Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

anniemhal

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

350 pages

Copyright 2006

Published by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill

 

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen is a rare novel with a story so engrossing, once started; one cannot put it down.  This thrilling, romantic story is Gruen’s third novel.  She has also written the best selling Riding Lessons and Flying Changes.  Her environmental values show in all of her books, showing how animals can teach people about love.  This New York Times #1 best seller is set on a depression era traveling circus that is brought to life through Gruen’s words.  Her impeccable research shines throughout this book; her author’s note mentioning many trips to Sarasota, Florida’s Ringling Brothers Museum.

Though he doesn’t speak of them, Jacob Jankowski, at ninety-something-years old, can still remember the sound of the concessions, the sight of raising the big top, and everything else about his days with the Benzini Brothers’ Most Spectacular Show on Earth.

At twenty-three, Jacob is preparing to take the test that determines his future.  After he passes this veterinary exam, he will take on the family business.  However, an interruption in the classroom brings grave news when Jacob is asked to go identify his parents’ bodies from a car accident.  Following his parents’ death, Jacob finds himself losing his father’s practice and home to the bank.  Without money, a veterinary license, and family, he sees no other option than to leave his old town behind.  With no endpoint in mind, Jacob makes his way down the train tracks.  When a train comes by, he jumps aboard.

This rickety circus train holds the Benzini Brothers’ Most Spectacular Show on Earth.  Jacob’s veterinary skills are put to use as he gains the job as the circus’s own vet.  At this point in the Great Depression, everyone working on this third-rate circus is lucky to have a job at all.  When Jacob sees the equestrian act of the show, Marlena, the star, entrances him.  She is also the wife of the boss, August.  As the circus loses more and more hope each day, life aboard the Benzini Brothers’ train gets darker and darker.  A new optimism comes with Rosie, though.  Rosie is the great, loving elephant left behind by a rundown circus.  Bonds grow quickly between Jacob and Marlena as they worked alongside each other with Rosie.  Even with their new show though, life aboard the train continues to get bleaker, especially as August’s mean streaks shone through.  The trio’s bond may be their only hope in survival.

While reading this book, you can feel the wind blowing past you as you sit atop the train, you can hear the character’s voices echoing in your head.  “This is a fiction reader’s dream come true, “ says Jeanne Ray, author of Julie and Romeo Get Lucky.  The memories of the ninety-something man mix with your own as he tells his tale.  You will be completely swept off your feet and into the circus’s dark twist and turns, unable to get out till the last page.  This book is simply and positively incredible.

The Pact by Jodi Picoult

anniemhal

The Pact: a love story by Jodi Picoult

389 pages

Copyright 1998

Published by HarperCollins

Jodi Picoult is the bestselling author of twenty novels, including My Sister’s Keeper.  She is known for creating provocative themes with family conflicts and difficult moral choices.  As one of the most powerful writers in contemporary fiction, Picoult has outdone herself in her fifth novel, The Pact. 

For eighteen years, the Hartes and the Golds have been nextdoor neighbors.  Their lives were intertwined.  The Hartes’ son Chris and The Golds’ daughter Emily were born just months apart and were inseparable since.  It was no surprise when their friendship blossomed into something more.  Everyone knew they were soul mates.  However, just when it seems like nothing could rip these families apart from eachother, tragedy strikes with midnight calls from the hospital.  Emily is dead from a gunshot wound to the head, inflicted by Chris as part of a suicide pact.  When a single additional bullet is found in the gun, Chris states it was meant for himself.  In spite of this, a local detective has his doubts.  As Chris finds himself on trial for murder, Jodi Picoult portrays, with extraordinary talent, families in anguish as guilt, loss, and betrayal enter their lives.

Picoult has a true gift in story telling.   Switching between different characters and different periods of time allow all points of the story to be heard.  “Engrossing… Picoult has a remarkable ability to make us share her characters’ feelings of confusion and horror… The Pact is compelling reading,” said People.  This deeply moving novel is filled with compassion and heartbreak.  The Pact made me smile and weep, but most of all it made me think.

 

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

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Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

288 pages

Copyright 2007

Published by Razorbill

Jay Asher is an American author whose primary focus are contemporary novels for teens.  Inspired by events from high school, he has created a New York Times and international bestseller: Thirteen Reasons Why. 

