Chizfilm Jewish Movie Reviews Comments

Thanks for reading and commenting, Chris.

I should have known better than to speak for Christians, of which I am not one. It's just that a few whom I have met, and with the way many are porprayed in popular media, it seems many Christians think doubt is horrible and discourage it. Obviously, I was mistaken. I stand corrected.

One of my favorite films. I read your review, and while I agree with your positive assessment of the film, I don't agree that a "true Christian wouldn't dare ask the question." On the contrary, I think many Christians understand that doubt and questioning, and while true Christians do ultimately fall on the side of believing that there is a moral structure to the universe, it doesn't mean that they haven't questioned that and doubted it, nor does it preclude them from having those doubts in the future. It's a great film because it poses deep questions, gets you to think, and also entertains.

I have read your review of "The Exodus Decoded" and found both the review and the film thought-provoking.

Technically, I found the surreal set from which Jacobovici spoke rather distracting and off-putting. The horizontal and vertical lines and spaces and platforms seemed confusing. That may be his idea of art, but it annoyed me.

The theories Jacobovici presents are interesting and worth consideration. The recent archeological "proofs" are exciting and partially convincing. I would consider his case plausible but not proven. I would love to see more on this.

You mention three kinds of views on this sort of material. I personally fall into the middle group -- a former subscriber to "BAR" (Biblical Archaeology Review), I am not a stranger to varied theories, and I deliberately try to keep an open mind on most subjects. Jacobovici evades the question of God's participation in history. The exodus could have been explained either with or without God's interference. My personal feeling is that God exists and does play a role in the universe, but He works through natural means, not supernatural (humans can work with God to help; God's angels are other humans called upon to help or lead others).

This is an excellent review of an excellent movie. I really appreciated the way you made the connections between WWII and the "War or Terror." I believe in this day, when the good guys and the bad guys, the heroes and the enemies, are not so clearly defined, we need to look to history and the stories of resistance to gain a better understanding of how complex war really is.

I agree wholeheartedly! What the hell is the significance of his being a Jew... It was not necessary to the film and it does beg the questions of why it was important to make the character Jewish... It smacks of Jew hatred...

And frankly, I thought the film was unoriginal and lightweight... I would not recommend it.

What a wonderful and personable review of "Everything is Illuminated!" The tie-in with your own experiences with genealogy and the butchering of your name (something else we have in common) were very special touches. I wish a wider audience were exposed to this excellent review. I know many people would enjoy this type of movie review.

Thanks, Teri. I've always felt a strong connection to the past--hence my interest in history. But perhaps I should push myself a bit further.

As always, thanks for all your support.

Maybe getting that e-mail on Saturday was not a coincidence.

Awesome!!! Don't hesitate with getting in touch with the past...when you lose those with a hand on the past...you'll never get another chance.

It's awesome that you make such a personal connection with a film! :)

This is the first of your reviews that I've read. I've got to say it was very interesting. I already watched the movie - of course, I'm a die hard Quentin Tarantino fan. And I'm glad someone with a different point of view could like it too. I love the strong imagery and the musical connection in his movies.

Love the review and the concept behind it. Very interesting discussion of the elements of the movie. What an appropriate movie for you two to have done a review like that for: the two character backgrounds in the movie relate to each of the two reviewers, respectively. Whether by design or coincidence, it's a nice touch. In other words, the perfect movie for both of you to have done a joint review for.

And Natasha keeps stride with you in the analytical and thoughfulness departments. It was like reading a transcript of an Ebert and Reoper discussion. Not a bad format for reviews in general perhaps. And you still manage to get in all the standard review background info about the plot, characters, etc. Very well written. Great review overall!

Now the real question: who was recording this verbatim conversation between you two? :) lol

Thanks, Teri!

I found it quite interesting that you felt that the film makers lost it after the disaster. Though I haven't see the film...they most likely didn't know what to do. They were in just as much shock as we, the people, were when it happened.

Great review as always.

I really hate to say this, but the whole thing sounds really bad. It is one of my pet peves that people do a movie exactly like it is in the book/Bible. It annoys me to no end when someone takes the liberty to mess with an already good story.

