The Main Library will be one of the venues for the Jacksonville Film Festival this year, February 3 - 5, 2023. We asked some Library customers what their favorite film from the Library's collection is, and why they would recommend it to others. They offered some excellent suggestions, so we thought we'd share them with you so you could have your own little film festival whenever you like.
For tickets to the Jacksonville Film Festival, visit jacksonvillefilmfestival.com. And as a special bonus, library customers can get 15% off tickets to the films and workshops at the Main Library. Look for the discount code on the ticket site when buying for events at the Main Library.
Got your own recommendations? Click here to send us an email. We might feature your recommendation in a future blog or social media post!
This past weekend we watched a classic movie with Al Pacino and John Cazale in Dog Day Afternoon. This is a true story based in New York city in the 1970s. I read it was chosen by the Smithsonian Institute for its accurate portrayal of life in Brooklyn in the 70s.
New York city was a different place in the 70s compared to the present, it was a STRUGGLE, but some might say the city was at its peak producing some of its best art, movies, and music. Others should watch this movie because Al Pacino is in his prime and looking HOT. Many people may not know that John Cazale is also in this movie, an actor who was besties with Al off set, also in his prime, who was engaged to the yet undiscovered Meryl Streep. He soon passed away from cancer, but not before making 5 of the biggest classic movies of our time, Deerhunter, The Godfather, and Dog Day Afternoon among them.
My father would take us kids to the drive-in movies back in the 1970s, and Dog Day Afternoon was one of the movies we saw. Love love love AL PACINO!
- Carolyn B.
I think that other people should watch this horror movie because of the story it tells. It's a great movie about a sickly young boy who grew up a genius.
He was in love with his lovely assistant and they spent years trying to find a cure for children with blood diseases that are fatal.
He used his own body to test with bats and something happened that ended up changing him slowly into a VAMPIRE!
A Vampire with a conscience and a heart. That's all I'm telling... get the movie.
- Vernesta C.
I love movies of all genres, but one of my favorites, that I once checked out, is Ingmar Bergman's "The Seventh Seal." I can't recommend it enough! I can watch it again and again and find something new every time. The pacing is stately and the silences are fraught. The themes are universal and timeless. The acting is great all across the board, and Max Von Sydow can't be beat. It's both real and surreal. And if that's not enough, there's Chess!
- Wade W.
A heart-gripping example of why stories matter - when we understand the world of another, we honor their humanity and change the course of history. When we fail to see the meaning in others’ lives, we create fertile ground for society’s worst traits to rise to power.
This was a masterful film, such a moving work of art and testament to the power of storytelling!
- Rachel S.
A favorite movie I've watched (via Kanopy) is 2016 Chuck about Chuck Wepner who was a boxer from Bayonne, New Jersey. I'm a Psychology major so this film really spoke to me about the importance of family, love, forgiveness, and reconciliation. I would highly recommend this movie to others because it provokes individuals to examine themselves as those around them engendering healthy societal interaction.
- Stephan D.
