I imagine that many Americans skipped right over the Coen Brothers’ 2009 film “A Serious Man” for many reasons — not the least of which is that the title does not exactly suggest a holiday tent-pole extravaganza.  It also probably didn’t help that the film centers entirely on Jewish characters set in a Jewish community in a small American town.  Sure, there are a few million Jews here in the U.S., but I’m not telling stories out of school by mentioning there are a hundred thirty million (or more?) folks who identify themselves as Christian.

The great thing is that we can learn much from those of other faiths without sacrificing our own beliefs and, hence, the value of “A Serious Man.” The film is about faith.  It doesn’t matter how you cloak that faith in religious terms.  The Coens have made a film that speaks universally to all faiths, and even to atheists. So while it happens to be set in a Jewish world, every single thing that happens could just as easily have happened to Christians or Buddhists or Muslims or Hindus.

And that is why you should see it. No matter what branch of faith you reside in, you will find plenty to identify with in this wonderful, dark, insightful, and thought-provoking movie.

There are spoilers ahead, but for now I’ll speak in generalities and a few specifics that do not impact the viewing experience and let you know about the big spoilers.

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To paraphrase Tevye in Fiddler on the Roof, “Lord I know we are your chosen people, but once in a while, can’t you have Mel Gibson choose someone else?”

Gibson’s career reads like a Shakespearian Tragedy.  After becoming arguably the biggest star in Hollywood he began displaying his hubris, spewing hatred against different ethnic groups, much of it against the Jews (or as he has called them “oven dodgers”). Gibson’s hatred nearly destroyed his career turning him into at best a b-player.  But announced last week, Gibson successfully wrangled funding for a big Hollywood project withy Warner Brothers.  He will be producing and possibly directing and starring in a movie based on Jewish history, the story of Judah Maccabee.

This is not the first time Gibson has tackled Jewish History, just the first time he’s attempted it in film. In 2004, Gibson was interviewed by Peggy Noonan for Readers Digest.  Noonan asked Gibson if he believed the Holocaust happened. He answered by questioning the number of Jews slaughtered by the Nazi’s and seemed to downplay the Holocaust as a Jewish experience. 

“I mean when the war was over they said it was 12 million. Then it was six. Now it’s four. I mean it’s that kind of numbers game. I mean war is horrible. The Second World War killed tens of millions of people. Some of them were Jews in concentration camps. Many people lost their lives. In the Ukraine, several million people starved to death between 1932 and 1933. During the last century 20 million people died in the Soviet Union. Okay? It’s horrible.” 

These are just a few of many anti-Jewish acts made by Gibson, the most famous of which occurred during a drunk driving arrest in 2006 when he kept screaming “f***ing Jews” and  later stated that “the Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world”  

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THR:

Mel Gibson’s decision to make a biopic of the Jewish religious icon Judah Maccabee is the latest twist in the star’s long, tortured history with the Jewish community.

In a May 2003 interview with National Catholic Reporter Jesuit Fr. William J. Fulco, who translated the script into Aramaic and Latin, assured the nervous Jewish community, “In no way do I experience it as offensive to Jews or anyone else.”

But as Gibson began to screen the film to selected Catholic and Jewish leaders, accusations of anti-Semitism sounded louder and louder in the media. Unhappy with the film’s tone towards the Jewish people and their culpability in the crucifixion of Jesus, leaders such as New York Assemblyman Dov Hikind.

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Remember the monster hit video “The Great Schlep,” from late in 2008 by Jewish comedian Sarah Silverman.

If Barack Obama doesn’t become the next president of the United States I’m gonna blame the Jews. I am.

Florida can make or break an election. I’m making this video to urge all of you to schlep over to Florida and convince your grandparents [Nana, Papa, Zadi, Boobie, et.al.] to vote Obama.

It was oh, so hip and cool in a Comedy Central/MTV sort of way. Nearly 2 million views. And as we all know, Obama did squeek by in Florida.

And now from political analysts Jim VandeHei and Mike Allen (Politico), via AZCentral.com “Obama adviser: Numbers grim for ‘12 campaign” Aug. 4:

Obama’s electoral map from 2008 will be tough to duplicate, with all three perennial bellwethers — Ohio, Florida and Pennsylvania — once again up for grabs.

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The words “Never forget” are inscribed in a Paris memorial honoring the victims of the “so-called ‘government of the French state’” during World War II. The memorial rests on the spot of the government’s most notorious act of villainy, the infamous Vel d’Hiv roundup of July 1942. On July 16, French police under Gestapo orders lockedthousands of Parisian Jews in the Vélodrome d’Hiver sports stadium for days, in horrible conditions, then transported them to the Drancy holding camp before finally sending them to their deaths at Auschwitz. There were almost no survivors. 

