The Reel Schmooze

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use. The duo sat down to record early this week during the confluence of three major events: Iran again struck Israel, the Tonys were awarded, and RUSH played in Los Angeles. Movie maven Hoffman gives us the Jangles from the awards recognizing the best Broadway productions during the 2025–26 season and follows up with all that is Jewish about RUSH. The main feature this week is Joseph Cedar's 2007 "Beaufort," which became all too relevant again when the IDF recaptured the medieval castle early last week. Set in 2000, the blockbuster Israeli film depicts the (then) final week of the IDF's occupation of the famed UNESCO site in southern Lebanon. In the grisly Oscar-nominated movie, we meet -- and lose -- soldier after soldier who are stuck on the besieged rock. As it hits all too close to home for mother-of-soldiers Borschel-Dan, she decides to grade the film according to two scales. Let's hear who gave it an "oy," "meh" or the prized "not bad" this week on The Reel Schmooze. The Reel Schmooze is produced by Ari Schlacht and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use. This week, we're joined by our first guest, Isaac Zablocki. For over 20 years, Zablocki, the director of film programs at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan, has been developing film programs at the JCC, including The Israel Film Center and its annual film festival, a festival focusing on disabilities, ReelAbilities, and the Other Israel Film Festival about Arab and minority populations in Israel. Before turning to the two feature films on the menu this week, we ask Zablocki about the status of boycotts against Israeli films at international festivals and whether his festivals have ever been protested. This year's Israel Film Center Festival is taking place June 9–16 at the Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan (MMJCCM) and expanding to 10 additional venues across the New York Metro Area, including Manhattan, Westchester, Long Island, and New Jersey. The first movie on our bill this week is festival opener, "Love, Statistically Speaking." Directed by Amichai Greenberg, the dark comedy stars actor Yehoram Gaon and Meshi Kleinstein as a grandfather-granddaughter duo on a bizarre whodunnit mission. Next, we review the surrealistic and all-too-realistic film "Oxygen" by Netalie Braun. Set in an Israel beset by war in the north, mother Anat decides how much she is willing to sacrifice to keep her soldier son Ido from fighting in Lebanon. The Reel Schmooze is produced by Ari Schlacht and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use. This week, we learn that famed actress and chanteuse Barbra Streisand received an honorary Palme D’Or at the Cannes Film Festival. Borschel-Dan, who is reading the artist's massive memoir, calls on all podcast fans to send in the names of their favorite Streisand films for a future episode. We then turn to the monumentally Jewish movie, "A Serious Man," written, produced, edited and directed by Joel and Ethan Coen in 2009. Set in 1967 Minnesota, the film focuses on the Gopnik family: father Larry, mother Judith, kids Danny and Sarah, and uncle Arthur. On the surface, the middle-class family appears to be merrily rolling along, anticipating Danny's approaching bar mitzvah. And then everything falls apart and it becomes a very funny retelling of the Book of Job. However, before the movie takes off, the audience is treated to a quote from the great rabbinic sage Rashi and is shown a Yiddish-only shtetl ghost story short -- just... because. Stay tuned for our duo's thoughts on the much-recommended Coen brothers' film, "A Serious Man." The Reel Schmooze is produced by Ari Schlacht and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use. We roll out with three Jangles -- news with a Jewish angle. Borschel-Dan gives her favorite actress, 96-year-old June Squib, a shoutout for her recent Tony nomination for "Marjorie Prime." Hoffman discusses his recent discovery of a famous Jewish porn star and also the new reboot of "Lord of the Flies" which hints that one of the boys is Jewish. We then turn to "Cast a Giant Shadow," the 1966 biopic of Colonel Mickey Marcus. David Daniel "Mickey" Marcus was a complicated character who was foundational to the organization of what became the Israel Defense Force.  