Teenager Clay Jenson found a shoebox sized package addressed to him on his doorstep one afternoon.  Upon opening said package, he found seven audiotapes.  No note and no instructions were found, but the sides of the tapes were labeled one to thirteen.  Clay is instantly shocked when he hears Hannah Baker’s voice, for 16 year old Hannah killed herself just days ago.

Thirteen of Hannah’s classmates were selected to listen to and pass on the tapes that were mailed the day she committed suicide.  “I’m about to tell you the story of my life,” Hannah says, “more specifically, why my life ended.  And if you’re listening to these tapes, you’re one of the reasons why.”  Each tape was about a specific person, and the tapes were sent to everyone she talked about.  Hannah created a system that ensured the tapes would get to all of the intended audiences.  Whoever received the tapes would send them to whoever was mentioned after them in the tapes.

All through the night, Clay listens.  He follows Hannah’s words through the small town he lives in.  He is captivated, devastated, and what he learns changes his life forever.

As a reader, I was as captivated by Hannah’s words as much as Clay was.  Jay Asher skillfully combined Hannah’s story with Clay’s ever mounting anxiety and dread.  It was impossible to let go of this book after reading the first page.  Entertainment Weekly calls Thirteen Reasons Why, “suspenseful and addictive”.  This is a book that will stay with you long after you put it back on the shelf.

Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky

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The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
213 pages

Published by MTV Books/Pocket Books

Copyright 1999

Stephen Chbosky was born and raised in Pittsburgh, PA, which served as the setting of his novel, Perks of Being a Wallflower.  Chbosky is an American novelist, film director, and screenplay writer (“Rent”).  For Perks of Being a Wallflower, he drew great inspiration from The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger; this novel being very similar yet focused on this day and age.  Chbosky grew up in Upper St. Clair and his book is greatly based off of his high school.  Even some of the teachers are exactly the same.

Perks of Being a Wallflower is centered on high school freshman, Charlie.  He is taken under the wings of two seniors, brother and sister, Patrick and Sam.  Charlie tells his story in anonymous letters addressed “Dear Friend”.  These letters are “more intimate than a diary”.  Charlie’s unique voice is both hilarious and devastating.  Family dramas, first dates, mixed tapes, and new friends are all becoming a part of Charlie’s world.  At the same time, sex, drugs, and new adventures are also entering his world.

The novel is also soon to be made into a major motion picture starring Logan Lerman and Emma Watson.  It is being filmed in Pittsburgh and will be released in 2012.

This coming of age story seized me from the very first page.  Chbosky created someone people can connect with and relate to through Charlie.  His voice expressed an uncommon innocence that was very appealing as a reader.  “The Perks of Being a Wallflower is part of an MTV Books series that targets teen-age readers. But it is more mature than most young adult literature and can be enjoyed by older readers as well,” says USA Today.

This matchless story is must-read.  After flying through this book, I couldn’t help but flip back to the beginning and start it again.

Pi Day Pie Baking Contest!

Richelle

March 14th is Pi Day (3.14) and in celebration of this mathematical day, we will be holding a Pie Baking Contest. Bring in a pie that you’ve made and we’ll have an “expert” panel of guest judges pick the best one. Apple, blueberry, or bacon; all pie varieties are welcome! The winner will get bragging rights and a special pi(e) prize. This contest is open to All Ages. Please Register for this program online or by calling the Reference Desk. There is a limited number of entries available!

Contest Starts at 6:30PM on Wednesday March 14th.
You must register if you will be baking a pie.

Doctor Who Discussion Group

Richelle

don't blinkMonday, March 19, 6:00PM

This Group will meet every month to watch an episode of BBC’s Doctor Who (2005.) After the episode, we’ll discuss it. This month: Blink – “Don’t Blink. Blink and you’re dead. Don’t turn your back. Don’t look away. And don’t Blink. Good Luck.” Popcorn and drinks will be provided. Ages 14 and Up.

No registration is needed.

 

Television Series New to the Collection – Winter 2012

Richelle

Some of these may not be “new”
but they are to our collection!

