Category Archives: 2024

Documentary “Sabbath Queen” Shakes Up the Orthodoxy

The honey and apples fall fabulously far from the family tree as 39th generation ex-Orthodox Jew Rabbi Amichai Lau-Lavie radically reinvents religion and ritual in Sandi DuBowski’s Sabbath Queen (B+). Spanning more than two decades, with animation filling in some of the ancestral details, this entertaining and insightful documentary chronicles the nonconforming descendent of the Chief Rabbis of Israel as he questions conventions at every stage of his journey. Sampling elements from all walks of life, faith and identity, Amichai leverages his drag queen persona, life as a queer bio-dad and his role as a crusader for human rights in his quest to keep faith fresh and relevant. The thesis includes notions that sacred prayers for peace and protection and entreaties to “Preach, gurl!” all have worth on a walk of faith, but the film often pierces deeply into long-standing norms. At first the protagonist’s bucking of tradition seems to ruffle the feathers of the elders, and soon the doc showcases encounters in Israel with people who deeply disapprove of him and don’t hold back about their disdain for his lifestyle and approach. Viewers won’t agree with every nuance of the subject’s iterative approach to identity and inclusiveness, but tracing his path proves fruitful and fascinating.

SEE IT: This recommended documentary makes its Atlanta premiere at Atlanta Jewish Film Festival February 23 at 4:45pm at Plaza Theatre Atlanta:

https://ajff.org/film/sabbath-queen#:~:text=A%20daring%2C%20deeply%20personal%20odyssey,vision%20of%20faith%20and%20identity.

Fernanda Torres in Brazil’s Oscars Entry “I’m Still Here” Celebrates Motherhood

Many of the best moms in the movies tend to carry a tune (Mamma Mia!, The Sound of Music), pack a punch or a wallop (The Terminator, Aliens) or be played by Sally Field. Joining this hallowed pantheon is Fernanda Torres as Eunice Paiva, the matriarch who keeps a brave face despite her dissident husband’s forced disappearance during the military dictatorship regime of 1970 Brazil in the Walter Salles film I’m Still Here (Ainda Estou Aqui) (B+). The film does a masterful job setting up the idyllic seaside metropolitan life of its real-life family, with ominous foreshadowing of imminent dangers. Torres is towering as the woman who finds her agency and strength especially when the walls of her world come crashing. Her character’s dignity makes for one of the awards season’s best performances. Selton Mello deftly portrays the loving husband and father and former politician whose actions appear furtive to the ruling class. Salles mixes panoramic shots, home movie style camera storytelling and chilly claustrophobic interiors as the family gets systematically expelled from their Eden of Rio. Beyond the central couple, it’s a bit harder for viewers to get to know all of the family’s joyous offspring, played by multiple actors over the decades, but everyone is roundly committed to the narrative. The cautionary tale of censorship and watch lists and jailing one’s enemy and stoking the embers of resistance are all resonant in this gripping story. But it’s Torres as the mama chameleon commanding the screen who emerges as the film’s VIP.

“How Can We Be Lovers” If We Can’t Experience the “Diane Warren: Relentless” Documentary Together?

