TheArchive: Reviewing the Rare, Retro, and Restored

This week’s blog is spotlighting the new release, Nuremberg , while taking a closer look at how film helps audiences dissect history and understand how certain historic events continue to affect our daily lives. Alongside Nuremberg , two powerful films from our library, Face of Evil and Steel Toes , also explore themes of extremism, propaganda, moral responsibility, and justice. These films examine the social and political conditions that help evil take root.  The film Nuremberg , starring Russell Crowe and Rami Malek , approaches the themes above using a psychological lens of a WWII psychiatrist tasked with evaluating Nazi leaders before the historic trials. As he attempts to understand the minds of those responsible for mass atrocities, he becomes increasingly fixated on the persona of Hermann Göring, a man whose charisma complicates the moral binaries one might prefer to draw. The film forces us to consider whether evil is a defect of the mind or an active choice justified by ...

This week’s blog will be an exploration of biopics. Biopics don’t just celebrate icons; they also explore identity, trauma, and resilience through music. They offer a connection to fascinating real-life figures, provide insight into significant historical events, and help humanize celebrities by showing that no matter how rich and famous they are, they still experience universal human struggles.  The new biopic, Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere , starring Jeremy Allen White , takes us back to the early 1980s, when Bruce was on the cusp of global superstardom but struggling to reconcile the pressures of success with the ghosts of his past. As he records Nebraska , a stripped-down masterpiece that feels worlds away from Born to Run , we see a man torn between who he’s become and where he came from. This biopic is not just about fame or music; it’s about searching for meaning when the spotlight starts to feel overwhelming.  Take Livin’ for Love: The Natalie Cole Story . Gra...

There’s something uniquely terrifying about horror movies that draw from real-life events. While masked killers and supernatural slashers have their place, the idea that the story on screen really happened is what really changes. Over the years, some of the scariest movies of all time have taken inspiration from true crime cases.  Slashers are always frightening , but those based on true events leave a lingering fear after the movie is over. They remind us that evil doesn’t always come with a mask or a supernatural force; it can be a neighbor, a co-worker, or a stranger.  Here are some horror films based on real stories that will terrify you this Halloween!  The Texas Chain Saw Massacre (1974) Perhaps the most infamous “true crime” slasher, Tobe Hooper’s masterpiece was loosely inspired by Ed Gein, a murderer and grave robber in Wisconsin who was known for crafting household items and clothing from human remains. While Gein’s crimes weren’t actually done with a chainsaw...