history of mankind everyone is born and everyone dies. You think we'd have learned to handle it, but we don't." The 5th Quarter is the true story of how the Abbate family comes to terms with the most profound of losses, and how a team(Wake Forest Football) rallies around a teammate's love for his brother. This is more then a sports movie, it is a film about dealing with loss and grief in a positive way. It is a movie that everyone can relate to simply because at some point we all will lose someone we love dearly and even though we know this we are still never quite prepared for when it happens.

Keep the Kleenex close by for these two movies.