My Favorite Films of Summer 2017

With an end to the 2017 summer movie season, it’s time to round up my favorite films of this summer.  While I was credentialed for both the Chicago Critics Film Festival, the Fantasia International Film Festival, and remotely covered a few films selected for the Flyover Film Festival, I am not including any of those films unless they’ve been released in theaters, video on demand, or Digital HD. I’ll start with the documentaries.  I’ve seen…

"My Favorite Films of Summer 2017"

The Women’s Balcony is A Feel-Good, Crowd-Pleasing Comedy

The Women’s Balcony is a feel-good, crowd-pleasing comedy that depicts what happens when extremism and traditional values collide in a Jewish community. Directed by Emil Ben-Shimon from a screenplay written by Shlomit Nehama , the Israeli comedy stars Orna Banai, Itzik Cohen, Einat Sarouf, Igal Naor, Evelin Hagoel, Aviv Alush, Yafit Asulin, Sharona Elimelech, Herzl Tobey, and Haim Zanati.  This was Banai’s first big role in Israeli cinema and she was nominated for an Ophir…

"The Women’s Balcony is A Feel-Good, Crowd-Pleasing Comedy"