DVDs Galore: Cazenovia Public Library has award-winning films

(Cazenovia) All of us know that today’s libraries are about much more than books, and the Cazenovia Public Library’s expanded DVD collection is a prime example.

If you are looking to buy or rent a popular film, check it out first for free at the library. And take time to browse; in addition to the box office hits, you will find award-winning independent and foreign films that are not available in video stores.

Mystery enthusiasts will be able to match wits with England’s greatest detectives in the “Midsomer Murders” series. Inspired by the novels of Caroline Graham, the modern master of the English village mystery, these contemporary British television mysteries reveal the most sinister secrets of the cozy villages of Midsomer County.

While browsing, mystery buffs will also find the popular “Sally Lockhart Mysteries.” PBS’s “Masterpiece Mystery” recently presented “The Shadow in the North” from the novel by Philip Pullman, where it is 1878 and Sally Lockhart has started her own financial consulting business. When her client loses a fortune from the unexpected collapse of the Anglo-Baltic shipping line, Sally is determined to find out why so many of their ships have mysteriously disappeared without a trace.

In the nonfiction realm, “Lost Boys of Sudan” is a must-see. Winner of an Independent Spirit Award and named Best Documentary at the San Francisco International Film Festival, “Lost Boys of Sudan” follows two teenage Sudanese refugees on an incredible journey from Africa to America. A sobering glance into the myth of the American Dream is revealed.

“The Singing Revolution” is a David and Goliath-type struggle. “Most people don’t think about singing when they think about revolutions. But in Estonia, song was the weapon of choice when, between 1987 and 1991, Estonians sought to free themselves from decades of Soviet occupation. During those years, hundreds of thousands gathered in fields to sing forbidden patriotic songs and to rally for independence.” (Directors J. and M. Tusty)

The timely topic of natural preservation comes to life in “The National Parks: America’s Best Idea” by acclaimed filmmakers Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan. Described as stirring and sublime (Mark Rahner, “Seattle Times”), this film is an amazing journey through the nation’s most spectacular landscapes as well as a tribute to the people who have fought to save them for all generations.

Expand your world with the internationally award-winning film “Offside.” One of many foreign films available at the Cazenovia Public Library, “Offside” reveals the Tehran soccer stadium with 100,000 cheering fans, all of them men. According to Islamic custom, women are not allowed, but some ambitious Iranian girls manage to sneak in. In this fascinating, funny, and tragic film, it’s “score one for the ladies,” according to J. Hoberman of “The Village Voice.”

There is no additional fee for checking out DVD’s at the Cazenovia Public Library, and all may be borrowed for one week. If a particular item is not readily available, we can get it for you from one of the other 42 member libraries in the Mid-York Library System. And remember that you can review your account, renew items, and request items online at www.midyork.org/cazenovia or by calling the Library at 655-9322.

The Library is open from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday. Bring your holiday visitors and browse through our DVD collection. We love having company.

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DVDs Galore: Cazenovia Public Library has award-winning films

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