Oscar Day marathon Feb. 25 at library

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Updated: March 24, 2012 8:00AM

There’s Oscar buzz! Not just in Hollywood. But right here, in Oak Park, Illinois.

The library’s fourth annual Oscar Day Marathon features popcorn, trivia and prizes — and, of course, four of the highest-demand movies in existence. Forget red carpet prices, though, these Oscar picks are all free and open to the public. Join us for free film screenings from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, in the main library Veterans Room.

With no further ado, the nominees that we will screen are …

At 9:00 a.m. “Midnight in Paris” (Woody Allen, 94 min.) — A romantic comedy about a family traveling to the French capital for business. The young engaged couple is forced to confront whether a life different from their own is better. In what many are calling Woody Allen’s return to form, Owen Wilson and Rachel MacAdams lead a cast that also includes Kathy Bates as Gertrude Stein and Adrien Brody as Salvador Dali. With four Oscar nods, including Best Picture, insiders are saying that Allen will earn the award for Writing (Original Screenplay).

At 10:50 a.m. “Puss in Boots” (Chris Miller, 90 min.) — A hilarious story about the events leading up to the sword-fighting cat’s meeting with Shrek and his friends. You’ll see a turncoat Humpty Dumpty, Jack & Jill steal magic beans and a wrongly-accused Puss struggling to clear his name. Antonio Banderas, Salma Hayak, Zach Galifianakis and Billy Bob Thornton star. Nominated for Animated Feature Film, this pussy cat is considered a likely victor over Kung Fu Panda 2.

At 12:30 p.m. “The Ides of March” (George Clooney, 101 min.) — An idealistic staffer for a new presidential candidate gets a crash course on dirty politics during his stint on the campaign trail. Ryan Gosling and George Clooney star. Some think Academy favorite Clooney may grab the Writing (Adapted Screenplay) statue from Woody Allen.

At 2:20 p.m. “Moneyball” (Bennet Miller, 133 min.) — The story of Oakland A’s general manager Billy Beane’s successful attempt to put together a baseball club on a budget by employing computer-generated analysis to draft his players. Nominated for six Oscars, this is a hopeful underdog contender for Best Picture.

Saturday, Feb. 25, come and join fellow Oak Parkers in the madness that is Oscar season. Bring a lunch and camp out in the library for the whole day. Or drop in just to watch (or re-watch) your Oscar picks one day before the big show!

Alan Jacobson is a librarian in Adult and Teen Services at the Oak Park Public Library.