Weekend Staff Picks: Movies, Music, and More for Rainy Days

Happy Friday! It looks like this coming weekend will be at least a little bit of a rainy one, but don’t worry, we’ve got another batch of staff picks to help keep you occupied during any downpours!

Colorful block letters spelling 'BABYSITTERS' on a yellow background.

The Baby-Sitters Club

My daughter recently brought home a Baby-Sitters Club book and I started discussing the series with some other people in my orbit. I’m a Gen Xer who loved the series as a kid and one woman I spoke to read the books rabidly during her Millennial childhood. Gen Z tuned in to rereleases and new formats and now Gen Alpha is discovering the world of Kristy, Stacey, Mary Ann, Claudia, and their friends and family in fictional Stoneybrook, CT.

The Baby-Sitters Club by Ann M. Martin, the children’s book series beloved by generations, was first published in 1986 and focuses on a group of girls who run a babysitting service called The Babysitters Club. Ann Martin wrote about 60-80 titles in the series but it has been continued by other authors and spawned spinoffs galore.

A 13-episode TV series based on the books came out in 1990 and, most recently, the series and some spinoffs have been adapted into graphic novel form, giving it new life and popularity among a new audience.

You can read the new titles or go all the way back to the ‘80s on hoopla digital with your Avalon Library card! – Shannon Nagle

A man aiming a sniper rifle through a scope outdoors.

Fuze

The latest from director David Mackenzie (Starred Up) stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Theo James, Sam Worthington, and Gugu Mbatha-Raw in an exciting thriller. When unexploded ordnance from World War II is discovered at a London construction site, swathes of the city are evacuated. In the ensuing chaos, a daring heist is set in motion. Jared Mobarak of The Film Stage says, “No one can be trusted. No one is assured of their survival. We don’t even know who we should be rooting for––beyond the filmmakers themselves, in hopes they stick the landing.” Sounds like an exciting night at the movies! – Sean Farrell

Close-up of a human eye showing detailed iris patterns and colors.

Location Lost by Failure

I’d never heard of the band Failure before (shoegaze isn’t really my thing), but their new album showed up in my Apple Music algorithm thanks to a track featuring Hayley Williams of Paramore and I’m glad it did. That particular song is a standout, serving as a shining example of what that subgenre can even be, but there isn’t a dud to be found in these 9 tracks. Sounding both of-the-moment and as if it could fit in easily on MTV’s long-gone 120 Minutes alt-rock block. Despite the relatively long gap between this and their previous LP, the band has a pretty loyal following and after experiencing Location Lost it’s easy to see why. – SF

A woman with long red hair stands in a dimly lit room, staring directly at the viewer. She is wearing a white dress and standing near a window with soft light filtering through.

Florence + the Machine “Everybody Scream” Tour

If you prefer your music live, popular art rock band Florence + the Machine will be performing at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on Saturday (4/25) at 7pm. Expect to hear hits like “Shake It Out”, “Cosmic Love”, and of course “Dog Days Are Over”. Tickets are still available via Ticketmaster.

A man with a serious expression is observing a woman who is holding a knife, set in a lush tropical environment.

Send Help

If you missed director Sam Raimi’s “…highly entertaining… delightfully bloody…” desert island thriller when it was in cinemas this February, now’s your chance to see it at home. Newly arrived at the library, the features top-notch performances from Rachel McAdams and Dylan O’Brien as an employee and boss respectively who find their dynamic shifting in unexpected ways when their jet crashes in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. Darkly funny, provocative, and unpredictable, it’s “an early-year treat.” – SF