Doctor Who – (From Wikipedia) – a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a Time Lord, a time-travelling, humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior appears as a blue police box from 1963 London, when the series first aired. Along with a succession of companions, he faces a variety of foes while working to save civilisations, help people, and right wrongs.

Season 1 (2005)

Season 2 (2006)

Season 3 (2007)

Season 4 (2008)

Season 5 (2010)

Season 6 (2011)

Justified – (From Wikipedia) – an American television drama series created by Graham Yost. It is based on Elmore Leonard’s novels Pronto and Riding the Rap and his short story “Fire in the Hole”. Its main character is Raylan Givens, a deputy U.S. Marshal. The series is set in the city of Lexington, Kentucky and the hill country of eastern Kentucky, specifically in and around Harlan.

Season 1

Season 2

Merlin  – (From Wikipedia) – a British fantasy-adventure television programme by Julian Jones, Jake Michie, Julian Murphy and Johnny Capps. It began broadcasting on BBC One on 20 September 2008. The show is based on the Arthurian legends of the wizard Merlin and his relationship with Prince Arthur but differs from traditional versions of the legend in many ways.

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Star Trek The Next Generation – (From Wikipedia) – an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production. The show was created 21 years after the original Star Trek show and set in the 24th century from the year 2364 through 2370 (about 100 years after the original series timeframe). The program features a new crew and a new starship Enterprise.

Season 1

Season 2

Season 3

Season 4

Season 5

Season 6

Season 7

 

New DVDs – Winter 2012

Richelle

New Releases (in order of release date, most recent first)

Muppets – March 20, 2012
Movies attempting to retrieve cherished nuggets of pop culture often stumble, either by appealing solely to the die-hard minutia enthusiasts or clunking up the batter with unnecessary additions to the base material. (Enough with the human love triangles, get to the giant robots fighting.) Thankfully, this revival of Jim Henson’s beloved characters gets the formula delightfully right, providing a googly-eyed nostalgia trip for adults while also retaining the original’s sense of bright (and mildly subversive) wonder.

Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy – March 20, 2012
High-ranking intelligence officer George Smiley (Gary Oldman) was forced out of service when a mission in Hungary went very wrong, but rumors of a Soviet mole hidden within the agency bring him back into play. If the theory of the former head, Control (John Hurt), is to be believed, the mole is at the very top, one of four senior officers, played by Toby Jones, Ciarán Hinds, Colin Firth, and David Dencik (of the Swedish Girl with the Dragon Tattoo). With the help of a lower-ranking agent with a few secrets of his own (Benedict Cumberbatch, Sherlock) and a field agent who may be a source of disinformation (Tom Hardy, Inception), Smiley slowly draws out the clues he needs to lay a trap for the mole.

Footloose – March 6, 2012
The struggle between innocence and rigid morality is revisited when city-boy Ren finds himself in an uptight town where dancing has been banned. Filled with contemporary music and iconic classics from the original, this fresh look on youth culture is sure to win fans of young and old.

Game of Thrones – March 6, 2012
Set in a world where summers span decades and winters can last a lifetime. From the scheming south and the savage eastern lands, to the frozen north and ancient Wall that protects the realm from the mysterious darkness beyond, the powerful families of the Seven Kingdoms are locked in a battle for the Iron Throne. This is a story of duplicity and treachery, nobility and honor, conquest, and triumph. In the Game of Thrones, you either win or you die.

Like Crazy – March 6, 2012
Like Crazy beautifully illustrates how your first real love is as thrilling and blissful as it is devastating. When a British college student (Felicity Jones) falls for her American classmate (Anton Yelchin), they embark on a passionate and life-changing journey only to be separated when she violates the terms of her visa. Like Crazy explores how a couple faces the real challenges of being together and of being apart. Winner of the Grand Jury Prize for best Actress for Felicity Jones, Like Crazy depicts both the hopefulness and the heartbreak of love.

Tower Heist – February 21, 2012
Queens native Josh Kovacs has managed one of the most luxurious and well-secured residences in New York City for more than a decade. Under his watchful eye, nothing goes undetected. In the swankiest unit atop Josh’s building, Wall Street titan Arthur Shaw is under house arrest after being caught stealing two billion from his investors. The hardest hit among those he defrauded? The tower staffers whose pensions he was entrusted to manage.