You won’t want to miss a thing in this pop song filled documentary ode to one of the world’s most successful hit-makers. Director Bess Kargman’s documentary Diane Warren: Relentless (A-) depicts a fascinating woman who was born to be a songwriting phenomenon. Famously talked about during nearly every Oscars season including this one for her record number of Best Song nominations without a category win — although she recently won the Lifetime Achievement Award statuette — Warren is known publicly for her melodic missives of uplift but authentically opens up about the challenges of her own life which are sometimes far from the stuff of a love ballad. Cher, Jennifer Hudson, Gloria Estefan, Beyoncé, Clive Owen and LeAnn Times are among those who describe the origins of Warren’s breakout early hits like “Rhythm of the Night,” “Nothing’s Gonna Stop us Now,” “I Get Weak,” “Un-break My Heart” and “If I Could Turn Back Time.” But it’s Warren’s own words about her childhood and her L.A. upbringing as a bullied Jewish girl who becomes an outcast, juvenile delinquent and runaway but always finds solace packing a punch through music-making that are the beating heart of the film. Hers is a fascinating chronicle she tells with gallows humor and the wisdom of years, with rituals and proclivities both amusing and beguiling to her celebrity clientele. Her lifelong friendship with now executive assistant Cindy Wiener is a fun foil to the song queen’s droll depiction of some off her own idiosyncrasies, from her refusal to fall in love in real life to her unconventional relationships with a disapproving mother and a doting father. Viewers will play armchair psychologists even if sometimes kept at arm’s length from some of the mysteries of this genius, but the glimpses into her cat-filled halls of inspiration, bathtub guitar sessions and episodes of overcoming emotional impulses to always transcend as a breakthrough balladeer is a wonder to behold. There’s a poignant series of sequences with Lady Gaga ([Diane] “is insane…ly talented,” says the rock star) about pouring one’s soul into a song with unexpected results which gives a singular lens into the subject’s life and ambitions. Her collaboration with Kesha on a new song “Dear Me” feels destined to be the next lauded Oscars darling, incidentally, adding to the meta-narrative. It’s fascinating to watch the writer of “Because I Loved You” and “How Do I Live” still hustle like she has something to prove. In a time of many dramatized behind-the-scenes biopics about musicians, this doc really gets under the surface at why and how its titular subject does what she does so fabulously.

SEE IT: This highly recommended documentary makes its Atlanta premiere at Atlanta Jewish Film Festival on Oscars Sunday, March 2, 2025, at 1:50pm at Sandy Springs Performing Arts Center:

https://ajff.org/film/diane-warren-relentless

“September 5” a Sturdy Look at Real-Time News Judgment

Similar stylistically to the way the under-seen Saturday Night movie chronicled the manic real-time energy and high-stakes high jinks of the first SNL telecast circa 1975, Tim Fehlbaum’s authentic historical drama September 5 (B+) showcases pivotal broadcast news events with panache and expert detail; and in this case the stakes aren’t laughs but lives. This sturdy thriller transports viewers to the titular day in 1972 Munich, Germany, when an ABC Sports crew found itself the makeshift coverage team for a terrorism act in progress as Palestinian militant group Black September kidnaps and threatens the lives of Israeli athletes in Olympic Village. Peter Sarsgaard, equipped with the rapier wit and studied precision he leverages for many of his film characters, artfully plays the president of the TV network’s sports division; he’s at the center of the ensemble, but there are at least three others who make a big impact in their roles. John Magaro is a standout as the head of the control room. Leonie Benesch is authentic and dialed in as the intrepid translator for the crew who singularly understands both German and Hebrew. And Ben Chaplin as the wily head of ABC operations is such a cantankerous chameleon in his role he’s fairly unrecognizable from his bumper crop of ’90s performances. Every detail in the movie feels lived-in: the rows of rotary phones, the coveted “bird” for satellite feeds, the darkroom for printing photos, block letters applied by hand to identify talking heads on the newscasts and lots of black coffee and cigarettes. Real footage is wisely integrated when appropriate for the you-are-there vibe. The film’s topics deeply resonate today as many of the geopolitical conflicts presented certainly still loom large. It’s also an instructive showcase of news judgment; as each imperfect executive, segment producer, camera person or anchor makes tough calls in real time, viewers see the consequences play out before their eyes. The drawback to this format is that you’re not in the room where the real events are happening; but Fehlbaum makes a case for the thrill of the race to go live and to “follow the story where it goes” via the voyeurism of live cameras and a feed to the world. For a film largely set in rooms with men talking and outcomes many will know from real life, Spielberg’s 2005 Munich or the 1999 documentary One Day in September, it’s an engrossing crackerjack production.

