Check It Out Category: Movies and TV

When everything becomes too much, we look for comfort in different forms of escape television. Sometimes we want to lose ourselves in gentle or dramatic history; other times we want contemporary and edgy. You have access to hundreds of streaming programs through Hoopla Digital with your library card, and below are a few recommendations courtesy of your friendly Advisory Staff. Other viewing suggestions are available here and here, and you can also contact us to ask for titles hand-picked to match your personal taste!

Chelsea recommends
Absolutely Fabulous
Series 1-6
UK comedy

Laura and Cathleen recommend
Wolf Hall
Miniseries: 6 episodes
UK historical drama

Al recommends
The Story of Cats

Al recommends
Call the Midwife
Seasons 1-7
UK historical drama

Chelsea recommends
Rick and Morty
Season 1
US animated comedy

Chelsea, Al, and Cathleen recommend
The Great British Baking Show
Seasons 1-5
UK reality competition

Cathleen recommends
Dickensian
Series 1
UK historical drama

Al recommends
Key & Peele
Season 1
US comedy

Chelsea recommends
Robot Chicken
Season 1
US animated comedy

Al recommends
The Librarians
Seasons 1-4
US action-adventure, science fiction/fantasy

Chelsea recommends
Cranford
Seasons 1-2
UK historical drama

Cathleen recommends
Search Party

Season 1
US dark comedy, mystery

The Coroner
Seasons 1-2
UK crime drama

Scott & Bailey
Series 1-5
UK crime drama

3rd Rock from the Sun

Challenging times leave us eager for escape, and while some lean on old favorites for comfort, others seek excitement through new discoveries. If you are looking for fresh ideas of what to watch through Hoopla and Kanopy with your library card, take advantage of staff-curated favorites! We can also help with customized suggestions for what you might enjoy watching.

Faces Places – available on Kanopy

(French) A documentary and road-trip film in which two artists team up and travel around France, forming an unlikely friendship. A heartwarming, touching viewing experience. ~Al

What We Do in the Shadows – available on Hoopla and Kanopy

For fans of ridiculousness, vampires, and laughs! ~Chelsea

The Forger – available on Hoopla

The world’s best art forger makes a deal with a crime syndicate to get an early release from prison, but in return he must pull of an impossible heist. John Travolta at his best! ~Denise

Mona Lisa Smile – available on Hoopla

Inspiring performances about gender roles in the 1950s, with timeless emotions and frustrations that are still relevant today ~Nancy

Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead – available on Hoopla

Two minor characters are not quite sure what they are doing in the world of Hamlet, but they’re pretty good at faking it, and they may just discover the laws of physics along the way. ~Cathleen

The Fits – available on Kanopy

An 11-year-old boxer, Toni, decides to join a dance team that also trains at her gym. The dancers begin to suffer from mysterious spasms, and Toni does whatever she can to fit in. Often described as “hypnotic,” The Fits packs a punch in 72 minutes. Don’t miss this unique drama! ~Al

Loving Vincent – available on Hoopla and Kanopy

If you want to get lost in the life and brushstrokes of Van Gogh… ~Chelsea

David E. Talbert’s Suddenly Single – available on Hoopla

Staring Grey’s Anatomy‘s Isaiah Washington. Totally heartfelt with some laughs thrown in! ~Denise

Strictly Ballroom – available on Hoopla

Flamboyant and manic, Baz Luhrmann’s crowd-pleasing debut bedazzles classic dance partner storylines with Aussie individuality. ~Cathleen

Holy Motors – available on Kanopy

(French) Holy Motors shows us Monsieur Oscar’s job running around Paris, transforming into different characters in his limousine. It is full of mystery, dancing, and surreal moments. ~Chelsea

Still looking? Check out the first list in our series of Staff Movies and TV Picks available from home.

Are you feeling separation anxiety from the Library’s extensive DVD collections and need something to watch? Now is the time to explore digital movies and TV available free to you through Hoopla and Kanopy with your library card. Our staff is eager to help with customized suggestions for what you might enjoy watching, and you can begin my taking a look at their first round of personal favorites.

Hearts Beat Loud – available on Kanopy and Hoopla

A personal all-time favorite, ideal if you’re looking for a hopeful story about first love, new love, family, grief, and dreams set on top of a soulful soundtrack. As a bonus you get Nick Offerman playing an endearing dad dedicated to connecting with his very hip teen daughter! ~Jenny

The Illusionist – available on Hoopla

Something to take you far and away from the troubles of today; a captivating blend of romance, mystery, and wonder, with lots of atmosphere; based loosely on a short story by Steven Millhauser. ~Nancy

His Girl Friday – available on Kanopy and Hoopla

When life in this decade seems a little much, I turn to the classics. Watching the dialogue zing between Cary Grant and Rosalind Russell is always a mood-lifter. ~Cathleen

Force Majeur – available on Kanopy and Hoopla

(Swedish) Nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes, this movie plops a perfect family into an avalanche amid their skiing vacation. Humorous, sad, and poignant. Watch with someone who would save you from a catastrophic event. ~Al

Hunt for the Wilderpeople – available on Kanopy and Hoopla

A heartwarming adventure story featuring a grumpy man and a mischievous foster child who has been thrust into his life. Written and directed by Oscar winner Taika Waititi. ~Chelsea

Ferrante Fever – available on Kanopy

A few years ago Elena Ferrante’s Italian Neapolitan series took the literary world by storm. Interviewing authors, public voices, and booksellers, director Giacomo Durzi explores how the series became a worldwide bestseller and its impact. This documentary also sheds a light on the Italian literary scene. ~Jenny

Bull Durham – available on Hoopla

Susan Sarandon and Kevin Costner are so much fun. Such a fabulous throwback and so totally 80’s! Best line of the movie: ‘”The world is made for people who aren’t cursed with self-awareness” Love it! ~Denise

Still Life: A Three Pines Mystery – available on Hoopla

After listening to the book, I was excited to see it was made into a movie. The author served as an executive producer, and it followed the book pretty closely. Entertaining, and similar in tone to a Hallmark mystery. ~Kelda

Lady Bird – available on Kanopy

Missing your mother-daughter bond during this time of quarantine? Watch Lady Bird for a touching, yet raw, look at a tumultuous and loving mother-daughter relationship during the daughter’s last high school year. You’ll laugh, you’ll cry, you’ll enjoy. ~Al

Bridget Jones’s Diary – available on Hoopla

A fun, light-hearted movie with a great cast and lots of laughs. ~Nancy

Mandy – available on Hoopla

If you are in the mood for revenge, fury, colorful backdrops, and Nicolas Cage! ~Chelsea

Borgen – available on Hoopla

(Danish) Often characterized as a Danish West Wing, the fascinating arc of a woman who finds herself elected Prime Minister and how she learns to balance her convictions, her family life, her optimism, and her dedication to service. ~Cathleen

Bonus: Did you know that you have at-home access to the Great Courses series?  Here’s a timely staff suggestion to start you on your journey for answers:

The Great Courses: An Introduction to Infectious Diseases – available on Kanopy

Check out this educational opportunity if, amid our current state, you want to know more about the science of infectious diseases. Course taught by a physician specializing in the field. ~Al