The Way – February 21, 2012
“The Way” is a powerful and inspirational story about family, friends, and the challenges we face while navigating this ever-changing and complicated world. Martin Sheen plays Tom, who comes to St. Jean Pied de Port, France to collect the remains of his adult son , killed in the Pyrenees in a storm while walking the Camino de Santiago,. Rather than return home, Tom decides to embark on the historical pilgrimage to honor his son’s desire to finish the journey. What Tom doesn’t plan on is the profound impact the journey will have on him. From the unexpected and, oftentimes, amusing experiences along “The Way,” Tom begins to learn what it means to be a citizen of the world again. Through his unresolved relationship with his son, he discovers the difference between “the life we live and the life we choose.”

Paranormal Activity 3 – February 14, 2012
Paranormal Activity 3 takes you back to where it all began and the activity is more intense than ever. The cameras are on and recording the chilling moments when evil begins to terrorize young sisters Katie and Kristi for the first time. Brace yourself for the horror phenomenon that delivers “heart-exploding scares”* so frightening that “the last 15 minutes will mess you up for life.”

Breaking Dawn Part 1 – February 11, 2012
In the highly anticipated fourth installment of the Twilight Saga, a marriage, a honeymoon, and the birth of a child bring unforeseen and shocking developments for Bella and Edward and those they love, including new complications with young werewolf Jacob Black.

The Double – January 31, 2012
When a United States Senator is brutally murdered, the evidence points to a Soviet assassin code-named Cassius, who was long-thought to be dead. Two men who know Cassius best are thrown together to catch him. Paul Shepherdson is a retired CIA operative who spent his career tracking Cassius around the globe. Ben Geary is a hotshot young FBI Agent and family man who has studied the killer’s every move. Ben thinks he knows Cassius, but Paul knows he is dead wrong.

Abduction – January 17, 2012
Taylor Lautner explodes on-screen as a young man whose secret past is set to collide with a dangerous reality. After uncovering a deadly lie, Nathan (Lautner) is propelled on a lethal, no-holds barred mission to learn the truth. Aided by a devoted family friend, Nathan’s hunt for the facts pits him against ruthless assassins and questionable allies.

Bucky Larson Born to be a Star – January 17, 2012
A small-town grocery bagger discovers that his conservative parents were once adult film stars and heads out to Los Angeles, hoping to follow in their footsteps.

The Ides of March – January 17, 2012
During the frantic last days before a heavily contested Ohio presidential primary, an up-and-coming campaign press secretary finds himself involved in a political scandal that threatens to upend his candidate’s shot at the presidency.

Boardwalk Empire. Season 1 – January 10, 2012
A lavish period drama set in Atlantic City, following the life and times of Nucky Thompson, the undisputed political and criminal mastermind whose grip on power and control of the city’s liquor supply is under constant threat.

Don’t be Afraid of the Dark – January 3, 3012
Sally Hurst is going to Rhode Island to live with her father Alex and his new girlfriend Kim in the nineteenth-century mansion they are restoring. While exploring the estate, Sally finds a hidden basement and accidentally lets loose a race of ancient, dark-dwelling creatures who conspire to drag her down into the mysterious house’s bottomless depths. Before the evil lurking in the dark consumes them all, Sally must convince Alex and Kim that it’s not a fantasy.

I Don’t Know How She Does It – January 3, 2012
The tale of Kate, a finance executive who is the breadwinner for her husband and two kids. When Kate gets handed a major new account that will require frequent trips to New York, her husband also wins the new job he’s been hoping, spreading them both even thinner. Complicating matters is Kate’s charming new business associate, a handsome executive who proves to be an unexpected source of temptation.

Mildred Pierce – January 3, 2012
The tale of an independent woman who finds herself newly divorced during the Depression. As a struggling single mother, she is determined to fulfill the demands of her eldest daughter, surpassing societal expectation and the betrayal of lovers along the way.

 

It’s Cold Outside…Warm up with These DVDs

Richelle

To see if the item is available, click on the title.

