Reckonings is a documentary that takes a look back at the early 1950s when German and Jewish leaders met to discuss reparations. Chances are likely that you probably do not know the story of the Jewish Claims Conference. It took until the 1950s for leaders to meet and discuss compensation for survivors. The question on many minds during the talks are how does one determine reparations for the worst mass genocide in history. How much…
"Reckonings – JCC Chicago Jewish Film Festival 2023"Category: Film Festival
The Pod Generation entered the 2023 Sundance Film Festival as an award winner but the sci-fi film falls short in its execution. I needed over a week after the premiere to think about my feelings on the film. The more that I think about it, the more I end up not liking it. It’s a shame because this is a high-concept idea with an intriguing premise. Plus, it was a film that I anticipated going…
"The Pod Generation – Sundance 2023"
Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist star Jane Levy delivers a stupendous performance in the newest film from Angus MacLachlan, A Little Prayer. MacLachlan is no stranger to the Sundance Film Festival. He started coming as a volunteer in the late 1980s. His last trip as a filmmaker was to showcase Amy Adams’ Oscar-nominated performance in 2005’s Junebug. We’ve already known that Jane Levy is a star from her comedy work in Suburgatory and Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist. What…
"A Little Prayer – Sundance 2023"
Theater Camp uses a mockumentary approach as its means of storytelling in this very hysterical music-driven comedy. I love a good mockumentary. There’s nothing like the intertitles drawing laughs almost as much as the rest of the film. It’s been a while since we had a really good mockumentary on the big screen. Is Christopher Guest still making them? Theater Camp could rival any of his mockumentary comedies! In all honesty, they made the film…
"Theater Camp – Sundance 2023"
Starring Thomasin McKenzie and Anne Hathaway, Eileen is a Hitchcock-esque provocative thriller that takes its audience on twists and turns. Thomasin McKenzie’s casting in Debra Granik’s Leave No Trace will go down as one of the best discoveries in this century. The actress has never disappointed and her star is only continuing to rise. McKenzie and Anne Hathaway both make their return to Sundance in the new film from Lady Macbeth filmmaker William Oldroyd. McKenzie…
"Eileen – Sundance 2023"
Cat Person is a genre-bending thriller from filmmaker Susanna Fogel that explores the horrors of dating in the 21st century. The Margaret Atwood quote at the start of the film really hits it on the money because it sets up the tone for what’s about to transpire on screen: “Men are afraid that women will laugh at them. Women are afraid that men will kill them.” Whether you’re a fan of Susanna Fogel, Emilia Jones,…
"Cat Person – Sundance 2023"
A number of short films are screening during the 2023 Sundance Film Festival but the following were a select few that piqued my interest. Mirror Party (U.S. Fiction/Short Film Program 6) Following two shorts and a feature, Bridey Elliott returns to Sundance with her third short film to premiere at the festival. This time around, Elliott co-writes and stars with Angela Trimbur in a short film about two women role-playing a breakup conversation. Which reminds…
"Short Films Roundup – Sundance 2023"
Filmmaker Nicole Holofcener reunites with her Enough Said star Julia Louis-Dreyfus in the very hysterical You Hurt My Feelings. Every relationship is built on trust. What if your significant other tells you one thing in private and then something else completely different behind your back? This is the premise of the new comedy from Holofcener. Beth Mitchell (Julia Louis-Dreyfus) is a novelist but marriage shortly goes off the deep end after she hears her therapist…
"You Hurt My Feelings – Sundance 2023"
Eve Hewson turns in a stupendous performance as John Carney makes movie magic once again in the new music-driven Flora and Son. There are good films and there are great films. What we have here is a 94-minute film that everyone will fall in love with. Whether it’s Once, Begin Again, or Sing Street, John Carney knows what he’s doing. As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. I’ve been going to…
"Flora and Son – Sundance 2023"
Under G-d launches at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival as one of the most important documentaries that anyone will watch this year. This film is a very personal film. It’s a film that I’m going to be speaking about all year long. As a Jewish person in this country, it is not fun watching Christian nationalists forcing their beliefs on me. Everyone needs to watch Under G-d: activists, legislators, judges, Supreme Court Justices, Congress, the…
"Under G-d – Sundance 2023"