“The Last Showgirl” Has Good Heart But Doesn’t Hit its Marks

Pamela Anderson’s lived-in, wistful and sometimes heartbreaking performance as a veteran dancer in a Vegas spectacular is the standout in the otherwise fairly pedestrian production of Gia Coppola’s The Last Showgirl (C). The long-running “Razzle Dazzle” show is closing after years on The Strip, which means the protagonist must tie up lots of loose ends with characters played by Dave Bautista as the show coordinator, Jamie Lee Curtis as a friend and cocktail waitress and Billie Lourd as an estranged daughter. Anderson’s character has let the lure of beads and feather boas and life on the wicked stage eclipse her sense of direction, but she often proves the emotional center of a ragtag surrogate family. The screenplay doesn’t give others in the ensemble a whole lot to do, which stunts the story’s momentum. Coppola intermingles the backstage and apartment domestic drama with sun-drenched montages of the film’s women interspersed with Sin City’s decaying landmarks, giving the film an occasional veneer of indie aesthetic; but she doesn’t land much of a thesis about what viewers should surmise from the experience of her characters in transition. Many events unfold predictably, and only Anderson’s elegiac and often moving performance survives as a strong takeaway.

Reverse-Hallmark Card Ensemble: “Hard Truths” an Apt Reminder to Be Good to One Another

It’s hard to get a word in edgewise versus the toxic female powder keg at the center of this family drama: and by bringing to life one of his film catalogue’s most indelible personalities, director Mike Leigh and muse Marianne Jean-Baptiste create a character for the ages and an instantly relatable series of events. Hard Truths (B+) centers on middle-aged British mum Pansy played by Jean-Baptiste and how, stricken by grief, she verbally abuses everyone within shouting range. At first the effect is jarring then a little funny and mostly sad or appalling, depending on the set of characters around her. She’s winning the battle of words, no matter the situation. The actress is incredible in absolutely embodying this woman and still providing shades of gray to make her a character and not a caricature. Kudos to the full ensemble, especially David Webber and Tuwaine Barrett as her long-suffering husband and son and Michele Austin as her sister and cheery polar opposite. These characters are often simply left to wear devastated reactions on their faces and do so with expressive aplomb. Leigh has something to quietly say here though about the simple ways people can treat each other to diffuse or elevate situations and to turn down the temperature when interactions get heated. Because so many of the sequences in the film are dialed up to a delirious decibel, the scenes of quiet and generosity are fittingly touching and sometimes heartbreaking. The movie is as delicate as the flower Pansy is not and quietly observational in its brisk running time about how depression can overwhelm and constrict. While lovely, Gary Yershon’s melancholic music felt a little on the nose for generating the film’s off-kilter mood, but overall this was an effective and absorbing character study with something to say to anyone in the world with that emotional glass half empty or full.

“Better Man” Biopic a Kong Day’s Journey into Trite

Bad boy Britpop singing sensation Robbie Williams has been such a party animal through much of his adulthood, it’s no wonder director Michael Gracey takes the wild swing of rendering his character as an anthropomorphic allegorical ape for the biopic Better Man (C+). And the ups and downs of fame, self-loathing and addiction prove it’s hard out here for a chimp, even if behind his big hairy audacious goals of showbiz superstardom, he’s achieved oversized celebrity in the UK and cult admiration here in The States. The film shines in big production numbers scored to such hits as “Rock DJ,” “Angels,” and “The One” with clever, kinetic choreographed sequences punctuating lesser passages. Behind-the-music style beats comprising much of the bloated story don’t shed much light on the interior life of the simian songster played with CGI motion capture by Jonno Davies. Rise to fame, romance, rap sheets, rehabilitation, reconciliation and more are on display, along with tiresome hallucinogenic alter egos laced through concert crowds to cast doubt. The film’s occasionally meta presentation wins points with wry, often profane quips but reveals very little about what motivates the character at its center. After a long time in the wilderness hibernation of what can only seem like Cocaine Bear has invaded Pink Floyd’s hotel room, there’s some tidy and redemptive sentiment to cleanse the palette. More cautionary mental health tale than rhythmic romp (a far less fun Rocket Man?), this murky movie monkey business wears out its welcome.

