Arts & 1-4ntertainment
2007's Top Jewish Films
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December 27 • 2007
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Jewish News
A
n abundance of Jewish
characters brightened movie
screens in 2007, but you
had to look closely to tell. Assimilation
was the dominant theme — from
Seth Rogen's smart-mouth shtick in
Knocked Up to Russell Crowe's unac-
countable Star of David in American
Gangster.
Here are the top Jewish-oriented
films of 2007:
A Mighty Heart: This dramatiza-
tion of the events surrounding Daniel
Pearl's kidnapping in Pakistan didn't
make much of an impact on the sum-
mer box office, and it was attacked in
some quarters for not stating outright
(despite an absence of proof) that the
Wall Street Journal reporter was mur-
dered because he was Jewish. In fact,
director Michael Winterbottom made
a powerhouse movie (from Mariane
Pearl's memoir) that takes every con-
1AO NG HU4
Excellent
Lunch
and
Dinner
Selections
7 Days
a Week
I I a.m.-
Midnight
Michael Fox
Special to the
1326870
ceivable opportunity to remind view-
ers that Danny's Judaism was central
to his identity. A film that will stand
the test of time.
The Savages: Tamara Jenkins' sharply
observed tale of two children thrust
into the job of caring for their elderly,
estranged father is a bittersweet fable
of adulthood and responsibility. How
Jewish are the Savages? You be the judge.
The Rape of Europa: This elegant and
far-ranging documentary relates the
Nazis' brutal campaign to pilfer and/or
destroy the art of Europe and provides
an unusual slant on the Holocaust in
the process.
Close to Home: This grittily realis-
tic Israeli drama follows two young
women thrown together during their
military service. Their teenage angst
and rebellion doesn't quite comport
with army discipline and the busy
work of checking Palestinian IDs in
Jerusalem.
2007's Top Jewish CDs
George Robinson
Special to the Jewish News
B
alkan Beat Box: Nu-Med
(JDub).
This second album from
Balkan Beat Box is a glorious mash-up
of bhangra, Bedouin and Balkan brass,
swirling reeds and skirling turntable
scratches. In short, it's world hip-hop
with a strong Middle Eastern flavor,
danceable in the extreme and end-
lessly inventive.
Budowitz: Live (Golden Horn).
A decade or so ago, the klezmer revival
pendulum began to swing from the
New World to the Old Country. An
increasing number of bands began to
explore music driven by violin and tsim-
bl rather than brass and reeds. Budowitz
was one of the spearheads of that new
approach. This all-instrumental double-
CD live set, recorded in Switzerland in
late November 2005, is a superbly played
introduction to that sound.
Anat Cohen and the Anzic
Orchestra: Noir (Anzic).
Released simultaneously with Poetica,
this set features Cohen mainly on sax,
dipping into a repertoire that deftly
combines standards with her beloved
Brazilian jazz. The big band behind
her features some very familiar New
York City names — Ted Nash, Anat's
brother Avishai, All Jackson Jr. and
Erik Friedlander among them — but
the centerpiece here is Cohen, stomp-
ing hard on tenor, making creative
use of the clarinet's lower register and
generally swinging hard throughout.
This is the calling card of a major new
jazz voice.
Peter Himmelman: The Pigeons
Couldn't Sleep (Himmasongs).
Himmelman is back with another set
filled with brawny rockers, ranging from
the funkified 12-bar blues of the title
tune to the lacerating guitar-driven lurch
of "A Dog Can Drink Stagnant Water." As
usual, his lyrics are somewhat cryptic,
but unmistakably carry a heavy charge
of spiritual self-evaluation. The CD
comes with a DVD of an hour-long doc-
umentary about Himmelman, Rock God,
which displays his rather unexpected
humor, frequently self-deprecating and
always charming.