What You Don’t Know Can Eat You

So did you hear the one about the zombie who tortured his victims with music?

-His BACH was worse than his bite!

 
What’s black, white, and dead all over?

-A zombie in a TUXEDO!

 
How about that zombie who was expelled from school?

-He kept BUTTERING up his teacher!

 
Okay, okay… I’m sorry; enough with the stink bombs.  Just don’t expect zombies to be so apologetic.  Most are ruthless, flesh-starved killers, and there’s no better time to prepare for their inevitable takeover than right now!  Pin on that gray ribbon, ‘cos May is Zombie Awareness Month!

Wait… I know what you’re thinking… ‘May?  The month of flowers and moms?’  Let me explain.  You see, zombies weren’t always rotting bottomless pits of hunger.  Once upon a time, before everything went all crazy in the 1960s, zombies were, more often than not, relegated to the role of henchmen carrying out nefarious plots  - dead people brought back to life by the magical/mystical power of some stereotypically creepy looking dude up to no good.  The ‘modern zombie’ that we all know and love has been more or less a great big work in progress (arguably) since 1968 when the game changer/local horror classic Night of the Living Dead was released.  Since then your friend and mine, the zombie, has been refined endlessly through horror films (and books!) that have, for better or worse, added and tweaked characteristics along the way.  A whole bunch of movies that were really crucial in creating the rotting bottomless pit zombie (including Night of the Living Dead) are set in the merry month of May, hence the celebration/preparation.

Dylan Dog. Art by Mike Mignola © Dark Horse Comics

So what the heck are you supposed to do during Zombie Awareness Month???  Get ready for the undead – that’s what!  The Zombie Research Society, which started the month-long vigil, is all about survival.  They’ve compiled a map of zombie outbreaks that may have potentially gone down throughout history – a great way to familiarize yourself with some possible attack scenarios and response actions (got a lead coffin handy?) – as well as a list of the top ten safest countries to be in during a zombie pandemic (based on factors like population density, climate, topography, gun-ownership, military capability, natural resources, and public infrastructure).  We at CLP Carrick will be brushing up on our zombie-bustin’ know-how the easy way – with popcorn and a movie!  Join us for our Teen Zombie Movie Saturday on May 18th at 1:30… you never know, it just might save your life.

Zombies go nom nom nom:

                        

Jon : Carrick

Spring Break!

It’s time for Spring Break!  Time to put the text books away for a few days and have some fun!

•  Take a Hike

There are numerous hiking trails in the Pittsburgh area.  Take a look at the trail map before you start out.  If you take the same trail over a long period of time, you will be able to take note of the seasonal changes.  To enchance your hiking experience, you may want to keep a nature journal.  Don’t forget to take a camera with you.

Emerald View Park

Here are some hiking trails to consider:

Emerald View Park–Mt. Washington

Frick Park–East End

Riverview Park–North Side

Three Rivers Heritage Trail System–The River Front trails include the North Shore Trail  the South Side Trail the Eliza Furnace Trail and the Pittsburgh Riverwalk.

• Create Something

Art Club, Teens–Main.  Wednesday, March 27, 2013 @ 3:00 PM, Get creative with Peeps Brand marshmallow chicks.

Teen Lounge–CLP Brookline.  Make a Monster Bookmarks on Tuesday, March 26, 2013 @ 3:30 PM.  We’ll be making monster bookmarks that both eat the page and keep your place at the same time.

Teen Thing–CLP Carrick.  Tuesday, March 26, 2013 @4:30 PM.  Carrick Library’s the place to be every Tuesday afternoon,  if you’re into cool art projects, epic games, music, candy and just chilling out.

Teen Art Studio–CLP Beechview.  Saturday April 6, 2013 @ 1:00 PM.  If you’re an aspiring artist, this is a pleace to work on your projects, enjoy access to art materials, meet other young artists and showcase your creations.

