Call them "cult classics." "Guilty pleasures." "Comfort movies." We all have a mental rolodex of flicks that may not be terribly popular but, for one reason or another, they resonate in a very special way. Maybe you saw it at the right moment. Maybe you just see gold where everyone else sees feces. Whatever the case, these are the special favorites that you keep stashed away for sick days. Here are some of ours.
I saw "A Serious Man" last night. It was excellent. Better than that even. Joel and Ethan Coen have wrangled quite a few star-powered talents into quirky, offbeat roles over the years, but "Serious" excels even without a George Clooney or a Jeff Bridges in your face for the whole time. It is easily my favorite effort from the brothers Coen since "The Big Lebowski."
What's funny to me now is, I didn't even care for "Lebowski" the first time I saw it. Welcome to this week's Sick Day Stash. Read more...
This weekend, my people will gather will their families to celebrate the high holy holiday of Rosh Hashana, the Jewish New Year. Following the weekend festivities, Jews enter into a week of repentence, concluding with a day of fasting on Yom Kippur.
Technically, you're not supposed to be watching TV during Rosh Hashana, a certified "day of rest." I was raised in a reformed household though, so we play by a looser set of rules than more observant practitioners. Togetherness in my own family is usually punctuated by a movie or two. And since the Coen brothers' intensely Jewish "A Serious Man" doesn't hit theaters for a few more weeks, we've got to make do with what's watchable at home. Here are a few suggestions to bring along for your own gatherings... Read more...
"Inglourious Basterds" opens this week with one of the most intentionally Jewish casts of action heroes that any writer or director has ever assembled. Quentin Tarantino's ultra-violent tale sets itself historically during a time that many films have tackled, showcasing the tales of real-life heroes in Jewish history like Oscar Schindler in "Schindler's List" and Anne Frank in "The Diary of Anne Frank." I'm talking of course about World War II.
Tarantino's trademark penchant for extreme black humor and overshooting reality, meanwhile, places his ambitions somewhere between those more somber films and other over-the-top performances, like Adam Goldberg in the Comedy Central TV movie "The Hebrew Hammer." Eli Roth and his fellow Basterds will join a long history of Jewish action heroes in film, though. Here are five of the most famous figures who have earned that distinction. Read more...
There's a peculiar love out there for the Coen brothers' "The Big Lebowski." Something about the quirky characters, bizarre story and hilarious writing that just sticks with people. I don't claim to understand it, but I am one of the many fans to have been caught in its tight, oddball embrace.
None of us really believe that there will ever be a proper "Lebowski" sequel, though a nugget of a rumor that's been floating around for years continues to fuel fan hopes. John Turturro's character, Jesus "The Jesus" Quintana, is a certified pedophile and master bowler. The actor has frequently mentioned the possibility of a spin-off movie, with everyone from co-star Philip Seymour Hoffman to Joel and Ethan Coen all hinting that it could indeed happen. MTV's Josh Horowitz got the latest from Turturro on the probably-never-happening project last night at the 20th anniversary celebration of Spike Lee's "Do The Right Thing":
You’ve memorized every line, counted all the “f”-words, and even dressed up as The Dude for Halloween. But admit it, you never got into “The Big Lebowski” until you discovered the under-performing box-office dud on home video.
Now, with yet another special edition release hitting store shelves (this one shaped like a bowling ball), the buzz has begun building around a “Lebowski” sequel. And now, two more co-stars say they’re on board if John Turturro can talk the Coen Brothers into making Jesus rise once again.
“That’s just like a sick thought, isn’t it?” laughed Philip Seymour Hoffman recently, commenting on Turturro’s dream of making a sequel that revolves around his child-molesting, bowling ball-licking Jesus Quintana (not to mention Steve Buscemi's vision of a Donnie-centric surfer flick). “I love that [Lebowski] has a life now. I had a ball making it.” Read more...