The United States Army colonel, who was later dubbed Israel's first general, was also instrumental at the Nuremberg Trials. Kirk Douglas plays Marcus and the rest of the all-star cast includes Senta Berger, Yul Brynner, John Wayne, Frank Sinatra and Angie Dickinson. The movie maven and our host disagreed about the film, so stick around to see if "Cast a Giant Shadow" gets an "oy," "meh" or "not bad" in this week's The Reel Schmooze. The Reel Schmooze is produced by Ari Schlacht and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use. This week, we dive straight into our two films for this week, the 2021 documentary "Bernstein's Wall" and Bradley Cooper's 2023 "Maestro." Our two classical music fans begin with the documentary, highlighting the parts of conductor/composer Leonard Bernstein's life that were previously unknown to them. We hear how the movie employs Bernstein himself as its narrator by weaving together clips from dozens of revealing interviews the celebrity gave over his life.  Shifting over to the Hollywood treatment, we zero in on the Maestro's relationship with his wife, Felicia Montealegre Cohn Bernstein. We learn where Cooper stayed true to the contours of the musician's life -- and where he missed the mark. Stick around to see if "Bernstein's Wall" and "Maestro" got an "oy," "meh" or "not bad" in this week's The Reel Schmooze. The Reel Schmooze is produced by Ari Schlacht and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use. This week, before diving into our two films for this week, we revisit the 1960 film "Exodus" with a few reflections based on listeners' responses -- and Hoffman's musing while sweeping. We then hear about the movie maven's night out enjoying the Boss, Bruce Springsteen, and the E-Street Band's longtime Jewish musicians. The first film we chew over in this week's episode is a short, 13-minute indie production called "How to Make Challah" by Sarah Rosen. The intergenerational look at New York Jewry is framed within footage filmed by Rosen's aunt of her grandmother making challah in 1975. Now #1 on Netflix in Israel, Sadie Sandler's new "Roommates" left the team almost speechless, but they valiantly rallied at the sight of Jewish acting greats Natasha Lyonne, Nick Kroll and Carol Kane.  Chloe East stars as Celeste, joined by Sadie Sandler as Devon. Does her apple fall far from the Adam Sandler tree? Stick around to see if "How to Make Challah" and "Roommates" got an "oy," "meh" or "not bad" in this week's The Reel Schmooze. The Reel Schmooze is produced by Ari Schlacht and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use. This week, before diving into the nuts and bolts of the iconic epic Hollywood adventure, we learn how the 1960 film "Exodus" is part of Hoffman's genesis story. Hoffman lays out the film's plot, which is based on a 1958 Leon Uris novel. We learn about director Otto Preminger, who was a very big deal in Tinsel Town during his era, which is how he managed to capture an all-star cast including a dashing Paul Newman, high-heeled Eva Marie Saint, Sal Mineo's fury and the "good Arab" John Derek, whom we recently saw in "The Ten Commandments." We give a big shoutout to Ernest Gold's soundtrack -- as well as the many covers of it. We then hear a sharp criticism from Borschel-Dan on the poor historical accuracy of the film: The real boat, the Exodus 1947, never weighed anchor in Cyprus, where the first third of the film takes place. Hoffman notes that the film raises abiding issues, including ideology pitting brother against brother and the everlasting hope of coexistence in the land. Stick around to see if "Exodus" got an "oy," "meh" or "not bad" in this week's The Reel Schmooze. The Reel Schmooze is produced by Ari Schlacht and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use. We start the program with a "Jangle" -- a Jewish angle -- on this week's entertainment news. Hoffman brings a tale of our friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, who defends three Israelis in Times Square who are being attacked by a would-be social media influencer. Hear what transpires. Our main feature this week is Israeli director Nadav Lapid newest film, "Yes!" The film has raised eyebrows -- and not a little amount of ire -- in Israel for its messaging, with the Minister of Culture Miki Zohar weighing in.  Now screening in the United States, the film premiered in 2025 at the Cannes Film Festival. The film focuses on an artistic couple that is willing to do almost anything to succeed in their art, including sex work and writing a horrific anthem calling for the complete destruction of Gaza. Stick around to see if "Yes!" got an "oy," "meh" or "not bad" in this week's The Reel Schmooze. The Reel Schmooze is produced by Ari Schlacht and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use. We start the program with two "Jangles" -- Jewish angles -- on this week's entertainment news. In a follow-up to our previous program, we hear how the comic Modi dropped out of a Passover event after finding out that New York City Mayor Zohran Mamdani was participating. A principled stance? And then, Hoffman