Chasing Madoff Directed by Jeff Prosserman 2011, USA/Canada, 90 mins. Here are three facts that, taken together, recommend this film. One: Bernie Madoff’s Ponzi scheme bilked investors to the tune of billions. Two: in 1999, it took trader Harry Markopolos about five minutes to uncover the fraud and begin reporting Madoff to the Security and …
Ingelore Directed by Frank Stiefel 2009, USA, 40 mins. Red Shirley Directed by Lou Reed 2010, USA, 28 mins. These are the sorts of films that future historians will thank us for. Ingelore and Red Shirley are cut from the same cloth; hence the joint review. Both are documentaries about Jewish women (Ingelore and Shirley, …
With Hot Docs nearly behind us, it’s time to gear up for another awesome festival Toronto is privileged to host: the Toronto Jewish Film Festival. From May 7th through the 15th, TJFF is hosting over one hundred films from twenty-one countries. It will be an eclectic mix of documentaries, short subjects, feature narratives, panel discussions, …
Holy Rollers Directed by Kevin Asch 2010, USA, 93 mins. The title of this film does not refer to Pentecostal churchgoers. Rather, it refers to Hasidic Jews smuggling ecstasy during the late nineties. An unlikely story inspired by actual events (a market that Jesse Eisenberg, who plays Sam Gold, seems to have cornered), Holy Rollers …
Between Two Worlds Directed by Deborah Kaufman and Alan Snitow 2011, USA, 70 mins. This is a film about having independent opinions in the face of forces diametrically opposed. In 2009, the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival screened a controversial film called Rachel, a documentary about an American activist named Rachel Corrie, who was killed …
Leonard Cohen: Bird on a Wire Directed by Tony Palmer 2010, UK, 106 mins. Astute Leonard Cohen fans ought to have a serious objection at this point, before the review has really began – namely, that Bird on a Wire was a film released in 1972, not 2010. They are correct – Tony Palmer was …
The Heart of Auschwitz Directed by Carl LeBlanc 2010, Canada, 85 mins. The heart that this title refers to is not the centre of Auschwitz. Rather, it is a small, heart-shaped book containing birthday wishes, constructed in secret by twelve female prisoners and given to fellow inmate Fania Feiner. It is a delicate thing, small …
Looking for Lenny Directed by Elan Gale 2011, USA, 70 mins. Director Elan Gale has a point to make, and it is this: the reason people like me are allowed to write ‘fuck’ in a social context without fear of repercussion is because people like Lenny Bruce did it first and suffered the repercussions for …
The Hilltops Directed by Igal Hecht 2011, Canada, 45 mins. There are few hard and fast rules when it comes to film. Usually when a film feels longer than it is, it’s a bad thing. In the case of The Hilltops, it’s not. The film’s forty-five minute runtime belies the sheer weight of substance crammed …