Barry Shephard
Remember in 1985 when there were Blockbuster video stores in every city, town, suburb, village, and county in the U.S.? The family would pile into the minivan and head down to the local Blockbuster store. Dad picked out thriller/action/westerns, the kids got horror and science fiction, Mom or Dad picked out romantic comedies, and the whole family binge-watched movies all weekend. Blockbuster has gone away except for one store in Bend, Ore. But right here in SaddleBrooke, at the DesertView Library, you have your own personal Blockbuster video store. We have a huge variety of films—from thrillers, action movies, science fiction, westerns, neo-westerns, comedies, romantic comedies, science fiction, musicals, to many popular TV series as well( not limited to the U.S.—we have series on PBS, BBC, UK, Australian, and other foreign platforms). And they can all be borrowed for free!
As the new DVD buyer, I get to purchase my favorites and recommendations from other library volunteers and our patrons. Some of the new purchases include Alfred Hitchcock’s greatest films , World War II classics for all you World War II roundtable members: The Bridge on the River Kwai, The Longest Day, The Guns of Navarone, From Here to Eternity, The Caine Mutiny, Darkest Hour, Dunkirk, and a new one that is a must-see (IMO), The Last Rifleman. Other new additions include Conclave, the Sherlock Holmes series with Benedict Cumberbatch, Gladiator II, Wicked, The White Lotus (Seasons 1 and 2), All Creatures Great and Small (Seasons 4 and 5), World on Fire, New Worlds, Babylon Berlin, Green and Gold (for Packers fans), Bad Lieutenant, Chernobyl, Sneaky Pete, Kill the Messenger, The Order, Nosferatu, Green Zone, the Coen Brothers (my favorites), Anora, Steve Martin comedies, silly comedies, etc., etc., etc.! We also have a large children’s movie collection when your grandchildren visit.
I know everyone is streaming movies now, but all it takes to take advantage of this feature is an inexpensive DVD player. So, make some popcorn (hold the butter), sit in front of your big-screen TV with surround sound, and watch some great movies. If you have any recommendations or requests, please give them to your friendly, helpful volunteer librarians. If you want more classics, foreign films, or Oscar winners, let us know. Unfortunately, newer films are often not available while still streaming, and many streaming services never release the movies that they produce as DVDs.
PS: As opposed to movies in theaters, we have subtitles for most of the movies except older ones that can enhance your enjoyment of the movies.
You can check out new movies that have been added to our collection by using the easy link to the catalog on the library website: sblibraries.com. The Friends of SaddleBrooke Libraries (FSL) provide the funding to purchase new books, DVDs, and audiobooks for the SaddleBrooke Community Libraries. If you are not a member of FSL, learn more at their website sbfsl.org. Your membership makes it possible to provide these library resources for the enjoyment of everyone in our SaddleBrooke community.