pays tribute to Tzruya ‘Suki’ Lahav, who played violin with Bruce Springsteen’s E Street Band half a century ago, and died last weekend. However, in honor of the end of the Passover holiday, we turn our gaze to "The Ten Commandments," which this year turns 70. The 1956 Cecil B. DeMille "sandal epic" sees Charlton Heston as Moses going head-to-head with Yul Brynner as Rameses. The supporting cast also glitters with Anne Baxter as Nefretiri, Edward G. Robinson as Dathan, Yvonne De Carlo as Sephora and Debra Paget as Lilia. Although screened annually in the US, Hoffman hadn't watched it for several decades, and this is Borschel-Dan's first time. But it's a movie that, as Hoffman puts it, "people know even if they haven't seen it." The duo goes into the weeds with the biblical and Jewish influences on the work, including a surprise member of the tribe for Hoffman. And, while dated in its treatment of women on screen, the film also offers an insightful feminist moment. Stick around to see if "The Ten Commandments" got an "oy," "meh" or "not bad" in this week's The Reel Schmooze. The Reel Schmooze is produced by Ari Schlacht and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use. This week, the team takes our listeners -- and our boss -- up on their recommendations. After Borschel-Dan asked listeners for their favorite stand-up comedians, we received a deluge of responses. We decided to launch our stand-up tour with "Modi: Know Your Audience," which is available freely on YouTube. While both had heard of the very Jewish performer, this was their first-time watching a full-length show.  Next, we discuss "The Rise of the Red Hot Chili Peppers: Our Brother, Hillel," which is now streaming on Netflix. The documentary sheds light on the origins of the still-hot band and focuses on its original guitarist Hillel Slovak. Born in Israel, gifted guitarist Slovak was the catalyst that brought both bassist Flea and lead singer Anthony Kiedis to the music world. For our duo of reviewers, it was a chance to revisit their high school soundtrack. Stick around to see who got the "oy," the "meh" and the "not bad" marks in this week's The Reel Schmooze. The Reel Schmooze is produced by Ari Schlacht and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use. In today's Oscar episode, movie maven Hoffman gives us a Jewy recap of this year's Academy Awards. We learn about surprising Jewish roots among some winners and how a person we thought was a sure thing came home with nothing. We then turn to the most recent installment of "Superman" and discuss the hero's Jewish roots and the film's political overtones. (Check out Hoffman's review of the film here.) Stick around to see who got the "oy," the "meh" and the "not bad" marks in this week's The Reel Schmooze. The Reel Schmooze is produced by Ari Schlacht and can be found wherever you get your podcasts. IMAGE: Close-up of Javier Bardem's political attire at the Vanity Fair Oscar Party on March 15, 2026, at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art in Los Angeles. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use. In today's escapism episode, movie maven Hoffman begins with a recommendation of a new, very Jewy podcast, Classical Music Happy Hour with pianist Emanuel Ax. We then discuss the 2025 independent film, "Fantasy Life," written and directed by Matthew Shear. His directorial debut is produced by and stars Amanda Peet, Shear, and a slew of Jewish (or Jew-ish) actors, including Alessandro Nivola, Judd Hirsch, Bob Balaban, Andrea Martin and Zosia Mamet. Next, we turn to the classic Larry David series, "Curb Your Enthusiasm," which Borschel-Dan had never seen. Hoffman assigned her the iconic "Palestinian Chicken" episode. See how she liked it. Check out who got the "oy," the "meh" and the "not bad" marks in this week's The Reel Schmooze. The Reel Schmooze is produced by Ari Schlacht and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use. In today's Oscar-themed episode, movie maven Hoffman begins with a rant against the cynical social media uproar over a misstepped statement made at the Berlin Festival. We then hear about the 2025 hit "Blue Moon," which portrays a pivotal night in the life of master lyricist Lorenz Hart. The film is up for two Academy Awards, but one of our team would not give it the time of day again.  