46 | AUGUST 22 • 2024 J
N

THREE GOOD FILMS — ONE 
MAY BE A JEWISH CLASSIC
Three good films open in theaters 
this week. If you can’t make the 
theater showing, do make a note 
to watch them when they begin 
streaming. 
Last January, I wrote the 
following three paragraphs about 
Between the Temples, a comedy-
drama: “[It] made its worldwide 
premiere at the Sundance 
Film Festival on Jan. 18. Every 
review was a rave — Hollywood 
Reporter, Variety, Deadline, 
Vulture. I’ve never seen reviews 
like this for a ‘little’ Jewish movie.
“This film appears to be that 
elusive thing — an independent 
film that is very Jewish, but 
completely works in many, many 
ways. Jason Schwartzman, 
41, plays a cantor who is 
devasted by his wife’s death. 
He doesn’t lose his faith but is 
very depressed and stops being 
an active cantor. Then he runs 
into his former music teacher 
(Carol Kane, 71). He tutors her 
for her late-in-life bat mitzvah. He 
also has an intimate relationship 
with her. Somehow this odd 
couple works.
“Their relationship doesn’t 
please the cantor’s two (gay) 

Jewish mothers. They have a nice 
Jewish girl about the cantor’s age 
who they want him to date.” 
The good news is that Between 
the Temples will open in theaters 
on Aug. 23. Here are some 
important credits/info not in my 
short January item.
The film’s star, Jason 
Schwartzman, is the (secular) son 
of the late Jack Schwartzman, 
a producer, and actress Talia 
Shire, the sister of Francis Ford 
Coppola. 
The supporting cast includes 
Caroline Aaron, 72 (best known 
for roles in Mike Nichols and 
Woody Allen movies); Matthew 
Shear, 39 (The Alienist TV series), 
and comedy writer/comedy actor 
Robert Smigel, 65. I know that 
Aaron plays one of the cantor’s 
mothers; Shear, I think, plays 
Carol Kane’s adult son; and 
Smigel plays a rabbi. 
Between was written and 
directed by Nathan Silverman, 
40, a Brooklyn native who has 
made 12 indie films since 2009. 
Several have gotten pretty good 
reviews, but none has gotten 
beyond film festivals screenings. 
It appears that the great reviews 
for Between got him his first big 
theater release and a lot of nice 
attention. 
Blink Twice, a thriller action 

film, opens in theaters on Aug. 
23. Capsule plot: A cocktail 
waitress (Naomi Ackie) becomes 
infatuated with a tech mogul 
(Channing Tatum), and travels 
with him to his private island, 
where things begin to go 
wrong. Simon Rex, 49, has a big 
supporting role.
The film was directed by and 
co-written by Zoe Kravitz (Blink 
is the first film she has directed). 
She is the daughter of rock star 
Lenny Kravitz and actress Lisa 
Bonet, 56. She is engaged to 
Channing Tatum.
Lenny’s late father was Jewish, 
and Bonet’s mother was Jewish. 
As an adult, Lenny opted to 
identify as a Christian. Bonet’s 
beliefs are “murky.” Zoe defines 
herself as a “secular Jew.”
Zoe, 35, has starred in many hit 
films and TV series. They include 
the Divergent film trilogy; the 
HBO series Big Little Lies; and 
High Fidelity, a Hulu series. 
Back in May, Greedy People, a 
film, was listed as being released 
on May 16. My column item about 
this movie went to publication 
before the theater release date 
was changed. It opens now 
on Aug. 23. Below is a shorter 
repeat of what I wrote. 
Greedy is a comedic crime 
thriller. This smallish budget indie 

film was written and directed by 
Potsy Ponciroli. He also directed 
and wrote Old Henry (2021), an 
acclaimed, small-budget Western 
film that unexpectedly made a lot 
of money. It had a clever premise: 
Billy the Kid (played by Tim Blake 
Nelson, 60) wasn’t killed in New 
Mexico (age 21). He moved far 
away, took a new name (Henry), 
and lived the life of a family man 
and a small-time rancher. 
Variety liked Greedy People, 
saying: “[It] should please fans 
of wry crime yarns like the Coen 
Brothers Fargo and the edgy and 
smart small-screen outings such 
as Breaking Bad and Better Call 
Saul.”
A more complete summary 
of the Greedy People premise 
has emerged since last May. 
Here goes: The film is set on a 
small island. As Greedy begins, 
Will, a rookie police officer, and 
his rogue veteran partner, Terry 
(Joseph Gordon-Levitt, 43) find 
$1 million near a crime scene on 
the island. They decide to steal 
the money — but other island 
residents somehow hear about 
the money, and they try to get 
it first. The cash-mad include 
a masseur (Simon Rex) and a 
shrimp company owner (Tim 
Blake Nelson). 

NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST

CELEBRITY NEWS
ARTS&LIFE

HARALD KRICHEL

Jason Schwartzman

Carol Kane

GREG2600 

Zoe Kravitz

DVNA CREATIVE AGENCY

Joseph Gordon-Levitt 

WIKIPEDIA/STEVE JENNINGS/GETTY IMAGES FOR TECHCRUNCH