America’s Film Legacy
America’s Film Legacy 2009-2010
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Brahmāstra Part One: An Indian multiverse
Years in the making, Brahmāstra Part One: Shiva is the first episode in a trilogy about the “Astraverse,” an Indian take on the multiverse. Astras are superpowers that can take the form of a weapon or a person (a “divine” … Continue reading
Posted in Action, India, Uncategorized
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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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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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Donnie Yen and Nicholas Tse in Benny Chan’s Raging Fire
A first-rate action thriller, Raging Fire pits dedicated cop Donnie Yen against Nicholas Tse’s gang of killers in a story of betrayal and revenge. It’s sadly the last film from director Benny Chan, who died of cancer in 2020. Raging … Continue reading
Posted in Action, Asian, Uncategorized
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Reminiscence review: Stop If You’ve Seen This Before
The future is grim in Reminiscence, a Warner Bros. release starring Hugh Jackman, Rebecca Ferguson and Thandiwe Newton. Written and directed by Lisa Joy (a Westworld vet), the movie slips time-travel tropes into a well-worn film noir plot. If you’re … Continue reading
Posted in Action, Drama
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The Fatal Raid review: Old-school gunplay
Released in 2019, The Fatal Raid was originally intended as a sequel to 2016’s Special Female Force. A couple of that film’s performers reappear, notably Jade Leung as Wong, an undercover cop. But The Fatal Raid is essentially a standalone … Continue reading
Posted in Action, Asian, Streaming
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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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HK Action throwback Undercover Punch & Gun
Action films, in particular martial arts action, used to be the bread-and-butter of Hong Kong cinema. With the industry in freefall, it’s not easy to find hard-core titles like Undercover Punch & Gun, a throwback to those Tsui Hark and … Continue reading
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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