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The Reel Schmooze

The Times of Israel

Jordan Hoffman brings all the entertainment news and film reviews a Jew can use.

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Thursday · 37 min
'You Had To Be There': How a musical about Jesus shaped Jewish comedy
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 chew on the new documentary now in theaters, "You Had To Be There: How the Toronto Godspell Ignited the Comedy Revolution, Spread Love & Overalls, and Created a Community That Changed the World (In a Canadian Kind of Way)." As depicted in the delightful film, if you ever wondered how a whole parcel of comedy greats got their starts, it was in a Canadian production of "Godspell" in 1972 that was a resounding success at Toronto's Royal Alexandra Theatre. All stars aligned to bring together the constellation of Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas, Gilda Radner, Victor Garber, Andrea Martin and Jayne Eastwood, with musical director Paul Shaffer. Ironically, the musical depicting Jesus and his disciples was heavily Jewish -- sometimes with comical results. Let’s hear who gave this film 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.
September 10 · 27 min
'The Runner': Starring lovely London -- and a sprinting Gal Gadot
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 abandon all pretense of intellectuality and hunker down to watch the new Gal Gadot vehicle, "The Runner," now streaming on Amazon Prime Video. The film is a fast-paced sprint through London, during which Gadot must arrive at a certain location to save her son, who is in an induced diabetic coma. The plot seems simple, but the end carries a twist that got Borschel-Dan's husband thinking the whole week. Let’s hear who gave this film 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.
September 4 · 49 min
Star Trek: 60 years to the most gloriously nerdy enterprise
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 month marks the 60th anniversary of the pioneering sci-fi series, Star Trek. Expert in all things Trekky, Hoffman, when he's not schmoozing with Borschel-Dan, also hosts the STARLOG podcast and co-wrote The Star Trek Book of Friendship. So this week, the duo nerd out on all things Jewish behind the beloved franchise -- Spock's famous hand gesture is adapted from the Priestly Blessing, in one notable example. Eventually, we laser in on two episodes that illustrate the show's ethos. From the original Star Trek television series, Hoffman chose "The City on the Edge of Forever." We hear about how, when time-traveling to 1930s New York, Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock faced a tough decision to stave off a potential global Nazi takeover. And in Deep Space Nine's "In the Hands of the Prophets," we see how the program deals with themes of religious extremism versus science. Let’s hear who gave this series 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.
August 19 · 38 min
'Don't Say Good Luck': The Sunny (Sandler) side of life, with cancer
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. Taking a break from pulling classics out of the vaults, this week's film, "Don't Say Good Luck," just dropped on Netflix. Sunny Sandler stars as a 16-year-old theater kid, backed up by a cast including Melanie Lynskey, Max Greenfield, Stephanie Beatriz, Bebe Neuwirth, and Steve Buscemi. Within minutes, it's clear that what could have been a superficial teen flick produced by Adam and Jackie Sandler is a relatable look at "the show going on" while a family member fights cancer. Notes Hoffman, that depth may be due in part to the involvement of director Julia Hart and co-producer/writer Jordan Horowitz -- both veteran filmmakers with proven hits. However, it is Sunny Sandler who is the glowing glue of the movie, providing singing and acting chops rare in a 16-year-old. Hoffman gives a bit of the backstory behind the movie's production and insight into the choice of "The Waitress" as the play within the film. Labeling it a "weeper," he qualifies that it's not really a downer, rather realistically portrays the family's dilemmas. Borschel-Dan, who watched with two of her teenagers, realizes they are 100% the target audience for this intergenerational, Jewish-coded tale that is all too familiar. Let’s hear who gave this film 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.
August 14 · 38 min
'Wizards': Does animated 1977 art film belong in the canon, or in the geniza?
