Beat The Heat With A Cool Flick…For Free!

Now that it’s almost July, every day is hotter and more humid than the one that came before.  That’s the price we pay for living in tropical paradise!  Why not take a break and relax in the comfort of your own home with a tall glass of lemonade and a movie?

Don’t know what to watch?  Have no fear!  West Palm Beach Public Library has a huge collection of DVDs, including many selections from the American Film Institute’s “100 Years, 100 Movies,”  which includes the best of the best across all genres.  You can take them home for seven days, and there’s no cost!

Want something lighthearted and musical?  Pick up Singin’ in the Rain (#5), The Wizard of Oz (#10), or Some Like It Hot (#22).

Perhaps you’re in the mood for an epic.  Lawrence of Arabia (#7), Spartacus (#81), and Ben-Hur (#100) all made the list.

Maybe you’d like to pull the blinds, turn off the lights, and watch something scary.  Try Vertigo (#9), Psycho (#14), Rear Window (#48), Jaws (#56), The Silence of the Lambs (#74), or The Sixth Sense (#89).

Dramas like Citizen Kane (#1), The Godfather (#2), Casablanca (#3), Apocalypse Now (#30), and One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (#33), make up a large portion of the list, but several comedies are included, such as Annie Hall (#35), Tootsie (#69), and Toy Story (#99).

Science fiction fans might want to check out Star Wars (#13), 2001: A Space Odyssey (#15), E. T. The Extraterrestrial (#24), or Blade Runner (#97).

Some of my personal favorites from the list are All About Eve (#28), Cabaret (#63), Raiders of the Lost Ark (#66), The Shawshank Redemption (#72), Forrest Gump (#76), and Sophie’s Choice (#91).

Still not sure what to watch?  Check out another “best of” list, then either search our online catalog, or ask a reference librarian if we have it in our collection.

• The Internet Movie Database’s (IMDb) Top 250 Movies
• Best of Rotten Tomatoes
• The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made – The New York Times
• The Best 100 Movies Ever Made – Movieline Magazine
• The Best Reviewed Movies of 2000-2007 – Metacritic
• The Complete List: All-time 100 Movies – Time Magazine
• The Official Academy Awards Database

Do you have a favorite movie that helps you forget about the heat?  Let us know what it is.  If we don’t have it in our collection, tell us why we should consider purchasing it.

If you want to get out of the house for a free movie, join us for iCINEMA: Independent and International Films @ Your Library, on July 20 and August 17, from 2 to 3:30 PM.

 

**Britta**