Documentaries to Check Out

The next time that you are wondering what do to with some of your free time, you may want to consider checking out a documentary from the library collection. Documentaries are a wonderful way to learn about other cultures and different ways of life. They also offer the possibility of stimulating discussions. The UCC library has a wide selection of documentaries on various topics, so you are sure to find something that interests you.

If the darker side of sports is something that you would like to learn more about, then check out Blood Equity. Produced by Roman Phifer, former Denver Broncos coach, this film explores the lives of professional football players after retirement. Football enthusiasts will enjoy interviews from players like Willie Wood, Donnie Green, Daryl "Moose" Johnston, and Mike Ditka. Even those who don't follow football closely will be interested in the irony of the struggles that former NFL players face against the NFL Player's Union.

The struggles that same-sex couples face in the United States is documented in Pursuit of Equality. This culturally relevant documentary may appeal to you. The film centers around same-sex marriages that took place in San Francisco in 2004. You don't want to miss this controversial, award winning film that deals with current issues that our country faces.

If global issues are more appealing to you, then Burma VJ may be an appropriate selection. Featuring partially reconstructed and smuggled film, this documentary takes you to restricted areas to follows the uprisings against the Burmese military that took place in September of 2007.

These are just a few of the documentaries that are available at the UCC library. So try to find one that engrosses you, and you may be able to learn a few things without even leaving your sofa!

Dinner and a Movie

The next time that you are trying to decide what to do on a Friday night, try pairing a movie with dinner. You can explore another culture through a movie, and you'll get to learn about foreign cuisine by cooking an ethnic dish. The UCC library has many options for dvds and cookbooks to help you plan your evening. Here are some ideas to help you get started.

If the idea of French cuisine and film strikes your fancy, you could rent Amelie, An American in Paris, or Bonjour Tristesse. For dinner ideas, browse through "The Cooking of Provincial France" by M. F. K. Fisher for some savoury French recipes.

If Asian food sounds more appealing to you, you could watch The Blue Kite and check out "Simple Chinese Cooking" by Kylie Kwong or "The Chinese Kitchen" by Ken Hom. You could also try watching Lost in Translation and preparing a meal from Kimiko Barber's "Sushi" or John Belleme's "Japanese Foods that Heal."

If cooking Indian food is something that you would like to try, you could find plenty of ideas in "1,000 Indian Recipes" by Neelam Batra or "India's Vegetarian Cooking" by Monisha Bharadwaj. A film that could be paired with your Indian dinner would be Bombay Talkie, a great Bollywood film from 1970. If you're feeling like eating in a more serious setting, the inspirational Ghandi could be a more appropriate selection.

The classic film Roman Holiday starring Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck is always a pleasant film to watch, especially when accompanied with a tasty dinner prepared from "Cookery and Dining in Imperial Rome" by Apicius.

Other, perhaps more obvious, pairings could include the film Into the Wild with "Wilderness Cookery" by Bradford Angier, Julie and Julia with "Mastering the Art of French Cooking" by Julia Child, and Marie Antoinette with "The Cake Book" by Tish Boyle.

These are just a few ideas to help you get started. The shelves of the UCC library are full of materials to help you and your friends have a fun night in this weekend!

New @ the library: films from the world for your long weekend

Did you enjoy the cultural diversity conference on campus this fall? Looking for something different to watch beyond "Miracle on 34th Street" this year, post-turkey? We've just received a fantastic selection of new DVDs at the UCC Library that let you bring a world of cinema into your own living room.

All of the films below are available to checkout: see our catalog for more details.

Eat Drink Man Woman (China)

This film, directed by Ang Lee (Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon; Sense and Sensibility) focuses on Chu, a master chef who tries to win over his three selfish and self-absorbed daughters through his cooking. When that goes up in flames, he tries a more dramatic approach- with results.


Blackboards (Iran), Osama (Afghanistan), Zaman (Iraq)

Osama and Zaman are both the first films released to a wider world audience after the dramatic conflicts the countries faced (and continue to stuggle with). All three are about journeys:

In Zaman, a village man travels upriver to Baghdad to find a cure for his wife.

In Osama, a young girl disguises herself as a boy to safely travel through Afghanistan after women are confined to their homes.

In Blackboards, dedicated teachers travel the length and breadth of Iranian Khurdistan, carrying their blackboards on their backs which serve as tool, professional symbol, and sometimes, shelter from gunfire.

The Host (Korea), Infernal Affairs (Hong Kong)

Or maybe you'd like something a little more shlocky? The Host is one of, well, a host of Asian horror movies, critically acclaimed for its underwater environmental sensibilities as well as its many thrills.

Infernal Affairs stars Tony Leung (Hero) in a tense police procedural, and may be best-known as the movie that directly inspired Scorese's The Departed.


Cinema from your Computer: The Criterion Collection's film festivals

Last, but certainly not least, if you think NetFlix's online "Watch it Now!" feature is the greatest thing since turkey-and-cranberry sandwiches, the new Criterion website is for you! Every month, the label plans to "host" a new online film festival with high-quality streaming video available online. This is only one of a plethora of features they are rolling out, so if you're a classic cinemaphile, make sure to check them out.