The Bishop’s Wife – Cary Grant stars as an angel who materializes in answer to the prayers of a harried young bishop, David Niven. Niven’s efforts to raise money for a new cathedral have endangered his marriage to beautiful Loretta Young. Grand hopes to end the problems plaguing the family, but instead the bishop’s neglected wife becomes infatuated with him. (NR, 109min, 1947.)

Blossoms in the Dust– To Edna Gladney, founder of the Texas Children’s home and Aid Society, every abandoned child deserves the miracle of a loving home. Edna’s devotion echoes today as she declares, “There are no illegitimate babies– only illegitimate parents.” (NR, 100min, 1941.)

Classic Christmas favorites: 10 Holiday Favorites– Dr.Seuss’ How the Grinch stole Christmas — Leprechauns’ Christmas gold — Pinocchio’s Christmas — Stingiest man in town — Extra Goodies: Making animation and bringing it to life; Dr. Seuss and the Grinch – From Whoville to Hollywood ; Songs in the key of Grinch ; making-of featurette and pencil test — Year without a Santa Claus deluxe edition — Rudolph’s shiny new year — Nestor, the long-eared Christmas donkey — Extra Goodies: We are Santa’s Elves featurette ; Stop motion 101 featurette — Frosty’s winter wonderland — T’was the night before Christmas — Rudolph and Frosty’s Christmas in July. (NR, 393min, 2008.)

A Charlie Brown Christmas – ‘Tis the season to be jolly, but Charlie Brown, feeling that the Christmas message is lost amid all the seasonal glitter, has the blues. Join the Peanuts gang as they discover for themselves the true meaning of Christmas. (NR, 48min, 1965.)

A Christmas Story – Ralphie, a nine-year-old boy in 1940s Indiana, dreams of receiving a Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas but encounters resistance at every turn when he makes his wish known. (PG, 98min, 1983.)

Deck the Halls – Two neighbors in a small New England town go to war when one of them decides to decorate his house with so many Christmas lights that they are visible from space. The neighborhood is turned upside down as the families try to discover the true meaning of Christmas. (PG, 95min, 2006.)

Elf – A human baby accidentally ends up at the North Pole and grows up among the elf community. Buddy, as he comes to be known, knows that he’s “special”. When he’s 30, Buddy learns from Santa that he’s really a human. He decides to go in search of his father, to find out where he belongs. He walks to Manhattan, and is immediately run over by a cab. His father at first rejects him and Buddy ends up in a department store where other elves are working. But all the while, things are looking bad for Santa Claus. When Santa crashes his sleigh in Central Park, it’s Buddy’s moment to shine. (PG, 97min, 2003.)

Four Christmases – Every Christmas, Brad and Kate escape divorced parents and exasperating relatives by getting on a plane. But this year, heavy fog shuts down the airport, forcing the couple to celebrate Christmas with four sets of relatives. (PG-13, 88min, 2009.)

Fred Claus – Fred Claus has lived in his little brother’s shadow for most of his life. Fred is in jail and Nicholas has to bail him out on the condition he come to the North Pole and repay his debt. (PG, 115min, 2008.)

Gremlins (Blu-Ray) – When a young bank teller inadvertently breaks the rules of Mogwai care, his new pet Gizmo multiplies into a bevy of mischievous brothers, who soon morph into malevolent scaly creatures. (PG, 106min, 1984.)

Holiday – Amanda lives in Los Angeles and is a movie trailer editor. Iris lives in Surrey, England and is a journalist. The two live five thousand miles apart and have never met, but are dealing with the same problem: men. They both come upon a website that advocates home exchange and the two swap houses for two weeks at Christmas, both with a goal to forget their troubled love lives. Love ends up finding them anyways. (PG-13, 136min, 2006.)

Home Alone – An eight-year-old boy is left home alone on Christmas, and has to defend his home against two bumbling burglars.(PG, 103min, 1990.)

Home Alone 2: Lost in New York – Kevin McCallister is ready to turn the Big Apple into his own playground. The notorious Wet Bandits, still smarting from their last encounter with Kevin, are plotting a huge holiday heist in New York. Kevin’s ready to welcome them with a battery of booby traps that the bumbling bandits will never forget. (PG, 120min, 1992.)

How the Grinch stole Christmas! (Classic Animated Tale) OR How the Grinch stole Christmas! (Jim Carrey Version) – Presents the tale of the mean-spirited Grinch and his attempts to steal the Christmas celebration of Who-ville.