Review topic aside, I always enjoy reading your reviews because they are so well written. ^_^

I really want to watch this one; it sounds so good! Poor kid, I can imagine he had quite the identity crisis with the line blurring between Christian and Jew at such a young age.

You did a wonderful job with the review! I enjoyed it a lot. ^_^ Keep up the good work, and Happy Hannukah! :D

Thanks, Ginna! I'll send you an e-mail.

Poor kid! That would have scarred me for life. lol Really great review, though! I enjoyed reading this one even better than "The Bubble". Nice work, keep it up! :D

Sounds like a really good movie, though I'm not sure if I could watch it. I want to, though. It kind of reminds me of the movie "The Patriot" with Mel Gibson. I won't get into detail about that on here, but if you're interested you can send me an email. ^_^

You did a great job with the review and I really enjoyed reading it a lot. It presents some interesting problems and does beg the question you put forth at the end.

This sounds like a really interesting movie. I didn't know that the people who made "Oh, Brother Where Art Thou" were Jewish! And I guess I really haven't thought of Jewish themes in it before. I'll have to watch it again to see.

But anywho, if I see this movie at Video Warehouse, I'll have to rent it and get it a watch. I'm really interested in knowing if Larry is reconciled with his wife. I hate it when marriages break up.

Great review, naturally. :)

Thanks, Teri!

Ok...'Europa, Europa' review really got me excited. I found 'Tollbooth' interesting, but this WWII film just went to the top of my 'must see' list. Great job!!!

Great review...as always, well written. This one really sounds interesting. I'm going to add it to our netflix list. Thanks!!

=^..^=

Thanks, Sue!

Nice new focus. I think your writing is awesome. I wish you the best.

That movie actually sounds pretty realistic, in kind of a scary way. I don't know why scary, though. Wish I had your way with words, you have a talent for being able to word what you want to say in an effective way so that everyone gets what your saying. Maybe I'll get Tony to rent it and we can watch it.

Great review as always, I look forward to your next one! :D

Hey Jonathan, it's good to see another one of these. It's something to appreciate after going a while without one. I enjoyed the review and your take on it. It seems the ads mislead as to the tone, it actually not being a screwball comedy. I'll definitely reconsider as to whether i still want to see The Informant! after reading you. Or at least know what to expect going into it.

Thanks, Gina. Yea, the movie was okay but not great. Had a number of faults.

As always, your comments are much appreciated. Good to be back after a horrible four-and-a-half months.

A good review for not very good sounding movie. I don't think I'll want to watch it. I enjoyed reading your review though. I always like reading about your insight on a movie. I'll be looking forward to your next review! :D

I must admit I greatly enjoyed reading the review for "Milk" in rhyme!

Some Christians... they give GOOD Christians a BAD rep, and I swear they are possessed by the spirit of STUPID. They need to go back and read the Bible again. Hmph.

Great review! I wouldn't be apposed to you writing a review in such a way again. :D

Love the new Milk review! Not sure of the connection between Milk and verse, but hey, who says you need a reason. It works! It must have taken forever to come up with all those rhymes and organize it so it made sense. I love some of the rhymes, like Van Sant and Elephant, Penn and Again, Board and Award. Hey, it definitely was a fun read. It's also cool since we saw this movie together.

Hey - nice article on your own page - the Behind-the-scenes topic was actually quite interesting. I was checking Facebook when I saw your Chizfilm update, then realized, I hadn't checked my email updates... hmmm... You do YOUR best to keep us in touch. (Oh, and Musicians Institute actually had an image banner, which reminded me click on some of your sponsors.)

See, overall, your efforts have made for a very productive afternoon. (well, at least a few minutes for me anyway). Take care ~ Elizz

They sound like a bunch of interesting short films, Big Jon. I agree with you about that film you said rubbed you the wrong way. I am most sure I would see it the same way as you, and it figures most women would like it. In my experience, women tend to be more shallow that way. It's disgusting. I really enjoyed reading this review and wouldn't mind seeing some of these for myself. Great job!

