Currently Browsing: September 2016

DENIAL (2016)

My favorite Yiddish Expression is “Man Plans; God Laughs.” In this instance, the amazing life of Deborah Esther Lipstadt reached its ironic culmination the week of the first nationally televised debate between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Donald J. Trump. The debate was held on the evening of Monday September 26, so when Denial–the film about […]

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THE RUINS OF LIFTA

Now playing in NYC. Opens 10/28 in LA. Review coming soon…

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THE PEOPLE VS FRITZ BAUER

Basically true story of a German Jew who played a major role in the capture of Adolf Eichmann & the subsequent Frankfurt Auschwitz Trials. A prior German film which also circled around these same topics was, indeed, a “labyrinth of lies.” (JLH: 4.5/5) Review by FF2 Editor-in-Chief Jan Lisa Huttner What does a superhero look like? The main character in […]

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A TALE OF LOVE AND DARKNESS (2016): Review by Jan Lisa Huttner

A Tale of Love and Darkness is Natalie Portman’s adaptation of the memoir Amos Oz published in 2004. I consider this film a masterpiece… but you probably won’t hear many other film critics say that. This is no doubt the consequence of two major decisions Portman made as a first-time filmmaker. First, she decided to focus […]

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THREE DAYS IN AUSCHWITZ

Now, less than a century since the Holocaust, already the memory has seemed to fade, dimming for those who only hear about it as part of a broader history lesson. In Three Days in Auschwitz, writer/director Philippe Mora attempts to bring the atrocities of the Holocaust, particularly the horrific murders that took place at Auschwitz-Birkenau, […]

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A TALE OF LOVE AND DARKNESS (EML)

Natalie Portman’s directorial debut, A Tale of Love and Darkness explores the psychological toll on those who find life to fall short of their expectations. Utilizing language, location and raw emotional acting performances, Portman creates an atmosphere as much as she tells a story, leaving the audience with a sense of longing and a thirst […]

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