Next, we turn to a 14-minute animated film called "Papillion," which captivated the pair. It is a painterly immersive dive into the life of Alfred Nakache, who competed in the 1936 Berlin Olympics in Nazi Germany, only to end up in Auschwitz that is one of five films competing for best short animation. Check out the "oy," the "meh" and "not bad" marks given to these films in this week's The Reel Schmooze. The Reel Schmooze is produced by Ari Schlacht and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use. Movie maven Hoffman begins with a tribute to master documentarian Frederick Wiseman, who died this week, aged 96. We then hear about the Israeli film “Children No More: Were and Are Gone,” directed by Hila Medalia, which is nominated for Best Documentary Short Film. The film documents a vigil that began in March 2025 in Tel Aviv, as a handful of left-wing protesters held photos of children killed in Gaza. And in the final segment, the pair rewind the 50-year-old masterpiece, "All the President's Men." In addition to appreciating the film's 1976 fashions and antiquated good manners, they note parallels to today's deep exploration into the trove of documents connected with the Epstein case. Check out the "oy," the "meh" and "not bad" marks given to films in this week's The Reel Schmooze. The Reel Schmooze is produced by Ari Schlacht and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use. After Borschel-Dan reads out a listener's cottage cheese-themed email, Hoffman brings us a news "Jangle" involving "Marty Supreme" actress Odessa A'zion. Next, we hear how to pickle lemons, and then we turn to an Israeli student film, "The Butcher's Stain," that is up for an Oscar this year for Best Short Film. Hoffman weighs in on its chances. Finally, we explore Spike Lee's 2018 "BlacKkKlansman," which has several surprisingly deeply Jewish moments. Check out the "meh plus!" and "not bad" films in this week's The Reel Schmooze. The Reel Schmooze is produced by Ari Schlacht and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use. Hoffman delights with his New Jersey quest for the best cottage cheese in the world -- Israeli -- much to the utter scorn of Borschel-Dan before turning to his scathing review of the new Amazon "documentary" charting the life of First Lady Melania Trump prior to the inauguration.  We hear a theory that producer Melania Trump attempted to recapture the Eastern European propaganda look of her youth in the MAGA vehicle probing her napkin choices and Hoffman rates her success. In the same genre of mockumentary, we take a new look at the masterful 1983 "Zelig" by Woody Allen. Check out the one "oy" and one "not baaaaad" film (our highest mark) in this week's The Reel Schmooze. The Reel Schmooze is produced by Ari Schlacht and can be found wherever you get your podcasts. IMAGE: First Lady Melania Trump and US President Donald Trump before the premiere of her movie 'Melania' at The John F. Kennedy Memorial Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, January 29, 2026. (AP Photo/Allison Robbert, File)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use. This week, we hear scintillating updates on Hoffman's test drive of his new snow blower before launching into our two Schmoovies of the week.  First, we discuss "33 photos from the Ghetto," which explores the saga of a trove of previously unpublished photographs of the Nazis brutally suppressing the 1943 Warsaw Ghetto Revolt that was captured in secret by a Polish firefighter while German forces set the Jewish ghetto ablaze. We learn how the images were accidentally discovered -- and how they complement another set that was sent to the United States decades earlier. The film, distributed on HBO Max since International Holocaust Remembrance Day, evokes mixed feelings from our team. We then turn to Jesse Einsenberg's 2024 "A Real Pain." It was a second viewing of the film for our duo and one of them had a change of heart from the repeat performance. Check out the one "meh" and one "not bad" film (our highest mark) in this week's The Reel Schmooze. The Reel Schmooze is produced by Ari Schlacht and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use. We update that last week's main movie, "Holding Liat," is now playing in 20 locations throughout North America. Then we hear a "Jangle" about unabashed Zionist Michael Rapaport, who was just in the news for his participation in "The Traitors." The first "Schmoovie" of the week is "It Was Just an Accident" by Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi. Nominated for two Academy Awards, it is playing internationally at major arthouse theaters. The premise is roughly based on Panahi's stints in Iranian prisons for his films exposing the oppressive regime. It includes a ragtag group trying to assess if a kidnapped man is indeed their interrogator/torturer. Though the set-up sounds grim, there is plenty of Panahi's trademark wit to keep you thinking -- and chuckling. The second film discussed is 2015's "Taxi," which was produced during a period in which Panahi was barred from creating films. Smuggled out and screened at the Cannes film festival, the movie takes