TheArchive: Reviewing the Rare, Retro, and Restored

Settling in with a cozy blanket, a warm drink, and a feel-good Christmas movie is an essential part of celebrating the holidays. But if you’ve watched your usual favorites a million times already, this year might be the perfect year to switch it up and add in a few overlooked films into your holiday movie marathon. Christmas Lilies of the Field (1979) Christmas Lilies of the Field was released in 1979 as a sequel to the classic Lilies of the Field , where handyman Homer Smith ( Billy Dee Williams) returns to visit the chapel he once built for a group of nuns. But things have changed, dozens of children have taken refuge with the sisters, and Mother Maria wants Homer to build an orphanage before the government relocates the kids into foster care. This movie is a touching story about stepping up when you’re needed most. It’s a reminder that the holidays are about generosity, community, and showing up for each other. Unlikely Angel (1996) Dolly Parton plays a country music singer who...

Every day, thousands of planes fly through the sky, and most of us never think about how they get from one airport to the other saf ely despite the risk of collision, flying into storms, or getting too close to other planes. Aviation feels automatic, but the truth is that nothing about it is; the entire system depends on human beings we rarely see: air traffic controllers. Air traffic controllers are the backbone of aviation; they are the people who keep the skies safe even when they are overworked, undercompensated, and unappreciated. The problem is that right now, the United States doesn’t have enough of them . A nationwide shortage has pushed many towers and control centers to operate at minimum staffing, with controllers working exhausting overtime hours to cover the gaps. Training new controllers takes years, not months. Many retire early because of burnout. And every time the government shuts down, the pipeline of new controllers freezes. Trainees are sent home, classes are halte...

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 ...