60 | AUGUST 29 • 2024 J
N

MORE KANE, TWO NEW SERIES 
AND TWO NEW FLICKS
Last week, I had an item about 
Between the Temples, a critical-
ly acclaimed film that opened 
in theaters on Aug. 23. I noted 
that Carol Kane, 72, co-stars in 
the film. She plays a widow who 
takes bat mitzvah lessons from a 
much-younger, widowed cantor 
(Jason Schwartzman, 44). They 
eventually enter into an unlikely 
romantic relationship. 
In my column, I inadvertent-
ly gave some bio details about 
every Jew in the film except Kane. 
Here’s what I should have added: 
Kane is probably best known as 
Andy Kaufman’s wife on Taxi, the 
TV series. Much lesser-known is 
her Oscar-nominated role as a 
pious, immigrant Jewish wife 
(c. 1895) in Hester Street (1975), a 
great Jewish film. It’s now stream-
ing on Tubi, a very popular free 
app/channel.
Do watch a profile of Kane that 
aired (Aug. 11) on CBS Sunday 
Morning (view on the CBS News 
site or on YouTube). Kane’s “very 
much there” 97-year-old mother 
briefly talked about Carol, and 
Carol talked about her “funny 
voice” and the varied work she’s 
done (stage musicals, Star Trek, 
etc.). Between the Temples was 
discussed as was her Oscar-
nominated role. (Fun fact: Kane 
learned to speak Yiddish for 
Hester Street). 
The English Teacher is a com-
edy that premieres on FX/Hulu 
on Sept. 2 (10 p.m.). It focuses on 
Evan, an Austin, Texas, teacher 
who often finds himself at the 
center of just about everything in 
his school. 
Jordan Firstman, 33, has a 
large role as Malcolm, Evan’s 
former boyfriend. Firstman, who 
is gay, broke-through as a well-
known comedian when he post-
ed very popular, funny skits on 
Instagram during the pandemic.
The Perfect Couple is a mys-
tery/drama series that premieres 
on Netflix on Sept. 5. Premise: 
Anna (Eve Hewson) is about to 
marry into the rich Newbury fam-
ily, against the wishes of Greer 

Newbury, the family’s matriarch 
(Nicole Kidman). Then a dead 
body washes up on a nearby 
beach and everyone is a suspect. 
Liev Schreiber, 56, co-stars as 
Tag Newbury, Greer’s husband.
1992 is an action-filled drama 
that opens in theaters on Aug. 
30. It is set in Los Angeles right 
after riots broke out following the 
acquittal of several police offi-
cers who severely beat African 
American Rodney King.
As the film opens, Mercer 
(Tyrese Gibson), a Black man, is 
trying to mend problems with his 
young son. Across town, a father 
and son (Ray Liotta and Scott 
Eastwood) are planning a perilous 
heist at Mercer’s workplace. 
Ariel Vromen, 51, directed the 
film and co-wrote its screenplay. 
Sascha Penn, 40ish, wrote the 
film’s story and co-wrote the 
screenplay. 

Vromen is a native Israeli. He 
left Israel after his military service 
was completed. He settled in New 
York City in 1999 and went to film 
school. A wealthy fan of a Vromen 
student film gave him $900K to 
make a feature film (RX, 2005). 
RX got pretty bad reviews and 
hardly got shown. He proceeded 
to make three more action fea-
ture films that tanked, too (made 
no money, bad reviews). In 2017, 

he helmed Angel, an Israeli spy 
thriller set during the Six-Day 
War. It was sent straight to Netflix. 
Reviews were so/so. 
I’m mystified how Vromen got 
another directing gig. By the 
way, Israeli actor Ori Pfeffer, 49, 
played the head of the Mossad in 
Angel and he has a smallish role 
(Murphy) in 1992. 
City of Dreams, which opens 
on Aug. 30, is a co-Mexican 
American production. It follows 
Jesús, a young Mexican boy 
whose dreams are shattered 
when he’s trafficked across the 
border and sold to a sweatshop 
making fast fashion in downtown 
Los Angeles. His only solace is 
Elena, a girl who was also sold 
into slavery. (This story may be 
totally fiction. I have a friend famil-
iar with the LA fashion biz. He told 
me that very little clothing is made 
in LA today).
Samm Levine, 42, has a sup-
porting role as Nazarian, the 
co-owner of the factory. Levine 
started out as a kind-of-hot young 
actor. However, since about age 
30, he has only had smallish film 
roles and TV guest shots.
He was “discovered” at age 
12. Lisa Kudrow saw him doing 
stand-up comedy at a bar mitzvah 
and she advised him to audition 
in nearby Manhattan. In 1999, he 
was cast in Freaks and Geeks, a 
short-lived sit-com set in a Detroit 
suburb. Critics loved it and view-
ers didn’t. The series launched 
many big careers (Seth Rogen, 
James Franco, Jason Segal). 
Sadly, Levine wasn’t launched. 
He’s had one juicy role: a Jewish 
soldier during WWII in the hit film 
Inglourious Basterds (2007). 

NATE BLOOM COLUMNIST

CELEBRITY NEWS
ARTS&LIFE

IMDB

Jordan 
Firstman

Liev

Schreiber

BY MARTIN KRAFT

Samm
Levine

BY GAGE SKIDMORE