place in a borrowed taxi and includes an uncredited cast of everyday Iranians -- or are they? Check out the two "not bad" films (our highest mark) in this week's The Reel Schmooze. The Reel Schmooze is produced by Ari Schlacht and can be found wherever you get your podcasts. IMAGE: Director Jafar Panahi poses for a portrait photograph for the film 'It Was Just an Accident' at the 78th international film festival, Cannes, southern France, May 21, 2025. (Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use. The "Schmoovie" of the week is "Holding Liat," a remarkable documentary that charts the struggle of one Israeli-American family to return its loved ones who were taken hostage to Gaza during the Hamas murderous onslaught on southern Israel on October 7, 2023. Short-listed for an Oscar for Best Documentary, "Holding Liat" is now playing at art theaters, including in New York and Los Angeles. Produced by Hollywood filmmaker Darren Aronofsky and created by brothers Brandon and Lance Kramer, we learn in the film that during the siege on Kibbutz Nir Oz, educator Liat Beinin Atzili and her husband, artist and mechanic Aviv Atzili, were separately captured by the Hamas gunmen.  The film follows American-born couple Yehuda and Chaya Beinin, kibbutznikim who immigrated to Israel in the 1970s, their daughter Tal, who emigrated from Israel to Portland a decade ago, and their grandchildren, primarily Netta, who barely survived the rampage at Nir Oz. The filmmakers, cousins to the Beinin family, begin charting their relatives two weeks after the couple's capture. Through updates from the IDF, we understand that there are disturbing findings related to Aviv, but that Liat is thought to be relatively secure. Yehuda, Tal and Netta journey to Washington, DC, to attempt to sway US politicians' hearts and minds to fight for their cause, but quickly see how each generation frames the conflict and its potential resolution. Upon the joyous return of Liat during the 2023 temporary truce that saw 97 hostages freed, we learn that Aviv was slaughtered by the terrorists. However, Liat resumes her activism, pushing for a two-state solution to the ongoing conflict.  Hear the conflicted reactions the intense, but nuanced film evokes in this week's The Reel Schmooze. The Reel Schmooze is produced by Ari Schlacht and can be found wherever you get your podcasts. Image: Still from 'Holding Liat' (courtesy)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use. The "Schmoovie" of the week is "Marty Supreme," starring Timothée Chalamet (who also co-produced), Gwyneth Paltrow, Odessa A'zion, Kevin O'Leary, Tyler Okonma, Abel Ferrara and Fran Drescher. It was produced and directed by Josh Safdie, who also co-wrote the script, alongside Ronald Bronstein.  Like the very Jewish film it is, it arrived to the world on December 25 and so Borschel-Dan had to make a rare outing into a Jerusalem cinema. She brings back the unique impressions from an Israeli crowd watching this utterly Yiddishe story set in 1950s Lower East Side New York -- especially how they reacted to Holocaust references. Hoffman, who recently interviewed director Safdie about the film for Vanity Fair, gives us the inside scoop on the crazy cast of characters that flesh out the "junkyard Jews" at the heart of the tale. The pair keeps the conversation very general -- no spoilers! -- for the first half of the episode, but then get Talmudically into the weeds for the second. Hear about our very first unreserved top-marking "not bad" from both hosts on this week's The Reel Schmooze. The Reel Schmooze is produced by Ari Schlacht and can be found wherever you get your podcasts. IMAGE: Timothée Chalamet attends the premiere of 'Marty Supreme' at Regal Times Square on December 16, 2025, in New York. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use. This week, we hear amazing Jangles (entertainment news a Jew can use) from Hoffman, including the contentious NY launch of "Marty Supreme" and the inside scoop into actor Jack Black's superwoman of a mother.  We hear a full-throated recommendation from Borschel-Dan for a multi-media performance she caught that is touring Israel. Based on journalist and author Matti Friedman's "Who By Fire: Leonard Cohen in the Sinai," the Beit Avichai production will announce its schedule of future shows in April. The pair hunker down to review the Schmoovie of the week, "The Sure Thing," a 1985 film of teen love -- and lust. Rob Reiner's second directorial outing gets mixed reviews from our hosts.  