America’s sixteenth president is currently visiting the East Valley. Chandler Hamilton Library is featuring “Abraham Lincoln: A Man of His Time, A Man for All Times,” an exhibit on display through May 3 that celebrates the life and leadership of Lincoln. The exhibit was created by the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History.

If you watch the trailer for “Renoir” – a new period drama from French filmmaker Gilles Bourdos – a variety of adjectives are bound to come to mind: conventional, humdrum, lackluster. Sure, they’re trying to sell the story of one of the all-time great painters in a mere two minutes, but nothing about it grabs your attention – let alone, compels you to sit through the actual film. Luckily, this is not exactly the case for the movie itself, which is exquisite to look at but unfortunately devoid of any real insight into Pierre-Auguste Renoir. You come wishing to learn about the artist and his work, but instead leave dwelling on the film’s more engaging supporting characters.

In many respects, the Oscars feel like a sporting event as nominees tirelessly campaign to win and award analyzers place bets on which horse will cross the finish line. Even a loyal Oscar viewer such as myself is bound to make several incorrect predictions come Oscar Sunday. Regardless, I’m going to do my best to forecast who will be taking home the awards on Feb. 24.

Where everyone else spent most of last January debating which team would be victorious at Super Bowl XLVII, I was busy trying to predict which movies would win big at the 85th annual Academy Awards. In many respects, the Oscars feel like a sporting event as nominees tirelessly campaign to win and award analyzers place bets on which horse will cross the finish line.

January means resolutions. My guess is that at least one of your resolutions falls under the category of being happier in some area of your life. If so, you might want to take a look at Gretchen Rubin’s new book, “Happier at Home” (2012). Her previous book, “The Happiness Project,” was No. 1 on the New York Times bestseller list for months. Although I hadn’t read that one, I bought her next book as the “perfect” gift for someone. Before I wrapped it I skimmed it a little further than in the bookstore. Soon I was reading each page and knew I had to have my own copy. This is a valuable and inspirational reference for any individual, family or home — the kind of book you might not read at one sitting or from beginning to end, but snippets on a daily or weekly basis. With a highlighter.

The Oscar season is customarily kicked off by the Academy president and a random star solemnly announcing the nominees in a drab ceremony. The Academy decided to shake up tradition this year, however, in one of the most cheerful Oscar mornings we’ve ever had. Seth MacFarlane, director of “Ted” and this year’s Oscar host, announced the nominees Thursday morning alongside the invaluable Emma Stone, who had the funniest bit at last year’s Oscar ceremony. MacFarlane and Stone made for an outstanding duo, engaging in playful banter about each of the categories. Even when one of their jokes didn’t quite hit the mark, MacFarlane and Stone still looked like they were having a genuine ball on stage. That’s more than can be said about Anne Hathaway and James Franco when they hosted the Oscars two years ago.

Celebrate the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday at the 27th annual MLK awards breakfast, “Stand Up for Justice,” from 7 to 9:30 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 18 at the Sheraton Phoenix Downtown Hotel, 340 N. Third St. Doors open at 6:30 a.m.

In the eight years I’ve taken on the regular duty of reviewing movies, 2012 just might have been the best. It wasn’t easy compiling a top 30 list for a 12-month period of so many diverse, outstanding films. I found myself having to make some absolutely painful snubs, including “Flight,” “The Sessions,” “The Hobbit: An Expected Journey,” and a little cinematic masterpiece by the name of “21 Jump Street.” In the end though, I managed to narrow the list down to the 20 titles that best encompass 2012 in all its glory. If you’re still behind on the movies of yesteryear, consider this your ultimate movie guide to 2012.

Marilyn Monroe. The Rolling Stones. And Bond — James Bond. What do they have in common?

Roger Michell’s “Hyde Park on Hudson” often feels like two separate movies. One film is about Franklin Roosevelt’s love affair with his sixth cousin. The other is about King George VI and his first visit to the United States. The problem is that “Hyde Park on Hudson” can never decide which of these stories is supposed to be the A plot and which is the B plot. The narrative as a whole thus suffers with neither storyline meeting their full potential. The fact that the film centers on several fascinating real-life individuals only makes the results more disappointing.

December will soon be descending upon us. For a lot of people this month will entail building snowmen, sledding down hills of snow, making snow angles and getting tongues stuck to icy poles. Of course those stuck in Ahwatukee won’t be able to appreciate any of these traditional winter activities. But who needs snow when you can spend your Christmas break in a cozy movie theater. Here are several films to look out for this holiday season.

‘Lincoln’

Edward Rutherford has been writing historical sagas for more than 20 years but I just discovered him this summer with “New York, the Novel (2009).” After a passionate reading, I wanted heartily to recommend but hesitated — would most readers consider it “old news?” However, when Hurricane Sandy recently ravaged the East Coast, I felt compelled to do the review as it certainly wrote another chapter in the history of this amazing American city from 1664 to the year 2009.

Dirty political campaigns are as old as the Founding Fathers.

"Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” is not to be confused with the new Steven Spielberg film staring Daniel Day-Lewis as the 16th president. That biopic won’t be coming out until December. Where the upcoming Spielberg film is aiming to be a somber, historically accurate life story of our nation’s most celebrated leader, “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” tells an action-packed, fictionalized account of how Honest Abe once fought against vicious vampires. The end result makes “Inglourious Basterds” look like a documentary. As preposterous and silly as “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” is, the movie does deliver genuine thrills and solid fun nevertheless. That’s really all one can ask from a film like this.

"Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” is not to be confused with the new Steven Spielberg film staring Daniel Day-Lewis as the 16th president. That biopic won’t be coming out until December. Where the upcoming Spielberg film is aiming to be a somber, historically accurate life story of our nation’s most celebrated leader, “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” tells an action-packed, fictionalized account of how Honest Abe once fought against vicious vampires. The end result makes “Inglourious Basterds” look like a documentary. As preposterous and silly as “Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter” is, the movie does deliver genuine thrills and solid fun nevertheless. That’s really all one can ask from a film like this.

As veterans and service members, we live in a new era divorced from the travesty of how we treated our returning veterans during Vietnam. I have never experienced the hate and spite that so many lived through during those times. When someone learns of my service, they can’t tell me emphatically enough how much they appreciate my service. I am constantly humbled by these statements. It is difficult for me to respond with anything other than an inadequate, “Thank you.”

As superhero summers go, this one is truly super.

As superhero summers go, this one is truly super.

“Juneteenth and the Intellectual Emancipation of America,” is the topic of the free Faces of Diversity Brown Bag series at noon on Friday, May 18, at the Phoenix City Council Chambers, 200 W. Jefferson St. The speaker is Gershom Williams, Ph.D., historian, writer, teacher, lecturer and community activist. Williams has taught for the Maricopa Community College District for 18 years and is co-founder and chairman of the Bennu Institute of Arizona, an African-centered, community-based study group and educational collective.

Machine guns and werewolves are two ingredients you may not expect coming from a film about former President Franklin D. Roosevelt. “FDR American Badass” plays at the Phoenix Film Festival on Wednesday and aims to “bring hope back to America,” according to director Garrett Brawith. Although the subject matter may be offensive at times, Brawith believes that it works in the film’s favor.