Post by jeffan on Jan 9, 2009 18:47:58 GMT -5
Friday, January 09, 2009
BY CATE MARQUIS, SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT
A surprising number of films with Jewish themes and from Israel made their St. Louis debut in 2008. There were new releases and some lauded films of the previous year appearing on local movie screens. Many films looked back at the Shoah but a few looked at other wars that Israel faced or the on-going geopolitical situation and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Every year, the Jewish Film Festival brings a bevy of Israeli and Jewish-themed films to St. Louis. There were so many good Israeli and Jewish interest films at the annual St. Louis International Film Festival that the festival organizers created two programs, the Israeli Sidebar and the Jewish Sidebar.
That is a lot of films but there are still some 2008 films to come, released elsewhere in the U. S. in 2008 to qualify for awards but trickling into "flyover" land through out the year.
Let's take a look back at the year in film.
Award season winners and Oscar hopefuls
These are the films garnering awards at festivals and among critics groups and positioned for Oscars.
Waltz With Bashir — The film that is running away with festival awards and critical acclaim is an innovative Israeli documentary, which uses an animated format to recount an Israeli veteran's attempt to reconstruct his memories of a battle in the first Lebanon war in the 1982. Director Ari Folman tries to uncover his own buried memories and interviews his fellow war veterans, with the war time memories springing to animated life as they are recounted. Visually stunning and cinematically ground breaking, it is a must see documentary that debuted at the local International Film Fest but is set to return for a longer run in January. The film won two nominations from the St. Louis Film Critics and acclaim at countless other festivals and from critics groups.
The Reader — Kate Winslet stars as a hard-edged German woman with a secret past who has an affair with a teenaged boy in this tale of post-war Germany. Ralph Fiennes plays the adult version of the boy and Lena Olin appears as both mother and daughter Shoah survivors. The strong acting and well-directed story is getting lots of award nominations, including from the local St. Louis Film Critics professional association. The twisting plot comes to a satisfyingly resolution in an unexpected way.
Milk — This award winner and Oscar contender about the first openly gay elected official is not a specifically Jewish film but Harvey Milk was Jewish, a fact mentioned in the film. It is however, a tour-de-force performance by Sean Penn, a worthy, well-made film that frames gay rights in terms of civil and human rights. This is another top Oscar contender that had garnered numerous critics' awards, including from the St. Louis Film Critics.
Defiance — Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber star as brother Jewish partisans hiding out in the forests of Belarus near the border of Nazi-occupied Poland. Based on true facts, this fictionalized version, directed by Edward Zwick, is heroic and inspiring, more action film than history lesson. The drama is taut, the action strong, production polished and acting effective, and it makes an inspiring story, even if the plot might have strayed from reality. Set to appear here in January 2009.
Adam Resurrected — Jeff Goldblum delivers the performance of a lifetime in this film directed by Paul Schrader. Based on Yoram Kaniuk's novel, Goldblum plays Adam Stein, once successful vaudeville entertainer whose experiences during the Shoah have landed him in an Israeli mental hospital in the 1960s. Goldblum infuses Adam with charm and touching complexity as the story unfolds from the entertainers' shattered version of reality. Debuted at SLIFF, set to return early in 2009.
Last Chance Harvey —Dustin Hoffman stars as Harvey Shine, a sad-sack loser in London for his daughter's wedding, who unexpectedly gets a second chance at love, with Emma Thompson. This one has already gotten awards season attention with Golden Globes nominations and Oscar buzz. Set to appear here in early 2009.
BY CATE MARQUIS, SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT
A surprising number of films with Jewish themes and from Israel made their St. Louis debut in 2008. There were new releases and some lauded films of the previous year appearing on local movie screens. Many films looked back at the Shoah but a few looked at other wars that Israel faced or the on-going geopolitical situation and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Every year, the Jewish Film Festival brings a bevy of Israeli and Jewish-themed films to St. Louis. There were so many good Israeli and Jewish interest films at the annual St. Louis International Film Festival that the festival organizers created two programs, the Israeli Sidebar and the Jewish Sidebar.
That is a lot of films but there are still some 2008 films to come, released elsewhere in the U. S. in 2008 to qualify for awards but trickling into "flyover" land through out the year.
Let's take a look back at the year in film.
Award season winners and Oscar hopefuls
These are the films garnering awards at festivals and among critics groups and positioned for Oscars.
Waltz With Bashir — The film that is running away with festival awards and critical acclaim is an innovative Israeli documentary, which uses an animated format to recount an Israeli veteran's attempt to reconstruct his memories of a battle in the first Lebanon war in the 1982. Director Ari Folman tries to uncover his own buried memories and interviews his fellow war veterans, with the war time memories springing to animated life as they are recounted. Visually stunning and cinematically ground breaking, it is a must see documentary that debuted at the local International Film Fest but is set to return for a longer run in January. The film won two nominations from the St. Louis Film Critics and acclaim at countless other festivals and from critics groups.
The Reader — Kate Winslet stars as a hard-edged German woman with a secret past who has an affair with a teenaged boy in this tale of post-war Germany. Ralph Fiennes plays the adult version of the boy and Lena Olin appears as both mother and daughter Shoah survivors. The strong acting and well-directed story is getting lots of award nominations, including from the local St. Louis Film Critics professional association. The twisting plot comes to a satisfyingly resolution in an unexpected way.
Milk — This award winner and Oscar contender about the first openly gay elected official is not a specifically Jewish film but Harvey Milk was Jewish, a fact mentioned in the film. It is however, a tour-de-force performance by Sean Penn, a worthy, well-made film that frames gay rights in terms of civil and human rights. This is another top Oscar contender that had garnered numerous critics' awards, including from the St. Louis Film Critics.
Defiance — Daniel Craig and Liev Schreiber star as brother Jewish partisans hiding out in the forests of Belarus near the border of Nazi-occupied Poland. Based on true facts, this fictionalized version, directed by Edward Zwick, is heroic and inspiring, more action film than history lesson. The drama is taut, the action strong, production polished and acting effective, and it makes an inspiring story, even if the plot might have strayed from reality. Set to appear here in January 2009.
Adam Resurrected — Jeff Goldblum delivers the performance of a lifetime in this film directed by Paul Schrader. Based on Yoram Kaniuk's novel, Goldblum plays Adam Stein, once successful vaudeville entertainer whose experiences during the Shoah have landed him in an Israeli mental hospital in the 1960s. Goldblum infuses Adam with charm and touching complexity as the story unfolds from the entertainers' shattered version of reality. Debuted at SLIFF, set to return early in 2009.
Last Chance Harvey —Dustin Hoffman stars as Harvey Shine, a sad-sack loser in London for his daughter's wedding, who unexpectedly gets a second chance at love, with Emma Thompson. This one has already gotten awards season attention with Golden Globes nominations and Oscar buzz. Set to appear here in early 2009.