• Watch a Movie

The Croods looks to be a fun movie choice for spring break.  If you are looking for free movies, the library has lots of choices for you.  You can borrow up to 5 DVDs with your library card.  You may need to reserve new releases.  The library also offers a lot of free movie programs especially for teens.  Some upcoming movie programs include:

Time Time:  Movie Time–CLP East Liberty.  Tuesday, March 26, 2013 @ 4:00 PM.  Joins us for a movie and fresh popcorn.

Teen Movie Night–CLP Beechview.  Thursday, March 28, 2013 @ 4:30 PM.  Watch new movies on our big screen.  Snacks are available.

Bad Movie Fridays.  Teens-Main. Friday, March 29, 2013 @ 3:00 PM.  Some movies are so bad, they’re good.  Join us for the best of the worst.  We’ll be celebrating Teen Tech Week all month by viewing films featuring once cutting edge, but now old school technology.

~Marian

CLP–Mt. Washington

Enjoy your spring break and perhaps the last snowy days of the season.  It’s the perfect weather for visiting your library!

Wallflowers Wanted… Again

Do any of you remember that SUPER AMAZINGLY POPULAR event the Library hosted with the Museum last November?  Well, my friends, prepare yourself for yet another SUPER AMAZINGLY POPULAR event coming your way.  On Saturday, February 23rd at 2 pm fans of the book and film that served as the theme for our Alternative Homecoming are invited to another epic event at CLP Main- Teen.  We’ll be crafting, snacking, sharing our favorite quotes, competing in trivia, and enjoying the music that is featured so prominently in the book and film.  And then at 3 pm, we’ll screen the movie that was filmed and takes place here in Pittsburgh!

Saturday, February 23, 2013

2:00 PM – 5:00 PM

Location:

Teens – Main

4400 Forbes Avenue

Pittsburgh, PA 15213

Contact:

412.622.5526

teensmain@carnegielibrary.org

Looking for more wallflower worthy reads?  Check out these books:

                                                          

Whether You’re Pro or Anti Valentine’s Day, We’ve Got What You Need

Valentine’s Day elicits a wide range of emotions in people.  Even if you’re a Valentine’s hater don’t give up on this post, you may read something you like!

In elementary school, I loved creating my Valentine’s mailbox–a shoe box slathered with paint or strips of red, white and pink construction paper woven into a heart-shaped basket.  I couldn’t wait for my classmates to walk up to my desk and fill it with Ghostbusters, New Kids on the Block, and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle valentines!

Valentine’s Day took on a more serious tone in middle school thanks to (or not so thanks to) unsolicited and unrequited crushes.  Instead of giving cards to everyone my classmates chose one person to celebrate with, exchanging fancier cards, chocolates and stuffed animals.

“According to tradition, St. Valentine is the saint associated with courtship, travelers, and young people.  Early celebrations in honor of St. Valentine took place in the middle of February, around the time of an ancient Roman festival known as the Lupercalia. It was customary for men to draw the name of a young girl from a box and celebrate the festival with her.”

During high school I gave my friends Sweethearts to show how important they were to me, but I felt like everyone else was spending too much money due to feelings of guilt or obligation.  A dozen roses were delivered to my house on Valentine’s Day.  They were from a boy friend (not a boyfriend).  I panicked and asked, What am I supposed to do with these?  What am I supposed to say?!  My friends looked at me like I was crazy and said, Just say thank you.

“The central theme in the myth of St. Valentine is doomed romantic love.  St. Valentine fell in love just before he was scheduled to die and could do nothing about it except write a message expressing his love.  “Valentine, St.” U*X*L Encyclopedia of World Mythology.”

Whether you’re Valentine’s Day experiences have made you pro- or anti-Valentine’s Day, the Library has a list of events to keep you busy this week.  Bring your significant other.  Bring your best friend.  Be serious or silly, it’s up to you!  Join us to make:

• broken heart cookies and cranky crafts at Lawrenceville
• etched glass votives at Brookline
• Candygrams at Allegheny
• heart attacks at Main
• and cookies at East Liberty.  Try out book speed-dating while you’re there.
• Check out Hazelwood’s event
• and hit up the Anti-Valentine’s Day parties at Carrick and West End.

