Movie Matinée: 'Father Stu'

Movie Matinée

When an injury ends his amateur boxing career, Stuart Long moves to Los Angeles to find money and fame. While scraping by as a supermarket clerk, he meets Carmen, a Sunday school teacher who seems immune to his bad-boy charm. Determined to win her over, the longtime agnostic starts going to church to impress her. However, a motorcycle accident leaves him wondering if he can use his second chance to help others, leading to the surprising realization that he's meant to be a Catholic priest.

Summer Horror Teen Movie Night

Do you like scary movies? chhh, chhh, chhh. The North-East Branch Library will be hosting a Teen's only Horror Movie view party all summer long. Every Friday (May 19 to July 21) from 2 - 4 p.m.! Grab your friends and we'll provide the popcorn, It'll be a frightfully good time!

Ages 13 to 18 only please!

Josie and the Pussycats

Off the Wall, Summer Reading

Cats have slinked, stretched, purred, and pounced through movies for well more than a century, going back to the silent 1901 short The Sick Kitten. We can all agree: They make a film more interesting.

The Library celebrates these furry stars in its 2023 Off the Wall rooftop film series, Feline Throughline, featuring cats in non-starring but invariably scene-chewing roles. Leading off: 2001’s Josie and the Pussycats (PG-13, 98 min.), which finds Rachael Leigh Cook (lead singer and guitarist Josie), Tara Reid (drummer Melody), and Rosario Dawson (bassist Val) as members of a rising rock band caught in a scheme to control America’s youth.

Yes, it’s a musical comedy based on a comic book. But E! News saw more nuance on the 20th anniversary of the movie’s release in 2021, writing, “Over the last two decades, Josie and the Pussycats has become a generation-defining cult classic, simultaneously being ahead of its time with its take on consumerism and the state of pop music and yet a perfect encapsulation of the Y2K era, Carson Daly cameo included.”

In other words, it’s the cat’s pawjamas.

Featured Meow-vies

• Friday, July 14: Captain Marvel (2019, PG-13, 123 min.)
• Friday, Aug 11: The Mummy (1999, PG-13, 124 min.)
• Friday, Sept 8: Batman Returns (1992, PG-13, 126 min.)

Series Details »

Co-presented by the Kansas City Public Library and Young Friends of the Kansas City Public Library.

Attending Off the Wall

 

• Films are shown on the fifth-floor Rooftop Terrace of the Central Library, 14 West 10^th St., KCMO.
• Bring your own seating, blankets, or folding chairs. (Chairs or other seating not provided.)
• Bring your own food, snacks, and non-alcoholic beverages. No glass containers, please.
• Doors open at 8 p.m. (The Central Library closes at 5 p.m. on Fridays, but reopens at 8 p.m. for Off the Wall events.)
• Screenings begin at dusk (approximately 8:45 p.m.)
• Parking: Enter the Library District parking garage via Baltimore Avenue**. Bring your parking ticket to the event for complimentary validation.
• Transit options: Take KC Streetcar to the Library stop at 9^th and Main streets or use Ride KC bus routes.
• In case of bad weather, the event may be canceled. Watch event pages or the Library’s social media feeds for updates.

 

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**CENTRAL LIBRARY PARKING NOTICE
Please note that the Baltimore Ave. entrance to the Community Bookshelf Parking Garage via 10th St. will be CLOSED Monday, June 5, through Saturday, June 17, due to concrete repairs. All visitors and permit holders can enter the garage via Wyandotte St. on the west side.

 

Family Video Vault: 'Chicken Run'

Family Video Vault

The community of chickens living caged lives in an oppressive English farm have resigned themselves to their fate, save for Ginger (Julia Sawalha) whose various failed escape attempts have left her desperate for a new approach and a way to rally her fellow chickens in the pursuit of freedom. A savior arrives in the form of an American rooster (Mel Gibson) who claims he can teach the chickens how to fly.

Released by Aardman Animation in 2000, Chicken Run remains the highest grossing stop motion animated film of all time and features a voice cast of notable British television and film actors like Miranda Richardson (The Crying Game, Phantom of the Opera), Benjamin Whitrow (Personal Services), and Jane Horrocks (Absolutely Fabulous).

Screening and Panel Discussion: Reimagining Safety

Join Decarcerate KC, UMKC’s Clear My Record Project, and the Kansas City Public Library for a screening of Reimagining Safety, a film by Matthew Solomon. 

"In this film, 10 experts discuss how policing and incarceration create more harm than good, why the system persists, and what changes can be made to make everyone safe.” 

Following the screening, we’ll host a panel discussion with local experts – let’s talk about what changes we can make in Kansas City so we can all be safe.

Refreshments will be served.

Summer of Shrek Presents: Shrek!

Summer Reading

Seasoned shreksperts and first time swamp-goers are all invited to this exclusive teens only event series this summer in where we will be watching the Dreamworks animation classic Shrek! Don your green apparel, grab your onions, and join us at the Central Library as we kick off the biggest event of the summer: The Summer of Shrek!

#kcSummerReads

Summer Horror Teen Movie Night

Do you like scary movies? chhh, chhh, chhh. The North-East Branch Library will be hosting a Teen's only Horror Movie view party all summer long. Every Friday (May 19 to July 21) from 2 - 4 p.m.! Grab your friends and we'll provide the popcorn, It'll be a frightfully good time!

Ages 13 to 18 only please!

Family Video Vault: 'Ratatouille'

Family Video Vault

Remy dreams of becoming a chef but there’s one problem: he is a rat. Separated from his family, Remy finds himself at the restaurant of his idol, Gusteau, where he teams up with Linguini, the kitchen boy, so he can follow his dreams of cooking.

This star-studded 2007 Pixar movie features dreamy Parisian scenery, appealing food, and the message that simply anyone can cook.

AIDS in KC: Facing the Challenge

In the 1980s and early ’90s, when few understood the new AIDS virus plaguing the nationwide LGBTQ community and still fewer leaders worked proactively to help, individuals and organizational allies in Kansas City stepped up. AIDS in KC: Facing the Challenge is a two-part documentary that tells the story of those who came together to save lives and educate during a frightening time.

The Library and Kansas City PBS screen both films.

Following the screening, panelists discuss the film and the current state of the fight against AIDS in Kansas City and across the nation.

Sunday Cinema Presents: KCAI Student Film Showcase

Join us for a one-of-a-kind cinema event featuring student films from graduates of the Kansas City Art Institute's prestigious animation program. See an eclectic collection of cleverly curated short films created in a wide variety of styles-- everything from 3D digital graphics to traditional 2D hand drawn animation.

Artist featured in this anthology collection include:
Adam Gilbert
Tova Larson
John Morales
Madison J Newton
CC Wade
Paige Harberts
Matthew Infante
Caitlyn Dreher
Audrey Caruthers
Colton French
Issac Higo
Diego Marquina-Mendez
Luka Brown
Jules Vostrejs
Benji Demay
Cassidy Orf
Jaaron W
Riley Flynn
Kaylea Halstead

Cartoons 'n Crafts

Kids ages 10-18 and families are free to hang out, watch cartoons, and enjoy various crafts - such as painting, bracelet & button making, and t-shirt decorating!

Snacks will be provided.

March Bonus: 'Montana Story'

Two estranged siblings return home to the sprawling ranch they once knew and loved in order to confront a deep and bitter family legacy.