Tovah Feldshuh Movies

Alternating between the unique vantage points of the Jews, the Arabs, and the British, director Elie Chouraqui's historical drama recreates the landmark struggle surrounding the creation of the State of Israel in 1948. From the concrete jungle of New York City to the desert paradise of the Holy Land, two young Americans - one Jewish and the other Arab - are forced to make an incredible series of life altering sacrifices in order to fight for their dreams. As the struggle for control of Jerusalem gets underway, the Jews, Arabs, and Brits must all address such difficult issues as terrorism, politics, courage, and deprivation with a newfound since of honest and urgency. Drawing inspiration from authors Larry Collins and Dominique Lapierre's bestselling novel of the same name, O Jerusalem offers a textured commentary on a conflict that continues to stir controversy in the 21st Century. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

M. Night Shyamalan writes and directs this self-proclaimed, grown-up "bedtime story" about an apartment building superintendent named Cleveland (Paul Giamatti) who discovers a magical sea-nymph named Story (Bryce Dallas Howard) who's been transported to this world and is living in the building's own swimming pool. As this bizarre revelation sinks in, Cleveland becomes enraptured by her other-worldly charm. As he shelters her in his apartment, other inhabitants of the building begin falling into place as representations of characters from an Eastern myth in which these mermaids, or "narfs," co-exist unhappily with more beastly and violent characters. In human reality, the forces of darkness that threaten the heroes of a fairy tale prove to be much more terrifying, and the victory of good over evil is by no means guaranteed. Jeffery Wright, Jared Harris and Mary Beth Hurt co-star, as well as Shyamalan himself, playing the visionary writer Vick. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide

A struggling actress in search of companionship finds her heart torn between an expert in the art of seduction and a computer with the social skills of the most seasoned ladies' man in director Evan Oppenheimer's technologically flavored tale of love in the 21st Century. Professor Mal Downhey (Tam Cavanagh) has just made one of the most important technological breakthroughs in modern computing; he has created a computer named "Jerry" that can interact with people on an intellectual level even greater than that of some made from flesh and bone. When his unimpressed bosses give the flustered professor two weeks to publish his data or pack his bags, Mal convinces his good friend Jane to assist in proving his machine's worth by running a contest aimed at proving a woman can fall in love with a computer even faster than she would a real man. Now, as "Jerry" and Professor Troy Rollins - aka Dr. Love - compete for the love of a lonely actress named Samantha (Sara Chalke), the very man who masterminded the man-versus-machine scheme finds himself falling for the one woman who could make or break his entire future. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide

A college student finds herself struggling to separate fact from bizarre supposition in this offbeat independent drama. Eris (Lauren Fox) is working on a research paper concerning fear and social phobia phenomena, when, in the course of her reading, she finds the obscure phrase "Noon Blue Apples" keeps popping up -- not once, but several times. Puzzled about what it's supposed to mean, Eris begins digging a bit deeper than before, and soon encounters Zeus (Thomas Jay Ryan), who runs a bookstore specializing in conspiracy literature. Before long, Zeus is giving Eris a crash course in alternate history, shadow government theories, and forbidden knowledge research, and faster than you can order a subscription to "Flatland Magazine," Eris' head is so full of oddball facts and figures that she can't separate which are true and which are mere paranoia -- leaving her with no idea of who or what she can trust. Noon Blue Apples was screened at the 2002 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