If you’re not up for socializing, ask a teen specialist for some book, movie and music recommendations and create your own Valentine’s tradition.  I’ll be eating a heart-shaped pizza and watching Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, which features crushes, crushed hearts and amazing friends!

Celebrating Black History Month: African Americans and Film

February is Black History Month!  To mark the occasion, every Tuesday in February CLP Carrick’s Teen Thing (our weekly teen activity/chill out time) is going to focus on some remarkable contributions made in the areas of film and technology by African Americans.   Each week we’re going to explore a new pioneer, talk about why they’re important, and create with an art project related to that person!

February 5^th @ 4:30 PM

Duane Jones as Ben in ‘Night of the Living Dead’

On the first Tuesday of the month we’re going to spotlight Duane Jones.  If you’ve ever seen the 1968 local horror classic Night of the Living Dead, then you probably recognize Mr. Jones as Ben – the film’s hero.  What a lot of people don’t know, however, is that his portrayal of Ben was an important milestone in film history, as it marked the first time that an African-American was cast as the lead star in a horror movie.

In homage to Mr. Jones and his classic role, we’re going to be making mini stop-motion zombie movies on our iPads!  Once again, Ben will try and save the day from hordes of undead flesh eaters!  Will he live to tell the tale this time???

 

February 12^th @ 4:30 PM

<3

Frank Braxton is our subject in the second week of February!  Mr. Braxton is largely regarded as the first African-American animator to be offered a position with a major Hollywood studio, Warner Bros. Cartoons.  He drew for a number of classic animated movies and TV shows.  Some of his most enduring works include:  You’re in Love, Charlie Brown; A Boy Named Charlie Brown; and the Mister Magoo, Bullwinkle, and George of the Jungle TV shows of the 1960s.

Since love will be in the air this week, we’re going to watch some of Mr. Braxton’s work and flex our imaginations with some basic animation/flip book techniques!

 

February 19^th @ 4:30 PM

Valerie Thomas’ Illusion Transmitter

On February 19th, we’re going to focus on Valerie Thomas and 3D technology.  Ms. Thomas, a scientist and inventor who worked for NASA, is widely known for her Illusion Transmitter, a device she developed and patented in 1980.  The basic idea behind the Illusion Transmitter was to take the flat image from, say, a TV screen and have it projected into your room in 3D – almost like a hologram in a Sci-Fi movie!  Needless to say, the invention provided some serious upgrades for the existing 3D technology of the day, and is still currently used by NASA.

Look for some red and cyan action going down this week!

 

February  26^th @ 4:30 PM

To close out our month-long celebration, we’re going to have a special screening of an awesome documentary focusing on the vibrant cultural scene of Brooklyn in the 1980s and early 1990s, which launched a number of notable directors, musicians, artists, poets, and comedians.  Popcorn, anyone?

 

All of these events are free and open to anyone in grades 6-12.  Teen Thing is held every Tuesday from 4:30 PM to 5:30 PM at CLP Carrick (1811 Brownsville Road, Pittsburgh PA 15210).  Hope to see you there!

stuffs and stuffs:

              

Jon : Carrick

Look out! In Coming! …Movies of 2013

I’m forgiving and forgetting and moving on.  Aside from a few exceptions (e.g. Skyfall, The Amazing Spider-Man, Moonrise Kingdom), 2012 was chock-full of massive films that I found more or less disappointing.  But it’s okay, really.  2012 is over!  The Dark Knight Rises happened, and I don’t wanna talk about it anymore.  It’s 2013!  There are new movies to be excited about!  Onwards!

Here are some movies on the horizon that I’m cautiously to moderately excited about:

© Ghost House Pictures/FilmDistrict/TriStar Pictures

Evil Dead (remake) – April 12

I know this is blasphemous, but I’ve never found the original Evil Dead all that scary.  I get the coolness of the whole ‘low budget, director torturing his cast’ thing.  The effects just weren’t there in 1981.  The premise, however – young people possessed and scared to death in the woods – is a classic set-up, and a little help from modern trickery makes the trailers look fairly terrifying.  Involvement from main dudes Sam Raimi and Bruce Campbell (the creator and star of the original, respectively) seals the deal.

