Penn State University Libraries - New Videos

Fuel [videorecording] Tickell, Joshua.  A powerful portrait of America's overwhelming addiction to, and reliance on, oil. Having been born and raised in one of the USA's most oil-producing regions, Josh Tickell saw firsthand how the industry controls, deceives, and damages the country, its people, and the environment, and after one too many people he know became sick, he knew he just couldn't idly stand by any longer. (from CAT entry)

Concrete steel & paint [videorecording] Burstein, CindyWhen men in a prison art class agree to collaborate with victims of crime to design a mural about healing, their views on punishment, remorse, and forgiveness collide. At times the divide seems too wide to bridge. But as the participants begin to work together, mistrust gives way to genuine moments of human contact and common purpose. Their struggle and the insights gained are reflected in the art they produce. (from CAT entry)

The business of being born [videorecording] Slotnick, Amy.  Inspired by their own unique birth experiences, producer Ricki Lake and director Abby Epstein team up to provide a nation of mothers-to-be with insight into the process of childbirth and the various options available when preparing for this special event. From pregnancy to the miraculous moment of birth. An informative celebration of the road to motherhood. (from CAT entry)

Blacking up [videorecording] : hip-hop's remix of race and identity Clift, Robert A."Hip-Hop was created by urban youth of color more than 30 years ago amid racial oppression and economic marginalization. It has moved beyond that specific community and been embraced by young people worldwide, elevating it to a global youth culture. The ambitious and hard-hitting documentary Blacking Up: hip-hop's remix of race and identity looks at the popularity of hip-hop among America's white youth. It asks whether white identification is rooted in admiration and a desire to transcend race or if it is merely a new chapter in the long continuum of stereotyping, mimicry and cultural appropriation? Does it reflect a new face of racial understanding in white America or does it reinforce an ugly history? Against the unique backdrop of american popular music, Blacking up explores racial identity in U.S. society. The film artfully draws parallels between the white hip-hop fan and previous incarnations of white appropriation from blackface performer Al Jolson to mainstream artists like Elvis Presley, the Rolling Stones and Eminem. It interweaves portraits of white hip-hop artists and fans with insightful commentary by African American cultural critics such as Amiri Baraka, Nelson George, Greg Tate, comedian Paul Mooney and hip-hop figures Chuck D., Russell Simmons, M1 of Dead Prez, and DJ Kool Herc"--Container. (from CAT entry)

Scientific method [videorecording] Cole, Neville.
Features student actors demonstrating the scientific method through humorous sketches that emphasize what it is and how it works. (from CAT entry)

Beyond the politics of life & choice [videorecording] : a new conversation about abortion Ankele, John.:
"Politicians continue to exploit the issue of abortion to energize their 'base', and media are drawn to the noise and excess found at the fringes - generating only more heat as battle lines and stereotypes are further reinforced. It offers a safe space, where people with opposing views can meet to better understand the deep concerns of the other. This hour-long documentary defuses the abortion issue and changes the tone as activists on both sides, legal experts, leading religious thinkers, college and seminary students, and women who have personally faced the abortion dilemma, all bring surprising new insights into territory we often run away from because it is so fraught with tension, prejudice, shame and fear"--Container.. (from CAT entry)

The yellow wallpaper [videorecording] Clive, John:
Three radical activists like to make their point by breaking into the homes of the wealthy, rearranging their belongings and leaving cryptic messages. When one such break-in goes wrong, they are forced to kidnap a wealthy businessman. (from CAT entry)

The most dangerous man in America [videorecording] : Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers Ehrlich, Judith:
"In 1971, Daniel Ellsberg, a high-level Pentagon official and Vietnam War strategist, concludes that the war is based on decades of lies and leaks 7,000 pages of top secret documents to the New York Times, making headlines around the world. [The film tells how] one man's profound change of heart created a landmark struggle involving America's newspapers, president and Supreme Court -- a political thriller whose events led directly to Watergate, Nixon's resignation and the end of the Vietnam War." -- www.newday.com. (from CAT entry)

The last days of Shishmaref [videorecording] Louter, Jan:
"A documentary on the first victims of global warming. The filmmakers travel to a small village in northwest Alaska, home to an Inupiaq Eskimo community, where homes are literally falling into the sea. The entire village is expected to disappear within 10 years." -- Cover.(from CAT entry)

Scandalize my name [videorecording] : stories from the blacklist  Isles, Alexandra M. (Alexandra Moltke):
An examination into how 'Red Scare' politics were used to impede the civil rights movement. The story is told through the confrontations of African-American performers with blacklists, loyalty oaths and discrimination in casting. (from CAT entry)