P.S. Based on your descriptions, now I really want to see all these shorts, (other than the few we saw together). Man, if only I could have had your write-up prior to the screenings! Hopefully I can catch these shorts some other way.

Jonathan, don't hang it up just yet. If you said that short that won was bad, then I feel much more inclined to believe YOU than a jury panel. Heck, films I think are downright awful win big awards all the time. I need to only point to "No Country for Old Men." That waste of celluloid won Best Picture, for goodness sake. Remember, juries do crazy things all the time. They acquit O.J. They vote No Country the top award at Cannes. They give Edward Albee Pulitzer prizes. Well, the last two really say it all. I have a feeling that the jury may have treated the winning short like the emperor's new clothes. If it's crappy enough and vague enough, and seems like it's "important", then there must be something profound to it...right?

I haven't seen any previews for this movie at all, so I have to take your word on all this. I didn't even know that Nicholas Cage had another movie coming out. It sounds like one of those movies even I would have to critique harshly because I am all kinds of picky when it comes to movies. Good review as usual. I look forward to your next one. :)

Jonathan, very nicely written and thoughtful review of the Spurlock film "Where in the World..."

Yeah, I agree that it is Spurlock's style and persona that makes the film, (as well as his other doc and his 30 Days TV series), so interesting. Yes, the content is very interesting also, but Spurlock makes it his own.

When the film was made, perhaps it was trying to show us that there was the possibility for change. I agree the film could mean more now, because with the new president there is much greater chance for the implementation of those possibilities.

Based on the Chizfilm Awards, I still have a lot of catching up to do with movie watching. Interesting choices, which I'll have to see to judge for myself. Glad we got to see two of the best feature runner ups together!

Regarding Vicky Cristina Barcelona (VCB), I agree with all your thoughts and observations. I really enjoyed this movie. To Woody Allen's credit, it did not seem like a Woody Allen movie. Woody Allen movies tend to star Woody Allen playing Woody Allen, be set in NY, have lots of jazz music, contain boring stories, and be boring to watch visually. Thankfully, VCB contains none of these characteristics, and instead contains all of the positive aspects that you so adeptly described. That's why VCB is now my favorite Woody Allen movie, by far. Great review, Jonathan!

As for "Knowing", interesting that you and Roger Moore gave the film terrible reviews, but Ebert gave it a stellar, glowing review. Polar opposite reviews. But I'll go along with you review here and skip this film. And the fact that it came out in the first quarter of the year--usually a bad sign for a film's quality.

Sounds like an interesting film, and it sounds vaguely familiar, though I don't remember hearing anything about it on TV before.

This is by far one of your best movie reviews you've done. (At least since I started reading them) Or maybe the movie was just really good. Either way, I couldn't take my eyes away from the screen for a moment to stop reading it. I thoroughly enjoyed it, you did a great job! (I usually read your reviews a couple paragraphs at a time because I'm multitasking.)

I had been wondering what this movie was about, and it does sound rather interesting. And seeing as how we all know how Hitler died, I'd say it's pretty obvious how the movie ends, unless theres some weird twist we don't know about. Good review, Big Jon!

Really good review. I want to see this movie, it sparked my interest when I saw the previews for it on TV. Your reviews always give the reader a good idea of what to expect in the movie instead of focusing on just a few points. It was a pleasure, as always Big Jon!

These seems like one of those films where I'd have to ask myself why I watched it in the first place. And then I'd have to answer myself by saying "I did it for the lulz." and still want 2 hours back. Heheheh. Good review, as always!

Thanks, Gina. Your comments are always much appreciated. I think you'll enjoy "The Boy in the Striped Pajamas" when you get a chance to see it.

I just checked and there is no DVD release date, yet, for this movie. My best guess is that it will come out in two to four months. I'll try to keep an eye out for it, and let you know.

Sorry about not leaving a comment for your last review. I still haven't managed to have time to finish reading it. :(

This was a good review. It sounds like one I could get really into. I really want to see this one but I'm trying to save monies. When does it come out on DVD?