 

Iron Man 3 – May 3

© Marvel Studios/Paramount Pictures/Walt Disney Studios

The new Iron Man movie has a lot to do.  First, it has to launch “Phase Two” of Marvel’s movie universe – which is going to take more of an intergalactic route than the largely earth-based movies of “Phase One,” which ended with The Avengers.  Iron Man 3 also has to make up for Iron Man 2, which was pretty much a mess.  My main gripe with all of Marvel’s movies so far has been that their villains have been weak and not all that intimidating.  I’m hoping that changes with this film, which stars a genuinely great actor, Ben Kingsley, as Tony Stark’s main baddy, the Mandarin.

 

 

 

Star Trek Into Darkness – May 17

© Paramount Pictures

Nearly four years have passed since Star Trek breathed new, mainstream life into the crew of the USS Enterprise.  Now all the familiar characters are back, along with the addition of Benedict Cumberbatch (of BBC’s amazingly awesome Sherlock) as a villain who is as mysterious as he is destructive.

 

 

 

Man of Steel – June 14

© DC Entertainment/Warner Bros. Pictures

I’m not gonna lie, this is the peak of my 2013 summer movie interest right here.  The trailers have been intriguing.  The casting is impressive.  But can the granddaddy of superheroes be translated for a wide modern audience?  Man of Steel is said to be influenced by the updates made to the character in DC’s New 52 comics, and seems to show a lost Superman who is struggling to find a place in a world that fears his uniqueness.

 

 

 

Pacific Rim – July 12

© Legendary Pictures/Warner Bros. Pictures

Giant robots fighting giant monsters – ah, yeah?

 

 

Further on down the line:

Thor: The Dark World - Nov 8

Catching Fire - Nov 22

The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug – December 13  (Enter the mighty dragon!)

 

And in the meantime…

            

Jon : Carrick

An Unexpected Journey Begins!

It has been a long wait, but The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey movie is finally being released next weekend.  The Hobbit has always been one of my favorite books and I loved the LOTR movies by Peter Jackson.  I already checked out our copy of the book to read next week before I see the movie.  If you are looking for things to do before the movie is released, the Carnegie Library has a TON of options for you!

Some ways you canYou can read the book by JRR Tolkien, watch the Lord of the Rings movies, or attend the Night in Wilderland: Hobbit Movie Anticipation Party at the Main Library next Thursday at 8:30!

You can also watch the trailer for the new movie by clicking on the image below:

Jim-CLP Sheraden

Read the book before the movie? Not necessarily!

Everyone says that you should read the book before you see the movie.  The book waaay better than the movie, the movie is waaaay different from the book, the filmmakers destroyed your favorite character from the book, bladiblah, etc.  I will concede that this is generally true.  For example, reading the Harry Potter series before seeing the HP movies allowed me to fill in the missing details, sub-plots, and general depth of the story.

Sometimes the release of a movie prompts me to read the book first (for example, I recently read The Perks of Being a Wallflower to prepare for the movie).  Reading the book makes us excited about a movie release—think Hunger Games—and then we pray that the filmmakers do the story justice.

What happens when we approach this book/movie relationship the other way?   What if we so love the story we see in the movie that we MUST read the book that inspired it?  This is how my relationship with the Lord of the Rings began.

I recently watched Scott Pilgrim Versus the World, which was so well done that I am currently in the middle of reading the graphic novel series that inspired it.  Now, I must admit that there are plenty of great book-based movies that have inspired me to put these books on my Goodreads “to read” shelf…

Below are several movies/tv shows that have me begging for the print version!  I know I can’t be the only one like this…  Share you own experiences with book vs. movie!

If you like Scott Pilgrim vs. the World [movie]

…try Scott Pilgrim by Bryan Lee O’Malley

If you like True Blood [HBO series]

…try Dead until Dark by Charlaine Harris

If you like V for Vendetta [movie]

…try V for Vendetta by Alan Moore

If you like Coraline [movie]

…try Coraline by Neil Gaiman

If you like Vampire Diaries [tv show]

…try The Awakening, first book of the Vampire Diaries series by L.J. Smith

End of Summer- BOO! End of Summer Party- YAY!

