Jan-30 8:00p.m. ABC-TV: Australia Story
January 23, 2012 by J-Wire
ABC-TV repeats “The Girl from Boryslaw” – the story of the late Sabina Wolanski
New Role for Former Judge
January 19, 2012 by J-Wire
Former Supreme Court judge David Levine has been appointed inspector of the New South Wales Police Integrity Commission. Read more
Abduction *
January 19, 2012 by J-Wire
Perhaps the only way to approach Abduction that will not result in a 105-minute boredom-induced coma is to think of it as a comedy, preferably with a drinking game attached. There are laughs to be had, although none of them are intentional. Girls (and gay guys) enraptured by Taylor Lautner’s smoldering eyes and well-formed pecs aren’t likely to be overly concerned about his wooden dialogue delivery or unchanging facial expression, but everyone else will be chortling. This is a miscasting of mammoth proportions.
It boggles the mind that someone thought Lautner could make it as an action hero. On some level, I suppose it makes sense. Looking at a specimen like Arnold Schwarzenegger, arguably the biggest action icon of the ’80s, one could develop a model: nice chest, bulging biceps, limited emotional range, incomprehensible dialogue delivery. The problem is, Schwarzenegger was always a “man’s man,” whereas Lautner is generally despised by straight males of all ages. That makes Abduction an action/thriller with females as its primary audience, which is box office poison. Over the years, with rare exceptions, action films have struck gold on the strength of teenage boys.
Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy ***
January 19, 2012 by J-Wire
For decades, the spy thriller has been dominated by one name: Bond. 007’s trappings, which include pyrotechnics, high-octane chases, death-defying stunts, gorgeous women, and the like, have come to define the genre. While it’s unquestionable that Ian Fleming’s superspy has left an indelible impression on movies and novels, it would not be reasonable to apply Bond-generated expectations to the grounded endeavors of John le Carré and Len Deighton. Both authors began writing in the early 1960s with the primary purpose of creating “anti-Bond” protagonists. For Deighton, it was Harry Palmer (played in three films by Michael Caine). For Le Carré, it was George Smiley. Physically unprepossessing, meek in manner, emotionally cool, and antisocial, Smiley’s primary weapon is his mind not a gun. He is a master tactician of the Cold War, matching wits against the best the KGB has to offer.
Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy is regarded by critics as being among the best of Le Carré’s yarns. A faithful adaptation (which this is) has two requirements: the narrative must be dense and the pace must be slow. Le Carré’s stories have no room for mindless action; they are heavily plot-driven, which makes them a challenge to adapt. Two hours is probably too short. The condensation required to cram the essence of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy into a feature film of reasonable length is likely to result in less attentive audience members becoming lost along the way. Even a quick trip to the bathroom could be a viewer’s undoing. And, although the pacing is slow, events move rapidly. A lot happens, but little is explosive.
Hospital Exhibition
January 17, 2012 by J-Wire
An Honorary Cardiologist at Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital is also an artist…and an exhibition of his work has opened within the hospital. Read more
Jan-31 11:05p.m. SBS1-TV: Movie – Close to Home
January 11, 2012 by J-Wire
Follows two young Israeli female soldiers who patrol the streets of Jerusalem together, checking the IDs of Palestinians they encounter. Read more
Coming to a supermarket near you
January 5, 2012 by J-Wire
75,000 jars of Vegemite are being distributed to supermarkets around Australia bearing the photo of Melbourne medico Dr Peter Schiff. Read more
Mendy makes the finals
January 4, 2012 by J-Wire
12-yr-old Sydney schoolboy Mendel Slavin is in the finals of Jewish Kids Got Talent…and heads to New York next week for the last rounds of adjudication.
Jan-28 9:30p.m. SBS1-TV: Movie – Black Book
January 4, 2012 by J-Wire
In the Nazi-occupied Netherlands during World War II, a Jewish singer infiltrates the regional Gestapo headquarters for the Dutch resistance. Read more
Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows ***
December 29, 2011 by J-Wire
It can be argued that few things embolden a filmmaker more than success. When Guy Ritchie re-invented the world’s best-known detective for his 2009 Sherlock Holmes, no one knew how the movie would be received. Ritchie’s vision was validated by a strong world-wide box office. For the sequel, Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, Ritchie’s more confident style betrays his assurance. No longer as reliant upon visual flourishes and spastic camera movement, the director allows the story to be the primary source of propulsion. A Game of Shadows is a stronger, better realized movie that builds upon the strengths of the original and jettisons some of the weaknesses.
For the nearly 120 years since Sir Arthur Conan Doyle introduced the character in the 1893 story, “The Final Problem,” James Moriarty has been a fan obsession. Holmes’ equal-but-opposite, Moriarty is the perfect foil for the consulting detective – a brilliant mathematician whose intelligence matches that of his adversary. Moriarty appeared in only one of Conan Doyle’s 60 Sherlock Holmes stories (the aforementioned “The Final Problem”) but has become a staple of Holmes lore and is frequently employed in the ever-growing non-Conan Doyle library of the detective’s adventures (Reichenbach Falls notwithstanding). It makes sense, therefore, that Ritchie would bring Moriarty to the screen – what better rival for Robert Downey Jr.’s incarnation of the detective than a man who can match him in deduction, gamesmanship, and physicality?
