America’s Film Legacy
America’s Film Legacy 2009-2010
Category Archives: Uncategorized
Assayas on Wasp Network: Spies and counter-spies
Filmmaker Olivier Assayas spent six months in Cuba making Wasp Network, his version of a real-life incident involving the “Cuban Five,” agents and counteragents who were either aiding or subverting anti-Castro activists in Florida. The complicated storyline led to an … Continue reading
Posted in New Releases, Streaming, Uncategorized
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My Darling Vivian: Unearthing a hidden past
Johnny Cash burned through personalities on his journey to cultural icon. Tenant farmer, Air Force cadet, rockabilly pioneer, country superstar, actor, drug addict, homewrecker, uber-patriot, teetotaler, elder spokesman, The Man in Black played out his messy, contradictory life largely in … Continue reading
Posted in Biopic, Documentary, New Releases, Uncategorized
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The Third Strike tackles mandatory sentencing laws
Documentaries are great at pointing out issues and problems. Offering solutions is another matter. The Third Strike tackles a major injustice: mandatory prison sentencing required by federal “three strikes” laws. The movie also offers a sliver of hope in the … Continue reading
Posted in Documentary, Film Festivals, Uncategorized
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Revivals and Retrospectives at the New York Film Festival
Write-ups about the New York Film Festival—the 57th installment opens tonight, September 27, and runs through October 13—tend to focus, rightly so, on new releases. But each year festival curators select retrospectives and revivals to showcase during the festival. These … Continue reading
Posted in Film Festivals, Silent Film
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Review: Line Walker 2 — old-school action from Hong Kong
Early in Line Walker 2, a hard-bitten Ching To tells his mentor that he is an “old school” cop. Here’s one movie that’s old school as well. Filled with bravura action sequences and over-the-top sentiment, it evokes the “heroic bloodshed” … Continue reading
Posted in Asian, New Releases, Uncategorized
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Film Review: Jean Reno in Cold Blood
Hit man becomes prey in a B-movie starring the redoubtable Jean Reno. A cat-and-mouse game set mostly in wintry mountains, Cold Blood works best when it is silent. Not a word is uttered during the movie’s opening ten minutes, and … Continue reading
Posted in New Releases, Uncategorized
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Master Z: Ip Man Legacy
Offshoot of the Ip Man series takes a new set of characters through a familiar story of redemption through martial arts, upgraded by Michelle Yeoh and Dave Bautista in significant roles. Wing Chun master Ip Man has become a sort … Continue reading
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Clint Eastwood’s The Mule
Understated account of an elderly drug runner for the Mexican cartels. Director and star Clint Eastwood remains one of America’s most talented, and subversive, filmmakers. The first shots of Clint Eastwood in The Mule are shocking. Since his last big-screen … Continue reading
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If I Had Left It Up to You — Merle Haggard
The Toddle House was a small diner off the main drag in Ardmore, Pennsylvania, a block or two either way from the train station and the bus terminal. Open all night, it was the only place within miles for coffee … Continue reading
Bill Morrison on ‘Decasia’
For the past twenty years, Bill Morrison has been mining film archives, resurrecting decaying nitrate that would otherwise have been discarded and then editing it into new narratives. Released in 2002, Decasia helped Morrison reach a wide audience. Tied to … Continue reading
Posted in Film Festivals, Silent Film, Special effects
Tagged Archive, Film Library, Museum, Nitrate, Preservation, Restoration, Silent Film, Special effects
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