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 spend the entire episode on Haifa-born iconic animator Ralph Bakshi's 1977 sci-fi adventure, "Wizards." Distributed by 20th Century-Fox, the loose premise sets the film about 5,000 years in the future, following a World War III that left Earth so full of radiation to split humanity into fairy-type creatures and mutants. The majority of the raunchy ride builds up to a battle between twin brothers -- two wizards who represent magic or technology. Definitely not a kids' flick, the animation is violent and emphasizes several female fairies' -- ahem -- assets. Hoffman delves deeply into why this is a foundational film and explains the ongoing resonance of Bakshi's work. Borschel-Dan is much less impressed. Let’s hear who gave this film 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.
August 6 · 53 min
'The Frisco Kid': A (gefilte) fish out of water in the Wild West
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 have two Jangles this week from our movie maven. In the first, we learn about just how Jewish the classic rock band Rush is, and how it was played up at its Madison Square Garden concerts this week. In the second, we learn about Spider-Man's Jewish roots -- and the Member of the Tribe who is third billing in the new blockbuster. The main feature this week is 1979's "The Frisco Kid," an extremely Jewish take on the Wild West starring Gene Wilder and Harrison Ford. We learn how both actors are Jewish according to Jewish law, but only Wilder claimed Judaism as part of his identity. For legions of American Jews, "The Frisco Kid" held pride of place in their VHS libraries. From all-Yiddish scenes to a deadly fight for a Torah scroll, the film was an outlier in mainstream Hollywood. So how did it get made at all? Hoffman fills us in on some of the backstory surrounding the making of the movie, as well as who was originally meant to play the goyische cowboy instead of Ford. Let’s hear who gave this film 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.
July 30 · 51 min
'Double Indemnity': Billy Wilder's film noir masterpiece
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 have two Jangles this week. Borschel-Dan explains how Boy George released a reggae-inspired track, titled “Od Nirkod” in Hebrew, "We Will Dance Again," on his social media accounts on Monday. The duo chews this over. Hoffman is still jazzed from a Phish show he had seen the previous night. He brings us a fascinating and statistically rare sound sample. The main feature this week is Billy Wilder's 1944 "Double Indemnity," which is considered by many -- including our very own movie maven -- as one of the best pieces of film noir to date. Wilder was born in 1906 in Sucha, Galicia, today's Poland, to a Jewish family. He moved as a boy to Vienna, eventually working as a journalist and screenwriter, and moved to Paris as the Nazis rose to power. By 1934, he had made his way to Hollywood and begun working on films. Last week, Hoffman dared Borschel-Dan to find the Jewish themes of this week's film. Set in 1938, "Double Indemnity" probes the banality of evil even as Wilder's own family was being massacred in Nazi Europe. Wilder won the first of his seven Oscars for the film, which stars Fred MacMurray, Barbara Stanwyck and the Jewish actor Edward Goldenberg Robinson (born Emanuel Goldenberg). Let’s hear who gave this film 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.
July 23 · 41 min
'Reading Lolita in Tehran': Lifts veil on how regime turned rotten
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, Hoffman starts the program with a unique dvar Torah, tying together the new blockbuster "The Odyssey" with James Joyce's "Ulysses" and antisemitism in Ireland. Goes well with white fish. Then we turn to the main event: "Reading Lolita in Tehran," which was directed by Israeli filmmaker Eran Riklis and is currently playing in select cinemas. Labeled "a memoir in books," the film is based on the bestselling autobiography by author Azar Nafisi, published in 2003. The film is divided into chapters based on famous literature, including "The Great Gatsby," "Daisy Miller," and "Pride and Prejudice." It stars Golshifteh Farahani (known from a Hoffman favorite, "Paterson"), Zar Amir Ebrahimi, Mina Kavani and Israeli mega-star entertainer Rita. Let's hear who gave this film 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.