Wow. What a weird movie to make a review for. How do you hear about movies like this? Not to my taste though, but a good review nonetheless! Keep up the good work, Big Jon! :D

I really enjoyed reading your review on the movie W., though I had/have no intentions of ever watching the movie. Though I don't agree with some of the views/opinions on the President. People don't seem to realize just how much Muslim radicals hate Americans just because of our beliefs, and that they will go to extreme lengths to see us dead because they believe it is Gods desire. There is no word to describe how much they HATE us, simply because we are free. Freedom isn't free. We are fighting for it in Iraq, even if most of us don't realize it. (Also the people of Iraq are glad we're there. A friend of mine served two years over there in the Army Reserves and the people he met were glad of their presence.) Anyways. 8O I'm done now. Great review, Big Jon! 8D

Good movie review. :) This was an excellent movie and I am glad that you were able to see it and write about it. :)

Hey, congrats on the new domain. I like how you cleaned up the site.

And your right about Tropic Thunder -- only a RETARD would boycot that.

Good review on "Moving Midway". I am glad that it got distribution, I really like the movie.

I think maybe you expect too much if you want every movie by your favorite filmmaker to be equally good, or equally interesting to you. I don't know about "Goya's Ghosts" but "Amadeus" was written for the stage, and for me it was even more spectacular on Broadway than in the movie. Also, I may be prejudiced towards visual art, but Mozart is arguably more famous than Goya.

I love the site. The Chiz film awards for this year was terrific, I am in agreement with you on mostly all of them.

I love the fact that you picked the girl who played Luna as the best underage. She was great in the part and she deserves it.

Hey Jonathan -- thanks for your last article. Finally, some shorts we can actually see.

I didn't watch all of them yet, but I did see Chad Vader - OMG, thats so funny! Also Non Abductees Anonymous. I laughed a lot. Thanks.

Oooo -- I just LOVED Two Days in Paris. And you had a good review of it.

Damn, I missed the Manhattan Shorts Film Festival. Why didn't someone tell me about it BEFORE! It sounded really interesting.

Thank you so much for your honest review of "La Vie en Rose." I read a couple mixed reviews of the movie and was a bit confused but your opinions definitely cleared things up for me.

Hey - good to see you back. You've been gone for a little while. Miss your reviews.

Black Book looks interesting but I don't think its playing anywhere near me. Guess I'll have to wait for the DVD.

I didn't mind that Marie Antoinette didn't have the French revolution in it--the movie was about her life and she didnt really know about it until the very end. I liked that movie - I thought it was fun.

I never heard of Piaf so I dont have an interest in seeing La Vie En Rose. But thanks anyway. Keep up your reviews.

I loved "The Illusionist"! That was great! I liked your review.

Thanks for your comments, Denise. Unfortunately, I don't think "American Messiah" is available for rent.

"The Proper Care of an American Messiah" sounds like a funny movie. Can I rent that?

"The History Boys" sounds interesting but its not playing anywhere near me. Why can't you review films that everyone can go and see?

I agree with you about "Stranger Than Fiction." It was fun and enjoyable, but I wished they pushed the envelope further. I mean, like, did he have memories from before he began to exist? And were the people in his world also fictional or was he the only one? Too many unanswered questions.

Art School Confidential is based on a graphic novel, just like Ghost World. Why didn't you mention that in your review?

Dude, Tim Robbins is an American-hating liberal with his own political agenda--to make Rebublicans look bad. Most conservative politicians are not at all like Bob Roberts but are honest, God-fearing people who work to make the world a better place. You should be ashamed for promoting a film that is so one-sided and unfair in its portrayal of the great American political system! If you don't like it, move to Cuba.

"Gone with the Wind" rocks! You missed some great stuff. I hope no one reads your review and skips the movie. I've seen it almost 100 times. I want to be Scarlett.

Oh, and I forgot to mention, Quinceanera sounds really interesting. I never heard of it. Now I want to go see it. Thanks for writing about it.

Interesting review of "Flags of Our Fathers" but I think its about love of the flag, not hate of it.

You've written some really great reviews here. Keep it up. And good luck!