When I was a teenager, I couldn’t stand those back-to-school advertising campaigns that seem to kick in while summer is still in full swing.  And how about the stores that start selling fall jackets when it is still 90 degrees outside?  For me personally, the count down to the new school year was such a drag that even a full scale-gratuitous-shopping-binge didn’t prove therapeutic.  So now that the Teen Department at CLP Main is hosting an End of the Summer Celebration on Friday 8/24 from 2 pm to 5 pm, I feel like such a traitor.

But really- we’re on YOUR side.  We’re not trying to pour salt in the wound, we simply want to reward you all for your participation in this year’s Teen Summer Reading program (which, by the way, it’s not too late to sign up for….).  And the truth is, we’ll use any excuse to throw a party here in the Main Teen Department.  So, come- despite yourself- and just try to enjoy the last sliver of summer….

Friday, August 24

2pm to 5pm

CLP Main- Teens

4400 Forbes Ave.

Pittsburgh, PA

• Video gaming!
• TWO bad movies- one about a crazy summer and one about going back to school!
• Button making!
• iPad photo booth!
• Light snacks!

All teens in middle or high school welcome.  For more information, contact teensmain @ carnegielibrary.org or 412.622.3121.

Indie Animations Worth a Look!

I’m always down for Coraline or the Nightmare Before Christmas, and Up made me cry like a baby (in a good way).  But just because big-name movies are easy to locate doesn’t mean they’re the only ones worth seeing!

There are tons of art house, foreign studio, or amateur “scrapster” animations that are not to be missed. Next time you’re looking for something different to watch, try one of these…they’re all at the library.

Whoa! Sita Sings the Blues weaves together the passion of love, the sadness of breakups, a 3,000 year-old Sanskrit epic story called Ramayana (told in graphic novel here), and the 1920′s blues croonings of Annette Hanshaw. If that sounds confusing, don’t worry. Each narrative is told in a different style of animation–which keeps things clear and interesting. This film is a great example of what novice filmmakers can do with a little passion and time  – filmmaker Nina Paley had never animated anything longer than a few minutes when she started making this one.

Watch as Alice‘s inanimate world comes to life in this quietly bizarre stop-motion film. If you grew up with Disney’s Alice in Wonderland, it may seem twee in comparison with this darker 1988 adaptation. I shiver every time the White Rabbit chomps his teeth. This version of Alice is really faithful to the classic Lewis Carroll, where the world of Alice that you think you know expands. If you’ve participated in QuickFLIX already this summer, you may find inspiration for your next stop-motion creation here!

Mary and Max is an Australian claymation film set in the 1960s that follows the unlikely friendship of two pen-pals. Mary Dinkle is a lonely, homely kid in Melbourne. Her mom is an alchoholic, and her dad just seems not to care – so picks a name out of a phone book and begins writing to Max, who she learns is an obese New Yorker with Asperger’s Syndrome. Over 20 years (don’t worry – they go fast), the quirky duo follows and changes one another’s lives.

The Secret of Kells is the story of the book that “turns darkness into light.” Brendan lives with monks at a remote outpost, Iona, when a visit from a master artist turns everything upside-down. He confronts evil, hidden in a deeply enchanted forest, and his darkest fears. If you like quest stories, faeries, Ireland, or medieval art, this one’s for you.

The stylings throughout this film are a clear homage to the painstakingly elaborate illuminated manuscripts of medieval Ireland–heck, the Book of Kells is one. For you art history buffs (I know you’re out there!), this is icing on an already delicious cake.

Madame Sousa’s grandson is kidnapped while riding the Tour de France, but she’s not just going to sit and watch it happen. She enlists her pooch, Bruno, and a spinster trio of jazz singers (because hey, why not?) to help her find young Champion. The upbeat retro soundtrack of The Triplets of Belleville is a little bit reminiscent of the music from a high-school classic, Ghost World, and the animation – well…watch it and find out!

These are just a handful of what we’ve got at the library, but what do you think? What’s the best animated film for teens?

Whitney, CLP – Main