July 16 · 42 min
'Tuner': The Jewiest film of the summer
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, Borschel-Dan begins the episode with her impressions of the United States after not having visited for eight years. We hear how American cottage cheese stacks up after all this time. We devote the rest of the program to "Tuner," the first narrative full-length feature by young Canadian filmmaker Daniel Roher and co-written by Robert Ramsey. Roher's 2022 film "Navalny," about the Russian political prisoner Alexei Navalny, won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature Film. But "Tuner" is a huge departure for the 33-year-old filmmaker and Hoffman explains how he manages to punch high while keeping his budget low. The plot surrounds a young piano tuner played by Leo Woodall who must make a quick buck after his mentor, played by Dustin Hoffman, falls on hard times. Tuner Niki White meets a team of thuggish Israelis, headed by Uri (Lior Raz), who exploit the tuner's highly sensitive hearing for nefarious means. Let's hear who gave these this film 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.
June 27 · 57 min
'Operation Thunderbolt': 50 years to the heroic raid on Entebbe
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, Borschel-Dan starts the episode with important news: She finally finished "My Name Is Barbra," Barbra Streisand's much-discussed 900+-page autobiography. Turning to the main event: Fifty years since the daring IDF rescue of over 100 hostages from Entebbe, Uganda, we dedicated this week's The Reel Schmooze to two movies, the 1977 feature film "Operation Thunderbolt" and the 2012 documentary, "Live or Die in Entebbe." Shot with the help of the Israeli government only a year after the raid, "Operation Thunderbolt" presents a fictionalized account grounded in the realism of documentary footage of Israeli leaders, including then-prime minister Yitzhak Rabin and defense minister Shimon Peres. Directed and co-written by Menachem Golan, it stars Israeli actor/singer Yehoram Gaon, who plays the head of the sayeret matkal unit, Yoni Netanyahu (the brother of current Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu). We hear about other key performances from Klaus Kinski and Sybil Danning playing the villainous German terrorists, as well as appearances from notable Israeli actors. In the final segment of the program, we hear about a documentary that focuses on the family of one of the fallen hostages, Jean-Jacques Mimouni, a 19-year-old French-Israeli. Let's hear who gave these two films 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. IMAGE: A cheering crowd at Tel Aviv's Ben-Gurion Airport raises a member of the rescue squad which freed the hijack hostages from Uganda earlier in the day, July 4, 1976. In the background is the C-130 transport plane which took part in the raid. The rescuer's face is obscured for security reasons. (AP Photo/Pool) See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
June 18 · 47 min
'What's up, Doc?': Sultry Streisand's screwball meshugas
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, as Borschel-Dan continues to read Hoffman's recommendation -- "My Name Is Barbra," Barbra Streisand's verrrrry long biography -- we turn to an audience favorite, the 1972 screwball comedy, "What's Up, Doc?" Directed by Peter Bogdanovich, the film is a cleverly stylized updated homage to the golden era of Hollywood. It features Streisand playing a wacky vagabond and hunky Ryan O'Neal as a nerdy musicology prof, plus a slew of then-unknown Jewish stars, including Madeline Kahn. But the real star of the show is the 1970s fashions and cars. 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.
June 11 · 46 min
'Beaufort': How Israel left Lebanon in 2000 with a bang
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.
June 4 · 56 min
'Oxygen': An Israeli mother sacrifices all to keep soldier son breathing
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.
May 28 · 49 min
'A Serious Man': Coen brothers craft the Jewiest film of all
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.
May 14 · 45 min
'Cast a Giant Shadow': A 1966 ode to Israel’s first general, Mickey Marcus
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.
May 7 · 55 min
Who wore it better: Bradley Cooper or Maestro Leonard Bernstein?
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.
April 30 · 44 min
'Roommates' and 'How to Make Challah': Different slices of Jewish American pie
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.
April 22 · 43 min
'Exodus': When Hollywood still loved the Jewish state
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.
April 16 · 44 min
Nadav Lapid's 'Yes!': Israeli director's wartime film raises eyebrows and ire
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.
April 7 · 56 min
'The Ten Commandments': Put your hands up as iconic film turns 70
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.

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