It’s a Wonderful Life – An angel helps a compassionate but despairingly frustrated businessman by showing what life would had been like if he never existed. A Christmas classic. Features both the black and white and the colorized version. (NR, 130min, 1946.)

Lethal Weapon – The story of two Vietnam-vets-turned-cops who have just one thing in common: both hate to work with partners. But their partnership becomes the key to survival when a murder investigation leads to war with a heroin ring. (R, 117min, 1987.)

Love Actually – It’s all about love and holiday cheer in London. The Prime Minister is smitten with his caterer; a widower’s young son nurses the ultimate schoolboy crush; a writer falls for his Portuguese housekeeper; a devoted wife and mother copes with her potentially unfaithful husband; and a lovelorn American is desperately attracted to a colleague. (R, 135min, 2004.)

Meet Me in St. Louis – Story of a family at the 1903 World’s Fair. (NR, 113min, 1944.)

Miracle on 34th Street – In this Oscar-winning classic, a Macy’s Department Store Santa who insists his name is Kris Kringle teaches everyone a lesson in love, faith and the value of imagination. (NR, 97min, 1947.)

Muppet Christmas Carol – Miser Ebenezer Scrooge learns the true meaning of Christmas and reforms his heartless and money-grubbing ways after being visited on Christmas Eve by four ghosts. Anniversary edition. (G, 89min, 1992.)

National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation – Christmas is the perfect season for Clark Griswold and his family. Clark’s a disaster waiting to happen. You have to see it to believe it. There are 25,000 lights on the Griswold rooftop. An exploding turkey. And a house full of relatives. (PG-13, 97min, 1989.)

Nothing Like the Holidays – For the first time in years the entire Rodriguez clan comes home to Chicago to celebrate Christmas where traditions will be celebrated. During the course of this eventful week they will celebrate one member’s safe return from Iraq, secrets will be revealed, old resentments forgotten, each family member will learn something about themselves and each other, and the healing power of laughter will work its magic. (PG-13, 98min, 2008.)

Polar Express – When a doubting young boy takes an extraordinary train ride to the North Pole, he embarks on a journey of self-discovery that shows him that the wonder of life never fades for those who believe. (G, 100min, 2004)

The Santa Clause – Scott is distressed to learn that his ex-wife and her husband have informed his son, Charlie, that there is no Santa Claus. While a sullen Charlie visits his dad on Christmas Eve, a noise on the roof brings them outside. It turns out that there is a Santa after all, and Scott has just accidentally killed him. Because of “the Santa clause,” Scott inherits the job of Santa. As the next year passes, Scott rapidly gains weight, grows a white beard and meets the elf Bernard. Charlie’s stepdad becomes concerned about Scott and forces him to undergo a psychiatric evaluation. (PG, 97min, 2002.)

The Santa Clause 2 – Scott Calvin has been Santa Claus for the past eight years, and his elves consider him the best ever. But Santa’s world is turned upside down when his son gets on the naughty list, and if Scott doesn’t marry soon, he’ll stop being Santa forever. (G, 104min, 2003.)

The Santa Clause 3 – With another Christmas season fast approaching, Santa Claus/Scott Calvin is feeling even more pressure. Mrs. Claus is expecting a little Claus. She is also longing for the company of some “tall people.” So Scott agrees to let her parents visit as long as they believe that they’re really in Canada rather than at the North Pole. (G, 92min, 2007.)

This Christmas  – For the first time in years, the entire Whitfield clan has come home to spend the Christmas holiday with their mother and her boyfriend. Each has brought plenty of baggage along with them. As the lights are hung and the tree is trimmed, secrets are revealed and ties are tested, but eventually they rediscover and celebrate the wonderful gift of family. (PG-13, 119min, 2007.)

Tim Burton’s Nightmare Before Christmas – Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King of Halloweentown, decides to give Santa Claus the year off and take over Christmas — and the holiday will never be the same. (PG, 76min, 1993.)

Trading Places – he lives of an upper class commodities broker and a homeless street hustler cross paths when they are unknowingly made part of an elaborate bet by two rich brothers. (R, 116min, 1983.)