watch the trailer
We Bought a Zoo ***
December 29, 2011 by J-Wire
After the twin disappointments of Vanilla Sky (which critics generally liked but the public did not) and Elizabethtown (which was equally dismissed by critics and the general movie-going populace), Cameron Crowe has hunkered down in relative obscurity for six years. He has recently emerged with the documentary Pearl Jam Twenty and a new feature film, We Bought a Zoo. Although the latter does not rank alongside Crowe’s best, it is an improvement over Elizabethtown. Designed as a family film based on the memoirs of Benjamin Mee, We Bought a Zoo is heartfelt but safe. The missing element is the edgy irreverence that elevated Crowe’s best directorial efforts – Say Anything, Jerry Maguire, and Almost Famous – above their generic counterparts.Salesforce JW
The tone of We Bought a Zoo veers from feel-good to maudlin. Some of the problem may devolve from the original material, but Crowe’s screenplay was not original – he re-wrote one credited to Aline Brosh McKenna, who claims an uneven body of work (her most recent movie: I Don’t Know How She Does It, but she was also responsible for The Devil Wears Prada). The general sense of blandness and predictability that marks the story’s progression does not damage its emotional strengths. We feel for these characters and, because we care about them, we yearn for the highs the film ultimately delivers.
Award for Our Big Kitchen
December 15, 2011 by J-Wire
Sydney’s Our Big Kitchen has won a $2500 award for its work with homeless people of all denominations. Read more
Dec-20 Sydney: Young Adult Chabad Chanukah Party
December 15, 2011 by J-Wire
Celebrate Chanukah is style at Watsons Bay – minimum age 18. Read more
Israeli windsurfers shine – next stop London
December 14, 2011 by J-Wire
Israeli windsurfers are shining at the International Sailing Federation World Championships in Perth. Read more
Sir Zelman Cowen
December 13, 2011 by J-Wire
Sir Zelman Cowen, the second Jew to hold the position of Governor-General of Australia who passed away last week at the age of 92, was laid to rest in Melbourne today. Read more
Dec-18 6:05p.m. ABC Radio National: The Spirit of Things
December 13, 2011 by J-Wire
Rachael Kohn present Hannukah: Stones and Soup Read more
Dec-18 Sydney: End of year party
December 11, 2011 by J-Wire
End of year party for the community’s young adults Read more
Marriage equality supported by progressives
December 8, 2011 by J-Wire
Support for same sex marriages has come from the Union of Progressive Judaism. Read more
Dec-13 Sydney: NSWJBD Plenum
December 6, 2011 by J-Wire
Hear the latest analysis on news from Israel and the region at the NSW Jewish Board of Deputies monthly plenum. Read more
Dec-06 Sydney: Is my future in the stock market?
December 3, 2011 by J-Wire
Network asks – Is my future in the stock market? Hear from an insider about the Australian economy, but more importantly, a personal story of success. Graham Bradley will touch on an array of topics from his humble beginnings, his current role, the current market, his trip with the AICC to Israel, and advice on staying afloat. Read more
Rodder wins appeal
December 2, 2011 by J-Wire
Jockey Talia Rodder has won her appeal against a six week suspension imposed on her by Racing Victoria. Read more
Premier Opens Women’s Library
NSW Premier Barry O’Farrell has opened the Rebbetzin Jana Gottshall Memorial Library in the National Council of Jewish Women of Australia’s premises in Sydney. Read more
Dec-10 01:00a.m. SBS1-TV: Movie – A Love to Hide
November 27, 2011 by J-Wire
Set in Paris in 1942, a young Jewish girl, looking to escape the clutches of the Nazis, is sheltered by an old childhood friend, Jean, and his faithful lover Philippe. Read more
Nov-27 6:05p.m. ABC-Radio National: The Spirit of Things – The Sufi Spirit
November 27, 2011 by J-Wire
Prayer that brings a permanent awareness of the Divine Reality is the aim of Sufism first and foremost, which London based Sufi scholar, Reza Shah-Kazemi, believes is the key to its universality. Read more
Nov-30 Sydney: Breakfast with David Gonski AC
November 23, 2011 by J-Wire
JewishCare hosts this breakfast at which David Gonski will brief the community about employment opportunities for people with disabilities Read more
Dec-13 8:30p.m. SBS2-TV: As It Happened – The Children’s Odyssey
November 23, 2011 by J-Wire
The little-known story of a group of Polish Jewish children, mainly orphans, who made a wartime odyssey from Europe to Palestine. Read more
Dec-11 8:30p.m. SBS1-TV: The Promise
November 23, 2011 by J-Wire
Len is lying in hospital, being treated for his injuries after his unit has been under attack in Haifa. Read more
Melbourne Israeli Dancing Group Dropped from Festival
November 22, 2011 by J-Wire
A Melbourne Israeli Dancing group was dropped from participating in a Victorian dance festival after refusing organisers’ moves to drop all references to Israel. Read more
Israel’s Civil War
November 22, 2011 by J-Wire
In Yehuda Avner’s book ‘The Prime Ministers’ the author recounts watching Menachim Begin deliver a speech in a dilapidated cinema shortly after the State of Israel came into being…writes Raffe Gold. Read more
Award for Jewish Holocaust Centre
November 21, 2011 by J-Wire
Melbourne’s Jewish Holocaust Centre (JHC) has been announced the winner of the prestigious Small Museum, Permanent Exhibition Award. Read more
