America’s Film Legacy
America’s Film Legacy 2009-2010
Category Archives: Film Festivals
Little Richard: I Am Everything review
In Little Richard: I Am Everything, Richard Penniman says, “I’m the emancipator, the architect. I’m the one that started it all.” But director Lisa Cortés has a more ambitious agenda. For her, Little Richard is rock’s ultimate victim. A self-professed … Continue reading
Posted in Documentary, Film Festivals
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Coast review: Teen friends grow up fast
A coming-of-age story with more bite than expected, Coast follows four young teens as they navigate their way through a summer in the suburbs of Santa Maria. Strong performances and sensitive direction make this stand out from usual genre entries. … Continue reading
Posted in Drama, Film Festivals
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Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free: Behind making “Wildflowers”
Tom Petty, Somewhere You Feel Free resurrects 16mm footage documenting the making of Wildflowers, the musician’s second solo outing, between 1993 and 1995. Best for Petty completists, the documentary is a shambling, shaggy-haired look at a lost world. Drinks, drugs, … Continue reading
Posted in Documentary, Film Festivals
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Tom Skerritt in the moving drama East of the Mountains
A sense of foreboding suffuses East of the Mountains, a low-key drama based on a David Guterman novel. Set in the photogenic wilds of Washington’s Columbia Basin, the movie explores mortality in the person of an aging surgeon played by … Continue reading
Posted in Film Festivals, New Releases
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Here Are the Young Men: a lost summer in Dublin
Thanks in part to The Queen’s Gambit, Anya Taylor-Joy has become a big-enough star to dominate the poster for Here Are the Young Men, an otherwise forgettable coming-of-age drama streaming April 27 from Well Go USA Entertainment. Based on a … Continue reading
Posted in Film Festivals, New Releases, Streaming
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Review: Looking for a Lady with Fangs and a Moustache
Told he will die in a week, a young entrepreneur recalibrates his life. That premise, or ones just like it, has driven countless narratives of spiritual quests, from to Journey to the West to Ben-Hur to Dark Victory and Ikiru. … Continue reading
Posted in Asian, Cinematography, Film Festivals, Streaming
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SXSW returns online
Last year’s SXSW festival was underway when it fell victim to the pandemic lockdown. This year’s edition took place online, a necessary but regrettable compromise that doesn’t really satisfy anyone. On the plus side, titles previously out of bounds to … Continue reading
Posted in Documentary, Film Festivals, New Releases
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76 Days review: Inside Wuhan’s ICUs
More a document than a documentary, 76 Days unfolds in the ICU units and critical care wards of hospitals in Wuhan, China, ground zero for the Covid-10 outbreak. Filmed on the fly, the film captures the hysteria and desperation of … Continue reading
Posted in Asian, Documentary, Film Festivals, Streaming
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Monsoon review: Finding and changing identities
With its focus on character and attention to detail, Monsoon feels like a short story. Set in Vietnam, it follows thirty-something Kit (played by Henry Golding) as he arrives from Europe to settle his parents’ estate. Along the way he … Continue reading
Posted in Asian, Film Festivals, New Releases, Streaming
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NYFF Post Mortem: Streaming a Festival
Yes, the pandemic has changed everything about the movie industry, from production to exhibition. Unable to hold in-person screenings, theater owners have turned to the only viable alternative, streaming, in the process accelerating the decline of their livelihood. Even without … Continue reading
Posted in Documentary, Film Festivals, Streaming
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