Killing us softly 4 [videorecording] : advertising's image of women Jhally, Sut:
"In this new, highly anticipated update of her pioneering Killing Us Softly series, the first in more than a decade, Jean Kilbourne takes a fresh look at how advertising traffics in distorted and destructive ideals of femininity. The film marshals a range of new print and television advertisements to lay bare a stunning pattern of damaging gender stereotypes -- images and messages that too often reinforce unrealistic, and unhealthy, perceptions of beauty, perfection, and sexuality. By bringing Kilbourne's groundbreaking analysis up to date, Killing Us Softly 4 stands to challenge a new generation of students to take advertising seriously, and to think critically about popular culture and its relationship to sexism, eating disorders, and gender violence."-- container. (from CAT entry)

Fixer [videorecording] : the taking of Ajmal Naqshbandi  Roth, Nancy:
Examines the life and death of Ajmal Naqshbandi, held hostage in Afghanistan with journalist Christian Parenti, while Ajmal was working as Christian's "fixer". The documentary details the hazards of the fixer's job, which involves translation, providing transport, arranging meetings with local sources, and alerting the fixer's employer to various dangers. After Ajmal is captured with Christian by local Talibas forces, Parenti is eventually released, while Ajmal is forced to stay. Accompanying these events, the film explores the botched hostage negotiation, government corruption, and the relationship between journalists and their translators. (from CAT entry)

Children left behind [videorecording] : a documentary on high stakes testing Kruger, Louis J.:
This film is about the well-intended purposes that are driving the high stakes testing movement in the public schools, and its unintended consequences. The compelling stories of students who are struggling with these tests provide a springboard for the exploration of the educational, political and moral issues associated with high stakes testing. The social justice issues are palpable. Testing is a ubiquitous part of our global society. The documentary raises the important question of whether we are leaving too many children behind in our quest for higher test scores. (from CAT entry)

Thirteen [videorecording] 
Thirteen (Motion picture).
Los Angeles teenager and overachiever Tracy is an excellent student in her seventh grade class and gets along well with her mother, Melanie. She fears that she's not cool enough to be friends with Evie, the most popular girl in school. Fueled with genuine adolescent energy, Tracy follows Evie's lead into the harsh realities of sex, drugs, and hard-edged adventure. Consumed with temptations and conflicting desires, Tracy loses her good-girl identity, greatly affecting her relationship with her mom. (from CAT entry)

For love of liberty [videorecording] : the story of America's black patriots : [a film] 
Berry, Halle.
Gain an unprecedented look at the experiences and accomplishments of African Americans in the military, and learn why such a group of heroic men and women would fight for the freedom of others that they themselves weren't able to enjoy. Hosted by Halle Berry with an introduction by Colin Powell, and features the voices of Morgan Freeman, Bill Cosby, Danny Glover, John Travolta, and many more. (from CAT entry)

Understanding research [videorecording] 
Farrar, Lauren.
"Introducing the basic components of a research study, this program examines the ways in which research studies are reported and teaches how to read and understand them. It outlines the structure of a scientific paper, defines important terms, considers the information that statistics provide about the value of a study, and shows how to evaluate the quality of information presented in a research study." --from publisher's website. (from CAT entry)

Qualitative research [videorecording] : methods in the social sciences   McIlwain, Charlton D.
This DVD on qualitative research methods in the social sciences is presented in 4 chapters: 1) Questions of qualitative research, 2) Ethnography, 3) Textual analysis and 4) Application. After stating that social science research is based on studying others so that we can better understand ourselves, the video shows how researchers can construct a symbolic world to explore individual and collective meanings to determine what motivates human behavior and how individuals relate to each other in their environment. Experts Charlton McIlwain, JoEllen Fisherkeller, Erich Dietrich, and Rodney Benson explain this, as well as how this research is used by the media, advertising corporations and governments in their efforts to influence people and their behavior. (from CAT entry) 

A sea change [videorecording]  
Ettinger, Barbara.
Documents ocean acidification and discusses the changes we are seeing in the chemistry of the oceans. (from CAT entry)

Everything's cool [videorecording] 
Gold, Daniel B.
"A film about America's finally 'getting' global warming in the wake of the most dangerous chasm ever to emerge between scientific understanding and political action...[This film] features a renowned case of scientists, journalists and activists including Step It Up's Bill McKibben, Pulitzer Prize winner Ross Gelbspan, the Weather Channel's Dr. Heidi Cullen and White House whistle-blower Rick Piltz." - Container. (from CAT entry)

Life's greatest miracle [videorecording] 
Lithgow, John.
The development of a child from conception to birth, using both microimagery and the story of a young couple preparing for their first child.. (from CAT entry)

Baby Einstein. Numbers nursery [videorecording] 
Buena Vista Home Entertainment.
Introduces babies and toddlers to the numbers 1-5 in a playful, interactive way with classical music especially for little ears. (from CAT entry)

Secret of the wild child [videorecording] 
Garmon, Linda.
Nova profiles "Genie" a girl whose parents kept her imprisoned in total isolation from infancy. It was hoped that research done during her rehabilitation would help reveal what makes people "human.". (from CAT entry)

