54 | NOVEMBER 14 • 2019 

Arts&Life

celebrity jews

MOVIE NOTES
The Irishman, an acclaimed new 
film by Martin Scorsese about an 
Irish American contract killer for 
the mafia, will start streaming on 
Netflix on Nov. 27. Many theaters 
decided at the last minute not to 
run the film because of the short 
“exclusive” window. Well, the 
film, co-starring Harvey Keitel, 
80, as a mafia boss, will run at 
the Landmark Theater in Royal 
Oak on Nov. 15. So, you do have 
a chance to see it in all its big-
screen glory. 
Ford v. Ferrari opens at the 
Maple Theater in Bloomfield on 
Nov. 15. In 1963, the Italian car 
company Ferrari was approached 
by Ford with a buy-out offer. Talks 
ended when Enzo Ferrari realized 
that a buy-out would include 
the purchase of his company’
s 
highly successful racing program. 
Ford’
s head, Henry Ford II (Tracey 
Letts), directed his racing divi-
sion to develop a car that could 
beat Ferrari. Jon Berenthal, 43, 
has a big supporting role as Lee 
Iacocca, then the vice-president 
of Ford. 
Rachel Weisz, 49, is signed 
to play Elizabeth Taylor (1932-
2011) in a biopic titled A Special 
Relationship. It focuses on her 
acting career and her work as a 
major activist during the AIDS/
HIV crisis. The script is by Simon 
Beaufoy, who wrote Slumdog 
Millionaire.
 
TV/STREAMING OFFERINGS
The NBC show New Leaf, spon-

sored by Ancestry.com, began 
airing Oct. 5. The episode that 
first aired on Nov. 2 is entitled 
“Coming of Age.” It opens with 
single Los Angeles mom Allison 
Bluestein deciding to put together 
a book of family history in honor 
of her son’
s bar mitzvah. However, 
Bluestein has a lot of gaps in her 
family history — ancestors she 
barely knows anything about. 
To the rescue comes show host 
Daisy Fuentes, who, with an army 
of family history experts, helps her 
fill-in the gaps. 
I found Fuentes annoying in 
that I don’
t think she knows any-
thing about researching a family 
tree. She is just reading from a 
script of “revelations” created by 
the people who did the research. 
However, in the second half of the 
program, Bluestein and Fuentes 
visit a local Jewish history muse-
um where a staff member — 
using museum exhibits — gives 
historical context to the Bluestein 
family’
s European ancestors. That 
part is truly informative and of 
value to just about any Jew with 
European roots. You can watch 
the episode (for free) on the NBC 
app, on NBC.com or through NBC 
on-demand (cable/satellite/Hulu). 
Do catch on Netflix the 2017 
documentary Clive Davis: The 
Soundtrack of Our Lives. Davis, 
now 87, began as an entertain-
ment lawyer. But, in 1967, he 
discovered he had an uncanny ear 
for hits. Decade after decade, he 
discovered and signed every sort 
of top act, from rock to rap, and, 
even now, he is still very much in 
the game. Trust me: This one is 
worth your time. 

NATE BLOOM
COLUMNIST

NETFLIX 

The 
Irishman

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200 Oct. 3-9, 2019 / 4-10 Tishrei 5780

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