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Released last week in Los Angeles and New York City, and this weekend in select cities nationwide, the 2010 French film “Sarah’s Key” brings that tragedy to the screen. “Sarah’s Key” is based on author Tatiana de Rosnay’s New York Times bestseller by the same name, and follows two lives, decades apart, connected by a long-kept, horrible secret. Sarah (Mélusine Mayance), a young Jewish girl taken with her parents to the Vel’ d’Hiv, fights to return to Paris where her brother is locked away in a secret closet in their apartment, hiding from the police. Years later, in modern day Paris, American journalist Julia (Kristin Scott Thomas) begins to research Sarah’s story while struggling with the decision of whether to keep or abort her baby – a baby that her husband does not want. 

The film, like the book, flips between 1942 and modern-day France and New York, defying traditional World War II films, since over half of the story takes place in the 2000s. Co-writer and director Gilles Pacquet-Brenner added a few scenes to flesh out Sarah’s history, and streamlined Julia’s relationship with her husband and fellow journalists, but left the bestselling story largely intact. 

Young Sarah, played by a brilliant French actress named Mélusine Mayance, has haunting eyes and maturity beyond her years. As Pacquet-Brenner says, “She’s a great actress. She’s not a child who acts.” Coupled with the stunning, mysterious Charlotte Poutrel playing a grown up Sarah, Pacuqet-Brenner presents an unforgettable character who endures almost incomprehensible tragedy. Kristin Scott Thomas also delivers a moving performance as the journalist Julia, and between Thomas and Aidan Quinn, they keep an emotional ending from becoming melodramatic. 

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Here’s “The Tailor,” an adorable short from the San Francisco Jewish Film Festival, written, directed and edited by Gordon Grinberg.

1. The film is based on an old and well known Jewish joke. So old is the joke that I actually heard this back in high school when I was a student at the Brooklyn Talmudic Academy.

2. A certain segment of orthodox Jewish men wear black suits and black hats only. Think of it as a regulation uniform. Why? The most common explanation is that black signifies mourning and the Jewish people are still mourning the destruction of the Second Temple in Jerusalem by the Romans in 70 CE. Also—and this is just my personal opinion—black is, y’know, slimming. (more…)

There is nothing that says “expert on Middle Eastern conflict resolution” more than playing an alien on television. So, the consummate expert has penned a missive to Americans for Peace Now on how he sees an end to the Arab-Israeli conflict. Spock has spoken.

Leonard Nimoy has called for a two state solution for which, in deference, several notables (amongst them Israelis), have called.  Nimoy does make a telling statement about the whole idea of two separate states.

“In fact, there is an end in sight. It’s known as the two-state solution – a secure, democratic Israel as the Jewish State alongside an independent Palestinian state.”

He does deserve some credit for seeing Israel as a Jewish state but, if you notice, there is only one democratic state mentioned here. It isn’t expected that another Muslim Arab state will be democratic. As a matter of fact, as always, Israel is expected to remain multicultural andrespect the rights of all its inhabitants, yet the proposed Arab state would, like all the other Arab states, not be open to Jews. Not that many Jews would like to live in an Arab state, considering the centuries of slaughter and pillage that have been the lot of Dhimmi Jews in Arab lands.

This is pretty par for the course, but what is even more egregious is his call for the division of Jerusalem.

“Their plan includes a Palestinian state alongside Israel with agreed-upon land swaps. The Palestinian-populated areas of Jerusalem would become the capital of Palestine; the Jewish-populated areas the capital of Israel.”

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Containing one of the most instantly recognizable soundtracks of any offering to come out of that big budget-era of widescreen musicals we saw through the 60’s and into the 70’s, director Norman Jewison’s classic “Fiddler on the Roof” (1971) has arrived on Blu-ray for the very first time in a 40th anniversary, two-disc edition that includes a splendid transfer and a host of terrific extras. Filmed mostly on-location and anchored by Topol’s unforgettable and iconic performance as Tevye, a village milkman in pre-revolutionary Russia, “Fiddler” tells a thematically sprawling tale that carries with it an emotional wallop which lingers (along with the tunes) long after the credits roll.

“Tradition” is not only the title of one of the film’s best known songs, but also the story’s over-arching theme that plays out as we watch the beautiful and time-honored Jewish faith and culture put to the ultimate balancing test (like a fiddler on the roof) due to unrelenting social change and terrible political circumstances. In the form of three different suitors for his three cherished daughters, Tevye will — with varying levels of success — be forced to accept circumstances outside of what he’s always known in matters of love and marriage. These personal conflicts, however, pale when compared to the  antisemitic attacks launched by the Russian government that always threaten to undermine the tranquility of Tevye’s modest village — a dot on a map filled with colorful characters just looking to eke out a quiet life, worship in their own way, and be left alone.

With such timeless songs as “Matchmaker, Matchmaker,” “Sunrise, Sunset,” and ”If I Were a Rich Man,” along with composer John Williams’ toe-tapping score, a screenplay that keeps the story turning, and sure-handed direction by Jewison, the 181 minutes simply fly by. Topol is such a bear of paternal warmth and the people around him so accessible (though nicely flawed), that you never want to to leave them. The film’s greatest success, though, is that right along with Tevye and his family and neighbors, you feel their crushing sense of loss as political and social winds — even in those rare instance when it’s for the better — undermine the village’s serenity.