“Queer” Film Conjures a Lived-in Magic

Faithful to its source material about Beat Generation postmodern author William S. Burroughs’ self-imposed exile to Mexico, Luca Guadagnino’s Queer (B) casts Daniel Craig in the central role of the controversial author cruising for sex and coping with a lifelong heroin addiction as he nurtures twin obsessions with romance and magical drugs promising extrasensory perception. Guadagnino is undoubtedly the right match for the off-kilter material, with sumptuous historical period art direction and an uncanny knack for capturing mood. And Craig proves to be a bit of a revelation in a role cast against type from his James Bond image; as “Lee” (a stand-in autobiographical nickname of the author), his every turn of phrase feels like inventing a peculiar new language. The loose, limber and impressionistic narrative gets even more opaque as the film changes venue and the Naked Lunch type imagery gets increasingly surreal. Drew Starkey is solid as the object of the protagonist’s affection. Jason Schwartzman is also memorable as a schlubby fellow bar denizen. There are moments of incredible sensuality and sentiment and many others which may leave casual moviegoers scratching their heads. The film is a must for fans of the iconoclast writer and a sterling showcase for a daring lead actor.

Crass Menagerie of “Mufasa” Leaves This Viewer Scarred

Talk about a circle of lifeless! It’s tough to detect evidence of the artisan touch of acclaimed director Barry Jenkins in a CGI animated prequel that could have actually been improved with AI. Mufasa: The Lion King (C-) tells some backstory of the Simba-verse with an extraneous framing device to ensure all members of the intellectual property can participate, including Timon and Pumbaa. The story follows young Mufasa (voice of Aaron Pierre) who is displaced by flood from his family and adopted into a rival pride with a surrogate brother (Kelvin Harrison Jr.) taking him under his mane. The only improvement on the film’s all-CGI predecessor is more expressive faces on the animals as brotherly rivalry ensues. The production patches together some rousing elements of past Lion King scores and doesn’t showcase Lin-Manuel Miranda’s new songs very well except one romantic ballad. Most of the movie is a tedious and far-fetched adventure including into inexplicably snow-capped parts of the African setting versus a villainous white lion (Mads Mikkelsen). This origin story doesn’t successfully open up or illuminate any special elements of the legend. Some of the nature settings are pretty. Mostly this installment is forgettable. 

My “FilmThirst” TikTok review: https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTY3wxFYa/

Indie “Ghostlight” Spotlights Power of Theatre to Cope with Grief

In the spirit of CODA and Sing Sing, here’s a sleeper indie about how performing arts can rescue a life sliding out of control. Kelly O’Sullivan and Alex Thompson’s Ghostlight (B) focuses on a burly construction worker (Keith Kupferer) coping with tragedy. The actor’s real-life wife and teenage daughter Tara Mallen and Katherine Mallen Kupferer play his similarly struggling and idiosyncratic family, and Dolly de Leon (always a delight) is the leader of a theatrical troupe conveniently located beside our protagonist’s work site. Soon a role in a Shakespeare play becomes its own form of therapy. Too many on-the-nose moments of convenience in the first reel bog down the story, but patient viewers will find this is an extremely emotional and fulfilling work. All three actors in the grieving family are superb, and there’s a lead actor performance here worthy of awards. The music is good too, with some nice use of several “Oklahoma!” chestnuts. The colorfully drawn and authentic characters and several engaging final reel subplots help transcend the formula. 

Silver Screen Capture’s 24 Recommended ‘24 Movies

These are my favorite films of the year and how to see them. I seem to be the contrarian on a quintet of movies others generally like (Anora, Dune: Part 2, Inside Out 2, Nosferatu and A Complete Unknown didn’t get raves from me); but generally, folks have gotten what I promised with my recommendations. I hope you find some new movies to enjoy going into the new year!

