60 | MARCH 21 • 2024 J N ROOTS UPDATE; THREE NEW FILMS, STAND-UP & SKATING This week’s Jewish-related films, etc., are more varied than usual. But before I describe them, I want to give you a long heads- up: Michael Douglas and Lena Dunham will be the guests on the Finding Your Roots on Tuesday, April 2 (PBS). Their paring isn’t an accident: Roots episodes often pair celebs with sim- ilar backgrounds (Jewish, African American, etc.). Next week, I will say a bit about Dunham and Douglas’ ancestry. But I’ll say more about a nice coincidence: Both have interesting films/ series that will be released soon or are in the works. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire will open in theaters on March 22. It is the fifth film in the Ghostbusters film franchise. The fourth film, Ghostbusters: Afterlife (2021), got mixed reviews, and I thought it was just OK (I loved the first two films). But Afterlife made a lot of money and that paved the way for Frozen. Afterlife was co-written by and directed by Jason Reitman, 46 (Juno, Up in the Air). Reitman’s co-writer was Gil Kenan, 47 (Poltergeist). They switched jobs for Frozen: Kenan directed, and he co-wrote Frozen with Reitman. Paul Rudd, 54, starred in Afterlife and he has a lead role in Frozen. The new Ghostbuster cast that made its debut in Afterlife returns for Frozen, as does the orig- inal Ghostbusters, who also appeared in Afterlife (Bill Murray, Dan Akroyd, Annie Potts, others). Here’s the plot: The new and old Ghostbusters join forces to save New York City from a death-chilling foe. On March 21, Amazon Prime will premiere Road House, a remake of a hit 1989 film of the same name. Jake Gyllenhaal, 43, plays Dalton, a former pro mixed martial arts fighter who is hired to bring order to a Florida bar with very rowdy drinkers. He also has to bat- tle an evil, rich businessman who wants to put the bar out of business. Gyllenhaal, as usual, is very fit and often reveals his incredible array of chest and stomach muscles. His stomach “six-pack” certainly attracts the attention of a pretty physician who patch- es up Dalton. The film’s director, Doug Liman, 58, has helmed many hits, including The Bourne Identity. He has almost disowned Road House. He says that Amazon was supposed to release the film, first, to the- aters. (Advance reviews say Gyllenhaal is quite good, but the script is kind of dis- jointed and there’s too much obvious CGI use in the fight sequences). Comedian Dave Attell, 59, has a solo Netflix stand-up special on March 26. Titled Hot Cross Buns, the official description says: “Attell unloads in this blistering stand-up special on hard seltzers, strip clubs, unsatis- fying snacks and his wild trip to a petting zoo.” Attell has been a come- dy stalwart since the mid- ’90s, with many comedy specials and appearances on Letterman, HBO and Comedy Central. Rest in Peace is an Argentine film that begins streaming on Netflix on March 27. The film focus- es on Sergio. He’s facing mounting bills, and his health is deteriorating. Then an unlikely way out appears to him. He might be able to get out of his problems and also safeguard his family’s well-being. But he has to leave his home and disap- pear forever. The film was co-written and directed by Sebastian Borensztein, 60, an Argentine landsman. To “understand” Sebastian, you have to know something about his father, Mauricio Borensztein (1927-96), a very famous comedian in Argentina who performed under the stage name Tato Bores. He entertained in theaters and on TV. His forte was political humor. One bio says: “His ironic TV monologues, delivered at a fast pace, became a refer- ence point for generations of Argentines.” After college, Sebastian wrote copy for ads, but quickly switched to screen- writing under his father’s guidance. He also produced and directed his father’s shows. He went on to write and direct acclaimed TV series. His biggest film hit is Chinese Take-Away (2011), which he wrote and direct- ed. This comedy-drama was a big box-office winner all over Latin America. The World Figure Skating Championships are held this year in Montreal (March 20-24). Peacock and NBC pretty much cover all the events. Two Israelis are in the competition. But an American, Jason Brown, 29, is the only Jewish skat- er likely to make it into the finals. On March 23 (8-10 p.m.), NBC will do a special that will cover highlights. Brown, who had a bar mitzvah ceremony, won an Olympic bronze medal in the 2014 team event and was the U.S. national cham- pion in 2015. In the 2024 U.S. Championships, he was third in the short program and second in the free skate. CELEBRITY NEWS NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST ARTS&LIFE WIKIPEDIA Dave Attell TOGLENN Jake Gyllenhaal BY GABBOT Lena Dunham