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Every year we regular folk are blessed with wisdom from Hollywood’s elite: how to vote, worship, eat, what to drive, raise our kids, who in corporate America is making too much money, and who we should love and who we should hate. All while stars gorge themselves on private jets, third homes, and shaped tofu holiday dinners at 5-star resorts.

While we at Big Hollywood are quick to point out that celebrities can use their soapbox to do some good, but each time they open their mouth to tell us how to behave, they run the risk of losing the magic of their screen persona.  So to help remind you who spoke up on behalf of “all people” this year, here is a rundown of the 10 most asshat celebrity comments of 2010:

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10.  When Whoopi Goldberg went on O’Reilly to discuss her reason for walking off The View (i.e. plug her new book Is It Just Me?: Or is it nuts out there?”) rather than defend her position about the world having a “Muslim problem,” the two also touched on the issue of whether a Jewish kid or a Muslim kid is more likely to be bullied in the US because of his religion.  O’Reilly had the facts but like most good, Hollywood liberals, Whoopi just said, “I don’t believe it.”

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9. Mel Gibson finds himself on the list for having a long history of racist rants, drunk or not. He gets an extra asshat mention for not checking for a wire when being honest in the face of a Russian. (more…)

I have to admit, when I first heard about the Oliver Stone interview where he accused the Jewish Lobby of controlling the Media and US foreign policy, an uneasy chill ran down my spine.  In editorials across the Arab world, Stone was praised as being accurate and scholarly.

Although this news initially horrified me, I now realize that the time to be horrified is over. It is high time to fess up and tell the world the truth: We Jews do control US policy; in fact we run the world. And we’ve been running things for a very long time, manipulating world events for our own needs.

It’s time to reveal the truth that many famous people throughout history were actually Jewish — part of the plot to perpetuate the myth and keep us in charge.

Martin Luther – yep, a Jew! But that one was pretty obvious. After all, he is famous for quitting his church to form a new one. Ever talk to a Jew about where he prays?  He will tell you about the Synagogue he goes to and the one he would never set foot in. (more…)

Oliver Stone can stays stuff like this because he didn’t direct “The Passion of the Christ.”

NewsBusters:

Stone said that his upcoming Showtime documentary series for “Secret History of America,” seeks to put Hitler and Communist dictator Joseph Stalin “in context.”

“Hitler was a Frankenstein but there was also a Dr Frankenstein. German industrialists, the Americans and the British. He had a lot of support,” Stone told Sunday Times’ reporter Camilla Long.

Stone said that, “Hitler did far more damage to the Russians than the Jewish people, 25 or 30 [million killed].”

The Sunday Times interviewer then asked why there was such a focus on the Holocaust.

“The Jewish domination of the media,” responded Stone. “”There’s a major lobby in the United States. They are hard workers. They stay on top of every comment, the most powerful lobby in Washington. Israel has f***** up United States foreign policy for years.” (more…)

HonestReporting:

Currently appearing on Comedy Central’s website is a game called “I.S.R.A.E.L. Attack!”. The premise of this game has nothing to do with Israel and, as such, is nothing more than an insidious attempt at association. The game’s introduction begins with a character who states:

You lied to me, Jew Producer

referring to a character who has failed to carry out a mission to destroy other child-like cartoon characters. If this piece of anti-Semitism isn’t bad enough, a robot – the Intelligent Smart Robot Animation Eraser Lady – is sent to do the job that the Jew Producer failed to achieve. (more…)

Firstly let me say, that I love Ben Shapiro. For those who don’t know, Ben is a fellow Big Hollywood contributor, a good friend… And very Jewish. Having worked my whole life with Jews who seemed content with perpetuating the negative “Liberal Hollywood elite” stereotype, I noticed that Ben was extremely different. What is it that separates too many tinseltown Hebrews from their supposed brethren in faith?

For years, anti-Semites have used the argument that “the Jews run Hollywood.” After all, Hollywood is a cesspool of immorality, dishonesty and the mistreatment of your fellow man, so pinning the blame on the entire Jewish people would seem like an airtight case to those with deep-rooted disdain for the people (Jimmy Carter, take notes). The problem is that a lot of people don’t realize that Hollywood-centric Jews (like say, the Weinstein brothers) have very little, if anything in common with their practicing Jewish brothers and sisters. Don’t believe me? Oh, you are so gentile. Let’s take a gander at a few of the major issues. (more…)

Ann Althouse:

“The most striking thing in the movie was the religion. I think Moore is seriously motivated by Christianity. He says he is (and has been since he was a boy). And he presented various priests, Biblical quotations, and movie footage from “Jesus of Nazareth” to make the argument that Christianity requires socialism. With this theme, I found it unsettling that in attacking the banking system, Moore presented quite a parade of Jewish names and faces. He never says the word “Jewish,” but I think the anti-Semitic theme is there. We receive long lectures about how capitalism is inconsistent with Christianity, followed a heavy-handed array of — it’s up to you to see that they are — Jewish villains. (more…)