Powers of ten : a film dealing with the relative size of things in the universe and the effect of adding another zero   [videorecording] 
 Eames, Charles.
"A cinematic voyage from the interior of the atom to the furthest reaches of the universe that demostrates a new way of looking at the commonplace. Every ten seconds we view the starting point from ten times farther out, until our own galaxy is visible only as a speck of light among many others. Returning to earth with breathtakinig speed, we move inward into the hand of the sleeping picnicker with ten times more magnification every ten seconds. Our journey ends inside a proton of a carbon atom within a DNA molecule in a white blood cell"-- Container. (from CAT entry)

Interdependence of life [videorecording] 
Angel, Charlotte.
On planet Earth, no living thing is an island. This identifies the world's ecosystems as it explains the flow of energy and the cycling of matter within them. Terms such as biosphere and biome, biotic and abiotic, autotrophs (producers) and heterotrophs (consumers), and the food web are defined, and ecology and conservation as fields of study are explored. Rainforests serve as a timely and powerful example of the interdependence of life at the global level--and the devastating worldwide effects of deforestation.. (from CAT entry)

Pray the Devil back to hell [videorecording]
Disney, Abigail E.
Documentary about a group of brave and visionary women who demanded peace for Liberia, a nation torn to shreds by a bloody civil war, violent warlords and a corrupt Charles Taylor regime. Includes interviews, archival images, and scenes of present-day Liberia together to recount the experiences and memories of the women who were instrumental in bringing lasting peace to their country. (from CAT entry)

Mind in motion [videorecording]
InformAction Films.
Documentary that explores the latest scientific discoveries about the human brain. Includes interviews with scientist Walter J. Freeman, Maurice Ptito, Vilayanur Ramachandran, Lionel Naccache, Bruno van Swinderen. (from CAT entry)

Global climate regions [videorecording] Nolan, Mary Lee.
Introduces geographical classification strategies based on a simplified version of the Koppen system. The video identifies the characteristics of the following zones: humid tropical climates, wet-dry tropics, dry climates, subtropical and mid-latitude deserts and steppes, humid mid-latitude climates, humid subtropics, summer dry subtropics, marine west coasts, humid continentals, sub-arctic climates, polar climates, tundra, and higland climates. Illustrated with simple maps and colorful footage climatic regions are brought to life through the coverage of wildlife, people at work and play, representative landscapes and types of vegetation. (from CAT entry)

Fate of the oceans. Plundering the oceans [videorecording] Sandison, Hilary:
Almost without exception, fishing grounds all over the world are being recklessly exploited. This program brings the global problem to light, making clear that our planet is approaching an environmental crisis. It examines methods that are widespread in India's fisheries, including the use of nets so finely meshed that even seawater only trickles out; it also explores the waters of the Mediterranean and the North Atlantic, where tuna and cod populations are not only shrinking but quite possibly doomed. The assault by land-based polluters on coastal fishing areas is documented as well. Industry's self-destructive approach is perhaps best exemplified by a story from Bali, where new hotels were made from local coral - leaving fish species without a habitat and snorkeling tourists with no fish to see. - Container. (from CAT entry)

Aquatic biomes [videorecording] Bailey, Amanda:
Forms part of a series designed to provide an understanding of interdependent ecological communities or biomes. Introduces a variety of the world's aquatic biomes, including rivers, lakes, wetlands, intertidal zones, coral reefs, and kelp forests. Describes the characteristics of saltwater and freshwater environments and the diverse plants and animals that inhabit them. Looks at the importance of evolution and adaptation for aquatic species. (from CAT entry)

The hidden face of fear [videorecording] ARTE France:
Studying the traumatic impact of 9/ll, neuroscientists and psychologists are approaching a common understanding of how the brain's fear circuitry works, and changes. The film features interviews with some of the world's leading experts on fear and memory, including neuroscientist Joseph LeDoux, Nobel Prize-winning neurobiologist Eric R. Kandel, neuropsychiatrist David Silbersweig, and other psychologists and neuroscientists at New York University's Center for the Neuroscience of Fear and Anxiety. (from CAT entry)

The baby human [videorecording] Bernier, Tamara:
Experience the first two years of a child's life just as they do. This groundbreaking program reveals what only the little ones know. What is their most profound need? How do they really see their parents? What does it feel like to struggle to walk or learn to speak? (from CAT entry)

The baby human 2 [videorecording] Spidell, Kip:
Imagine being thrust into a world where you cannot speak, movements are limited and in order to survive you must unravel the meaning behind a maze of sights and sounds. This is the world of a baby. Takes a look inside the mind of a baby, revealing how they think, communicate and observe. It's an incredible journey that each of us has taken, but which none of us remembers. Get a carpet-and-crib-eye view of what it means to be a baby. (from CAT entry)

Pi [videorecording] Aronofsky, Darren:
A brilliant mathematician teeters on the brink of insanity as he searches for an elusive numerical code that will allow him to predict patterns in the stock market. (from CAT entry)