1. The Wild Robot – Lupita Nyong’o voices a discarded AI robot who learns to be a parent in this enchanting and highly emotional animated film set on an island of animals, directed by Chris Sanders; now streaming and back in theatres January 17, 2025

2. The Substance – Demi Moore makes a most unexpected comeback in Coralie Fargeat’s provocative and grisly body horror satire as a middle-aged actress who takes a de-aging serum and shares her body and spirit with a younger version of herself (an equally fascinating Margaret Qualley); available to rent via Prime

    3. The Brutalist – Adrian Brody stars as an immigrant architect experiencing the best and worst of the mid-century U.S. experience in two epic, sprawling acts playing out like a great American novel, directed by Brady Corbet; now playing in limited theatrical release as it looks to capitalize on awards season buzz for optimal attention

    4. Wicked Part IJohn M. Chu’s adaptation of the first act of the Broadway musical is a girl power extravaganza with powerhouse performances by Cynthia Erivo and Ariana Grande as witches in college, and the production design and choreography really sell this event movie; still dominating the box office + now available for streaming across digital platforms

    5. Hit Man – It man Glen Powell and his introspective director/co-writer Richard Linklater collaborate in the ultimate tale of conflicted identities hidden within a mix-tape of the romcom and thriller formulas; now available on Netflix

    6. Flow – Animation reigns supreme as an expressive cat escapes a flood and heads to higher ground with the help of other non-human friends in this moving tale by Latvian director Gints Zilbalodis; playing to packed house in limited theatrical release as buzz for possible Oscar nominations heats up

    7. Civil War – Alex Garland’s dystopian tone poem of an America savaged by a mysterious battle as told through the eyes of photojournalists (including Kirsten Dunst and Cailee Spaeny) is one of the most indelible and disturbing films of the year; streaming on MAX and available across video-on-demand sites

    8. Will & Harper – Josh Greenbaum’s documentary chronicles a witty and moving American road trip between comedian/actor Will Ferrell and his friend who recently transitioned to womanhood, Harper Steele; available on Netflix

    9. Emilia Perez – Jacques Audiard fashions an audacious and polarizing hybrid thriller/musical/domestic drama about a drug cartel leader (Karla Sofia Gascon) who disappears into a new life. Zoe Saldana is her lawyer and Selena Gomez her ex-wife in this exciting and operatic curiosity; also available on Netflix, with big-screen presentations in select markets

    10. Challengers – Luca Guadagnino crafts a stylish and sexy three-way drama about tennis, told out of order with a banger of a Trent Reznor/Atticus Ross score, with Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist all bringing their game; available on Prime

    11. Conclave – The search for a new pope plays out like a whodunit with a master central performance by Ralph Fiennes and taut direction from Edward Berger; now in theatres and on Peacock

    12. Twisters – Dueling storm chasers in Oklahoma including Daisy Edgar-Jones, Glen Powell, Anthony Ramos and future Superman David Corenswet face off in the ultimate breezy summer blockbuster reboot under the careful guidance of director Lee Isaac Chung; streaming on Peacock and for rent across platforms

    13. A Quiet Place: Day One – Lupita Nyong’o gives viewers a reason to tune into this futuristic franchise again with an extraordinary central character dismissing the potential end of the world due to alien invaders with nostalgia under Michael Sarnoski’s surefire direction; available on Paramount+, Prime, Sling TV and more

    14. Juror #2 – Clint Eastwood’s thoughtful drama featuring a crackerjack legal premise and one of Nicholas Hoult’s best performances as a conflicted deliberator is now playing on MAX.

    15. Wildcat – Ethan Hawke directs Maya Hawke as the idiosyncratic writer Flannery O’Connor in a film blending biopic with an anthology of her disturbing Southern gothic short stories; streaming on Prime

    16. Deadpool & Wolverine – This is the ultimate meta superhero movie, telling the story of Disney’s takeover of 20th Century Fox via two of its most vulgar and wisecracking characters played by Ryan Reynolds and Hugh Jackman on an adventure together, directed by Shawn Levy; available on-demand or on parental-controlled Disney+

    17. Problemista – This surrealist comedy set in the art world chronicles an odd-couple relationship between toy maker Julio Torres (also writer/director)and his nightmare mentor, Tilda Swinton in one of the fiercely off-kilter great performances of the year; streaming on MAX

