Library Research Guides: Film, Contemporary Actors & Literature Research: 2015 Topics

Subject headings & keywords

When searching the library catalog and databases, try using a combination of the terms listed below:

"motion pictures"

"film adaptations" OR "movie adaptations"

"movie industry" OR "motion picture industry"

"motion pictures - history"

"historical films" OR "historical movies"

"film criticism" OR "movie criticism"

reviews

"motion picture criticism"

"science in motion pictures"

"animated films'" OR animation

"motion pictures" AND setting

"motion pictures" AND scenery

"setting and scenery"

"art in motion pictures"

couples AND "motion pictures"

"man woman relationships"

"man woman relationships in motion pictures"

"sex role in motion pictures"

"love in motion pictures"

"motion pictures" AND "political aspects"

"race relations"

animals AND "motion pictures"

animals AND movies
"motion pictures" AND literature

"silent films"

"film noir"

parodies

"film genres"

cinematography

"motion pictures" AND music

"film history"

"Clint Eastwood" [etc.]

Fact-checking in the movies

Critics/moviegoers questioned the facts as presented in the following nominated movies:

American Sniper
Argo
Captain Phillips
Imitation Game
The King's Speech
Lincoln
Selma
Zero Dark Thirty

Search terms:

"historical accuracy"
"historical accuracy" AND (movies OR films OR "motion pictures")
"fact checking"

"Serving Up Truth With the Imagination."
Scott, A.O. "Serving Up Truth With the Imagination." New York Times 26 Apr. 2015: 1(L). Academic OneFile. Web. 7 Oct. 2015.
"Hollywood Vs. HISTORY."
Dargis, Manohla, and A. O. Scott. "Hollywood Vs. HISTORY." New York Times Upfront Apr 01 2013: 10-1. ProQuest. Web. 7 Oct. 2015.
"New York Times film critics consider how to watch a 'historical' movie."
Dargis, Manohla, and A.O. Scott. "Hollywood vs. history: a lot of this year's hit movies have tackled real-life events. Two "New York Times film critics consider how to watch a 'historical' movie." New York Times Upfront 1 Apr. 2013: 10+. General Reference Center GOLD. Web. 7 Oct. 2015.
"Pssst! Whispers Aim to Silence Oscar Buzz."
Gillmor, Alison. "Pssst! Whispers Aim to Silence Oscar Buzz." Winnipeg Free PressDec 14 2013. ProQuest. Web. 7 Oct. 2015
"When Films and Facts Collide in Questions."
Buckley, Cara. "When Films and Facts Collide in Questions." New York Times, Late Edition (East Coast) ed.Jan 22 2015. ProQuest. Web. 7 Oct. 2015 .
Historical Accuracy Shouldn't Decide Oscar Nominations: Academy voters shouldn't let historians and politicians shrink the range of artistic license..
Rosenberg, Alyssa. Historical Accuracy Shouldn't Decide Oscar Nominations. Washington: WP Company LLC d/b/a The Washington Post, 2015. ProQuest. Web. 7 Oct. 2015.
"For the Record: The Movies, Eight Men Out and Historical Accuracy."
Edelman, Rob. "For the Record: The Movies, Eight Men Out and Historical Accuracy." Base Ball 6.1 (2012): 102-8. ProQuest. Web. 7 Oct. 2015.

Websites

American Sniper (Best Picture & Adapted Screenplay)

American Sniper - DVD
St Clair County Public Library

Based on the activities of U.S. Navy Seal Chris Kyle

Suggested keywords:

snipers
"historical films" OR "historical movies"
"film adaptations" OR "movie adaptations"

"I Served in Iraq, and American Sniper Gets It Right. But It’s Still Not the War Film We Need"
Written by Brian Turner. Mr. Turner was a keynote speaker at SC4' s Patterns ceremony in 2014.

First SEALs by Patrick K. O'Donnell
Call Number: D794.5 .O37 2014
ISBN: 9780306821721
Publication Date: 2014-10-28
From the Depths by Gerry Doyle
Call Number: ebook
ISBN: 9781590131411
Publication Date: 2007-11-01
Warrior Elite by Nigel Cawthorne
Call Number: ebook
ISBN: 9781569759301
Publication Date: 2011-07-12
SEAL of Honor by Gary Williams
Call Number: ebook
ISBN: 9781591149576
Publication Date: 2010-05-15

"A Sniper Does His Deeds, but the Battle Never Ends."
Scott, A.O. "A Sniper Does His Deeds, but the Battle Never Ends." New York Times 25 Dec. 2014: C12(L). New York Times. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.

Military Database
Topics across all government and military branches, including international relations, political science, criminology, defense, aeronautics and space flight, communications, civil engineering and more. It includes over 550 titles, with more than 370 available in full-text.