Hear who gave "The Sure Thing" a middling "meh" and who gave it our top mark of "not bad" on this week's The Reel Schmooze. The Reel Schmooze is produced by the PodWaves and can be found wherever you get your podcasts. IMAGE: US actor Jack Black attends the premiere of Columbia Pictures' "Anaconda" at The United Theater on Broadway in Los Angeles, California, on December 13, 2025. (Robyn Beck / AFP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use. This week, we hear reviews of two films: the 2019 "An Officer and a Spy," a film by controversial director Roman Polanski on the Dreyfus Affair, which is now playing in the United States, and the shattering documentary, "The Voice of Hind Rajab." But the pair opens the program by honoring director-actor Rob Reiner, who was slain over the weekend alongside his wife, Michele. We learn about his early acting work and hear about many of his groundbreaking films that have become enduring classics. Hoffman tells us about Polanski's cinematic childhood and early adult life -- he barely survived the Holocaust and his wife, Sharon Tate, was murdered by the Manson family. We then hear how Polanski skipped out on the sentencing after pleading guilty to engaging in unlawful sexual intercourse with a minor, a 13-year-old girl he was photographing for Vogue, and has lived outside of the US ever since, but still working consistently. And after all that, we learn about the merits of the film, "An Officer and a Spy." The final movie discussed is potentially even more controversial to several listeners, "The Voice of Hind Rajab." The film portrays the attempts of the Ramallah-based Red Crescent to send an ambulance to save the six-year-old Hind, who is trapped in a war zone in northern Gaza in a car with her family, who are all dead. Using the actual soundtrack from the terrified girl's phone calls for help, the film is a carefully crafted re-enactment of the impending tragedy. Hear which film(s) got a seal of approval on this week's The Reel Schmooze. The Reel Schmooze is produced by the PodWaves and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use. This week, the pair speaks about two new movies, the feature film, "Jay Kelly," and the short documentary "Carol & Joy." But first, we hear in this week’s “Jangle” segment, an update on a story from last week regarding one of the Holocaust survivors featured in the film, "Eleanor the Great," Sami Steigmann, who was asked not to speak at a Brooklyn middle school about antisemitism due to his pro-Israel views. Our second Jangle involves the impending sale of Warner Bros Studio. Hoffman has some passionate thoughts. We then speak about "Jay Kelly," a 2025 comedy-drama directed by Noah Baumbach and written by Baumbach and Emily Mortimer. For Borschel-Dan, it was a screening in two sleepy parts that ended with a "meh" rating. Hoffman was (slightly) kinder. Both were united in their appreciation for the documentary, "Carol & Joy," directed by Nathan Silver and starring actress Carol Kane and her 98-year-old mother, Joy Kane. It is a delight of a film and... executive produced by a The Reel Schmooze regular, Natalie Portman. Hear which film got a seal of approval on this week's The Reel Schmooze. The Reel Schmooze is produced by the PodWaves and can be found wherever you get your podcasts. IMAGE: George Clooney, from left, director Noah Baumbach, and Adam Sandler pose for photographers upon arrival at the premiere of the film 'Jay Kelly' during the London film festival, October 10, 2025. (Scott A Garfitt/Invision/AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use. This week, the pair speaks about two films, "Eleanor the Great," directed by Scarlett Johansson, and the documentary, "Son of a Seeker," by first-time filmmaker Kai Balin. But first, we hear in this week's "Jangle" segment, Hoffman recounts the recent votes of the New York Film Critics Circle for their annual "best-ofs," which are also known as the “Elite Oscars.” Next, we turn to two news items surrounding "Eleanor the Great." The first is that first-time director Scarlett Johansson said in an interview that she was asked by a would-be financial backer to change her film’s plot away from the Holocaust. And then we also heard this week that one of the Holocaust survivors featured in the film, Sami Steigmann, was asked not to speak at a Brooklyn middle school about antisemitism due to his pro-Israel views. We then review the film "Eleanor the Great," directed by Johansson and written by Tory Kamen. It stars the great June Squibb, Erin Kellyman, Jessica Hecht, and Chiwetel Ejiofor. Then we turn to the independent documentary "Son of a Seeker," which is being shown at some Jewish film festivals, and learn about the unusual story of a third-generation Holocaust survivor who learns, after attending Jewish day school and contemplating immigration to Israel, he may not be Jewish after all. Hear who gave both films a seal of approval on this week's The Reel Schmooze. The Reel