The Chosen Films

In this solo, quarantine episode, Aaron name-checks an ancient rabbinic commentary and shoe horns it into a discussion of his life, but can't quite fit it into a discussion of the movie at hand: To Dust (2018).

The Band's Visit (2007)

This 2007 film, directed by Eran Kolirin and starring Sasson Gabai, as well as the late Ronit Elkabetz, is the basis for the acclaimed Broadway musical currently touring the country. This is a lovely, quiet film that generally lives up to the hype around it. Do you agree?    

Next Time and Thank You

Next time, we'll be watching To Dust (2018), a recent film that looks as if it will be an extended meditation on death and loss (subjects that the films we've watched have touched on before). I plan on reading "Thanatopsis" to prepare.

Thank you as always to the Klezmer Rebs for letting us play their music as our intro and outro! Check out their unique brand of klezmer on their website and bandcamp pages!

Maktub (2017)

For this episode, we watched Maktub, directed by Oded Raz and starring Guy Amir and Hanan Savyon. This is an unusual film for us - an action-comedy with wide appeal, at least in Israel. Does it have blockbuster appeal here in the U.S.?   

Next Time and Thank You

Next time, we'll be watching The Band's Visit (2007), the film upon which the new musical is based. By all accounts, the film is a magical, fish-out-of-water dramedy - but we've been misled by good publicity before.

Thank you as always to the Klezmer Rebs for letting us play their music as our intro and outro! Check out their unique brand of klezmer on their website and bandcamp pages!

Hummus! The Movie (2015) & The Cakemaker (2017)

Today's episode is a double feature focused on food, much delayed due to audio capture problems involving Facetime (I blame my battered, much-abused phone). Oren Rosenfeld directs Hummus! The Movie, a documentary that focuses on three Israeli restaurateurs and their relationship to hummus, and Ofir Raul Grazier directs The Cakemaker, a drama that revolves around a love triangle that spans Europe and Israel and explores the loneliness of loss (and starring Tim Kalkhof and Sarah Adler (of Meduzot and other films!)). Go for a bowl of hummus over the documentary and eat a piece of cake while watching the drama, if only to soak up your tears (but listen to this episode for both films - we're clever!)

Next Time and Thank You

Next time, we'll watch Maktub (2017), an action-comedy film directed by Oded Raz and starring Guy Amir and Hanan Savyon. Different fare from what we usually watch that has been billed as an Israeli blockbuster. Thank you as always to the Klezmer Rebs for letting us play their music as our intro and outro! Check out their unique brand of klezmer on their website and bandcamp pages!

Footnote (2011)

For this episode, we watched Footnote, directed by Joseph Cedar and starring Shlomo Bar-Aba and Lior Ashkenazi. Is this film like a haggadah found in the Talmud - rich and multi-layered - or does it only look that way? Is knowledge the primary output of academia or is it fame? We debate this and other issues as we do a close reading of the film. Typically, we use these movies as a jumping off point for a broader discussion. This time, in deference to the story, which revolves around two modern Talmudic scholars, we dig in.  

Next Time and Thank You

Next time, we'll watch Hummus! The Movie (2015), a documentary directed by Oren Rosenfeld that promises to show us how this delicious dip has transformed culture around the world and transcended national borders. Can hummus help us achieve world peace while also providing a healthy alternative to the fried, breaded appetizers that dominate menus in America? Watch with us and find out.

Thank you as always to the Klezmer Rebs for letting us play their music as our intro and outro! Check out their unique brand of klezmer on their website and bandcamp pages!

Operation Finale (2018)

This time around we watched Operation Finale (2018), directed by Chris Weitz and starring Oscar Isaac and Ben Kingsley. As we noted in our last post, this is the latest film to tackle the capture of Adolf Eichmann in Argentina by Mossad agents in 1960. Does it do its source material justice? When art involves the Holocaust, what are our standards for it and does it need to work harder to justify itself? We discuss.

Next Time and Thank You

Next time, we'll watch Footnote (2011), directed by Joseph Cedar and starring Lior Ashkenazi, which focuses on a father-son pair of Talmudic scholars and their rivalry (something we can all relate to).  Thank you as always to the Klezmer Rebs for letting us play their music as our intro and outro; check out their website and bandcamp pages!

Humor Me (2017)

In lieu of Menashe, we watched a relatively light-hearted comedy about a divorced, middle-aged playwright, played by Jemaine Clement, who moves in with his elderly father (played by Elliott Gould) when he's down on his luck. Written and directed by Sam Hoffman, this film meditates on grief over unrealized promise and unsatsifying family relationships. In subject matter, it takes its cues from Wes Anderson in films like The Royal Tenenbaums, but subs in homages to Jewish jokes of old for Anderson's dry humor (not surprising, given that Hoffman created the "Old Jews Telling Jokes" series - which I hadn't quite put together when we recorded). We liked it! Sort of.

Next Time and Thank You 

Next time, we'll watch Operation Finale (2018) directed by Chris Weitz and starring Oscar Isaac and Ben Kingsley; it’s the latest film to tackle the capture of Adolf Eichmann in Argentina by Mossad agents in 1960. Thank you as always to the Klezmer Rebs for letting us play their music as our intro and outro; check out their website and bandcamp pages!

Life You Think You Own It (2016)

This 5-minute documentary, directed by Ellie Lobovits (IMDb link), and available on YouTube through the Jewish Film Institute, explores themes of identity, art, and mortality through the life and writing of Adrienne Wolfert. This film operates like good lyric poetry, conjuring a depth of feeling out of a few well-chosen words and images. Watch it below!

 

Next Time and Thank You

Next time we'll watch Menashe (2017) (IMDb link), directed by Joshua Z Weinstein (IMDb link). We're aiming for summer 2018. Thank you as always to the Klezmer Rebs for letting us play their music as our intro and outro; check out their website and bandcamp pages! 

Aaron

The Wedding Plan (2016) or La'avor et Hakir

This Israeli film, directed by Rama Burshtein and starring Noa Koler, is a puzzle. Its rom-com exterior conceals a film of surprising depth and feeling. As promised, we bring on our spouses to help us decipher this marital mystery. FYI, this will be our last episode until November 2017 (my wife Esther and I just had a baby girl). L'Shanah Tovah!

Next Time and Thank You

Thank you as always to the Klezmer Rebs for letting us play their music as our intro and outro; check out their website and bandcamp pages! 

Aaron

Dough (2015)

We have fun discussing this British buddy comedy directed by John Goldschmidt and starring Jonathan Pryce and Jerome Holder. Along the way, we also discuss the generous rating standards of Jewish film festivals.  

Next Time and Thank You

We make good on our plan to watch The Wedding Plan (2016) and have a group discussion with our spouses. Thank you as always to the Klezmer Rebs for letting us use their music as our intro and outro. Check out their website and bandcamp page.

Aaron