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