Schmooze is produced by the PodWaves and can be found wherever you get your podcasts. IMAGE: June Squibb, left, and Scarlett Johansson attend the special screening of "Eleanor the Great", hosted by Sony Pictures Classics and The Cinema Society, at Village East by Angelika on Wednesday, Sept. 24, 2025, in New York. (Evan Agostini/Invision/AP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use. This week, the pair speaks about two films, a feminist independent Iranian documentary called "Cutting Through Rocks," which won an international documentary award at the Sundance Film Festival in January, and the 1990 Thanksgiving classic, "Avalon." But first, in the entertainment news section we call the "Jangle," Borschel-Dan tells Hoffman about the rise and fall of the Israeli rock opera, "Shaul," by Israeli musician Shlomo Artzi. We also hear a listener's feedback on a point of Jewish law raised in last week's discussion over "Bad Shabbos."Hear who gave both films a seal of approval and which was a split decision on this week's The Reel Schmooze. The Reel Schmooze is produced by the PodWaves and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use. This week, the pair speaks about two films -- the new-ish, Jewish, "Bad Shabbos," and the classic Mel Brooks's "History of the World, Part I." But first, we turn to the segment, "What's the Jangle," in which we discuss two tidbits of Jewish entertainment news. Hoffman gives a tiny peek at the upcoming super Jewy film starring Timothée Chalamet, "Marty Supreme," which he saw in previews this week. And then we hear Pope Leo's top four films of all time. (Spoiler: three of them are very Jewy.) And, which questionable film personality was quoted by the pope at a Vatican event? Next, we get to "The Main Screening," in which the duo first discusses "Bad Shabbos," which one half of the team absolutely loved and the other gave a pretty warm review. And then, we move to the classic, "History of the World, Part I," which Borschel-Dan buckled down and watched for the first time. Hear who gave both films a seal of approval and which was a split decision on this week's The Reel Schmooze. The Reel Schmooze is produced by the PodWaves and can be found wherever you get your podcasts.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use. This week, the pair introduces the concept of the new show, including the segment, “What’s the Jangle,” in which they discuss two tidbits of Jewish entertainment news. We hear how “The Real Pain” creator Jesse Eisenberg is willing to go under the knife to donate a kidney to a perfect stranger. And we learn about two brave Hollywood actresses — Meryl Streep and Sigourney Weaver — who haven’t joined the boycott Israel movement and are signed on to work with Israeli director Joseph Ceder in his upcoming thriller. Next, we get to “The Main Screening,” a segment in which the duo discusses two films: the newly released Natalie Portman project, “Arco,” and 2024’s “Thelma” starring 96-year-old June Squibb. Hear which films get the seal of approval from our team and which was a split decision on this week’s The Reel Schmooze. The Reel Schmooze can be found wherever you get your podcasts. IMAGE: Jordan Hoffman (courtesy) / Israeli actress, director, producer Natalie Portman arrives for the screening of the film 'Arco' at the 78th edition of the Cannes Film Festival in Cannes, southern France, on May 16, 2025. (Bertrand GUAY / AFP)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to The Reel Schmooze with ToI film reviewer Jordan Hoffman and host Amanda Borschel-Dan, where we bring you all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use.  In this episode zero, the duo beta-tests their soon-to-be-launched podcast series — so new it did not yet have a name — in which they will deliver entertainment news from a Jewish angle (aka Jangle) and review one new or noteworthy film. This week, the pair first discusses the growing boycott of Israeli filmmakers at international festivals. Hoffman weighs in on how this is misfiring when it comes to some of the more prominent -- and very left-wing -- Israeli artists. Next, we hear about "Nuremberg," the Hollywood treatment of the Nuremberg Trials, which began in November 1945, launching the field of international law. In the film, psychiatrist Douglas Kelley (Rami Malek) is ordered to evaluate whether Hermann Göring (Russell Crowe) is fit to stand trial. As the highest-ranking surviving Nazi military commander, to the Allied lawyers, Göring is the "big fish" that must be landed. Borschel-Dan and Hoffman give their differing opinions of the movie and agree to disagree. The Reel Schmooze can be heard wherever you find your podcasts.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.