America’s Film Legacy
America’s Film Legacy 2009-2010
Category Archives: New Releases
Owning up to darkness in The Breaking Ice
Quiet and unassuming, The Breaking Ice follows three dissatisfied twenty-somethings navigating a world that hasn’t turned out the way they expected. Written and directed by Anthony Chen, and featuring excellent lead performances, it is a delicate but beguiling film that … Continue reading
Posted in Asian, New Releases
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Back to school with The Re-Education of Molly Singer
Let’s go back and fix things. Movies have built on that premise for years. Countless sci-fi films. Comedies like Back to School and 21 Jump Street. (The Stephen Chow franchise Fight Back to School may be the funniest example.) Half … Continue reading
Posted in Comedy, New Releases
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Asteroid City review: Aliens out West
Years and years and years ago Wes Anderson made Bottle Rocket, a clever comedy about hapless crooks who are outwitted by a smarter crook. It was modest, unassuming, and confident, with excellent production design and cinematography and smart performances by … Continue reading
Posted in Comedy, New Releases
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Hidden Blade: Wartime intrigue in Shanghai
Shanghai in World War II was a viper’s nest of competing interests. Occupying Japanese forces had to deal with Chinese fighters who were themselves splitting under two leaders, Communist and Nationalist. French and British nationals along with Shanghai natives were … Continue reading
Posted in Asian, Drama, New Releases
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The Wandering Earth II: sci-fi prequel from Frant Gwo
Just in time for the Lunar New Year, Well Go USA opens a prequel to the 2019 blockbuster hit, The Wandering Earth II (or EartII, as the poster has it) expands on the original, building a thoroughly convincing sci-fi future … Continue reading
Posted in Action, Asian, New Releases, Special effects
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Moonage Daydream review: pieces of Bowie
How much you like David Bowie, and when you started liking him, will determine how you respond to Moonage Daydream. Written, directed, produced, and edited by Brett Morgen, the documentary provides an exhaustive account of very specific sections of Bowie’s … Continue reading
Posted in Documentary, Music, New Releases, Uncategorized
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Review: Beneath the Banyan Tree
Sensitive to a fault, Beneath the Banyan Tree explores an uprooted Chinese family trying to find its way in Los Angeles. Anchored by strong performances, the movie overcomes script and pacing problems to reach emotional moments that will resonate with … Continue reading
Posted in Asian, Drama, New Releases
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Marvel’s Black Widow: So Much Money
Delayed by COVID-19, Black Widow arrives in theaters and online July 9 carrying the weight of the Marvel Cinematic Universe on its shoulders. No one could have anticipated that a pandemic would disrupt the movie industry for the past 16 … Continue reading
Posted in Action, New Releases
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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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