Best of 2021: TV shows, movies & music | Villa Park Public Library

1) 30

Author

Adele

Notes

It's Adele. There's no one like her. --Dontana, Collection Management Librarian

Formats:

Music CD, Phonograph

Description

Click to view

The first new music from Adele since the release of her third studio album 25 in November 2015. The album is produced with former collaborators Greg Kurstin, Max Martin and Shellback and Tobias Jesso Jr., as well as new collaborators Inflo and Ludwig Goransson. Features the first single Easy on Me.

2) An evening with Silk Sonic

Author

Silk Sonic (Musical group)

Notes

A retro feel good album that conjures scenes of chill late night parties. --Dontana, Collection Management Librarian

3) HEY WHAT

Author

Low (Musical group)

Notes

I'll never tire of carefully crafted guitar riffs and gorgeous two-part harmonies, but on this record, Alan Sparhawk pushes the pedals and tweaks the nobs more heavily to create noisescapes that envelop he and Mimi Parker's vocals with beautiful effect. --Eric, Collection Management Librarian

Formats:

eMusic, Music CD

Description

Click to view

Focusing on their craft, staying out of the fray, and holding fast their faith to find new ways to express the discord and delight of being alive, turn the duality of existence into hymns. These ten pieces--each built around their own instantaneous, undeniable hook--are turbocharged by the vivid textures that surround them. The ineffable, familiar harmonies of Alan Sparhawk and Mimi Parker break through the chaos like a life raft. This is Low's thirteenth...

4) Lucy Worsley's royal myths & secrets: Volume 1

Notes

I love every single one of Lucy Worsley's documentaries! She makes history come alive with costuming and great humor. She usually focuses on the United Kingdom, so seeing the breakdown of worldwide history and myths was a real treat. --Shelley, Children's Services Librarian

Description

Click to view

Join Lucy Worsley on a journey across Europe to visit the incredible locations where royal history was made. From the Spanish Armada to the French Revolution, learn how royal history is a mixture of facts, exaggeration, manipulation and mythology.

5) Mare of Easttown

Notes

Kate Winslet was phenomenal in this show! I was riveted every episode and completely surprised by the twists at the end. --Jenna, Collection Management Librarian

Description

Click to view

Mare Sheehan is a small-town Pennsylvania detective who investigates a local murder as life crumbles around her. The seven-part limited series is an exploration into the dark side of a close community and an authentic examination of how family and past tragedies can define our present.

6) Pig

Notes

Nicolas Cage doesn't always succeed, but he can't be faulted for his willingness to pursue unique roles. In "Pig", the depth he brings to his character is undeniable, and the film, like many things that seem simple on the surface, is actually a complex comment on what's valuable in life. --Eric, Collection Management Librarian

Formats:

Blu-ray, DVD

Description

Click to view

"A truffle hunter who lives alone in the Oregonian wilderness must return to his past in Portland in search of his beloved foraging pig after she is kidnapped"--Container.

7) Raya and the last dragon

Notes

I love Raya and her adventure so much! Such a fun and visually beautiful movie. --Jenna, Collection Management Librarian

Description

Click to view

Long ago, in the fantasy world of Kumandra, humans and dragons lived together in harmony. But when sinister monsters known as the Druun threatened the land, the dragons sacrificed themselves to save humanity. Now, 500 years later, those same monsters have returned and it's up to a lone warrior, Raya, to track down the last dragon in order to finally stop the Druun for good. However, along her journey, she'll learn that it'll take more than dragon...

8) Smithsonian anthology of hip-hop and rap

Notes

This compilation isn't meant to be a greatest hits package--though there are hits galore--but rather a document of touchstones and creative revelations. Listening from start to finish is like witnessing the evolution of a musical language. --Eric, Collection Management Librarian

Description

Click to view

The Smithsonian Anthology of Hip-Hop and Rap is a first-of-its-kind multimedia collection chronicling the growth of the music and culture from the parks of the Bronx to solidifying a reach that spans the globe. The set includes 129 tracks on 9 CDs and a 300-page book with original design by Cey Adams, artist and founding creative director of Def Jam Recordings, as well as essays by some of hip-hop's leading writers and critics and hundreds of photographs...

9) To the ends of the earth

Notes

Best known for his eerie horror films ("Cure", "Pulse", "Creepy"), Kiyoshi Kurosawa's "To The Ends of the Earth" is, like his more recent works, a departure from that genre. However, for fans of those films, it retains signature elements of the filmmaker's style: gradual tension build, atmospheric ebb and flow, characters searching with uncertainty--the latter the centerpiece of this story of self-discovery. --Eric, Collection Management Librarian

Description

Click to view

"To the Ends of the Earth follows concerned citizens living at the frontiers of extreme oil and gas extraction, bearing witness to a global crossroads. They call for human ingenuity to rebuild society at the end of the fossil fuel era. The people we meet are uniquely positiond to watch this global crossroads unfold. For example, the mayor of an Inuit village in Canada's high Arctic who is concerned that seismic testing for oil in the ocean is blowing...

10) What we do in the shadows: The complete first season

Notes

This show just keeps getting better! Consistently hilarious and outrageous. --Kathy, Collection Management Librarian

Description

Click to view

Four vampires have lived together for hundreds of years. After an unexpected visit from their dark lord and leader, they're reminded that they were initially tasked with completing domination of the New World upon their arrival in Staten Island; over a hundred years ago. But what exactly is the best way to go about achieving said domination?