Birdman or (the Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance) (Best Picture, Cinematography, Directing, Sound Mixing)

Birdman - DVD
St Clair County Public Library

Suggested keywords:

cinematography
"digital cinematography"
"visual effects"
"digital visual effects"
"visual effects supervisor" OR VFX
"special effects"
matchmoving OR matchmove
("computer generated imagery" OR CGI) AND (movies OR "motion pictures")
"ensemble acting"

What We Talk about When We Talk about Love by Raymond Carver
Call Number: PS3553.A7894 W4 1989
ISBN: 0679723056
Publication Date: 1989-06-18
In his second collection of stories, as in his first, Carver's characters are peripheral people--people without education, insight or prospects, people too unimaginative to even give up. Carver celebrates these men and women.

Proquest Central
ProQuest Central is a full-text database with thousands of periodical titles and millions of full-text articles available. It also provides access to information such as: Hundreds of important, full text U.S., Canadian and international newspapers including full text of The Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times; more than 50,000 full text dissertations in the areas of business, psychology, physical sciences, health, education and more; concise business information from thousands of market reports across 43 industries in 40 countries; and over 160 subjects are covered by ProQuest Central.

"Mike Nichols Told Him Not to Do It."
Ryzik, Melena. "Mike Nichols Told Him Not to Do It." New York Times 4 Jan. 2015: 22(L). New York Times. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.

Boyhood (Best Picture, Directing, Screenplay)

Boyhood
DVD at the SCC Public Library
New York Times: Anatomy of a Scene - Boyhood
‘Boyhood’
BY Mekado Murphy | Jan. 29, 2015 | 2:23
Richard Linklater discusses a sequence from his drama “Boyhood,” with Ellar Coltrane and Ethan Hawke.
"Texas Gets Love Letter in 'Boyhood'"
Solomon, Dan. "Texas gets love letter in 'Boyhood'." New York Times 27 July 2014: A23B(L). New York Times. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.
"'Boyhood' is also Wise about Girlhood --- A Widely Hailed Film Quietly shows how Girls can Struggle to Find their Footing and Develop their Self-Confidence."
Marcus, Sharon, and Anne Skomorowsky. "'Boyhood' is also Wise about Girlhood --- A Widely Hailed Film Quietly shows how Girls can Struggle to Find their Footing and Develop their Self-Confidence." Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition ed.Feb 07 2015. ProQuest. Web. 7 Oct. 2015 .

Proquest Central
ProQuest Central is a full-text database with thousands of periodical titles and millions of full-text articles available. It also provides access to information such as: Hundreds of important, full text U.S., Canadian and international newspapers including full text of The Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times; more than 50,000 full text dissertations in the areas of business, psychology, physical sciences, health, education and more; concise business information from thousands of market reports across 43 industries in 40 countries; and over 160 subjects are covered by ProQuest Central.

The Grand Budapest Hotel

Some keywords and search strings:

costume AND ("motion pictures" OR movies)
music AND ("motion pictures" OR movies)
Stefan Zweig [1881-1942,Viennese author]
Ernest Lubitsch [German filmmaker]

The Grand Budapest Hotel - DVD
St Clair County Public Library
"Bittersweet Chocolate on the Pillow."
Scott, A.O. "Bittersweet Chocolate on the Pillow." New York Times 7 Mar. 2014: C1(L). New York Times. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.

Proquest Central
ProQuest Central is a full-text database with thousands of periodical titles and millions of full-text articles available. It also provides access to information such as: Hundreds of important, full text U.S., Canadian and international newspapers including full text of The Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times; more than 50,000 full text dissertations in the areas of business, psychology, physical sciences, health, education and more; concise business information from thousands of market reports across 43 industries in 40 countries; and over 160 subjects are covered by ProQuest Central.

The Imitation Game (Best Picture & Adapted Screenplay)

Some keywords you may want to use:

"science in motion pictures"
"Alan Turing"
mathematicians

The Imitation Game - DVD
St Clair County Public Library

Alan Turing by Andrew Hodges
Call Number: QA 29 T8 H63 1983
ISBN: 0671492071
Publication Date: 1983-11-01
Hodges (mathematics, Wadham College, Oxford) examines both the heroic and tragic sides of Turing's life, from his decryption of the German U- boat Enigma cipher, to his tragic suicide (caused in part by his detection as a homosexual and subsequent mandatory hormone therapy to suppress his libido).
Alan Turing and his Contemporaries: Building the World's First Computers
ISBN: 9781780171050
Publication Date: 2012-02-11
The Essential Turing: Classic Writings on Minds and Computers by B. J. Copeland (Editor); Alan Turing
ISBN: 0198250797
Publication Date: 2004-11-18
Alan Turing was one of the most important and influential thinkers of the 20th century. This volume makes his key writings available to a non-specialist readership for the first time. .

Proquest Central
ProQuest Central is a full-text database with thousands of periodical titles and millions of full-text articles available. It also provides access to information such as: Hundreds of important, full text U.S., Canadian and international newspapers including full text of The Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times; more than 50,000 full text dissertations in the areas of business, psychology, physical sciences, health, education and more; concise business information from thousands of market reports across 43 industries in 40 countries; and over 160 subjects are covered by ProQuest Central.

"Broken codes, both strategic and social."
Scott, A.O. "Broken codes, both strategic and social." New York Times 28 Nov. 2014: C4(L). New York Times. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.