    18. Sing Sing – Colman Domingo joins an ensemble of veterans from a real prison’s theater rehabilitation program for Greg Kwedar’s story about the transforming power of art among the incarcerated; the film is being re-released for a third time in January 2025 to coincide with Oscar nominations before ultimately landing ion Apple TV [Note: this pairs nicely with another 2024 sleeper, Ghostlight, on VOD and IFC Film channel, about a family coping with grief via a community Shakespeare performance]

    19. Babygirl – The incomparable Nicole Kidman gives a knockout performance as a CEO undergoing sexual awakening through an age gap affair with her intern (a spry Harris Dickinson) in Halina Reijn’s new work, also featuring fun needle drops by INXS and George Michael; playing now in theatres

    20. A Real Pain – Jesse Eisenberg (also writer/director) and Kieran Culkin are a marvelous mismatch as cousins on an odyssey to visit the Eastern hemisphere homeland of their late grandmother in a satisfying dramedy that’s also a take-down of trauma tourism; after a full festival circuit featuring everything from Sundance to the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, this is cascading in limited release into theatres to coincide with awards attention for Culkin in particular

    21. Saturday Night Jason Reitman’s real-time chronicle of the filming of the first 1975 episode of TV’s Saturday Night Live is a frothy, acerbic delight, with Gabriel LaBelle a standout as show runner Lorne Michaels, leader of a bunch of revolutionary improvisational misfits (LaBelle is also great in this year’s coming of age comedy Snack Shack); Saturday Night is ideal viewing for SNL‘s 50th season and is now on most video-on-demand platforms

    22. Nickel Boys – Director RaMell Ross takes the year’s biggest swing adapting the story of an abusive reform school in Deep Jim Crow South through point of view cameras representing two Black youth and the result is “you are there” moving; this is playing a limited awards consideration run in theatres

    23. The Seed of the Sacred Fig – Mohammad Rasoulof creates the year’s most remarkable protest film with one family’s domestic drama a stand-in for the oppressive Iranian regime; due to worries the Iran government would retaliate against cast and crew, the film is being released through Germany distribution and is playing a limited awards consideration run in global and domestic theatres

    24. Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story – Documentary co-directors Ian Bonhote and Peter Ettedgui showcase the superhero actor before and after he is paralyzed, and it’s a compelling and humane – and altogether human – journey through real emotions; now playing on MAX

    Honorable Mentions: The Osgood Perkins-directed creepy serial killer Longlegs isn’t as scary as marketed but very effective. And three LGBTIA+ romantic thriller Sundance finds, Ponyboi , Sebastian and Love Lies Bleeding, tell unconventional and memorable adventures.

    WWII-Era “Blitz”Handsomely Produced But Aimless

    Wow, what a missed opportunity! Writer/director Steve McQueen’s promised epic Blitz (C) contains many stunning crafts, lush cinematography and powerful sound but is largely hollow at the center with generally passive primary characters not given much to do. With a WWII backdrop of air raids in 1940 England, a mother (Saoirse Ronan) and her biracial son (Elliot Heffernan) are separated, and a variety of Dickensian episodes take place as collective hopes of them being reunited are protracted. Ronan has rarely had such a minor performance, with little set-up to earn all the feels. The script does newcomer Heffernan little favors, a shame since his is a POV rarely described in history nor depicted on film. Harris Dickinson appears briefly with little to do; thankfully another supporting actor Benjamin Clementine gets some tender moments as a kindly Nigerian law enforcement officer mentoring the lost child. An opening sequence of fire hoses tangled like dueling snakes and a mid-movie moment with disaster in a nightclub seem to portend a stronger narrative impact, but most of the film simply feels old-fashioned and rote. There are near-musical numbers with little lift and a flood that looks like it was filmed in the bygone Catastrophe Canyon of Disney parks. This glimpse into history doesn’t live up to the creativity or vision from McQueen’s previous works or build on the template of Hope & Glory or Empire of the Sun; it’s a rare misstep from the auteur, lacking intended immersion and emotion.