By Anthony Weiss, JTA World News Service LOS ANGELES (JTA) — Although it’s now well entrenched in the Hollywood ecosystem, the Sundance Film Festival remains a venue for some of the film industry’s more offbeat voices and still largely unknown talent — and a place for boldfaced names to redefine themselves. JewishContinue Reading
By Michael Fox, Special to the Jewish Sound Going back at least as far as 2001’s “Promises,” most recent documentaries that opted for an optimistic slant on the Israeli-Palestinian situation centered on children. The next generation, to be sure, is the universal embodiment of hope. But betting on today’s childrenContinue Reading
On Feb. 14 each year, many Americans watch “Casablanca” to celebrate Valentine’s Day. As time goes by, the Jewish influences on the Oscar-winning 1940s romantic film become more apparent. Jews involved in the production of “Casablanca” includec Murray Burnett, the author of the play on which the movie wasContinue Reading
A family film whose most ardent admirers will be children, “The Zigzag Kid†is fueled by primal adolescent urges. Not the ones you’re thinking of, but the pressing need to comprehend the past, navigate the present, and manipulate the future.Continue Reading
Wisely shunning a staid narrator in favor of archival audio and TV interviews with the late impresario, augmented with passionate recollections by the likes of Roscoe Lee Browne, Christopher Walken, Mandy Patinkin and playwright David Hare, the filmmakers create a vivid impression of a man whose métier was in-person communication.Continue Reading