Inherent Vice (Costume Design & Adapted Screenplay)

Inherent Vice - DVD
St Clair County Public Library

Selma

Selma - the DVD
St Clair County Public Library

Keywords to use in creating a search string:

"Martin Luther King, Jr."
"Selma March"
"Bloody Sunday"
"Civil Rights" OR "Civil Rights Movement"
"historical films" OR "historical movies"

ProQuest Historical Newspapers: The New York Times with Index
Easily-searchable first-hand accounts and unparalleled coverage of the politics, society and events of the time. Providing search capability using subject terms and topics for focused and targeted results in combination with searchable full text, full page, and article-level images from the Historical New York Times (1851-2007).

Dividing Lines: Municipal Politics and the Struggle for Civil Rights in Montgomery, Birmingham and Selma by J. Mills Thornton
ISBN: 081731170X
Publication Date: 2002-09-25

"When Films and Facts Collide in Questions."
Buckley, Cara. "When Films and Facts Collide in Questions." New York Times 22 Jan. 2015: C1(L). New York Times. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.
"A 50-Mile March, Nearly 50 Years Later."
Scott, A.O. "A 50-Mile March, Nearly 50 Years Later." New York Times 25 Dec. 2014: C1(L). New York Times. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.
"Race Relations: Are They Getting Better or Worse?"
Katel, Peter. "Race Relations: Are They Getting Better or Worse?" CQ Researcher 20 May 2015. Web. 20 July 2015.
Voting Controversies: Are U.S. elections being conducted fairly?
Democrats Say Alabama's Closure of Driver's-License Offices could make it Harder for Black Residents to Vote
Williams, Vanessa. Democrats Say Alabama's Closure of Driver's-License Offices could make it Harder for Black Residents to Vote. Washington: WP Company LLC d/b/a The Washington Post, 2015. ProQuest. Web. 7 Oct. 2015.

From Selma to Sorrow: The Life and Death of Viola Liuzzo by Mary Stanton
Call Number: E185.98.L58 S83 1998
ISBN: 0820320455
Publication Date: 1998-10-01

ARTstor
ARTstor is a non-profit online digital image library designed to serve educational and scholarly communities with more than one million images on subjects in the arts, architecture, humanities, and social sciences. ARTstor provides tools and software to search, present, and share digital images both online and offline for research and pedagogical purposes.

NAACP: A century in the fight for freedom, 1909-2009
Library of Congress Exhibition
"Hollywood vs. history: a lot of this year's hit movies have tackled real-life events. Two New York Times film critics consider how to watch a 'historical' movie."
Dargis, Manohla, and A.O. Scott. "Hollywood vs. history: a lot of this year's hit movies have tackled real-life events. Two New York Times film critics consider how to watch a 'historical' movie." New York Times Upfront

The Theory of Everything (Best Picture & Adapted Screenplay)

Search the library catalog here for books about and by Stephen Hawking.

Some keywords you may want to try:

"science in motion pictures"
"Stephen Hawking"
"amyotrophic lateral sclerosis" OR "Lou Gehrig's disease"

Travelling to Infinity: My Life with Stephen
SCC Public Library link to book on which movie is based.
The Theory of Everything: The Origin and Fate of the Universe
Book by Stephen Hawking available at SCC Public Library.
The Theory of Everything - DVD
St Clair County Public Library

Proquest Central
ProQuest Central is a full-text database with thousands of periodical titles and millions of full-text articles available. It also provides access to information such as: Hundreds of important, full text U.S., Canadian and international newspapers including full text of The Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times; more than 50,000 full text dissertations in the areas of business, psychology, physical sciences, health, education and more; concise business information from thousands of market reports across 43 industries in 40 countries; and over 160 subjects are covered by ProQuest Central.

"The Leaky Science of Hollywood."
Overbye, Dennis. "The Leaky Science of Hollywood." New York Times 28 Oct. 2014: D2(L). New York Times. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.
"Marriage Is Hard, Physics Is Easy."
Scott, A.O. "Marriage Is Hard, Physics Is Easy." New York Times 7 Nov. 2014: C12(L). New York Times. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.

Whiplash

Whiplash
DVD at the SCC Public LIbrary
Getting Jazz Right in the Movies
The New Yorker October 13, 2014

Proquest Central
ProQuest Central is a full-text database with thousands of periodical titles and millions of full-text articles available. It also provides access to information such as: Hundreds of important, full text U.S., Canadian and international newspapers including full text of The Wall Street Journal and Los Angeles Times; more than 50,000 full text dissertations in the areas of business, psychology, physical sciences, health, education and more; concise business information from thousands of market reports across 43 industries in 40 countries; and over 160 subjects are covered by ProQuest Central.

"A rare musical mentorship, captured with heart and soul."
Scott, A.O. "A rare musical mentorship, captured with heart and soul." New York Times 3 Oct. 2014: C6(L). New York Times. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.
"Drill Sergeant in the Music Room."
Scott, A.O. "Drill Sergeant in the Music Room." New York Times 10 Oct. 2014: C1(L). New York Times. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.