A woman searching for the perfect man instead discovers the perfect woman in this romantic comedy. Jessica Stein (Jennifer Westfeldt) is a woman with a solid career as a copy editor, but her love life isn't much to write home about; she's been through a long series of disastrous first dates that refuse to evolve into second dates, and the well-intended advice of her best friend Joan (Jackie Hoffman) and former boyfriend Josh (Scott Cohen) isn't helping a bit. One day, Jessica is scanning personal ads in the newspaper with her friends, and she sees one with a quote from her favorite poet. Jessica reads on to discover that she has a lot in common with the person who placed the ad -- too much so, since it turns out the notice is from a woman, Helen Cooper (Heather Juergensen), who manages an art gallery. Jessica figures it would at least be nice to hang out with someone who shares her interests, and she gives Helen a call. Jessica and Helen quickly strike up a close friendship that evolves into something more intimate, though neither of them has ever been involved with another woman ... and Helen is a bit more avid about her new romantic horizons than Jessica. As their relationship progresses, Jessica finds herself struggling with her feelings about her new sexual outlook, and she isn't sure how to break the news about her relationship to her mother (Tovah Feldshuh) as she tries to decide if she should bring Helen along to her brother's wedding. Kissing Jessica Stein was based on the off-Broadway play Lipschtick, which was written by Jennifer Westfeldt and Heather Juergensen, who starred in the original stage production as well as this film adaptation; the film won both the Critics' Special Jury Award and the Audience Award at the 2001 Los Angeles Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Is Ruby Weaver's Mr. Right really an emissary from the year 2,470, or is he just a complete loon ball? This question is at the heart of Brad Anderson's whimsical romantic comedy. The story opens with Ruby (Marisa Tomei) lamenting over her boyfriend Sam (Vincent D'Onofrio) to her shrink (Holland Taylor). In a series of flashbacks, the film quickly sketches Ruby as a neurotic with an unhappy track record concerning men and Sam as an oddball who is afraid of small dogs and has a barcode tattooed to his arm. But he's nuts over Ruby, and at least initially, that is enough for her. Slowly, Sam begins to reveal his "past." He tells her that he is from the Dubuque of the future and that he hails from a rare "anachronistic" family who believe that reproduction should occur the old-fashioned, fun way as opposed to the more popular cloning method. At first, Ruby is amused, until she realizes that he's not kidding. After a series of arguments, he agrees to visit Ruby's analyst, which yields unexpected results. This film premiered at the 2000 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Jonathan Crow, All Movie Guide

Nick Chen (Chow Yun-Fat) was the first Chinese-born immigrant in the NYPD, and is now one of the force's most decorated officers. As such, he's been named leader of the city's Asian Gang Unit, who are the primary peacekeepers in Chinatown. Trouble has just arrived for the Triads, the long-entrenched Chinese gangsters who are the real power behind Chinatown. After years of posing as honest businessmen, the Triad's powers are threatened by the newly arrived Fukienese Dragons. With a gang war on the horizon, the city sends a new recruit, Danny Wallace (Mark Wahlberg), to join Chen's unit. Danny finds Chen and the AGU in a very comfortable (perhaps too comfortable) relationship with the Triads. When the mobsters attempt to corrupt Danny, Chen must reassess his relationship with the Triads, and Danny must also learn that certain concessions must be made to ensure the peace in this world set apart from the rest of New York. ~ Ron Wells, All Movie Guide

A corrections officer is murdered, exposing a case involving sex in a woman's prison. A.D.A. Carmichael (Angie Harmon) soon discovers that among the players in this drama is a female inmate whom she'd previously jailed on a drug charge. As the D.A.'s office squares off against aggressive defense lawyer Danielle Melnick (Tovah Feldshuh), a disturbing secret looms ominously over one of the prosecuting attorneys. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The chief suspect in the disappearance and probable murder of a couple is turned in by his own brother. Once in custody, the suspect refuses to cop an insanity plea -- much to the consternation of his brother, who had hoped to secure medical treatment for his sibling who must now face the emotional burden of a first-degree conviction. Tovah Feldshuh makes another appearance as aggressive defense attorney Danielle Melnick. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

The murder of a rare coin dealer puts the spotlight of suspicion on the dealer's millionaire friend Richard Peterson (Michael Wilson). The wheels of justice move slowly as the D.A.'s office tries to establish provenance for the dead man's missing coin collection. A pivotal player in the proceedings is Judith Sandler (Karen Allen), daughter of two Holocaust survivors. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

An amalgam of fairy tales penned by Jewish author Isaac Bashevis Singer, this charming animated musical tale is set in Chelm, a mythical Polish hamlet populated by fools. Chelm became so after one of God's cherubs -- charged by Yaweh to sprinkle foolishness throughout his newly created earth to temper the intelligence and wisdom distributed by other small angels -- clumsily dumps all of the idiot dust on the tiny town. The stuff is potent, and no wisdom or even common sense can be found amongst its residents. One day, orphan Aaron is sent there to be raised by his Uncle Schlemiel and Aunt Sarah. Aaron brings with him his wise, bespectacled goat Zlateh. As the only sources of intelligent life in town, it is up to them to save the people from the wicked machinations of a sorcerer seeking to steal the Book of Marvels from the town hall so he can release a destructive golem, a hideous monster made of clay, to ruin Chelm. Featuring detailed background work and only average animation, the story's appeal is for very young children, though some may not understand some of the Yiddish words used throughout. The songs were penned by Sheldon Harnick (Fiddler on the Roof) and Michel Legrand (Yentl). ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide