Hugh Nissenson Movies
- 2007
Filmmaker Macky Alston investigates a Columbine-like crime spree that nearly claimed the lives of multiple Swarthmore College students while also exploring the life of the student who planned the crime -- now a college professor who specializes in the psychology of youth violence -- in a thought-provoking documentary that seeks to explore the roots of bullying, justice, and the continual rise of violence among American youth. A portrait of the man's daughter as she struggles to comprehend how her father could be capable of such a crime offers an intimate look at the lingering effects of violence on the psyche of friends and family. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
Can an independent, contemporary woman find happiness with a guy who sells pickles? Isabelle Grossman (Amy Irving) is an attractive, intelligent Jewish woman in her early 30s. She has a good job and a nice apartment on the Upper West Side, and she values her independence; she often visits her grandmother Bubbie (Reiz Bozyk), who lives on the Lower East Side and wants Isabelle to meet a nice Jewish man and settle down. Bubbie goes so far as to obtain the services of Hannah Mandelbaum (Sylvia Miles), a matchmaker who finds the "perfect" man for Isabelle: a pickle salesman named Sam Posner (Peter Riegert). Isabelle thinks Sam is a nice enough guy, but she has a hard time imagining herself spending her life with the pickle man, and she isn't sure if she wants to pursue the relationship. However, Sam is taken with Isabelle and goes out of his way to change her mind. Crossing Delancy was directed by Joan Micklin Silver, whose breakthrough film Hester Street also examined Jewish culture on the Lower East Side, albeit from the vantage point of the 1890s. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Amy Irving, Reizl Bozyk, (more)
- 1963
Pillar of Fire is a standard "platoon trapped behind enemy lines" affair with a twist: One of the six soldiers is a woman, played by Nehama Hendel. This is plausible in that the film is set in the Holy Land during Israel's battle of independence in 1948. When the Israelis discover that the Arabs plan to destroy a major city, they try to get back to headquarters with the information. The heroes are picked off one by one until only two are left: the woman and a male comrade (Lawrence Montaigne). By the time the survivors make it back to the Israeli side, they have fallen in love. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Michaél Shillo, Lawrence Montaigne, (more)
